A week ago I wrote a post on my new blog: “Not Enough Time in the F*cking Day”. I chose the cruder title because I was frustrated that I once again failed to achieve what I wanted to achieve in my self-imposed 7 or 8 ish hour work day.
A week later I find myself with the same problem. It’s time to send the newsletter out and somehow it’s dinner time too.
How did this happen? How come I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to?
When I was younger, I always wanted to do everything by myself.
Well, not everything, but anything I was good at and most things I enjoyed. (The exceptions being cards and board games.)
It took me a long time – and an intercession from my mother – to realize that I needed someone to help me figure out what I was doing with my life.
For a number of years I worked with a coach. A “life” coach you might say.
At the time I think there was more stigma associated with the idea. At least I felt that way. But now it feels like it’s more acceptable for people to admit they need help.
Before I worked with him, I struggled mightily with the idea of getting help or even asking for help, because I didn’t think I needed it.
But of the many things I got from working with this coach, one of the biggest was accountability.
I am not good with accountability when I am only accountable to myself. But with another person involved, I had to be accountable both intellectually and in terms of my habits and actions.
I bring this up because I think that’s what I am struggling with most today. (This week. This month.)
I have so many habits, some of which aren’t that important, that I am not getting enough done of what I actually need to do. I miss my accountability buddies. (Something else I did to hold myself accountable.)
So I’m working on coming up with a better way of designing my day, so I do what’s possible and don’t beat myself up for not doing everything. But I also need to do what’s necessary rather than the make-work projects I am so good at giving myself.
For my clients I’ve decided that I am going to be far more strict about homework: from now on everyone who works with me has to do their homework or I fire them.
I know that sounds extreme but I think that holding each other accountable is the only way to really succeed in this whole solopreneur thing.