Overwhelmed

This post is being written among scattered tissues, an opened box of Mucinex, and an empty tea cup in need of a refill.

While I'm battling a cold and trying to guess if the house hunters will choose home number 1, 2, or 3, there's a huge pile of things that need to be taken care of in the other room.

Brushes that should be in my booth at Morgantown Market,

a cabinet that needs to be finished with one more coat of milk paint,

papers that need to be filed, clothes to be washed, trash to be thrown out, dishes that need to be in the dishwasher and out of the sink...

the list goes on.

It's really hard for me to allow myself time to be sick and do nothing but sleep and drink tea.

It's like really,

REALLY

hard.

Now that I am out on my own and running my own business, I feel constant pressure to always be busy and doing work. If there's any down time in my day, it should be spent doing something, right?

Because let's face it - there is always something that needs to be done.

So how do you balance the pressure of churning out furniture projects with making trips to clients' homes and keeping your home space organized because it also doubles as your work space?

How do you make sure you're making enough money as a startup business, taking advantage of the right opportunities, and allowing enough time to hang out with your husband and your cat?

How do you not lose track of time and make sure you have a healthy dinner ready for your family and you're allowing yourself time to work out and be in shape?

I have to make sure I protect my mornings so I can fill my soul by being in the Word. Sometimes, it's even hard to enjoy a TV show without feeling guilty because I feel like I'm wasting time.

I'll be honest and admit that I don't know how to balance it all yet. I have a "go-getter" mentality that can be both a blessing and a curse at the same time. My husband, Marc, helps me put things into perspective when I get overwhelmed. He tells me point-blank that I need to sit down and the things that I feel must get done really aren't that important.

I'm so glad he is in my life.

Marc really does keep me grounded (even if the picture doesn't support that claim). He helps me put everything into perspective when I get overwhelmed. It's not going to hurt anything if the dishes sit in the sink for one more night. If the carpet isn't vacuumed, no one will know. If my cabinet is finished a few days late, it's going to be OK.

Being an entrepreneur has come with an entirely new set of challenges, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to find the "sweet spot" of being able to balance everything a bit better soon.

For now, it's tissues and cups of tea.