Life Happens

I had so many plans for the summer. I was going to do this, build that, go there, and so on. But then life happens. Work happens. Things happen. And plans need to adapt.

In this case, and as it has happened so often in my life before, work and travel happened. With very few exceptions, I was on the road every week from January to September, and, frankly, I burned out.

Of course, with all this travel, family life suffered — a great topic in itself for another post — and all my side projects slowed to a crawl and were essentially put on hold. The only thing I really did was to “collect” even more stuff for my various projects. I bookmarked an infinite number of posts and articles that (hopefully) I will get to read one day, and I bought more things that (again, hopefully) I will get to use in my projects one day.

Anyway, changes are coming! I have decided to reduce travel starting immediately and am switching to a less insane (and more strIct) schedule starting in January. I’ve also decided to drive rather than fly when possible — door-to-door! — in 5 hours or less.

I find driving a lot less stressful than flying as I can control the schedule better. Given the constant delays and long and often unpredictable wait times at airports, it’s difficult to make short trips In less than 5 hours anyway. And when driving, I can stop for breaks whenever I want, get something to eat and drink, and I have a million podcasts to keep me company.

Another benefit of driving: I get to bring as much luggage as I want! Now, I don’t bring any more clothes. But I can bring stuff for my projects, and I can then work on them in the hotel. I have even created a go-bag for one of my projects — also a topic for another post — and can take at least one of my hobbies with me during work trips.

All this travel and the many hours I sat pondering life in various hotel rooms, restaurants, and bars are starting to pay dividends. I now have a much better schedule, get to spend more time with my family, get to relax and sleep more, and I feel a lot less stressed. Another bonus — I get to work on my side projects again 🤓