Clickin Moms recently ran a blog post that Kristin Brown (a CM herself) (http://www.kristinrachellephotography.com/) wrote about being a work-at-home mom/photographer and how to tame some of the craziness of mixing work and home life. I am sure this will apply to many of you friends who have part-time home businesses. It’s excellent advice from someone trying to juggle it all. I am going to be starting Kristin’s 4 week workshop, “So You Want to Start a Business,” TODAY!! So exciting! See the full article here.
“It’s 4 pm and you are up to your ears in laundry, there are dishes piled high in the sink, your kids are destroying your house in record speeds, the phone won’t stop ringing, you’re wondering what you’re going to make for dinner, you have two sessions to edit and orders to fulfill, not to mention 8 gazillion emails to respond to. . .and what are you doing? Sitting in la-la land on Facebook (or insert other mindless activity) to avoid the mile-long list of things you need to accomplish before tomorrow’s insanity begins. Sound familiar? Such is the life of a work-at-home mom/photographer.
“I LOVE my job and I always try to remember how blessed I am to be able to work from home, but it’s been a serious journey in learning how to balance my family life in the middle of the chaos of running a business. When you work AWAY from home, you focus on work, and then leave it there and go home to enjoy time with your family (I’m not saying working away from home doesn’t present its own challenges). Working from home has it’s serious perks, but mixing work life with home life can be a recipe for disaster. It’s really important to set boundaries to ensure the madness does not overtake you and send you to an early grave.”
Some of Kristin’s tips include: Find a vice; keep a calendar; don’t sweat the small stuff; don’t mix your working space with your living space; work smarter, not harder; above all, breathe!
Happy Balancing!
http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmu/archives/listing/business-101-so-you-want-to-start-a-business
When you work at home you can also tend to family and that is great. I love it. However, it also allows for magnified interruptions. Child care can easily consume more than an entire day, if you don’t learn to discipline your children in an effective and nurturing way. If you just yell “Be quiet I’m working.” They will find a way to get your attention – no matter what – and it will often be at just the wrong time – like when Mr. Big is on the phone, or when you have procrastinated and the deadline is NOW.
I doubt that I (or my daughter) could be so disciplined. Hmm. Maybe this is more appropriate for me when she’s in kindergarten. I have trouble just checking my email with her next to me. 🙂