Why you should spend a lot of time on life admin

"What is the value of writing weekly? What on earth would I gain?"

Hi guys,

Hope you're doing okay. I’m all good, Alhamdulillah.

The last few weeks were a bit of a rush. I had little control of my time, much less than I had become accustomed to. But no “ragrets”. Some of these things are just part of life, and trying to accept them (It was a struggle I tell you!) will be much easier than being permanently frustrated about the relative lack of control.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with J, a Partner at work. He is a great great guy and I respect him a lot.

J: Hameed, so what are you doing for the holidays?

Me: Nothing fantastic. I will try to recharge, likely spend some time with family and friends too.

J: Nice. Are you going on leave?

Me: Nah. I will take two days off between Christmas and New Year but working through the rest of it.

J: Cool cool.

Me: Yeah. How about you?

J: Usually, I travel back to the US to spend Christmas with my family or my wife's family. But with everything around covid and the travel restrictions, I just might stay here for the holidays.

Me: Sorry to hear that.

J: Nah, it's not so bad. I need the time off anyway and I will likely spend a lot of time on life admin.

Me: Life admin?

J: You know, reviewing the past year, planning for the next year, etc. Basically taking time to introspect.

Me: Ah I see. I try to do the same as well, but just never called it "life admin".

….

I resonated a lot with J’s comment about “life admin”. It was something I had been doing semi-actively for the past couple of years, but perhaps not with the same level of intensity as J. And so right now, I am smack in the middle of my life admin - reviewing my steps, refining my goals, and generally trying to put in place a plan of some sorts for the next year or so.

Yesterday evening, I dug up some old documents, plans, and time-capsule style letters to future self I had written in the past few years to evaluate my progress. It was a pleasant process, and I found myself smiling a lot as I did achieve many of the things I aspired towards, Alhamdulillah.

There were of course many more previous goals that I have now abandoned, and one or two which I hope to still achieve, but at a later date than was previously planned. All of this is fine. Not all plans are supposed to be achieved, but sometimes the mere process of planning might sow a seed in your subconscious and point you in the right direction.

Last night, while reviewing a personal note I wrote while in Johannesburg, South Africa on 11th of November 2016, I came across something ajeeb. It was a plan to start writing weekly in the future.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

I read it one more time.

Over 5 years ago, I made a plan to publish weekly articles?!

Wowza.

I found this discovery amazing because no part of my plans in 2017, 2018, or 2019 involved any commitment whatsoever to writing weekly. In fact, if you had encouraged me to do so, I would likely have said, "Lol I don't have time for that” or "What is the value of writing weekly? What on earth would I gain?".

And my starting of this newsletter in 2020 was not part of fulfilling a grand plan to start writing. This is especially evident as I started not in January, but in the middle of August.

Why do I share this?

I want to encourage you to take out some time for "life admin". It might be something as basic as devoting 30 minutes this evening to writing some of your short and long-term goals in a notebook.

But please be explicit. Write it down.

You might forget to act on it today, but it definitely sticks around somewhere in your subconscious. And maybe one day, you will dust open an old notebook, read your handwriting and break into a smile.

Image from istockphoto

—————

It has become increasingly clear to me as I begin to plan for the next year that I should leave my comfort zone more often.

And one of the activities high on that list is building a community of achievers dedicated to having an impactful career. I wrote about starting another newsletter for it back in September, but have been procrastinating since then and did not get it off the ground.

So let's give it another shot.

[Rewind to 23rd September, 2021]

…

Unlike this newsletter in which I write about many things that cross my mind, the focus of the new community is 100% on optimising for a successful career.

The idea is to learn together about career fulfilment, social anxiety in the workplace, quitting/being fired, code-switching, how and when to pivot, building professional relationships, etc.

It will not be a public community of 1500+ people. Instead, I am thinking of experimenting with a small, closed door group of about 20 to 30 people. It will be a paid subscription, and only available to those who are invited.

If you are interesting in signing up for this, please fill the form here.

…

If you filled the form the last time, please ignore as I already have your details. If you subscribed to this newsletter between September and now and are interested in joining the new career-focused community, please sign up.

I will be in touch soon.

Vamosssssss!

** Jara content:

رَبَّنَا لاَ تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ

"Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.”

Have a great week. ✨