This is going to be a meme-based post about my struggle to keep myself together and keep Accomplishing Tasks. Why is this particular image so ME?

One of my ongoing quests in “Reckoning with my Career Path and Myself” is answering this question: how much can I accomplish by the sheer force of my own free will versus how much structure and direction do I need to make things happen? This is a million dollar question, and that dolphin featured above is my day-to-day existence this summer, given that all of my engagements are freelance and require me doing a ton of independent work.

First of all, you have to address the seduction of rescheduling meetings. Sometimes when you have literal months to accomplish tasks and there are no concrete deadlines that have severe consequences assigned to them, you wake up and think, “Wow, it would be really good to spend all day on the couch watching the new season of GLOW on Netflix” (which, by the way, is still terrific in its mix of nostalgia and current day relevance).

Everyone relates to the fact that summer is a hard time to get things done. Especially in Chicago when the city explodes in outdoor activity. Also Netflix is relatable. I’m just like, super relatable. (Meme by rorosii on tumblr.com).

So I’m maintaining the social media presence for the Business and Entrepreneurship Department, and waiting to start revamping a couple of undergraduate courses on Canvas once I have a syllabus to work from. I’m working with Chicago Art Deco Society (CADS) on marketing their book, Art Deco Chicago: Designing Modern America.  I’ve compiled some graphic designs for them, helped to flesh out the overall marketing strategy, and I’m tracking a calendar and making sure all of our communications partners are in the loop. I’m also beginning research with OTV on business structure and artist intake resources. I’m designing a three-look collection (upwards of ten pieces) for Print All Over Me by September, and overall, I’m a little behind in all of these things. Plus, some days when I’m unable to do any work, it’s not like I’m actually running around doing crazy fun summer things. Sometimes it’s home life stuff that gets in the way because I didn’t have time to go to the eye doctor during the school year, or maybe I have about 5 loads of laundry I need to do right now, but my laundry room is hard to access because my building back deck is being re-constructed. (Some insurance thing our landlord told us, but it means that doing laundry requires walking around a block with probably like 25 pounds of clothing). Some days I feel like I have the craziest FOMO, but I’m still locking myself up with my tasks, trying to make sure I keep moving through the swamp of summer time management.

This cat and me are the same. This cat and my own real life cat are the same. I am the same as my cat. (Via @ryanlesliefisher on instagram)

Well, I’m still having a fabulous summer, but I’m also trying to be honest about the complications of managing one’s time in this post. And one of my grandest achievements of the summer so far is that I’ve taken up Pokemon Go again so that I can feel a sense of productivity as I walk to the train. They’ve got a really cute new cactus Pokemon that is making me feel like, “Hey, at the end of the day, you can get your work done girl.” Just be like this little green dude and persevere while swinging your arms grandly:

My favorite Pokemon who inspires me daily. But I also didn’t have pokeballs the first time I interacted with him so I couldn’t even capture him until a few days later. Is that a metaphor or what?