Procrastination or Self-Care

Like every serious professional, I have a plan for my business. As a matter of fact, I am a huge fan of planning, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I am of course talking about the part where you brainstorm, think big, dream, come up with new crazy ideas, the fun stuff, not so much the part where you put it all in a spreadsheet and track the details. If you know me, you know it’s true...

But seriously. I usually send out my note to you on Tuesday and I write it somewhere between Friday and Tuesday morning, depending on how much life is happening when. Between school starting for my kids, soccer games, onboarding a couple of new clients, and creating and hosting my Master DIY PR digital course, there just haven’t been enough hours in the days lately. (I really should get a cleaning lady, too.)

So, last Monday, which was Labor Day, I felt super stressed because I had so much work on my to-do list, writing this email being just one of them. No thought of barbecuing and playing yard games like one should be doing on a holiday to enjoy the end of summer. Grrr.

Granted, as a business owner, being busy is good because it means income, especially in the crazy world we live in where nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. I am sure you can relate. That’s exactly what I was telling myself as I was looking at the daily affirmation on my desk calendar that said: “I take care of the world when I take care of myself.” Good point, excellent point, and very timely. I am 100% on board with the idea, and as a European, I should know a thing or two about work-life balance. But it tends to slip my mind because I think I can do it all. At least when I slot it into my calendar in bright happy colors, it all seems to fit. Except nothing ever quite goes as planned, so the hours expand.

In the end, I decided to put my self-care over my self-discipline and skip my email, which I am sure you were impatiently awaiting (lol!) There was a pang of guilt because it felt like procrastination and an excuse, but I quickly got over it once I sat down with my book and a glass of wine. 

Apparently, procrastination is not always a bad thing, as long as it is intentional, purposeful and necessary so you can take better care of yourself. Let’s face it, doing PR is not saving the world or finding a cure for a virus. It can wait a week.

Cheers to that!