This is one of the best problems you can have:too much work. You're putting in the time, you've built your business or bustle, and now customers are clamoring for your talents. It can feel like hurtling down a ski slope. You can tell this will be a fun hike, and it took a lot of time and effort to lug your skis up the mountain, but what if you fall?
I was here. For three years now, I've been working full time while building a writing business on the side. At 5:00 p.m. my second shift begins and lately it extends into a third shift. When the clock strikes midnight, that's when I admit it:I'm in over my head. Usually I fend off a panic attack and do my best to keep working, but recently I discovered a better way.
This problem is not unique to solopreneurs and side noisers. It's easy to bite off more than you can chew in any job, especially if you have a good work ethic and love what you do. It can be hard to say "no" at work. So when you're feeling overwhelmed and your work-life balance is anything but balanced, here are six things you can do.
1. Take a break.
Working non-stop is a slippery slope for your overall well-being and productivity. So take a moment, a breath, or better yet, a little break when you're feeling tired, frazzled, or stuck. Go to the kitchen for an afternoon snack, take a short walk outside, stretch. Taking a minute or five off your computer to do something that refreshes you can do wonders for your energy, focus, and productivity.
2. Set your own deadlines.
It's Monday and your manager or client wants a project completed by Friday. It can be tempting to postpone it until later in the week – after all, you have four days to do it! Instead of procrastinating and increasing the pressure, try setting your own deadline:like Wednesday for part of the project and Thursday for the rest. Getting started is the best way to beat stress, and breaking the task down into less daunting tasks will improve the quality of your work. And by developing a habit of setting personal deadlines, even last-minute assignments will become more manageable.
3. Give yourself grace.
It's easy to let small setbacks get you down or one misstep leave you doubting your skills and talents, but everyone makes mistakes, even the most successful people. So while perfection is impossible, grace is not. If you fall asleep one morning, miss a deadline you set, or get distracted and fail to accomplish everything you wanted to do one day, don't worry. No day or deadline will define you, and dwelling on what went wrong will only get in the way of your goals. If you're having a setback, focus on what you did right that day, and praise you when praise is due.
4. Take time for the essentials.
No project is more important than your family, your friendships and your health. Even when you're faced with a daunting deadline and a mountain of work, it's essential to take time for yourself and the people you love and who love you. It could be a five-minute phone call to catch up with your mom, a short walk around the neighborhood with your husband or wife, or a full-fledged game night with your kids or friends. Balancing your work with your personal will to 1) keep you sane and 2) remind you of what matters most in life.
5. Cut out non-essential items.
Many of us are still in quarantine working from our couches or kitchen tables, and some of us will continue to work from home long after the pandemic is over. Distractions are tempting:the TV is there, and so is your phone, but screens of all kinds can derail your workday. A quick episode here and a scroll through Instagram there, and suddenly you've lost your afternoon. (See Tip #1 for better ways to take a mental break.) Reducing screen time will help you be more efficient with your time, not to mention make you feel better about how you spent. your day.
6. Remember what brought you here.
It's inevitable:every time you bite off more than you can chew, you'll be stressed. You will probably even forget how you got here. But your skill and haste got you to the top of the mountain, and they can certainly get you down there too – intact and ready for another climb.
Tyler Hicks
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Tyler Hicks is a Dallas-based writer. His work has been published in Texas Monthly , the Houston Chronicle , Magazine D and The Dallas Morning News , among other publications. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading mystery novels and watching old movies with his wife.
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