Here’s the latest scoop on my journey: I am piecing together my ‘Corporate Drinker’ podcast, comprised of over two dozen insightful interviews. It drops on July 16th. Simultaneously, I am wrapping up the sample chapter I intend to submit to my publisher. I wanted to complete this by July 4th, but I’m behind schedule.

This workload is nothing short of intense, demanding an unprecedented level of concentration from me, which I have not mustered in the past three years. It leaves no room for extra drama, nonsense, or complaints in my mental landscape. The only ‘drama’ and ‘nonsense’ I can afford to deal with are those that help generate quality content for my work. Consequently, everything about my personal and professional life is currently geared towards affording me the solitude necessary to focus on these upcoming milestones.

HOW IS IT GOING?

Are people respecting my need for peace and solitude? Nope.

For example, just yesterday, I was approached by an individual asking me to review his product for free and brainstorm marketing strategies. My first instinct was to throw my phone into the wall, followed by a momentary urge to berate myself for letting work infiltrate my personal life. A secondary impulse was to scream THE BALLS ON THIS GUY, which I did say aloud to nobody in particular.

That’s a reasonable reaction.

But it’s up to me to establish boundaries, prioritize requests, and politely decline involvement in any discussions or events that might detract from my work. I may not always strike the right balance, but I strive to get it right. Taking a leaf from William Tincup‘s playbook, I calmly informed the gentleman that his request was essentially “work.” And I went into sales mode and said I’d be happy to assist him if he could allocate a five-figure budget for my consultation.

Predictably, he declined. Going forward, I’ll delete these dumb requests.

IS THIS ALL WORTH IT?

I am under no illusion that #CorporateDrinker is a contender for the Peabody Award. Yet, creating anything of quality requires a fierce, unwavering focus that leans towards the selfish side and may be misconstrued by those not involved in the creative process.

Sure, I occasionally indulge in distractions such as browsing Instagram or going to lunch with friends. I’m spending more time outside in the woods, finding ways to increase my serotonin levels. And there’s even time to exchange texts about the most mundane topics, like the newly launched Blue Bell Dr. Pepper ice cream (gross) or why my husband has a crush on Jennifer Lawrence (I don’t get it).

But I must choose my distractions wisely. And I have to flex. A guy from AT&T is changing my internet from cable to fiber. He’s in my office right now, talking to my husband about alternate optics and back-feeding an internet single to the CAP 5 or something like that. And I’m trying not to lose my mind.

Ken just smiled at me, though. He gets me.

Now if everybody else could fall in line, that would be amazing. I promise that I will be available for your bullshit in 2025. Well, okay, not all of you. Especially that guy who wants me to work for free.

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