{ Creating time off }

Before I "went out on my own" I used to believe that being self employed meant that I could command my own schedule, take days off whenever I felt like it and generally, control my time. Four years later, I look back on that concept and just laugh, sneaking glances over my shoulder to see if my family notices I have crept back into my office. (They have, they just don't argue anymore.)

The reality of being self employed is that I have to keep more balls in the air and I work when there is work to get it done, in case more work comes in the door. Because, if I lag behind, there is no one else to "get 'er done", so to speak. Some days it is overwhelming and others, it's nice because I can work for 4 hours and go out and finish the grocery shopping all by mid-afternoon. But admittedly, those days are fewer and farther between.

So, to create time off means to create limits in the work I take on...a constant internal battle that I have going. Such a difficult thing to do when I love what I do and generally people ask for my services because they honestly need help. This weekend, my niece is here from out of state and I intended to take all four days off, but I found myself working half day yesterday and have put in a couple of hours already this morning. Luckily, she's a late sleeper and I'm an early riser, so that works...for now. But balance must be found and that is not always an easy thing. As the fog lifts from the Puget Sound and the morning dawn lightens the sky, I can maybe finish one more client file before we begin our day's adventure...maybe. And perhaps they'll never know I was here in the office at all!