Episode 27: Are your working hours working for you?

00:00 Before we get going, I have an invitation for you. If you're ready to find out how much easier it becomes to get things done when you have Make It Happen Club in your life? The doors are open to new members right now and i would love for you to join us! So Make It Happen club is a calm quiet sanctuary where you get the clarity focus and motivation you need Hello and welcome to Unfrazzle with me Louise Miller. If you're a solo business owner and you have a big exciting vision and loads of ideas that you want to get out in the world but without drowning in a sea of overwhelm, then this is the podcast for you. Each week I'll be sharing bite-sized insights to help you stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world It's time to step away from the hustle and find a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity So grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started

01:30 Busted! That was my first thought when I accidentally hit send on the email I'd intended to schedule for 9am. Now I need to send another email to explain myself. To explain why, a slow productivity advocate who talks about setting yourself up for a good day by not letting the outside world in first thing in the morning was emailing a client at 5am! So...explained myself I did. I fired off another email letting her know that I'd had a bad night's sleep and been awake since 4pm. I knew that I was going to go splat later that day so chose to spend an hour or two in my inbox before breakfast so that I could get some rest later Now I'm really not sure why i felt such a strong need to defend myself but, I really did feel like I'd been caught with my hand in the cookie jar and

02:15 You know, here's the thing. Working hours are a funny old thing when you're self-employed! When I first started out many years ago as a VA, i felt that i should be at my desk from 9 to 5 and goodness knows how much non-billable time i wasted on pointless scrolling and faffing having done everything that was important that day but staying glued to my seat because it wasn't yet five p.m so have you ever done that too? If you've ever worked a 9-5 it can be really hard to adjust to the idea that a full day's work doesn't have to mean 8 straight hours at your desk. So how do you feel about your working hours? Have you designed your days to work for you or are you still trying to work within a construct born from the Industrial Revolution, regardless of whether it feels good and is helping productivity. And these days I've got very fluid relationship with my working hours during weeks where i have a lot client delivery and not much flexibility in my schedule. I tend to work what most would consider normal hours starting sometime between 8 30 and 9

03:13 and finishing up by 5,530. And I always always have a proper lunch break no matter what is going on but if i'm delivering a session or attending something in the evening I always schedule some time out during the day so that I don't end up accidentally working a 12-hour day And if I'm going through a waking up at 4am patch, I might choose to do some work before breakfast so that i can stop and rest when I'm tired later in the day. Often that means watching RuPaul's Drag Race at 3pm or drafting a blog at 5 am and that is absolutely okay! I'm designing my days to work around MY energy levels. As with everything it all comes down to knowing yourself – knowing how you work best & what you want your days and your weeks – by extension your life-to look like

03:59 One client recently told me she loves responding to emails at 9.30pm, so that would be a complete disaster for me as that's usually when I'm thinking about going to bed but she is a night owl! So long it isn't causing problems for her sleep, health or relationships who am i tell not follow her energy? And of course this does come with a warning sending emails at 9.30pm if you started work 8am and have hardly stopped all day, thats not sustainable in the long term and might well end in burnout But sending emails at 9.30pm when you've had a delicious spacious day with a good chunk of time away from your desk, then why the heck not? And then there's a friend of mine who has found joy in starting her working day 11 o'clock in the morning and she often sees clients in the evening so that's perfect for her it means she gets to enjoy her mornings on her own terms before she starts work

04:49 When you're your own boss, there really are no rules when it comes to your working hours. You can play and experiment until you find what feels right for you Maybe you decide that you do need some structure, you want those boundaries around your working time and you decide to work some set hours but those set hours don't have to be 9-5 I have a client who works from nine until 12 30 and then from four until six She knows her own energy and she's set things up so that clients can't book coaching sessions with her during the afternoons But with all of this there's truly no right or wrong and you get to choose. So how fabulous is that? You can work whenever works for you as long as you're taking good care of your health, well-being and relationships so if it's been a while since you've reflected on your working hours and how they're feeling for you I just encourage you to do that today see how you can find more ease and work with your natural energy rather than fighting against it alright I hope that helps sending lots of love and I look forward to seeing you again soon

05:46 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. Sharing is caring so if you loved this episode please share it on your socials or head over to Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and leave me a review not only will I be hugely grateful but your ratings and reviews will help others find this podcast so that even more people can make their ideas happen thanks so much and see you next time