Life isn’t black and white. We have the opportunity to renegotiate each moment, each interaction, each goal. I was reminded of this opportunity last week when we experienced a “snow day”.
As a child, I loved snow days. I could sleep in, read all day, and just relax. As a teacher I REALLY loved snow days – what a great opportunity to catch up on my sleep, reading, and relaxing. (Hmm . . . I realize as I’m writing this that I approached snow days the same as a kid as I did as a teacher . . .)
But, as a home based professional with a teacher for a husband, I’m not a big fan of snow days.
I work from home. I have a routine. I have a to-do list. I have goals and tasks and actions that need to be taken each day. The success of my business is directly proportional to how I spend my time.
Having my husband home on a snow day puts a big wrench in those plans!
I WANT to take the day off – yet I NEED to accomplish my tasks. All or nothing. Black or white. Internal struggle. No matter what I choose, the guilt sets in. Plus, if I am working, I’m less effective because I want to be spending time with my husband. But if I’m spending time with my husband, my mind is on what I “could” and “should” be doing for my business! (Here’s another post about balancing needs vs. distractions.)
So – I renegotiated my calendar.
When the 5:30 am phone call arrived alerting us to the “official snow day” status – and the cheering and dancing stopped (my husband is VERY excited when he has a day off), I developed my plan for the day.
Instead of focusing on what I had “planned” to do, I asked myself what could be possible. Client appointments I kept as scheduled. Blog post writing and social media updates I delegated to my VA. Committee work and board report writing I slotted into a spot later in the week.
By renegotiating how my day looked, I was able to open up a slot so we could have lunch together and then finish early so we could watch a movie. AND I was able to enjoy the time I spent playing “hooky” guilt free AND focus on my work with my full attention.
[Tweet “Instead of focusing on what you “plan” to do ask yourself what could be possible. “]Many of my clients find themselves in a similar position – the struggle between family time and business time. Sometimes it’s kids being home for a snow day when you “need” to work. Other times it’s deciding how many evenings to be gone each week for networking events vs. staying home and spending time with your kids. Maybe it’s deciding whether or not to accept a board position or chair a school fundraiser. We have the option of renegotiating our day any time we need to. Life isn’t black and white – your schedule doesn’t need to be. Sometimes we can do both – just not ALL of both … and not at the same time!
Think about the last apparent conflict you had in your schedule. All or nothing? Black or white? This or that?
Try re-thinking. How about some of this AND some of that? Shades of gray? Shift, flex, compromise – it’s YOUR day after all!
Your turn … How can you create compromise when plans change?
With a little coaching, you can develop a system that works superbly well to accomplish all your heart desires without the headaches and frustrations you’re experiencing currently.
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