Ebb & Flow, Baby

how to think about effort and output in your job search

Dear FreeBird,

We need to talk about that day last week. The one where you meant to apply to ten open jobs, applied to just two, then wandered away for hours doing who-knows-what—and spent the rest of the day feeling bad about it. (Agh!!!)

What happened? Just yesterday, you pounded out five networking emails, sent off two weird “Hey, it’s been a while!” texts, applied to three jobs, wrote a killer cover letter, and took a webinar about AI you had zero interest in.

What’s more, you used to be able to work all day, every day for someone else without so much as a hitch in your giddy-up. So what’s wrong with you now, and when so much is at stake?

Nothing. You’re fine. Keep going.

For the sake of your search, and all that’s holy, please understand that ebb and flow in productivity is normal. You’re not broken. You’re a FreeBird—and that’s how FreeBirds do.

Beyond the confines of the manufacturing plant, beyond the assembly line of the relentless meetings and to-dos of corporate America, productivity, real creative, generative work, doesn't happen in neat, predictable patterns.

When you're flying free—by choice or circumstance—you get back in touch with how productivity naturally flows. It’s rarely in the steady, consistent rhythm we've been conditioned to believe.

Here’s what I mean:

A respectable five-day work week for a FreeBird looks more like this:

The hot one: you’re super productive—cranking, creative, wily, sharp as a tack, checking shit off

The solid one: you do 60-70% of your to-do list

The okay one: losing steam, but pulled off ~50% of target, pass go

The sad one: there’s your two app day

The back in black one:— 80% of target achieved, go eat a piece of candy

Am I saying these highs and lows are good enough to get you where you’re going?

Yes! Because the success metrics of job seeking are more like baseball than manufacturing. We're looking at batting averages, not widgets per hour.

A white-hot day, followed by three average productivity days, and one complete stinker? That's still .800 week. In baseball, that would make you the greatest hitter of all time. By a lot.

The mistake we make is setting the expectation that every day should be a hot one, and any day you don’t measure up to that means you’re failing. Not so.

Your brain isn't a machine that produces the same output every day. It's an organic system that needs recovery after exertion, that responds to rhythms we barely understand, that sometimes needs to process in the background before delivering insights.

The key isn't consistency. It's persistence.

Monday thru Friday, aim to get something done everyday—no matter how small. And for the days when you literally do nothing? Maybe you catch fire two days next week instead of just one.

So the next time you have one of those days when your productivity jumps the fence, try this: Instead of beating yourself, say "Ebb and flow, baby, ebb and flow."

Today's action: Track your productivity for the next week, but instead of expecting consistent output each day, look for patterns. Do you have a natural cycle? Are certain days of the week consistently better for certain kinds of tasks? Does intense productivity one day often lead to a slower day afterward? Getting to know your patterns helps you work with them.

Believe it, FreeBirds.

Until tomorrow,

E.S.

PS: "The successful man is the average man, focused." — Anonymous

PPS: Know someone who needs to read this? Share!