I love me some sun shine.
So, summer it is.
Category: Insight
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It’s the fifth day of June and I was able to leave the house and go treat myself to some books today.
I already have a stack that I should probably finish but it did not stop me from buying new books. So, here’s what I got:
It’s my first time reading Abir Mukherjee’s books and what got my attention was that there’s 5-part book series, but I could only get three books, so I went for the tiebreaker (Smoke and Ashes is book #3) and the last two books in the series.
On writing: I am sending out my manuscript to the printers this coming week and I can’t wait to get my hands on that first print copy and make revisions before putting it out there- so, fingers crossed.
Two things I am looking forward to this month:
- Improved health
- Getting back to work
How’s your June coming along?
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Daily writing promptHow do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
Honestly, it takes me a while to know when it’s time to unplug because I work closely with communities and sometimes there is no off switch. Something comes up and I often want to attend to it before I sleep- and the cycle continues.
However, when I want to unplug I learned that I tend to do three things and these are:
- Set my phone on Airplane mode
- Get in bed
- Read while listening to any of my playlists on Spotify.
Most of the times I’ve been compelled to do these things when I can’t seem to think of a solution, are exhausted or over the weekends when I do not have work to be done.
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I have a cold allergy.
Yes, when it’s cold two things happen: I either lose my voice or shiver to the point where this wheezing sound emanates from my chest like a symphony.
This is why it doesn’t make sense that I currently reside near a coffee plantation in one of the chilly, cold places in Kiambu County in Kenya- so please don’t ask me why…I just love my apartment.
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I sincerely do not.
There are days when work takes the bulk of my focus and then Saturdays when all I want to do is sleep, eat, sleep and drink coffee while listening to my spotify playlist.
http://www.pexels.com There is something about how I choose to live my life and what I value- and for the girl in me seeing my Mom bring us up on her own, taking on jobs, consultancies to be able to provide for us-every time I want to take a step back, I see her and I keep on pushing. Working, setting up goals and tasks to secure financial independence-and this has had me thinking of all the times I should have prioritized rest but never did- and whether I would know when to catch a break.
Until then, I am learning- I am learning to embrace that little girl and I am doing this by:
- Treating myself to lunch dates/ brunch dates twice a month. There are amazing restaurants in Nairobi which I am yet to explore.
- Journaling daily- I started this when I was 12 years old and I make sure to write a line or two about my day before going to bed.
- Buying the books I want to read and not feeling guilty about it.
- Searching Pinterest for beautiful kitenge, ankara dress designs and having them tailor-made for me
- Sleeping at 10:30pm and waking up at 7:30am– this is most recent given that I am on medication.
- Calling my close friends, showing up for them during their milestones- eating out with friends.
So, yes I do not have the work life balance locked in, and the greatest lesson I am learning is that it is okay.
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This was a prompt I couldn’t ignore because I love fruits and just naming five sounds like selling myself short, yet, I’ll still do it.
Here are my absolute favorites:
- Banana
- Avocado
- Orange
- Pineapple
- Paw paw
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Take a minute- open a new tab and go to www.pexels.com and search for ‘career woman,’ and tell me what you find.
This is what I did first in responding to this question, ‘what is your career plan?’
We are in May 2025- and we have seven months to the end of the year and rather than a long-term stretch of where I want to be, I truly want to share projects that I am working on:
- Professional studies- a course on Organizational Leadership by Northwestern University
- Building a high performing team at my current workplace-this is in line with my desire for growth into more challenging roles in the next two years. Two roles to be specific.
- Writing a book
- Eating healthy- this is a health project, something that recent medical condition change calls for and it means focusing more on plant-based diet.
- Developing a robust Emergency Fund
And if you were to ask me what my career plans were in 2020-they were not as I have shared, but over time I learned that there are diverse pursuits that I can aspire to, not just one area of specialization.
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In the morning, some time between ten o’clock and noon.
Late into the night, sometime between 11pm and 3am.
I used to be so certain but I am learning that it actually depends.
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Daily writing promptWrite about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?
I have learned not to beat up myself over most things, however when it comes to giving people the benefit of the doubt…on this I still struggle and there was a time when I worked with someone for over 4 years, and he’d do and say things and I would have this gut feeling that he doesn’t mean well and shrug it off…I did this for 4 years until I started hearing from my colleagues, and field teams that he was talking ill of me and asking them not to trust my leadership when I got promoted, and a month later I quit work.
Looking back, I’m glad that I was able to quit and I’ve learned not to ignore my gut feeling.
The best thing I did was to cut all ties and ensure that I have no links or ties, with that part of my work, and continue to be intentional about the things I tell myself.
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Over booked time slots on google calendar
30% phone battery
Those snippets of c-drama on facebook sponsored ads that give you less than 3 minutes of a drama and then to continue watching ask you to download dramabox app on google, why?
Tax return statements…
Unused stationery…I collect pens and notebooks, if I don’t write on any, it makes me feel like I have failed in something.
Late night calls from my Mom or Sisters…
Walking on Nairobi streets and someone is steadily walking behind me even when I side step to give them way…they still maintain that pace.
Thoughts…snippets of random thoughts as I work
This book I am writing
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nilichoandika 