Preparing Our Works for a Full Season
We talked about how to get our homes and our minds right for a busy season, and this week, we are going to talk about work!
Because this is a podcast for the working mom, I wanted to share what my work life looks like right now, how I am preparing for time off, resting and getting things done, and preparing for winter!
I am so glad that you are here I got so many kind notes about last week and how we are all making steps to prepare our homes for the busy seasons! I am so encouraged when you reach out and when you share the show with your friends. We are growing over here, and I am just really thankful!
This week we are talking about preparing our workplaces for busy seasons. I am not sure what kind of work you do, but I do know that when we have vacations and the holidays are coming, and work stays constant, I can feel really overwhelmed. It’s like everything is piling up around me, and I want to run away, which is not helpful. What I TRY to do is face it head-on. But even that feels intimate. Like I should just be able to handle it. And really, that means I am doing a lot in my own strength.
So let’s talk about preparing our work for a busy season!
The first question I want to ask you is this.
What can you control? And what is your actual job?!
When we look really honestly at these two things, we are able to take tasks off our list that 1) don’t really belong to us or 2) don’t really need to be doing.
I am not saying you should avoid your inbox because you can’t control it, but what if you only checked in 2x a day!
What if we did the things that we were supposed to do and nothing more. I don’t think that’s lazy or disrespectful I think it helps us accomplish what needs to be done. When we are looking ahead and knowing that either we are going to be OOO or that we are already doing too much, taking on MORE tasks is not going to benefit us at all. It’s actually going to hinder your productivity and possibly make you bitter.
We don’t want that.
We want to work hard for the lord and that means getting what we are supposed to be doing done!
So what can you control? You can control the things you add to your list. You can say a polite but firm no if you are overwhelmed and you can do your job to the best of your ability.
As an entrepreneur, I can shift my calendar around when it comes to busy seasons in work. For example, I know I have some deadlines next week, but I will be traveling, so I am going to make sure to have those all done on Saturday so my clients will have them in hand on Monday as if nothing happened. I don’t love working on Saturdays, but in order to play, I have to do a little extra work!
So what can you shift around? What can you say no to right now but yes to next month? Can you move the deadlines? Can you reschedule the meetings? How can you make your yeses work for you? I know that we answer to bosses or managers, but how can you communicate with them! Let them know what’s going on and ask for a bit of help. Even saying this makes me feel a little weak or timid, but as a boss or supervisor, I love supporting my team to take vacations or knowing that I can move things around to support them better, so why not ask? ASKING FOR HELP DOES NOT MAKE US WEAK!
And the Last question I would love to ask you and have you ponder is this.
What boundaries do you need to put into place when it comes to work-life balance?
Do you need to take email off your phone?
Do you need to leave your computer at work?
If you are a teacher do you need to stop grading papers at a certain time?
How can you find rest? And where does that boundary go?
I would love to tell you to x, y, and z, and life will be better. But we know that’s just not true. We know that working as though we work for the lord will result in favor and blessing (not in a prosperity gospel sort of way but in a way that’s just what the bible says sort of way!) We also know that we are called to work in this season of our lives, and working hard at work pays the bills. Is it always fabulous and fun? Nope.
Are we serving our families by killing it in the office yes? Are we teaching our kids what strong women look like but showing them healthy work-life boundaries? YUP.
So do what you need to do. Work hard, play hard and rest. As we figure this out, our lives will be much fuller.
Stop checking your work email on the weekends. Stop saying yes to every new task. Start managing what you can control. Start doing the things that matter to you and ask for help when you need it.
I’d love you to listen to an episode of its time for coffee with Dr. Sasha Shilcutt, and we talked about her book on boundaries! I think it would be a great follow-up to this chat!
I’ll have it linked in the description below! I am thankful that you are here today! I am glad we got the chance to sit down, and I hope that this conversation was helpful. I don’t know what work looks like day in and day out for you, but I do know that we don’t have to be a slave to our work. I know we can feel that way, but that’s not true. We are not our work. Our identity is not in WHAT WE DO but in WHO we trust and believe that is not any boss but in God alone!
