subject: Mommy is in a meeting [print this page] Mommy is in a meeting Mommy is in a meeting
It's not uncommon in the American workforce to be expected to work late and miss events that the family may have planned. I remember working hard and late for a company thinking that it would result in a promotion and it didn't. In the long run, all of that extra work meant nothing. That was quite the wake up call.
After starting a business, I've never looked back at the corporate environment. But your own business often requires a lot of hard work as well. What has been key for me is to remember that I am the boss and I make the schedule. I schedule in time for my toddler every day. Because my child is in daycare, I must get everything I need to get done in an 8-hour day. It's stressful sometimes, but I believe that after eight hours I'm not working at my best anyway, so that helps to fit things in.
Clients know that "I need to leave the office at 5 today." Why? "I have a meeting." No specifics of the meeting are needed, because telling clients that you are unavailable after 6 because you are at your child's soccer game is unfortunately often not good business. I know a woman who lost a client for admitting to them that her children came first. The client needed to know that they were the most important thing to her. Being "in a meeting" is often the easiest and best solution, even if your meeting is with your dog in the park.
Developing your own balance to make it all work is important. And don't forget that delegating work can be your best friend too. Keep the tasks that only you can do, delegate the rest. Many business owners resist this, thinking they can do it better themselves, but the truth is no one person can do everything that it takes to make a business successful.
The client's issues will keep coming and will always be there. Your babies will not. I work after my child is asleep, because sometimes I need to. And I do attend the occasional after work networking function. But my calendar is typically booked in advance with my most important project that really needs me. And it's a job only I can do.
This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included. 2010 Catherine Lang-Cline, Portfolio Creative, LLC.
