Robbi Hess

Grow Your Business: Find An Accountability Partner

Working from home as a solopreneur is something that brings with it the luxury and freedom of setting the schedule (and wearing the wardrobe!) of my choosing. There is also the isolation and void of having no one to bounce ideas off of and no one to be accountable to. I don't have a boss hanging over my shoulder expecting resutls by 5 pm. Of course, I have clients that expect results, but as long as they're delivered in a timely fashion, it doesn't really matter if I perform at 6 am or 6 pm or midnight, right? Wrong... if I want to have any kind of a lifestyle.

Last week I made the leap and "got" an accountability partner. My partner,Anne McAuley, is involved in the same field of expertise that I am and that's a boon as we know the obstacles faced in that career path and we can help each other brainstorm and our connections feed off of each other. We sent messages to each other of the items to which we wanted to be held accountable and when we got on the phone we hashed them out, set goals and planned for another talk. I think it's going to work! 

Energy? Energy, Where Are You?

There are days when I am faced with the blank page, the blank screen and words simply do not want to come out. It doesn't matter though, as a full time writer I have no choice but to write whether the muse graces me with her presence or not. She is a fickle bitch at times, but I have learned to work around her moods and lack of showing up when I need her. 

Knowing that you have to write, as I do for a living, means that I have trained my brain to be "on" whether I am really feeling it or not. On those days when my energy is flagging I make certain my inner editor is turned on full force because I will formulate run on sentences and even use words that might not make sense.

Does Blogging Drain Your Mental Energy?

Today's blogging prompt is to research what blog tasks take the most energy and which ones drain you. This one took me a while to determine (lol maybe that's what my post should be about!) 

When I stepped back and gave it some thought I believe what drains me when it comes to blogging is the "What Am I Going To Blog About Today" syndrome. Some days I am chock full of ideas; they overflow my thoughts and I can't usually write them quickly enough. Other days, finding an idea is a long, slow slog through quicksand. 

I believe, though what drains me on those "what am I going to write about" days are outside forces. Outside stressors that pluck at me and tug me in directions from which I'd like to not travel. Taking advantage of my high energy days and formulating ways to get more of those high energy days has been a recent. on-going quest. 

2013 is the Year of Me and of Conquering The Overwhelm. Onward and upward. 

I'd love to hear... are there any blogging tasks that drain you? How can you make them less draining and more enjoyable? 

Pinpointing Energy Drainers

NaBloPoMo prompt: Talk about a time when you used up an extraordinary amount of energy and were exhausted.

This question/prompt brought up a lot of "stuff." To say the past eight months have been trying and challenging and energy-draining would be an understatement. From my diagnosis on April 9 to rounds of surgeons, oncologists, treatment options, etc. etc. dealing with life following a cancer diagnosis and simply trying to get back to "normal" whatever that means right now drains me almost daily.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Okay, this is a long prompt for NaBloPoMo, "If you could be given the option to never sleep and also never be tired, would you take it if it meant you'd also never dream again?" 

If you'd asked me this question a few days ago I would have said, "Sure, I'm fine with not sleeping." I rarely dream -- I realize everyone dreams -- but I rarely, if ever remember them. However, the other night I had a night full of nightmares -- waking up screaming and shaking nightmares.

Does Music Motivate You?

In the ongoing quest to complete NaBloPoMo, the question posed for today is: "What is your favorite song that gives you energy?" This question really stumped me because I honestly don't listen to music other than on rare occasions when I am in the car and there's nothing good on talk radio.

The last song I listened to in the car was "Some Nights" by Fun. It energizes me in the car but would distract me if I was working. For me it's background talk radio.

How about you? What do you write/work to?  

Enjoy this great video and tell me... could you possibly work with this going on?! 

 

When Are You Most Productive and Energized?

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Do you thrive on jumping into tasks before the sun is even up and the house is still quiet or are you better suited to working when the moon is high in the sky and the rest of the household and the world are asleep? 

Knowing the type of individual you are will help you be more productive and energized. If you're a night owl, forcing yourself to get up and jump into a complex task first thing in the morning will likely lead to frustration and burn out. Once you understand your inner workings, it's easy to schedule your workday and plan your most energy draining activities for the part of the day when you're most alert and productive. 

I know that I work best in the morning, after I've had a cup of coffee. As a matter of fact, as I jumped into NaBloPoMo on January 1, I spent quite a bit of time writing several posts and scheduling them ahead of time. My energy and enthusiasm were high and I didn't have any client work pressing so I took advantage of both of those benefits. 

When do you perform at your peak? Have you structured your day to take advantage of that? 

 

How Do You Recharge and Re-Energize?

What steps do you take to recharge your mental batteries? Do you take a walk? Spend time with friends or family? Cuddle your dog on the couch and watch your favorite movie? 

If you're in the midst of a particularly difficult task, how long does it take you to step away from that and recharge? Are you even aware of the fact that you need to recharge and bring a fresh perspective to your day? Many times, in the past, I wasn't aware that my energy was being drained by a particular task I was involved in. I also wasn't always aware of the people who drained my energy. 

Because I know how important it is to care for myself mentally, physically and spiritually, I have learned to be more aware of those things in my daily life that take away my joy. 

When I feel drained, I step away from my computer, close the roll top desk and brew a cup of tea. The simple act of boiling the water and heating the teacup and the other preparations that go into a perfectly brewed cup of tea are calming. Sipping tea while curled up on the couch with Henrietta. A brief 15-minute tea break or a walk (if the weather ever cooperates) energizes me and gives me the mental strength to finish the task at hand. 

How do you recharge? 

Defining Energy-Depleting Tasks

Do you ever feel completely drained at the end of the day but you just can't put your finger on a specific cause? It's quite possible that there is more than one cause or it could simply be that you're facing one particular stressor that is slowly draining your energy. 

Here's a task. During the course of your day, take time to really consider how you're feeling. Take a break every 30 or 60 minutes and gauge your energy level. If you're feeling drained, make a note of what task you were involved in and when you have more time, stop to figure out why it drained you -- did it take a lot of mental energy? Did you say yes to a project for which you should have said no? Are you involved in a task that brings you no mental or spiritual joy? Have you been assigned a project for which you simply don't have the skill set necessary to complete? 

Gauge your mood and your feelings for a couple of days to get a good read on your energy-sappers. If possible get those off your plate. If it's not possible, go into the task knowing it will drain you and give yoruself a treat once you've finished. By treat I don't necessarily mean a piece of triple layer chocolate fudge cake, although that may not be bad for an occasional treat! 

Have you uncovered your energy-depleters?

 

April 9, 2012 was a turning point in my life. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, faced fears of my mortaility and of the unknown as it related to surgeries and treatments.

As a business owner I was accustomed to living by schedules and having a plan for the day; breast cancer took all of that away. I went from being "whelmed" to being overwhelmed and feeling I was trapped in a cyclone. It took a few months, but I was able to regain control, get back on track, deal with oncologists, surgeons and the life-altering consequences of my diagnosis.

Drawing on my time management and productivity skills along with my need to take back control of my life and I started Conquering The Overwhelm.