This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hello, greetings, what's up and welcome. My name is Chris Guillebeau, your host for Cytosol School. It is the 15th of December, episode 1079, at least that's the day it's going out. We have just finished week number 50, 50, 5-0 of season three. Final countdown continues.
This week featured carnivorous plants, which I was really excited about, was a first for us. Adult coloring books and two door-to-door salesmen who take out the trash. And I mean that literally. They actually start a trash removal service that grows to six figures in year one and then multiple six figures and eventually I believe seven figures in revenue before they sell it and move on to something else. So all kinds of stuff as usual.
Now over here in my world, I've been on the road a bit. I spent a few days in Amsterdam, a couple of days in London, heading back to the US this week for the remainder of the holidays. And you know what? I'm doing okay. And I just like to acknowledge that for myself.
Like whenever something is going well, I like to note it. I don't always enjoy this time of year. Sometimes it's hard for me. But like I said, when something's going well, I like to pay attention and be like, oh, you know what? Something's actually working, that's good.
Now, as I've said before, if you are struggling during the holidays, first know that you're not alone. This is an always an amazing and incredible time for everybody. So hang in there and take care of yourself. And if you know somebody who might be struggling, like if you're doing okay, but you're like, wait, I can think of somebody who maybe I should check on them. Well, don't just think about it.
Go ahead and check on them, because they might need to hear from you. All right, so two weeks ago, I had my annual review. And along with this not being a difficult month for a change, which is nice, I was also really excited about 2020 and a bunch of big projects. I've already mentioned the major change we're making for side hustle school. We're gonna call it the Year of Interaction, where we'll be featuring listener Q&A throughout the year, as well as rolling out a new series called Classroom.
While I've been traveling, I've been working on some of the formats for that. It's gonna be really fun, but that's not all. I also have a new book coming in April. I'll tell you more about that in early January. And unlike my last one, when I went to only 14 cities, this time I'm planning to go all out and visit readers in at least 40 cities, four, zero.
Last time when I went on tour, a lot of people were like, hey, Chris, why didn't you come to such and such a place? Like you've been here before, or you've never come to my town. Why don't you come to my city? So I'm gonna try to get to as many as possible. That's happening, and there's more.
Like I've got a long list of stuff. I'm just genuinely excited about a lot of things, a lot of projects, trying to figure out how to make time for them and fit them all in and such. So here's my question. What if you're like me? What if you're like me and that you've got this big list, you've got a bunch of stuff, but you're like, man, how am I gonna tackle all of this?
Well, in some ways we've talked about this topic in a couple of different contexts, like how to choose between projects, what if you don't wanna just do one thing, et cetera. I want to, today, in the short span of a couple of minutes, bring somewhat of a new perspective on this. Because the common advice, which you may have heard before, is choose one thing for a while, understand that there are seasons, divide your time and day by project or focus, and so on. And all of that is true. It's not bad advice by any means.
And it's also true that we all have a limited number of hours in the day, much to my disappointment, because I keep trying to add a 25th hour. No luck yet. I'll let you know if I get that sorted out. It'll be some kind of premium upsell, which, you know, we don't actually sell anything here at Side Hustle School, so, you know, first we'll have to sell something. But then it will be an upsell, 25th hour of the day.
Still, what I've been thinking about as I went from the Caribbean, where I was doing my review to Europe, where I've just been traveling this week, is that the best productivity advice has nothing to do with managing your time or becoming a minimalist or any other ist or any other label or trend or fad that you wish to follow. It's to do something, let's say it this way, it's to do everything you can to find something you love. Something you really love to do. And if you can find a sustainable way to do that, like a way that actually works in our economy, then you are very fortunate, right? Just like so many people I talk about on the show, myself, I feel this way every single day.
So do everything you can to protect it. Let's just say that one more time. Your task at hand is to do everything you can to find something you love to do. And then if you can find a sustainable way to do that, then you are very fortunate. So do everything you can at that point to protect it.
Now, there's this old saying, if you love your work, you'll never work a day in your life. I mean, it's kind of a dumb saying, right? Like a lot of these old sayings, but at the heart of it, like there is something there, there's some value. Like when I asked myself questions like, if I could do anything and time and money were no object, what would I be doing? Most of the time, most of the time my answer is pretty much what I'm doing now.
Either it's exactly what I'm doing now, or it's pretty much what I would be doing now with some sort of modification or something, but it's not a complete reinvention. And that's a good feeling. That's why I think it's the goal. However it is that you get there, you understand it's a journey, it's all about the process, et cetera, but that I think is the goal. Now, of course, if I could fly or be invisible, you know, some other like true superpower, that would be different, but that's another story.
The question is just time and money, not superpower. So, dear listener, why not make your own list? Like why not make your own list of goals, dreams, ideas, something you've been holding off on? What have you been afraid of? What have you been hesitant to put forward, even though it's this idea that keeps coming to your mind?
I would suggest it's coming to your mind for a reason. And here we are coming up on a new decade, which, you know, only happens approximately every 10 years. So use it as a springboard for change and progress. That's my encouragement for you today. And I'll be right there with you too.
Like I've got a bunch of stuff I'm working on, as I said, I look forward to showing it with you. And just in case you need some more direction or in case it feels overwhelming in some way, our audio update from a previously featured side hustler that I'm gonna play for you in a moment will give you another perspective. So you can listen to both of ours and choose whichever one is best for you at this time or kind of mash them up together and chart your own course. So let's go to that audio update in a moment. This one features Kristin right after a message from our sponsor.
I really appreciate them helping us provide this show to you completely free. [Music]
Hi, this is Kristin Blanks from Columbus, Ohio. My side hustle is Party Ease, which was featured on episode 460. Since then, we have grown our client list here in Columbus, Ohio, increased our hourly rates and have collaborated with even more local small businesses. I was able to help with movie expenses for my family's recent move to the other side of town and pick out a few splurge pieces for our new home.
Even better, I was able to take a step back from working events during the hustle and bustle of moving since I have such an incredible staff. Since the episode has aired, I joined Experience Columbus, a local small business organization, and I'm enjoying meeting and collaborating with other small business owners. I've also been able to donate services to several silent auctions for events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Central Ohio, and recently provided 24 bartenders for one of their wine tasting fundraisers at a deeply discounted rate. One of the reasons why I started Party Ease was to have an avenue to give back to my community, and I'm proud to be doing just that. The best advice I can give is that you don't have to do it all right now.
It's great to have lofty goals, but it can be overwhelming when you try to accomplish all of your great ideas at one time while still focusing on the rest of your life. And don't downplay your efforts. As long as I do one thing for my company every day, no matter how small, I have learned to consider that an accomplishment. Next up for Party Ease, I'm collaborating with a local transportation company and my favorite local caterer to put together corporate experience packages. We will provide deluxe transportation from the office to some sort of activity, with food and beverages served at the location, and then transportation back to the office.
A party concierge from Party Ease will be with the group every step of the way to make the evening run smoothly and give the coworkers a fun team building experience. Other than that, I'm allowing the company to continue its organic growth and look forward to continued collaboration with other local small businesses. - Thank you so much, Kristin, PartyEase.com. I love that advice. You don't have to do it all right now.
I was just telling everybody you have to go and do it all right now. So I love this little counterpoint. I don't think I was saying you have to do it all right now. I was just saying, it's okay to do a bunch of things if you're excited about them. Find the work that you love and you'll want to do it more and more.
But if you do nothing else, do as Kristin suggests, one thing every day, one small thing every day, 20 minutes a day. If it's truly a task that is not just working in your business, but working on your business, key distinction there, actually doing something to grow the business, work toward creating a new product or service, new website, whatever it is. So working on your business, that's the way to go to get to the direction that you're headed. As I mentioned, Kristin is at PartyEase.com. Check it out.
We've got more of these to come. And we're also going to have a very new format coming soon in 2020, as mentioned. If you have a question, which we're going to be featuring questions, throughout the week, we're going to be sharing stories of listeners starting projects in January and going all through the year, so we can follow along and see what's happening. If you want to be part of that at all, the best entry point is to go to sidehustleschool.com/questions. And then from there, you can ask me a question.
And my side hustle sidekick, Jed Cheng, will get back to you and tell you what to do next. Okay, so I was going to say coming up on the show, and we do have in fact, what is it, two full weeks and a couple of days remaining in December, Mozart for Munchkins and Bad Spanish Tacos. Those are the two episodes that I see I'm working on next, tomorrow and the next day. So I'll look forward to sharing those with you, presumably in the next week, as we wrap them up. And of course, much more is to come.
And definitely like if for some reason you get off track during the holidays, like I want you to keep listening, but if for some reason you get off track in the next two weeks, be sure to come back on January 1. [Music]
Before I sign off, just want to say thank you. I'll keep it brief. I know it's the holidays. Thank you so much for making the show what it is.
It is not just a show, it's a community of tens of thousands of people really all over the world who are all interested in self-reliance, all interested in building something for their own future, for their security, for their well-being, so that they're not dependent on a corporation or a government or an organization, even if they work for a good corporation or government or organization. It's not so much about just being a rebel for no reason. It's about asking, what am I going to do? It's about asking, what am I going to do for myself? It's that I have options, I have choice, I am empowered.
So as I said, thank you. You're the reason I make this show. And I also want to say a big thanks to our producer, Chuck Reed, community liaison, also side hustle sidekick, Judd Chang, content manager, Tina Hart, who's with us for at least a couple more weeks. We're going to have some new people coming on at some point. And the official show cat, you know, still here, going to be here in 2020 as well, Libby Gillibow.
All of us at Team Side Hustle School are part of the Onward Project. That's led by past selling author Gretchen Rubin. Check out her show, "Happy Earth Gretchen Rubin," as well as "Happier in Hollywood," and the program from Melissa Urban, "Do the Thing." If you're enjoying the show, I'd be grateful for a quick little five-star rating in Apple Podcasts, only takes a moment. It does actually help people discover the show. And you can also tell your friends and tell them about 2020.
Say start listening to this program January 1, because it's going to change your life. If not, you get your money back. 100% of your money guaranteed. I often say inspiration is good, but action is better. That's because I want you to take action.
I hope you'll join me tomorrow and every day next week for more stories and actionable ideas. Consider this a short daily investment in yourself. And remember, take care of yourself during this time and all times. Our episodes go online at 601 a.m. Eastern time.
My name is Chris Guillebeau for Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
