I’ve been incredibly busy for the last couple of months. My work days have been 10-14 hours, 6 if not 7 days a week.
In the meantime, Jon redesigned my site (if you hadn’t noticed, take a look around!), and in every e-mail I found the time to write, I asked friends and family for their opinion. My dearest friend, Naomi, replied, ”I did go to your new website and it is fabulous. You sound so much like you love what you do! If only it could be that way all of the time.”
Oops. It became clear to me I had ranted about my work woes a little too much, for a little too long. It got me to thinking: I love what I do, don’t I? So why do I get so cranky and give the impression I don’t?
It’s all a matter of balance. The stress of working long hours can take the fun out of any job. Novels are the highlight of my career, the work I most love to do, but they are long, involved projects. Because I can’t say no to my regular clients for months at a time, I find myself continually stretched to the limit. No one is going to get anything but the very best I can give them, so I take the time needed to read each job carefully, translate it well, and revise it closely.
Is this cycle of love and exhaustion just part and parcel of what it means to run my own business? Will I find that elusive middle ground I’ve been striving to find for the past 7 years (at least)? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I know I have to keep it front and center as I plan my business strategy, let it be a major factor I consider every time a new job and deadline are there to be negotiated.
Do you ride the same roller coaster? Any personal experiences or strategies to share? They’d surely be welcome…
