I’m learning how to accept “the way things are” as the demands on my time grow. I’m uncomfortable with the idea of owing responses and updates to people, but this is an inevitable consequence of providing a valuable service. Sure, it’s possible to mitigate this to a degree but I’m not sure that’s the problem that I should be solving right now.

Instead, I’m adjusting to these demands by ensuring that I mentally frame up my tasks in a healthy way. I don’t recall where I read it recently, but a best practice followed by [insert person whose blog post I read] was that they don’t respond to negative/frantic energy.

This resonates with me quite a bit, as we’ve been conditioned to expect things to happen instantly online and I interact with many customers who frequently (and sometimes frantically) inquire as to the status of the work they’ve ordered. I can drop what I’m doing to talk them off a bridge or rush to deliver the work so they’re placated, but this negatively impacts my workflow and focus and my ability to accomplish the day’s tasks.

So the problem I need to solve is ensuring that my daily workflow is optimized and that expectations are set properly (among half a dozen other things) rather than trying to please one person which does a disservice to myself and other customers.