Every week, I have a Sunday night freak out. I start worrying about the coming week, the stuff I didn’t get done on the weekend, the meetings I have to attend, calls I have, networking events I am going to…you get the idea. Isn’t it time we took back control?
I look at my calendar and this sense of dread comes over me. Keep in mind, I am the one that sets my schedule, lines up my meetings and establishes deadlines. Just me, no one else.
Why do we feel this need to put all this pressure on ourselves? Take it from me, if you don’t leave time in your schedule to deal with the unexpected you are going to completely snap. Just this past week, I received some devastating personal news, which made my regularly scheduled Sunday Night Freak Out even more dramatic.
After chatting with a colleague and her smacking me upside the head and telling me to “Pull it together, you control your own calendar and your own schedule – so fix it and move on,” I came to the following conclusions:
- Guilt is bullshit. Perhaps it was my blue collar upbringing but if I am not in the office every single day, guilt overwhelms me. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to be around your staff, check in as a team and brainstorm together. However, technology such as phones, video conferencing, g-chat and email all serve to keep us connected, no matter where we are located. If you need to be out of the office for whatever reason, then do it and screw the guilt.
- Schedule conservatively. There is no reason you need to plan 2 out-of-town trips in one week, or 4 meetings in a day. I mean, what the hell? I run a small business, if I don’t plan time in my schedule to do, then I am going to cancel meetings anyways and that is a dick move.
- Give yourself a break. Guess what? No one is perfect. Stop comparing yourself to everyone, you will never be Wonder Woman and I am sure having the pressure of saving the world on you would be pretty stressful. Do what works for you, not someone else.
Stop. Take a deep breath and take back control. Shit happens.
