This update is long overdue. I under estimated the rate at which the site would grow and the number of subscribers over the past couple of months. After checking the email account linked to the site I was surprised at the number of questions and interest. With that, sorry for going MIA.
After getting coming back to the US back in May I was quickly caught up in a laundry list of getting things done and seeing people. I landed in New York and made quick work of catching up with friends and spending time with Natalie. After the first weekend in NYC I went back into business development mode for company. Every bit of my creative bandwidth was applied to emails sent to business prospects. While in mid-stride, Natalie and I hit a rough patch and I was on the next flight to Georgia. During this time, I just didn’t have the mental capacity to sit down and write. I tried, and as I write this there are 4 unfinished post sitting on my desktop.
Once I was back in the states I started to evaluate my long-term plan for settling down. I had set some goals to move back to NYC and had accomplished just barely enough of them to bring the decision into focus. Essentially I didn’t want my quality of life to suffer in order to live in NYC. Back in Georgia I began to question my reasons for living in the Big Apple in the first place. Were those reasons enough to keep me there? I soon came to the conclusion the price of living in NYC wasn’t enough to warrant the opportunities it provided. At the time though, I had given Natalie my word I would be back and I was trying to keep that word.
I went back to NYC in early June to work things out with Natalie and internally recognize it was time to settle back in the New York Groove. Being there I realized there wasn’t a single professional reason to be in NYC. I work remote and clients don’t really care to see me. After telling one client I wanted to have an annual business review before heading aboard I was met with the line– “we’re all good. You need a hobby.” My only reason for coming back to NYC would be for my relationship, and my friends. My business has grown at a faster rate while not in NYC than it had in the 2.5 years I had been there! I returned back to Georgia with the mindset of this is a vacation, and it’s coming to an end. “Tell everyone goodbye” is what I kept telling myself. This was short lived. My relationship with Natalie imploded and evaporated in matter of days. I soon realized, without the need to continue a relationship the list of reasons to move back to NYC was now a fraction of what it was when I left in December. My budget for an expensive apartment and general living expenses in the city was no longer valid. I spent a few hours one morning exploring where else I could apply that budget. By lunch it was more than clear how much better of a life there is to be lived with that kind of financial liquidity.
My first stop was to see a friend who was now the general manager of the local Toyota Dealership. I thought I would ask him to find me something used I could pay cash for, no car payment. Soon I was sitting in brand new fully load Tacoma from the previous model year. After reviewing the financials, my down payment put me into the truck for less than my NYC utilities payment. My friend discounted the truck enough that even after driving it off the lot I’m $2500 ahead of book value. I decided to take a cooling off period before making the purchase. During the cooling off period I did some searching for lake rental for the summer. A friend had already asked me to rent his place to help with his in-law apartment that he used AirBNB to rent out. However, I wanted something that didn’t come with responsibilities. Within an hour a real-estate friend introduced me to a retired couple who had just completed building a furnished house in a prime location on the lake. After talking we landed on a more than fair price to rent the place. It was such a good deal I made the immediate decision to take it and spend the summer not traveling, on the lake, in Milledgeville. I wrote a check on the spot for the entire summer! The next morning I got up and met my friend at the Toyota dealership where I drove away with a brand new truck.
I’m now settled into a routine that doesn’t involve digging in a suitcase every morning. I tell this all because looking back at the past 6 weeks I notice how its not one single factor that can inhibit holistic productivity. I’ll explain:
While aboard, I was some what settled on a day-to-day basis. There were consistencies in my day that left room for productivity. I had a place that I had all to myself, either a hotel room or apartment I had rented. IE: no roommates to accommodate or distract me. I kept time free for work on my business and time to be creative. What was left over was spent exploring my surroundings. As soon I was back stateside I was juggling time with friends, living situations, my doomed relationship, all while not really having my own resting place. I like analogies, so for this I’ll equate it to not having a place to charge your cell phone. You’re using it and know its going to eventually die, and finding an outlet isn’t easy.
I watched a vlog post by Casey Neistat where he talks about protecting his time. He explains how blocking off a calendar with meetings and phone calls gets in the way of being creative. Casey points out how you have to protect your time. Looking back over my recent past I can see how time blocks have gotten in my way. While some are self-induced and others are not I haven’t been able to settle into a routine that allows me to be productive. For me, a routine is crucial to being productive.
By a routine I don’t mean the boring doing/having the same thing every hour of everyday, but I mean the absence of daily variables. There is a book, that I can’t remember the name of right now, that studies the human brains capacity for critical thinking. And how the vast majority of the population waste their capacity on routine task early in the day. Task such as picking out an outfit for the day, a gym routine, picking a lunch place, having hard conversations that are net zero gain. By the time 2pm rolls around we’re just not capable of critical thinking. This theory is also the basis of why a power nap in the middle of the day can be a good thing. It’s the same rational on why successful leaders share common traits such as wearing the same thing, planning meals etc.
In conclusion, I haven’t been creative because I’ve been wasting my critical thinking bandwidth on stupid things like where I’m going to work, where am I going to eat, how am I going to get to my next place, etc. So going forward, to remain productive and creative plan to eliminate variables that prevent something that resembles a routine.
Comparing now to when I first got back stateside, I’ve found a lot of time to be productive. I’ve been able to close a prospect I’ve been working on for years, I’ve set a plan into motion to get my used car dealer license, and even started running.
Make everyday productive!