I have always loved to stay busy. This is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I love the sense of accomplishment when I get a lot done in a day. On the other hand, I get overwhelmed and frustrated when certain things on my to do list take longer than expected and I have to alter the rest of my day.
I have always claimed that one of my weaknesses is that I “bite off more than I can chew” in terms of tasks. I generally have a good grasp on my time management, but I will also work tirelessly until all my tasks are complete leaving me mildly burnt out. While being ambitious is an admirable, balance and controlled growth is necessary.
I went through a phase recently of feeling like I did not have enough to do each day. As a person who likes to stay busy, you can imagine, this drove me nuts. So, I began taking on more and more to the point where I am now anxious to have more work. In fact, I am being cautious about what I do take on so that I do not fall into the trap of losing my work life balance.
Patience is a major key when it comes to growing a small business. This is not one of my strongest suits, but I am working to improve my ability to be content where I am and embrace the process. As my husband and I continue to grow our antique business and I make progress with my freelance social media business I hope to keep things in perspective.
Growth is good and natural but allowing yourself time to adapt and adjust to change is key. Balance is about finding the point at which you can manage comfortably. Then you can explore taking on more and testing your limits. If you bite off too much all at once you may find that balance is nearly impossible to achieve, as you will always be biting off more.
Remember to reset the scale. Give yourself time to find balance before adding too much to your plate. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.