Why you're spread so thin.

You know that feeling…

You’re working on something but half your mind is focused on the thing that you have to do next. 

And the thing you have to do after that. 

And that other thing that you've been putting off you still have to get to.

And what are you going to do for dinner?

And did you remember to schedule that appointment?

And what about the laundry…

And oh my God when am I going to get to all these emails?!

That feeling. 

When you’re constantly thinking about the next thing. Always feeling like there is too much to do. Not enough time. 

And everything is always a rush that ends with you collapsing onto the couch at the end of the day (Face first into a pint of ice cream if you’re anything like I was!)

If this feels familiar then you might be surprised when I tell you that it doesn't mean you have too much to do, or that you don't have enough time. 

That's just what we tell ourselves because it seems like the only reasonable explanation. 

But here's what's really going on. 

You’re treating yourself like an employee. 

When we step into a job we get given a long list of “TO DO’s” and told we have 8 hours everyday and GO! We train ourselves to focus on doing everything on that list and then some more. We push ourselves way past our own boundaries because we MUST DO ALL THE THINGS and if we don’t there will be trouble. 

Which frankly is a crap way to manage employees and their workload (and means that there’s not enough focus and strategy in the company to start with, but I digress!) but as a business owner it's hugely problematic. 

Because if you’re an employee, there's always another employee. An employee is replaceable. 

When you are the business owner, especially if you're a solo entrepreneur or in a service based business, you are not an employee. 

YOU ARE THE BUSINESS ASSET. 

If you don’t function, the business does not function. 

I feel like I cant say this loud enough or often enough!

I often think about the huge machines that my husband works with and how much energy, money and downtime is involved keeping those machines perfectly cared for and maintained so that the work they produce when they run is the best they are capable of. 

And then I see women treating themselves like machines that run all the time with no breaks, no scheduled maintenance and being pushed from one task to another until their whole system starts to show cracks and breakdown. 

Hello burnout anyone?

If female business owners treated themselves with half as much are and respect as my husband team treats their machinery, can you even begin to imagine what they would be capable of creating?!

So consider exploring where you feel stretched thin and instead of beating yourself up for not coping better, start to ask yourself what's happening here?

Are you treating yourself like an employee, or are you a CEO who has the skills of evaluation, prioritization and a mindset of protecting your businesses most valuable asset?