I know you aren’t finished with building your private practice and I am already talking about self-care. I can hear you thinking, “She now wants me to take time away from my business for what? Self-What?” I hear some of you saying aloud, “What are you crazy Sherry?” I can assure you I do understand your hesitation and your need to want to build your business and do it fast. One of the greatest benefits of building a private practice is the ability to build the business around your lifestyle and create the business to support you and your dreams. Not the other way around. Hold up, did you hear what I just said? Let me repeat…
“The ability to build the business around your lifestyle….”
I too got it wrong the first couple of years I was in business. When I was transitioning to full-time private practice, I was accustomed to working both my jobs often putting in a 12 to 14-hour day. Then when I only worked in my private practice, I continued the crazy long hours. At first, I felt good about building my business, and I was seeing my work paying off. However, somewhere along this journey, I found that I had stopped using the word “No.” It was like I just forgot how to say it. I spent my days seeing clients, networking, writing copy for my website, taking on projects and tell others “Sure, I can do that or fix that.”
Remember as a business owner you often get stuck with the stuff nobody else will do. In my group practice, I ran around always not having enough time. I thought that if only I worked harder or became more efficient or wrote down my top three priorities, I could do “it” all. I was seeing about 30 clients a week and then working on the administration of my business. To say some tasks got dropped would be an understatement. I was forgetting things and not finding the time to really sort through my priorities.
No one, not even Superman could have a to-do list of 30 items a day and expect it all to get done.
Setting priorities just weren’t happening. I would wake up and 5:30 AM which I still do; start answering emails while having a conversation with my spouse about what is happening in our children’s lives and where I need to be and when for some family event. I would get home after 9:00 PM and I would be in bed by midnight if I was lucky; then I would do it again all over the next days for 5 days in a row. I was draining myself, Slowly at first, but then the weekends were not enough to reoperate from. I became tired and cranky and I sure wasn’t the best business owner, and more importantly, I wasn’t having fun. One of my criteria for my business is that I enjoy my work and have fun. I was so focused on the to do list that no fun was being had. Then a few years ago, for my birthday we took a cruise and traveled for another week. I actually took 2 weeks off in a row. I shut down my emails, turned off the phone and thoroughly enjoyed my time with family. When I returned to my office, surprise everything was just fine. The office got along without me, payroll was still done, therapists still saw clients, the building was still standing. I had overestimated my importance to my business. However, when I returned I was refreshed and ready to work. I was able to let more go and delegate some other tasks.
I renewed my joy of having off time, being off, allowed me to reset my fun setting.
I was invigorated and I was a happier, more creative and nicer person. From is the experience I knew I had to make a change. An ironic funny fact is that I teach a class to new social workers on self-care. I was doing a few things in the right direction it wasn’t but not enough. The first thing I did was shorten my day to 8 hours, and on rare occasions, I can extend it to 10 hours if I am teaching a class or have travel time. But I only do it 1 day during the week, not all 5 days. The next thing I did was as my clients completed therapy I did not take on new clients. I brought my caseload down to half. Lastly, I looked at my daily routine and added in daily meditation, journaling, exercise and packing my lunch. I also try to write a little each day and have fun with my staff. I no longer want to be that person that never had time.
I would encourage you to look at your schedule and see what tasks must be done by you and what others could do for you. Take time for you every day by doing something just for you. Think about your top 10 items that you love to do. Try to fit in as many as possible to your week. The best results that I found by doing this self-care was I felt I ran my business better because I wasn’t running around putting fire outs, I could create my business building plan and work on it rather than be pulled into too many directions and not get anything done. I use a calendar to schedule my tasks and goals that I want to accomplish, but when my day ends, I gladly pack up and head home for family time. I now feel in control of my business and not the other way around.
Let’s be amazing together
by first taking care of us, by building in the rest we need for our mind, body, and soul. When you feel overwhelmed stop, and listen to your body, there is an inner voice, however, small telling you to slow down and have some fun, allowing that voice to come through you will be glad you did.
Sheralyn (Sherry) Shockey-Pope, LMFT © 2017 All Rights Reserved