....anyone else got more work than they can handle?

[Spaldo]

An off topic thread.....

It seems at the moment that between touring, studio work and general weekend gigging I'm busier than ever (even busier than when I was pro)

How do you guys handle it? Is it best to say no to the work, sub your work out or hand over some gigs to someone else?

Just after some general thoughts / ideas on time management / protocols / anything I might be able to use.

Cheers

[Dezter]

isn't this a good problem? if you're doing what you love and you're getting paid for it, it shouldn't be work. when it becomes work then you should lay back a bit.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Dezter

isn't this a good problem? if you're doing what you love and you're getting paid for it, it shouldn't be work. when it becomes work then you should lay back a bit.

This is a good way to look at it.

It definitely comes down to who you are as a person. I know I hate staying super busy because life becomes more hectic than it should. But I also hate not staying actively engaged in my hobbies/studies/job because I get bored very easily, too. It's important to try and find a safe middle ground. My suggestion to you is to take things slow. Try cutting a rehearsal here and there, see if you can move a recording session back a week, try subbing out a gig once every other month or so - try whatever you got to do to make things more relaxed, but do it in a way that you can easily get back to full speed if you start to get bored. I know I often go overboard and will quit groups completely because they get too intense, when I could probably just talk to the band and ask for them to slow it down for a few weeks so I can catch my breathe.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Ultimately, being stressed out is a decision. The work needs to get done, and you need to do it. There will be time to relax later, and freaking out about it is only going to be counter-productive.

That's usually how I deal with stress. Of course, that only works most of the time. If the stars happen to be aligned in exactly the wrong way, that doesn't work and I end up spending the rest of the day bugging out. Once that's all out of the system, though, it's time to finish what's on the agenda.

[MatticusMania]

Right now I have more work than I can handle... at work it seems as soon as I finish one huge project two people are lined up to hanf me another. My roommate moved out, so now that we have all kinds of extra space in our condo my fiancee and I are beginning to remodel (I'm thinking about starting a thread on Inexpensive DIY Home Renovations). my band is playing out alot, and Ive been thinking about getting into a coverband to make a little extra scratch. My fiancee's cousin is getting married this weekend. We are still doing planning for our own upcoming wedding in June. Just a lot of things on the table, but so far Ive been managing my stress pretty well.

[MJ5150]

Nope, not I. Sometimes my job gets hectic, but it evens out during the course of the week.

-Mike

[jaywa]

Raise your price. You'll get fewer jobs, but make more for the time you put in. I'm a writer and a musician, and in both fields you have a lot more people underpricing themselves than overpricing.

[skwee]

Just make sure that you are giving 100% effort for everything. If you start being only able to give 80% of yourself to each thing, then prioritize and cut back a little. I got caught in this situation a long time ago, and it probably helped to keep me from landing the big gig in town, because I couldn't give all of myself to prep for it.

[Phalex]

I work 1st shift during the week, and 2nd or 3rd shift with my band every weekend. I really don't sleep too much anymore.

[MakiSupaStar]

I'm working full time. I have proposals due on some side work and I have three gigs this week. I'm buried.

[baba]

I gave up on the too many gigs thing a couple years ago. It will wear you down. I now have one working band and life is great. Much less stressful.

Time for you to kick a band/project off the island.

[MJ5150]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

I have proposals due on some side work.....

Lifeguard side work?

-Mike

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Lifeguard side work?

-Mike

Well there's that too, but web design stuff.