Yeah, so about that long pause between posts...I, um, went back to work almost two years to the day from when I quit my last job to work my business full-time.
Remembering how to work a "job" and my business together has been a struggle. My energy levels are pretty different now than in 2018 - the last year, I had my biz tucked into the cracks of my daily schedule that weren't full of commutes, the "job," and everyday life.
Daily life took over in 2019, squeezing the business into hibernation, and well, we all got turned around in 2020. I attempted to pivot the company to be more "online," but with the increased stress, I had less mental capacity. And in case it wasn't obvious, baby businesses don't grow without lots of attention. I just didn't have it to give.
My leap of faith in 2021 required me to build new routines. Those routines were tailored to fit how my energy flows and what needed to be done.
That's a luxury that doesn't exist when I work in the crazy that is American corporate work culture. For example, my sleep is trash. I don't sleep through the night, so mornings aren't high-energy times for me. My business work day started at 10 am when my brain, body, and spirit were fully awake and in sync. When I hit that 2 pm slump, I could stop work and tend to myself. Usually, my next burst of energy happens around 9 pm and can last up to four hours. I'd work and then go to bed.
If you work for any type of corporation, you know the aforementioned schedule will not fly. The 10 to 2 energy burst is okay, but that leaves the first 2 hrs of the work day where I'm in a mental fog, missing details and struggling with comprehension.
The afternoon slump is the same. That two hours between 3 and the typical close of business is hell for me mentally.
Oh, and let's not miss how I'm dealing with a commute during the times my energy is at its absolute lowest, both morning and evening. Dramatically speaking, I'm in danger of falling asleep behind the wheel during stop-and-go, rush-hour traffic. It is not cool.
Then there's getting home at almost 7 pm, tired and hungry with things to be done before bed, just in time for my second energy burst to kick in. If I give in and open the laptop, I delay my attempt at getting enough sleep, which keeps the cycle of my zombie imitation on full roll.
I'll spare you the details of my weekend. Suffice it to say, I'm struggling then as well.
It's only been two months, and I'm slowly bringing my business back to life. In fact, I'm choosing this time to refresh my biz goals, which calls for a re-do of my to-do lists, allowing me to consider the change in when I can best use my energy and for what tasks.
Side note: Customer surveys are annoyingly (to me, anyway) all the rage these days. I've put off doing one because my audience is small, and I wasn't sure I'd get any responses. Well, these past two years of full-time entrepreneurship taught me that I might not be giving the people what they want, so it's past time I found out "what you really, really want..."
(yes, I'm, once again, using that tried and true Spice Girls reference.)
So, it's survey time. Please, please, please...take the next 10 minutes, tops, to fill out the first-ever customer feedback questionnaire from Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting.
There's a thank-you gift for all respondents and entry into the Nowata Press 15th Anniversary Giveaway, where the winner receives a gift basket full of books, swag, and a $20 gift card. More on that later.
And that's that. I'm back on the payroll, grateful to be in a position to recover financially. It's going to be an interesting summer, to say the least. I do hope you'll stay tuned.
Sending light and inspiration,
Dana
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