And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was it morning or ... 3 pm?
When the phone is jangling, the pace hectic and deadlines looming, do you stop ? to eat?
All self-employed people share the title Chief-Cook-and-Bottle-Washer. Which is just another way to say that it is easy to get stretched thin when you are responsible for everything.
In a perfect world, our work would keep us stimulated, pay the bills, and provide us with a sufficient income to allow a decent quality of life. We would have neither too much nor too little work and it would come in an even flow. Not only that, but our clients would be pleasant and they would pay us on time.
We, in turn, would find it easy to perform our services to the public with excellence because we would be able to stay in touch with the joy that made us choose our line of work in the first place.
But the reality is that most of us are lucky if we can get within spitting distance of our perfect world, much less live in it.
While many of us are drawn to freelance living by the prospect of freedom from having a boss, the truth is that we are at the beck and call of our clients. And, often, through no fault of our own, our workflow is one of feast or famine.
So ? did you eat breakfast today? And when you did, was it morning or 3 pm?
We self-employed folks tend to drive ourselves to go the extra mile. For too many of us the reason is fear. Fear that if we turn down a job there won't be another.
We know that is illogical, but being self-employed means living with a great deal of financial risk. We often feel we can't take the chance. So we take on the new project even though we are exhausted. Or, against our better judgment, we take on a new client whose behavior forewarns of difficulties ahead.
But there is much wisdom in the flight attendant's canned speech that 'in the event of emergency, place the oxygen mask over your face' before assisting your children.
The logic is obvious. You can't help your kids, or anyone else, if you lack basic oxygen.
When you take proper care of yourself, you work better and feel better. And that shows up on the bottom line.
So ? did you eat breakfast today?
Ellen Zucker's website http://www.selfemployment101.com is designed to help the creative sole-proprietor earn a living and have a life.
Have Ellen's articles delivered to your in-box. Subscribe to her ezine http://www.selfemployment101.com.
top rated cleaning service Lake Forest .."Fashionably late" is no longer in fashion. In today's heavily... Read More
What keeping time really means is...being on time!You know, there... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
If you operate any kind of home business, you must... Read More
Benjamin Franklin wrote: "If you want to enjoy one of... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
Whenever I've worked on 'de-cluttering' my living or working space,... Read More
If you are like most moms I know you think... Read More
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More
Microsoft wanted to know how individuals around the world were... Read More
And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More
All requests are not equal; all customers or clients are... Read More
* spreading yourself too thinTaking on too many things at... Read More
Years ago when I started in this business, it seemed... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house.... Read More
As each day passes, and more and more things need... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
An expert in time management was speaking to a group... Read More
There are the golden rules that apply to time. If... Read More
There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More
insured cleaning company Morton Grove ..Q. I have several projects going at once -- but... Read More
Here's some time management tips to try:1) Set strict office... Read More
Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list.... Read More
Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More
How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time?... Read More
We live in a world where more is expected of... Read More
"Fashionably late" is no longer in fashion. In today's heavily... Read More
"Work smarter, not harder" is a clich? that has darted... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
In working with and coaching people across the country, one... Read More
Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
It's 6:00 a.m. I'm awake. I'm pumped! I'm ready to... Read More
Recently I was working with a new client who had... Read More
What would you say to me if I told you... Read More
In this digital age, the importance of being able to... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
We don't realize many things we do until we draw... Read More
A simple kitchen gadget is transforming my life. I don't... Read More
There are two types of time killers in everyone's life.... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is... Read More
"You will never find time for anything. You must make... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
Time Management |