Raise your hand if you’re a workaholic! (I have two hands up over here!)
Even before I left my day job in 2013 to grow my business, I worked too much. And now, knowing that my business is my livelihood and not just something I’m doing for extra cash? Well, let’s just say that the thought of leaving my computer behind—even for just a few days—makes me really nervous.
I’m pretty sure I learned my ways from my dad. He used to haul around a black briefcase full of work-related reading material whenever we took a vacation. Eventually that briefcase turned into two. And then, after years of that, my mom put her foot down. Now that my parents are (mostly) retired, my dad has (mostly) traded in the briefcase for a tablet and library books.
My mom has the social butterfly genes, planning parties and generally keeping herself busy. I didn’t inherit the social genes, but I do have a hard time not doing something at all times. And that something is usually work.
I know that I need downtime in my business. I know it.
But it’s so hard to do. When I first started my business, it was because I needed to make money. I needed that client work and that sale, so I worked my butt off. Not literally, of course. All that sitting in my office actually caused my butt to grow quite a bit.
Later, I felt like I was competing with all the other businesses out there. She’s doing XYZ so I should too. Such an easy trap to fall into!
Now I find myself working too much because I’m competing with myself. I have goals I want to reach—and deadlines attached to those goals. So I’m going to do whatever I can to reach them. And since my office is just a few steps from my bedroom, it’s easy to keep working even when I know I should stop.
It’s really a bad habit to get into, this overworking, but I love what I do and I’m excited to be working on the projects I have on my plate right now. And in my own business, I just want to do it all. There’s something new I want to do, but I am forcing myself to put the blinders on—at least for now.
You’d think that eventually I’d learn to be more efficient, instead of just spending more time in front of my computer.
Finding time for myself isn’t difficult though. After all, I work from home. By myself (minus the furry kids). Even when my daughter is off school for summer break, she spends most of her time in her bedroom watching YouTube videos and pretending to clean.
My biggest challenge is finding time for myself that doesn’t involve technology or work. I love a good book, but I’m usually reading something business-related. And what little non-work time I have involves watching (bingeing) on Netflix.
I don’t like getting my nails done. I don’t like massages. Shopping is not my thing at all. But what I do like to do is run. I’ve been slacking in that department, but now that Phoenix has warmed up to a nice 100+ degrees, it seems like a good time to jump back in and get more consistent. Because my rear isn’t going to shrink all by itself.
So here goes. A commitment to spend less time in front of my computer and more time doing things that I love (aside from work). Shoot, maybe I’ll even take up a hobby or two. Any suggestions?
