When I started this year I set out on a mission to lower my debt to 0 by any means.
So far, the mission is fully underway with good progress. With great discipline and focus I will clear that by the end of the year. Or at least have the remaining balance be laughably small by comparison.
I also need to publish one of these daily, participate in 2 podcasts and rap.
The last week or two I’ve been faced with the newfound reality of hustling in your 30s.
The energy levels aren’t the same. It takes a little longer to get going than it used to. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will need to nap. I say this as I’m already exercising more and eating healthier, which helps, but can’t make you 21 again.
Ageing just hits as it does.
It’s been a solid 6 months of working nearly every day grind and I am feeling it, in truth ya boy needs a real break, but that’s still 2 months away.
Expensive vacations require working longer and harder
There are a couple of thousand dollars in my life that could have gone to debt that went to other things instead.
I bought a laptop. Having a beastly computer has made me not require a laptop for most occasions. I’ve barely used the laptop since I got it, but in the future it will come in handy when I need one.
More importantly I paid for a flight to Puerto Rico and my share of Airbnb money already. Add in another thousand or so for a good time and we’re talking about a pretty penny right there.
This will be my first “boys trip” specifically meant to be a vacation.
Since I decided to spend that extra money I need to be hustling even harder to make sure my debt goes down.
All these months later I’m seeing gains, but I’m waking up on a Saturday with all the intentions to hustle and then sitting there for 3 hours being lazy.
There are opportunity costs to life and when you are planning your week, you need to be honest about your biology.
Still in order to properly enjoy the Puerto Rico trip I need to keep the pressure on for two more months.
Three hours of laziness is what it is, that still leaves well over 10 good hours of hustle in a day.
Crisis mode grind and normal life grind aren’t the same
There is an argument to be made that the most successful folk out there treat every day like a crisis.
At 36 with a nonexistent art career, I need to be honest that I’m not one of those ridiculous prodigy types. I’m more of the work harder and longer until I win by attrition types. People are often more impressed by my determination than by my content.
For me there is crisis mode. This is when I have a goal, with a deadline and adopt a by whatever means mentality to achieve it. I must clear my debt this year so I can get back to a normal life grind.
On a normal hustle, your money is correct and you have the luxury of choice. You can choose to take time off because you are good. Without debt, I can afford to work less.
When the debt is done, even with a car, I’ll be so much better off that I can afford to throw time into passion projects without considering the immediate ROI again.
In crisis mode, things need to be about the dollar. Sleep matters less, the tunnel vision kicks in and there’s no such thing as a social life.
Most people can attest to the fact that I barely talk to anyone anymore because I’ve been working so much. Plus I spend so much time writing out my thoughts, chatting has lost a lot of appeal.
Either way, crisis mode will end one day, in the meantime I need to plan more breaks.
If you have the luxury, take some time off for some tomfoolery you enjoy
Shout out the single moms and other groups of people with dependencies who cannot take no time off.
As I’m a childless, mid 30s dude, I sit here perplexed by the energy levels of parents. They manage to get up every day and pull it all off. There is no “fuck it” day for them.
Here and there I have some “fuck it” days, even if they are still kind of productive.
I can just get up and go anywhere for a weekend as long as my money is right. Since I have no kids, it’s pretty damned easy to get my money right. My food bill, while inflated, is still only as high as my bad habits.
Instead of managing my life for success, I end up saying yes to giant commitments and spend the whole week scrambling mentally, pretending I’m going to plan things out properly when I get some free time. Then the free time comes and I spend 3 hours just lounging around, letting my brain marinate for a minute.
I don’t end up catching up with planning.
I also don’t end up playing any Cyberpunk 2077 or other fun stuff. After a while it all just blurs together and I miss the leisure sides of life. I’m motivated for future fun, but present me is pretty meh.
Next year, there will be more of that, I promise you this much.
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day so I will get a mini escape from work to go visit my mom.
Hope you visit yours if you can and hope the day goes easy if you can’t.
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
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