… and that’s okay.
As a freelancer, my to-do list always seems to be a mile and a half long, and my weeks always seem completely full. (I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel that way.) To keep myself on track, I try to schedule a day off every so often so I don’t get burned out.
I’m okay at taking time off. I love unplugging and relaxing.
What I’m not good at is letting things go.
When you are your own boss, when your income and the success of your business is dependent on you and you alone, it can be almost impossible to let things go. If I think of anything that will improve my business – a change to my website, a potential client I want to contact, a new subject I want to study – I want to do it right away.
Even if I’m already completely booked, even if it won’t immediately affect my bottom line… if it’s on the to-do list, I want to get it done. I find it almost impossible to say to myself, “That won’t get done until next week, and that’s okay.”
The past two weeks have been crazy for me. Between work, apartment problems (fridge and AC both stopped working in 24 hours), family visiting, and other surprises, it’s been all I can manage to meet my client deadlines. Everything else on my to-do list has, no exaggeration, stayed the same for ten days.
I hate weeks like that – and I bet you do too. But they happen, and we have to let go and get through them.
Wondering how?
1. Know yourself.
I need sleep… a lot of it. I can push through the occasional night of four or five hours, but too many of those in a row and my body will quite literally shut down. I’ll find myself with a debilitating migraine and severe stomach pain, sometimes lasting for days.
The end result? Staying up to cross that extra item off my list means I lose two days of work. Definitely not worth it.
When the be-your-own-boss community talks about knowing yourself, it usually refers to deciding on a type of client or what time of day you’re most productive. But it’s even more important to know your own limits.
How far can you push yourself – and when does it stop being worth it?
2. Tap your support network.
I’m terrible at asking others to pick up my slack. I feel guilty and needy when I ask for help… but sometimes you just can’t get by without it. This past week, my husband did all the cooking, plus most of the housework to get ready for a visit from my parents. I hated putting it all on him, but he knew exactly how crazy my week was and was glad to step up.
Do you need to ask your family and friends for some help? Would you be more productive if you outsourced some work to a freelancer or virtual assistant?
It’s hard to ask for help or to let go of parts of your business. But remember, that’s why we have a network in the first place.
3. Procrastinate.
Wait, what?
Yes, sometimes procrastination is good.
Not when you have a deadline looming or a client expecting to hear from you, of course. And not to just watch YouTube videos for hours.
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(Though Sad Cat Diary is my random video of choice.)
But when you’re already swamped, non-essentials can and should be put off until you have time to deal with them.
If it won’t impact your bottom line today, let it go until tomorrow.
Do you find it difficult to let go when you have a lot to do?
When do you push on through… and when do you give yourself a break?
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