Last time we talked, I was finishing up a 13 hour day.
I try not to do those on the regular, but I was providing Red Phone Service.
It was my responsibility, as the business owner, to do that.
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The next morning I went to the beach. On a Tuesday.
I went swimming. I walked. I made a little picture. (Not the one below, but one like it.)
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I had a responsibility to hard reset myself.
Because, if I didn't, as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I would be a grouch to my team (bad news), and I would run the risk of being a grouch to my clients (worse news).
I am mostly fine at dealing with just about anything unless I am really tired. When I'm really tired, I will scream cry if my dog yodel barks at me too much while I'm on a call. Yeah. It's real bad.
Please give yourself permission to stop working and do something, anything, fun.
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There's so much going on. The pandemic. The election. The hustle to keep making a living. Keeping up with the fact that everyone alive just discovered gardening at the same time our industry supply chain broke. (See pandemic, above.)
It's really fricking hard to get out of bed right now.
So, like, don't. For an extra hour.
Or, do, and leave the house and do something that has nothing to do with work (or caring for your children if you can find someone to take them for a few hours).
Go somewhere with a nice view and just stare at it for an hour. Don't worry about being productive. Just be.
Sometimes I take my paints to the beach and I just paint lines of every blue I have on my palette. Sometimes I mix them with green. It's soothing and clears my head.
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You can't hard reset 2020.
You can hard reset yourself, and if you haven't, I highly recommend doing so.
Here's how:
Take. A. Week. Off.
Can't do that?
Take a four day weekend. Friday-Monday. It's magical. The Friday is a relief, but it is the Monday that makes it a true luxurious break.
Can't do that?
Take a three day weekend with Monday off. Not a Friday. Friday you're exhausted and will sleep all day. Take Monday. A Monday off feels like a real vacation.
Can't do that?
Take the weekend off.
Or, for the love of all things holy: TAKE ONE DAY OFF. Every week. Make it clear you're unavailable. Take one day all the way off and work your way up to the rest. Take the same day each week and let people know that's your day off.
It's possible to get your clients into the habit of not contacting you on your day off unless they have an emergency. I know because I've done it.
They know they can ALWAYS call or text me with ANY kind of emergency at any time. In return, I get my days off. And we're all happy.
Here's what a day off is:
- No checking email. None. Not just a little bit. If you see something you need to attend to your relaxation will fly out the window.
- Possibly no social media if you use it for work.
- No client phone calls unless there's an emergency.
- Doing whatever you want. WHATEVER. No housework unless you find that relaxing. No visiting relatives (unless you find THAT relaxing).
- No volunteering
- No activism
Just something that will fill your cup back up.
THAT is how you do a hard reset. A free day to be. . . free.
It works wonders!
Write back to me and tell me what you would do if you had one whole day to yourself. And then what you'd do with your four day weekend. I love finding out what makes you happy.
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Fun & Useful Links
This podcast. Everything about it. It helps untangle the weird feelings and emotions about everything going on right now.
This podcast. Short, sweet, impactful, probably the best marketing brain alive right now.
This podcast. Perfect if you're trying to grow your business and you need to grow your team in order to do that.
This newsletter of happy things. (Recommended to me by Noelle.)
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Remember - email me and tell me what you'd do with a day off all to yourself.
Then let's make it happen!
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