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"Hey Adrian, are you free for a quick chat?"

I just got home when I received this text. It was from someone I met years ago. She mentioned that she was working on a project and wanted to discuss potential partnerships.

"Sure."

I asked if she could drop me an email and I’ll read her proposal through. Just like Jeff Bezos, I’ve been encouraging everyone I deal with to write more.

It’s just a better way to polish your ideas before having conversations. “Adrian, can we just do a quick call instead?”

Ugh. I was hoping i'll avoid this. I politely declined and promised I’ll reach out when I had free time. We could do a call then.

A few days go past and she reached out again. My guess, she was probably convinced I had free time and maybe just forgot to let her know.

She was right. I did have free time, but it was me-time.

You see, in the past my free time was up for grabs to anyone that asked. After all, it was free time.

Review your app UI? Sure.

Help you write your website copy? Yup.

The list was endless. Their problem was now my problem. This left me drained and exhausted.

This was the result of bundling my free time and me-time. I had to learn the power of saying NO, with no excuses or apologies. I had to separate and protect my me-time.

Now, I could watch fires burn and continue to flip through my kindle. Why? That’s me-time. I feel no guilt and you shouldn't either.

My simple rule; I'm accessible during my free time and I'm not during me-time.

But what if it’s a serious issue and she needs help asap? Sounds like a personal problem to me.

There will always be a fire somewhere. If you try putting them all out you'll end up a burnt chip.

Draw a thick line between your free time and me-time. Just like tug of war, maintain the tension and power to not cross your sacred line.

Enjoy your me-time .

Adrian,

P.S I'd love to hear how you spend your me-time. You can reply to this email.

Can't wait to hear from you.