I’ve Made a Mistake

I’ve made a mistake, and I’m regretting it.

A few months ago I made a work commitment, saying yes when I should have said “no thank you.” And now I’m regretting it. I’m working more than I want to, I’m attending far too many meetings, and I have less time for my hobbies and other non-work activities I enjoy (including writing this blog).

It helps to actually own the fact that I messed up. The situation isn’t terrible — I’ll fulfill my work commitments and then my schedule will eventually lighten up. But I’m going to be grinding for at least a few more weeks, and probably for a few more months.

It’s been awhile since I’ve felt that my consulting work has been in the “sweet spot”. I wonder if the solution is moving away from freelance work toward a completely passive income model. We could move somewhere like Costa Rica and live off of rents, dividends, and royalties effective immediately.

But we tried living in Costa Rica. I didn’t like it. There were too many mosquitos, everyone walked around carrying a machete, and the internet cable disappeared into the jungle.

Of course that was only my personal experience of one seaside village. And there are thousands of places to live in the world that are much more affordable than San Francisco. But for the moment I don’t want to move. And even if I did, that wouldn’t solve my current predicament of having far more work than I want or need.

So how do I get through it? Three ways:

Get It Done Quickly and Efficiently

The sooner I deliver on my commitments, the sooner I’ll be out of this pickle. As I wrote in my last post, I don’t want to pause my creative work completely, because that would be soul crushing. But I’m hitting pause on a few hobbies, and putting in more work hours.

Fantasize About What I’ll Do With More Free Time

My brain has been spinning up new creative endeavors, including the sequel to Saint Arcology, and a bunch of new music ideas. I feel ready to make some major commitments to future creative projects so that I don’t squander my free time when I have more of it.

Avoid This Kind of Mistake in the Future

Recently, due to a combination of hard work, reasonably good investments, and blind luck, my net worth took a significant jump. According to a set of somewhat arbitrary numbers I set for myself years ago, I’m financially free. I’m not silly-money-rich, but unless I experience a massive reversal of fortunes, there’s no rational reason to ever feel compelled to say yes to any less-than-ideal work commitments going forward. I can afford to be choosy.

But I’m a team player and a people pleaser. Though I have no problem in asking to be fairly compensated for my time, I do find it challenging to say no to lucrative opportunities that fit my skills, especially when I like the people I’m working with.

I have to remind myself that those criteria are no longer sufficient. In my current work situation, I’m unhappy because of the number of hours required per week, the pressure around meeting deadlines, and the number of meetings required to get things done. It’s not enough that I’m being well compensated and that I like my co-workers.

Next Steps

That last one — avoiding this kind of mistake in the future — is going to be challenging. I think, long-term, what’s really required is an identity shift where I let go of being an hourly worker entirely, and completely switch over to a business mindset in terms of making money. I like Steve Pavlina’s recent post on this topic: Why Bigger Goals Can Be Easier to Achieve.

I’m not sure how exactly. But once I figure it out, I promise I’ll share my insights in this space. Thanks for following me on my journey.