“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Working through the summer is always a challenge. Usually, the kids go to summer camps, giving me a chance to catch my breath, send some email, do some phone interviews. But not this summer. This summer, the kids got out of school on a Wednesday, and we moved to a new house on Thursday.
In addition to moving, unpacking and having both kids home 24/7, I've also taken on a new client, added a new editing project and received a batch of website pages on top of the usual 15 or so blog posts I already write every month. Needless to say, I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I've had plans to write numerous insightful and helpful blog posts for my own website, but this check-in post is about all I've managed. However, rest assured I have a long list of excellent topics built up for when I get the chance to write for myself.
Working from home is always a balance, and it's hard to find the perfect one (if that even exists). This year, I made a goal to build up my own website and start writing on my own a little, but it's been tough to balance that with paid work and family. When I'm getting paid, I feel more justified in telling the kids to wait for me to meet this deadline before we can go swimming. It's harder to say, watch TV for a little while as I write for my own blog.
How do you balance out your own work with paid work and family responsibilities?
A New Beginning
This summer is a new beginning as we made the leap into being homeowners again. Our first experience was not the best when it came time to sell the house and move on. So we've been renting and recovering. But now, we have a beautiful new home, and, best of all, a new office! I've been working out of the dining room of a small rental for nearly 3 years. A room with no doors, open to the kitchen and right in front of the only TV we have. But now, I'm back in my own room with a door I can close and lock, and an amazing view of the lake in our new neighborhood.
The next couple months will probably still be crazy. Thank you for sticking with me this summer, and I'll be back with more content on working from home, managing freelance finances and many more posts about how to navigate the writing life.
I'd love to hear from you. How do you balance out work and family over the summer? Do your kids give you a chance to work?
For now, I leave you with some photos of my new view, art work I was finally able to frame and my previous mess of a dining room office.
