What to NOT Labor On - a short newsletter for happier days (and fall travel ideas)
Yes, it's Labor Day in the USA, so let's take a sec and decide what is NOT worth laboring on today or any day. This is how I stay chill and productive at the same time.
I get to do pretty cool work for my job, and I’m really thankful that I love it. Getting to do the things I went to school for AND incorporate my family into it is pretty much the dream I never knew I had. Being my own boss has its struggles too though. It’s this weird balance of wanting to be financially successful and also remembering that I am my own boss with the power to control how much I work vs spend time with the fam.
It’s Labor Day here in the USA, so I wanted to share what I do that makes it so I get a lot accomplished when I am “laboring” and how I don’t take on burdens that don’t serve me or my family. I know that not everything that applies to me and my business applies to everyone else, but also I feel like anyone can hear what I have to say and apply what they need… with a grain of salt.
And thank you for inviting me to your inbox. I appreciate you reading what I want to share and supporting 2TravelDads. :)
Not Wasting Time Anymore
I’ll be the first to say that here in the USA we work a ridiculous amount and that hustle culture is out of control. I’ve been out of the corporate workforce for nine years and still have days where that mindset takes over me: “MUST WORK FULL DAY. MUST CHECK WORK STUFF ON DAYS OFF…” No, that’s not okay and I daily make a conscious effort to break that mental obligation. It’s tough to get away from. But even as I continue to struggle with it, there are things I do to offset that compulsion to work.
The biggest thing that’s helped me maintain some semblance of not over-working is to be intentional about the work I choose to do. Yes, there are the things I must do, like balance my books and complete work I’ve already said that I would do, but cutting out the time-wasting tasks has been huge for me. What does that mean though? For me it means NOT responding to every single email, it means not saying yes to doing work that doesn’t support my goals or values, and it means not giving up my time for things just are time-sucks that don’t bring me joy.
Things WE ALL Can Give Up to Get Back Time
So, being a blogger and developing content for clients is totally a unique job that you might thing totally doesn’t apply to you, either in work life or home life, but here are the things that WE ALL can give up, both within work and home, that will genuinely give us back time and feel like we have a good balance in life.
Back off Social Media - Did you know that unless your contracted work is to produce and publish social media, it gives back to you minimally? Scrolling Instagram just takes up time; creating detailed stories about X, Y or Z does nothing for you if you’re just putting it out there in hopes of somebody engaging with it; digging in to see what OTHER people are doing better than you is not helpful.
Stay in your own lane - We all have some ingrained need to either get into or judge other people’s business in one way or another. For me it was seeing what other people in my line of work do, and then discovering who was doing things like buying likes and manipulating social media numbers and stuff. While it made me feel better knowing that my numbers and engagement are REAL vs totally fake, it still was bringing me down to think about those people who are manipulating things getting opportunities and jobs instead of me because of their deception. So to gain back a ton of my time and confidence, I simply unfollow them. I’ve done this for both following work people on social media and real life people that I know better than to take their perfect life at face value. I stay in my own lane and it’s literally changed how I feel about myself and the amount of time I spend on my phone.
Say NO to Stuff - I’m in control of my life, not somebody else. That applies to my time being used for things I don’t enjoy or see value in; it applies to my skills being kidnapped by others for their work; and it applies to my headspace being taken up with tasks and requests that don’t better my family or friends’ lives. I’ve had to get good at saying no, to activities with others and to work stuff, big and small, that doesn’t bring me fulfillment. And fulfillment is different than joy. Walking on the beach brings me joy and I make time for that, but it fulfills nothing work/life balance wise, but the joy it brings me I’ll always make time for and that time never feels lost.
Know when things aren’t a good fit - Part of saying no to things is just accepting that not all things are a good fit. I’ve wasted more energy in the past, both with work and with real-life people, trying to make things fit into my world. If you feel like you “should” do something because somebody else tells you you should or you feel obligated, that is the first sign that something probably isn’t a good fit for you. What this looks like for me is when I am asked to do a work project, paid or not, and I have to think whether or not I can make the messaging or the product or whatever work well with my writing or what my family enjoys. I can tell within a few words of being asked to do something whether or not it’ll be something that deserves my time and energy.
I think that’s all the life advice I have for now. It took me a long time to be okay with saying no or not worrying about how others operate, and I’m still working on it. I can say with confidence though, my life feels like mine and it feels good knowing that the things I pour my care and effort into are things that support the balance I’m looking for.
Fall Travel Ideas: 3 Road Trips and a Beach
Of course I have to talk about some travel stuff, cuz that’s what I do and it’s what I get excited about. With that, I have some great fall road trip ideas and a beach trip that can be both totally affordable AND a good dose of sunshine amidst the impending cold weather.
Road trip 1: Fall Colors in the North East
The northeastern USA and Maritimes of Canada are getting ready to turn yellow and orange, which means a fall colors road trip is an order!!! There are a few ways to approach getting your leaf-peeping in, but a road trip is my favorite because you’ll be able to enjoy the colors and the culture as you roll from town to town.
Our Maine summer road trip plan is also perfect for the fall! Going from Portland to the Highlands, Acadia National Park and down the coast gives a diverse view of the state AND you’ll get tons of color and even a few covered bridges. And of course you can stop at about ten lighthouses along the way!
Another great road trip is around Nova Scotia. You can fly into Halifax and hit up the Lighthouse Route or head to the Bay of Fundy, and all along the way the colors are awesome. They hit peak fall color in the first two weeks of October, so you’ve got a month to plan it!
Road Trip 2: California Central Coast
I do miss living on the west coast because we used to do so many trips through California and I always have loved them. Some of our favorite spots to visit include the Santa Maria Valley and Guadalupe, and then continuing along El Camino Real to visit different California missions, and then of course, visiting Pinnacles National Park.
You can do a fall road trip through the Central Coast or down the 101 and hit up wineries and small towns all the way from San Francisco to LA. End it in San Diego and you’ll have an awesome, 9 day road trip down the California Coast!
Road Trip 3: Utah National Parks Loop
We’ve gotten to do the Utah National Parks road trip a few times and love it! If you plan it for autumn, you’ll get there when the temps are dropping and the crowds are minimal. Flying into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, you can approach it a few different ways.
If you’re not familiar, you’ll get to visit the following on this route: Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, Cedar Breaks NM, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP and Capitol Reef NP. We’ve spent more time in Zion National Park than any of the others, but each one really is fun to explore. I think the most incredible, jaw-dropping views are in Canyonlands, so if there’s one to set as you primary destination, make it that one!
Fall Beach Vacation: Jax and St Augustine!
Of course we recommend coming to North Florida in the fall! Yes, it’s still hurricane season, but you can always adjust plans if there’s a named storm on the horizon. You can fly into JAX from anywhere on the east coast, and then there are direct flights into Orlando (MCO) from EVERYWHERE in the USA and most Canadian airports. If you fly into Orlando, visit Universal for a day and then come to the beach!
We live in St Augustine Beach, so that’s our favorite (and we have the cutest pink hotel in our neighborhood!), but Daytona, Flagler Beach, StA and Jax Beach are all great. We have amazing sand and NO flesh eating bacteria (which is apparently a problem a few places over on the Gulf side). We have history and great food and lots of sunshine. Come visit!
I hope everyone has a great start to September and is ready to launch into fall with fun and happiness in mind. There won’t be a newsletter next week since I’ll be traveling to Mobile and Gulf Shores, Alabama, but soon after you’ll hear all about that! In October, Elliott and I will be exploring Glacier Country, Montana and then November brings our family sailing with UnCruise around the Hawaiian Islands. So much fun ahead!
Have a great day, and thank you for your support! I love getting to share with you all :)