I never thought I would say this, but I’m actually thankful that I got this horrible flu last week. Headaches, a constantly stuffy nose, and endless coughing aside, I needed that break from work. There was no way I could maintain the crazy hours required to juggle dozens of projects, two boys (on a school holiday), a household to run, a blog to update, social media pages to manage, and all while my part time help is away on home leave. It was exhausting to be “on” all the time, always worrying about my brand, whether I was sticking to my editorial calendar, or marketing my services properly. This is on top of actually working in my business – coding websites, designing visual brand identities, painting illustrations – the parts that I actually love to do.
What was last week like, apart from being surrounded by a cloud of used tissues? It was glorious! My parents are here, so my mum took over the kitchen and my dad entertained the boys. I spent hours in bed, curled up with books (Cuckoo’s Calling and then The Silkworm, both really good) and hot ginger tea. There was no marketing plan to think of (goodness knows I really couldn’t think at all, with my phlegm-filled head), no social media strategy to implement, no posts to write, no coding problem to solve. It was heavenly.
Having your own business and working from home is exhilerating, but it can also be exhausting. We all need to take breaks once in a while to recharge and to catch up on everything else going on in our lives. And while it’s totally admirable to work while you’re sick, and I’m guilty of this sometimes, it’s also absolutely pointless. You won’t be at your best, and you won’t be doing everyone else any favors by operating at less than 100%. There’s no need to drive yourself into the ground.
How about you? Do you take breaks from your business or your blog?
*The stock image I used here is from Haute Chocolate, a new site offering stock images for blogs. If you sign up to their mailing list, you get free styled desktop images!
Hope you are feeling better, Pat!
Thanks Ceemee! The virus is still going strong, but I feel much better. You are so kind!
Hi Patricia! I hope you’ve recovered from your flu 🙂 Thank you so much for using our free image and for linking back to Haute Chocolate. I’m so happy to have discovered your beautiful space on the web – your work is absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks Rachel! And thank you for the generous gift of your gorgeous images!
I’m glad you’re feeling better, Pat. After reading this, I am all the more inspired by you!
I can relate with just how much stuff needs to be done, especially when you’re a work-at-home mom. I’m failing at keeping my blog, social media and online shop updated 🙁 *sigh*
I really hope that just like you, I find the best way that works for me to manage everything that I have to do. My small kids eats up most of my time… and it’s always so much fun! When they’re around, I can’t have any work done at all. But that to me is heaven and my way of rest na din. haha.
Oh, I get you, Peachy! We just need to get our priorities straight and focus on those that are more important.