At a crossroads (sigh) - What should I do next? (Weird situation, LONG read.)

[hustleharder]

Been a long-time lurker here, but a first-time poster. Apologies if this is the wrong forum to start this thread. Found this forum through the book, happy to be here. But let's skip the introductions.

Let's just get to it. If you're reading this, you probably have some advice to offer. I'm taking everyone's advice seriously, so please don't troll.

So basically, I feel "stuck" on an endless treadmill and I'm seriously getting burned out. I need direction.

Right now:

• I work 2 jobs. One FT, and one PT. 6 days of my week are spent working. It's about 40-56H per week of working, depending on OT.
• After work, I spend about 2-3H on writing. On my 1 day off, I spend about 12H writing. I have 3 projects that I'm working on (all blogs).
• 1 blog is producing a decent income. The other 2 are bringing in peanuts. I'm trying to replicate the first blog with the other 2.
• My savings situation is OK. I'm a cheapass and I save everything and rarely spend. I have enough savings for at least 1 year without work.
• I hate both my jobs. They're both entry-level and can easily be replaced if I were to quit/get fired. I feel like I'm wasting my time there every single day.
• I've extremely disciplined and can force myself to work, even when I don't want to. I'm not even bragging. My friends all say I work too much.
• I'm turning 30 soon. I don't have time to spend with those who matter anymore and I feel like I'm always grumpy because of this lifestyle. Sometimes I feel like I'm just doing "busy" work and not really working. I don't know because the results sometimes takes forever to show.

I don't ever have "fun" anymore. I never go out, watch TV, drink, hang out, etc.
The only entertainment I have is playing some games for an hour or two maybe once a month. I've lost many of my friends because of this grind. I'm always working. I'm not kidding. And I can feel the depression starting to trend.

But that's not the point.

The problem is all this work that I'm doing- I think it's going to the wrong place. I don't feel like it's meaningful and I need to make a decision.

Right now, I'm really getting burnt out. I've been doing this schedule for almost 4 years now:

• Work day job from 9-6PM.
• Eat/shower/etc.
• Write projects from 7-10PM (often with mental exhaustion).
• Sleep.
• Repeat.

It's helped me bring in a decent income with blog 1, but 2 and 3 are still in the early stages and definitely need more time.

And the crossroads:

1. I don't want to rely on income from blogging going forward. It's way too dependent on Google/SEO, and I want to start something with more control. Therefore, I want to start another project where I have more control. I need to diversify. I've considered a few different ones but they'll take a lot of time commitment.

So the question is: Should I add another project to my workload? Am I spreading myself too thin?

2. I feel like I should quit both my jobs to allow myself more time to dedicate towards this new project and the current blogs. I have enough for a year off in savings. I can always get another job at the end of it if it fails. Am I just wasting my time by working when I don't necessarily need the money? And yes, I'm 99% sure I won't slack off.

So the question is: Should I quit my jobs and dedicate a year to my blogs and start a new business?

3. Or I can just continue doing what I'm doing now. Work both jobs. Continue writing. Try to start a new project with whatever free time I have. Quit when blogs 2 or 3 start to take off, or the new project does. I know I can do this since I'm disciplined enough, but of course, it'll be hell and I won't be happy. And it feels like I'm just making this harder on myself than need be.

The overall short-term goal is to become self-sustainable through this new project. I don't care if it's passive or active income. I'm just tired of working for someone else on their own schedule. I dread waking up everyday going to work. That's what I really want right now.

Honestly, I just feel like going to work is just "delaying" my own business from fruition.

The 40-50H of work I put in per week goes nowhere. I always think to myself that if I spent those hours all on myself, I'd sure as hell get there a lot faster. I feel like I'm trying to do this whole "start a business" thing on "hard mode," like one of the mid-30 entrepreneurs with a family and FT job and trying to do this on the side (no offense to any of them reading this).

Of course it's harder when you have all those things to juggle.

But I have the advantage of not having a family, kids, or even SO (she's overseas right now and extremely busy) to take my time away. And then again, I feel like I'm just making this harder on myself and "wasting" that advantage by going to work. Shouldn't I be using all that time to make something happen?

I guess my long-term goal is to simply become financially independent and work for myself, whether that be through the new project, blogs, or some other endeavor I come along with. Passively, if possible. But that starts with the short-term goal.


If you actually made it through this post, ANY advice you can offer will be taken considerably. Whatever nuggets of wisdom you can provide, I'll gladly accept, take note of, re-read, and analyze over and over. I know some of you have seen this case 1000 times before or have been through this yourself , so you have a ton more direction than I do.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Wouter]

Welcome to the forum!

1. I don't want to rely on income from blogging going forward. It's way too dependent on Google/SEO, and I want to start something with more control. Therefore, I want to start another project where I have more control. I need to diversify. I've considered a few different ones but they'll take a lot of time commitment.

So the question is: Should I add another project to my workload? Am I spreading myself too thin?

You say you don't want to rely on the income you get from blogging going forward. I agree. In the next paragraph however, you contemplate quitting your jobs to focus more time on the blogs. Which one is it? To answer your question: Yes, you're spreading yourself too thin. You need to focus on one business and go all-in, instead of focussing on five different projects at once without anything to show for it.

2. I feel like I should quit both my jobs to allow myself more time to dedicate towards this new project and the current blogs. I have enough for a year off in savings. I can always get another job at the end of it if it fails. Am I just wasting my time by working when I don't necessarily need the money? And yes, I'm 99% sure I won't slack off.

So the question is: Should I quit my jobs and dedicate a year to my blogs and start a new business?

This depends on where the 'new business' currently stands. Do you have a concrete plan, ready for execution or do you just have an 'idea'? I get the feeling that you're never going to get anywhere with your current schedule (as you yourself admit), so I'd definitely consider focussing your attention on more fruitful pursuits (If you can afford to).

3. Or I can just continue doing what I'm doing now. Work both jobs. Continue writing. Try to start a new project with whatever free time I have. Quit when blogs 2 or 3 start to take off, or the new project does. I know I can do this since I'm disciplined enough, but of course, it'll be hell and I won't be happy. And it feels like I'm just making this harder on myself than need be.

Starting a business will be very challenging. You won't be able to manage all these side projects and focus a 100% on building a business that'll actually bring you closer to the future you desire. I'd compare the projects (cost/benefit), and quit the ones that don't make the cut.

The overall short-term goal is to become self-sustainable through this new project. I don't care if it's passive or active income. I'm just tired of working for someone else on their own schedule. I dread waking up everyday going to work. That's what I really want right now.

Here you describe becoming self-sustainable through the new project (so not the blogs)?

I guess my long-term goal is to simply become financially independent and work for myself, whether that be through the new project, blogs, or some other endeavor I come along with. Passively, if possible. But that starts with the short-term goal.

I'd suggest you define what financial indepence means for you. How much money do you actually need. Some people can live off 30,000 dollars a year, others need 30,000 a month. Use this number to define your short term goals.

Overall: Make a cost/benefit analyses of all the current projects (blog, jobs) that you currently have and see which you can let go. Decide where you want to focus on. You simply can't focus on five things at once and expect your new project to take off. Define your long-term/short-term goals and see which project (jobs, blogs or a new project) is most likely to get you there.

 

[Champion]

Hey, welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story & situation!

From reading your post, I got the feeling that you aren't necessarily tight on money in your situation, am I right on that?

If thats the case.... why are you taking on more and more workload and trading your precious hours for monotonous work which pays you peanuts? Also, since you are spending most of your time on the full-time and part-time job, that is completely lost time because you are not investing into a brand or legacy structure.

My advice would be the following (if my assumption that you have no money problems is true):

- Quit your Part-Time job
- Quit the two blogs you are working on that aren't making any money
- Keep your Full-Time job (to Pay for daily expenses)
- Keep your Blog thats already making money and think about what the critical success factors are (few things you could be doing to actually get it to take off further, skip the busy work)
- DO NOT START A NEW BLOG (Like what you mentioned in your post)
- Use the spare time to regain your social life and perhaps develop a creative hobby (Instrument, Sport, Art, etc..?)

My first impression from your post is that you have become addicted to busy work and that its not getting you anywhere. You need to learn to be efficient and effective by applying the Pareto principle: 80% of results are achieved by doing 20% of all the possible tasks you could be doing.

I would say, before you continue work on anything, really make it clear for yourself what the 20% of tasks are that will get you to the next level in your endeavour. The other 80% of tasks, dont even bother with. Then be disciplined and focused and make a plan to work only on the most important things that will actually move the needle. Spare time you use to spend time with friends and loved ones! Regain your social life!

Best,
Champion

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Welcome! My heart goes out to ya man.

It sounds like you have the discipline that 99% of writers lack. Have you considered the various ways you could be making money as a writer? Copywriting, ghost writing, guest blogging, etc?

If neither of your jobs are teaching you skills in any area, yes you should quit. You’ve proven that you know how to work, save, and suffer. You’ve proven you can be a successful Slowlaner.

But you have no clue if you can be a success in the Fastlane. Being a business owner is all about bringing value to your clients by meeting their needs, doing it with exemplary service, and producing better than the competition with more professionalism (care). How often are you even considering your readers?

In an ideal world you’d have a trade, an online business, and an investment. So, writing could be your online thing, but you’re not deepening that skill as far as I know. Do you have a mentor? Are you learning about writing? Are you networking with other ppl? It sounds like you’re treating blogging like another job. You’re just showing up and grinding away. That’s not gonna give you fulfillment, ever. You need more.

And you need some kind of outlet. Most super successful ppl are still finding a couple hours a week to renew their energy with ppl, places or things they love. I know this is gonna sound weird but I listen to my gut. I think you should get a dog, write more, and rethink your five year goals a LOT. Don’t stop posting on this thread. Keep talking it out. Sometimes just having ppl to listen can make all the difference in the world.

No matter what anyone says though, we’re all just internet humans tryna figure our stuff out too. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Even if you change your work situation drastically you might not get much happier... I just don’t want you to regret not trying ESPECIALLY when you’re in a perfect place (w/ money saved and no dependents) to try something crazy big.

You might want to look at the threads on trades, too. Welding, metal-craft, woodworking, electric, plumbers, farriers are all DESPERATE for workers.. some trades take less than six months to learn.. and you’d be surrounded by customers who appreciate you. You could easily spend a little while learning a trade, while doing the writing thing and then no matter how you do at online stuff you’ll have something to fall back on or work part-time (my farrier friend makes 12k over the summer. He’s 19.) where you’re NEVER easily replaced.

It’s demoralizing when you’re not appreciated for your work. I adore my mechanic, my carpenter dude, and my HVAC guy. They work their a** off but they have pride at the end of the day.

Get a big mixed dog from a rescue place, a breed that’s smart, like a Husky or a German Shepherd mix.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.