I’m going to juxtapose two quotes, rendering them better for explaining where my crazy head’s at on this than I can word-vomit out:
These quotes temper my thought-pendulum, because y’all, I could say yes to everything. Couldn’t you? I’m mid-way through Alli Worthington’s Breaking Busy book, and realizing that even in quitting my corporate gig to waltz into freelance life, I’m still in my flesh. I am still a people-pleaser. I still think I can put work very, very high on my list and get away with it.
I realized over the past week running Ashlyn Writes that I am putting three firm boundaries into play, and I wanted to share them with you. Accountability, ya know?
1. I uphold that my home office is my office, and just because it’s not in a tower doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Aka I’m reigning in all my about-town driving around dropping off orders.
It’s part of my Southern blood. The bend-over-backwards kind. “Oh, you can’t get to my home office for pick-up!? I’ll drive across town in rush hour to make sure your calligraphy order arrives.” True, there are always times that merit a kind-hearted switch-up! But as CEO of Ashlyn Writes, I learned quickly what my hourly rate is, and in Atlanta, one order could mean 3 hours out of the house, which is $225 potentially lost. This is hard for me to maintain, but I’m going to do my best.
2. I enjoy one — MAYBE two — coffee or lunch dates a week.
Similar to #1, time is money in a freelance world, and during business hours, I want to work hard for my family, so when time’s up, I can love my husband, friends, and puppies well. Limiting my number of coffee dates and lunch meet ups helps me look forward to them, and crank out deliverables.
3. I take one social media sabbath every two weeks.
This is a must. I’ve written about imposter syndrome before, and it’s so real. This past Saturday, we went to a wedding under a white tent at Lake Oconee, and the battery on my phone stayed above 80% all the live-long day. I Snapchatted the calligraphy signage I did once, but besides that, my phone stayed off. Away. Goodness how I need that.
What firm boundaries do you set in your work or business that feel a little bold?
Reading Time: 3 Minutes
Y’all, I could say yes to everything. Couldn’t you? I’m mid-way through Alli Worthington’s Breaking Busy book, and realizing that even in quitting my corporate gig to waltz into freelance life, I’m still in my flesh. I am still a people-pleaser. I still think I can put work very, very high on my list and get away with it.
Here are three bold boundaries I set for Ashlyn Writes.
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