I am a Workaholic
Hi, my name is Sally and I am a workaholic.
I’m not sure when it happened but it did! All I do now is work, work, work.
As much as I love the work I do I would also like to bring some balance back into my life.
I’m tired of saying no to friends and family every time they extend an invitation.
I’m tired of not having time to participate in my favorite online forums.
I’m tired of being a grouch.
And, I’m especially tired of not having time to blog!
It is time I start practicing what I preach. It’s time to set new boundaries and communicate those with my family, friends and clients.
If you have been feeling anything like I have lately (or resemble the strange looking photo above in any way) I have a suggestion for you.
Stop multitasking!
I’ve found the days I am most productive are the days I actually take a few minutes to plan and not just follow the emails on a wild goose chase.
Let me explain the wild goose chase analogy. I have a couple of clients who feel every task they need assistance with is urgent and must be done ASAP. So, if I don’t take the time to look at the big picture of my business and to look at each clients individual needs and projects I end up focusing on the squeaky wheels and not the wheels that are moving along quietly and smoothly. Hence, I end up on a wild goose chase trying to keep up with the “urgent” requests of those few clients and forgetting about the quiet, stable ones that plan ahead. My day ends and I feel no sense of accomplishment, just a whole lot of frustration.
Instead of diving head first into email I am now reviewing all my clients and projects to see what needs to be completed first and committing to doing that project first.
I then do that A1 priority project and don’t check email or answer the phone until it is complete.
After I complete the project I check email and voicemail and follow up with anything that I have to follow up on and then review my projects again and decide which project I am going to fully focus on next.
I’m amazed at how much more productive and how many more billable hours I get in a day when I stop multitasking and start seriously focusing.
I’m excited to say I’m on the road to recovery and will keep you posted on how my work/life balance is progressing.
Let’s not even discuss that I am blogging about being a workaholic on a Saturday… yes it’s going to be a long road to finding the perfect balance.