Most of my stress last week came from one thing: working at the wrong pace.
Have you noticed that feeling too? Pushing forward, but not sure why?
When this happens, I’ve learned to stop asking what I need to do next.
The better question is: What pace am I working at right now, and who chose it?
Most solopreneurs never consciously choose a pace. We inherit one, often from client expectations or inboxes that never empty. Other cues also come from algorithms that reward constant presence, or from past versions of ourselves that were sprinting for a reason that no longer applies.
When the pace is unchosen, the cost shows up in quiet ways. There’s fatigue without drama, or progress without momentum. Your work feels real, but never quite cumulative.
Over time, I’ve found it helpful to think of solo work as operating at three distinct paces. Not as a system or a rule, just as a way to name what is already happening.
🔵 Sprint
Sprint mode is short, intense, and outcome-driven. It is useful when there is a clear finish line. A launch. A deadline. It’s a focused push with a purpose and an end.
Sprint becomes a problem only when it stops being temporary. Living here makes everything feel urgent, even when it is not.
🔵 Cruise
Cruise is steady and repeatable. It’s the pace of weekly rhythms, ongoing client work, and the kind of progress that does not demand constant adrenaline.
Many solopreneurs think they are cruising when they are actually sprinting in disguise. The difference shows up in how tired you feel at the end of a normal week.
🔵 Idle
Idle is the quiet pace. It is reflection, noticing patterns, revisiting notes, and letting ideas connect without pressure to produce something new.
This pace is often misunderstood as unproductive. In reality, it’s where experience turns into insight. When idle disappears, nothing compounds. You end up relearning the same lessons again and again.
The real strain comes from misalignment. Sprinting when you believe you are cruising. Cruising when a short sprint would actually help. Skipping idle entirely, then wondering why clarity never seems to stick.
It’s not that one pace is better than another. Each has a job. The exhaustion comes from working at a pace you did not choose.
Your pace self-check
Here is a simple check that takes about five minutes, and it often tells you more than a to-do list ever will.
Ask yourself:
- What pace am I actually operating in right now?
- What pace does this phase of my work truly call for?
- What is one small adjustment that would bring those two closer together?
The adjustment does not have to be dramatic. It might mean turning a vague priority into a seven-day sprint. Or letting something drop into cruise instead of treating it like an emergency. Or setting aside 30 quiet minutes to review what you already know instead of pushing for one more output.
Progress does not come from pushing harder by default. It comes from choosing a pace that lets your work accumulate, rather than evaporate.
While revisiting past newsletter issues recently, I rediscovered some links and ideas that deserve more daylight. Here are three that are still especially fun to explore.
🔎 AI makes domain hunting easier
If you’ve ever gone down a late-night domain-search rabbit hole, this will feel like a small relief. The AI chat interface at DotComBuddy suggests available domain names quickly, including both inexpensive options and premium picks. It’s especially handy when an idea shows up before you’re ready to commit, but you want to see what kind of online home might be possible.
🧠 Psychology, clearly applied
This post by Kristen McCormick offers a clear, practical look at how psychological effects show up in effective copy. She outlines nine core effects, then shows more than two dozen concrete ways they can be used in real-world writing. It’s the kind of piece that’s easy to skim once, then return to later when you’re shaping a message or trying to understand why certain words land better than others. Bookmark-worthy in the best sense.
🌲 A quiet companion for idle moments
Tree.fm plays field recordings captured in forests around the world. No playlists to manage, no timers to set. Just the sound of wind, birds, leaves, and space. It’s especially good for moments when you want to think without producing, or let ideas settle without filling the silence. Put it on quietly and transport yourself to forests around the world.
Until next week: Stay small. Play big.
Terri
P.S. When you’re ready for more, here are a few resources from the Solo Business School:
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Authority By Design is a registered trademark, and Content Velocity and Working Solo are trademarks, of Make International LLC. Issue #097.
