The last few weeks have really made me reevaluate how I manage my time. Lately I have been working 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day, either in the office, in my home office or at an event. The crazy thing is I love what I do. In my previous life when I was asked to work such hours, I would be ticked off because my position was salaried and I would have felt taken advantage of. However, now it’s a labor of love and if I could work 48 hours straight, I probably would.
The challenge for me is to find a good work-life balance that works for my household. I have a FABULOUS support system that most of my colleagues wish they had and I couldn’t do what I do without it. I work some grueling hours for SJE, however I work just as hard to make sure my family doesn’t get the short end of the stick. Doing this may cause a little sleep deprivation every now and again, however every hour lost in sleep is spent wisely.
I am saying this because I have met some great up and coming planners that are really excited about diving head first into the industry but don’t quite understand how to create balance and set boundaries. So I am sharing a few tips I have learned:
- Be realistic when setting expectations for your clients in regards to your availability and if they are the right client for you, then they will understand and respect you for not overpromising and under delivering.
- Manage your time wisely. Schedule your time to focus on certain items on your things to do list and stick with it.
If you truly love what you do, then it shouldn’t feel like such a chore to put in the work required to be successful.
Great advice.