Starting a small business is a daunting task. There is so much to do, and so much to think about. It’s overwhelming. The place to start is organization. These are five tools that I use daily to help keep me organized, focused, and on track with everything.

A business doesn’t come in the box with the camera, and neither does skill or education. It’s not something that you can simply buy and just have. You can pay for mentoring, you can pay for classes, but in the end you have to do the work, and be disciplined to learn. If your camera is going to be the one making professional images, you have to teach it everything it needs to know.

The start of the year has been a very good rocky. My passion for aviation is developing further, and I’m continuing to prepare for work in Phoenix, whenever it is that I end up down there. I admit I’ve found myself bouncing between distraction and illness. It seems this year is particularly bad for whatever it is that is making the rounds in Central Iowa. Falling more in love with aviation has introduced some new opportunities and new paths I can take in my career, and like I mentioned, it’s also been a bit distracting.

2018 was insane. It was the first year I cut a profit, I did some of my best work, traveled plenty, discovered new cities, learned some good lessons and new skills, and realized that I can do this. I also got obsessed with an airline, and checked off a bucket list item.

There’s a word you constantly hear in entrepreneurship circles: hustle. It carries the connotation of working 24/7, limiting your sleep and always being at work. In American culture, this is something that is held in high regard. To hustle means to forsake self-care, and marry yourself to your work. It means that work is your first priority. Personally, I’m a big fan of the hustle. I believe it’s necessary in entrepreneurship and creative work. But I don’t define it like our culture, and I don’t define it in accordance with the connotation it holds.

Okay, not really. But the last month has been insane. It’s been a whirlwind of new jobs, new projects, new goals, new clients, and dangit, I need a nap. I’ve consumed more eggnog chais than is healthy for a human being, and the morning crew at Bruegger’s doesn’t even ask me what I want anymore. I have managed to lose the cat’s collar and my key to the laundry room. It’s a wonder I haven’t set anything on fire.