It’s been some time since I last wrote… mainly because of how busy work has been, but nothing better than that really. It’s hard work sometimes trying to find a moment just to reflect on life.

But on the other hand, it’s amazing how I often feel like this is nothing to say. Nothing to comment on about life in general. I think that’s probably true as far as work goes at the moment. It’s all generally going well, although it’s hard work.

Perhaps the biggest change is that as far as the two businesses I’m involved in go, the one that has suddenly appeared from nowhere to potentially be able to generate a large amount of capital is growing very quickly. This is good news, but one of the most difficult parts as far as I’m concerned is that it involved working with other people far more closely than ever before.

I have never had to manage people before. The closest I ever got was when I was in Colorado, and when I was “in charge” of small groups of happy campers (!) when we had things to clean. I used to like getting stuck in and doing cleaning myself… leading by example. But I quickly learned that I just couldn’t do that. Being a manager meant looking a step or two ahead of the current position, so that people had something ready to do when they finished their current task. If I was doing cleaning myself, I couldn’t plan for other people – and people can go off task very quickly if they are not motivated…

It seems a pretty mundane environment to learn a management lesson, but actually I think it’s universal. It has occurred to me again in recent weeks, because the new employee we have has needed things to do. Sometimes very important, sometimes very simple. But it has distracted me. It has taken me away from my own work to have to plan the work of others.

At the moment, this is not good for me. I am being pulled away from the work that’s paying me day-to-day, my IT work, to do work for another business which is ticking over, but I will always be at the back of the pay queue, because the employees have to be paid first. And therefore I’m working on stuff which is taking up my time, stressing me out, and paying me nothing.

That is not a good equation. I am hoping this is just short term, but I have to admit it’s starting to niggle in the back of my mind. Doubt is hard work… and I’ve more than had enough of it over the years. I would like a little bit of certainty now.

Hmm. Oh well, at least it’s Sunday.