As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been doing a lot lately.
Producing and premiering a film, launching the courses inside Freelancing School, producing a 2x weekly podcast, writing another course for Linkedin, and working on a second podcast (shhh)…
It feels like a bit of a hamster wheel.
I really like an analogy I heard recently, that flywheels start as hamster wheels.
The thing is, I know exactly where I’m headed. I understand the type of life I am working towards, and creating things (articles, podcasts, courses, and, someday, books) are a big part of that.
But the hamster wheel starts to burn you out.
It feels a lot like riding a bicycle, but the bicycle is in first gear. And at first, that was necessary, because you’re riding up what feels like a giant hill.
For me, that hill was earning a reliable and livable income on my own as a freelancer.
But I’m no longer pedaling up that giant mountain — I’ve gotten to flat ground.
Have you ever ridden a bicycle in first gear on flat ground? It’s inefficient. You pedal like hell, and you’re moving forward, but not in proportion to the amount of work you’re putting in.
I want to switch into third gear. You probably know that magical feeling of switching gears and suddenly every bit of effort you put in seems to propel you so much further!
This week, Eric and I talked about slowing our podcast release speed from 2x per week back to 1x per week and redirecting some of our focus towards marketing the show better.
That’s the type of gear shifting that I look forward to do for the rest of the year in all aspects of my business.
I’d love to hear from you — what areas of your life or work could use a tune up? Where do you feel like you’re putting in a ton of effort, and are unsure you’re getting results?