Juggling Business/personal Life

**alma2254** · 01-16-2007, 08:22 AM

I find business tends to seep way past the regular 9-5 hours of a job...

A few things that seem to creep in unintentionally...

Using personal time and fun events as networking and promoting time.
Talking and thinking business way past bed-time hours for inspiration.
Looking for opportunity and potential clients when I'm supposed to be relaxing or taking a day off work.
And when you have a partner who also runs his own, we have had to make a point of not talking business at certain times so we can simply enjoy eachother's company (minus work issues)

I have taken time out from my business last year to do other things but my mind still runs on it uncontrollably lol! Love it :P

For all those who run a business (part-time/full-time):

Do you make a conscious effort to only do business at certain hours and spend time with family/SO/friends seperately?

If your SO runs their own business, how do you both juggle quality time together with business?
Do you share your work?

For those who's SO are not into business, do you share your business life with them or do you manage that by your Self?

If you run a business from home, how do you mix family life/personal time in your home space?

Have you found it a challenge to 'switch-off' when you're really passionate about your business work?
What other challenges have you faced?

How do you juggle business and personal time?

**Barklel** · 01-16-2007, 10:07 AM

Do you make a conscious effort to only do business at certain hours and spend time with family/SO/friends seperately?

Not a conscious effort, but I try to do what I can when I can. I get up in the morning at 6:00 am.. get my 6 yr old son ready for school and myself ready for work, fix breakfast, get him out to the bus stop and get myself to my bus stop (after he gets on his school bus) - that's by 7:40 am..... I get to work by 9 (with taking 2 rides.. a bus and a shuttle).... I get off at 5 and then get on the shuttle then the bus and I'm home by 6:15....

To be honest I get discouraged a lot! I'm passionate about my business but then I think. Why did I start this? Is this feasible? Am I insane? I feel that I cannot get ahead at times. But those are passing thoughts. Pressing on is key..... I've gone too far to turn around.

If your SO runs their own business, how do you both juggle quality time together with business?

Do you share your work? My son is my helper. I'm a single parent. *l* he'll bag a thing or two or I let him make his own products while I'm filling orders. He enjoys this.

For those who's SO are not into business, do you share your business life with them or do you manage that by your Self?

... I'm very particular so I choose to do things myself so I know it's getting done correctly.

If you run a business from home, how do you mix family life/personal time in your home space?

It's jumbled together. 70 % of my kitchen & 30% of my living room is dedicated to my business. I live in an apartment.

Have you found it a challenge to 'switch-off' when you're really passionate about your business work?

What other challenges have you faced? Yes it's hard to get a full nights rest. My brain is ALWAYS on and I'll get up at 3 or 4 in the morning sometimes.

My challenges:

Single Parenting, limited work space (not the fullest potential of organization), time (the 9 - 5 is getting in the way) & being monetarily challenged.

How do you juggle business and personal time?

I do what I can, when I can.... I often will bring my business work here.. like today I am going to complete my tax expense report for 2006.

I know it'll all be worth the hard work, time & effort in the end.. if not for me, definitely for my legacy.

**alma2254** · 01-16-2007, 10:15 AM

Barklel, thanks for sharing :P

**heartandsoul** · 01-18-2007, 07:48 PM

This is a good thread. I am in the process of starting a business myself and was wondering how to juggle it all. I know that it can be done, I just have to work out the details.

**naturalbeliever** · 01-28-2007, 09:04 AM

I have a business writing business that I run from home. I am still struggling with dividing my time and becoming more organized so that I am able to achieve proper balance between the time I give to my work and my family. I have 4 children and I began homeschooling my oldest (5yrs) this year which has been a challenge. I am in the process of reworking my business plan and reorganizing our day so that I am not up all night working on projects (my most creative time to work).

I get up between 5:30am and 6:00 each morning to pray (I am Muslim), work out for an hour, take a quick shower and begin getting everyone else up and ready to begin the day (making up beds, breakfast, brushing teeth, etc.). I check my email quickly to return any business related messages and then homeschool for about 4 hours. Things become challenging when we leave home for field trips and other educational opportunities, but I'm finding that I simply must prepare for these times (e.g. having a frozen meal ready to just pop in the oven when we get home). Because my 3 older kids (5yr daughter/3yr twin sons) do need socialization activities, I am currently figuring out what activities to place them in and how my husband and I will balance drop off/pick up times (he runs his own biz away from home). He is most helpful in the evening when baths must be given and everyone must go to bed by a certain time so that I can begin work. :wub:

When I am on deadline, it's hard for me to "switch off." But I must get better. I have learned to set boundaries with my clients, as in the beginning they would call at any time expecting me to be available. I have also had to set boundaries with well meaning friends who call or would drop by unannounced during the day thinking that because I am home I am not doing anything. <_< I usually begin working uninterrupted from 7:30 or 8:00pm most nights and try to stop by midnight - I am a night person, and when inspired can o all night, but that wouldn't be good considering how early my day begins and all I must do with my kids!

Personal time for me is scarce-right now. My dh makes every effort to help me have some though (a crazy wife/mama is not a good thing ^_^ ). I try to get together with friends regularly. The machine works in our home as well as it does because of our teamwork. It can work better with better organization. :blush:

**mochalocks** · 01-28-2007, 11:04 AM

Honestly, I work when I have the free time. If I'm not in school, or spending time with my boyfriend, then I'm working on the magazine.

But, there are times where I get discoraged.

**alma2254** · 01-28-2007, 04:40 PM

Give thanks for sharing, all your thoughts/insights are loved and appreciated :P

KB · 02-28-2007, 02:37 PM

any more?

**Aje_Templar** · 03-04-2007, 09:36 PM

The problem is always getting people close to you to understand that the self-employed have no off-days... especially if you are working a job AND running a business. This is definitely been the case for me. For the past two years I have worked and tutored math and science, and now I am, very slowly, trying to start a QA/QC consultation firm. I get little sleep and I have been out of the social activism loop for some time now. A lot of people talk about how Black folks need to break the cycle of employment, but few understand how much grueling work that is.

Aje

**utamu** · 03-05-2007, 06:01 AM

The problem is always getting people close to you to understand that the self-employed have no off-days... especially if you are working a job AND running a business. This is definitely been the case for me. For the past two years I have worked and tutored math and science, and now I am, very slowly, trying to start a QA/QC consultation firm. I get little sleep and I have been out of the social activism loop for some time now. A lot of people talk about how Black folks need to break the cycle of employment, but few understand how much grueling work that is.
Aje
[/b]

I can totally identify with this. I also work full-time and run a business on the side (web design). I've had to explain to friends and family that I won't be able to get over the hump and work for myself full-time without being hardcore about it and being willing put that work and time in. Now that they see results from me they seem to understand I'm doing what it takes.

But I've been teetering dangerously close to burn-out lately and I'm realizing that I absolutely have to schedule time in for myself to release stress, take care of my health, and foster relationships. I won't be successful in the long-run if my physical and emotional well-being is hanging by a thread. I've fallen sick more often than usual over the past 6 months. Nothing serious, more like the common cold variety, but that still worries me because I know that skipping meals, not being consistent with exercise, terrible sleep patterns, etc, is not cool.

I'm also making more effort to connect with people. Where I live, it's fairly easy to become socially isolated and make web design my man and best friend :lol:, but I'm trying to make that extra effort to maintain a social network because my emotional health is sooo important for my life overall, not to mention an emotionally healthy person will probably be way more successful in business than not.