Since I no longer have a VA practice, I don't have to work insane hours all the time, and my life is calmer than it used to be. When I did have a VA practice, however, I had to create standards around when I was working and when I wasn't. It was the only way for me to lead a balanced life that wasn't heavily outweighed by work.
After the frenzy of the past couple of months, I finally settled back into life with my work with AssistU and creating Write Well University. A few days back into normal mode, I soon found that I was checking e-mail all the time, I'd answer my business phone even when I wasn't "at work," and I felt I could/should be on call at all times.
As COO of AssistU, I devote anywhere between 20 and 40 hours a month to AssistU. What that means is I allot a small amount of my overall time to AssistU. Plus, I'm building a new company, and there's always stuff to do there. Since I didn't feel that I was really "working" that much, I felt that I should always be available.
There's so much wrong with that on so many levels.
First, I'm not always available. I have set times that I'm working, whether that be with AssistU or Write Well University. Whether I'm working two hours a day or eight hours a day, those times that I'm working should be clearly defined.
Second, by always coming in to my office to check e-mail, that in itself is a shadow activity. I'm keeping myself from doing other things because it feels more comfortable and familiar to check e-mail or answer a business call then maybe do something else. God forbid that I actually use my free time to read a (fun) book, quilt, cross-stitch, or play the piano. For whatever reason, those things are harder to do, to get the energy to do, than to check e-mail.
Finally, when you spread out two hours of work over a twelve-hour day, it feels as if you're always working. When things are segmented, you give more of your time and attention to that particular activity. It shows your respect and your commitment.
I'm responsible for letting my standards slip. I made the choice to come in to my office and check e-mail. Danger! Standards have slipped!
Luckily, I caught it fairly quickly (must be all the fabulous training from going through the AssistU VTP!) and made changes. You know how I knew my standards were slipping? One day I decided I shouldn't be checking my email all the time, and I - get this - turned OFF my computer. Just the act of turning it off was hard to do. The rest of that day, I found myself wanting to detour into my office onto the way to the bathroom, and then I'd remember that the computer was off.
So I've come up with a way to organize my time and prioritize my tasks (see tomorrow's post), I regularly turn off my computers, and I make a concerted effort to stick to my pre-defined work times (pre-defined on a daily basis as my life is not THAT structured - thank goodness).
Aaah, standards are once again safe.
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