New Monthly Rant Series: I figured it would be insightful to share some of what bothers me about trying to run a side business. It’s not all successes and happy faces. It truly is a roller coaster ride and I think sharing that with my readers is going to cathartic. It seems every month I hit a point where I say “Do i want to do this anymore?” Thankfully I am pretty good at over coming those feelings. Lucky or unlucky for you I’ve decided to write about what I’m tired of or think is just plain stupid when it comes to real estate investing.
Here goes round #1…
I listen to a lot of podcasts on my morning commutes to work. Those podcasts are essential to taking my mind off of where I’m going…To Work. It basically keeps me from whipping the steering wheel to the left and driving into a guard rail.
Last Tuesday it was particularly cold and I had just dropped my son off at day car. He was kicking and screaming and yelling…D A D D Y…D A D D Y… as the teachers carried him into the class room. Needless to say I was not in my happy place.
Rant Starts Here…
Many times the topic of conversation being discussed on a podcast is about ways to be more productive. Let me briefly list the usual suggestions that you hear…
Go to bed early
Stay up late
Wake up early
Create a to do list for what you are going to do tomorrow before you go to sleep
Exercise
Eat healthy
Setup time slots to do certain things
Only check your email once a day
Read more books
Meditate
Great! I completely agree that these things will certainly help you become more productive. But here is what frustrates me to no end…
ALL THESE THINGS TAKE TIME TO DO!!
All my side hustle business stuff is done late at night after my son goes to bed and I clean up from the day. 9 to 11 pm is my prime work hours. So here is the problem with all those suggestions above…
Go to Bed Early – the idea is that if you go to bed early you wake up refreshed and your mind is more active and you get more done. Fantastic Idea…I just cut my work time in HALF down to 1 hour per night! How am I getting more work done??
Stay up Late – This is from the crowd that says “If you are dedicated enough you’ll commit the hours”. Only issue is that I have to wake up at 5:45am to get to work the next day. I am a ZOMBIE if I get only 4/5 hours a sleep a night. And it affects me for days. I envy people who can function on little to no sleep…actually I hate you!
Wake Up Early – Sorry I already do that (5:45am)…I haven’t seen the sun since early November. It’s dark when I get to work and dark when I drive home.
Plan your next day before you go to bed – Who the HECK has time to do that? Its always productive to take time away from being productive to plan on being productive.
Exercise – I would really really love to do this more. Only problem is that by the time I finish exercising and shower it’s 10:30pm and I need to get to bed so I can get up before the sun and go to work. I don’t get anything done when I have to do this 3 times a week. HOW DOES ANYONE??
Eat Healthier – This is a full time job in itself to do. You have to plan out every meal, go to special food stores. Only stock a few days worth of food because the good stuff goes bad quickly. Plus I HATE 99% of healthy foods…I’m about as picky as they come. The idea of eating healthy I love, the execution of it frustrates me to no end.
I could go on but I think I’m going to stop because my leg is starting to bounce up and down and I’m getting so worked up my heart is about to jump out of my chest. It’s 10:50pm on Friday night right now and I want to be able to get to sleep in the next 30 minutes.
Time to Bring it Back Down…
I hope I didn’t sound like a lunatic or an excuse maker. It’s just sometimes the constraints of my situation (family, work, etc…) cause me to get frustrated that I can’t do more. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and wouldn’t change a thing. I just have to be patient and realize what I’m working towards (2 hours a night) will be realized I’m sure.
I do think it’s great to verbalize your frustrations every now and again. It’s sort of like a cleansing of the soul and helps me refocus.
Do You Have any Real Estate Investing Issues to Rant About?
Feel free to rant yourself in the comments below or call me out for something. Many friendships are started over a good rant. My wife picks up new friends all the time this way. So share and make friends!
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Comments 5
I was just going through a similar discussion with my wife last night. “You need to take care of Asher (2 months old) more at night so that I can go work on real estate stuff.” That idea wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms since she is still on maternity leave and takes care of him all day. This post had perfect timing for me, Scott. Thanks again for writing.
Author
They always say the best practice in our situation is to be clear and setup a game plan with your significant other on WHEN you will be working on real estate stuff. Like from 9 to 11pm monday, wednesday and friday. That sounds great in theory but with a young child, a wife who has to study for random tests it just isn’t feasible. My free time is very random and I have to hit the ground running when I get the chance….I’ve got to go, some free time just opened up to work on REI…the wife just said she is taking my son to the store.
Scott,
You hit the nail on the head with this one! I think we would all be more productive in life if we stopped over-thinking everything. I do what I can when I can and writing simple daily goals on paper is the only way for me personally. I’m sure most people have the same problem I have and if you think of everything you need to do for the rest of your life daily you will go nuts! Live one day at a time and think about what you can realistically accomplish the next day alone. Rinse and Repeat!
Scott, I have a big whiteboard in my office where I write down all my task for the next day. This is one of the best ways to stay consistent and productive.
Great Job Scott
Author
If I was in my office more consistently that would work for me for sure. I’m just doing work in random spots. I’ve tried using evernote and other to-do-list apps on my phone but I’m not good at keeping up with those things. What works best for me is when I’m taking my morning shower before work to think of 3 things I need to do and when I’ll have time to do them.
That’s what has worked best for me