How Jeff Sullivan Juggles Multiple Jobs without Losing His Mind
For Jeff Sullivan, 5 PM is not quittin’ time! He has to look at his other duties that demand the leftover hours of the day. Being a session drummer, animator, and recording artist, all at once is not easy, but Jeff Sullivan glides through them during the day like a hot knife through soft butter. Having been a former drummer for The Black Crowes, Drivin’ N Cryin’ and Toenut, Sullivan has done several musical collaborations with members of the R.E.M, Gov’t Mule, Neil Young’s Crazy Horse and in 2015 was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. He has now found success at DreamWorks as a professional Crowds Artist. He has successfully collaborated on projects like Trolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Turbo, Kung Fu Panda 2, Shrek Forever After and Megamind. And it seems like he is not planning on stopping anytime soon.
Sure passion is there to keep him going, but there must be a hack that keeps him from losing his marbles. Working multiple jobs is not an uncommon practice. You could be doing that to save up money, to start your own business, or to just venture into something new. But with all the late nights, deadlines, and too many responsibilities to fill one page of your planner, it is quite possible that you might exhaust yourself out of your might.
Remain active
Yes, it might seem absolutely impossible to stay active and do your house chores or behave like a normal person with one job when you are trying to hold down three, but you need to make sure to look after your health as well. Try to go for a walk or cook your favorite dish so that you can reset your brain. You can go for crack-pot meals to quicken the cooking time, but it is worth it nonetheless.
Planning is key
Over the weekend try to plan out your schedule for the entire week. Look out for any potholes that might have you miss out on some social activity or space-time that would have allowed you to get done with some freelance work. If you feel that there is some priority project that might be initiated over the week, try to do a great chunk of it before the big day. This will help you sort things out better, and give more priority to the most important work first.
Take some time off
Whether it be a whole day or a couple of hours, you need some time off. You have allowed your brain to stop running like a hamster on a wheel. Too much of pressure on your brain and you risk having a breakdown or mental block. You can also schedule an hour or two a day where you watch your favorite TV shows or meet your friends.
