Life gets in the way of a lot of things, not just your side hustle!
But let’s first define what we mean by “life” since, taken literally, it’s everything other than death. In the context of this saying, it’s about how the routine of day-to-day living – aka, doing the things you have to do – sometimes prevents you from doing the things you want to do.
My life is getting in the way
This past couple of weeks was rough. One of my boys got sick and his cough was particularly bad. He wasn’t sleeping well, which meant nobody was sleeping well. He has a history of croup so we took him to the doctor. The initial diagnosis was a severe cold. The cough persisted for a few more days so we took him to see another doctor. This time, the diagnosis was whooping cough. After a couple of days of antibiotics, he felt much better.
Then my other boy got sick. His cough wasn’t as bad, but it was bad enough. He missed a few days of school and a few soccer practices.
Along the way, my wife and I started feeling like poop, too. We’re tired, more tired than usual, that is. We wake up feeling about 80%, trudge through the day, and feel about 20% by dinner time. After doing the dishes, we have no energy to do anything other than go to bed. Our bodies are clearly trying to fight off the bad germs in our house.
Kids get sick, especially in September when they return to school and mingle with a lot of other kids and germs. So are the trips to the doctor and the pharmacy, canceling and rescheduling after-school events, sleeping less, and the fatigue that comes with compromised immune systems. This, my friends, is life!
My coping strategy
What do you do when you can’t devote the usual time to your side hustle? Moto Woodworks still has clients waiting on deliverables. Until I’m healthy again, how do I manage the needs of the business? Here’s my three-part coping strategy.
Concede what you have to
The more time you miss, due to illness or whatever, the longer the to-do list. At some point, you have to recognize there’s not enough time to catch up on everything. There are some things you have to drop because you’re not going to get to them in a timely manner. My advice is to concede what you have to, and it should be the first thing you do after missing time.
In my case, I conceded Kade’s loft bed. He’s been waiting for months and 12-year olds are not good at waiting. Sorry buddy (aka, non-paying client), but you’re going to have to wait. Not only do I need to feel better, I also need to catch up on some other projects.
Work on what you can
When life gets in the way, the toll can be mental as well as physical. It’s hard not to think about all of the tasks you’re not getting done. The longer my to-do list, the more miserable I am. I’m just one of those types who has to continuously cross things off the list to feel good about himself.
So if I’m not feeling up to being in my workshop running a table saw or a laser machine, my fall-back position is always, “What do I feel good enough to do?” For me, it’s computer work. I created an invoice, scheduled some tweets, watched a video on how to make picture frames (shout out to Michael Alm), and now I’m writing this blog post. I did these tasks in short bursts because that’s all I have enough focus and energy for, and that’s okay!
These aren’t critical tasks, but knocking them down is very good for my mental health. In my mind, I’ve created a mitigating circumstance that sounds like this: “I feel terrible I wasn’t able to deliver on A and B, but I managed to get to C and D, and it will help down the road.”
Capitalize on the opportunity
When you have to disappoint a client, try to see it as an opportunity to exceed expectations in another way. In my case, the client I disappointed was my son, but the principle still applies. My son is an avid soccer player and fan, so I’m going to surprise him with a soccer-themed loft bed. Later in life, he will remember his cool soccer-themed loft bed, not when it was finished!
This too is good for my mental health. It’s another mitigating circumstance that sounds like this: “I feel terrible I wasn’t able to deliver on time, but let me win back some good will by doing something a little extra.”
Conclusion
Life gets in the way. Sometimes it’s a speed bump and sometimes the road is completely washed out. Either way, I use the same coping strategy:
- Concede what you have to.
- Work on what you can.
- Capitalize on the opportunity.
Try these things the next time you feel like life is getting in the way and I’m confident you’ll feel better while it’s happening AND when it’s in your rear view mirror. Just remember to do them in order. For me, it also helps to remember that I’m the reason I have to cope with anything. I’m the one who started Moto Woodworks and I wasn’t under any illusion it would be easy.
I’d love to hear your coping strategy. Drop a comment!
