How do you manage to....

[The Farmers Daughter]

Keep up your energy and focus? I have been doing this full time since 1997. I take 2 short vacations a year and try to get at least 6 - 7 hours of sleep a night, but honestly I'm dragging. How do you stay motivated and on top of things?

 

[Morticia]

Ask me again when I've been doing this that long!
Maybe one difference is that I'm not here by myself. Do you have any outside relationships? Someone who will 'whisk you away' so you don't go nuts there by yourself?
Now that I think we're fairly organized, this year has seemed to be the easiest so far. I can do my own projects (quilting and writing) and get out everyday for a walk with my friends.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

Ask me again when I've been doing this that long!
Maybe one difference is that I'm not here by myself. Do you have any outside relationships? Someone who will 'whisk you away' so you don't go nuts there by yourself?
Now that I think we're fairly organized, this year has seemed to be the easiest so far. I can do my own projects (quilting and writing) and get out everyday for a walk with my friends..

Ask me again when I've been doing this that long!
Maybe one difference is that I'm not here by myself. Do you have any outside relationships? Someone who will 'whisk you away' so you don't go nuts there by yourself?
Now that I think we're fairly organized, this year has seemed to be the easiest so far. I can do my own projects (quilting and writing) and get out everyday for a walk with my friends.

lol! sadly I'm wisk free

 

[gillumhouse]

Who ever said we keep energy and focus. I cannot speak for anyone else, but my butt is dragging big time right now. I just sat down to get something in mt stomach foe the first time since 9 AM. I had snatches of sit down for a minute but no time to eat.
Laundry is dry & in. got 11 burgers out of the 3 lbs of venison - hope 1 or two do not want burgers.
I have 2 rooms tonight and they will leave in the morning. I have to get those rooms flipped and ALL laundry caught up by Tuesday because Wednesday will be spent setting up DH's art display at MountainFest and 3 rooms are coming in for 3 nights. So I also have to get supplies and Wednesday at 6 I have an important meeting and Thursday at Noon a VERY important meeting and he is going to want to be in Morgantown earlier than I can do.
I am not just dealing with B & B and only half the rooms you have BUT I have a my master's voice to deal with - a man who has not heard the word no since he was 12 and since he is unable to do a lot of things, I am elected. I do not know what wears me out more - B & B or him. He is not in favor today. Frickin' hedges!!!

 

[Morticia]

Ask me again when I've been doing this that long!
Maybe one difference is that I'm not here by myself. Do you have any outside relationships? Someone who will 'whisk you away' so you don't go nuts there by yourself?
Now that I think we're fairly organized, this year has seemed to be the easiest so far. I can do my own projects (quilting and writing) and get out everyday for a walk with my friends..

Ask me again when I've been doing this that long!
Maybe one difference is that I'm not here by myself. Do you have any outside relationships? Someone who will 'whisk you away' so you don't go nuts there by yourself?
Now that I think we're fairly organized, this year has seemed to be the easiest so far. I can do my own projects (quilting and writing) and get out everyday for a walk with my friends.

lol! sadly I'm wisk free

.

Do you have any 'time off' during the week when maybe there's someone on hand for a couple of hours? Just getting out and away from the phones for a couple of hours can really help. Especially with the week you've had. My washer broke down one summer and I spent 3 weeks going to the laundry everyday. I left without the phone and by the second week I was looking forward to 2 hours in the laundromat by myself. Pathetic, I know, but there you have it!

 

[JeannineIrish]

If I can manage it I try to take a nap each day. Those day's that I don't I am literally dragging by dinner time. Can you manage to occassionally have some days. I forget how big your place is and I think I remember that you are the innkeeper and not the owner. I'm not sure what kind of flexibility you have?

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

Get a big lovable, huggable dog!
I make it a rule that at least every fourth Netflix rental is a comedy. Something as simple as 120 minutes of good laughs works wonders for us.
Reach out to any friend, relative, neighbor, etc.. who sincerely cares about you and lean on them a little from time to time to simply provide some camaraderie.
We are fiercely independent and have this huge "pride" chip on our shoulders over never asking anybody for anything in this life and always being the self-proclaimed "givers" and not takers in any way shape or form.
That has created some distance between us and and some people that really love us and its been hard to break that distance down over the years.
Point being that we all "need" somebody at some point and its no crime to reach out and accept people's affection. Even the smallest gesture of "Hey, how about I take you out for lunch or something" lifts my spirits higher than I ever imagined.

 

[mooseberry]

I just keep on pushing myself...
Some days I have lots of energy and fly trough the day.
Today thou, I am dragging...had a full house last night, ( 5 rooms plus sofa bed and roll away ). Thank god for my good friend my helper. But even so, I am dragging. It is 2:30 PM and I am just now getting something to eat...my tummy is screaming.....
Them, when I think i got all done, I go trough the door into my house and have to do all over again....
No end for me. Dropping into bed at 11 PM, no problem falling asleep within minutes
Up again at 6:30 AM....
No rooms tonight, looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and maybe even getting out of town for a few hours. But that too can change with walk ins....
You have to take advantage of every free minute possible.
BUT.... I Love what I do and would definately do it all over again.....

 

[Country Girl]

Getting away for even a few hours recharges my batteries. Go to your local library, sit in a comfy chair and read a book for an hour or two. See a movie in the afternoon. Have lunch with a friend. Take a long walk. Turn off the phone and take a nap. Schedule time into each day for just you. Some days it's easier than others, but grab the chance every time you can.

 

[YellowSocks]

Who says I'm on top of things?
As far as motivated, sometimes I just tell myself, "OK, get up, it's time to go, go, go..."
I have a lot of stamina, I suspect partly because I just keep going until I'm ready to drop, then I find something else that needs done and do it before I drop... and maybe just one more quick thing before I go to bed...
But this year I've been taking Mondays off (as much as I can) and taking my kids to the lake so they can swim and I can fish. It has really helped me. And dh had a surprise Monday holiday so we took a day trip to an island and liked it so much we're taking a mini-vacation there at the end of August... I'm really looking forward to it, and it helps when I start to get blurry from fatigue.
=)
Kk.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

Who says I'm on top of things?
As far as motivated, sometimes I just tell myself, "OK, get up, it's time to go, go, go..."
I have a lot of stamina, I suspect partly because I just keep going until I'm ready to drop, then I find something else that needs done and do it before I drop... and maybe just one more quick thing before I go to bed...
But this year I've been taking Mondays off (as much as I can) and taking my kids to the lake so they can swim and I can fish. It has really helped me. And dh had a surprise Monday holiday so we took a day trip to an island and liked it so much we're taking a mini-vacation there at the end of August... I'm really looking forward to it, and it helps when I start to get blurry from fatigue.
=)
Kk..

Having Mondays off sounds nice. Do you just block that day off from reservations?

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Energy and focus? Well, at this time of year it's a matter of stamina. You just do it. Get out as some have suggested? It's not going to happen, too busy. Take a walk? It's not going to happen...if anything I'm going to plop myself in a chair for a few minutes. When I plop down I usually check in on this forum...it's my guilty little pleasure.
One thing that helps me get through is that we always take a little vacation after summer and I spend time while working thinking about where I'm going to go, what I'll do when I'm there and how nice it will be to be away.
On top of my duties of being an innkeeper, I'm spending time taking care of my elderly mother who is in assisted living. It's not easy, but it's necessary. I will not have had a day off or get one for a total of 5 months. I'm a walking Nike ad...Just Do It. I consider it the best complaint an innkeeper can have...no time off. It's helping me reach my goal of retirement in just a few years from now.

 

[YellowSocks]

Who says I'm on top of things?
As far as motivated, sometimes I just tell myself, "OK, get up, it's time to go, go, go..."
I have a lot of stamina, I suspect partly because I just keep going until I'm ready to drop, then I find something else that needs done and do it before I drop... and maybe just one more quick thing before I go to bed...
But this year I've been taking Mondays off (as much as I can) and taking my kids to the lake so they can swim and I can fish. It has really helped me. And dh had a surprise Monday holiday so we took a day trip to an island and liked it so much we're taking a mini-vacation there at the end of August... I'm really looking forward to it, and it helps when I start to get blurry from fatigue.
=)
Kk..

Having Mondays off sounds nice. Do you just block that day off from reservations?
.

Having Mondays off sounds nice. Do you just block that day off from reservations?

No, which is why I qualified that I take them off "as much as I can." We almost never have check-ins on Mondays. So even if I have guests in the house, after breakfast, fluffs and bare minimum of getting things in order I go to Charles Mill Lake Park south of town where the kids can swim and I can fish. Today is my first morning with no guests in a few weeks... and sure enough, it's a Monday!
And even when I have a check-in on Monday, I try to "slack off a little" and get out of the house and spend time with my kids sometime during the day.
Sometimes I really have to crank on Tuesday to make up for whatever I didn't do on Monday, but it's worth it.
And I wholewheartedly agree... sometimes I tell myself, "just do it." I'll rest in November.
=)
Kk.

 

[wendydk]

My folks are visiting from Florida and have rented a cottage on the lake in my old hometown...I had all stayovers yesterday, so went down for about five hours and had a cookout with my family. That never happens, especially in the summer. I've gone out of my way to take those opportunities this year...previously, I always felt that I had to be here, even if guests were gone the entire day.

 

[JBloggs]

Keep up your energy and focus? I have been doing this full time since 1997. I take 2 short vacations a year and try to get at least 6 - 7 hours of sleep a night, but honestly I'm dragging. How do you stay motivated and on top of things?

I have to ask YOU that question, 1997! WOW!

 

[Willowpondgj]

Yer funny!

Motivated and energetic. That's fun-eeeeeee!
2 vacations a year? You go girl!
I sing opera, it's glorified screaming.
I do yoga, it's therapy from the outside in. And it keeps me from literally dragging...myself to bed at night.

 

[JBloggs]

Yer funny!

Motivated and energetic. That's fun-eeeeeee!
2 vacations a year? You go girl!
I sing opera, it's glorified screaming.
I do yoga, it's therapy from the outside in. And it keeps me from literally dragging...myself to bed at night..

Yer funny!

Motivated and energetic. That's fun-eeeeeee!
2 vacations a year? You go girl!
I sing opera, it's glorified screaming.
I do yoga, it's therapy from the outside in. And it keeps me from literally dragging...myself to bed at night.

Don't forget the layman's opera - aka glorified screaming - karaoke. Good stress reliever as well.