Groupon and Living Social tried to coupons cool, and it was working… for a little while  But at some point we all just got stick of it. I’m sure someone has pointed the reason for the fall but for me was I just got sick of keeping tracking of coupons. I’m all for saving money but when it becomes a chore to deal with, well it’s not worth it.

It’s the same thing that happens when you think you’re going to pick up the Sunday paper and start clipping coupons. You do it for a little while and start to save money but some it’s a hassle it’s more work and you realize pulling out a bunch of coupons at the store is lame. Plus when you go to the store or restaurant and you forget your coupon.

That’s why I’m loving services like Belly, LevelUp and Foursquare that offer a deal not a coupon when you are at the location. You’re already at the location, you likely didn’t make a special trip and it’s a bonus you’re saving money. We’ve seen Groupon and Yelp start to offer deals when you check in or are nearby and that’s great. The less work I have to do to save money makes me more likely to use the service and come back to the location. Foursquare is really smart with the last couple moves with American Express and now Visa. They are offering discounts if you check-in and use the credit card you have linked with your Foursquare account. Talk about easy! I was already go to check-in with Foursquare and since I was to use my card too since I almost never have cash.

Everyone wants to save money it’s simply figuring out how to make it work simply and without have to luge around a coupon organizer and looking like a totally nerd. 

The last few weeks I realized how much I use and rely on the Internet, not just for keeping up with friends and uploading photos of my food. I also use it for directions and to locate new places to eat. 

While I was in South America the last few weeks I had purchased an international data plan for my phone and I’m glad I did. There was a good amount of wifi cafe’s and restaurants but for the most part they were slow and unreliable. I didn’t just want to upload photos and make everyone jealous of where I was at but because Maeve and I found ourselves walking around quite often not sure where we were or where to go. Our initial thought for this was to pull out our iPhones and look at the map and maybe pull up Yelp for a place to eat. The international data plan made this fairly easy but there was no Yelp in South America and Apple maps proved to be an issue since most the time the directions were wrong. Our best app for finding a place to eat and for directions was Foursquare. Manny places on foursquare had photos and tips along with them on what to try. The maps in Foursquare were great too, the locations and cross streets of places were correct making them easy to find. Sure we could of blindly went into different restaurants and did that a couple times but to tell you the truth, those places were mostly a disappointment. I’d much rather have a recommendation on a location then nothing at all. So for me being unplugged from the internet and social sites really isn’t an option moving forward and I know any traveling I do in the future I’ll be using Foursquare or something like that to make finding great places easier. 

There are some days where you sit down in front of your computer with a fresh cup of coffee or tea and just stare blankly at the screen, there is too much to get done and really no way you can physically and mentally do it. You need to take this as a sign that you need a break and you’re on the verge or burning yourself out.

I’ve been working a full time job as well as doing freelance work on the side for the last three years. Why? Well, mostly because I love what I do. I enjoy learning from each project and meeting new folks. When I look back over the past year, in addition to my full time job; I’ve done graphics for five music videos, been working on three different blogs, have a weekly craft beer podcast, done a handful or explainer videos for different startups and helped to create the Chicago Motion Artists Users Group. No matter how much I enjoy what I do I’m always worried about burning myself out. And with a heavy workload, demanding clients and no free time, it is easy to become overwhelmed and completely burnt out. The problem with me is I’m a workaholic and have an inability to stop at times, which has worked both to my advantage and disadvantage. I know many other freelancers and entrepreneurs who are hustling just as much and are dealing with the same thing. Still pushing yourself isn’t a bad thing but it could come with a price. How do you avoid the burnout with the constant go, go, go? Everyone you ask has their own tips, but it really just comes down to taking a break from the computer; if it’s for five minutes, two hours, or a week. It doesn’t have to be a safari trek across Africa either. It’s all about finding what works for you. I love checking out new restaurants to eat at, so having lunch with a friend, or dinner with my lovely fiancé works wonders. Or I’ll find myself just hanging out with friends, chatting over a fine craft beer. Sure it may not be anything exciting but it’s enough of a break to take my mind off work in order to refocus. When your body and mind starts to suffer then the effects can be seen on your work. Making time for yourself not only can improve your general health but it may even help you to get through that creative block you’ve been having and spark a great idea.