danoshinsky.com

When I first started Inbox Collective, I tried taking vacation the way I had when I had a traditional 9-to-5. I turned on the out-of-office reply, closed the laptop, and ignored emails until I got back.

I returned from vacation to a pile of unread emails and tasks. I spent days trying to catch up.

What I learned was that at my 9-to-5, there were other people who could pick up the slack and answer questions while I was on vacation. But now I was my own boss. It was just me — if I didn’t reply, no one did.

So now I take a little time, every day, to deal with tasks. Urgent stuff gets handled that day — not as fast as it would if I was at work, but usually done within 24 hours. Less urgent stuff gets tackled when I have the time. Some stuff gets put off until I’m back at my desk — no big deal.

But by spending an hour or two every day on work, I make sure I don’t come back to that big pile of tasks.

Is that strategy for everyone? Absolutely not. Some people like doing a little work on vacation. Some people would rather throw their laptop in the ocean than answer an email while OOO.

The only important thing is to figure out what works for you.

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I took that photo of my laptop a few years while on vacation in Florida.

Here’s something I’m trying to stick to this year:

I’ll get these pitches in my inbox for something that seems interesting. Not incredible, but interesting, and I’ll say yes. Maybe it’s a potential client that I’m vaguely interested in working with or a brand that wants me to demo their product. I’m not totally sold, but hey, it seems interesting enough, and I’ll say yes to the call.

And then Sunday night, as I prep for the week ahead, I’ll see that meeting pop up on my cal, and I’ll go, “Why did I say yes to this again?”

I’m getting better about saying no to certain things, but I know I need to be even pickier. It’s a waste of their time and mine if I’m not 100% in before booking the call.

If I’m not incredibly excited to meet, the answer needs to be, “Sorry, I don’t think this is a good fit for me.”

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That photo of a fork in the road comes via Oliver Roos and Unsplash.

Knowing if it’s time to make a change really comes back to one big question: What’s your goal for this work?

Take this blog. I’ve been writing here, pretty much weekly, for more than a dozen years. I don’t have analytics on the website, which means I have no idea how many people read danoshinsky.com. I started it to give myself a place to write. I don’t try to monetize this site or use it for any other purpose — it’s just a place to write.

If I found out that lots people were reading it every month, would I pivot to a new strategy? To be honest: Probably not. I like it as an outlet for writing, and I’m not looking for it to be more than that.

But what if I’d built it as a vehicle to drive success for a larger business? What if this was the thing I was using to sell products or a paid subscription, and it wasn’t driving those results?

Well, yeah: I’d be looking to pivot to the next idea.

What I like to tell clients is: Everyone has too many ideas. Your job is to recognize when things are working and double down — or recognize when things aren’t and be willing to move on. But that starts by thinking clearly about what you want to achieve from the work in the first place.

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That photo of a sign with the words “Turning Point” comes via Unsplash and Roger Bradshaw.

There are nights when I wake up at odd hours, and I’m suddenly thinking about work. I’ve got projects to take care of, emails to send, things I haven’t even started that I know are due soon. The stress of it all somehow hits in the middle of the night.

And I have to remind myself: There’s not a lot I can do at 3 a.m.

It doesn’t do me much good to worry, anyway. The anxiety doesn’t make the to-do list any shorter. What I can do is get back to bed, find a pocket of time to take on some work in the morning, and actually do the work.

And then do it again.

And again, and again.

But in the middle of the night, all you can do is remind yourself: You’ve done the work before, and you’ll do it again.

Just not at 3 a.m.

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That photo of sunlight across a bed comes via Unsplash and photographer Becca Schultz.

There’s something I’ve noticed about my son: He always shows up with love.

He loves running over to family and friends to give hugs. (“Big hugs,” especially.) He’s always excited when he sees someone he knows. If he’s a little shy around a new person, it only takes a few minutes before they’re his new best friend.

That joy is contagious. Other people always seem so happy when they’re around Ben.

So here’s my wish for the new year: Show up with love. Show up excited to be around the people you care about. Be excited, be joyful. Be a little bit more like Ben.

We need more of that light in this world.

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That photo of fireworks over a ski mountain (Aspen, I think) come via photographer Jamie Fenn and Unsplash.