It’s a good thing to be busy. Sometimes it’s even better to be overwhelmed with work. You get to do a lot of new, fun things and you make more money.
But, as they say, there can be too much of a good thing. And this is one of those times.
About a year ago, I started an informal policy of closing my office down at noon on Fridays. I use Friday afternoons to take care of business for myself and my company.
The last six months, however, have been so overwhelmingly busy that I have not had time to do this. This extended busy spell has made me realize just how important those Friday afternoons were — both to me personally, and to my business. Many things have been put on hold while I’ve been taking care of clients.
As of May 1, 2017, I’m making this change official. My new office hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays. I will not be taking calls or checking emails between noon Fridays and 8 a.m. on Mondays.
As my clients already know, there are always exceptions. For example, I needed to rebuild a website in WordPress in April due to an emergency situation. That called for long days, nights and weekend work to meet the deadline of April 28. I was happy to do it to take care of this client’s needs.
However, this long-term situation has also taught me that I can’t make this a lifestyle. This change will keep me refreshed to handle my customers’ business more quickly and competently. I’ll also be better at keeping up with the changes my business needs to make to stay competitive.
In January 2016, I had the privilege of being in a pilot project for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. Twelve entrepreneurs were chosen for a six-week set of classes on managing your business better.
One of the best speakers talked about how you spend your time. He said most owners of small business spend the majority of their time being “technicians” — just making things work. They need to spend more time being “entrepreneurs,” and developing ideas to expand their businesses and make them better.
So for me, I need to take more time to be less of a technician, and more of an entrepreneur. First project: redesigning my own website. Some great new design trends are emerging, and I’m anxious to start implementing them so I can also incorporate them into my clients’ websites.
I also need to start keeping my New Year’s resolution to market myself like I coach my clients to do for their businesses. Blogging, social media and website updates need my attention.
As I approach the ninth anniversary of starting Catena Creations, I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me make it this far. I appreciate your support and understanding as I make this change.