So, I’ve definitely written about this before…this idea of work/life balance. For me, working from home really blurs the lines of work and home. I want to check the Etsy shop or my email one more time, even though it’s 10:30 pm. Or, at 4 pm, Molly is engaged in an activity, so I’ll do a quick check-in that turns into an extra hour of replies that I didn’t expect.
One of the things we want for 2013 is to grow our business, but not at the sacrifice of our families. Beverly and I have created parameters for our ‘office hours,’ but we are both really bad about sticking to those boundaries. One thing we have been successful with so far in 2013 is avoiding email over the weekend! I have a little addiction with social media, so I’ve still be posting on Facebook and Instagram, but even that has dropped drastically. I’m finding that I enjoy the weekends way more without being glued to my iphone all weekend and feeling like I have to respond to an email or check in with Beverly about an order. Beverly has definitely been working overtime this month because she’s allowing me some time to adjust to life with the new baby…but I’ve been so proud of her for shutting down some nights and over the weekend! {I have seen some rouge emails here and there, but mostly just with customers who she’s currently working with who have a quick question.}
Another part of the plan is to be very intentional with our design calendar. The bulk of our business is custom orders and that’s awesome. We love working on the custom designs for several reasons, one of which is that we often add the new designs to the shop after the party. Our customers are so wonderful and we are beyond thrilled for every new and repeat customer. However, custom designs require a good bit of time and effort, and we simply cannot take on an unlimited number of custom designs. We are working on limiting the number of custom orders each month so that we can offer better service to the customers who have contacted us with ample time to create a custom design. While it pains us to say no to some potential customers, we feel that this is a best practice all the way around and one more step to reaching that work/life balance.
As in all parts of life, we will try these strategies for a while and if they don’t work, we will reevaluate and adjust.
Do you work from home? Do you have a job that spills into your home life? What strategies do you implement to maintain some separation?
I completely understand! The past couple weeks I’ve been working at home again since Liam has been sick. It is so hard to find balance and not feel guilty…especially when you are a pleaser. My new years resolution is to find calmness. Learning to turn off work is so hard, but I know that the ones it will benefit the most are the ones that truly matter. Oh the joys of working moms! I always admire how you are so honest about how hard it is. Are we not all just one spilled sippy cup away from a parent tantrum! Love you! You are amazing!
Oh, I love that…a parent tantrum!