I Had To Take Time to Refill and Renew

The past couple of months have been filled with numerous meetings, trainings and workshops I've taught, information meetings, coaching sessions with BNI members, a trip to San Diego for a Lisa Nichols workshop "Speak and Write to Make Millions", a daughter's graduation from high school (in MN we have parties for our HS grads), a son's wedding, just a name a few.

I drive between 3,000-4,500 miles per month for my job within BNI and as a speaker and trainer. The number of educational CD's I can listen to on a "road trip" are limited and although my car is a great "think tank" for me, it's also a "time trap". As I'm driving from meeting to meeting, I get frustrated at how behind I get with other tasks, responsibilites, etc.

I refuse to get up any earlier than I do (between 5 & 5:30 am) and haven't figured out how I can SAFELY drive while reading and writing emails, etc. If I had a driver, I'd think that I needed to chat and be a good hostess instead of getting work done...  As the pile on my desk and list of things to do increased, so did my stress level. 

So this weekend I (and my 16-yr old daughter) went sailing in Pepin, WI with Beth M. Anderson. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze, and the conversation was great. As I marveled at the incredible beauty of the Lake Pepin landscape, I could literally feel my mind, body, and soul being restored and renewed.

And then it hit me! I realized why I was feeling so incredibily stressed and out-of-control! I was trying to do to much!!!!  Ok - it shouldn't have taken so long for me to get the message, but the good news is, at least I got it!

My goal this week is to go through my calendar, the pile on my desk, and my list of things to do so i can consciously delegate, prioritze, or say "no". Once I complete this activity, I'll be able to determine if I need to add someone else to help me do the basics so I can spend my time on the income-producing activities.

If you've gone through this type of growth and have had to bring someone in part-time, I'd love to know how you did it. How did you find the right person? What questions did you ask? What do you wish someone had told you as you started the process?

Thanks for sharing!