Overload

I’m doing too much.

I think I need to focus more on what I do well, and less on the things that I add little to no value to. I do all the accounting work for my business, which takes a bit of time, and I think I could outsource that, or write a program to do most of it for me. Crunching numbers isn’t a “fun” activity, and having someone or -thing responsible for it would really cut down on the stress.

For me, stress turns into obsessive work. If I get stressed, I start working on something. This is very different from Amy, who wants to relax when she gets stressed. When I come home from work, I usually want to start on some project, because I want to accomplish or finish something, which I find rewarding. When Amy comes home, she’s more likely to read, watch TV, or take a nap. Either way of dealing with stress is fine by me – the differences are really in how we were raised. My parents were always doing something, so that seemed normal and I fit into that mold. From my experience, Amy’s parents separate their work and personal time more strictly, so she does the same.

I’ve been thinking about my working situation as well – I work 30 hours a week for Access Tucson, and get benefits from them, but the pay isn’t that great. If I went full time for my business and stopped working there, I could probably make a lot more, but then I’d have to pay for my own benefits, wouldn’t have the 401k set up, etc. I don’t really want to quit right now (It gives me a greater sense of security to both me and Amy to have me working for someone), but I may ask to drop to 20 hours a week this summer.

Oh well, time to work.