Ever have one of those moments where you completely lose your shit?
I did. Right before I was supposed to speak at this fancy virtual assistant conference.
A few years ago, I was invited to speak on stage at a virtual assistant conference out of state. I was super excited to go and meet people like me. You know the people who are behind the scenes of well-known and not so well known online coaches and entrepreneurs.
This is me speaking at the conference.
The people who spoke my “language”, like list building, sales pages, swipe copy, shopping carts, summits, giveaways, optins, online courses, etc. The ones who worked from home exclusively and virtually with clients from around the world. I couldn’t wait to meet people I had worked with virtually for years but had never met in person. I was so excited to hug them and hear their voices and laughs in person. As excited and honored as I was to be speaking on that stage and having a few days away from being at my family and client’s beck and call, I had tons to do the week leading up to the event.
- laundry
- packing (more like trying on my ‘business clothes’ to see if they still fit, since I hadn’t been dressing up in years!)
- finishing my presentation that I was going to present in front of 100 women (and 2 men)
- working with my virtual team to get my handouts and advertising materials completed in time
- making sure I had everything ready for school for the kids (back then, they were in public school)
- making sure I had someone to drive them to and from school
- pre-making lunches and snacks so they would be ready for them in the mornings I was gone.
I was already overwhelmed with my to-do list
And all I wanted to do was hang out with the family stress-free before going on my trip. I wasn’t going to see them for 4 days. Then, I get an ’emergency’ email from a client. She needed something for me to do for her before I left. And wanted it completed before I left for my trip the next morning….she wasn’t going to wait til I returned a few days later.
As you can imagine, my stress level was through the roof! I wanted to make it as easy as possible for my family while I was gone, so I wanted to prepare everything they were going to need in advance. I wanted to please my client and get done what she called an ’emergency’ task. (it was NOT truly an emergency in my mind)
Then it happened…like it had before. 😒 I exploded on my family. Like full-on momster mode. I couldn’t take it anymore. You know, being pulled in a million directions at the same time. I felt so guilty, and they didn’t deserve any of it.
Looking back, I started to realize I couldn’t please everyone, I am only one person. I needed to sit down with myself and have a heart-to-heart…what exactly were my priorities?
Not too long ago, I started reading an amazing book, I haven’t finished it yet, but this passage really resonated with me. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~ Stephen Covey (author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People).
Wanna know what shapes your day more than anything?
Your priorities. Before you map out your schedule, get real about what matters most to you. Yes, work deadlines and responsibilities need attention – but don’t forget about game nights with the kids, that pottery class you love, or tea 🍵 with friends. A great schedule makes room for both your must-dos and your want-to-dos. That’s how you build a day that works for you, not against you. Once I sat down with myself and defined my values and priorities, I started my journey on work-life harmony.
Now I am on a mission to help other entrepreneurs, especially women, start living harmonious lives. Because, let’s be real, there is no such thing as work-life balance. That would mean that the two sides had to be equal. Those pesky little signs that your work and life are not in alignment, are hiding in plain sight. So I invite you to grab my Work-Life Optimization System
This is where I take you through the 8 steps that I went through, and continue to follow during this season of my life.
It’s like no other planner you have ever seen…it is something you can use every quarter to ensure that you are living your life on your terms…not what society says.
Want to stop feeling pulled in a million directions? Grab the system below:
With love and harmony,
Jeanette “recovering momster” Ortega
P.S. This isn’t another boring planner. It’s a quarterly system to make sure you’re living life on YOUR terms, not everyone else’s.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to incorporate self-love into your life and achieve greater fulfillment, here are a few ways I can support you:
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions, thoughts, or experiences you’d like to share—I’d love to hear from you!
