The Soft-Hustle
How Not To Grind Your Way To Success
Nibble. Nibble. Nibble.
On Sunday, I stayed up way too late. Even though I knew it was fruitless, I tried to stretch the weekend a little longer by staying up, reading, and pretending Monday couldn’t find me. Some folks call this the Sunday Scaries, that anxious fretting over the last hours of freedom, worrying about what Monday has in store.
Recently, an executive praised employees who skipped family time or told their kids to wait to go to the park because they had one more email to send.
My dude, this is not the grind I signed up for.
But here I am, still working the side hustle to pay down debt and build a safety net for my family.
I’m juggling work life, side-hustle life, and life life.
So, how do I do all that… without the grind?
Nibble. Nibble. Nibble.
Reflecting, I always thought I’d be a professional artist.
But life happens to you sometimes, instead of you guiding your life.
Now my art is a side-hustle, especially in the spring when pop culture conventions and shows dominate my local scene, it feels like I should be doing more to grow my business. But I am committed to a sustainable “soft-hustle”. If I burn out and crash, I will have spent a lot of energy with little to show for it.
Also, the grind is, well, a grind. The soft-hustle protects my energy and my joy. No one is going to come up with a blockbuster like “The Second Breakfast Club” while they are sobbing in the corner, despairing their lack of time spent touching grass.
It looks like tiny bites.
It’s not glamorous. There will never be a “rise and grind” video of me at 5 a.m. showing off my secret to wild productivity.
Instead, it’s small, manageable actions that don’t crush my soul or my desire to create.
It’s giving myself space to breathe and think.
Nibbling at my to-do list rather than trying to down it in one gulp
.
It’s giving myself 30 minutes each morning to draw or paint. It’s sending out requests for printing quotes one at a time during a tea break or during lunch (but never forgetting to eat a good lunch or go for a walk). It’s letting my day get interrupted by cat snuggle demands or conversations with the Nerd-children. It’s setting up my online store, one or two products at a time.
It’s also knowing that life can be big and small at the same time. You can protect your joy and still make progress. You aren’t racing anyone - just your own expectations.
I’m not saying it’s easy.
There are days when the voice urging me to compare myself to artists running full speed ahead is loud.
But then I remember: I’m in this for the long game.
The cozy, snail-paced, cat-interrupted, joy-protecting, soft-hustle kind of long game.
~Kathleen
Possessed by Goats (and snails)
p.s. Online store is soft-launching soon. Stay tuned.