How I Went from Rotting to Plotting (for success)

💌 Written by Olivia

As humans, we’re all creatures of habit. I, for one, love to be in my comfort zone. Netflix until 4 AM, breakfast at 1 PM,  and a solid 10-hour screen time. Bliss. 

Until I realised… it was rotting my brain and body. I feel like sh*t.

Things got real when my brain started getting fuzzy on important details—like remembering my best friend’s birthday or… eating.

I knew something had to change, but I didn’t know where to start. Then, out of nowhere, life threw me a curveball—an assignment for my journalism internship: cover an underground poetry reading at a dimly lit café in Brooklyn. It was completely unfamiliar territory. 

The stage was open for one more poet, and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I had pages of poetry stuffed in the back of my notebook. 

Before I could talk myself out of it, I mustered up the courage, took the stage, and… froze like a deer in headlights. 

That’s when it hit me—when you rot, you can’t plot for success.

Don’t get it twisted—I love being comfortable, but comfort shouldn’t come at the cost of my goals and dreams. I’ve always dreamed of being a known journalist one day, writing articles that move minds and shape the world (BIG I KNOW). But to achieve big things, you gotta do the scary things—like stepping out of your comfort zone.

I started plotting schedules in my Google Cal (even adding time for rest), got a cute Hobonichi planner for my Cargo Pochette, and set time limits for Instagram and TikTok. 

Of course, if I’m being honest, sometimes schedules fall through, and I push past my time limit just to doomscroll. But baby steps, y’know?

They say it takes 30 days to form a habit, so I give myself that grace as a professional bed-rotter and slacker. 

So if you’re like me—someone who gets a little too comfortable with the monotony of life—I hope you stick around for the journey. Because it’s not just mine, it’s ours!