Hindsight is 2020

I recently came across a prompt on social media that asked “how has 2020 changed you?”. Here’s my answer.

2020 forced me to slow down. In the process, I learned a lot about myself.

1. I am a recovering workaholic.

I have always moved very fast and juggled a lot of things. From growing up as a competitive dancer (changing in the car and doing my homework on the school bus) to now having a full-time job, two side businesses, and balancing health/social life/ hobbies — having a full plate was nothing new.

A photo taken on April 1st. I referred to myself as a “double agent” as I worked on two projects at once.

It turns out that my workaholism was no surprise to … anyone but myself. And yet something so obvious to most would have likely remained unknown to me if it weren’t for Toronto’s lockdown in March / April.

In the screenshot above, I described my month of March to a startup I had been advising to let them know I would be unavailable. Before the pandemic hit, these were my commitments for the month of March 2020.

I used to send emails on the streetcar on the way to work. I’d work 9–12 then take calls for the side hustles over lunch before going back to my day job from 1–5 pm. I’d have meetings for a side hustle after…