Are you worried your business is taking over your life? I mean, *you* think it’s perfectly fine living this way, with biz work every spare second, but all the experts tell you not to, so…. Who’s right?
If you’re feeling *any* concern over how much passion project work is too much, then you want to listen to this episode – because we’re diving right into all of it.
How to unplug, when *not* to unplug, and what to do when you’re scared you’re giving less of yourself to your family than your business.
Here’s the details.
So first off, if business feels like *the thing* you want to be doing in all of your off hours, my guess is that either you’re a startup business owner, or you’ve entered a new phase in your marketing and it’s “all the goodies” for you.
Meaning, this level of business equals hobby isn’t sustainable for you long term, so don’t worry about it.
You’ll naturally want to unplug a few weeks later (or months, potentially).
So I wouldn’t worry about “never having hobbies again” or anything like that – just know that you *will* be going back to normal eventually, and go right back to enjoying your *now* (with all that effervescent business energy).
(And if this “all in” mentality is because of a new course or program you’re taking, go for it! You’re feeding that learning/growing/upleveling spirit, which is *always* a good thing in my book. And you’ll have a natural endpoint in the class.)
2nd scenario: your business *is* pretty much your selfcare time, but you *do* feel like you want to do something outside of the business. You just don’t know what.
Well then, how ’bout you figure out something *else* to do for 25 minutes a day, and just try that?
View this as your experimentation time.
- You can try one of those grown-up coloring books.
- Knit a scarf or sweater.
- Go running, if that’s your cup of tea.
- Take a solo nature walk.
- Pull out that sewing machine.
- Muck about in the dirt and start gardening.
All you have to do is try *something*. And trust me, you *will* eventually find it. If you give yourself time to experiment.
It’s that you’re afraid you need to cut your work hours to be line up with your values as a mom.
So each day, in your schedule, when’s a low period of time that you might kind of *like* to try one of these potential new hobbies in?
Just pencil in that one. You can adjust it tomorrow.
‘Cause if all you need is the permission to do something *other* than your business for fun, girl, you’ve got it.
Now. Last scenario. You love your business, but you’re afraid that the bulk of your hours and going towards *it* and not your family. I.e., that your family is *less important* to you than this business, which isn’t at all the case mentally.
So it’s not that you *want* to cut down your work hours, it’s that you’re *afraid* you need to to be in line with your values as a mom.
You know what? If you’re not ignoring and shushing your kids during the day, when they obviously want to play with you, I’m going to say you’re good.
If you don’t have that nagging feeling of mommy guilt – and it’s for cause – because you shooed them away yet again so you could work in peace and quiet – then I think you’re needlessly worrying.
Because as long as you’re making sure that your weekends are by and large unplugged or with family, or every evening from 6 to 7 you’re playing with the kids, then you *are* building in that one-to-one parenting time.
You’re just transitioning from the “home all day, lots of time with the kids” stereotype to the “work all day, come home and spend some quality time with the kids” scenario.
Even if you’re working from home the entire time.
It’s okay.
You’re *allowed* to cut down your “mommy with kids” hours, work 6 or 7 hours a day if you want to, and really drill down on your bedtime stories and monopoly playing and snuggle time each evening (because you have in-home childcare or independently-homeschooling older kids earlier during the day).
You’re allowed.
Now that you know this is different – that you don’t have to be guilting yourself for treating your business like a suck-every-hour hobby – what are you changing about your mental self-talk today?
Is your dream to have a quiet house so you can work on your business? Then a healthy dose of mompreneur me time is coming right up! Get instant access to How to Use Naptime for Business as a Stay-at-Home Mom – it’s the step-by-step plan you need to warm up that 2nd cup of coffee and knock out your business to-do list. Download this 5-part audio feed to find out how to get consistent work hours each and every day!
