This sounds like an SAT question. In the scenarios below can you spot the two differences in my life?
It’s 5:30am and I am sitting at the living room table. My boys will be waking up in an hour and I will take them to school. I will then run errands, write a bit, do my swim workout, post this, pick up the boys, take them to their activities, put them to sleep and pass out. This is far from a complaint.
Last school year, at 5:30am I would be leaving my house to go swim, then I would rush home to send boys off to school with their dad, go to my day job, pick up boys in the afternoon, take them to their activities, put them to sleep, sit down to do my writing work, and only then pass out.
The difference is that now my life has a chance of being sane because I quit my “day job” as a teacher and am a full time writer. I realize now how stressful last year was, and how it’s kind of a miracle I kept it together. So now I am getting used to life at a different rhythm, not necessarily a slower one but a different one: I am now a work at home mom.
To a great extent, this came to be because I am married to the worlds’ most supportive husband. Though I didn’t make a fortune as a preschool teacher, Joe had no problem giving up the revenue. His theory is that you need to do things that make you happy and truth is teaching was not as satisfying as it once had been. He believes that if you are going to do something, you need to do it right and give it all you’ve got.
So he went ahead and got me a desk and huge monitor for my computer screen. He understands my training for the IronMan is something I need to do and helps out with the boys as I am gone for increasingly long hours on the weekends. He pushes me to go after my goals and walk out of my comfort zone. He is not banking on my literary success but he does require my best effort. In short it’s like this: take what you need, but go do something with it. Don’t fail for lack of trying.
And I am determined, but working from home takes some getting used to. I’ve done it in my past life but it was different: I was a young social entrepreneur, full of energy and idealism. I didn’t have a family to take care of or IronMan training to contend with.
This is what I have noticed on my first ten days as a work at home mom:
- In the same breath that I say “sure” to volunteering for the schools’ PTO, I say “I can’t” to attend a conference that would benefit me greatly. Last year, I didn’t have time for field trips and field days so the guilt factor kicks in and I say yes often to the school. However, when I got an invitation to attend a blogger conference I hesitated because I wasn’t sure how I would schedule it.
- This also applies to errands. Since last year I had to physically be at work for six hours a day, I feel like I have gained those hours back. I consequently added ten hours worth of errands to each day. Sure, I can drop off the kids at school, pick up milk, go to the dry cleaners, and stop by the bank right now.
- I either eat everything in the refrigerator or I forget to eat. There are days that I am in the groove and so totally engaged that I realize it’s 2:20pm and it’s time for pick-up. There was no time for lunch. There are other days that things just are a bit more tedious and well, a snack would be a good break. And snack after snack the refrigerator is now empty, causing me to add yet another errand.
- Inspiration has no schedule. Not that my writing is “inspired” but at times I will block a couple of hours so that I can write something and then sit idly in front of the computer screen without a word coming out of me. Oh wait … that’s what Facebook is for.
- Work from home does not necessarily mean work regular hours. I still wake up at 5:00am but many mornings I work instead of train so that I am here when the boys wake up. I train once the boys are in school.
- Work from home does not necessarily mean work from home. There have been days where, because of meetings, I did most of my work from Starbucks.
Yet I return again and again to Joe and his commitment to me. My family is doing its part so that I can follow my dream. They believe in me and are willing; but I can’t sit here and dilly-dally. I need to shake the tree and make the apples fall.
Last night I made my first list of things I “must-do” the next day. It’s the first time I do one, and I am excited to be crossing off writing this post and moving on to go to my swim. Because the rest of the afternoon is looking pretty crowded.
So you organized people of the world … any tips for a newbie like me?
