4 years into a 2 year degree...
Slow progress is still progress, right?!
Last night, at midnight, I delivered the manuscript on my third book. Amid sick, needy children and all of the doing that comes with keeping them and myself alive, I’d barely left the house in days, let alone gotten out of my tracksuit. By the time I hit ‘send’ I could barely keep my eyes open but then proceeded to stare at the ceiling for an hour, giddy with the sort of excitement that only comes from reaching a milestone.
To celebrate, I’m hitting the books. That’s right, my celebration is catching up on all of the study I have missed this week in the final push to book deadline. For context, I am doing my Master’s degree in Public Health.
It is a two year course which has so far taken me four years, and I am still only two-thirds of the way through. I have taken so many intermissions I was asked to exit the course (read: kicked out) and re-apply. In short, I am a bad academic.
But in that time I have also: Raised two children, cared for my terminally ill father (and grieved him), written two books, done two seasons of a TV show, spoken on stages around this country (and a few others) and still managed to - to varying degrees of success - be a wife, daughter, sister and friend.
Still, the fact my Master’s is taking me this long makes me mad. To compensate, I affectionately call it my ‘halfsters’ - a thinly veiled attempt to poke fun at myself because humour acts as a salve for my shame. At this rate, it will take me six years to do a two year degree - something that would make anyone in academia chortle.
In the tortoise and hare analogy, I’m the tortoise, if it had been hit with a tranquiliser dart or at very least taken Stilnox.
But you know what? I haven’t given up yet. And one day, I will wear that silly cap and gown and I will walk across the stage to accept my degree. No one will care that it took me three times longer than it should’ve. And no one, other than me, will even remember.
The science says we actually need very little progress to feel like we’re making progress. Teeny, tiny steps forward still count. And in a climate where we’re trying to do more than ever before at once (because someone told us we could have it all and by god did we believe them) it’s more important than ever that you know progress, no matter how slow, is still progress.
Don’t let it scare you off, but I’ve lovingly poured this into an acronym for you to make it easy to remember. Acronyms can be cool, right? Right?! Okay, but they can definitely be useful. So here is your SLOW acronym, to remind you that slow progress is still progress.
Sustainable: Anyone can sprint for a short period of time, even me. I’m no stranger to an all-nighter at work and am a bit of a sicko when it comes to giving myself ridiculous deadlines, because they help me get the job done. The gains that can come from a period of intense effort are both intoxicating and valid, but they’re not sustainable and burning bright can lead to flaming out.
Layered: Slow progress builds over time. We don’t blink and have a Master’s degree, we tackle one tutorial, one assignment, one unit at a time. Slowly, we build - layer by layer - until we achieve the goal. As progress builds, so does momentum, and that momentum carries us to the next landmark.
Obvious: Meaning, if you’re looking for progress, do the next obvious thing. The entry point. The tiny vote. The action so simple there’s no excuse not to do it. You’re better off doing one tiny thing that does deliver progress, than 10 things that don’t.
Woven: Just like purpose, progress should be woven into the fabric of your life, not a separate project you bolt on. Everything I do - the study, the books, the stages - are all woven into my life’s mission: to buy people more time with the people they love most, and give them as long as possible to find out why they’re here in the first place.
If you’re building something, I hope this inspires you to go slow. Or at very least, reminds you that it’s okay.
Tortoises rejoice.
Til next time…
Casey x
P.S: This community will be the first to know when pre-sales for my new book go live. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do!
P.P.S: My website had a facelift and she’s looking fresher than Kris Jenner. Check it out here if you’re intrigued (and do me a solid and let me know if you love/hate it OR find any broken links because those are my pet peeve…)