When the Going Gets Tough, Go to the Beach

One of the most challenging parts about owning a business is the balance. I don’t mean work-life balance; I mean the balance of client work. Don’t want so much that you’re overwhelmed or clients feel neglected; don’t want so little that you feel panic. Don’t want to turn work away, don’t want to chase clients down.  

Work is the slowest it’s been in years. So slow, in fact, that I checked with my IT person to make sure my email was working. My inbox has never been so quiet! After an overwhelmingly busy Q1, and a trip to Patagonia that I’m still talking about six weeks later, I’d like to be able to enjoy this slower season.

I know the work will come, but it can be hard to quell the panic. I’m ready to shift into a season of fulfilling client goals, so while I’m taking all the actions I can to market and follow-up with potential clients, sometimes you’ve got to pull the rip-chord.

Instead of filling my spare time obsessing over my empty inbox, or worse, sitting in my office pretending to work, but instead biting my nails and doom-scrolling the internet, I course-corrected.

And so I went to the beach.

Not only did a day in the sunshine and a cold plunge in the Gulf of Mexico do a world of good for my mental and physical health, it served as a type of reset. Not only did I get the idea for this blog post, but at 4:53 pm, a text from a client who had approved my proposal. Hurrah!

I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. There will always be work. There will always be stress. The most effective approach I have ever found is often counter-intuitive: stop working. Stop worrying. Stop obsessing. Do something instead that brings you joy, fills your cup, gets you out of your head.

What is your go-to action when you need a reset and sitting at the computer is just not working?