We are all doing it!  Working from home – but what happened to my work/life balance?

For many of us life has changed beyond what what we could ever have imagined.  Alongside putting all my free time and effort into developing Blazing Rebel, I do have a day job.  Well, I did until a couple of weeks ago!  Thankfully I am still receiving some income for my usual 9 to 5, but as far as scheduling my time and efforts – everything has been turned on its head.  In my normal life I manage a bindery.  I spend my days not just binding books, but organising the work of others.  I schedule deadlines and maintain our high quality controls.  My days are long and very busy, and I am unable to do any of it in a “working from home” capacity!

 

Now I find myself with a LOT of time on my hands!

My dream is to make my business so successful I can give up my day job.  So, I should be happy with these recent developments – right?!  Instead I have found myself in panic mode.  I am trying to keep my day organised.  Yoga before breakfast and a morning of tasks from my endless to-do list.  Break for lunch, attempt to return to my studio but perhaps go out for a walk.   Then some knitting might take over before the telly goes on and my day drifts away.  I start with the best intentions but soon I feel overwhelm or get distracted by something else.

Changing my mindset

In some of my distracted moments I read articles and Instagram posts about productively working from home, but what happened to my work/life balance?  I have found it best for now to accept that I am not going to be the most productive person during this crazy time.

Just like parents everywhere are learning to accept that teachers deserve every penny and more, I am learning to accept that this time at home is a bonus.  I get to spend more time with my husband, even if it’s just watching Netflix.  There is time to write blog posts like this one and offer support to my online friends.  I have rekindled my joy of making art, not just for the purpose of trying to sell it.  I am spending time working on new projects and exploring other avenues to grow my business, but all these other things are the balance.

Some need to work from home and some people even need to continue going out to work – for which I am eternally grateful.  But everyone else, please learn how to deal with it in your own way.  Everybody will be experiencing this time differently but it will pass whether you achieve everything on your task list or take some time out to knit yourself a slightly wonky looking jumper – which is exactly what I will be doing next!