my 3 day work week
TRANSCRIPT
My 3 Day Work Week
On Friday I felt the need for some 5 star inspiration. I always
seem to think better when surrounded by LUXURY!
So I took myself off to a country manor for some business and life brainstorming. Yes, I
know new year has only just passed, and I’ve just done that but business and life is an
EVOLUTION! It doesn’t stay in the same place for long. Or at least I don’t stay in the
same place for long – where’s the challenge and excitement in THAT?!
I took a seat in the sumptuous parlour overlooking the acres of grounds in the estate. It
was a stormy day and I basked by the open fire and revised what I wanted my next
moves to be.
I worked on my money funnel. I got some ideas for two new group coaching
programmes I want to run (watch this space). And, always the productivity ninja, I went
over how I spend my time on my business – is it REALLY filled with EXACTLY what I
want to do? And yes, it is.
I also went over the hours I allocate to run my business. 1620 hours a week over 4
days a week. It’s been four months since I switched from doing crazy 80100 hours.
One of the BEST MOVES EVER!
Want to know the breakdown?
4 hours blogging/newsletter
4 hours content creation/promotion/marketing
4 hours client coaching calls
1 hour email
1 hour time/money tracking
2 hours outreach/connecting
Then another 4 hours which are flexible and just spent how I want; it could be extra
client calls, more content creation, blogging, outreach, facebook ads, interviews, and
whatnot
That’s it. It’s flexible. It’s not set in stone. I move things about but I’ve got a plan, I know
what I need to do and know how long it takes. If some weeks I do a few extra hours, or
some weeks less, that’s ok.
Anyway, whilst I was all inspired and planning away…
I had a big AHHA moment! Why was I working 4 days a week?!
Couldn’t I actually do the same hours over THREE DAYS A WEEK?!
YES, I COULD!
It was like a lightbulb went off. WHY hadn’t I seen this before? It’s so flipping
obvious!
WOW. To me, that’s HUGE! I never thought I’d see the day where I could work 3 days a
week. Doing what I want. With who I want. It actually hadn’t occurred to me until that
moment.
I remember when I did the 95 thing and having to ask for time off. To HELL with
asking ANYONE for permission for ANYTHING! I was only allocated so many days a
year to use for holidays, or worse, having to use my precious holiday days for boring
stuff like waiting in for a workman or a parcel or taking the car to get fixed. You know the
kind of stuff. Back then I would have KILLED to be able to work three days BECAUSE
work was so freaking painful and 90% of the people a bore to be around; the less time
I was being told what to do, where to be, how to act, even dress, THE BETTER as
far as I was concerned. But EVEN IF I’d been able to reduce my working week to
three days, it would NEVER have been enough (and neither would any amount of
money). As I said to a friend in an email last week…
“I can’t find inspiration from an office. I see it as being caged and stifled and conforming
and I’m a freedom seeker and a nonconformist and hate playing by the rules of society
for the most part.”
So on Friday I made up my mind, from this week, that’s what I’m going to do; work
1620 hours on my business over three days. WHOOHOOOO!
But do you know what, I’ve had time to think about it and get over the initial excitement
and….
Who am I kidding?!
I really don’t think I can do it! I mean. I CAN do it. But I’m not sure I actually WANT to!
At least not every week.
When you fill your business with things you LOVE, and get to express yourself
fully and creatively, and work with the RIGHT PEOPLE, work doesn’t feel like
work!
Working 80100 hours a week was hard going. I was able to do it because I had a
bigger goal in mind and that drove me and gave me the energy. (I’ve still got big goals
in mind and they are WAY bigger now.) Working 4 days a week for 4/5 hours isn’t hard
going. Besides, it’s all pretty much flexible. Nothing is set in stone and I LOVE acting
upon my inspiration and intuition! I can’t do that if it’s only scheduled in MonWeds.
Take this update for example. I don’t WANT to wait until Monday to blog about this on a
‘business/work’ day, so you are getting it today.
When I talk about FREEDOM in life and business, this is the kind of thing I mean; being
able to do what you want, when you want, acting when inspiration strikes and doing
what feels good.
And I want that for YOU!
Even if you don’t have the life and business you want right now, you HAVE to believe
that’s it’s possible – and take action. How long will it take you? I don’t know. Everyone’s
‘journey’ is different. But I do know that if you don’t believe it’s possible, and you don’t
take action, you will never get anywhere close. You have to marry belief with action.
And the journey NEVER ends. You’ve got to commit and take action even without
knowing the outcome, even through fear and excuses, and even when you don’t even
know how to.
I’m committed to working with daring, gogetting entrepreneurs who want to empower
themselves to create the life they want. I know the systems, strategies, howto’s and
most importantly the mindset that works for me and I share those things here, my
newsletter, my webinars, groups and with my clients, but even with all the howto’s YOU
have to take the ACTION. Only then is it possible to have the things you dream of and
say you want. So, can you REALLY have the business & life that you want? Yes! And
MORE. It’s a journey, an evolution. I’m not going to stand still. Are you?!
Remember, believe more is possible,
ABOUT Karen Strunks is a speaker and
author and helps daring, rebellious,
nonconforming women create a No
Compromise life and business doing
exactly what they love.
Ten years ago she left her ‘cubicle cage’ and made a break for
freedom to follow her passions; from dominatrix, to
photographer, to social media and marketing teacher to today,
empowering women to step away from the norm, break the rules
and follow their passions.
Her work has been featured in print, TV and radio such as The
Guardian, BBC, Radio 4, Time Out NYC, The Telegraph, BBC
Radio Wales, and she has worked with national and international
brands.
Karen regularly speaks at conferences and lectures at
universities on entrepreneurship, and about her story of leaving
the 95 to pursue a life less ordinary. Come and join Karen's
FREE community on Facebook; Rebel Business Bitches and pick
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