Let’s be real: if I had a rand for every time someone asked me “How do you do it all?” I’d still be broke, but I’d have a very full glass jar of well-meaning compliments.
Balancing a full-time dev job, painting, blogging, tutoring, and occasionally trying not to spiral into a pit of anxiety is… well, it’s a lot. Some days I’m a productivity goddess. Other days I’m a burrito of stress wrapped in a blanket, trying to figure out if I’m burnt out or just dehydrated.
And that’s okay.
This blog post isn’t a productivity masterclass. It’s not a Pinterest-perfect “How I Wake Up at 4AM and Do Yoga with My Laptop Balanced on My Head” routine. This is for the girls (and guys) out there who are trying. The ones who chase their dreams, drop a few balls, pick them up again, and keep going.
1. Work
By day, I’m a web developer. I write code, squash bugs, and whisper sweet nothings to my C# queries. I’ve been in tech long enough to know that if you don’t actively make space for yourself outside of work, it will consume you.
So, I time-block. That sounds fancier than it is. Basically, I give each priority a time slot on my calendar, even rest. I literally have “do absolutely nothing” in my calendar on Sunday afternoons. It’s sacred. Do Not Disturb.
2. Blogging
This blog started as a digital journal. A place where I could speak tech in my own voice, casual, curious, and completely okay with typos as long as they’re intentional.
My secret? I write like I speak. I’m not out here trying to be the next Maya Angelou of APIs. I just want to connect. That’s what makes blogging therapeutic for me. It’s not just about teaching others. Sometimes, I’m reminding myself what I know. Sometimes I’m just laughing at the ridiculous bugs I spent 6 hours fixing.
3. Painting
Painting saved me. No, seriously. There are things words can’t hold. Grief. Joy. Panic. A rough week. A soft memory. I pour all of it into the canvas.
Art keeps me sane in a way nothing else does. It doesn’t ask me for performance metrics. It just asks me to show up. And that’s something I’m learning to do more of—just show up.
If you haven’t created something with your hands in a while: paint, sculpt, draw, write poetry; this is your cue. It’s healing. And no, it doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be yours.
If you’re in the same boat; trying to be everything, do everything, and still stay you… just know you’re not alone. We’re figuring it out, one moment at a time. With paint-stained fingers, half-written blog drafts, unread emails, and big dreams.
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