SSW
I kept getting lost. I had to create a compass.
Not lost in the woods. I didn’t drive a stick into the ground and study its moving shadow to decipher north from south. I’m no Boy Scout.
I kept saying yes to the wrong projects.
I knew the kind of work I wanted to be doing, and that clarity is the first step. But knowing and doing are two different things. At some point, you can’t just talk about your thing; you have to do it. So, how do you start?
For me, it’s meant saying yes to the right projects and no to everything else.
It sounds simple, especially when I see the words here on the page. And it would be if we were all Spock-like, unencumbered by our humanity.
My partner, Eliza, is also self-employed. We’re both good at walking each other through decisions. From that slightly detached position, the way forward is often clear. But when it’s your own project, your own dilemma, things get murky. Rationality gets overridden by fears, hopes, dreams, exhaustion, hangriness, miscommunications, irrational judgments, hormones, burnout, even a sugar high.
It’s easy to give someone else advice; it’s harder to follow your own.
I can’t run to Eliza every time I need to make a decision. So, I created a compass for myself:
The 3 P’s
People, Project, Profit.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say I get a new project inquiry, something intriguing. I get a little dopamine rush. Someone reached out to me, they want my work. My fingers are halfway to typing “yes” before I’ve even finished reading the email. But that’s when I stop myself and run it through my filter.
People: Will I enjoy working with these people? Will we be a good fit? Are there collaborators? Other stoneworkers? Design professionals? Because no project, at any dollar amount, is worth it if the people aren’t a good match.
Project: What’s the project itself? Is this the kind of work I’m excited to be doing? I’ve already spent time defining the work that matters to me, so this question should be straightforward. Does it fit my criteria? If not, say no. Say it now.
Profit: Not every project needs to be a goldmine, but to do your best work it needs to be profitable. That’s how business works. That’s the only way I can keep doing the work I love. Does the budget allow for quality work?
In an ideal world, all three boxes get checked. It sounds simple, right? And it is, until your schedule has a bit too much white space that you’re anxious to fill, or a project you’re not thrilled about comes along and you tell yourself, “maybe they’ll hire me for the work I really want to do down the road.” They won’t, by the way. They never do. Clients don’t think about our hopes and dreams. That’s on us. We have to be the ones to choose the projects that align our vision for our work with our service to our clients. Anyway, all kinds of scenarios can arise to talk you into saying yes to a project when you should say no.
So there it is, my compass. Give it a try next time a project comes your way. Answer these questions honestly, and then see if you have the courage to say no when things don’t line up. Let me know how it goes.