Do you feel that you overwork or underwork when you manage your own schedule?

I am a real slave-driver. .. especially when I work for myself.

I completely overwork.

My experience is that there are advantages to both. When you work on someone else’s schedule you simply are not available outside of those hours. When you work on your own schedule, you feel that work may be calling every time the phone rings, therefore, never feel like you are on your own time. The longer you work at home, or without schedules hours, the better you will become at squeezing your work into the timeframe you want to be your workday. The key is being organized.

Use a time management app that you can install on your smartphone or PDA.

The problem partly time management, but also juggling the schedules of those I work with. I have to be flexible. I usually pride mysef on my ability to juggle and balance things, through scheduling. My scedule is constantly changing because of the requirement that I be flexible. It will take time, and I have blocked out time during a couple of days that it is too inconvenient for me to work, so I am using that time as relief. However, should a situation arise, I must make allowances.

I guess I have to define what that situation could be, and what I will stay firm with my schedule for.

Thanks for being a place to brainstorm ;)

I actually pay better attention to what I have to do and become more efficient. So I work less and save time!

I have a somewhat similar situation and am glad to have control over my schedule. I make sure that I put in buffer time or admin time in my day and then label it for a specific task to do. That way I can make sure I’m still turning my work around. I also schedule time on Wednesays for organization. Another thing I try is being diligent about when I return emails. I do it about three times a day and no more, which sets an expectation for people that I’m not always going to get back to them immediately.

I think that with a job of this sort you really need to set boundaries for what people can expect, and when. Then, when they request things of you, they’ll self-manage. Then, prioritize your work, and knock it back in order.

@figbash Wow! Very helpful….those are good things to keep in mind. I never thought about the setting boundaries on what people can expect. I guess I feel like I have to always bend and accommodate- but if I don’t figure out how to section off time, I will burn out.

Thanks everyone!