Hey there,
I hope you’re doing well and keeping safe? Recently, I’ve been very worried about Nigeria and this is veery shocking because I’m very particular about the news I consume. I’ve deliberately stayed away from news about the country and still, I’m scared about everything. Please ensure that you’re staying safe, wearing masks, washing your hands and even more importantly, keeping yourself and your belongings safe.
The actual ghetto about this is that there’s only so much you can do. Anyway, what a ‘heavy’ intro that was. How are you doing my people? If you’re in Nigeria, you’re obviously happy about the free holiday on Monday because I know I am. So just when I thought won’t he do it last month, this month came and I’m literally the definition of booked and busy.
Again, won’t he do it.
I’m very proud of my time management this month so I’m going to share what I’ve been doing (ignoring stuff until their deadlines) but haha, nah, I’ve actually just been taking stuff one day at a time and making use of notes + lists to track what I should be doing and it’s been excellent for me.
All The Good Things
Symone won RuPaul’s Drag Race and I loved this fantastic interview she did with Vogue Magazine
I rediscovered my love for Emily King and I’ve sent her song Look At Me Now to anybody who wants to listen
The Circle US is back and it’s the #reason I typed that in hashtags because duh, it’s what they do over there
I hosted a conversation which had my friend, Uyaiedu and some other filmmakers about film as a medium for LGBTQI activism
Watched Shiva Baby and it’s probably one of the most chaotic but interesting things I’ve seen in a while
This NYT article about languishing made me feel relief that I wasn’t the only one going through this
Found this interesting thread from Teresa Palomar who I want to meet and talk to
Got accepted into CXL’s growth marketing program and it’s kicking my ass but I like it
Watched Judy (2019) and clicked why Renee Zellweger got all the praise she got for that role
This thread from students about a post-pandemic New York Magazine cover got me in my feelings
Did this Google Form thing and people killed me with their responses
Serious Conversations: On Work-Life Balance
I’m a hard worker if I say so, myself. Give me a task and I think I’ll do it to the best I can. My style of work is very different from your style of work. I’m very relaxed about things, but yet I’ll do what I can to get to where I need to be. Last year, I ran one of the most interesting revenue campaigns ever. It was interesting because I was pretty much the one juggling all the activity and it was basically my target to meet. It was an unrealistic target, so we didn’t get there but I was shocked by the work we did because we almost doubled the total revenue that the product would have gotten (in the middle of a pandemic, I must add and amidst the fluctuating state of the dollar)
So, I know my onions. I may not necessarily run around the whole place or worry incessantly because I know my game plan but I know my stuff. Now recently, I had a call with someone before I bagged my current job and the feedback from this conversation was that I was a bit laid back for the role and they wanted someone who was aggressive and I honestly found it weird because I’ll never have thought aggressiveness was a skill that was needed in the workplace. I’m soft, not brash and generally relaxed when I need to have a conversation and it bothered me for a while, this feedback that is, because I sort of compartmentalised it a little.
When I heard it, I started asking myself: was this lack of aggressiveness what was lacking in previous roles that made it not a good fit for me? Or was it something I needed to learn or add to my personal skillset? I thought about it deeply for a while and came to a response. No, it is not. I don’t need to fight people for work and I don’t need to be aggressive. I can be fun and be myself at work. I know it’s not all rosy but I’ll obviously handle it at my own terms.
This whole epistle cuts into work-life balance for me. How are you juggling that? How are you resting from work? I’ve always been a firm believer in managing my time and ensuring that nothing is suffering.
It’s not the easiest thing, but we get it on some days. Big question for you though: Is there a work life balance in your life right now? And do you rest when you need to?
I saved this for last because I wanted you to remember. I have a new video series on Clout Africa where I talk about Nollywood and the film industry generally. If you know me, you know it’s something I’m passionate about. We’re done with the whole season now so please check us out on YouTube.
Until next time,
Frankie.