No Work Weekends

In true Cobbler form, it turns out that all dozen of us that were at the meeting this morning, don't usually manage to take weekends.

One Cobbler fights the never-ending lure of her phone by making sure it's put away at home every night after 5 pm. She also talked about training her clients/family/friends that she doesn't check her phone or email after hours. They don't push back at her, because this is the way it's always been, she set the culture. But trying to do this for the average person is like asking someone who's never run to try an ultramarathon blindfolded. (Also, she's quick to admit she's still overwhelmed so this isn't a cure-all.)

Another Cobbler suggests that rather than take two days off, that one of the perks you get from working for yourself is that you can take afternoons for some downtime. Or to switch off taking Mondays off and working on Saturdays. (Collectively, we agree that Saturdays and Sundays were the WORST days to take off. The lines at the grocery are terrible!)

It was suggested that we try putting blocks in our calendars and setting appointments with ourselves. (Which despite everyone's good intentions are the easiest appointments to reschedule or ignore when someone else needs something.)

Finally, someone spoke up to say that when you are enjoying what you're doing, it doesn't seem like work. There is recuperation in the joy.  

Sounds an awful lot like Flow State doesn't it? And she's right; there is evidence that people who spend time in a flow state tend to be happier and feel more fulfilled.  

To get into a flow state, you need to work toward mastery. And that's where the Cobblers are unique. Compared to our counterparts in a traditional job, we guessed that in all things, we seek mastery more often. This is why our hobbies, which were supposed to relax us, end up becoming another source of revenue. Why we're always trying to come up with a new/better/faster way to do something or help each other do the same. We're seeking mastery and the flow state because it brings us joy.

We all know we have to be deliberate in our time and where we focus our energies. And this work/life balance problem comes up so frequently, that it's clear we're trying to work through something, but what is it?

Are we feeling overwhelmed, or are we feeling guilty about the ways we're spending our energies?  

Perhaps that's a topic for another meeting.

We did agree that when and where we could, we should advocate for people taking time for themselves and their families. That everyone should strike a balance that works for them. We decided we should push back against the "Always On" culture that permeates modern working America. We should do it for our friends, the people who work for us, and for the organizations, we work with. It's not healthy to be in this constant state of reactive alert.  

Maybe that's why we feel guilty.  

Because while we're hustling, as a group, we're also defining our work/life balance. We're deciding what gets our attention and our energy. Unlike our friends who report to someone else, we ultimately get to choose how we live and work.  That despite the strange schedules and other trade-offs of owning our own businesses, we have autonomy over our attention. And that makes us happy.