As part of my blog entries, I thought it might be interesting to give you a glimpse into what it is like to operate a home business by chronicling some of my experiences as a freelance writing. “Diary of a Home Business Owner”, a series of entries with a personal view, will appear once or twice each week.
Well, after all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, things finally returned (more or less) to normal this week. The kids are back to school and I am once again focusing on my business.
The holidays and summer vacation are among the worst times for me professionally. As hard as I try, I just can’t seem to get any momentum going and as a result, I find that it is a struggle just to accomplish the bare minimum needed to keep things afloat.
I guess that’s really not such a bad thing. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that I had to go to work during the holidays and in the summer. The fact that I am now able to spend this time with my kids is something I’ve dreamed about for so many years. At the same time, however, I find myself worrying about all that needs to be done.
So, why do I feel so conflicted?
I guess a large part of it has to do with my work ethic. After spending nearly 17 years in the corporate world, I still have a strong respect for deadlines. I am also motivated by fear. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if I fail to meet a deadline or if my work isn’t up to par, there are plenty of other writers waiting to take my place. I also carry a great deal of “Catholic” guilt which rears its ugly head when I find myself settling down to do some work when my kids would much rather be going to the pool or playing a game.
So what’s a work-at-home mom to do?
I guess the only thing I can do is to keep working on finding the right mix between work time and family time. I imagine I figure it out sooner or later – I just hope it’s before summer arrives!