One question I get asked all time is, “How do you do it?”
And what friends and others mean by this is, how do I run and grow I Want Her Job, while still giving my sports marketing job 100 percent?
I used to say, “Oh, I just find a way.” Or, I’d say, “I never sleep!” And while both comments are definitely true, I feel like it’s a question that deserves more thought and more honesty. Usually those who are curious enough to ask are doing so because they want to start a side gig or pursue a passion that, let’s be honest, takes a lot of time and commitment.
That To-Do List
As I write this, I have a To-Do list weighing on me. Here’s a snapshot at a “night in the life of Bri.” By this time tomorrow night I need to have an interview transcribed and intro written. Also due, corresponding social graphics and copy to promote said interview. I also will have completed another interview, which I’m squeezing in on tomorrow’s lunch break, which means tonight I really should be finishing my list of questions for her. I also need to draft and send interview questions to another woman we’re featuring who feels more comfortable writing out her responses. Finally, I need to get back to our web developer on the redesign of I Want Her Job. I can’t wait to show it to you! And truth, I want this to be my No. 1 priority right now, but I have to bump it (once again) to tomorrow.
Additionally, my husband has decided (suddenly) that tonight he needs a wardrobe revamp. My prayers are coming true, but why tonight of all nights? Well, he has a function in a few days. So, with Amazon Fashion shipping time, it’s gotta be tonight, even with the luxury of Prime. It’s also a night when three people have called to chat out of the blue, and my phone has a handful of text messages and Instagram updates every time I pick it up. Oh, and my sweet shih tzu is looking at me with her big round eyes imploring me to go to bed.
The Hustle Continues
I worked an 8-hour day at the office, creatively working through challenges and projects. I love it, but like most people, I come home feeling tired without much hustle left.
This isn’t some crazy night; rather, it’s a normal night for me. Nights like this used to stress me out to the point where I felt paralyzed to start on anything. I used to think, “Where do I start?” and “I feel so guilty I’m on my laptop instead of spending time with my husband.”
So, what’s my secret? It’s really not a secret at all. I’ve tried to apply a new mindset I call, “just do the thing” and dive right in. When I opened my laptop to write this, I just did the thing. When I cleaned ‘that’ closet upstairs last night, I did the thing. (And you know the type I’m talking about—stuffed to the brim—even Monica Gellar had it.)
Just Do The Thing
The difference between me and another person who wants to create a side hustle, is that I do it. I don’t only dream about it, or only wish for it. I do it. And I bake it into my routine. I don’t always want to spend my evenings this way, but I know if I do it often enough, then one day this seed I’m nurturing will turn into that garden of gorgeousness that I really desire it to be.
Know that it’s a lot of hard work. There will be nights it flows, and there will be nights it doesn’t. (I have tips for that, too, but we’ll save it for another From The Desk.) It will be messy. It will be disorganized. It will be chaotic at times. But it also will be fulfilling. It will light that flow inside of you. And, when you’re doing what you feel in your soul that you should be doing, it will make you feel alive.
So, go do your thing. Start it. Right now. Don’t wait for tomorrow, because if not now, then when? I’m learning it’s better to just start than to think an idea, a project—or yes, even a closet organization overhaul—to perfection.
Just do the thing.