Luckily for me freelance work has been going great. I’ve managed to add a couple of clients to my roster this week and just finished up some big projects. Unfortunately, my boss who I gave a one month notice to September 12th still hasn’t looked for my replacement.
I had agreed to continue working until he found someone who I could train, but he hasn’t even look yet! And, working a gazillion hours a week is really starting to take a toll on me. Here’s how.
Bad for Your Health
I have been getting colds left and right lately, despite my attempts to eat healthier and take my daily vitamins. I believe this is due to my insane sleep schedule.
Since I am still working the 9-5 I have to work my writing assignments into my free time and after the girls go to bed. This means staying up late, getting up early, and running on empty. I sit here typing this with a horrible cold and a very achy sore throat, which I seem to be getting all too often lately.
I am ready to start getting back to a normal sleep schedule and a more balanced life.
Less Productivity
Another thing a lack of sleep causes is a lack of productivity. After all, it’s hard to give a peak performance when you’re running on a few measly hours of sleep. Not only that, but productivity usually comes in spurts. Since I am strapped for time I sit down and force myself to do more work even when I know it won’t be my top quality.
Rising Stress
I could also credit my colds due to added stress. I have been trying to take on new assignments and have even added a different type of gig to my schedule but it’s so hard to keep up. I want to make sure that I have enough work to pay the bills when I’m on my own, but at the rate I am going it seems I’ll be working the hours equivalent to two full time jobs.
It also sucks that sometimes I just want to enjoy my weekends – but I can’t. I’ve committed myself to so much work that I’ve got to fit it in somewhere.
You Can Only Do It For So Long
When I first started working several hours a week outside of my day job I didn’t mind it. Actually I enjoyed it. However, I think after a certain amount of time passes it’s just natural to feel burnt out. I am looking forward to the day when I concentrate on my own business rather than someone else’s. And when I can create a more balanced work-life schedule.
If you have started your side business, just beware: take on too much work and you may suffer these same consequences. Remember to stop, take a breath, and enjoy life every now and again.
(Thanks to the following carnivals for including my posts recently: Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Reach Financial Independence, Lifestyle Carnival hosted by Master The Art of Saving, Carnival of Financial Independence hosted by Reach Financial Independence, Carnival of Financial Camaraderie hosted by Bryan Maltier, Carnival of Retirement hosted by Mom and Dad Money, Carnival of Financial Planning B hosted by Mom and Dad Money,Festival of Frugality hosted by See Debt Run,Carnival of Money hosted by Financial Nerd)
Sounds like your boss is using your gentle heart to get you to stay there longer. I say get out. Time to put yourself first, my friend. 🙂 He’s had plenty of time to move on this and chose not to.
Speak with your boss and give him a set time when it will be your last day. Lack of sleep is not good it will take a toll on you and the girls. Hope you are feeling better.
I feel your pain Alexa. Trying to build up a side gig while working full time is not easy. I try to find a balance between working on my business without burning myself out (done that before) or letting my family suffer. Sometimes you need to take a break and recharge so you can come back and be more productive.
I say give your boss a firm deadline. He’s taking advantage of you and he’ll string you along forever if you let him.
Work life balance is definitely important. I think you should give your boss a hard deadline as it seems he may be taking advantage of your kindness. A months notice is more than enough.
So, you gave one month notice and they still aren’t looking for your replacement? That’s crazy! You’re going to have to cut them off at a certain point. Ha! You warned them.
I’ve found myself staying up later and later to get things done and there are definitely times when I reach a breaking point and have to de-stress, or simply sleep. As for your personal situation, this sounds like a case where you’ve given them plenty of rope and now it’s time for a hard deadline. It’s not your fault if they can’t meet it.
I remember the days of working 19 hours a day and barely sleeping. That is what striving for more will get you if you don’t take some breaks. That is the reason why I shut down my business, it was affecting my health in a very bad way.
Seriously – shame on your boss for not finding someone for you to hire and train yet. I’m a manager and we’ve been getting a lot of one-week notices as people are leaving during the big hiring boom here in MI. You are being more than generous.
I did the 14 hours/day ‘dance’ for 3-4 months back in 2009, when I was trying to get my web design running. I was exhausted, but wanted to make sure I get the right start. It’s not a long term plan though, you will ‘break’ eventually and it won’t be pretty.
Fortunately for me it all worked well. As soon as I was starting to feel the consequences of my hard work, I wasn’t forced to put in so many hours. I slowed down and it all worked great.
Working too hard can be very bad for your health. Its all about having the right balance. Too much of one thing can be very bad indeed.
I was there and worked too much for my blogs and I still feel the consequences, even though I learned that I shouldn’t work myself to exhaustion. But when I started and wanted to make it big, I used to work up to 10-12 hours per day. The result? Health problems, stress levels are still through the roof, hypertension, anxiety and so on. I can only hope that I will continue to slowly reduce the workload and undo the damage that I have caused to myself…
Yikes, I don’t like the sound of those stress symptoms of yours. I vote for giving your boss a hard 2-week notice. Get out!!
I’m sorry to hear that your boss isn’t looking for a replacement, yet. This might be a good time to demand extra pay if he’s not going to take steps in a timely manner. If you’re going to be working longer than you anticipated, you might as well try to earn more while you’re waiting for him to get off his ass.
This is why I left my day job. I was working like crazy and I didn’t have time for the fun things in life.
I would seri0usly tell him Friday is your last day. You gave fair warning and are getting taken advantage of. If he begs you to stay, ask for a substantial raise or walk. Best of luck!
If it starts taking a toll on your health…I say its time to walk and chillax a bit. In the grand scheme of things I doubt you will miss that extra money. For your “clingy boss”, since you gave adequate notice of your intentions…I think you are within your rights to quit summarily if you wish to.
Hey Alexa and thanks for the wise words. Sorry to hear your life/work balance is messed up 🙁
I know that once you are your own boss, things will be way better for you and your girls!
Could you not give your boss a deadline? I realize you want to leave on good terms, but it really is not your problem if he drops the ball by not looking for your replacement.
Having said that, I can understand his reluctance to find someone new. After all, you are irreplaceable 🙂
Take care Alexa and I hope you begin to feel better soon. I had a cold for the past couple of weeks and while I enjoy having a cold, I realize it’s not for everyone.
All the best and be well.
Lyle
I hope that your boss finds a replacement soon. It sounds like he is taking too much advantage of your offer to stay and train someone. You did enough – it’s up to him to take action, and it’s ridiculous a month has passed already. I hope you feel better soon, too!
If you want to leave on September 12th, nobody would blame you for it. Your health is he nber one thing. I hope you feel better soon. Take care of yourself!
Someone probably already suggested this but can you give him a cut off date? I mean most people only need to give two weeks. Sounds like you’ve been more than generous!
I agree with everyone above…you were generous to offer to train someone but if your boss is not even looking, then I guess he is out of luck and will have to find someone else to train the new person. I think sleep is very important…you can’t continue to push yourself to the limits without some consequences. It probably is the reason for the colds. Get some rest!
You need to tell him you gotta go. You gave a month notice! Also, stress will kill you quicker than anything. Don’t let it, life’s too short. I worked 35 days in a row this summer and it was so hard. I try to give myself at least one day off a week now. Get some rest and take care.
Perfect point Alexa! Before I wake up at 6:00 A.M. daily and slept at 10-11:00 P.M but I discovered that too much work will make you sick. So I tried to change my daily routine I slept at around 8-9 P.M. and wake up at 4:30 A.M, doing some exercises before working is a great help too.
I would have another chat with my boss to kindly remind him to start looking for a replacement. Actually, I would give my one month notice and be done with it. As harsh as this sounds. I could never sacrifice time with family, my sleep pattern, staying healthy and feeling my best, I don’t care how much money there is to make, these are the things that are more important to me. I hope you feel better soon, Alexa, and will soon be able to concentrate on your online business.
What if you just gave two weeks and didn’t offer anything else? Have you tried doing that? I hope you can leave soon, your family and personal life will be happy!
I have tried to grow my website recently and I have put in so much time for it. However this has not been an issue for me because I have enjoyed it and am reaching success. It has been very tiring though.
I remember being able to stay up and pull all-nighters during college, but that kind of lifestyle just isn’t sustainable or realistic. I hope you find some balance, and soon!