Do you ever feel like you are running so fast that if you stop everything will crash in on you?
It’s like that scenario of having so many balls in the air, and if someone tries to catch one for you, they will all drop.
That was me, the last couple of weeks.
I have a lot going on, like most of us, and my life is busy and so is my business.
But it’s really not a good way to be all the time. You have to have ebbs and flows of activity. You have to be able to rest and then come back strong to work well.
I know this. I teach this. But sometimes I don’t do this.
I have a medical issue which I am having surgery for in a month or so, and so I have felt like the pressure is on to get myself organized before I have to be off for a couple of weeks.
I am also organizing a conference for Virtual Assistants, and that is consuming a lot of my time too (in a very good way!).
On a personal note, my hockey team is also in the second round of the playoffs and we have season tickets!
So with those few things alone, my days are busy.
But I also have very busy clients, and two of them are in launch mode for new programs. So the task list is quite full as well, and very full of details, at that.
It all caught up to me last week when I just didn’t have the bandwidth for more stuff to get crammed into my head.
One too many revisions to a work task, and I got upset with my client. I don’t usually do that. I’m the calm one. But this time I didn’t. I told her how frustrated I was with her expectations and constant changes. She retreated.
And that’s when I knew it was time to step back.
Not to say my client was right (she wasn’t!) but I knew I didn’t have the mental capacity to be calm and logical. And to top it all off, I had a headache all week, which I never get.
So I stepped back. I cancelled four things I had in my calendar. Some of them were work-related and some were personal.
I stayed home for almost four full days and did nothing. Absolutely nothing!
Well I actually went to the rink for a hockey game, but I came straight home (double overtime game, but we won!).
I ate well, I rested. I rested some more. I planned. I tinkered with some of my own work projects but I didn’t do anything for anyone else.
It worked!
On Monday morning I woke up rested for the first time in a very long time.
I had a clear vision of what I needed to do all week to get my tasks completed, and what else I could fit in without becoming too tired.
The thing is, I am not a stranger to self-care. I preach it! But I wasn’t doing it.
I think it has something to do with the fact that I know I will be off after my surgery, but what hope do I have of a quick recovery when I burn myself out before it ever happens?
The same can be said about anything in your business.
You must balance all the time. Up time, down time. Work time. Play time. Activity. Rest.
The body is an amazing instrument but it has limits.
Your business has limits too. You need the same kind of balance there. Up times, down times. Work times, reward times. Activity, rest.
If you are networking, keep these things in mind. You have to find new prospect and nurture the old ones. You need to find new clients and move the old ones on. You need to build in new services and you need to let go of old ones.
It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do, this rhythm of business.
But you have to make sure to care for it – or it will not take care of you!
If I can help you with your business rhythm and getting more done, don’t hesitate to reach out! www.yourvamentor.com