Be Your Own Boss, Avoid Burnout And Get Sh!t Done
Do you have a nine to five job outside of which you are working on a passion project or have you been trying to complete that Udemy course to skill up?
Or are you trying to start something on your own and be your own boss?
When it comes to such voluntary work/projects it can be extremely difficult to focus and put in the time required to close milestones you’ve set for yourself with no deadline or outside authority/ person to hold you accountable. Here are some insights from my own journey as a driven design nine to five professional to being the founder of a digital agency who needs to be accountable and productive all day every day.
One man army
I left a creative design job at a digital agency to sharpen my existing skills, learn new ones and build my own brand.
I was focused and hungry. I learned advanced Swift iOS coding techniques to be able to ‘one-man-army’ my iOS app development skills. This allowed me to set up my own digital agency and sign my first project which I delivered blazingly fast within two months.
I learned how to code my own website using React to set up the agency website. I learned how to optimize it by studying courses on SEO and digital marketing. I even dabbled in some machine learning experiments using python ( since Swift is based on Python I was able to hit the ground running).
I was getting a lot of work done and building my repertoire.
The Plateau
As I entered the sixth month of being my own boss I realized my focus would waver from one thing to the next like a bunny hopping all over the place. I was doing a lot of things but pushing only a few to completion. I wanted to create an educational AR app, a Unity 2D Metroidvania game, a dating app, a youtube tutorial series and more. I had grand plans, but my focus was shot.
At this point, I took a step back and felt the need to recharge my batteries. Renew my ability to shift perspectives to get things done. The following is a list of basic mechanisms you can use to keep yourself sharp as a professional who needs to be at the top of her/his game regardless of whether you work for yourself or for someone else.
The disclaimer being what works for you may not work for someone else and even that ‘one thing’ that makes you feel recharged and ready to go is enough, to begin with.
Stranded on the proverbial plateau I did the following things to get my edge back.
Travel
I had always wanted to experience New York, I took this as an opportunity to get out there and place myself in situations that shake up my perception of the world. The sights, sounds, and smells of the city, its subway, its food, its people lit up my olfactory and other senses like a Christmas tree. I began to soak in sensory stimuli that I could in no way provide myself by sitting in one location. I felt inspiration every day and made small notes that I could come back to afterward.
The very first time I drove in America was straight on the highway to get from New Jersey to Boston. It was uncomfortable especially because I have driven right-hand drive for my entire life and suddenly I was driving left-hand drive and that too on the highway!
Although it was scary at first, it was a refreshingly fun road trip that I wouldn’t have taken had I not stepped out of my comfort zone.
For the longest time, I did not think much of the impact of travel on the human ability to see something in varied and unique perspectives. After traveling again I realized I would usually limit myself through my notions of what I can and can not do. It is important to step out of your comfort zone and into situations that scare you. You will most likely pleasantly surprise yourself.
Write for self-awareness
There are times when the seed of an idea plants itself in your mind and you can feel the potential of it, which is when one tends to get some coffee, whiteboard markers and begin to chart out in intricate detail what that seed can evolve into.
We do this frequently for work-related things, day after day.
It is of immense benefit to apply the same methodology to yourself. What makes each of us unique is our own collection of ideas that define who we are. What we like, don’t like, what we think of ourselves and the world outside relative to us.
Writing can make effervescent thoughts, that shape the way you perceive things, tangible and make you self-aware. The same way our perception of something can change when viewed relative to something else, we can see things in a new light when we are self-aware.
Read for new ideas
A recent study suggested that the average CEO reads 60 books a year. The world’s best and brightest minds are idea sponges, they soak up the world’s best nonfiction and apply its wisdom to their own lives and careers. Although skeptical at first I now agree with this.
I tend to read one book every week (yes I am a slow reader). After three books I felt although the insights and ideas may be the same as those presented through a video or audio format, they tend to be far richer and higher in context when conveyed through a book unbridled by the need to be brief and hold the short attention span of the average digital consumer.
A book demands your focus and attention and rewards you with ideas that fill the reservoir of ideas you can draw from and reflect upon. It is a great way to take reference from what industry leaders and all-around experts have observed and experienced without needing to always depend on first-hand experiences and revelations.
Books allow one to leverage what the best of us have uncovered. Stand upon the shoulders of giants for a vantage point like none other.
Sleep is for the strong
While you don’t need to have the regimen of a United States Navy SEAL to win at life, it is important to distinguish the consciousness from the vessel. You know the times when you’re in bed trying to sleep and your mind seems to have turned into a fountain of creative ideas, those are the times your consciousness is at odds with your vessel. Having sleep timings that are consistent can keep you inspired and healthy if you’re having trouble falling asleep, try not to use your phone or any screen half an hour prior to the time you intend to be fast asleep. Reading can help relax your thoughts enough to help you fall asleep more comfortably.
Your body needs those hours of sleep even if your mind is full “THIS IS SPARTA!”.
Sweat it out
The body needs the right hormones and the right mix of those hormones to be productive and support the ideas your mind creates. Coffee won’t keep you going through everything, you will crash, hard. Working out regularly will not just give your body that shot of endorphins and serotonin it will also help keep you creatively inspired. Join that gym or maybe that yoga class you’ve been eyeballing for a while. Trust me its worth it once you get up, dress up and show up.
Eat smaller. Eat often. Hydrate tons.
You may have heard this one before, eat smaller portions more often so you’re eating every 2–3 hours over the course of the day between your first and last meal. This can help you avoid the post-lunch sluggishness that several mighty professionals fall to and tend to rely on coffee to overcome. The frequent small eats keep you feeling light and alert and help to maintain a consistent level of focus throughout the day. I’ve found it great to fill the gaps between the usual breakfast lunch and dinner with simpler eats such as oats with cinnamon and flaxseed meal or a cheese omelet or a piece of fruit or some good old-fashioned trail mix.
Be sure to drink water consistently, space it out, avoid drinking a lot in one go as this can increase the fluid pressure in your eye, a glass here a glass there, just make sure you can add it all up to at least eight glasses of water every day.
Our more digital and instant-gratification led lifestyle has been detrimental in speeding up the fatigue that can set in. It’s amazing how the basics have not changed in terms of what you can do to be healthier and productive. I have found that these basics are still just as good as they have always been to replenish the mind, body, and soul of the new-age professional. The mental and physical state of a creator needs to be ready to go whenever inspiration strikes.
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by 358,974+ people.
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