Hi everyone,
Happy Tuesday! I’ve been tweaking my morning routine a bit. After four straight months of 5am wakeup calls, I was in a rut. So, for the past two weeks, instead of getting up at 5am every day to work, I’ve been getting up at 6:30 to start my day with a run. The change was necessary and the results have been fantastic. I have more energy during the day and I’ve been able to tackle some of the big projects on my list. Moral of the story: If you’re in a rut, mix it up.
Now, on to the newsletter.
Financial Stability Tip: Set A Personal Inventory Day
Sticking with a budget takes a lot of self-discipline. In my 20s, I spent hours creating a budget, only to have it sit on a shelf and collect dust. To combat his problem I scheduled one day each month to review how the previous month went, and planned for the month ahead. This process held me accountable, took about 10 minutes to do and kept my budget on track.
Tip: Schedule a 30-minute block on the 5th of every month to review your finances and set your financial priorities for the coming month. Without developing this monthly habit, it is difficult to know how you’re spending and if you are sticking with your budget. Blogger Alicia Adamczyk has a great plan for establishing a Personal Inventory Day each month.
Work/Life Balance Tip: Enjoy The Pandemic Downshift
The Pandemic has been frustrating on many levels. However, one positive thing has been our collective downshift in activity. Before the Pandemic, my wife and I stretched our time and money too far, which in retrospect was exhausting. I hope that my post pandemic life will retain a bit of this downshift, allowing for a little more time to focus on my health and my family.
Tip: We will (hopefully) be coming out of the Pandemic in about six months. That’s not that far away. Take stock of what things are actually working rather well during this time. Whether it’s spending more time with friends and family, or finally getting your workout routine in order, focus on ways you can retain some of your good routines when things get back to normal.
Tips On Finding Meaning: Work With Desperation Towards A Goal
Blogger Nate Soares defines desperation towards a goal, as “the possession of a goal so important to you that you can commit yourself to it fully, without hesitation, without some part of you wondering whether it’s really worth all your effort.” This is exactly the mindset I use when I pursue my art and the same mindset has served me well in countless other parts of my life.
Tip: Work with a desperation mindset as you tackle your biggest career and life goals. Nate Soares suggests that you “Perform whatever thought experiments and meditations you have to to be able to imagine a situation where you would do everything in your power to achieve some outcome, without regard for the consequences.”
Field Notes: Companies Are Investing In Returnships
Women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. According to a report by IWPR, 11.5 million women lost their jobs between February and May of 2020, compared to 9 million men over the same time period. As we start to come out of the pandemic, companies are starting Returnships in an effort to build a runway for women to return to the workforce.
Tip: If you have been out of work over the course of the pandemic, a Returnship might be the way to gain some momentum as you look for opportunities to reenter the workforce. I also love the 50 cups of coffee method as a way to kickstart your career back into motion.
The Way Things Work: Know The Rules In 2021
I constantly look for opportunities to be inspired, learn, and better understand the way the world works. The rules of engagement for artists in 2021 are vastly different than any other time in my life. As I continue to reflect, plan and enact my plans for the future, I’ve been keeping the reasons WHY I do the work at the core and rethinking my 3-year career plan altogether.
Tip: Generate your own set of rules for success in 2021 because your mentors don’t actually know what the world is going to be like after we come out of the pandemic. With that said, Blogger Bob Lefsetz has about as perfect of a set of rules for artists as I’ve seen. Check them out, they transcend the pandemic and they’re a great place to start with your new 3-year plan.
Things I Loved:
- I’m a visual learner so I LOVE Same Energy, a visual search engine. (We just searched for a new couch with the website and were able to narrow down the style we liked after just a few clicks.)
- This collaboration between Bahamas and the Teskey Brothers
- Here is a great office lingo translator
- The Catalyst Quartet’s recording of Jesse Montgomery’s Piece, Strum
- All the personal finance advice you’ll ever need can fit on a 3 X 5 index card.
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