Millennial overthinker

Social media plays a big part in my life. I am a freelance social media manager and content creator. Sometimes it feels like I’m living more on social media than in real life. But at the same time, I believe that digital content creation requires creating real life. The more quality and meaningness in life we have, the easier it is to create authentic content.

This year I decided to join the game of social media for my personal brand and projects. Clients are clients. But I faced some weird vibes related to my social media presence. I know it’s silly, but I don’t mind playing the game. Social media is a strategic game of creating an image. I know how it’s done, so it’s easy for me.

My social media goals for 2023. You should focus on them too | MillennialOverthinker.com Social media goals for 2023 include mindful and strategic usage of platforms for personal and professional gain.

Every single year we have a digital discussion online about whether we should create New Year’s resolutions or not. Optimists and digital couches motivate us to be better selves and plan the year. Because everything we can imagine is real. Pessimists and social media snobs say that the “new year new me” concept is BS. There’s no need to plan anything ambitious because we won’t make it.

I’ve been on both sides, but now I stand somewhere in the middle. The new year always feels like a fresh start. It’s like starting a new notebook for English class in middle school. You promise to improve your handwriting, but the promise lasts for two pages. Why did we fail back then? I don’t know. But we can talk about the most common reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail.

Why do New Year’s resolutions fail? | MillennialOverthinker.com New Year’s resolutions are not failures. We are.

New Year’s resolutions are a tradition. A classic that is hard to get rid of as well as to achieve. However, the idea of putting our lives together is quite exciting. It keeps us moving during the coldest and darkest months.

New Year's resolutions. What are my priorities this year? | MillennialOverthinker.com New Year's resolutions are a tradition. A classic that is hard to get rid of as well as to achieve.

I’ve been typing this article for about 4 hours. I’ve checked Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all my emails about every half an hour. The moment I sat writing, I had my resources ready. A few more Google searches were necessary, but somehow I ended up on social media websites. 😌

My phone is hidden under the laptop. On silent mode. No notifications on the screen. This was my best hack of staying away from apps. But I noticed that it’s no longer doing the magic. My addiction became worse.

I’m thinking of putting some restrictions on myself I tried years ago. I think it’s time to leave my mobile in the living room in order not to check it the first thing in the morning, and the last thing before falling asleep. I do not need to use the alarm clock. I cannot play this card.🙃

However, I think we should all focus more on life offline, and come back to social media to share our offline experiences. The communication and quality of life will be higher. I truly believe in that.

The long read on the blog:

Our sweet social media addiction It’s hard to go offline because we all suffer from social media addiction.

What a time to be a millennial! Gen Z calls us "cringe". Boomers call us irresponsible. I find it liberating. We can do whatever we want because we are already misunderstood. There’s no need to adjust, explain or improve ourselves. Both of the complaining generations already have a negative opinion about us. Let me remind you that turning negative opinions into positive ones is nearly impossible. Instead of doing that we’d better try something different from the “list of impossibles”, for example making a decent amount of money, buying our first home, or finding our meaning in life.

If you have googled, instagramed, or youtubed ideas on how to start your business, you may have heard of the so-called marketing concept “fake it till you make it.”

Indeed, it’s a popular idea to follow for freelancers, entrepreneurs, or wannabe digital business people. This strategy is easy to implement. You create an image, follow the rules of the social media game, and pretend to be busy and valuable, while in reality, you pray to every possible God that someone will book you soon. Otherwise, you starve to death.

This is the reason why you cannot compare yourself to any digital persona. They can only be an image. A beautiful image of who lives in the lie.

Read more on the blog: https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/the-comparison-will-kill-you

The comparison will kill you You cannot compare yourself to any digital persona. They can only be an image. A perfectly crafted image.

The idea of making money from your hobby is sexy. It creates an illusion that you will be doing the things you love daily. It feels like going back to your childhood when you spent summer vacation playing outside. Ahhh… good old days! 😊

But work is not a vacation. You provide services or create products for other people. It means you’re no longer doing it for fun or pleasure. You’re doing it for money. You’re launching a bigger or smaller business. It’s no longer playing outside. It’s an unpleasant act of doing homework after school. 🙃

Read more on the new blog post called “Do not turn your passion into work” here: https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/do-not-turn-your-passion-into-work

Do you know long it takes to make a friend as an adult? One study says an average person needs to spend 50 hours with someone to call him/her a casual friend.

How long does it take to move from “casual friend” to “close friend”? According to the research, it takes 200 hours. 🤓

Read more about adults and their difficulties in making friends in the new blog post:

Why is it hard to find friends when you are an adult? I'm 31 and I'm still looking for friends.

Why do clients leave? 🥲

One of the saddest parts of the freelancer’s journey is having to say goodbye to a client. We all understand that clients = money. So, we are reading farewell emails with tears in our eyes because we are losing money. Of course, we can replace them with someone else. But sometimes this loss feels like the end of a long-term relationship.

Often, when we receive an email that says “we no longer need your services, thank you”, we feel guilty. We question and blame ourselves for not being good enough. There’s always a chance we may not meet the client’s expectations. But it takes two to tango. Have they ever told you that? If not, wipe your tears and discover another reason why clients leave.

Read more on the blog: https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/why-do-clients-leave

Many bloggers and vloggers started sharing stories online because they lacked people to talk to in real life. Sometimes I feel the same way too. Topics related to social media and freelancing are not popular in my small circle. Therefore, I blog. 😌

Instead of reaching out to someone, I started writing everything down in my Notes app. Diving into conversations does not always satisfy my need to discuss something. But once I sit down to write after the conversation, I no longer have much to say. What a waste of content! 😅

Instead of bothering your friends with things that may not be very interesting to them, write. In this way, we might build an audience that listens and engages.

Everyone knows social media is toxic. Butt we can and should make our social media experiences more positive. I'm sharing my experiences and tips on the blog: https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/making-social-media-experience-less-toxic

July was nothing as I expected it to be. However, it was full of little personal discoveries that made me overthink my 31 years on this planet. Of course, I will share the insights from my overthinking sessions in the upcoming month.

Planet? I’ve been living in the same country and hometown my entire life. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, but it definitely feels boring. A wise woman (me) once said (to myself) that admitting your life is boring makes you one step closer to bringing more colors into your life. We will see.

In July, I was collecting pieces of myself left in different periods of life. I created a moodboard not for the last month of summer, but at least for the next half of the year. We can look into the past in two different ways.

We can see our mistakes and blame ourselves. No matter how delightful this activity is, it does not lead anywhere. It’s just a waste of time.

We can look into the past to find our best features and moments of life. There’s no doubt that great ambitions and ideas may have died. But we need to find the source of the high tide before it crashed into the rocks. It’s the energy we need to move on with our lives.

May the August is a tribute to my younger self:

〰️ The one who was able to find music suitable for each moment of life. The lyrics and melodies can be more vocal than thousand words.

〰️ The one who was analyzing the world and writing stories based on experiences.

〰️ The one who was reading stories and looking for clues on how to make her dreams come true.

〰️ The one who truly believed in the “I’ll learn on the way” philosophy of life.

〰️ The one who did most of the things alone or with a little help.

〰️ The one who was able to focus and achieve what she wanted.

〰️ The one who always had the vision of an amazing life, and tried many things to make it come true.

Why should she stop here?

I’m here to bring everything to her. Because I can. Perhaps, August will mark the date I stop standing in my own way. It’s time, Monika.

〰️

As with any other situation in life, working from home has pros and cons. I won’t make this list for you. It’s individual. So, if needed, do it yourself. Today, I’m going to share a few working from home tips. I feel that with an increase in Covid-19 cases, we may need to remember them again.

Working from home tips As with any other situation in life, working from home has pros and cons. I won’t make this list for you. It’s individual. So, if needed, do it yourself. Today, I’m going to share a few working from home tips. I feel that with an increase in Covid-19 cases, we may need to remember them again.

The majority of people live life offline and online. The happiest people reside in both of these lives in parallel. The less lucky ones live two different lives and slowly go insane. However, some people created another world for themselves. Two is not enough, you know. So, they created a life in their heads. We call them overthinkers.

Thinking, in general, is a great activity. It allows analyzing the world around us and ourselves. However, some people struggle to stop their thoughts from running and causing chaos in their real and digital lives. Though, this time we are focusing on the offline world and how overthinking kills social life.

Read more here👇

Overthinking kills social life Is it social anxiety or am I just thinking too much?

I turned off notifications 5 or 6 years ago. I’ve never missed something important since then, and I am a social media manager.

I found turning off notifications extremely helpful to concentrate and not get distracted. The majority of my job consists of writing. So, if I get distracted I often lose the flow, and coming back to the writing becomes difficult. As a result, it takes me longer to complete the piece. According to one study, it takes about 23 minutes to get back to the task.

I truly believe that turning off notifications helps to save time and arrange priorities. Make sure you are controlling how you are using your smartphone and apps, not the otherwise. Apps should not take full control over your daily activities.

More on the blog 👇

The magic of turning off notifications Mobile apps are built to grab our attention and convince us to stay on the app as long as possible.

Social media seems familiar and scary at the same time. We spent more than a decade on at least one social media platform. We often check out new social networks – perhaps there will be a place for us to unleash our creative animals.

Continue reading on blog 👇

Overthinking kills communication on social media Social media seems familiar and scary at the same time. We spent more than a decade on at least one social media platform. We often check out new social networks – perhaps there will be a place for us to unleash our creative animals.

Writer's block is a terrible condition, but having too many ideas and opinions is annoying too. 😫

I start writing blog posts with one idea, but thousands of words later, I end up with a brand new topic. It bothers me a lot.

I have five drafts at the moment. All of them can be divided into 3 different pieces.

Yey, lot's of content! 🎉
NOPE.
It means lots of editing and rewriting. I hate that. 🥹

Dear brains, stop overthinking! Focus on one topic, please! 🤯

This afternoon I was cooking soup when the realization hit me. I spent too much time trying to help others to solve various issues. Therefore, I was not working on my own problems and goals. There was not much time and energy left.

An unpleasant realization. However, I wrote a blog post about it as a reminder for myself. But if you find yourself often flooded with questions and requests to pick your brains, this post might be useful for you too. 😊

Do you have time to solve your problems? “I am tired of solving others' problems”, – I told my friend in the middle of spring. “Why do they keep asking? Why should I share my knowledge for free? Why should I even know the answers?”, – I kept complaining.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 J U N E

Summer flies too fast. The sunny days come and go, forcing us to live slowly and hydrate often. Let's check in with June.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 June

I finally finished the website I was inconsistently creating since February. It means I started working on a personal project which should become a full-time job. I do not speak much about it yet, because I will be working on content for the upcoming month.

The project seems lovely to me. I started my career volunteering in a freshly created news website, and now I am creating my own. A full circle.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 of June
Crete and greek food. The unexpected vacation was the highest peak of the month. It was the first trip abroad after the pandemic. So, you can imagine the excitement.

But I still miss greek food. Greek salads are not the same even though I make them at home. My inner Italian is confused. How could I cheat on beloved pasta? Sorry, Greeks are good at the food too.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 saddest part of June

The loss of our beloved cat. He was 20 years old. So, there's no doubt that he was a family member. It's been a long time since I was so sad like the day we had to let him go.

But it's been two weeks, and I feel better now. Eventually, everything comes to an end. That's how life works.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 June

Bright colors are fun whether it's a flower stool in the balcony, shoes, or a crop top I wear at home. Why not brighten up our beige, black or blue lives once in a while? 😊🙃

The last week of the month is the busiest. We create monthly content for clients, schedule posts, and deal with last-minute corrections. It’s a challenging time of the month, but I try to keep my sanity in place by:

〰️ drinking more water than coffee,
〰️ making lists. lot’s of lists,
〰️ check emails and switch off my phone to write without any distractions,
〰️ go for a walk,
〰️ plan meals in advance in order not to skip meals or eat low quality food,
〰️ constantly tell myself “it’s only one chaotic week per month, you will survive”.

Places where inspiration resides:

〰️ 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. Walks in nature have an enormous effect on our creativity. You can find a great topic to write about on your blog. You can find an amazing color palette in the woods or by the seaside. You can find a perfect painting idea.

〰️ 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. I think this place does not need an explanation. Visual inspirations are stimulating.

〰️ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬. Reading things you enjoy is great, but when you need to strengthen your points or find a new point of view, read some radical content, conspiracy theories, or something unusual to you. It helps to get out of your head.

〰️ 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬. Here you can find topics, questions, and crazy stories that may inspire you to do or write something.

〰️ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. Every person has a story. Young people have a different point of you than elders. That’s why it’s important to talk or at least observe different demographics. But, please, no stalking. That’s not cool!

What is your main source of inspiration? 😊

Should I stay or should I go? It's not only a popular song by The Clash, but also a common question in the overthinker's head.

Making reasonable decisions is important. But sometimes logic can prevent from taking a risk worth taking. The more we think, the more reasons to reject the opportunities we find.

Then the opportunity shows up at the door, you need to ask one question: Does it align with my plans and dreams? If yes, you simply accept it and see what this opportunity will bring you. ❤️

How can't you go on vacation? 🤯🧐

One of the most ridiculous things I see on social media is freelancers' tears about how they can't go on vacation.

"mY CliEntS nEEd mE"

Do you work in a fire department? Are you an ambulance worker? Oohh.. you work in social media. It's even a bigger deal than being a doctor or fireman. 🙃

I believe the main reason why people become freelancers is to work less. It means having more time for vacations. Whenever you want. Wherever you want.

If the freelancer can't go on vacation because cLiEnTs NeeD tHeM, the problem is him/her. As a social media manager and content creator, I can honestly say that it's possible to have vacations. All you need to do are the following:

〰️ inform clients about your upcoming vacation in advance,
〰️ prepare the content,
〰️ schedule approved content,
〰️ set an out-of-office reply,
〰️ go on vacation.

Having a colleague is also beneficial. You can ask them to have an eye on the brand's accounts or help your clients if they need something while you will be enjoying the beach.

The majority of clients understand. They go on vacations too. Those who do not might turn into former clients, but I have a feeling you want to get rid of them for a while. They are kind of toxic. 😏

Plan your vacation, my dear freelance social media manager.

Have you already found your passion? My short answer is no. My long answer is down below. 🙃

I have never felt passionate about some activity for a long time. You can say I have a passionate life. I tried many different things and professions, but nothing has stuck to me.

I get bored easily. I always want to learn or try something new.

But do I? 🧐

It’s a weird plot twist I haven’t expected. At this moment of writing, I asked myself, when was the last time I tried something new. Honestly, I do not remember.

Let’s correct the previous statement to - I loved learning something new. But why did I stop? Adulting issues, inability to meet the expectation to find the one passion to keep for the rest of my life? Maybe. It’s a different topic to overthink about.

I admire people who have truly found their life passion. But I have only seen them on social media. A fake fake fake place to be. Do these people truly exist?

But for me, the most important question is - can I have lots of passions in my life? Tons of hobbies I do not want to make profitable. Some activities make me feel alive or help to forget daily struggles. I wish I could let myself suck at something new.

I wish I let myself have that early twenties energy when I was hungry to learn, do, go, find, explore. I was absolutely ridiculous back then. 🙈

I am ridiculous now too. I prevent myself from having a passionate life because of some ideas society or social media installed in my brain.

Let’s make a fresh statement. Starting from today my passion is to have lots of passions in life. 🌊

When we adopt pets, we do not think about the time we will have to say goodbye. They do not live as long as we, humans, do. When we have to let them go, it can feel like a huge part of the heart or life is ripped up.

I never thought I would ever write a necrology. A necrology for a cat: https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/goodbye-patrick

It's an obvious one. But reminders should be written:

〰️ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 & 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚. But once it's made, you must move on with the part which has more ticks. No exceptions.

〰️ 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭. Thinking about it is irrelevant unless we are willing to learn something. But some lessons are already learned. There's no need to go back again.

〰️ 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. Thinking of all the scenarios is great, but you must limit yourself. It's impossible to figure out all the risks. You have to take the risk of the unknown and move forward.

〰️ 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨. Stop thinking about what others might think of you. Everyone is too busy thinking about themselves.

* Drops the mike *
* The levels of inspiration & motivation have risen *

Who works on Fridays in summer? 😼

A couple of days ago I saw a post talking about the benefits of doing business with your friends. The lady was telling that her circle is entrepreneurial, so it’s natural to do collaborations, work together and help each other. And that hit me.

It’s hard to run a business or become a freelancer when your social circle is not entrepreneurial or at least good friends. Telling from personal experience.

That post gave me flashbacks of when I asked former friends to like, share, comment, recommend and do all the simple things to help me reach out to a potential audience or clients. Didn’t happen.

Once in a while, I heard people talking that it’s time for me to grow up, sarcastic comments about me becoming a millionaire soon, a discouraging analysis of the pieces I wrote, and stories about looking for freelancers like me.

This climate killed several projects which could have grown up into something amazing. I see that from the years’ perspective. It’s a little bit painful to find artifacts from the past and realize that I should have believed more in myself.

Do I believe in myself enough now?

I have no choice, and it’s a power move. I’m pretty sure that someone out there might help, collaborate or join me. This idea motivates me to be louder, more visible, and more available.

But the most important part is that I can do lots of great things on my own. I just need to focus. If I managed to minimize self-doubts born in the past, this shouldn’t be a problem.

To be honest, I am jealous of people who are surrounded by like-minded people from a young age. But for all black sheep like me, I strongly recommend embracing your blackness and doing it your way. 🌗

I had a week of observations of how elders enjoy life by the pool. We laughed that they escaped from the rainy island and that's why they are relaxed. But actually, we were jealous of their lifestyle. They no longer need to compete or try to prove someone something. They just live and enjoy the moment in the sun.

A fresh blog post. Check it now!

👇👇👇
https://www.millennialoverthinker.com/the-elders-in-the-sun

I am a huge overthinker. The Instagram handle suggests that. My life is full of stories about me thinking while others are doing. I am thinking of what others are doing.

Competitive analysis is great but it shouldn’t take the majority of the time. I don’t know how many times I told this sentence to my clients who were struggling with social media communication.

The main overthinking problems that stop communication on social media are:

〰️ Thinking too much about what others would say about you.
〰️ Self-doubt and feeling not good enough.
〰️ People are already telling similar stories.

The funny thing is that once we create a brand new account, we do not have an audience. We are talking to ourselves until someone notices us when browsing hashtags or clicking on an ad we bought.

It’s a great time to train your creative communication muscle. We can try different strategies or content types. We can improve our writing, design, photography, or public speaking skills. The beginning is a place for learning. In this process, we have to realize why we care and want to share particular stories or knowledge.

The true inner desire should arise. I believe that once we find that fire inside of us, our communication becomes noticed.

Social networks became a place for marketing and advertising only. That’s why we long for real humans. We spot authentic stories, ideas, or people, and we follow their journey in life.

Do not overthink. Start talking about things that matter to you.