Goal #26: Breaking Eggs

Billable Hours: the life blood of the self-employed.

Having many clients is great because all my eggs aren't in one basket. But how do I know when there are too many baskets?

It's come to the point where I have to decide who I will let down, and which deadlines I need to miss. Not a great thing to do. Obviously the least appealing people to disappoint are my family (after all they are who I love the most), even if they don't pay me (LOL).

GOAL #26; Decluttering a client so I can do my job better.

Process: Things that were weighed in the decision:
Job satisfaction - do I love the work I do for this person?
Potential life of client relationship - a one-off design or a long time client?
Wage per hour - less per hour means I have to work more hours away from my family!

What "basket" could I afford to drop to break the least eggs? Which client do I have to disapoint?

Result: The answer was more obvious that I cared to admit. Though I enjoyed the work (technical/schematic drawings) at an intellectual level and the employer is a great guy that had guaranteed a trickle of hours from now until forever, the hourly wage is about 1/3 what I charge for my design time. And so I was always putting his stuff off in favor of the higher paying, creatively stimulating stuff.

It weighed on my conscience being late all the time. I wasn't pulling my own weight, and it ate at me that I was letting the team down repeatedly... I COULD do a great job, but I wasn't.

I called my supervisor (a friend) and she counselled that I let myself go so that the company could find someone more available. Honestly I thought she would try to talk me out of it. OUCH. The boss took my decision a little harder than that and seemed genuinely disapointed that I was leaving. We agreed that I would call when I had more time (at least that bridge isn't burned). And he took away the tool belt, plans, binder and laptop computer that came with the gig. (less stuff! a bright side!)

Now I am juggling less baskets and my workload does feel lighter.