I was talking with Dave Sobel, host of the news and commentary podcast “Business of Tech”, and co-host of the “Killing IT” podcast, the other day. We were discussing his podcast and his work to create a live cast at DattoCon 2020 Atlanta. We were looking for topics of interest versus promotion, so my natural goto topics such as Client Onboarding, Documentation Structure, and Applicant Screening were quickly dismissed (and good for Dave doing that). I was actually at a loss of what to suggest, when we concluded the call to “think on it”.
I asked my staff to think on it. I asked a few clients to think on it. I asked a few peers to think on it. It was Steve Alexander of MSP Ignite that finally got me pointed in the right direction. He worded it as the battle of Work/Life Balance and he felt I had achieved that balance.
I’d like to start with saying I think he is wrong. Hence, this is what makes this discussion interesting. I could see how he thought that. I mean, what little I post on Social Media is winters in Cozumel, Mexico, summers in Squamish, BC, Canada and all of the business trips throughout the states (and 1 in Europe last year). I guess it does look pretty amazing. I want to hang out with that guy!
However, the dirty little secret is I almost never take a day off. Monday through Friday, I’m working from around 6am to 6pm, no matter what city I’m in. I even tend to put in a few hours on the weekend. My closest friends in life know that no matter how much fun they are offering during the day in these exoctic destinations, I’m going to pass until after 6pm. My idea of a “naughty little slip out” was when I went to breakfast at a restaurant on my same block at 8am one morning, and I felt guilty doing it.
Now, I get it. I get nights and weekends in beautiful warm Cozumel and I love it. It’s why I do it. At the same time, while I sit in Cozumel, I watch those around me going out and do the vacation thing while I keep working. This is my struggle. Do I work too much? Do I travel too much? The only sure answer I know is that I do wish I had the option to take a day off every now and then. It’s not really a gripe, only a goal. So goes the younger company struggles of an entrepreneur. We doubled our company and staff last year, now we need to double our company and 150% grow our staff this year, and those days will come.
So I guess I have found SOME balance, and just want more. I’m curious where you are in the journey and your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below.
Yours truly, from Cozumel, Mexico, but not under a palm tree – in a concrete room with a desk,
Allen