Yesterday I had every intention of sitting down to start and finish all the paperwork for my business set-up, including registering it, and setting up all my bookkeeping and tax files.
I started at 5am and by 830am had only progressed to the point that I had finally identified our physical mailing address. You see we don’t get mail delivery to our home, even UPS can’t find us, but you have to have a physical street address for all ‘official paperwork. I know what our street address is, but the city and zip code have been elusive. It’s a long story and I won’t bore you with the details, but with the help of the internet and a need to know I think I finally figured it out.
By 830am it was time for a coffee break. Sitting at the kitchen table with my husband I said, “I just don’t feel like working anymore today.”
He looked up and said, “Take the day off. That’s one reason why you decided to work for yourself, so you didn’t have to work all day, every day. Take a break.”
He was right. I have been pushing myself to maintain the same 10-14 hours work days (minus the travel), six to seven days a week, even if I had to make up work to do to stay busy. The few days I have taken off to just read, relax or visit with my family were rejuvenating.
So, yesterday that’s exactly what I did. I took a break. We hung out together, read, watched movies, and enjoyed both lunch and dinner together.
By 5pm I was full of energy and decided to do a little work, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
I decided I needed some down over the next month and decided to get organized.
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1. I created my first editorial calendar. I brainstormed a list of topics I wanted to write about and decided what days I wanted to post them over the next four weeks. Since I want to take some time off this month the posts are split 50-50 between new stuff and old stuff.
2. I identified which days of the week were usually my busiest (Tuesdays and Saturdays) and blocked those days out for working.
3. I decided that the other days of the week I would limit my working time to a few hours in the morning and evening, giving me all day to play, travel, read, paint, go to the movies, work on my 2010 plan and hang out with family and friends and celebrate the holidays.
4. I made a project list. I have a lot of new projects launching in the first few months of next year and some are in partnership with other people. Not having a firm handle on everything that was happening was causing me a great deal of stress.
5. Then I took my project list, prioritized it and created a project calendar. This has helped reduce my stress and anxiety by organizing my time so that I can meet my deadlines. I used to do this all the time when I managed multiple projects and deadlines in my corporate job. I just never thought to organize my own time and my own projects like this until now. I have a better idea of when the high and low work periods will be and feel much calmer, and less guilty about taking some time off over the next three to four weeks.
The benefits of taking time off yesterday and taking the time to plan and organize is that I…
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1. Feel more in control.
2. Have a better handle on the time requirements for each project.
3. Increased energy and enthusiasm (even for the ‘drudgery’ work).
4. Greater clarity in regards to what I want to do and what I need to do.
5. Learning to let go of the need to stay busy all the time.
6. Recognizing that I can take time off without losing ground or falling behind.
7. That my commute is now less than 30 seconds (my home office to the kitchen or living room) versus the two hours a day I used to spend commuting. These extra hours each day, don’t need to be filled up.
8. Recognizing that I need to take care of myself – physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually – if I am going to succeed in building the life of my dreams.
9. Remembered that having fun and enjoying both my working hours and my non-working hours are of equal importance.
10. Am grateful for having such a supportive, loving husband!
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Yep, Barbara, you were right. Thanks for your support!!
Sandy
Thanks, Cris.
I know that overwhelm feeling well. Happy that this post helped a little. Have a joyful, restful holiday!
Sandy
Sandy, thank you for this post. I was feeling very overwhelmed trying to integrate Christmas stuff, commitments to friends, planning for 2010 and my own goals in getting a blog up. Kind of frozen up, not knowing which way to go.
Had actually planned on following your earlier advice and reaching for the “War of Art” for some help in “unfreezing”. But instead of Steven Pressfield, it was you that helped me out!
I am going to release myself from the blog for now, and go with the flow til Christmas is over. Like someone posted yesterday on Twitter:
“Even when we lay down, we lay down on our own path of life.” -Pawnee proverb
I’m not leaving my path……just lying down on it for a bit.
Saving this post to Evernote for your excellent ideas about an editorial and project calendar!
Woohoo! Didn’t I tell you that your own business is a great teacher? And you’re such a great student.