I’m often asked how many hours a week I work.
It’s a hard question to answer, since I don’t really consider what I do “work” (ie: writing this email, doing a coaching session, shooting a video, etc doesn’t feel like work – I enjoy it).
I do know that I have a “sweet spot” for how many hours I want to be focusing on my business every week.
The sweet spot is the ideal number of hours that you work on your business per week that allows your business to be operating at its peak without sacrificing your mental or physical health.
As someone who’s struggled with workaholism in the past, I could very easily work 110 hours/week and justify it in my mind (I did that for a decade back when I was in real estate).
I’m amazed that in almost 20 years as an entrepreneur that I’ve never burned out, but I know that I don’t want to tempt fate by working 100+ hours/week.
That being said, I’m not a four-hour workweek kinda guy either. A lot of people strive for the nirvana promised in Tim Ferriss’ book, but I’d go crazy working just a few hours a week!
For me, it’s all about finding balance, or the sweet spot …
Over the holidays, my balance was thrown off one week since I postponed some of my group coaching calls (I don’t expect clients to be on those on Christmas Day and Boxing Day) and forced myself into some self-imposed relaxation time .
That week I worked about half of what I normally do, and I found myself restless and then a little rusty when the new year rolled around.
My sweet spot is probably around 60 hours of focused work every week. That keeps me sharp, and I feel good in that range.
Others, like my friend Chris Miles, have a different sweet spot. Chris told me that his is somewhere around 15 or 20 hours a week. He does very well with that and is killing it in business, so who am I to judge?
Every person has their own unique sweet spot. The key is to find yours, and then structure your business and life around it.
The stuff I teach my clients to do requires effort and more than a few hours of work a week, but it won’t take 110 hours, either.
If you want help building a successful coaching business that fits your life, check out my upcoming group program here:
