Before the crummy job — and the letdown that came with it — I had no routine for pursuing my extracurricular passions. I did creative things when I had time and without an overarching strategy. I’d seen relative success with these projects, but I definitely wasn’t working toward a bigger picture. At the new job, where I felt like I had little control over my happiness and time, I was more determined than ever to work on something personally inspiring and meaningful. I developed a regimented routine to stay on track, and I considered my passion projects to be one unified job, outside of a less-fulfilling day job.