Nerd from the Hood #1

I'd like this blog series to share what I'm learning as I become a more successful MC, transitioning from a non-profit technology manager.

What I've Learned About Categories:
This is inspired by the "Intangible Wealth blog" over here. This "Nerd from the Hood" episode is a recession sensitive edition!

When things are categorized, it's easy to tell when you've done enough of one type of thing, and haven't done enough of another. For example, if you're trying to make money and you just read a book about selling albums, and a book about selling real estate, and you're getting ready to read a book about selling something else... you're not making money. Having a daily or weekly goals list (that includes categories) would let you know you've got 3 "learning" goals done, but 0 "earning" goals. Without categories, you might just think of these 3 books as 3 very different things (which they aren't LOL)!

Having a category for every little thing is a waste of time. However, not separating things into categories will eventually drain your time as well. The trick is just to use a small number of categories on your goals list. I suggest less than a dozen.

As you can see in the example above, it's important to separate Learning from Earning, Exercising, etc. In my first year of being a "full-time MC", I naively confused "Learning" time with "Earning" more times than I want to admit. What I learned to do is ask myself if talking/visiting/reading/doing [your activity here] is going to make me money Right Now. If I'm teaching a Hip-Hop Workshop, that's EARNING. If I'm performing at a school, park, library, cafe, etc., that's EARNING. But if I'm reading about how to write songs, sell albums, perform, or even if I'm negotiating a POSSIBLE gig, that's NOT EARNING... That's LEARNING.

You can name them whatever you want, as long as it's a quick way to sort your goals out and see how your spending your time. The categories I use are "EARN" "LEARN" "GROW" "EARNED" "CLEAN" "LOVE" and a few others. Briefly:

EARN: this will DEFINITELY make money (I repeat DEFINITELY! read 'is again artists!)
LEARN: reading, listening, discussing, practicing a skill
GROW: improving health by sleeping, exercising, eating, dentist checkups, etc.
CLEAN: the dishes, laundry, office, etc. makes it easier to work on other goals
LOVE: spending time with friends, family, and self (helping others with their goals, or just having fun)

EARNED: Why did I put this last? Why did I skip a space? Why am I asking questions instead of giving you a brief description of this category? LOL! Because...

I tried calling this various things, such as "Pay" "Owe" "Cash" "Money" "Buy", but none really got me as excited as "EARNED"! These activities are paying the bills, loans, filing taxes, investing, etc. It's what you do with the money you've... that's right "EARNED"! For me calling it "EARNED" connects it to my "EARN" goals, which means 2 things:

1. If it's something I really want to spend money on, it comes second to "EARNING". If I've done the EARN goals to afford it, I can buy it (it's truly EARNED). If I can't afford it, it's going to end up being a debt, which means more EARNED stuff to pay off PLUS more EARNING I have to do. Speaking of paying off debts, if the "EARNED" activity is paying a loan or credit car (something I don't want to do), it reminds me that if I "EARN" more, I would have less unwanted "EARNED" tasks, and more money to spend on wanted "EARNED" activities, products, and services.

2. You can't spell EARNED without EARN! Many artists and entrepreneurs get overwhelmed and worried with their loans, credit cards, debts, or even just their normal taxes and monthly bills. Worrying about things is unhealthy for your body, usually leads to more unwanted thoughts and activities, and most importantly in terms of this blog is a huge waste of time. You notice I don't have a category called "WORRY" right? If you start to get overwhelmed with the "EARNED" things you "have to have" or "have to pay off right now", it helps to realize that the priority is to EARN EARN EARN (and try to EARN doing something you enjoy please)!

In other words:
A. If you want to buy something you can't afford, you really don't need it as much as you need to... put in on a "wish list" and go EARN the money for it.

B. If you're about to starve to death and need a loaf of bread... there are social services available, as well as minimum wage jobs. So you have to go to an office and fill out forms to get financial assistance from the government and hang out in an office for a while, or you have to go to a supermarket (for example) fill out an application and hang out in a store for a while. Either way, you have to do something to get that bit of money, or in other words you have to EARN.

C. If you have the money for your basic needs, but choose to buy luxuries, before you pay for your rent, groceries, and loan payments, I'm going to say you're being STUPID. Most of us have done it before, but let's call it what it is... STUPID. SMART people do STUPID things like everyone else, so don't worry about if you're a STUPID person, but be honest and realize when you have done (or are being tempted to do) something STUPID!

So since you aren't stupid, we won't take up the letter "C" with that, LOL! More importantly, you may get to a point where you've resisted the urge to buy things you "WANT", but still can't afford to pay all of your bills and loans off (especially in a recession). If at this point a minimum wage job, would not put a dent in your expenses, and you're not so broke that you need social services for a while... don't give all your money to your loans. Put the money into keeping "the lights on", keeping your clothes clean, eating frugally, and keep working, and aim for a promotion at your current job, switch to a different job, or take on additional SOURCES OF INCOME. Yes, it's okay to have MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INCOME.

In a nutshell, if you can't pay your loans, don't worry about it! Just like you have to EARN before you can buy nice things that you've EARNED, you also have to EARN before you can pay off unwanted debts. So "C" is a lot like "A". Put it on the wish list, and go EARN the money for it. But please put debts on the TOP of your wish list, because...

* they grow larger every month (some daily) with interest
* delaying them can result in paying for them several times over in the long run (much more than they are literally and figuratively worth)
* if your monthly debt interest rate is higher than your monthly return from investments, YOUR INVESTMENTS ARE PUTTING YOU FURTHER IN DEBT!
* if you can't afford to pay off your debts, and you're spending money on other things, you're either using loans/cards to buy them which means you are GOING FURTHER IN TO DEBT, or you are barely paying your living expenses which means you are one paycheck away from your BASIC LIVING EXPENSES BECOMING DEBTS!

Well thanks for joining the Nerd from the Hood on this episode of going from Educational Technology Manager to Your Favorite MC! Use categories, but not more than a dozen, call them names that inspire you to get them done, and be careful that learning or discussing activities is not confused with doing them, whether it's earning money or exercising.


Final note: If I didn't use categories what would I do?
I would focus on earning. When you get better at doing something you enjoy, you get paid more per each hour you work. (If you get really good, you get paid for your books, recordings, etc. even when you're not working!). So the people you "LOVE" don't have to be burdened by hearing about how you're broke or need to borrow money all the time, the causes you "LOVE" can receive more money and time from you, you've got more time and money to "GROW" your health through sleep, exercise, and food; you've got more money and time to "LEARN" from books and teachers, and more time to "CLEAN", but of course you might just pay someone else to "CLEAN".

The point is that I've found everything I do is taken care of, the more I focus on EARNING. If you've got to much on your list, pick the thing that will EARN you the most right now, and don't worry about anything else.


NOTE: EARN doesn't mean SLAVE or BORE. If you do not enjoy your work, you're not really earning the way I'm talking about in this article. If you are doing a job that you can't get paid more for by spending less time after getting better in it, it won't EARN you money in the long term.

EARNING is giving people something so valuable that they'll work and pay you for it. Find something you enjoy giving to people and get so good at it that you are paid higher than you were when you first started, then start to coach other people to do the same. Other people will start doing the work for you, and they'll be glad to because they'll be trained and paid by an expert. You'll become so heavily in demand, that you'll have to record your experience on books, audio tapes, and videos. You'll be spending all your time with people you love, just because you want to, while your products and the people you've taught continue to pay you over and over and over and over - That's EARNing.