Jay has been traveling a lot the past 3 weeks and I’ve been pretty good at being the “man” around the house. I pulled a Griswald and even hung the lights! Here’s a pic 🙂
Today’s article will have you take a look at where the pressure you’re experiencing is coming from. It doesn’t have to be this hard.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is – what are my expectations? Identifying your expectations will make you aware of where the stress is coming from. If you’re a perfectionist like me, you probably have a lot of expectations for yourself and others. The next logical question to ask is, where did these expectations come from? Who made these expectations and why? When I started asking myself where my expectations came from it was obvious that I put them on myself. In my business I was trying to do too much. I have decided to operate my business part-time and also enjoy my children part-time during their early years. This means having part-time goals. I don’t mean settling for less or anything like that. Of course my vision for myself is the same regardless of the hours I have. But essentially, I cannot run a full time business on a part time schedule. I therefore have to be VERY effective with the time I do have. This was an important reality check. It also doesn’t mean I have to earn any less. It’s amazing what can get done when you are focused.
Have a conversation with the people you believe have been putting expectations on you. You will likely find that it is in fact you putting them on yourself unnecessarily.
In business, look at your goals. What do you want to achieve? What are the three projects that are going to increase your revenue now? Focus on only those now. Break down each one into manageable steps. Using a whiteboard or chart paper really helps to organize and spread out your ideas / tasks on a big space. Then take steps each day that will move you closer to your end goal.
Use your time wisely. Decide on your office hours and stick to them. Decide when your creative time will be and when you will do more of the admin. / office type of tasks. A past article I wrote on focus, flex and free time is helpful. Then when you are working during your creative / focus time, work from a prioritized list of tasks. Plough through those tasks during the time you have allotted. This is really all you can do and it will keep you sane at the same time. You’ve can be confident that you have done the best with the time you have. This works whether you are working full-time or part-time. This helps you to keep a balance in your life too.
Remember to do what you love if you are taking care of yourself properly and making time for yourself, you will be happier. Schedule in what you love and stick to it. This will help with stress and overwhelm. It seems to be the first to go from the to do list and will likely add to your stress if you’re not doing it.
Last but not least cut yourself a break. How can you cut others a break if you don’t do it for yourself? Pay attention to how your expectations of yourself show up in all of your relationships. If you’re easier on yourself, everyone will benefit 🙂