“Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing.” ~ Sylvia Plath
Policies and procedures
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ― Henry David Thoreau
Although I primarily consult and provide solutions and strategies to help my clients reach their goals, I've come to a painful realization that you have to start with your own. I designed my business around my life; that is, the commitment to my children and my family comes first philosophy. Family coming first isn't easy when you're clocking 70 hours a week. They get to their practices, rehearsals and classes after school and events on the weekends, don't get me wrong; they are they only VIPs that I drop everything for without question or pause.
I have thirty hours a week while they attend school but my projects, deadlines and phone consultations come second to a meeting with an eleven year old at Baskin Robbins to discuss the latest crush a girl at school has on him. My clients come second to quick runs to the store for poster board, glue sticks and report covers. But my clients have interrupted, with my consent, too many home-cooked, family dinners. This week alone I've heard my older boy scold his siblings, one too many times, "Be quiet guys, mom's working!" Exactly the way he's heard me scold too many times of late.
I'm in a crisis mode and struggling to survive. I will squeeze in projects that I can between the hours of two and ten but find it's more work to stop and start than it is to power through from 10pm to 1am, while they're sleeping. But that only equates to another thirty hours...?
So THAT's where my showers go, the housekeeping duties, the piled up laundry, the ungroomed dogs...the lack of home-cooked meals replaced by cheap fast food.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein
This stops today. I hired an assistant earlier this month. Brought her on board early to relieve the load and pressure, but I have only replaced stress over "how the yell do I get it all done?" with the stress of "how am I going to afford this?" Replace stress with stress: where's that in my policy and procedure manual? Cause whomever instituted that should be fired.
I tell my clients, "work smarter not harder" but am I leading by example or shall I treat my clients as I have been my kids "do as I say, not as I do."
Balance, not a creating balance sheets for clients who have not done due diligence, was on my list of things to accomplish this year. I'm failing miserably.
Me time. Riiight, but if I tell myself enough times "do what you love for a living and you'll never work a day in your life" maybe I can convince my landlord to take "good works" as payment in lieu of a check? There's no such thing as me time when the cost to board your animals for a long weekend costs half your monthly rent. (I'm glad I did go on that much needed vacation before I realized I couldn't afford to, but having that follow another mild stroke I'm pretty convinced that I couldn't afford NOT to...)
There are three proper nouns in my life that matter. They cannot be found in a Policy & Procedure manual nor listed on the grid of a budget sheet. They are changing before my eyes, with their own ideas, opinions and personal mantras that I influence, whether good or bad, whether I like it or not. These three nouns are not projects that can be put off. They will not wait and they deserve more than having a chauffeur and a mediocre, grouchy housekeeper whom anyone else would fire.
“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.” ― Henry David Thoreau
A set of policies are principles,rules,and guidelines formulated or adopted by an organization to reach its long-term goals.
Policies and procedures are designed to influence and determine all major decisions and actions,and all activities take place within the boundaries set by them. Procedures are the specific methods employed to express policies in action in day-to-day operations of the organization. Together, policies and procedures ensure that a point of view held by the governing body of an organization is translated into steps that result in an outcome compatible with that view.
“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ― Henry David Thoreau
Although I primarily consult and provide solutions and strategies to help my clients reach their goals, I've come to a painful realization that you have to start with your own. I designed my business around my life; that is, the commitment to my children and my family comes first philosophy. Family coming first isn't easy when you're clocking 70 hours a week. They get to their practices, rehearsals and classes after school and events on the weekends, don't get me wrong; they are they only VIPs that I drop everything for without question or pause.
I have thirty hours a week while they attend school but my projects, deadlines and phone consultations come second to a meeting with an eleven year old at Baskin Robbins to discuss the latest crush a girl at school has on him. My clients come second to quick runs to the store for poster board, glue sticks and report covers. But my clients have interrupted, with my consent, too many home-cooked, family dinners. This week alone I've heard my older boy scold his siblings, one too many times, "Be quiet guys, mom's working!" Exactly the way he's heard me scold too many times of late.
I'm in a crisis mode and struggling to survive. I will squeeze in projects that I can between the hours of two and ten but find it's more work to stop and start than it is to power through from 10pm to 1am, while they're sleeping. But that only equates to another thirty hours...?
So THAT's where my showers go, the housekeeping duties, the piled up laundry, the ungroomed dogs...the lack of home-cooked meals replaced by cheap fast food. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein
This stops today. I hired an assistant earlier this month. Brought her on board early to relieve the load and pressure, but I have only replaced stress over "how the yell do I get it all done?" with the stress of "how am I going to afford this?" Replace stress with stress: where's that in my policy and procedure manual? Cause whomever instituted that should be fired.
I tell my clients, "work smarter not harder" but am I leading by example or shall I treat my clients as I have been my kids "do as I say, not as I do."
Balance, not a creating balance sheets for clients who have not done due diligence, was on my list of things to accomplish this year. I'm failing miserably.
Me time. Riiight, but if I tell myself enough times "do what you love for a living and you'll never work a day in your life" maybe I can convince my landlord to take "good works" as payment in lieu of a check? There's no such thing as me time when the cost to board your animals for a long weekend costs half your monthly rent. (I'm glad I did go on that much needed vacation before I realized I couldn't afford to, but having that follow another mild stroke I'm pretty convinced that I couldn't afford NOT to...)
There are three proper nouns in my life that matter. They cannot be found in a Policy & Procedure manual nor listed on the grid of a budget sheet. They are changing before my eyes, with their own ideas, opinions and personal mantras that I influence, whether good or bad, whether I like it or not. These three nouns are not projects that can be put off. They will not wait and they deserve more than having a chauffeur and a mediocre, grouchy housekeeper whom anyone else would fire.
“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.” ― Henry David Thoreau
No comments:
Post a Comment