Stress

 Would getting organized be life changing? I spoke at the May Women in Business luncheon for the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce last spring, and many women vocalized a concern for the lack of time for their personal interests, or trouble finding the balance between work and home.  If this sounds like you, make a list of “life layers” or major events that need to be factored as a priority.

My office is a charming little cottage my son built for me as a dedicated office.  Weather permitting, the door is kept open most of the year for guests – both invited and uninvited.  That means that my garden cat, my unpaid office assistant, roam in and out for a snack.  The occasional hummingbird flits briefly inside while feeding at the flowers surrounding the door.  Horses gallop and roll in the pasture behind.  Usually this enviroment keeps me fairly relaxed.

 
But, not always.  Monday I had another fight with my printer.  I won,

After a great week at the beach enjoying surf, sand and shrimp with family, I came home to computer problems. Talk about coming back to the real world with a reality jolt. Immediately having a speech to give and a class to teach just added to the pressure. A few other issues needed to be resolved such as office phone problems.  I realized, instead of plowing ahead, I needed to pull back and allow myself some recovery time.

 
Here is what helped. I stopped and got my house in order – everything from the trip put away. Then I did the same with my office.

I saw myself in my clients’ shoes Sunday evening. I was working in my yard. You may have noticed I have been doing that a lot, trying to tame the jungle. Anyway, I had a project planned to clear an area for a lettuce bed (although it may almost be too late to plant lettuce), but instead I was weeding. I started listening to myself and the conversation was going like this – “This isn’t what you planned to do. Go back to the lettuce project. But these weeds are so easy to pull up…This isn’t what you planned…..

The other day, I had a really good day working with a client rescuing a room in her home. It did involve over 3 hours of drive time, so all in all, it was a long day. To top it off I had a one hour Mastermind Call and a one hour teleseminar, plus email to do. I could have skipped the Mastermind Call or the class, but was determined to plow though.