Work Life Balance

Last fall was the busiest my little business has been since I started it 4 years ago.  I was thrilled that the orders were pouring in and that people were loving the items I was making.  I was riding the wave when it all came crashing down, the kids got sick, I got sick, orders were piling up, emails asking when items would be completed were popping up in my inbox, I was staying up later and later each night, not eating right, I even lost 10 lbs somewhere along the way (total bonus by the way).  All of a sudden it became not as much fun and much more stressful!!  Don't get me wrong I am not one to complain about the success, I am very grateful for all that I have been blessed with... but I did learn something.  I am still in control of this business.  I vowed to myself and my family that I would not let this consume my life.  When I was working in the corporate world I was able to work the "work life balance" much better because there was a physical separation (and an hours drive home to decompress), but when I am working right here at home in what used to be my living room it can be hard to step away from the computer and sewing machine and take some me time.  

So this year I have made some changes and I thought I would share since I know some of my blog followers are also faced with these same challenges.  

I am trying to book some blocks of time to work on orders, some time to create new products, some time to make items for the shows and sales that are coming up this spring.  I am also booking time for myself, making plans to spend time with my family and friends.  I find if you schedule the time it is more likely to happen. In January we took some family time and went to Great Wolf Lodge, we had a great time, here is a pic.

 

I am also learning to say no, which is very hard when you want to please everyone.  I have accepted the fact that I can't sew everything that my clients may need because it takes time to research a pattern or make a pattern, then it takes time to work on a new item that you have never sewn before. I like to sew a prototype before I attempt the finished product to make sure that the quality and design is sufficient.  All of these things take time and sometimes it is just not possible.

I have also had to pick and choose the shows and sales that I would like to attend this year and I have scaled this back to focus on specific products at each show.  I am now offering over 50 products and it is just not possible to bring every product to every show  in multiple quantities.  I am happy to be a part of the Nurtured baby show in April this year and I will have lots of pre-made items geared for Moms and babies!  In May I will be attending the 3rd Bella Noche event and I will be bringing items for Mother's Day gifts as well as handbags, wallets, coin purses and the ever popular key fobs!!  Just for fun, here is a pic of the new handbag style I will have at Bella Noche:

I have also learned that some things can not be changed, at the moment I am completing orders 2 to 3 weeks after payment has been made.  I know personally when I order something I want to receive it asap and I hate to wait.  I really stress about this timeframe and would like to get the wait period time down, but I have to tell myself that "it is what it is".  I can only work as fast as I can without compromising the quality of my items.  So I need to accept the fact that my Clients will have to wait for their items and most are happy to do so.

All that being said, I would love to hear from other work at home moms with a busy business and how they handle these challenges and what they do to maintain a work life balance.