Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I hesitate to post this, but I`m feeling particularly depressed today and I know that this group will know how I`m feeling if anyone does. I`ve run an accounting and tax business from my home since 1988. There was a 7 year break when I went to work for my church as the Financial Administrator. Then my health forced me to resign. That was December of 2004. Since then I don`t really know what is going on. Things have changed since I was in business before. I didn`t have trouble making enough money to earn a living (I have a husband - also self-employed, and two sons). Now, I don`t know what happens to my days. I am in my office, at my desk at least 8-9 hours a day. There was about a six month period when I spent all my time on the internet - learning marketing ideas, reading email and emailed newsletters. Since realizing that that was what was eating up all of my time, I have confined myself to only allow email after 4:30 p.m. (except a perusal every couple of hours to see if a client has sent something).

I used to be SO organized. Now I seem to be moving piles back and forth. Right now it is the beginning of tax season. I have done a LOT of direct mail marketing, flyers, etc. (should have been finished by late November-mid December, didn`t get it created and out the door until early January). I`m known in my community because it isn`t a large town and because the church I worked at (and still attend) is fairly large. People were used to me being on the stage speaking, so I`m familiar.

I have identified one large problem to be this: I am in my office by 9 a.m. almost every morning. I get kicked into gear around 3:00 p.m. From 3 o`clock I could work until midnight and not mind it a bit. But my husband does mind it. Not so much during tax time, but even then I have to watch it.

So, that is what I am asking. Are there any other night owls out there with families preventing them from working during their biological clocks` up times. Have you found ways to get kick started earlier? I do exercise every day. I am currently dieting (hypo-glycemic) so my blood sugar is doing a lot better than it was. I have to do those things because of the health issue.

I am also just not as good as I used to be. I don`t have the ability to juggle eight things at once anymore. (My counselor told me he hoped I never regained that ability.)

-------------------------

Pat Palmer
Accutrack Business Solutions
Working with You to Keep Your Organization on Track
407-957-4140

Depression is a hell of a fight.  Sometimes it just kicks my butt. And everybody tries to give you advise on how to overcome it.  I won`t go through the list here.  But the one I hate the most, especially when business isn`t the best. "You need to get a job. Getting out and working everyday, you won`t think about your problems and you won`t be depressed anymore."  AARGG!!! This comes from a person that constantly complains about her job.  I`m not depressed because I have problems, I fell off a loading dock and landed on my head. My chemicals are off a bit.  Most days are just fine, but every now and then, forget it. I just don`t care. Don`t bother me.  And working isn`t going to help, at least not working at a job.  I`ve tried that since I fell, I lasted about 2 days.  Boringest(is that a word?) job I ever had.  I begged to be let go.

Here`s the deal, I weigh 405 pounds, sorry but employers say they don`t descriminate but nobody is going to hire me for jobs that I would really be interested in doing. With or without a degree. So I will have to create my own. (sorry stepmom, sorry wife) thats just the way it will have to be.

Now that I have been putting this job together, the wife is actually seeing good changes in me. She still not a big fan of the schedule yet, but we will see how that goes. The step-mom, who cares, my dad is the one that lives with her not me. She will always hate her job, and I will always be a failure.

I used to also be very organized, and had a near photographic memory.  Now, with time I have noticed some holes in that memory, and frequently my short term memory is just toast. Don`t ask me what you just said, cause I don`t remember. Unless it is something I am thinking about. (OK, this drives the wife nuts. But she has learned to start using it to her advantage. So I have to watch that.)

Basically, I`d go with your body clock.  Otherwise depression will take control.  And yes its a bit of a down day for me here too.  So I will deal with it until its gone.  `Cause the medication isn`t good enough and its to cold to just go play. I build boats, the waters still frozen.  Come on Spring!!!

We`ll get through this Pat, we really will.

While I don`t have problems with depression, I do have a 1 year old. So even though I am all ready to do stuff at noon ... I have a baby to feed lunch. Or I`ll just get into something good at her naptime, and she`ll wake up early, and everything is on hold.

So what do I do? The bulk of my work gets done from 9 pm to 3 am.
It`s not easy ... but after working on it for a while, it`s gotten better.

Maybe someday she`ll be more cooperative. But today is not that day.

Try finding an MD who`ll run a saliva panel (test) on your cortsol levels. If they`re both high, and on a reverse curve, it`ll mean you`re living on Australia time. A simple coritisol-uptake over-the-counter will go a long way to help. (I use Seriphos, and it`s $30/100 caps.)

But beyond that, why did you get into accounting in the first place? Was it your passion? Did you used to lay on your bed with your friends, back when you were 10 years old, and daydream about...."One of these days, I`m gonna be an Accountant! I can hardly wait to grow up so I can do that!?"

It sounds like there`s a relationship between your health and loss of passion or drive. That`s a whole other world of information and thought...best left for a life coach, or if you must, a therapist. :-)

@pat

It seems curious that you mention 9a, but that you don`t fee like you get into gear until 3p, I`d imagine that`s where the "guilt" you`re feeling comes from, but I don`t think that you should feel guilty. It sounds to me like your body`s circadian rhythm is shifted about 6 hours later than what some might call "normal."

I only mention this because I was all set to do Circadian rhythm therapy about 4 years ago. The arrival of our second daughter halted that in its tracks, but the idea was a sound one. Obviously, a sleep therapist can speak more intelligently about this than I can...but if you are on a regular schedule, just "time-shifted" 6 or 7 hours, then it is possible to time-shift yourself into more normal hours.

Personally, I would think about this long & hard before I tried any "ratcheting" techniques or therapy.. If you are an accountant, then except for having to periodically communicate with clients, I`m not so sure the hours you mentioned as your peak time are such a problem. In fact, you may even be able to get more done since you are not getting distracted as much by the "normal" working hour routines of everyone else.

What you could do is then spend early parts of the day with your family. Things like: seeing your sons off to school without feeling rushed, or having more to do with their school activities. Maybe even meeting your husband for lunch. That might help with the late hour conflicts. Again, every situation is different...but finding a balance for wok & home is very important, even moreso if you`re based at home.

Any schedule is better than no schedule at all, since a schedule will help you maintain focus. You seem to understand the importance of focus when you mention the e-mail restriction.

Discipline in regards to distractions that masquerade as necessities (e-mail, PDA, phone, Internet) can be one of the best decisions any owner can make for the health of their business. It not only helps lay guidelines for clients, but also serves as reminder that such things are tools, and should only exist/be used to the degree that they help grow the business.

Hope this helps!

All best,

 

-------------------------

Christopher Rue MCSE, MCSAM / Black Warrior Technology, LLC / Solutions That Build Your Business

Thanks RealityBoats. Those who do suffer with chemical depression have heard all of the suggestions on how to kick it. So, I don`t know about you, but I have just become VERY selective about who I talk to about it. That was my reason for being hesitant about posting here. I have the same memory issues you describe - I`m sure they are medication related. That, and again, the depression.

NHG, thanks for the smile. My little guys were my reason for starting the business in the first place. After my second son was born, I would come home and hold him and cry. I just couldn`t leave them. And I was extremely fortunate to have an almost immediate client base when I came home to work. So I understand about getting started just to have to quit. We have an audio tape that was accidentally recorded on my (at the time) two year old`s Fischer Price tape recorder. He says, "Doogie at my wrestler!!!" in his cute two year old voice. Doogie was the dog, and the wrestlers were David`s favorite toy. Disaster! Must attend to immediately! It wasn`t easy, but we had so much fun. There is nothing better than little kids. (Unless its grandkids - don`t get me started.

And Craig, that`s an interesting question. Yes, I did play accounting when I was a little kid. I can remember when I was about 10, making desks and in/out trays, etc. out of cardboard boxes. I would write up very important missives and carry them out. When in high school, I took Bookkeeping I. The teacher was of the old school way. No nonsense, stick to the material. If she caught you looking at your hand while calculating, she`d hit your hand with a ruler (no kidding!). But she was a great teacher. I signed up for Bookkeeping II. I was the only one in the school who did, so they told me I couldn`t take it. She heard about it and volunteered to give up her study period to teach me. I had a one on one instructor in college level accounting for free in high school. I don`t have letters after my name. But I`ve been doing accounting and taxes for a very long time. I have graduated from UHK (Univ. of Hard Knocks).

There is a definite relationship between my health and my lack of passion. And I have an appointment this Friday with a therapist :) I`m not even sure it`s a lack of passion. It`s more a lack of confidence. I have lost the confidence that has always been such a big part of who I am.

Thank you all for listening, and contributing to the post. I was in a pretty desperate place yesterday when I posted. Albeit, a place not unknown to other entrepreneurs.

-------------------------

Pat Palmer
Accutrack Business Solutions
Working with You to Keep Your Organization on Track
407-957-4140

If you were that into it as a kid, then it`s a passion and we can move on.

Been there, done that, and got the tee shirt on the countless proposals that "chronic fatigue" was psychological, psychosomatic, clinical depression, hypoglycemia, and on and on and on....spiritual unalignment was another one. But, I kept looking.

My main clue came from a discussion of Wilson`s Thyroid Syndrome. I followed up, did a local proximity search for an MD, and was very fortunate to find one in the town next door. However, she was actively exploring the underlying causes of Wilson`s work and theories.

I`d heard a lot about saliva panel testing, particulary in the medical research arena, but hadn`t found a single family practitioner who used it. They all used blood draws. However, this new MD was a proponent of saliva testing, particularly for hormones. First thing she did was run the cortisol levels, and the results were stunning.

6 weeks after taking a cortisol uptake supplement, my entire life totally changed. So of course I`m a  proponent of  cortisol testing. Worked for me...who knows, it might work for you too ;-)

I would also second the idea that perhaps your productive hours simply aren`t 9-5. I was a bartender for years and ever since then I have been ruined for the typical 9-5 workday. I have found that I am most productive in the early morning and late evening. In between, I waste time.

There are obviosuly plenty of possibilities as to why you might be finding yourself less productive, and only you can really nail it down. Therapy is a great start because it can help you examine which possibilities make the most sense.

I would also recommend a book I`ve found fairly helpful in increasing my  productivity: "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore. It focuses on the idea that all those HAVE TOs actually make us less productive. Worth a look-see.

Best,
Jess


-------------------------

Roughstock Studios | Notes From the Rodeo | Newsletter
Strategic communications without the selling of souls.

Hello Pat,

I have been a yoga teacher and Reiki Master counselor for 12 years and if I could put my two cents in.  Yoga greatly improves your energy level and clears away the cobwebs.  The breathing greatly enhances your concentration and focus, and the stretching keeps your joints and muscles supple and limber that helps you body and mind to feel loose.  I do at least ten minutes of yoga stretching per day. 

The other thing that I use is affirmations.  I created a CD of adult affirmations, which you can check out at www.thecircleofpeace.com  go to the audio section. 

A couple things as well.  You are obviously an expert in your field, you have passion for it and you are known.  Why not create some info products that you can market in your field, and make a little passive income for yourself, selling tax guides, or some sort of how to guides etc.  You could sell them for a couple of dollars to about $12 or more if it`s more in depth.  That way you don`t have to use up all your energy and time, but still create a steady income. 

Lastly- When I turned 40, I felt an urgency to create, write, do, produce etc.   I felt like I wanted to leave something behind. 

So I use this technique to motivate myself.  "If this is the last moment on the planet--Did I accomplish what I wanted to achieve?  If I piddle my time away for that morning or day, Is that acceptable to me if I die right now? 

Usually the answer is no.  So I get into gear and push to complete another article, or newsletter entry, or get into writing on my second book or editing etc.

I have a To Do list and I hammer away at it.  If I die but plugging away at exactly what I wanted to achieve I feel renewed and happy.  If I wake up the next day, I say "Great I have another day to create, or finish, what I started." 

This technique has greatly boosted my productivity and keeps me focused and on track.

We only have this moment to make nice with the partner or spouse, make a living, create and manifest your future.

Hope it help Kat.

 

 

-------------------------

R-U New to Business gives practical tips for starting and running your own on-line or off-line business, start to finish from your home or office. The pitfalls, rewards, every-day tips and things you need to know to succeed, freebies, and more. To subscribe go to newsletter http://www.runewtobusnews.com

visit our website
http://www.runewtobusiness.com
find about $1000 commissions paid out

Thanks Kat for your encouragement. I had posted in my original post that I had to resign a position because of my health. That involved chronic pain. And the chronic pain caused a pretty deep depression. Many doctors, hospital stays and medications later, I`m functioning. But through all of that I completely lost my confidence. You are completely right about finding ways to make a passive income. I have all kinds of plans to do that. But I kept ending up at the end of the day with no more accomplished than the day before. Because of the chronic pain, I do stretching-type exercises every night for about an hour. And that does help - a lot.

Now that tax season is here, I have become more focused. It`s pretty clear cut. A client comes in with information, I prepare a tax return, they come back to pick it up, they pay me. I know exactly what I`m going to do that day when I wake up in the morning. And the really great thing is that my clients really are fond of me. They appreciate what I do for them. I`m much more personal than a big box company or an accounting firm. It`s just me, in my home office with the cat roaming around. All of that positive reinforcement has been EXTREMELY good for me. I`m remembering that I really am good at this.

Now, I`m hopeful that after April 17, I will maintain the habits I have cultivated out of necessity to get through this busy time of year. I feel a certain amount of that rekindling going on in me. (The pain is also increasing because of the stress. Hopefully I can address that AND keep my motivation).

Again, thanks for your encouragement and ideas. I`ll check them out (right after April 17   

-------------------------

Pat Palmer
Accutrack Business Solutions
Working with You to Keep Your Organization on Track
407-957-4140