In the Beyond PMS talks I’ve been giving, I emphasize issues of time management, the separation of work/not-work, and the importance of taking care of yourself in order to be able to be more fully “there” for your business, as well as marketing issues for the commercial photographer. Some of this sounds a bit flaky, especially coming from someone who makes her home in Southern California, but there is plenty of sound science to these points.
Besides, I’m a Midwesterner who just happens to live in California, so I’m actually darn practical.
Anyway, these are really important issues, these balance and health issues, and not ones I’ve pulled out of my, er, hat. I read lots of articles on productivity, efficiency, management, etc., from many sources before I distill the info and share it with my audiences. Most of them have some component of health and stress management.
Recently, for example, I came across some interesting articles on work/life balance and stress issues from the Mayo Clinic (not exactly a bunch of flakes there!). The first deals with how important it is to say “no” and how to do it, the second is about drawing the line between work and life (or as I call it “work” and “not-work”). While these articles are written to speak to employees rather than the self-employed, the information holds very true (in fact, the issues are often even greater for the self-employed, I think).
Think about one small change you can make today to reduce stress and/or improve your work/not-work balance. Can you commit to stopping work at 5:30pm today–no matter what? How about committing to a “date night” once a week with your significant other for the rest of the year? Maybe you could promise yourself to play a game for 15 minutes every day or to take a walk for 30 minutes at lunch tomorrow. There are lots of little things you can do–pick one and try it on; if it works for you, keep at it and try another. The cumulative effect will be impressive over time.
More importantly, you will do better work and be happier.