The Balance of Structure and Freedom in Your Massage Business
The other day I was having a fantastic work-from-home morning.
I was up early, made a great french press of coffee, and crawled back under my electric blanket with my laptop where I happily sipped and sat and worked in super-productive mode.
I had prepped my day the night before so I woke up and knew right away what I going to work on. It was a most efficient and delightful morning.
Then came a podcast recording with Michael, all about productivity, in fact!
We talked about planning and ideas to help us (and you) be more productive. We talked about grouping like tasks together and my bullet journal.
We talked about rituals and rewards and priorities. It. Was. Glorious.
We finished our podcast and I was ready to dive into my perfectly structured day of work.
Then the client voicemail came through. The client who called yesterday in pain, but I couldn't fit her in. Still home. Still in pain. Hoping to get in today.
I attempted to get her into another MT in my office. But that didn't work, no one was available.
I asked myself the boundary questions: Should I go in on my at-home day to see a client? Will this set an unrealistic expectation? Is massage ever an emergency? Do I want to go in?
No. Maybe. No. Yes.
I wanted to treat the client. I wanted to go in. I didn't feel put out. (I had no problem saying no to her the day before, and she was cool with it, so I feel good about our boundaries.)
I called my client back and made a plan to see her at the office right away.
Then I had a brief moment of thinking, "Whelp. Now my whole day is shot. I won't be getting THAT work done." But I looked at my schedule (yay bullet journal!) and realized I could make a few small adjustments and do the work in another time slot.
And that's when it hit me. This structure I've got happening is soooo freeeeing.
Know what I have to do, and knowing, planning, SEEING, when I will do it lets me ease and shift and be flexible when I want to.
Instead of letting tasks and demands 'happen' to me, I can ease through them, around them, with them. It's pretty great.
This is true for more than just your calendar, too. When you have structure in your finances, you'll ultimately have more freedom to direct your resources (cash). When you have a solid client base, it's easier to take time off.
For the rebels, the free spirits, the can't-get-organized kinda people who get claustrophobic when their day or week is planned out, know this: there is freedom in structure. Try it.
I don't think I've reached Michael-levels of productivity or intellect. But it's a new high for me, and I'm gonna ride it.