Another week has passed and i’m finding myself on the edge of burnout once again.  Being my own boss is something I would not trade for the world - but I have to say that I am the worst boss I’ve ever had!  I tend to burn out way too often.  My attempts at taking Friday’s off have not worked out all that well so far because I tend to still make myself available - defeating the purpose entirely.  So I went in search of information on the subject online today and came up with some pretty cool stuff.

The reality is that you are only really doing yourself and your clients a favor if you are working at your fullest potential - and the only way to do that is to allow yourself time to relax.  It’s also how you can assure that you won’t end up hating what you are doing.  I have found that working myself to the brink of exhaustion only results in my mind periodically going blank and things that should be rather easy to figure out become 5 - 6 hour unbillable nightmares.  Relief is in sight if you too find yourself often in this same position.

1. Decide in advance when you will be taking time off and be sure to give all of your client ample warning.  When you finally do take time off there will be no surprises.  If necessary put someone in place who can help to handle any emergencies - but if you are taking time off, take time off.  If you get in the habit like I did of still making yourself available during your off-time your clients will take advantage of it.
2. Turn it all off.  If you are trying to follow a specific schedule and want your clients to respect that schedule then you have to adhere to one.  For instance - my office is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm Pacific.  I am closed on Fridays so that I can simply focus on issues related to my own business and to have some time to relax.  (the problem right now is that I need to actually follow that schedule and get used to shutting down at the end of my day and NOT making myself available to clients on Fridays unless absolutely necessary)
3. Stop working on weekends.  If you were working a regular job, you would most likely have two days off each week, be it Saturday and Sunday or any other two days of the week.  The purpose of these days are so that you can relax and well, enjoy the fruits of all that weekly labor.  Basically - TO LIVE.  Do not make the mistake of working on weekends.  If you must make it an option - charge double.  If someone needs you that badly that it cannot wait until Monday - then they will likely be willing to pay for it.
4. Set boundaries and stick to them.  This is something I’m always working on myself, but as I set them I definitely notice the positive impact in the long run.  If you have not set boundaries before and you have clients inadvertently walking all over you, when you finally start setting some you will likely encounter some tension.  Do not let this deter you.  Any clients that are worth keeping are ones who value your time, skills and most of all you as a person who also has a life.  The fear always exists that if you tell someone “no” that you might lose them as a client.  While this may be true from time to time consider who is walking and who is willing to work with you.
5. Set reasonable turn times on projects.  One thing that often puts me deep in a hole, being the people pleaser that I am, is giving my clients unrealistic turnaround times.  You may think that you are impressing your clients by saying on Monday that you will have their project concepts over to them by that same Wednesday, but really what you are doing is 1. adding stress by promising something that you may not be able to deliver and 2. ultimately disappointing and causing your clients doubt as to your abilities when you don’t come through for them.  Your best bet here is to always overschedule.  If on Monday you take a project, be realistic based on your current schedule and how much time you really need to complete the project based on time spent on similar projects in the past.  If your timeline does not work for the client, it’s almost always possible to contact other clients to see if you can buy time on their projects.  Or in some cases you just plan ahead to work a little longer on some days - it all depends on how much you want that gig.  But be realistic.  If it’s Monday - say you will have it on Friday.  Then when you get it to them on Thursday they are likely to be elated.
6. Lastly, delegate!  This can be a tough one - even for myself but if you ever want your business to grow, let alone step away from your desk you need to pass things off to others.  Start out small but just getting one person to assist with things like scheduling your calls, handling emails and interacting with new clients, etc.  You will find that as you start to pass off things here and there that more and more of your time frees up.  What do you do with that time?  Well, for one you can relax a bit more!  But you can also focus that time on more endeavors that increase your bottom line.  Not having to spend time on little time wasters makes a huge difference.

I have to admit that I’m no saint here - I’m struggling with all of the above even still…but it’s slowly getting better over time.  I think maybe I’m hoping that this may help someone else in the same situation and that maybe by typing it all out that I might remember what it is I need to be doing as well!