To the UnBound Reader,
Many of us return from a trip, drop our gear on the floor of our now dusty rooms, and head for a quick shower hoping to feel whole again. While the hot water feels great, processing a trip doesn’t happen that fast. But, clean is always a better feeling than being dirty. Yet, the “to do list” when arriving home is lengthy:
unpack
laundry
import images to your drive & back them up
maybe start editing a few
let your friends know you are home
flip through the pages of your journal
prepare for the upcoming work in your near future
I know I am forgetting some, but the length already give me anxiety so there is no reason to make it longer. Did you notice where that list left off?
Paddling towards a gigantic iceberg arch in Antarctica. Thank you for reading, please consider connecting on IG @storiesbydalton
“Preparing for the upcoming work…”
Well, if your career is as unstable as mine, preparing for uncertainty is hard. Not in a play a sad song on the violin kinda thing, but more of an analysis by paralysis kinda thing.
The freelance life of a photographer, filmmaker, and/or writer ebbs and flows upon so many factors it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the sea of things to do. However, for the last year, I’ve been trying to refine my systems and I’ve finally landed on one that works.
Exploring the foothills of the Pacific North West during blueberry season, only to be met with a thick layer of fog. Thank you for reading and consider connecting on IG @storiesbydalton
I call it, “The 100, 100, 100.” You’ll see, I’m very original as I explain a bit deeper. After a little bit of reflection, my career was stalled by three bottlenecks; posting, editing, & networking. So, I started blocking off three 100 minute blocks of time to make my days at home look like:
4:30 - 5:00am: wake up
5:00 - 5:30am: stretch and take care of dog
5:30 - 6:00am: journal
6:20 - 8:00am: writing & scheduling posts (block 1)
8:30 - 10:10am: editing projects (block 2)
10:40 - 12:20pm: networking (block 3)
12:30 and onward: all other things life throws my way
At first glance, this looks like a terrible schedule, but it has given me enough structure to get ahead, make great connections, and turn an unstable career into something a bit more predictable. With that said, I’m still digging my way out of a sinkhole of unshared projects. As in 18 projects, from this year alone, that have not seen the light of day, so wish me luck, right?
Anyways, please, steal this for yourself and/or hit me with some ideas on how this system can be improved.
Keep Exploring,
The Small Things That Help
Thank you for taking the time to read UnBound. I hope the images and stories have scratched your mid-week wanderlust itch. If they have, would you please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend?
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