Business and Family, CEO's and Balance

Saturday I decided to move forward with purchasing an iPad 4, so of course I spent the day downloading and setting up all the proper share and production software. Now mind you I have been a PC user for years so adding in an Apple product included a certain learning curve. After spending most of the day online between the iPad and my laptop I realized I had been spending no real family time with my girls. At 4 pm my youngest left to spend time with her friend and my oldest wanted me to take her to the movies. Well of course I was not done completing all my tasks to get ready for the week ahead so I told her I couldn't; then I remembered a conversation with a couple other business owners this week.

We were joking online about things our kids say to us while we are working or getting ready for work. So cute; some of the things kids come up with that we can't help but share and enjoy each others experiences. The conversation eventually brought out the shared guilt many business owners feel with regard to time spent working their business beyond 9-5. In most cases a business success does come with both sacrifice and reward beyond what is typically discussed. We all decide and deal with these sacrifices differently based on our own individual lifestyles and family dynamics. I found that each person determined what was right based on his or her own particular business model.

I for one will spend time working on reports at night a few nights a week while the girls work on homework. On a normal week I will close early Friday and have the weekend from the time my girls get out of school until Monday am with my family. There are those weeks that I will have to work at least part of the weekend, but I try to set aside extra time the week prior or week after for "family time". In a perfect world this would be the norm, in CEO world; we do what we have to do to keep our companies growing and productive. However, we MUST set aside time to obtain a balance to everything.

One business owner asked me this week how I track time and task management. I use my calendar, lists and reminders and I also include my family time. It came to my attention recently that many recommend not using your calendar for non business items. Here is my problem with that; my family is my first business; when it comes to my professional life I am a bit obsessive and will become so engrossed in my work I will honestly forget to stop working. So if you are like me, which I am sure many of you are; do what works best for you. Advice is just that. Consider it, try it, then do what feels right for your situation. Happy business owners are ultimately the most successful.

And yes, I packed up my work and took my daughter to the late movie and we had a blast.

Welcome

Welcome,

I appreciate you stopping in. I have previously written for a few blogs and websites part time based on my business experience or hobbies. This blog will incorporate insights and opinions on  various topics and be less industry specific than my corporate blogs. I look forward to sharing with you.

Enjoy,
MP.

There are definitely worse places to work.
Remember to take time to enjoy your surroundings!