On Holding On
You started strong, are you slowing down now?
The news headlines read, “ASUU is embarking on a warning strike for a month”. The day was 14th February 2022.
There were lots of reactions. Tweets were rolling in. WhatsApp status had many updates. While some were happy, some weren’t and the other sect was just indifferent and tired. Not another strike, not again!
Some were happy as it was ‘finally a break from the fast-paced and exhausting school environment’. The tech family and those aspiring to be a part saw it as a great time to double down on their skills and be world-class. Those with jobs gave thanks because they could continue with their jobs and focus. The fitfam decided it was time to hit the gym. And a vast majority made up their mind to learn a skill, which you were most probably a part of. Everyone I spoke to reminded me of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, and how a 2-weeks holiday turned into an over 5-months break.
For me, I was happy. Yeah! I was taking a break from school, I wanted to focus on NoCode9ja, and improve my nocode skills.
Around this time, lots of flyers were going around with interesting themes and titles targeted toward students and making the best use of the ASUU Strike. The Nocode9ja Learnathon was literally built on that. As one of the community ambassadors for Ingressive for Good (Unilag), I also urged my co-ambassadors to catch that vision, and we organized an event. Of course, there were a lot of signups and a bunch joined the community. I’m pretty sure it was like that for many other communities.
As a product manager, I had a lot of my friends coming into my DM each day and wanting to give my number out to someone who wanted to get into the field. And sure, it was cool.
Two months in, the fire is dying
We’re almost 2 months in, but the tempo is slowly dying.
We organized other events recently at I4G Unilag, and people still showed up, but the commitment level was low. We recently started a study group and only a few people are keeping up. We didn’t have that problem in February when everyone was excited and wanted to learn “how to code or get into tech”. Visit this link to join our study group.
After the Nocode9ja Learnathon, I thought I’ll never be able to catch my breath from people asking about nocode, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.
I tutor a product management study group and compared to the beginning, I can see the tempo is slowing down. The number of active persons is dropping by the day.
What’s the problem?
Are people no longer interested in tech and all the beautiful things they wanted to do? I think they still are. Or are they learning and building in silence? Ermm, most people aren’t. So what exactly is the issue?
Many are taking this race (strike period) as a sprint instead of a marathon
Oxford Dictionary blessed us with these definitions;
- A sprint is a run at full speed over a short distance.
- A marathon is a long-distance running race.
A lot of students are treating this as a sprint. In the beginning, they went all in, their power, time, and everything they’ve got. It’s commendable, but not the best approach.
It’s not the best approach at this point, because we’re running a long race — we don’t know when the strike will be called off. Sprints are short distances, and this time is clearly not. A sprint has a limited time, this certainly is not.
This race should be treated more like a marathon. It’s long and continuous. You must go gently — yet aggressively. You must move fast — yet reserve energy for miles ahead.
I know it’s much harder than it appears on your screen. You may be exhausted now, because of all the energy you’ve expended previously. Take a break. Are you beginning to lose interest because it seems never-ending? It’s time to reset your mind.
What do you do now?
There’s no one fix for this problem. But I tried my best to write out what helped me and still is. Here are 5 things I think you should adopt immediately so that you can end this race profitably:
Be consistent
It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently — Anthony Robbins
Consistency is one of those concepts I enjoy speaking about because I’ve taken the time to learn and I understand the power of compounding efforts. Being consistent is not so easy though, and I know this. Consistency is about focusing on the task at hand in the present moment while maintaining a long term vision. It’s rewarding progress over perfection.
Consistency is more concerned with “how long?” than “how well?”, because most times when you do it long enough, you’ll learn to do it well.
In my article on consistency, I stated that we struggle with consistency because we’re focused on the result rather than the process. That’s probably you. At the beginning of the strike, you imagined yourself learning how to code, getting jobs may be, and making some cash, great! But then you had only that vision in mind but didn’t have a plan to bring it into reality. And because of the absence of consistency, you were unable to sustain yourself to work hard enough to bring it to reality.
Learn to be consistent. Here’s a must-read article I wrote about Consistency.
Have a plan
A goal without a plan is just a wish — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Like I mentioned above, you probably had those nice dreams for yourself and imaginations about cashing out or maybe mastering a skill, which is cool. But without a plan that helps you ruthlessly and productively execute, you may just be wandering without results that will tire you out.
You must build up a plan that favours productivity, that leads you to your goal and helps you build habits around those tasks. For example, if I decided to learn to code when the strike started. My plan could be;
- Enrol in courses that provide an assessment as I progress — that way I’m learning and also getting tested
- Dedicate a minimum of 2 hours to learning something every day — by this, I’m building a habit. I may not start for 2 hours from the first day if I’m not used to it.
- Join a community of other learners — to keep my energy up and also build my network.
2 hours every day from February 14 till today, March 31st is about 66 hours and you could have done a whole lot in that time. Have a plan, a productive plan.
Check out this not-a-must article I wrote on being productive.
Get accountability partners
Most goals people set are not achieved because they are not held accountable for them. When goals are made in private they tend to fall off because people stop being motivated, stop focusing and stop prioritizing — Bola Onada Sokunbi, Goal Setting To Live Your Dreams
A lot of people run around today looking for mentors when all they need is an accountability partner. Accountability partners bring out the best of you through constant reminders and follow-up to complete the required tasks.
Sometimes, you may feel unmotivated to do anything or maybe just tired and exhausted. An accountability partner is there to lift your mood, to remind you of where you started, and why you must get to the end. Accountability partners or groups work really well. Ensure you get some as serious as you when selecting accountability partners. Usually, it’s a 2-way thing.
I digress, just a little tho’ — I’m building a platform that holds you accountable to your plans and goals by making you pay some money. If you meet your goals, you keep your money. If not, your money will be donated to people in need or you get a tree planted in your name. Either way, you’re doing good. 🌝
You’ll find a form at the end of the article.
Join communities
If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together — African Proverb
Communities are the next best thing after Amala. Yes, I said that. 😌
They’re built to help you grow, to groom and unveil the better you. From providing help in times of need, to fun hangouts and celebrating wins, communities have got your back.
Look out for a relevant community today and be a part of one today. You’ll get to meet other awesome people, maybe even accountability partners. Communities keep you in the flow when you’re part of one. When you’re part of an active community, you’ll never forget that skill you’re engaged in. And I’m not just talking about tech alone, communities are great.
Techie? Akokite? Join the I4G Unilag Community.
Interested in nocode? Wanna learn how to build apps and websites without writing code? Join Nocode9ja
When the going gets tough, still go!
All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better — Samuel Beckett
Even after following all I’ve recommended above, sometimes the going may still get tough. Back to our race analogy, even in a marathon, you’ll get really tired and there’s still a long way to go. Your body and mind feel like falling apart to take rest and not continue, but you still need to go.
Why do some athletes come out victorious at the end of marathons and others do not? What are the differentiating factors? I think there are 2 things. P.S: I understand that a whole lot goes into winning a marathon race, but for the sake of this article, we’ll stick to two.
They;
- Focus their mind on the prize; At every step of the way, they remember the prize. It keeps them from never stopping. Remember, look up to the long term result as it keeps you from not stopping.
- Build a habit around taking a consistent little action that compounds; For every step they take, they tell themselves, “just one step remaining”. It’s small, it’s achievable, it’s continuous, and it keeps them going. Remember, build habits around consistent little actions as they keep you going.
When you have actions that keep you going and a mindset that keeps you from stopping, then you’re surely headed to the top.
That’s it, dear friend. I strongly advise you to take a second read. Articles like this aren’t gulped down in one read, go over it again, and take action.
If you think it’s a great read, share it with at least 3 friends. How cool would it be when you’re at the top and your friends are there too?
About the product I’m working on, you can learn more by filling out the form here. It’s just 5 questions.
You can connect with me on Twitter(@ayfolut), LinkedIn(Foluso Ayodele) or send me a mail (ayfolut@gmail.com)
Till then, see you in my next article. 👋
