The Donut Method — A framework for employment, freelancing, and side projects.

For the restless souls who have day jobs, side hustles, and more.

My tech career started in 2010. Since then, I have juggled a mix of jobs, side projects for clients, personal projects, and curiosities.

It began as a way to build my skills, knowledge, and expertise. Over the years, maintaining a blend of full-time employment and side projects has been a key part of my staying energized, curious, and creative over the long haul.

Why does it help?

I have never found a single job or style of work that fulfills all of my curiosities, interests, and needs. Instead of tirelessly searching or feeling dissatisfied with any single choice, I embrace a different approach. As things invariably change over time, I have a variety of ways to scratch any itch.

Determined to have my cake and eat it too, I have found a sweet spot. For others like me, it seems to resonate.

I call my philosophy the Donut Method.

At the heart of this philosophy are three parts: the cake, the icing, and the sprinkles. While a fun analogy, it can serve as a roadmap to meeting our professional, creative, and personal needs.

Cake

The cake is the main body of the donut and the fundamental component. Without the cake, there is no donut.

Professionally, the cake represents our “main thing”. The cake is the one thing that consumes the majority of our time and energy. It provides the primary source of our income and stability. This could be a consistent client, a retainer project, or a full-time job. At its best, it includes benefits, insurance, and stability, forming a foundation for overall household well-being.

Examples from my own career include:

• Cofounder and CEO at Polar Notion, a creative agency.
• Chief Technology Officer at New Story, a global housing nonprofit.
• Chief Technology Officer at Mi Alma, a startup helping supporters show up and care for friends and family experiencing loss.

Disclaimer: I got lucky early in my career. Learning software engineering (thanks to a friend’s gracious investment) set my career on a trajectory to be able to provide a steady flow of flavorful, fulfilling, and financially rewarding options for “cake”. Absent such enriching opportunities, I am confident others may rely even more on the “icing” from the next section.

Icing

The icing represents those extra projects we take on, the freelance work and contract jobs. These opportunities could allow us to dabble with something new, bring in quick cash, or explore a new challenge.

The icing can consist of projects that are exciting, challenging, and highly profitable, but they are not meant to replace the cake. They’re an addition, a ‘nice-to-have’, a supplementary source of income or inspiration.

My personal preference is to still align “the icing” within my industry of focus: technology. I have known others to intentionally seek projects outside of their day job.

Examples from my own career include:

• Short-term software projects (typically a few weeks of work)
• Consulting gigs with early-stage companies.
• Fractional CTO services for fintech companies.

Like a great donut, the icing shouldn’t be required for the cake to be palatable. In certain seasons, however, it can cover anything the cake lacks.

I have a few rules about my icing:

1. The cake takes priority. The icing cannot compromise the cake. For example, it would be unwise to accept a side project that conflicts with the commitments of your primary job.
2. The icing must be sweet. To me, “sweet” means paid. Not just paid but high-margin work. For example, I want to optimize for my greatest strengths, proven experience, and outsize leverage.
3. The icing is extra, not required. It doesn’t take long before our lifestyle adjusts to extra income. My goal is for the icing to remain a nice addition to our income, but not required to sustain our lifestyle.

These lessons were hard-won. Don’t mistake my brevity on the topic for unimportance. During seasons where I found myself getting burned out, it was because one of these rules was being violated.

Sprinkles

Now, for the sprinkles. These are what most would call hobbies. They are personal projects where I expect to invest time and money without any financial gain.

Examples include:

• Mentoring code school students entering the tech industry. For example, I have a series of presentations I provide at no cost.
• Advising a friend who is starting a business.
• Creating content like posts, blogs, books, and videos to share what I’m learning with others.
• Training for endurance events, like ultramarathons.

Activities like these allow me to indulge my interests without the weight of responsibility. In most cases, I can dial them up or down based on other factors in life. They provide joy, satisfaction, and an avenue to express creativity beyond the constraints of commercial projects.

I have a few rules about my sprinkles:

1. Enjoyment is compensation. Make sure it’s fun and fulfilling. It shouldn’t feel like a burden.
2. Keep it clean and simple. Don’t suck the life from it by trying to overoptimize or put yourself too far on the hook. It can be intentionally unintentional.
3. Reevaluate regularly. A common question I ask of these hobbies is, “Are they providing me the unique value that I need in my current season?”

Eat the Donut

In my 20s, my eyes were opened to specialty donuts. Debates about ‘the best’ donuts stretch far and wide. In the end, it comes down to personal taste and preference.

How will we know what we like if we don’t try it? The same is true of our individual mix of work, side projects, and hobbies.

There is no formula or magic ratio. Everyone has different skills, experiences, and needs. It’s precisely for that reason I am a proponent of the Donut Method.

We are fickle creatures in a world that’s constantly shifting.

This framework attempts to marry stability and flexibility. At our best, we can allow each unique part of us time and space to be expressed.

As my wife and I began adding kids to our family, the icing from my donut allowed me to continue building our business while absorbing the financial unknowns of parenting.

During a global pandemic, the sprinkles from my donut ensured I stayed inspired and optimistic despite layoffs, budget cuts, and market volatility.

As I changed jobs and moved across the globe, the clarity and structure of each layer of the donut allowed me to make big moves with clarity and confidence.

Whatever your cake, icing, or sprinkles, may you find the flavor that fits. In turn, savoring every bite.