Is that 1% worth it?

On using our time wisely, mindfulness course, attachment styles, body-consciousness, and meditation resources

Mar 21, 2022

Trying a new format this week with an audio version of my newsletter included. Enjoy!

Hi friend,

How has your energy been this year?

For me, 2022 has continued to be rather frenetic. Since the beginning of this year, work has piled up across my initiatives (Stranger Creative, QTBIPOC Design, Mindful Sights). In addition, I enrolled myself in a two-year teacher training program “with” Jack Kornfield & Tara Brach (love the community but don’t recommend the curriculum itself) & leadership accelerator program (which has been quite enjoyable).

What has become immediately clear to me is the finite number of hours I have in each day to push projects and initiatives forward. I’ve always struggled with perfectionism, but something about having my plate fuller than I have the capacity to be perfect has given me the permission to be imperfect. (Though I realize that this isn’t the most sustainable practice)

With that said, I’ve noticed a few things in this process:

To get any semblance of sleep or rest, I’ve had to actively choose to just stop working.
To ease the anxiety around imperfection, I’ve been gently reminding myself that I could always put in more work over the next day/week.
The first few hours of work get the majority done (the 80%), and the hours following seem to have diminishing returns. (The longer I worked on something beyond this threshold, the less impactful my tinkering was)

#3 was quite an “Aha!” moment for me. Especially when the work is mostly done, is the last 1% worth killing myself or losing sleep? Or is there something else that I could invest that time into with a greater impact?

Whether we like it or not, time will pass. And how we spend it will ultimately dictate the course of our lives, projects, and future.

Reflection:

Where is the threshold of “good enough” for you and your projects?
How can you re-invest the tinkering time into rest for yourself?
Where can you re-invest that time to have more impact on other things that you value?

What I’m up to

Just launched a live, online 4-week introduction to mindfulness course taking place in May (AKA mental health awareness month). It’s perfect for anyone curious about mindfulness and looking for practical tips on how to integrate more meditation into your life. Spaces are limited. Discounted tickets are available for BIPOC communities.

Introduction to Mindfulness: A Live 4-Week Online Course

For queer BIPOC designers: Tue, Mar 22 - QTBIPOC Design Book Club (online)

For Asians: Wed, Apr 20 - Asian American Healing Space (online)

For queer Asians: Thu, Apr 21 - Yellow Glitter Sparkles (online)

Talks

Sat, Apr 9: Northeastern University - Scout Conference (in-person)

Something to learn

The School of Life puts out some really beautiful videos on human consciousness and love, and I highly recommend checking out this video on attachment styles. Are you a secure, avoidant, or anxious lover? The video helps to explain what these types mean and how to be more mindful as an avoidant or anxious attachment style.

Something to read

Just finished reading quite a powerful book: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. Food, trauma, and reflections on our superficial society obsessed with policing bodies. I’ve struggled to have a healthy relationship with my body and this book put into words so many thoughts and feelings I’ve harbored over the years. Highly recommend.

Something to follow

For a weekly dose of mindfulness & meditation - check out Dawn Mauricio’s newsletter. Absolutely love the work she is doing and there are a ton of great freebies across her newsletter, website, and Insight Timer to check out, especially if you’re a beginner in mindfulness and meditation.