love my job.
I can say that with confidence as a blanket statement.
But that doesn’t mean I love it every second of every day. Like any job, it has its ups and downs.
I get frustrated. I’ve woke up dreading to start the day. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say there weren’t times where I seriously considered writing Ron Johnson to ask him how much he’d pay to take my agency off my hands (he’s got a calculator if you’re curious 😅).
They say the opposite of depression isn’t happiness, it’s vitality. Energy, engagement, curiosity, interest, and connection.
And I think the same thing could be said about burn-out.
Even if things are technically going fine — you’re making a profit, staying busy, keeping clients happy — it doesn’t mean you’ll be loving your work.
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out what I don’t like doing, and have put systems, processes, and guardrails in place to try to avoid all the things that make running my agency feel like a “job”.
But over the Thanksgiving break, I took a little time to look at the other side of the coin; what are the things that get me excited to run downstairs and get to my desk in the morning?
I’ve narrowed it down to three:
- Challenges. Not the frustrating “I’m never going to figure this out” kind, but the kind of puzzle that you can’t stop thinking about solving. That sweet spot when you have some ideas, but the path isn’t perfectly clear.
- Learning. This ties nicely into the challenge, but I’m most excited when I’m gaining a new skill. I love that feeling when something just “clicks” and you feel like you’re starting to figure it out. It’s a fleeting feeling, but a really exciting one.
- Sharing. My clients don’t care about learning the latest CSS Grid tricks, so I’m really thankful for having TAB to be able to take what I’ve learned and share it with others. And there’s no better way to learn than to teach.
The longer I do this, the more I’m realizing that avoiding burnout isn’t just about working less hours. It’s about doing more of the things that get me excited about the work I do.
Limiting or eliminating the parts of the job we hate (the revisions, the fire drills, the endless emails) helps — but waking up to a calm inbox won’t get you excited.
Interest and excitement come from the things that spark you. The things that make you curious. The things that make you lose track of time. Those things are our fuel.
They’re what allow you to handle things gracefully when a client loses their mind. Or push you through a slow month. They’re what make all of this worth sticking to.
If you don’t intentionally build your business around those sparks, it has no choice but to slowly drain the will out of you.
So as we’re starting to look at the horizon of a new year, a great question to ask yourself is “What gives me energy, and how can I engineer more time spent in those areas?”
