Work – Page 19 – HELLO, I'M SETH WERKHEISER

Rattle It Out

A few friends inspired me to start running. Years later, I hired a nutritionist. Soon that person will probably be my strength coach.

I’ve been a freelancer since 2006. Years later, it’s just me. But that’s changing, too. Since signing up for Seth Godin’s Freelancer Course, a flood of changes have come in, washing away a lot of my old thinking.

Sometimes no matter how many books we read, or inspiring articles, or watching amazing videos, sometimes it’s the conversations with other people that we don’t even know that rattle out the breakthroughs.

The new macOS is here; Catalina.

I didn’t know this, but “Catalina is the end of the road for all 32-bit applications and frameworks on the Mac.”

Take the advice of 512 Pixels:

Stop reading this and go download Go64, a free app that will show you how many 32-bit apps are on your system. If you’re like me, you’ll be surprised how many may be hanging out in your Applications folder.

I downloaded Go64 and I’m safe, but you should check it our for yourself. I’m going to wait until the weekend to upgrade, just in case anything breaks. Can’t have my work-flow messed up on a TUESDAY.

Downtime

I spent about a week traveling, the first real deal road trip since I bought my car in December. The freedom to roam, along with my ability to work remotely for a handful of clients, is a double edged sword. I need to work, to be available, but I also need to drive… five hours to my next stop?

It’s somewhat maddening, and it’s the reason I cut my journey short. Maybe a few years ago I would have jumped at the chance for such an adventure, but lately I’m just not feeling that excitement. In part I loved it because I got to run in some new locations, but I also dreaded it because I chose to keep working. I mean, that’s the American thing to do, I guess, as a freelancer, to keep working, keep up the expectation that I’m just “always online” (even though I drove through some pretty remote areas with no cell coverage).

Then I think how I haven’t really gone fully offline in, well, forever. I think back to maybe 2007, when I went to Italy, when my only online responsibility was to my music blog at the time. Or when I left AOL Music back in 2011, and that following Monday I rode my bike to a mountain for a hike.

I’m damn grateful for the work, for sure. But I’m finding that I need to get away from work for longer stretches of time.

The Pause

Found a great podcast from my pal Jocelyn, Reboot, and didn’t really know where to jump in, but something led me to this interview with Alex Rethore, “Reboot Your Definition of Success.” This quote really jumped out at me:

“What if it’s not a pause? What if it’s the new way? What if being present is what the new opportunity is?”
Jerry Colonna

For a decade I ran music outlets. Most of that time was a passion project, which led to a “real” jobby job.

I remember the Monday after I left. No urgent emails, no frantic calls, no… pressure. And I kept thinking that I needed to get back to that pressure. Like it was my default. I had done that work for a decade, so that’s what I need to return to. “It’s what I know,” I would tell myself.

Until I had so many moments of pause (see the quote above), that it became who I am. It was my guide post. I knew the negative signposts; the things I didn’t want in a new job or gig, but I finally discovered what I really want, and it’s the pause. That’s the default.

The pause is time to make coffee. Or an actual lunch, from scratch. A morning walk. An early start to the gym.

The pause is now built in, and has become the default.

Losing Routine

I’ve been trying to implement more positive habits into my days, which is much easier when I wake up in the same bed every morning. Today I woke up in a hotel room, with a beach nearby. That’s a bit different.

Usually the first thing I do is 10-ish push-ups, then weigh myself. But without a scale, that didn’t happen. Instead, I got out the hotel lobby in my running clothes and hit the boardwalk for a nice four mile jaunt.

My breakfast of choice is a smoothie, with almond milk and protein powder and shredded carrots, and more. But today it was eggs and bacon and some pancakes.

Work-wise, forget it. No comfy computer chair, or USB keyboard. My screen was not raised, so I could feel myself hunched over all day.

Didn’t get to work out of my normal nearby Starbucks, but found one near the hotel after checkout, and tried to cram in some work before my battery died (forgot to turn the screen brightness down).

All this to say; routine is hard when you’re out of a routine. Or when your day job has a schedule that varies. Or a million other things. Good habits are hard to maintain on good days, and a whole lot tougher when everyday life throws a curve ball.

Day to Dayness

Had an interesting talk today at a birthday party about starting podcasts, writing on the web, and consistency. About expectations as “creators,” more or less.

The one person was eager to start, to produce, and asking all sorts of questions about platforms and strategies, and then there were two of us who were – frankly – burnt out on it.

Having both come from musical backgrounds, and then being in the music media world, it’s a grind. It can be hard to get excited about new albums sometimes when you surrounded by… new albums all the time, especially when your “side hustle” requires you to be stoked about… new albums all the time.

Thankfully in the past year my passion has become my main gig, and I am beyond thankful and grateful for that. But then adding a side gig in the same field became too much, which is why I shuttered Skull Toaster.

There’s only so much energy one can expend on the day to dayness of MUSIC, which I why I think I’ve neglected playing music of my own the past several years (or, well, decade or so).

Maybe it’s not because I know how the sausage is made, but because every day I’m eating sausage, and I don’t want anymore after a long day of work.

Enter, then, my running. It’s something I started back in 2016, and has become a gigantic part of my life. I listen to some running podcasts, and follow some running accounts on Instagram and such, but I… don’t want to start a running podcast, or a blog, or a brand.

Perhaps it’s okay in 2019 to just do things, and let them be your things. Not everything needs to be a side hustle, or turned into content. It can just be, and that’s good enough on its own.

Money is Energy

You gotta spend money to earn money fam. You gotta change your mindset about money. Money is energy. $400 is only $400. https://t.co/Jhbahl2OW9
— Sarah (@Sarah2ill) April 16, 2019

The cliche “you gotta spend money to make money” is so true.

And the idea of scarcity is damaging, too. I mean, I get it. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Don’t be foolish with money. But also don’t doubt your own abilities and skills.

You’ve made money before, you’ll make it again.