What a hard-driving boss! * What free time? * What about your health?

by Metta Zetty
(Austin, Texas)

Metta Zetty

I've been self-employed for over 13 years now as a professional meeting facilitator and organization development consultant, and I've had several hard-won lessons over the years.

However, 4 of the most important lessons I've learned have taught me a lot about:
` who I am,
` how I work most effectively,
` what is most important to me, and
` how to take better care of myself.

(1) First, I discovered that I'm the toughest boss I've ever had! For years, I always thought my employers were the ones who were pushing and driving me to keep such long, wearisome hours. But, once I went out on my own, I soon realized that my commitment to doing a good job (along with my tendency toward compulsive perfectionism) meant that I was willing to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of my clients -- including working nights, weekends and even pulling a few all-nighters.

Over the years, this has certainly paid off in as much as most of our consulting work has always come from referrals and repeat business from satisfied clients (we don't even have an advertising budget), but I've also learned the hard way that I can't burn the candle at both ends without paying a very high price.

Which leads to the next two valuable lessons about time management....

(2) If you are a workaholic and you don't manage your time, you'll never have any free time! At first, I always blamed my heavy workload and my lack of free time on my client responsibilities. After all, I do have to be available at their beck and call, right?

Now I know better. If I don't manage my time, and give myself some downtime and free time, I never will have any, so I am doing a better job now of pacing myself, even if it means postponing work with a valuable a client.

(3) I've also learned that trading dollars for hours is a really tough way to earn a living, which is why I'm shifting the focus of my long-term income-earning strategy away from contract work to building several strong, steady streams of residual income. In the end, I know this will allow me to continue earning even after I retire from my consulting practice.

(4) Finally, I've learned that I simply have to take care of my own health. I won't be of any help or value to anyone I love if I sacrifice my health by spreading myself too thin trying to meet both my business and my family commitments.

This means I've adopted several health-saving strategies during the workday which I highly recommend to anyone else who is just starting out on the self-employment adventure:

--> I actually set a kitchen timer for 60 minutes every hour throughout the day simply to make myself get up out "the chair". (Again, I learned this lesson the hard way after developing back problems from spending too much time in front of the computer.)

--> Every hour when I get up, I also do a few minutes of stretching or a bit of aerobic exercise just to keep all "the parts" moving and in good working order.

--> I also keep a liter bottle filled with alkaline water beside me all the time, with the goal of drinking 3-5 liters a day. Not only does this help keep the body (and the spine) hydrated, it also provides another good reason to get up out of the chair from time to time!

--> Also, I recommend taking advantage of the fact that you are working in your PJs: take a cat nap whenever you need it! You'll be happier and healthier for it, and you'll be able to share more good times with your family and friends if you are relaxed and well rested! www.mettaonline.net