Is Britain going back to work?

I find myself working for the third consecutive weekend this month and it’s not making me happy.

The first two weekends I worked on Sunday, preferring to run Park Run and spend time with Annie on the Saturday.

As I flew home from Belfast on Friday evening I knew very well that “Sunday only” wouldn’t cut it this time, so 06:30 to 13:00 Saturday was my first session in The Bunker and 06:30 to “when I have had enough” will be my second session today.

No Park Run for me and Jack in danger of becoming a dull boy.

Ironic indeed that the last week on the Get Your Year in Gear email coaching programme has been about time and task management – physician heal thyself.

What’s going on?

The real danger for any service business is taking on too many clients and thus “overtrading” as the experts call it.

Many years ago I suggested to a client that his accountant was possibly overtrading as calls were not being answered – the accountant called me and threatened to sue if I didn’t retract my statement. It indicates how sensitive an issue it can be – if the word were to get around that a freelancer had, in fact, taken on too many clients, that could be very bad for business.

I did apologise and retract by the way.

In this case, I’m sure I haven’t taken on too many clients but I do sense that there is another factor at work here.

Now that Brexit has been replaced by Megxit and we don’t have to swallow a nightly diet of verbose self-serving politicians and the drone of electioneering, I actually think that the small business sector has returned from the holiday break, determined to work both ON and IN their businesses.

My clients are booming and blossoming. January 2020 will be my best month for sales since before the 2008 banking collapse. I’m working with clients who are also celebrating record sales months.

I like to think that Britain might just be going back to work and that small businesses with no imports or exports don’t really care too much whether we are in or out of the EU post 31st January.

So my clients being busy is making me busier than I’ve been for a long time.

If this carries on I’m going to have to rethink the way I organise my time and my workload – so I’m going to keep a careful eye on things in Q1.

In the meantime, my balance is out of the window – and I really do have to do something about my nutrition and consumption of alcohol – I’m having a fat, wet January, my jeans feel tight nd I’m working too hard.

Some coach.