As a parent with a young child, reading the recent articles from Zach ‘n Jody Gray about new parenting have definitely resonated with me. Even though they’re written from the perspective of moms trying to juggle parenting + business, it’s applicable for both Anna and I as well because we’re both very involved parents and we both work from home. There are days when it feels like it’s such a struggle to work from home, get everything done we think we need to do, and still be good, intentional parents.
There were a few things that really stood out to me:
- Don’t play the comparison game. Just because someone is offering something as a feature or doing something with their business doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Do what works for you, right now. And, in doing so – you’ll be original!
- Maybe as a mom, you don’t need to be full time with your business (even if you really want to, because everyone else is doing it) If your husband makes enough to support the family, why take away from family time to pursue something else? This is a precious, precious time for you – and as much as kids need both parents, they really need their momma’s attention during these nurturing years.
- Outsource as much as possible. We want to be parents after all, not just labor grunts. It is pretty much impossible to run a successful business doing all the work yourself anyway (if you don’t believe me, read the E-Myth Revisited or 168 Hours, both great books on this subject)
- Plan what you want your home life to look like, and schedule your work around it.
Family will always be #1. At the end of your life, you will want to look back on your life and see that you spent all the time you could with your kids while they were growing up. It won’t matter how successful you looked in the eyes of your peers – those things don’t even matter to your kids. Focus on what is here and now, and what really matters. Make your business work for you, or rethink whether you even need to be doing it if it’s taking precious time away from your family.
We only get this chance once, let’s do it right.
Pentax 645 / Ektar 100, for the film junkies :)
