Breaking Free of the Holiday Groove

By Stephanie Clark.

Sometime this summer it seems that my mind got stuck, like an old-school record, playing the same tiny tune over and over : “I’m on holiday” it sings. Rather than rushing to read new emails by 8:00 a.m. each morning, I ignore my computer. Rather than reaching out to establish new connections, I choose to go on ever-longer walks. Obviously the bills won’t get paid this way!

No doubt about it, I shall have to re-instate a few Rules of Conduct to get myself out of that repeating holiday groove. Here are my favourite five Rules of Conduct for the Self-Employed:

•  Routines like a vitamin and exercise regime keep us healthy. And likewise working routines keep our business healthy. Tackling emails, subscribing to interesting bloggers, chunking out time for writing for clients, and setting aside time to self-promote by writing articles, my monthly newsletter and two bi-weekly blogs, will get me back on track. I’ve already begun gearing up for this by brainstorming article and blog topics during longer car drives, and deciding which bloggers to follow.
• Reading and study are two activities I can’t get enough of! But to these I must add “and implement some new ideas.” Without implementation nothing gets done. You may decide, after reading a marketing blog, that you must add a small-fee add-on hand-out to your services, to give you that little boost in earnings, without actually raising prices. But thinking it won’t make it so; you must act.  
• Setting goals is usually associated with a fresh year, but I’ve always associated it with a fresh school year (I originally wanted to be a teacher; obviously I haven’t completely lost that focus!). And so I’m researching, brainstorming, and setting writing, career-related, marketing, and business goals to re-invigorate my enthusiasm for business.
• Planning projects and tasks eliminates procrastination and fear. It’s the fear (as in “this is too big a project … I don’t have time … what if I can’t accomplish this”) that keeps one from even beginning. Creating a detailed, categorized plan can break a huge undertaking into something that seems totally doable!
• Take care. Eat right, get outside, exercise, and sleep. After all, without a high-functioning physical body, how hard can you work? And self-employment sometimes means long hours and always means quick thinking; you need to be at your best!  

Take care and your routines will come easily, your activities will lead to new ideas, and you’ll achieve your goals with good planning. I did it: I jump-started myself out of being stuck-in-the- holiday groove … Sorry, gotta run, things to do, plans to make!