Summer was way too short this time. I think I feel this way for a combination of reasons. First, the boys are getting big too quickly. This was one of the few summers when they actually wanted to be with us, and I know this will not last for much longer. Soon the older son will want to be with their friends rather than mom. His voice will change, he will grow even taller, and he will eat me out of house and home. I hope to be the house at which all of his buddies want to hang all the time, so I worked on making summer more fun and less work.
To that end, I did something a little different this year. Rather than stress about the work to be done when camp ended and children were underfoot, I took a couple of weeks off. My clients survived and completely understood my need to spend time with my family. After all, don’t other people with “real” jobs schedule time when they are completely out of the office? Why not do that when your office is in your home? Of course, I snuck to the computer when they watched a movie I just could not watch for the 10th time, or discovered it was fun to play with each other for a short time, but for the most part, I simply took time off.
Have you ever taken time off from your home business while remaining in the home?
My husband even took a few days with them while I went to my “other” part-time job away from home. This is probably what saved my sanity, but it also gave the boys a chance to spend time alone with only their dad. (Sometimes moms just don’t understand “boy stuff,” apparently.)
Try giving yourself a break next summer or over the upcoming holidays. See what happens if you stay home, near your home office, but do not actually schedule time to work. If you find a moment, or your caffeine buzz kicks in after everyone has gone to sleep for the night, go for it, but only if you feel like it. Otherwise, take time off.
To that end, I did something a little different this year. Rather than stress about the work to be done when camp ended and children were underfoot, I took a couple of weeks off. My clients survived and completely understood my need to spend time with my family. After all, don’t other people with “real” jobs schedule time when they are completely out of the office? Why not do that when your office is in your home? Of course, I snuck to the computer when they watched a movie I just could not watch for the 10th time, or discovered it was fun to play with each other for a short time, but for the most part, I simply took time off.
Have you ever taken time off from your home business while remaining in the home?
My husband even took a few days with them while I went to my “other” part-time job away from home. This is probably what saved my sanity, but it also gave the boys a chance to spend time alone with only their dad. (Sometimes moms just don’t understand “boy stuff,” apparently.)
Try giving yourself a break next summer or over the upcoming holidays. See what happens if you stay home, near your home office, but do not actually schedule time to work. If you find a moment, or your caffeine buzz kicks in after everyone has gone to sleep for the night, go for it, but only if you feel like it. Otherwise, take time off.
Life is short. Enjoy your family and the world around you a little bit more. You will come out of it energized and ready to begin work in earnest.
LINKS OF NOTE:
Operation Vacation: Non-profit which provides free vacations in the Roaring Fork Valley and Grand County in Colorado and Dallas and Austin in Texas to deserving military members.
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