Pacing yourself for the long haul

And i’ve been at this since 2008, and after three double-headers in May I hard-blocked one dark weekend a month, handed a low-margin gala to a partner, and added a 20-minute decompression walk after teardown — stress dropped and the calendar finally makes sense. For those planning to stay in events another decade, how are you setting up your schedule and pricing to protect recovery without slowing long-term growth?

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I moved to a ‘one load-in per weekend’ rule and a tiered floor that adds 15% inside 14 days — last-minute gigs finally pay for the cortisol. I also block two recovery days after multi-day builds and do a 15-minute voice-memo walk after teardown; you’ll lose a few inquiries, but the ones that stick are better fits.

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