As the new year begins I've slowly been getting back into the swing of things with work. To be entirely honest, it hasn't been an easy transition. The time I took off after the holiday rush was much needed, and in retrospect was some of the first "time off" I've given myself since I quit my day job and took up working for myself full time.
Balance is something that has long been important to (and often eluded) me and the more I connect with other creative-self-employed-types, the more I see that finding balance is one of the biggest challenges of this lifestyle. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist workaholic (something I didn't know about myself until recently-it's crazy the things we keep from even ourselves) and I have struggled to create a sense of healthy structure and balance between my work and every day life.
Living and working in the same space, not to mention having a partner who is also self-employed, makes this extra challenging. There's just no clear line between "work time" and "non work time" and I struggle to find a sense of having done "enough" each day, and to create a sense of accomplishment for myself. Unlike most jobs and school there isn't someone else to give me a pat on the back, to hand out a grade, a raise, or a "job well done." It's just me, and it turns out I'm a pretty demanding boss most of the time.
So, all of this is to say, when I found myself a bit resistant to jumping headlong back into work this week I decided, in the name of balance, to try to be ok with that. To allow it to be what it is, and not be so hard on myself. I am trying to see it all as a process, something I will likely continue to struggle with and learn from for years to come.
How do you create balance in your life? Especially if you work for yourself, what have you learned while striving to find it?
I will leave you with a few sneak peek photos from our Lake Quinault trip (which was amazing!!) as well as a lovely hike with a friend today. More photos from our trip to come soon!
Happy friday friends!
