A Month in the Life of an Entrepreneur: Week 4

Over the past month, I have been writing about my process of getting a better handle on my schedule in my business. One of the tools I have been using is a hand-made time tracker. If you are interested, you can check out my tracking log here. I thought I would write this series to give a behind-the-scenes view of working on my business while working in my business. As I write the final installment, I realize this series wasn't about that at all. It was about helping myself see how imperative it is to change how I have been running my businesses.

I think I chose the worst month, or perhaps the best, to track my activities. Every weekend for a month, I have had a work obligation. These were all positive things: presenting at a 1-day regional professional event, teaching a 2-day course through my practice, hosting a community event at the office, and attending a regional conference. I noticed that I didn't give myself any days off before or after, which meant the month ran one day into the next without a break. Hosting, facilitating, and attending those events was not the problem; not giving myself respite in between was.

In the last blog, I wrote about my difficulty cutting things out of my schedule. I have fallen back into an old trap - believing I can't take days off either. The pressures of community work dictated that I take minimal time off and if I did take time, I had to prepare myself for negative feedback from those above me. Now I am the only one above me and have been holding myself to this absurd standard. I keep asking myself, "Why?" There have been times in my business when I had no trouble taking 2 weeks off at a time. What is different about the past year or so that is sitting different? Why am struggling with this now?

The conclusion --- Survival Mode --- it got kicked into gear after Hurricane Ian hit in 2022. It has impacted how I have been running my businesses and personal life (because I have not had much time for a personal life) ever since. There has been an underlying fear that I need to work while the work is available because there may be a period where it isn't as readily available. Despite being fiscally prepared for such an occurrence, the fear is under there. 

Today's episode of the podcast with Sharon Itkoff Nacahe, discussing burnout and creative resilience, reminded me of how necessary it is for business-owning therapists to nourish themselves with creative slow-down time. This weekend, I have some slow-down time planned for myself. I also plan to clear a bulk of time off my schedule to get away this summer and relax.