Busy Week

I’m having such a busy week and it isn’t even half finished. Sometimes balancing the job and home life can begin to feel frenetic. So, I did something this week I don’t normally do. I hired help.

Weird thing is that in my work as an executive director we hire help all the time. We have a designer who makes our promotional material. She works faster than we could ever do it ourselves. We can see the value. We have a computer tech who handles our IT system. He troubles-shoots problems faster and with spot-on-accuracy that we could never match. So, why is it so hard to set-up this sort of help in our own private worlds?

Last weekend I took apart an old platform bed. I disassembled everything and hauled it to the garage until it could be taken to the dump. I hauled the ancient mattress out to the garage as well. I assembled the new frame and unpacked the new mattress (one of those mail order numbers). Then I spent 3 days with aching shoulders. When it came time to rake up the leaves in the front year, I had nothing left. I was spent.

I sometimes wonder if being an executive director trains us to think we can do it all, because we feel so responsible for doing everything. It trains us to try and handle everything. Slowly as the years progress, I’ve managed to build a small system of support for me at my non-profit. Yay me! I’m always so grateful when it isn’t my job to handle the things that aren’t my job. Now I need to find a way to bring that back to my home life.

I did something this week I don’t normally do. I hired help.

The COVID lockdown still lingers here. We are still stuck at home. The home projects are starting to add up and I’m starting to run out of steam. So, I’m taking things one day at a time, doing what I can, and not beating myself up for what I can’t do. Sure, it would be nice to be rich enough to hire help for everything, but the wage of a non-profit ED won’t allow it. So, I get help where I can and take my time with the rest.

If the garden doesn’t get fully pulled before the snow, I’m sure I will survive. If I need someone to clean the gutters, because they are a little too high up for me, I’ll make it happen. Right now, I’m protecting me. And yes, I hired someone to rake the leaves in the front yard. They had it done in 15 minutes!

How about you? What stage are you at with your non-profit, with your mental health, with your physical health? Are you taking care of you?

-Christie

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Hi, I'm Christie Saas, former board member, current Executive Director, and non-profit volunteer. I remember well, those early years when I lacked the training, the confidence, and the work-life balance to focus on becoming the best non-profit leader I could be.

Fast-forward past many bumps in the road, lessons learned, and you’ll find me still in the trenches, but a little wiser, a little calmer, and a whole lot happier. I love my work and I want to help you love yours too.

I created ChristieSaas.com to give you tools, tips, and templates to remove the mystery of learning to run a small non-profit. If you’re a brand-new non-profit leader, or a little more seasoned, someone who’s looking to make a meaningful contribution and still have time for a full life away from the job, you’re in the right place.

© Christie Saas 2021 All Rights Reserved

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