24/7 isn’t working for you.
Here’s the thing about being a solo entrepreneur.
IT’S ALL YOU.
Ever go to bed feeling spent? So frickin spent. Not just tired, but spent. Because you are stretched between work – attaining new clients, servicing old ones, learning new ways to market and life – momming, dadding, wifeing. You want adult time…but then shit. Who’s got energy for that??!
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the I WILL KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY IMMEDIATELY AND AS CONSISTENTLY AS I CAN. Because I am woman, hear me roar! Click To Tweet
Or whatever.
I kind of just wanted to say that hear me roar deal…
But really? You suck. Because all the things are suffering. Because your mind and actions are interrupted, sporadic, and crazed.
So stop it. Serious.
Set regular hours for when your clients can contact you. Don’t be available 24/7. Just don’t, unless lives depend on it.
You have to be connected to other things besides work, to do good work. Whatever “connected” means to you…
… connected to your family
… connected to your social life
… connected to your volunteer work
… connected to your cat
It really doesn’t matter what it is, just don’t let those connections be sacrificed for work. No one is good at giving 24/7 of themselves to their work. Click To Tweet (I actually have no statistical facts to back that up…but it’s got to be true.)
Put it away.
It’s not always urgent.
Go connect.
I love this post, because it is so true – we think we have to BE everything but we really don’t. I find it hard when I feel like I am bursting with ideas to scale it back and remember that I need to take time for me (as well as the rest of my family), but I am trying to be more mindful of this.
Agreed Karen. If no efforts are spent elsewhere, those areas will soon suffer too.
and sometimes we have to realize this parenting gig is hard…
LOVED your blog post! I couldn’t agree more…and it’s when we’re especially vulnerable to hearing we’re messing up, it hits us even harder.