My home life and work life overlap, collide and sometimes don’t have boundaries with one another.
It is the blessing and curse of running your own business from home.
To throw one more thing into the mix…we homeschool our children.
In short, our children are usually with us for school, running the house and watching us (and many times helping us) with our business.
They cheer for us when things sell well, they help more around the house when we are on deadlines and they sometimes get our half attention as we talk with them while we fill orders, write a blog post or edit videos and photos.
Because our business is out of our home we have been able to keep our family time as our business has grown.
The downside is that we have been finding that we are working seven days a week.
I LOVE what I do. I LOVE being a mom and I LOVE running my business.
I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I really do.
I can’t imagine having any other jobs in the world (That isn’t true…I have some big dreams that only the Lord can fulfill. They are too big for me to accomplish on my own. I love dreams like that!)
Kelly works full time and then when he isn’t working on his day job he is working for me:-) I am a pretty nice boss but this guy needed a break too.
We always stop the work for walks, movies, piano recitals, morning coffee, school time, family adventures etc.
We both really love what we are doing but the phone, emails, editing, writing, social media …..blah, blah, blah… was also distracting.
I really knew we all needed a break.
So, about three weeks ago I was talking to Kelly about managing our time so that on Sundays we wouldn’t work at all. AT ALL.
I meant no emails read or returned, no Facebook updates (personal or for business), no Instagram, no writing a blog post, editing photos, editing videos or even checking in on our classes. If my bank and credit cards can have business hours I knew we could get away with it too:-)
Let me tell you folks….it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
When you run your own online business you really rely on social media to connect with your customers and to reach new customers.
Even though I have time limits on all my social media…I still didn’t realize how strange it would feel to disconnect myself from it.
Not only the social media but from actual work. I love working. I love working on new courses, writing blog posts, connecting with our customers and making sure your orders arrive to you as lovely as possible.
This was going to be so good for us!
We told our children so we would have accountability.
Once a week we told them we would have family day. If you know us (or have followed my blog for any amount of time) I know you know that we spend lots of time with our children. We do special things with them daily but what we were promising is that each Sunday it would only be about our family. Not one single speck of work.
The first day we did this it was strange not to even check my emails. I can’t check them though because if I did and someone needed something or had a question I would want to help them. Don’t look and you realize that I am not a doctor and no one will die while I spend a day loving on my family. Monday is only hours away and all questions will be answered then.
I have to admit that the more the day went on the more I realized how normally I “check in” with the business way more than I need to.
That first night when I climbed into bed around 9pm and I grabbed my ipad for the first time all day….I swear my heart sped up a little with excitement because I was going to check emails, facebook, texts etc. I love being connected.
I love my kids more though than any business we build or art that is created.
This parent and balance stuff is hardcore. Balance is impossible to really do but so worth the effort.
I have said it a million times when people ask me how I balance our home life and work life….I don’t.
I do a few things well a day. Some days I can’t even say that.
But then there are those other days when your head hits the pillow and you know you did it right.
So here is to Sundays, being disconnected with the world and totally connected with my family.
I am the mom of 7 and ran my own business when they were young..I had someone help me when I started..a mentor and she told me one day off for family..and one day off to hunt for new ideas…of course the Internet wasn’t at my fingertips then but it does help to put things in order..as you said no one is going to die if they wait another day…cannot wait for class to start..
Good for you Jeanne! Yes it is hard to have a business and blog and home school.be a Mom and all that it entails.But your family is the most important Well God first then ! And taking time with your family on Sundays is not only a good idea but an important one too! Life goes by way too fast.It really does.My daughter,my only child just turned 13 this year.Where did the time go?I don’t know but like you we do LOTS of family things together.And the two of us have LOTS of girl time together.Baking,shopping,and just being together.So cherish all of your times it is the most important thing you will ever do with your family!
xx
Anne
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of this. I also work from home, and sometimes my kids feel like they are less important than my work. God has been speaking to me to have a Sabbath and to be honest, I feel like I can’t…and I also realize I am most likely addicted to my work and my computer. He is gently reminding me again…thank you.
Well good for you!!! You know in Exodus 34:21 it does says to labor six days and rest on the seventh!! Enjoy your time with the family!!!
AWESOME, I love what you are doing 🙂 very inspiring. Keep it up, there are way too many out there that put biz or social media, etc, ahead of family. What a great example!
thank you
So true, Jeanne.
I leave my cell phone
at home by mistake
and I feel like I’m
missing a part of
myself! Crazy!!
Of course it can
all wait, even more
than one day,
except our family.
That can never wait.
Happy Monday,
xo Suzanne
you are so very inspiring 🙂 My husband and I both work out of the home and while we are always with our little guy, sometimes I feel like we aren’t. Amen to unplugging! We recently decided to close our brick and mortar shoppe 2 weekends a month. Probably not a popular decision, but we needed more time.
This Post Speaks to my Heart! My Struggle 24/7! I could not agree any more with everything you said. I was just telling my husband the other day, I have such a hard time, moving from at home business stuff, to school and kid stuff, than on to house stuff! I struggle every single day of the week.. I work on all of it 7 days a week at all hours of the day. You are not alone, it believe as Moms, Business Owners and Wives, it is our Constant Struggle. We need to Support and Lift each other up, We can all do it, to the Best of our Abilities, we have too, we are the glue that keep it all together.
xo
Jamie
Good for you and your family! I have had a no work on Sunday policy in our family from the start but I love the idea of being completely unplugged. No Facebook, Instagram, etc. I may have to give that a try. ?
I have heard this over and over with people that work from home. Bravo to you for taking that day ~ one FULL day. You are right ~ you are not supplying heart and lungs to people so business can wait until Monday ~ I applaud you for taking the time Jeanne and you will be better off for it ~ betcha your family will too.
What??? But..but..(lower lip trembling) what if I need you on Sunday??! ;-D I’ve raised four. Homeschooled from birth to graduation and beyond. 🙂 The Preacher moved his office home, a few years ago to help me with a rambunctious, anti-school-assignment youngest son…and now my art business is in my home. We also TRULY work 7 days a week. No more home schooling, but guess who needs my time, now?
Precious grandchildren. They need a Mimi who is relaxed and available, and once again ready to recite numbers and colors and the alphabet. My daughters are awesome women and great moms…but the love of a grandparent is so aligning and defining.
It never stops, Jeanne. You will always have to set aside time away from work to love your family. When you are 90, and planning your next art class in France, you will have to sanctify some time for great-grands…our children and theirs, born and not yet born, are worth the investment!
I love this! When my daughters started getting more and more involved with friends and the slumber parties that come with that, we realized that there was never a day when we were together from sunrise to sunset. One would have a sleepover on friday night and the other on Saturday night. My husband and I decided we needed to carve out an entire day that was just us…where the world was not let in (a world that we love, for sure). This meant the girls woke up in their own beds, wandered in their own kitchen to be with both parents and their sister. I has become a sacred time EVEN THOUGH the girls complain at times because the appeal of a slumber party is so much more exciting than being at boring ol’ home. 🙂
But I have to tell you, that the natural side effect of requiring the girls to be home as been that I want to make sure that I, too, am home. As in fully present. As in not glued to my computer, unplugged from the family who is around me because I said they need to be home.
It’s been a pleasant and luxurious side effect. One that I treasure more and more.
ox
sweet, jeanne. we all need it. it sounds perfect.
way-to-go! i always cheer mothers on with ‘you’ve got one chance, ONE CHANCE!’ & there’s something so profound in keeping the day that is a set-apart day that God will bless you in other ways! i’m a 64 yr old grandma of 17 & time passes so quickly! love this post! Esther from fleurcottage
Great idea! Thank you.
praise the Lord for true sabbath!
we all need it so badly.
xoxo
I think you’re going to really love this family day commitment…for the sake of love, joy and refreshing:)
i can totally relate!! i have thought about trying to do this very thing too. & yes, it is harder than you’d think.
you clearly do an excellent job loving on your family. tha’ts what i respect most about you my friend
xoxo
Hi Jeanne,
I can totally relate to what you are saying. I do not home school my kids, but have run a business from my home for 15 years. It is really hard to balance work as it seem like I am always working. Since taking over our website and moving to wordpress I am doing a lot more work with managing everything that goes with that. One of my goals this year is to try and find a balance. I had heard of a blog (Not sure whose it is) It’s something like work like you are on vacation. The theory is that when you are on vacation you get all your work done first thing so that you can spend your day with your family enjoying your holiday. You can be really focused and productive getting a lot done in less time. I love to sew and create, I also have some projects I want to do around the house, but never get to. I purchased one of the planners you use and am going to schedule time for myself where I can work really focused in the morning and take time in the afternoon to work on something creative for my soul.
What an inspirational post! I feel the same promptings- to make time to be still, unplug, pull away from the things of the world for a time, spend time with family. Goodness, it is difficult! Which makes me think how important it is!! Thank you for inspiring!
I think cell phones, computers, etc. are a blessing and a curse. When we are in a restaurant and I look around and see people all on their phones it seems disheartening…but I’m addicted to all of mine too. My husband works for a large corporation but offices from our house. His cell phone rings 7 days a week. How did that happen? Last weekend he chose not to answer the phone or answer any emails. It was so good for him! He was refreshed on Monday.
jeanne ~ so proud of you. sean and i struggle with this daily because we love being self-employed, but the constant pull to be ‘on’ 24/7 is overwhelming sometimes. we make a huge effort to disconnect friday nights through sunday with an occasional check-in on Saturday morn or evening. it feels good to just put the phones in the drawer, hibernate the laptops and let our minds soak up the real world and be more present with each other and our crumb. you never cease to inspire me jeanne…love you!
Such a good reminder, Jeanne! I, too, try to have Sundays be “off” – sometimes it works and sometimes not, but it does help me remember what’s most important. 🙂
When we went to Mexico over New Years I took my laptop with me but didn’t turn it on at all. I finally realized this about mid week and I actually was glad. Don’t get me wrong, the first thing I did when I got home was check email etc, but for one week I was blissfully unaware of what was going on everywhere but my little world!
I loved this…loved seeing the pictures of your kids ADORABLE!!!! AND kudo’s to you, so many families don’t do “family time” anymore. Good GOOD for you guys, enjoy they grow up very fast. My Mom used to say that to me, AND boy was she right! My baby started college this year!!!
This sounds so similar to our situation. We homeschool our 3 teens…one graduating this year! Keith {my husband) and I were professional ballet dancers before starting our family. God has moved our creativity from the stage to our other arts…and we have been running a business from our home for 20 years. We have done some of the smallest…sometimes silly….things to keep our priorities. We’ve put a piece of electrical tape over the little red light that blinks on the business phone when there is a message. ha! That way we can decide return call hours…and not let it interfere with our family time.
So important what you’re doing! 😉