We all have moments where things beyond our control and completely disrupt our lives, but the world does not stop for us, so we much hit the reboot button and move on.

This week did not go as planned at all

I was sitting on the sofa, drinking my coffee and tapping away at the MacBook on my lap, writing the first email to what will eventually be a group of paid members to this list (more on that in the recap), and in mid-keystroke, the screen on the laptop went blank.

There was no warning and no amount of troubleshooting that would make the screen come back to life. I took it to a local shop that I trust and the trust and the tech said he could feel the computer was running, but the screen wouldn’t come back to life.

This is unfortunate, but I wasn’t too upset because I have an iPad that I can work on while I wait for their diagnosis on the problem. Except that working on an iPad is not the same as working on a laptop.

Most of my work is via web browser, so the process shouldn’t be too different, but something I didn’t anticipate is that there’s a mindset that comes with working on the laptop that feels more like work than when I use the iPad.

For nearly two days, I couldn’t get my head around the idea that the iPad is for making digital art or browsing social media. Now it’s Thursday, February 29th and this email was supposed to go out already.

I lost track of time. I managed some essential priorities, but lots of things got skipped over. Thankfully, my calendar alerts were the wake-up call I needed.

I’m certain I’ll hear from the tech shop today or tomorrow and I’ve resigned myself to the idea of needing to buy a new computer. That’s not always fun either because as much as like shiny new gear, getting a new computer up and running takes time.

That is time I don’t have to screw around because next week is crucial. The next two weekends will be filled to the brim with sporting events for our kid and I will have to get a LOT of work finished for both this space and The Hungry by Friday. Hopefully I’m wrong about needing a new computer and the machine is reparable with minimal cost.

Regardless of the tech scenarios going forward, the short story is that I cannot let these hiccups get in the way of productivity. Having a couple of down days here and there are fine, and the world does not stop in my absence, but this machine doesn’t work unless I’m shoveling coal into its gaping maw.

The Recap

All the stories you may have missed since the last time we did this.

• The work can wait (Work/life balance)

• I know I said no social media, but… (Strategy)

• It’s decision time (Planning)

• Can you run a creative business with just a newsletter? (Strategy/Money)

• The most important decision is the one you act on (Planning)

• Can I drop a bomb in your inbox every week? (Strategy)

The Breakdown

I shared this graph last time, and in the future, I’ll only share it at the start of each new month.

Now that most of you have seen two of these updates, would you like them weekly, or do you prefer them twice monthly as they are now?

That will do it for this one. I can guarantee the next one will be even more robust. Until then, have a great weekend.

Cheers,

Dave