Juggling kids and a business is hard. We are constantly torn between prioritizing one over the other. And it is nerve racking because it is very easy to get lost in the drive to succeed at what we are doing.
Our business/passion can quite fully encompass us and our senses. Before we know it, we get carried away with the desire to prove “we can do it”. After all, we have a lot to prove, to our naysayers and ourselves even.
The chores become mundane. Even food becomes tasteless. All else fades away in the glory that is the high we get from “ticking off our short term goals list”. Specially when our business is something that we truly passionate about and love doing with all our being.
But, it is important to constantly re focus on what our end goal is, why we are doing what we are doing and what is it that we aren’t willing to sacrifice !
When I started writing almost two years ago, it was a way out of my loneliness. Slowly, but surely blogging became a full time obsession. I was living my life long dream of living in words and the online initiative I started became my dream come true. Something that the idealist in me can be proud of. And like any small business, which involves setup, website, social media, marketing, co coordinating and more I started getting overwhelmed.
I realized in all the hoop la of my personal joy, I was in a very real danger of ignoring those most precious to me. After all, the sole reason I do all that I do is to be at home with my kids.
So, I took a step back. I reassessed my desires. Did I really want to achieve targets at the cost of my morning snuggles and play time with the kids ? Not at all!
Scheduled Work Hours
While I’m not in the 9-5, I now do have set hours in which I genuinely work. My planner is not my new best friend. Every Sunday I go through it and plan my meals, work and time with kids even. This helps save me time planning on the go, which let’s face it can get tedious.
Kids know the time when mom’s working, even though she’s at home. Morning and night snuggles are the best. Walks around the community after work hours are a must. Time for homework, dinner and lunch are theirs to connect with. And even these hours are open to readjustment depending on which kid is sick/ in need at the time.
Turning Off is Okay
Now when a child comes to talk to me, I turn off whatever it is I’m doing and look at them. Really look and listen. Often, these moments are when they have something really important to say. I read somewhere, ” Listen to your kids when they are young. That is when they have the most important thing to say. “
Constantly Re prioritize Time Commitments
Over the past few months, I have really come to value my own time. I understand every minute that takes me away from my kids needs to be providing value of some sort either to my business or self. Self in the terms of time with husband, good time with friends or self improvement. So, now when I feel something is draining my time unnecessarily, be it drama or unnecessary tasks, I step back and re evaluate my own priorities.
No matter what else I’m doing, I want to ensure I’m present with my kids, here, now.
