Work at a natural pace

As Americans, we love to be in a rush.

We love the idea of getting ahead, and we want to get ahead fast!

But there is a natural pacing to any activity.

Pacing is determined by two factors:

• Your personal speed, energy levels, and commitments
• The constraints of your external environment

Personal

If you're young and and have minimal obligations, you can move fast. You'll have lots of energy, and lots of time to get things done. You can improve your skills, take networking meetings five days per week, and still have time to relax on the weekends.

If you're in your mid-30s to 50s, you have less time and energy. You move slower. You spend more time with your family. Weekends are filled with personal obligations.

There is a personal limit to how much you can actually get done in a given day, week, or month.

Don't lie to yourself about what you can realistically accomplish.

External

In addition to your personal limitations, there are external constraints.

Program managers become unresponsive, a key government admin person goes on vacation, some paperwork get screwed up, networking contacts reschedule your happy hours, etc.

In the 1099 game, there are many factors outside of your control. If you keep trying to force things to happen against their natural timeline, you're going to burn out.

So keep that in mind if you feel either overwhelmed or frustrated by the lack of progress.

It's more important to be consistent than fast.

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Read the section in Slow Productivity by Cal Newport on "Work at a Natural Pace" for good advice on this topic.

"Don’t rush your most important work. Allow it instead to unfold along a sustainable timeline, with variations in intensity, in settings conducive to brilliance."

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport

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Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.