Say the word “Freedom” to people and ask them what it means to them. You’ll get a variety of responses but most of them will have a common theme…responsibility or the lack of it.
This was the one thing that excited me the most about quitting teaching and joining the business with Mike. Freedom. To me it meant
- nobody telling me who I was going to work with
- nobody telling me when I was supposed to do things
- I decide what I want to do and when I want to do it
- I set my own schedule
- I am my own boss
That was my mindset for at least the first year. At times, it felt like absolute heaven. After the pretty regimented schedule of the school year, I leapt to the extreme opposite. I would decide when I woke up what I was going to do that day. Maybe I’d go grocery shopping. Maybe it would be working on the website. But slowly, things got more and more chaotic. I didn’t know what was going on from day today. My day ended up running me rather than the other way around. I was feeling overwhelmed and struggled with everything that needed to be done. There just wasn’t enough time!
With Freedom comes great responsibility. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
To use the cliche ~ “Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.” Freedom, in all sorts of ways, is fabulous. But when you don’t manage it properly, it can become much more than you bargained for.
I finally realized the one thing I was so excited to get rid of was the one thing I needed most to thrive and be successful. I needed a schedule.
Even after coming to that realization, I still struggled. I would try to make a schedule but then this video shoot would come up or that client email come through….I still wasn’t in charge of my day. I still didn’t have enough time!
Through the help of my good friend Rhonnye Morton, I learned some great time management practices, making priorities, blocking my time, etc. As soon as I did that, it was amazing how open my schedule became! There really was time to get everything done. Getting a schedule back actually brought the freedom I was craving. I carve out time not just to do client work but also to work ON our business as well as putting time to get personal items done. I’m feeling much more relaxed and in control.
Rhonnye was kind enough to give me permission to share the handouts from her Time Management Workshop with you. If you have questions or would like help getting your schedule under control, you should get in contact with her. You can Click Here to email her.