I Need to Do Better

For the record, I do code. I sit down, some time during the week, and knock out just one Codecademy challenge. This has been of late. I am not working hard enough, I am not grinding hard enough and I am trying to figure out why.

I have this blog and another that are active (two more that are not). I have the podcast and the podcast contribution to Code & Supply. And then there are meetups and and the gym. But more often than not, I am distracted by Slack, Gitter, Facebook, Twitter the Pittsburgh Pirates (BUCN!!). I have the tools to stop the distractions. That's not the issue. The issue is sitting in the chair and working.

I will have Airmail open and that red badge will pop up and I will look at the email/newsletter and open links. I'll troll Hacker News or Medium, even with the main websites blocked. I look at my calendar and get calendar notifications from Sunrise on my iPhone and I'll be sitting there reading an article or a book. I ignore it and continue. THIS CANNOT CONTINUE. THIS WILL NOT CONTINUE. I WILL DO BETTER.

I see my Code Newbie compatriots working their asses off, knocking down code problems, doing code kata on codewars. I am envious. I have a lot going on and priorities need to be set. First, it starts with my calendar:

I deleted A LOT of fluff and old commitments. I tried to streamline what I do and when. No, I will not code for 8 hours a day. Three days a week I must get to the gym. This is imperative. I have time to read, code and blog, and record podcasts and edit them. I have to scale back screencasting as it is time intensive and I don't have lots of time. I guess I do, but I need to prioritize it. I block out time for email and that is the only time. I will get to bed earlier (I really need to do this anyway as class starts in a month and a half and I have a recitation at 11 am, being an hour away from class). I will get up earlier. I will SAIC (Sit ass in chair) and code after trying to get awake.

I have a time to read and a time to screw off. I feel really committed to my Pirates but having the TV off, which it is most of time, is key.

I used to write these same types of posts when I was a writer. A lot of it is fear of success. If you listened to my Code & Supply episode which you can find here (opens in a new tab), you'll know my story. Being a success once and failing is a big monkey on my back that I am trying to shake.

The fact that I have sort of cooled off my late nights and late waking hours has been a big step for me. We'll see where I am in one month. I was doing well for so long with this. It's now time to keep going...