The wind is howling outside and the lifts are on wind closure. Lauren is on call and I am on a Daddy/Daughter weekend. The girls are using the downtime to complete their schoolwork and I have finally pulled out the computer to write some thoughts.
I started blogging in October 2020 with a goal of one post per week…
It was a manageable goal for the first year but in year two I hit a wall and took sometime off from writing. I didn’t disappear completely from the Physician finance world but with time being limited I decided to put the writing on hold…
During this time, Lauren and I were involved in the PhREI Network conference, which was amazing, and are currently finishing up the Carpe Diem MD Short-term rental course, working full time and managing our short-term rental portfolio…
So, it was not a complete hiatus but just enough to relieve some pressure and evaluate if running a blog is what I want to do… What I learned was that I love this blog but my time management needs to be improved…
Usually, I write late at night after the girls go to bed or early on the weekends.
However, during Winter season we drive back and forth to Mammoth each weekend. It is honestly an awesome blessing but a major time commitment.
We drive 5 hours each way and then spend the weekend on the slopes. Lauren and I enjoy riding but also want to be close by in case we are needed. So, as you can see that takes Friday, Saturday and Sunday off of the schedule for blogging.
On the weekends I manage the social media and short-term rentals from my phone from the ski lifts. It is pretty awesome but does not really allow for a well thought out blog post. Sometimes, I can write if Lauren drives… but only if it is not at night haha.
Lauren and I do not employ others to write our content or manage our blog etc. Everything that we have has been run by us. It has been a great learning process but at some point I may have to hire someone to help us out. This was not something that I have been ready to accept.
You don’t hear about the downsides of side gigs or blogging too often.
One of the major downsides is that there are no set hours. This can actually be a major source of burnout.
There are tons of conferences, courses and blogs devoted to passive income. They discuss the benefits of having a side hustle and declare that passive income will set you free. Now in the end this is true but most forget to tell you that a side hustle can be its own source of burnout.
What I experienced over the last few months was burnout from running the blog.
I had no burn out from my practice and running the course was a source of joy but the time commitment for writing and social media were a drag.
I learned that part of the reason for my burnout was time management related. There were no limits to the work and I would just add it the end of the day. Going forward I plan to schedule time to write and complete posts on a deadline.
Blocking time and deadlines help prevent tasks from dragging out. The more tasks linger the greater the feeling of burnout becomes. Taking this break was a good thing and helped realign priorities.
It has been a great Winter season and taking a writing break was a great idea but I think it is time to get back on schedule.
I wanted to share the behind the scenes reasons for my gap in blog posts so you all can know you are not alone.
We all have a ton on our schedules and sometimes it is ok to put something on hold to see if you still need it. Luckily, I have a great support system with Lauren Ihde, Daniel Shin MD and Jordan Frey MD who allowed me the time to try things out.
Carpe Diem MD
Enjoy your Journey to Financial Freedom
3 thoughts on “The Wind is Howling and I’m Burnt Out”