If you read the last post, you'll know that i'm four years into the working-at-home-crafty-biz thing. I'll confess to you that in all that time i don't think i've ever struck the ideal balance between being productive and not feeling like a crap mum to my two Moonlets. Either i felt like i should be spending more time with the kids or i should be investing more time in making my business a success. And whenever i was doing one, i was feeling guilty about the other.
And i've chatted with so many crafty women these last few years that struggle with this too. Finding what worked for me was a messy trial and error process... Some days i swear it worked amazingly and i marvelled at the wonder of it all. Other days i could have thrown my sewing machine against the wall by 9am in frustration and wondered why i even bothered to try.
I did get better at it though. Here are a few of my lightbulb moments:
Be realistic and don't think you can do everything.
That sounds like a pessimistic point to make first up, but it's not. It's the voice of reason. Fundamentally, i needed to acknowledge that i had limits and so do the kids. Why make every day a battle? Give yourself a break! I'll never be able to do everything that i would ideally like to do, either on the business side or the family side of things. Plus there needs to be breathing space inbetween too. Some things have to fall by the wayside. The tricky part is knowing what stays and whatgoes, which were difficult and personal choices to make.
Use time wisely.
Choose the right time for the tasks at hand. I have been guilty of many mistakes that were entirely my own fault and could easily have been avoided. Stupid little things like writing an email too late at night and forgetting the attachments. Returning from the post office to find the invoice for that customer still sitting on the desk. Trying to start that big wholesale order on a rainy afternoon when the kids have been inside all day and going stir-crazy. Good timing seemed was key to giving myself the best chance of getting it right. It's easy to make mistakes when you're thinking of a million things and getting distracted regularly by random things at home, but i've learned that waiting that extra hour or putting it off until tomorrow is usually a whole lot better than having it ruined by a mistake. It makes you frustrated, costs you more time in the re-do and makes you look unprofessional.
Involve the kids as much as possible.
I involved the kids in what i was doing whenever i could, in various ways appropriate to their ages. They enjoyed feeling like they were genuinely helping me in doing the important stuff and while they did their part i got my work done too. I had success with setting them up at the desk beside me with their own 'work stuff', notebook and calculator. Asking them to dial the number on a phone call. Doing the sticky tape while wrapping orders. I've asked them to 'help' me by sorting buttons, folding fabric and using up scraps in their own projects. Little things like these always helped the overall vibe of the day.
(On a side note, as a preschooler i remember 'helping' my mother move pins from one pin-cushion to another while she sewed. I understand now. I'm sure my contribution was invaluable ;)
Saying yes more often.
This one was a biggy for me and it's kinda hard to explain. There were just too many days that i felt like i was continually saying no to the kids or putting them off with "I'll just finish this" or "just wait a few minutes." Lots of negative. These were unsatisfying, non-descript days full of time that i wasn't getting any decent work done because of constant interruptions. Plus i wasn't being a good parent because they only had half of my attention. Hello mother guilt. The beauty of having a business at home was to have the best of both worlds and it sure wasn't feeling like it.
So i learned to say yes more often, which was reallyreallyreally hard. It's so frustrating not being able to do the smallest of tasks from start to finish, day after day! But when they asked me to play that game, get them that snack, or whatever, they only had to ask once and they had my attention 100%. Obviously sometimes i couldn't, when right in the middle of spray-gluing for instance. By upping the percentages of 'yes' in their day, they were more satisfied overall and I ended the day feeling more positive too. In all honesty i can tell you that it didn't make much difference to my overall productivity either, since i wasn't half-doing tasks and making mistakes while being constantly interrupted.
Anyways... There has been a whole lot more stuff learned along the way, but maybe you can relate to these few points? Are you in this crafty-business boat too? Have you got it right yet or got any golden tips you could share? What have been your lightbulb moments? I'd really love to hear from you.
With both Moonlets at school this year it's whole new ball game for me. The house seems so quiet and productivity is a whole lot easier!
