Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Take A Break

The biggest downside to being self-employed is that there's no paid vacation. When I don't work, I don't get paid. This creates a dramatic tension that leaves me feeling guilty when I'm not working the hours that I need to be. Yet, intellectually, it's completely unrealistic to expect full employment and full hours, 52 weeks a year. Life isn't about money, but money is certainly important. Set goals, work hard, but don't exhaust yourself and lose everything.

Setting realistic goals give you clarity. During work hours, you know what to work on and what you're working towards. Goals should be broad enough to offer you several avenues to success, but defined enough so that you aren't floating out in space. When you have an understanding of where you're going, you can better plan your days.

Work hard during work hours. Too many people are lazy and fritter away precious time that could be used knocking out tasks and finishing projects. Then, when deadlines loom, they struggle to catch up. The key to achieving a work-life balance is to use each time appropriately. Use work time to accomplish work-related tasks and use family time for family activities only.

When you have clear direction and work diligently during work hours, you can give yourself permission to take a break. You understand the value of rest and when you've done all that you can during the week, you can relax on the weekend knowing that all is taken care of. Even more importantly, when you work hard, you can take guilt and work free vacations.

Rest is as important to your career your as work is. By using down time to restore your creative energies, you can do your best work when you're on the clock.