For a good portion of my career in publishing (and I know this is the same for many of you), I had to operate in a put-the-fires-out style of time management. My job depended on being able to switch gears quickly and to delegate whenever possible in order to keep myself available on an as-needed basis. Frequent meetings with other people were critical for staying up to speed on progress all around.
Now I’ve entered a new career as a writer. In this career, time management means keeping the concerns of other people on a back burner somewhere without them thinking I’ve forgotten all about them. I’m having trouble directing my attention inward instead of outward. It’s more than a shift in gears. It’s a whole new mode of transportation.
Have any of you changed careers and found you had to master “a new mode of transportation”? How long did it take you to move through that shift? Would love to see Comments on this.
When one has been the sentinel for so long, such as keeping a business afloat in your case, the residue lingers on long after the fires are gone. To write one needs to feel safe, that all is well in order to free the mind.