“I been gone for a minute now I’m back with” TDA the BAWSE

I’ve been gone for a minute. I know…it’s been about an accumulation of way too many minutes but life as it happens to do every now and again caught me in the middle of its multi-faceted shit storm so I was just making it. In the world of just making it there is very little time for the clarity and astute writing of yours truly. But have no fear TDA! is here.

Amongst the drunken birthday emo-breakdown (unexpected but not really), the movers losing one of my boxes and my vacuum after bringing my life from Dallas about 3 weeks later than anticipated, having to chase MY money about 4 times over, traveling to Europe for 6 nights (so necessary), and working on the daily grind – it’s been a crazy 2 months.

In all insanity though, lucidity is never too far behind if you’re looking for it. So of the many lessons I’ve learned in the past few months, this post is your introduction to That Damn Anne, the BAWSE (as Ricky Rozay would say)

Those that know me are well aware that at any given time I’m working on about 4 different things. As an energetic, ambitious, do-er on a mission I legitimately can’t co-sign sitting around waiting for the world to present me with glitter and gold. My current roster (even though as the weeks change so do a few items on the list) is as follows:

1. Executive Director of The World is Your Oyster (TWIYO)
2. Co-founder of The Voluptuary
3. Researcher, grant-writer, paper-writer
4. Solo Jewelry-maker AnastasiabyAnne

Looking at this list it looks pretty paltry to me considering my day-job isn’t on there, and it doesn’t include the other things that seem to consume my time on a pretty regular basis.

I’m sure you’re likening my list though to one (or several) of your scatter-brained friends who hasn’t picked what exactly they want to do and is all ova di place. Every day they have a new job or interest, a new way to make it.

Again Ricky Rozay said it best “No sir, not me!” See when its time to hustle and flow, there are rules of thumb and the 1^st one is shown in my list: prioritize your hustles. I put myself into everything that I do. I truly (rule #2) enjoy everything that I do. But in picking my #1 hustle I found the thing that I would rather be doing EVERYDAY and that has enamored my heart, mind, and time. The 2^nd thing is very closely related to the first, but it’s for-profit so it will most likely ensure baller status so I have the option of making it rain at somebody’s hood-fabulous club one day.

Both 1 & 2 are helping me on my way to my mission. Hustles 3 & 4 are things I enjoy, services I provide to others – but most important those are the “Get money” hustles that put the dolla dolla bills in my hand quickly and without too much effort (rule #3: something you do has to benefit your pockets).

The most commonly asked question: “Where do you find the time?” Now this is tender topic for me because I am a self-professed Go Hard. Methinks that being a Go Hard by virtue of pledging has eradicated most of the fibers in my moral and mental tissue dedicated to making excuses. So disclaimer having been put forth this is a somewhat mathematical response to how alla dis happens.

There are 24 hours in a day. 8 hours in a workday. I have calculated that my average work-work (meaning what they actually want me to do when I’m at work) productivity is at its height at about 4 hours, leaving 4 hours to accomplish strides towards hustle #1 primarily. Hustle # 3 also takes advantage of some of these personal work hours left by what hasn’t been accomplished for #1. So at the minimum you have applied 4 hours on your workday to accomplishing something. Another disclaimer: I work in the nonprofit field so there is some overlap – but I email my cousin back & forth at work so I KNOW some of yall corporate folks be bored as hell…rule #4: find those extra pockets & maximize your time.

Bottom line is everyone makes time for what they want. How bad do you want what you want?

Rule #5: it’s a FLOW. By no means do I kill myself if I haven’t spent exactly 4 hours on my side hustles, by no means do I NOT partake in the social functions and happenings that make me, me. So get you flow together and figure out what works. My flow is that aside from 1& 2 the hustle list is malleable and I’m okay with that. That’s where my spice of life comes from (since the dates have all but dried up).

Okay so I’ve babbled enough about the hustle & flow but there’s one more thing I have to say. As a BAWSE, you have to make time for your team. Your team will always be the first group of ppl to show love, spend $$, and spread the word (at least they should be) so it’s critical that you are (rule #6) never too busy for your team.

I’m “out here tryna get, each and every way” with my focus on. Where you at?