One thing I’m sure about is that in our journey to success, to making impact and change in the world, something we need to keep close in mind is that we should not get ourselves involved with just anybody, whether it be as a friend, as a close associate, or as a love partner.
For a person like me, the topic of ‘trust’ has never sat well with me, because of some personal experiences of mine regarding it. I find it hard to trust someone, no matter how well they pass all my checks and barriers. And I still maintain that it is a good thing, because for a person who aspires to make impact, even the smallest relationship with the wrong person can send you and your work crashing down.
In my case, it was the subject of my account – my Facebook account. I got hacked by someone who was at the time, very close to me, probably as a result of the issues we were having at the time. And when I asked for my account back, he refused. I was actually seething: You broke into my account, deleted my device from it, changed my password, and you’re bluntly refusing to give it back to me?
I had allowed myself into a relationship with that kind of individual. When I think of it, it was something like the case of Richard and Debby in the novel Friends and Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey, if you know it. 🥲
Key points to take away from this are:
…the kind of people we surround ourselves with matters a million
You may think little of it, but as people who are working to impact change in society and in the world, the kind of people we surround ourselves with matters a million. Having people in your circle of friends or contacts that cause you to feel bad about yourself almost every time you talk to them is bad for you.
Sure, there’s the case of criticism often dampening our spirits, but when the criticism becomes a constant feature, it’s then for the bad.
…connect with, build ties, and give out sensitive information to the people you enage with MUCH less.
And as far as networking goes, this doesn’t mean you should stop networking, both in your professional and personal life. This only means that you should connect with, build ties, and give out sensitive information to the people you enage with less – much, much, MUCH less.
And if you’re a person who easily gives into emotions or trusts just as easily, try to get a tough skin.
It also helps to reach out your friends and connections who have passed through the route you aspire, and ask them about how they were able to balance professionalism with thier personal relationships.
It wasn’t until it hit me hard that I understood the need for two-factor authentication…
It wasn’t until it hit me hard that I understood the need for two-factor authentication. Although, one certain time, after listening to a webinar by Okoye Ijeoma Dicta, where she talked on the importance of two-factor authentication on one’s social media accounts, I tried it out on my Facebook account. But I didn’t make it to the end, because my Google Duo (which is now Meet) refused to accept my phone number. I actually just gave up, feeling that my account was already safe, and that setting that up would just be ‘in case of necessary necessities.’
Well, the joke was on me! When my Facebook got hacked, I immediately went to my Twitter to protect it, by downloading 1Password authenticator app and following the steps. Luckily (maybe because it was relatively easier to do it) I had already protected my Telegram account with two-factor authentication.
Being careful with the kind of people we associate with, build relationships with, share information with, and generally let into our lives, is something that everyone needs to hear. It’s not all about the professional taglines and recognition, what goes on behind the scenes is far more important, because a weak link could cause it all to fall to the ground.
Don’t let a relationship (I’m not only referring to love relationships here) – no matter how real it appers to be – cause you to do things that could backfire. Be sensible, think with your mind, and don’t take two-factor authentication for granted!
Ọlaedo is a teen lifestyle blog, written by a Nigerian teen from a Nigerian teen’s perspective. And aside from my blog I’m an aspirant of a career as a software engineer, I write about my tech journey and as well pen down some tips I’ve uncovered based on my personal experiences, on my socials and on the blog.
You could connect with the blog on Facebook. Surf through the blog’s page and give Ọlaedo a follow.
Does the topic I shared here relate to you? How are you able to keep from mixing personal feelings into your professional connections and relationships? Are you a techie also, or looking to go into tech? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let’s interact! 😊
The tittle of this post reminds me of the article I wrote for the Hashnode Dev Retro 2022 campaign. In the article, where I shared my three-year journey in tech, I talked about my lack of ‘connections’ as one of the things that really slowed down my progress and learning.
As a beginner coder, I relied on Sololearn, YouTube tutorial videos, and (at a time) Girls Who Code at Home weekly code projects for my learning.
That was great. Not bad, actually. But what I lacked was community.
We all can agree that in the average classroom, it takes the input from other classmates for there to be actual teaching and learning.
Be honest and admit to yourself that if it wasn’t for the questions, jokes, and random statements from members of your class while learning, you probably wouldn’t have been able to understand most of your lessons.
And that’s exactly what I’m talking about.
Don’t be daunted when I use the word ‘networking’. A better word to use would be ‘community’, and they mean the same thing in this context.
If you want to live your life with purpose and take responsibility for your actions, you need a network, you need to be in a community of people with interests and goals similar to yours.
In a less formal light, it’s simple logic to make friends with people who’ll be beneficial to you. It’s not only about those who’re ‘in your field’, you can as well make friends with people from all walks of life, from different backgrounds, as long as their being part your life will make you a better person.
Now, the question:
How Will I Find that Network?
Honestly, if you asked me how exactly you could find such a community of ‘like-minded people’, I have no proven line of action to give you.
You see, back when I just started out, and had just created a Facebook account, I made endless searches like: Nigerian teen coders, Teen coders, and phrases like that, but all the groups and pages I found were outdated and empty.
In hindsight, I take it that it wasn’t yet the right time for me to stumble across the amazing communities I’m in now, because I wasn’t ready for them.
But with the little experience of mine, I can tell you this:
My best advice on is to begin with making like-minded friends. I use Facebook as an example because it’s my most active social. Make searches on people you already know in your field, and send them friend requests.
And if you don’t have anyone in mind, you can go over to Google and search up things like: Nigerian teen coder 2022, Nigerian programmer 2022, Nigerian teen web developer 2022 (that would be in the case of a techie). You’d be sure to get relevant results.
And once your results are out, you can then hit the socials. It must not be Facebook, as long as you connect with that person: through a follow or a friend request.
And the good thing about social media sites is that from the people you follow or become friends with, you’re given friend, group and page suggestions based on your activity. So it becomes a lot easier to find more people and communities once you reach out.
The perks of making friends with the right kind of people are lot. Here are some benefits, with proof from my personal experiences:
A network keeps you motivated.
I knew this before now, but I’ve just recently been given a reminder. You wouldn’t believe the creative rush I felt when I saw updates from my friends in tech as we entered the new year. And although I was in my village, with my network on EDGE, I found a way to get Internet connection, even if it only came once a day.
My friends, the like-minded peeps I’ve surrounded myself with, motivated me to push limits and start work this year, notwithstanding the serious network problems I faced.
A network keeps growing.
I can’t really remember the first teen techie I followed on Facebook. But since that day, I’ve kept on meeting more and more people. I’ve made REALLY amazing friends in tech, and we’re already making plans to execute projects this year.
In fact, through my Facebook friend, Abigail Johnson, (a fellow girl in tech), I just found out about Princess Mbamalu, who is working with her to build an AI-powered tech innovation.
And I look forward to future interactions with her.
But the other side of this is that YOU have to stay in motion. Don’t fold your arms and deceive yourself by saying you’re satisfied with the friends you have, and the level you’ve gotten to.
Such a mindset is dangerous, because one thing I’ve learned about purposeful people is that they cease to hang around you once you stop being productive.
So, if you really want to grow, you stay productive, keep working at your craft. Once you’re in the right circle of people, it’s only a matter of time before great opportunities come your way.
When you walk with five wise people, you become the sixth wise person.
Every beneficial network influences you positively.
If I hadn’t put the lessons I’d learnt from participating in the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge into practice, I wouldn’t have developed myself to this point. I wouldn’t have known enough to keep reaching out to like-minded people. I wouldn’t have been enlightened on the importance of making investments for my personal growth.
The major point here is that when you come in contact with the right kind of people, they must SURELY influence you in one way or another.
And it’s not just professionally, in our everyday lives as well.
I take an example from my own life: In my workplace, I’ve met two really amazing women. One of them taught me a lot, actually, about being a young woman of QUALITY and CONFIDENCE; but one of the best things she taught me was that age is just a number, especially where it seems like a factor stopping me from pursuing what I want.
The other amazing woman taught me – although not directly – that your personality is everything. She’s actually a young pastor’s wife, but she’s so cool. Most times, the way she presents God is so refreshing.
I really treasure these women.
The same should be for you.
Points of action.
What kind of an article would this be if there were no in-your-face points of action?
A network, a community of people with goals similar to yours, can only be of benefit to you when you put in your own efforts.
Here they are:
Keep showing up. Keep putting yourself out there.
One of the closest people to me, Franck Mve, is an aspiring footballer – and in recent times, a delver in all things photography. He is known wherever he goes as a football lover, and the best part is that he actually shows his skills whenever and wherever he can.
He’s actually made lots of friends from this, and lots of cool opportunities have come to him.
The moral here is that you should be consistent. Although similar to ‘staying productive’, this is more in-depth in a sense. It’s about getting to work and not stopping. It’s about not just covering yourself up with labels and professional taglines, but rather about working to produce results that will gain you the opportunities you need.
It’s not enough to talk about your ideas, it’s not enough to boast about your skills. The main thing is to NEVER shy away from an avenue to show what you can do.
Don’t live on past glory.
Don’t compare yourself with others.
This, every once in a while, is a big problem, actually. In one of my entries for the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge, I wrote on this.
Sure, there will ALWAYS be people who’re doing better than you are, no matter their age. Just look at Claire Charles, a 14-year-old Web3 developer. But instead of that to demoralize you, let it motivate you.
Claire Charles, 14-year-old Web3 developer.
In my own case, when I look at my mates like John Oseni, Clinton Imaro, Abigail Johnson, Sumayah Adegbite, and many others making waves in tech, it makes me feel bad that although I’ve been into tech since 2019, I haven’t been consistent enough with it to actually produce much results.
But I soon get over the ‘failure’ feeling, and let their stories inspire and motivate me to keep going – consistently this time.
It’s important to always share your story. Not necessarily, while you’re still building yourself up, but rather when you’ve reached a level of success. It helps to motivate upcomers, and also helps you keep track of your progress as a person.Always keep records, and share when you’ve overcome.
Vanessa Ndikom.
The same should be for you. The ‘guys on top’ are there to motivate you, so you can push your limits and be better.
Be nice and friendly.
You know, it’s normal for people at a point to no longer listen to others. They become so concerned with their own life’s problems and the work they’re doing that they no longer care so much about what other people are doing.
This problem can rise up in any network, especially one of intentional people.
As a teen blogger, I always love to connect with fellow teen bloggers, especially those who’re Nigerian like me. But many a time, I find myself losing some relationships on this space.
Yes, I sometimes, get so concerned with putting out my own content, growing my blog’s audience, and all other things I have to do professionally that I fail to check out what other bloggers are up to: read their posts, drops some friendly comments, and give a few shares.
What you need to know is that being friendly is important. Underneath the labels and professional taglines, the things that keep MANY influential people going are the shows of care and genuine friendship they receive from friends and family.
I hope I’ve made this three-syllable word, networking, sound a bit more doable, and I hope you get to work on it.🏃🏾♀️
Networking can begin from here, you know! It’d be great to connect with you. Drop me a comment if you have anything to say. And also if you have any pointers for me on getting the most out of Twitter, I just created an account on there in December!🙈
For now, Ọlaedo is on Facebook only. If you’d like to follow the blog there as well, or just check out the page, surf on over here.
For the fact that you’ve taken the decision, for the fact that you’ve spared a few moments to draft a game plan, I think it’s right to say that you have purpose.
Welcome to the 4th post in the Intentionality Series. A blog series where I create the awareness on how important it is for us young people – and, indeed, everyone – to live intentionally. And via this series, I also share my experiences in the journey of living more purposefully.
In previous posts, I’ve been talking about changing your mindset, preparation, and gathering momentum for the big move.
And in this post, I’ll be guiding you to that big move.
Let’s begin…
This morning, before I began writing this post, I came across a Facebook post shared by a friend of mine. The post, a rather inspiring one, talked about purpose, resilience, determination, as the things us young people need to bring about innovations and solve world problems.
Here’s a screenshot of my favorite part/s:
And from this, I got inspiration on how best to structure this post.
✨That only goes to say that surrounding ourselves with beneficial, inspiring and like-minded people goes a long way in helping us develop ourselves to become better people. ✨
You see, when we decide to take up a task, start a job, establish a business, go into a career, or just make a move from the things we ordinarily do, we often do so out of purpose. And that’s the kind of ‘work’ I’m talking about here.
And so, from this purpose, let’s say we take action. We make a plan, and decide to start doing things RIGHT NOW. Why? Because our purpose motivates us.
But then, a month into your here-and-now craft, and you experience a MAJOR setback. Worst case scenario: your phone crashes, and at that point in time, you’re seriously broke. 💔 In a time like that, it’s your resilience that’ll help you think clearly and reason out a way to get through the setback with as little bruises as possible.
Mind you that this part of the journey isn’t for everyone. MANY give up once things get really hard, because they feel like the hard times are an indication that their dream, or their craft, isn’t right for them.
But say you get through it, head high. That’s a big kudos to you. 👏🏾 And what’s better is that from the challenge you encountered you learned lessons, your brain worked to create different lines of action to take when faced with a problem like the one you did. And so at the end of it, you have a strategy that works, with you as proof.
In my case, when I’m trying to reason a way out to a problem I’m facing, and I’m getting demoralized thinking out the solution, I remind myself that: There’s more than one way to kill a rat.
From there, you place your lessons as landmarks to guide you next time you make a similar move. And one of the best things about this is that it gives you confidence in your actions, and your ability to get through things.
And when you’re confident, you begin to work and think at a greater capacity. You begin to explore, you get creative, and you begin to innovate.
I want to grab this last word: innovate. When I, and I guess most people, hear ‘innovate’, the first thing that comes to mind is ideas and then execution.
Our purpose generally forms our ideas, and the work we do to realize that purpose is the execution.
I don’t know what you were expecting from this post, but if you’re truly serious about getting to work to achieve that goal that made you decide to be intentional, all you need to know is that:
As long as you have that core determination, that thing you want to achieve, that world problem you want to solve, that dream or aspiration, hold on to it very firmly, and don’t waver in your conviction. Expect setbacks, maybe not even from the career aspect of your life, setbacks that’ll make you cry and dare you to give up. Be wise enough to mellow down and think – there is always more than one way to kill a rat – and let your purpose, dreams, aspirations, and the people in your life who make you truly feel like yourself motivate you to keep going.
The setbacks aren’t a one-time experience, sorry to say. But I’m telling you that if you could get through once, the lessons you learned can get you through again… and again and again.
I want to believe that you’ve been following this series, penning down the lessons you learned from each article, because the truth of the matter is in taking responsibility for your life, every step depends on the other: You need to make that unwavering decision, you need to prepare for the new step you’re about to take and have a plan, before you can get to work.
I hope this article motivated you to begin working to achieve your dream RIGHT NOW, no matter your age.
The next article in the series will tell more about surrounding yourself with beneficial people as you continue to your creative efforts.
It’s very okay if you have any thoughts on this you wish to share. I’m open to interactions, and would be glad to answer questions. And even if you just want to connect, or say hi, the comments section is open. Let’s keep the discussion going. 😊
And if you’d rather prefer socials, Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Connect with the blog, and let’s interact.😚
I remember how, when I first created my Facebook account, it was filled with a lot of posts by other people, posts I was tagged in, to be precise. And back then, I didn’t care enough about the account to clean it up. My entire focus was on my blog and its Facebook page. I worked to stuff it up with blog post links and updates.
But what I didn’t know was that if, for example, someone found my Facebook account through my blog’s page and wanted to connect with me on the professional level, the scattered nature of it would scare them away.
That’s the importance of having an organized and nice-looking Internet profile. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter to TikTok, and even to WhatsApp, our Internet profiles need to be arranged in a way that they give a good impression about who we are and what we do.
This is the second step of the Intentionality Journey.
The first step is taking the decision to not let people, daily occurrences, and life in general push you around. Being intentional is being purposeful enough to not leave anything to fate.
It’s simple logic, really, for polishing your Internet profiles to be the second step. Because if you fail to make your profiles look professional and presentable, when people begin to search you up on socials because they heard about you through your blog or from any other craft of yours, they may not be so impressed with what they find.
I like to say that your Internet profile is your trophy case, it’s your curriculum vitae, and it’s even your personal essay. Why? Because with a profile that tells about who you are and what you do (e.g. I’m a teen lifestyle blogger, etc…), it makes way for like-minded people to find and connect with you.
I mean, if search up Instagram for teen lifestyle bloggers, how would I find you when nothing like that is indicated on your profile? 🤷🏾♀️😏
Let’s make this discourse a bit easier. We’ll take each part of this one at a time:
Your username.
For every social media or Internet space in general, you’re given the option to create a username, aside from your real name.
And it’s in choosing a username that people get creative. 😁
While it’s okay to answer something cute, girly, and sassy, like (blxck_barbie, as a friend of mine goes by), remember that if you really want beneficial connections through Internet spaces, you’d have to go for something that sounds responsible, even as it sounds cute, girly, and sassy. 😘
Here are some tips for choosing – or recreating – your username:
🌼 Try to embed at least one of your names in it.
This is great for getting your account to show up in search results when someone searches for you by your real name. And it’s also good when your account is being looked at by people at the professional level. It portrays you as someone who knows the importance of personal branding.
Which you are… riiiight? 😏
🌼 Don’t hold back on your unique style.
I’m a big believer in showcasing your personality and living in sync with your style. And in choosing your username, I’m not going back on that. It’s okay to add something extra to your real name when you’re creating your username. You don’t have to be boring just because you’ve decide to live purposefully.
An example of this is Favour Omasirichi’s Instagram handle. Instead of just her name, her username is _princess_oma. And she’s a young Nigerian model that’s well on her way to stardom. 🤩
So, you can take Favour’s steps when creating your username. Whether you want to add ‘the’, or ‘official’, or whatever. Just make sure the username is presentable and responsible. 👍🏾
Your profile picture.
I remember the profile picture I had on my Facebook before the one I have there currently. It was a really pretty picture of me.
But because of the fact that it got me the attention of boys, who sent me lots friend requests, I had to change it to something else. 😂
It didn’t stop the attention, though, but it at least reduced it.
But now, I’m going to have to change it back to another good-looking picture of myself.
Why?
Because people won’t connect with a person they can’t see. Because when someone makes a referral to your account, the referee would want to see the picture of the person behind the amazing article they’ve been hearing about.
How many influential people today have anime’s as their profile pictures? Only a very few, if any. And that fact is because people will often not take you seriously if you don’t have a picture of yourself up there. Again, most people wouldn’t want to connect with a person they can’t see.
So, what am I saying in essence? If you’re guilty of this, go change that profile picture on all your most-used accounts and profiles to a pretty, nice-looking picture. Let it be one you’d be proud to have displayed on a magazine or an interview article. 😉
And still on the subject, for your profile photo cover, as seen on Facebook and Twitter, aside from also putting a nice picture of yourself or some other informative graphic, you can also make a custom banner. On the banner, you can put in another picture of yourself, include another short bio, and even add your usernames on all your most active socials.
It wouldn’t hurt to have your profile cover tell a little more about you, custom banner or not.
All the same, have a look at a sample custom banner of a fellow girl in tech I’m friends with on Facebook:
Your bio/description.
There isn’t really much to tell about your bio. It’s simply just a description of yourself, including your professional tagline (e.g. 14-year old Web3 developer, in the case of Claire Charles), your job tittle(s) (e.g. web developer, teen lifestyle blogger, etc.), some claims to fame, things you love, and what makes you stand out.
A perfect example of this, and a profile bio I personally love, would have to be the one of Claire Charles on her Twitter:
The content of your profile.
Lastly, fill your profile up with posts. The best way to get connected to like-minded people is not just by your wordy bio, but also by UP-TO-DATE posts that show the projects and work you’re doing RIGHT NOW.
I know why I emphasize ‘right now’. Only a few people would want to connect with someone who’s last post was two months ago. I certainly wouldn’t. 🙋🏾♀️
The consistency in the way you show up and put out content is another thing to be conscious of. It’s all step-by-step, though. And in the course of this series I’ll be sure to take in-depth about consistency.
The way you interact on Internet spaces.
Even as we talk about Internet profiles – that is, the way you present yourself to people – it’s also important to talk about what you actually do on those Net spaces.
Now, I don’t mean the article you posted on your blog and then shared its link on your account. No. I mean the spaces you interact with and the stuff you post directly onto them.
To be more precise, I mean your comments.
As a person who cares about your image both on and off the Net, you should be guided when you comment on posts.
I’m not saying that just because you’re trying to live with more purpose, you shouldn’t comment in rhyme with your regular, every day personality on the spaces you love. All I’m saying is that you should make sure that whatever comment you put out sounds sensible. Make sure that no comment of yours will be one that you’ll be ashamed of at a point. Because as far as the Internet is concerned, everything you post can be used to your favour or to your disadvantage.
Giving your Internet profiles a professional, responsible look and having healthy interactions on the Net spaces is the first and most important step in personal branding. And if you’re going to truly be intentional, personal branding is something you have to take very seriously.
The Intentionality Series will make known to you things you never knew, or things you knew but never took seriously. Look out for my next post in the Series and continue to stay enlightened. 😇
Is there anything you wish to tell me about Internet profiles? Anything you wish to add? How were you able to structure your profiles to be so eye-catching? Do you know any of the personalities I mentioned here? Drop me a comment. Let’s discuss.
Thanks for reading! 💕
Let’s keep the interaction going! Catch up with Ọlaedo on Facebook, for more updates from the blog. ☺
You see, from November 1st, I took part in the Creative Writers and Influencers Network (CWIN) Writing Creativity Challenge. It was a 28-day writing challenge where writers had to consistently put out educational content with the aid of stories.
And although I didn’t make it to the top 5 winners of the contest, I certainly learned a lot about writing, consistency and intentionality. That contest pushed me to make research every day for my articles, it pushed me to think critically for my daily entry ideas and the way I would embed a related, original story into it, and it also taught me (even more) to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines.
Now that I think of it, the deadline aspect of the competition was actually what made it so stressful. For the contest, there were two approval deadlines: for your entry to be approved early in the day, you would have to post before 11am, because by then, early entry approval would end. And for your entry to be approved in the evening, you would have to post before 11pm.
I usually settled for the evening approval, because of the time I get back from work. And so from 3:45 or so, I would begin to write, check word count, and then make my article’s image, rushing to get done before 6pm.
It wasn’t easy, really. 🐱👤
And because I met with so many amazing people who are doing big things with their lives RIGHT NOW, I became motivated to add more efforts into my craft and the things I’m doing now to prepare me for my career.
Because through Ọlaedo, I strive to inform, inspire and motivate, I have come up with the IntentionalitySeries, where I’ll be sharing lessons I’ve learnt from being around intentional people, lessons that have and are still helping me live my life more purposefully.
In the days to come, I’ll be publishing other articles in this Series. But before that, let’s understand the keyword, Intentionality.
What’s Intentionality All About?
Intentionality means the fact of being deliberate and purposive.
In simple terms, it’s all about purpose. Intentionality means living and taking actions with purpose.
Intentionality means not leaving anything to fate. Intentionality is all about planning and taking focused actions to prepare for your future.
A down-to-earth understanding of intentionality is, on discovering your purpose in life, on discovering that thing that’s so easy for you to do and that makes you happy, you begin to build around it. You begin to develop that interest or talent. You learn skills that can make it more refined and on-demand.
The origin of the need for intentionality comes from the simple reality that many people today are so unfocused about where they want their lives to go. They’re so undecided that they constantly make statements like: I really don’t know for now. Maybe one day I’ll know what I want to do with my life. For now, I’ll just wing it.
And the worst part of it is that such statements come from young people. How long would a young person ‘wing it’ before societal pressures would make him see the need of taking up a job just to quiet down the noise and ‘advice’?
And such a job may not necessarily be one he likes.
Long story short, though. It’s because many people – young people, especially – don’t plan the direction they wish their lives to take; that’s why at some point, they see themselves settling for anything they can find, not minding whether it will make them feel fulfilled or not.
People don’t know how beneficial it will be to them if they begin to take decisive actions about how they want their lives to go.
People see things like planning, goal setting, beneficial networking, personal branding, and all others, as boring topics.
Yeah, they are. Believe me, before I began the Creativity Writing Challenge and got into a network of purposeful people, I thought same too.
But now, I’m telling you that although they seem boring, when you begin to practice these standards, the results will really motivate you.
So, reader, which side of the table do you want to be on? Intentional or Unintentional?
Make the decision and look out for my next article in the Intentionality Series.
You can also take a look at my entries for the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge here.
Do you have any questions on intentionality? Are you already on the path of a purposeful life and wish to share ideas? Have you ever heard of the Creative Writers and Influencers Network? Or is there anything you wish to tell me? Drop it all in the comments. I’d love to interact!
And if you want to connect with Ọlaedo on social media, check it out on Facebook.
Wow! My two-month exams are finally over. Done with my WAEC senior school exams, done with my NECO senior school exams. It wasn’t easy, it was full of lots of experiences, but I’m finally done.😌
And I’m as well done with secondary school! 🎊🏆😁🥳✨🎉
Also, my WAEC exam results are out, I did pretty well – as everyone says. I say so because I didn’t really know what to expect. I just did my very best and knew that, worse come to worst, I would still get a good result. Highly overconfident? Yeah, I know.
All the same, I got one C6, one C5, one C4, two B3’s, three B2’s, and one A1. The subject with the lowest marks was Economics, and the one with the highest marks was Marketing.
All that said and done, over to the post topic. Having been packing for trips by myself since I was about twelve, and having had the experience of packing for my first trip without my parents or family members, I have a thing or two to say about preparing for a trip.
So if you’re the type of person who always seems to leave something behind no matter how hard you try, or you’d just like to get the insights of another when it comes to preparing for a trip, then here’s my 5 things to note when getting ready for a trip:
EN-joyeeeee! 🥧
Well, first of all, the way and the things you pack are dependent on the type and duration of your trip – you might be going on vacation with your family, going to stay with a friend or relative, or even be going to boarding school! But no matter the kind of trip, the important stuff to know is generally the same in all cases.Any additional things are due to personal preferences.
1. Have a game plan.🐱👤
Even if you planned to just relax and unwind during your stay, it’s important to have a game plan –in other words, activities you’d like to carry out while there. Think of this game plan as kind of the ‘goals’ you wish to achieve while there; things that by doing them, make you proud that you utilized your time well.
For example, if you’re going to a country, state or vicinity you’ve never been to, you might plan to visit certain places, eat certain foods, or see the local entertainment. Whatever you pick, know that it’s always a good idea to have a game plan.
2.Start packing early.🧳
Sooo obvious, right? No. Most people wait till the dying minute to pack, for whatever reason they may have. If you’re one of these type of people, I’m sure you forget to pack some stuff all the time. So listen: staring to pack early is important, so you can have all the time to check and recheck your stuff.
And if you might not want to finish packing too early, you can stretch it out: divide the packing into tiny bits every day till the day you’re to leave. Sounds nice, right?
3.Make sure to always be engaged in productive activities.🤸🏿♀️
This stands right next to having a game plan. Take along some books, your laptop, a drawing book or a notebook, write a little, make some sketches, finish that motivational book you never could. No matter how fun the stay may promise to be, it’s still important to have productive things to do on slow or boring days.
4.Let your choice of clothing rhyme with the vicinity.👗
By this, I mean when picking out clothes to take with you, choose clothes you know will be okay with the people you’ll be staying with, or with the people of the area, especially in terms of decency.
And if you’re going to a different state or country, it’s also good to find out how people dress there, for both fashion-related and weather-related reasons. You wouldn’t want to downgrade your style, but you’d surely not want to be over- or under-dressed!
5.Have a checklist.📝
Yes, even after making sure to grab every tiny detail, having a checklist to sum everything up is essential. Your checklist will help you to note the exact things you’re taking with you, and it will also help you be sure you didn’t forget anything when coming home.
When I was preparing to leave for boarding school, the checklist I made was very helpful to me. And even when it was time to come back, my checklist helped me make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything in school.
You first need to sit down and jot down everything you know you’ll be needing during your stay; you can also keep adding to the list if more things pop up later. Be sure to remember your toiletries – you know, cream/s, soap, deodorant, toothbrush and paste, sanitary pads, body sprays and perfume, and all the other stuff – and the exact number of them you’ll need. I sometimes fall victim of forgetting one or two of these. You could also write down the books, or the number of books, you took with you, just to be sure.
Whatever you wish to add to it, having a checklist for your trip is very essential.
As I brainstormed for this post, it dawned on me that summer vacation is already almost halfway gone. All the same, even if the tips here won’t be used for your summer trip, you can also make use of them during mid-term trips, at Christmastime, or for any other trips you may be going on. They’re evergreen, and will always come in handy.
*wink*
Is there anything you wish to add? Have any questions? The comments section is here for you. Let’s discuss!
This seemed like the most appropriate blog post to write, since my school life has been trespassing into other parts of my life for the past few weeks.
Thus the reason I didn’t post for some weeks.
In a sense, apart from my encroaching academic life, you can also say that I’ve kinda gotten into my ‘get through it’ routineagain. But I’m out of it… as soon as I realised I was in it.
So, with the introductory ramblings done, I guess I should move into the post proper.
For this post I’ve drafted down two of my after school routines. I hope they’ll be of help for anyone who finds it hard to get things done and still have a bit of breathing space at the end of the day.
Like me *hehe*
So ‘ere it is:
After School Routine 1
I get back from school by, say, 4pm at most, so 4pm is the starting time. From 4pm, I give myself 2 hours to get house chores done.
First, I put water in the kettle for my siblings and I to have our after-school baths.
While the water’s on the fire, I wash plates and then clean our school shoes.
Most times, the water gets ready before I’m done with cleaning or washing, so I turn it off and then finish.
When I’m done, I go and have a bath, bathe my little sis, and then wash our school uniforms.
As I go to spread the clothes I washed outside, I start to warm the food we’re to eat. 🥧
We eat, I wash up the plates.
My siblings and I chat a little, and before I know it, it’s 5:45 or 6 already.
*I sometimes prepare our evening food, or the food we’re to take to school the next day. (Whenever I do this, I finish my chores by 7 or 7:30pm).
I set my alarm for 10pm and go to bed.
I wake up by 10pm to read, ‘cause by then, everyone is asleep, and I can read in peace. 😇 I also set another alarm for 2:30am (or sometimes 3am, if I wake up by 11pm), so I can go back to sleep in preparation (that word sounds too serious 😂) for my next wake-up-time: 4:30am.
Have my after-school bath, alongside my siblings, and wash our school uniforms.
Spread the washing outside and clean our shoes.
Wash plates.
*As the case may be, I prepare our evening food, or food for the next morning.
As always, I chat a little with my siblings before I move on to do my homework or read.
I usually do my homework or read till, like 7:30 or 8 before I feel sleepy and need to rest. When this happens, I set my alarm for 11pm and go to sleep.
I wake up by 11pm, or sometimes 12am and begin reading or finishing up my homework. I set my back-to-sleep alarm for 3am.
By 3, I go back to sleep, to wake up for school by 4:30.
My after school routine depends on how I feel for the day. If I come back from school extremely fatigued, I know I have to eat once I come back. But the personal dislike I have for Routine 2 is that by the time I’m done eating, I’ll be full and then begin to feel lazy.😂
Routine 1 is my all-time best, and I try to follow it the best I can.
Yes, there are days when unexpected events pop up and eat deep into time frames, but at such points I just have to do the most important things and leave the rest.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
-Mathew 6:34.
So these are my after school routines. I really hope they’ve been of help to anyone who’s having a hard time making do with all the commitments of each part of their life… after school.
I’d really love to hear from you! Tell me in the comments what your after school routine looks like, and if mine helped you in any way.
Ciao. 😘
P.S
Just a little note: It felt really good to write an Ideas and Info post from my own ideas alone. I haven’t written in this category in a long while because I’ve always felt that to write a post that passes across info on how to do something or on how to improve a part of your life, you need to have made ‘substantial research’ and stuff like that.
But having seen ‘how to’ and ‘tips’ blog posts from fellow bloggers written from their own ideas, it felt just right to write one of my own.
After all, 90% of the stuff we read on the Internet has already been thought of and written by someone else. In reality, one article is only more popular than the next because of:
Search engine rankings by date, relevance and SEO.
And the simple truth that the writer of the article you liked just managed to make his content more interesting than the former.
Ọlaedo 