Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋

Happy Wednesday. If you're in the U.S., you're likely gearing up for Thanksgiving and the Black Friday Cyber Monday shenanigans that stores try to push on consumers.

My friend Angela has the following advice:

Stop checking your email. Stop checking your texts. Stay off the internet. Heck, just close your laptop until December 3rd.

You don't need that thing.

1) Reflection:

Since I returned to work from brain surgery a few months ago, I've talked a lot about what it was like to prepare for an extended leave of absence as a 1-person business. I've recorded two podcast episodes on the topic (one published, another forthcoming). I've written multiple articles. And I even spoke on a panel about it.

There is not enough information to help solopreneurs plan for something like this. So I wrote a guide. Step-by-step, everything you need to do to plan for long-term leave, based on what I did.

I hope you never face something serious like a medical emergency. I hope your leave is for something joyful, like a new baby or a sabbatical. But no matter the reason, I hope you find this guide useful.

You can download it for free 👉 Preparing for Long-Term Leave: A guide for solo business owners.

2) Product

At the end of August, my 7-year-old cat, Midna, died unexpectedly. It was devastating for our family.

I immediately reached out to my friend Kim Strittmater. Kim specializes in pet portraits. I asked her to create a memorial portrait of Minda.

Kim delivered a gorgeous tribute to our fur baby. It's now hanging in our home.

If you'd like to have Kim paint a portrait of your pet, you can reach out to her via her website.

3) Tip

One of my closest friends recently lost her brother. He was 39 years old — relatively young.

We always think we have more time than we do. Time to do the things that we're putting off. Including planning for our own deaths.

The laws and legal process will vary by country, but in the U.S., you should have a Will that outlines what happens to your "stuff" after you die. Even if you don't have a lot of assets, you still need a will. Either you decide, or a court will decide (which is long, expensive, and can cause rifts among people left behind).

I wrote more about Wills, along with things like access to your digital life here.