I had a really wonderful conversation with Michelle Ward, the When I Grow Up Coach, about what it means to feel compelled to do more than one thing.  I hope you’ll hop on over and eavesdrop on the call.

In the meantime, here’s a tapas-style rundown of what to do if squeezing all of your work and energy into just one box makes you want to scream.

Figure it out: What is the big picture of your professional life?

The things we do aren’t random. Taken together, the things that occupy your mind and your time say something really important about what you’re all about.

So what’s the central question that binds your work together? It could be a pursuit of order. Or healing, Or beauty. My big picture is about justice and self-determination. (All of my jobs have been, in one way or another, about offering compassionate, smart companionship to women in a way that puts them in the driver’s seat of their lives and wellbeing.)

Standard self-care rules apply.

Even Renaissance souls need a bit of lovin’.  If you’re working more than one gig,  boundaries are your friend now more than ever.  If you don’t know where they are, find them. Feel for them: what feels better, what feels worse? When does it feel good to power through and get work done, and when does your fallible human body need you to stop and recharge?

Then build your structure with respect to those boundaries. Let your days be a reflection of the work and play that sustains you. Take breaks. Take vacations. Keep your computer off on Sundays.

And remember your humility. You’re one person – a talented, savvy, hardworking person, yes, but one unfortunately lacking superhuman abilities.  It’s really OK to need regular sleep, good food, a quiet space for 10 minutes of meditation each day, and regular pee breaks. It’s really OK to delegate tasks that leave you in tears of frustration. It’s really OK to dedicate a portion of your income to activities that nourish and sustain your creativity. Come to think of it, it’s more than OK. It’s super important.

A word about logistics

If you’re called to more than one line of work: whether you’re an attorney/painter, writer/accountant, craftsperson/dancer, or VA/doula, there are a few practical pieces that make a Renaissance life easier.

• It would be awesome if at least one of your jobs or projects offered you flexible times.

It would be even awesomer if one of them offered some firm deadlines. Two sets of rigid deadlines and daily schedules can be impossible to integrate. Two loosey-goosey schedules can be tricky to navigate if you’re not really Type A about time management. Try to build a structure with few deadlines and some flexibility.

• Don’t make it a secret.

Unless there’s some compelling reason not to reveal your slash-hood, put it out there. Allow people to see the real you; to see the big picture of what you’re all about. And realistically, if there’s ever a conflict between the two worlds and you have to peacefully extricate yourself from being two places at once (see above on humility if, like me, you lack superhuman abilities), no one will be surprised.

• Experiment with keeping your time management systems for all of your gigs in one place.

Keep separate calendars in Google or iCal, but be sure to connect them so you don’t accidentally overbook one job with another. And remember, color-coding is always your friend! If your client appointments from Gig A are blue in your calendar, set up a blue label for email correspondence with them too. Find a way to make life easy.