A thought these past days, as I chat with a friend who is re-building her business. She shares her struggles with self-organization. Planning & doing – arghh. You write up a nice plan, only to find yourself at the end of the week with little done of that plan. Loads of other stuff got done, though. Loads of inner stuff, pleasure stuff. Just not the business-related stuff.
Same here. It is a vicious circuit, really …. because then I start to beat myself up about not doing enough …
Said friend used to work as interim manager with contracts of anything between 6 months and 2 years as HR director. She has been self-employed for more than a decade. “How is it possible that I still lack structure“, she asks herself. My own answer to this struggle with structure:
We are used to an outer structure.
She temporarily joins an organization (with an existing structure) and that helps her to stay organized. She can lean onto that outer structure of office hours, key contacts, project dates and appointments. Just like I did when I worked in corporate. There was a structural skeleton.
Your own business … your own structure: you have to build your own structure, which requires conscious effort and discipline.
That at least is my own conclusion. This may be just silly rumbling for those of you who have spent most of their lives running their own business – it is a real struggle in the time of transition from corporate “home” to your own home.
Actually, I suspect that more of us live this struggle in Corona-times:
Suddenly you find yourself at home. No driving into the office, no office attire, no boss breathing down your neck 🙂 .
Just your screen, your pajamas and a coffee mug. So, how´s your structure now? Do you enjoy additional time at home because you save on commuter time, or do you simply spend that time online instead of on the road. Again we may run into the topic of discipline and structure.
I am still searching for a solution, honestly.
Oh, why I shared this? Because I want you to know: you are not alone. Most folks who find themselves suddenly working from home go through this. This “re-organize yourself” time. I am just shouting out to you – you are ok. Struggle is ok. The struggle is simply the birthing pain of a new way of working. You´ll get there.
I believe there are more than enough tips & tricks out there by now, so you do not really need any clever advise from me. Once you know what´s bugging you, you´ll find a way to shift it. That is really my aim with this post: to give a name to the discomfort you may be experiencing and to assure you:
You are not alone.
.
