Balance and Chaos

Business Brain, episode 554 for Casual Friday, May 31, National Savior Hearing Day 2024. Greetings, folks, and welcome to Business brain, the show where we take a few ideas or one idea and we run through it, we discuss it, we dissect it, we use it to tune our business brains every single time we get together. Our sponsor for this episode is@fast mail.com businessbrain that's where you can go to get 10% off your first year and 30 days for free. It's my favorite email service. I've been using it for like five years or maybe more. We'll talk more about that in a little bit. For now, here in Durham, New Hampshire, I'm Dave Hamilton.

In Lafayette, California, I'm Shannon Jean. How are you doing, man? Happy, happy Friday.

Happy, happy Friday. Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah. Here we are.

It's end of the month, almost June.

That's right, it'll be June within less than 24 hours after marching.

Marching forward.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

That's great. Great.

It's, it's national save your hearing day, folks. So I will offer one piece of advice to you, the person listening, just you right there, not anybody else. You grab the volume knob, turn it down a little bit. We get, we all. I do this all the time. I've started doing this all the time. I just finished a weekend where I was playing like, I played like eight shows in a five day period or something and every time I went and sat down and put my ears in, I would take the master volume and turn it down a little bit because I might grab it during the performance in a moment where I need to hear something a little louder. And you turn it up and you get that volume. Creepy. Always just kind of reset, turn down.

Good idea. Yeah. Yep, that's a good idea.

Speaking of. Yes, I just did. Well, say what you were going to say.

I wish my 25 year old self had gotten that advice.

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I do two other podcasts on a regular basis. I do macgeek gab for like Q and A for Apple users and then I do Giggab for working musicians. And last week I did an episode of Giggab that I guess actually this week it's out this week. I'm trying to remember what week we're in here because I record things in advance. This week, the episode of Gig Gab is just me for years. It's just as old as this show. Literally started on the. Launched the first episode on the same day.

That's awesome.

Yep. Nine plus years. And for the first almost, you know, eight and a half years, whatever it is. I. I had a co host. I. We talked about it on the show. He left because of scheduling reasons. He comes back occasionally, and the first episode I did after he left, I did alone. I was very nervous going into that.

It's a different experience without a co host.

I agree, very much. So I had to. I mean, I planned an agenda, which I do anyway, but I had to pace, like, okay, well, I'm going to be the one talking all the way through, so can I, like, maybe play an audio clip of a microphone that I'm testing or, you know, something to. To break it up a little bit? Yeah. And. And then since then, I've had a slew of guests. I have sort of a. A group of people that are on regularly, and then I have some, you know, one off guests here and there. And it had been, you know, almost six months since I had done a solo episode, and there was a lot I wanted to debrief on, but from things that we'd learned from our various guests over the previous six months. And so I did. I did this solo episode. And as I was going into it and planning it, I thought, you know, I'm gonna take a slightly different approach if I can, and break from the speaking generically, even though I'm thinking of an avatar every time, to actually just talking to my one listener that's listening. Now, I know there's more than one person who downloads the show and listens, but for you, the listener, the experience is it's you. That's it. There's no other people. I mean, if you're listening with somebody else in the car, then there's two of you. Hi. But otherwise, it's just you. And so having the conversation that way really allowed me to focus the episode in a different way and get the feedback that I wanted to get, which is like, hey, I've been doing this thing, talking to all these other people for six months, nine years, if you want to count it that way. I want to take a detour from that for one episode and talk to you and share with you my favorite things that I've learned from these last months. And not just rehashing it, but digesting it, reinterpreting it. Like, hey, we had this conversation. I talked with this person about how to do this thing with sound. Here's how I learned that. You know, here's what I. Here's my takeaway from that. Like, those kind of debriefs. And so I did little, you know, maybe six or eight of those and. And then reviewed some gear. But it was really geared towards you, one person. And as opposed to talking to a guest or co host or whatever, which is what you and I normally do, very different experience. And the feedback that I've gotten has been really interesting and valuable.

Yeah.

Because. Well, because I asked people, I said, hey, what do. What. What do you. What did you like about the show for the last six months? What other kinds of guests would you like to see? Which conversations weren't that interesting to you? Let me know. And it's been helpful because I know that's great. I know that even a show with guests, people don't subscribe because of one guest or even multiple guests. They subscribe because of the host.

Yeah. And I think that concept of really talking to one person is. I'm glad you remind me of that because, you know, I want to be like the average listener. You know what I mean? I'm driving somewhere and I'm listening to a business podcast or I'm listening to a story podcast, whatever it is, that's the person I want to talk to. I had this vision in my head when we started Business Brain about somebody up late at night, struggling, trying to think about how do I start a business or how do I even start a side hustle? I need extra money for X and get going. And that is the person I want to talk to and give advice to, because I was that person.

Yes.

And I know some people say we should talk to yourself five years ago or whatever, you know, kind of thing.

Easier said than done.

Yeah, I. I have a hard time with that, too. Excuse me. But I like this concept, and it would be interesting. And if you could get that feedback, like, was it different for your listeners? Did they sense a different tone or a deeper connection with you? Or, you know, because, you know, sometimes I do this show and I love it. I'm like, man, that was awesome. And it was super powerful, and I learned so much. And other times I think. I don't think that was that good, you know, I mean, just to be honest.

Yeah.

And.

Yes.

And I was like, well, it was just. All right. And then someone will come back and like, oh, man, that one thing you shared was so great. And I was like, really? Well, that's why I do it, just so we can talk. And it helps me. I always say I learned the most.

Right.

It helps me flush out ideas and concepts, and then I learn a ton from, know, Dave talking to him and ton from our guests when we have them. But it's interesting. I, I would love to learn more about what people get out of, you know, what we put out there.

Yeah, let us know.

Yeah. Feedback Businessbrain show, please.

Yes, let us know. What, yeah, what do you like? What don't you like? What would you like to see more of? Less of th. Those things are super valuable because we, we, we do create this show for us and we realize that we attract people that are interested in the same things or similar things to us. That makes perfect sense. That's sort of podcasting in a nutshell, but we can tweak it. You know, our interests are varied and we, we're a family here. We want to make sure everybody's getting something out of this. So. Yeah. Feedback at BusinessBrain show. All right, folks. You know what's just as important as having a great business idea? Having a reliable email provider that keeps your work and personal life running smoothly. I've been using our sponsor, Fast Mail for over five years now. And let me tell you, it's like having a superpower in my inbox. Fast Mail is an independent employee owned email provider that's been rocking the email world for over 20 years. No ads, no creepy data sharing, just a clean preference premium inbox experience with features that save you time. And for as little as $5 a month, you can get in on this magic need to manage your business and personal emails separately. Great. Fast Mail's got you covered with their multi user plans. Their duo plan is perfect for you and a partner and a family plan can handle up to six people. Plus their business plan offers powerful admin controls for your whole company. Fast Mail helps you organize your inbox with features like scheduled send snooze and custom swipes. And with their 247 human support team, you're never alone in the email jungle. So if you're ready to upgrade your email game, check out Fast Mail. Because a charmed life starts with a charming inbox. Make email better for you with Fast Mail. Try Fast mail free for 30 days and then get 10% off your first year@fastmail.com BusinessBrain Again, fast mail for free for 30 days. 10% off your first year@Fastmail.com BusinessBrain and our thanks to Fast Mail for sponsoring this episode. So, Shannon, I mentioned that in the last episode that I had just done, like or maybe earlier in this episode. I don't know, I can't remember. I get so confused.

Last week or last Wednesday?

Yeah, on Wednesday, But I just finished doing, like, eight shows in a row. I'm a drummer. When I say shows, I was playing drums, and it was crazy. You know, we had eight shows between Wednesday, Wednesday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. And then. And then on Monday, I had nothing, which was nice, like, and much needed. And as we were kind of. As I was getting ready to do this show, I always sit and think about. I use this show and others to sort of reflect on my previous week and, like, are there any things that might be good topics? And I started thinking, well, you know, I seem to be either it's all or nothing with my schedule. I'm either overloaded or underloaded. Right. And what is middle ground? I started asking myself. And. And I started thinking. And then I started thinking, well, do I want that, though? Like, I know it's not what I create for myself, that's for sure. Right. It's either I'm either totally packed and overloaded, or I have too much time and, you know, and it's hot or cold. And I started thinking, well, maybe that's best, though, because if I had the same sort of consistent load on my schedule all the time, I. I think I might get bored, you know, So I. This is where this idea of. I called it balancing chaos. You called it balance and chaos, which I like better.

Yeah. This is where when you mentioned that, I made the comment, you know, when I'm in the midst of one, I yearn for the other.

Yes, right.

And so that may be a natural correction in the sense that, you know, like many people, I enjoy the routine, but when I get too much of the routine, I get in a rut. And if you haven't listened to the show before, I always say a rut is just a grave with two ends kicked out of it, and so you need to change things up. And so then I like to turn on the chaos nozzle and take on something new or experiment or, you know, take a risk or do something that I'm not sure about. It makes me nervous, might embarrass me and just think, you could do if you never got embarrassed. That's another topic.

But anyway, that whole dance, like, nobody's watching, man.

God, it's so true.

Yep.

Yeah. So, yeah, I like both as well. I had a crazy weekend, same time. Had a grad party for my son.

Oh, yeah.

A couple other events and everything. And I finally, at the end of the day yesterday, sat down on the back deck to watch the Giants game with my wife, and I sat there and I opened a beer and I turned to her and I said, you know, this is what I wanted to do all weekend, but it wasn't like I didn't have a good time doing those other things. And they weren't super. They were awesome. But I often find myself when I'm in the midst of those kinds of things, going, God, I just can't wait till. Even though I'm having a great time, it'll be so nice when this is done. And you know, when you have, when you entertain at your house, it's chaos.

Yes.

People are there late and are, you know, the whole kitchen was destroyed. I was up all. I smoked a brisket. You know, Friday night, I was up all night tweaking, doing this, doing that. And I love that and that. I look forward to it. But man, the idea of getting to the other side of it.

Yes.

Was. Was great too. So maybe that's a reflection of this, you know, this cliche. Oh, it's all about the journey. Right?

Right.

It's the right. It's being in it. Because I could tell you, yeah.

Like when I was doing the shows that when I was. As I was playing each show, I loved it. I mean, you know, it wasn't like, oh, man, I can't wait till this is over.

Yeah.

It was more different, like the morning of it. And it's like, oh, I got two shows today.

Yes. Okay.

All right.

The thinking about it and the.

And then. Yeah, yeah. And then you get in it and it's like, all right, I'm here, I'm doing the thing. And then. Yes. When I do get to the other side, it's like, oh, this is nice, you know, but. But if I had nothing all day, I'd be bored. I'd be bored and, like, antsy about that too. So I don't actually want only the alternative and that. And then that's what got me to thinking about balance. And it was like, do I. But do I. What version of balance do I want? Maybe that's the question. Because there's a version that. That just becomes. It's the same every day.

Sucks.

Like, even as I say it out loud. Yeah, you Crystal.

I despise it. And I will tell you this from the perspective of a 58 year old. You know, I got to the other side of the grind, I like to call it.

Sure.

About. About 10 years ago in my. My mid to late 40s. And I, you know, retirement really should be defined in my opinion. On now you're free to do what you really want. Not stop now you can really hang it out there and really experiment and really take more risks. And that, I think is. Is analogous to this concept that you're, you know, this thesis, if you will, that you're kind of teasing out that you can easily get stuck in this too much balance, you know, and, you know, not too much and not. I'm going to get excited because I'm going to pick out what breakfast I'm having. That's not good.

Not for me. Not either. If that's the definition of retirement, then I've never worked.

Yeah, that's right. I feel the same way. But I do feel like you've accumulated more resources. Yes. To. To kind of throw the rope out a little further, if you will.

And today.

But yeah, so you could do that thing. And, and it. It is a. You know, it's balance and chaos. And the, the chaos is often the exciting part that makes you value that.

Balance, gives you interesting stories, that's for sure.

It certainly gives you. No one wants to sit here and talk about. And then, you know, for eight hours I sat on the deck.

Right, right.

Did nothing. I read a book. So great. And that is great. I love doing that.

Yeah. But that. Nobody. That's not. There's not a story there.

But there's no story there. No, no, it's. It's. Oh, yeah. And then I had to do this, and then we had to go visit this place, and I learned all about buying suits, which is another scam. And then I learned this, and I did that because I don't ever want to. I. I made a lot of comments because I was buying a suit for my daughter's wedding coming up in a few months. And during that process, I kept thinking, I am so fortunate that I have not had to wear clothes like this my Most of my, quote, adult life that, you know, I'm. I can, you know, 90% of the time wear shorts and a T shirt, which I happen to be wearing right now. And so, you know, that, that, That's. That's a story in itself. But I mean. Yeah, so I. I believe you got to sprinkle the chaos, bust things open every once in a while. And. And if you're feeling in a rut, I do. Like, I had a guy message me today that he wants some help and wants to schedule a call because he's stuck. And there's a lot of ways to get unstuck, and sometimes it's little tiny things. And I always recommend people switch sides of the bed that they sleep on to start. Right. Because it seems so easy. But when's the last time it changes everything. Yeah. When's the last time you switched with your spouse or just yourself change just to get up on the other side of the bed and have that different perspective starting in the morning.

Yeah.

And people.

I do it every time I'm in a hotel. My wife is not interested. She does not subscribe to the idea of switching sides of the bed.

Most people don't.

I try often, but it doesn't work. But. So when I'm in a hotel, I sleep often. Not always, but, you know, on. On the side that I don't. I wake up on the other side of the bed and it, it. I don't know. It's good to change your brain up a little bit.

It's just something. Yeah. Little things. It's little things. Because those little things trigger the bigger things.

Correct.

To get you maybe to embrace some more of that chaos that is.

Yeah. It. The trigger for me is that it reminds me that no habit is. Is best left untested.

Oh, I like that. Yeah.

Yeah.

No habit. It's best love. That's good.

You know, I mean, you might test it and realize, nope, there's a reason I do things that way and I'm going to continue. Okay. Or I'm going to resume. But changing it up is the only way, you know for sure that the way you're doing it is the best. The. The idea, and I know we've said this on the show, but the whole idea of we do it that way because we've always done it that way, huge red flag. Right? Gotta go.

I'm out.

I'm out. Yep. I'm out.

When you, when people start talking like that, that's. Yeah. It's not bad news. Yeah, it's bad news. But. Yeah. So, I mean, how do you balance chaos and the balance of your routine in your life? And how can you share it with us so we can share it with our listeners? FeedbackUsBrain show or DM us up on the X platform at BizBrain Show.

Feedback at BusinessBrain show at Biz Biz Brain show on X. And you can find us on all the other platforms too, of course. Thanks for hanging out with us again this week, folks. Tell a friend about the show, please, and keep living that charmed life. We'll see you next week.