Workin' It Wednesdays (on a Random Monday)

It's time for Workin' It Wednesday (on a Monday)

with Shay and Erika.  

BUT FIRST- ROB WON!!!!!

YES!  He won by ALOT...so so thrilled and EVEN MORE THRILLED that we got our school!  We finally got our school- YEAH!!!  Anyway- stay tuned for a separate post on that fun this week :)

Now it's time to link up with Shay and Erika HERE

This month we are charged with sharing how we balance work and home life- what a great topic!

I am blessed with having a career that allows flexibility and even more blessed that I work for such a progressive organization and a wonderful boss.  I work in the office two days per week and then I work from my home office three days per week.  Occasionally I will have appointments and be on the road on random days but this is pretty much my schedule.  

I will tell you even though I work full time, this flexibility allows me to not only produce and hit my numbers but be present for my kids and balance all of my responsibilities at home....and life in general!

So....as I was writing this post, I thought about some of my basic habits.  What has enabled me to be successful with "doing it all?"  and I came up with a few habits/tips for you...what has worked for me over the years.

Having a dedicated work space

When I first started working from home, we were still in our old house.  It was much smaller and we did the best we could.  As a result, I worked from the kitchen table.  It was an open concept home so our kitchen was in the same room as our living room- separated by a fireplace and sectional.  Not ideal especially when your toddler is watching Sesame Street and you need to make calls.  For important calls, I would lock myself in the bathroom and make them from there.  Again we did what we had to do to make it work.  It was stressful.

Since moving to our new home, I am fortunate to have an office.  My office does double/triple as my tv room and also a play room for Eva but she has been playing more and more in our family room and it has allowed me really to do most of my work from my office at home.  I love my desk and chair (gift from my hubby from Pottery Barn).  Makes work that much more fun :) and I love having a space to call my own.  It is where I talk to clients and candidates and get it done.  It is where I blog.  It is where I catch up on Facebook and it is where I do so much to hold our lives together :)

 

Starting my day before anyone else gets up

Friends, this one is a game changer...even if your kids are in school.  I have always been a morning person but I have learned even more recently that early mornings are my favorite.  The house is quiet.  I can rip through so many home and work tasks and I stay calm and enjoy my coffee at the same time.  

I say my morning prayers and read my daily devotions.  I return work emails, catch up on Facebook, write my blog posts and then make breakfast and lunches and straighten up the house....well you get the picture...pure bliss when you can get in the zone...with a little peace and quiet before the crazy morning chaos!

 

Technology

 I know it may sound funny but technology, over the last 10 years, has been my life saver.  I am sure it has been for many many recruiters out there.  Being a recruiter, you have to be available 24x7- no joke.  Having the capability to log in to your database from anywhere is priceless.  Also having access to your emails, on your phone, even better.  I can do my job from literally anywhere.  That means, I can be at a cheer competition or a dance class or even on vacation and still be accessible and also feel like I haven't missed anything at all.  Some people might stress at that accessibility but I thrive.  I am so grateful and this has been one of my biggest tools to be able to balance it all.

A Supportive Spouse

This one is probably the most important one of all.  It might sound cliche but people always ask me, "How do you get it all done?" One of my cheer friends asked me recently, "How do you do what you do?  You work full time, you volunteer like mad AND you have so many friends and a killer social life?"  My response was one word "ROB."

Rob also works from home most of the time which is a blessing in itself but he, as a husband, has always been supportive, especially for all of my hopes and dreams.  He understands that I have a passion for giving back and for making things better.  He also understands the importance of having strong friendships and nurturing those.  He also realizes that I have a high pressure job so he does what he can to alleviate some of that pressure and stress.

He covers for me at home when I meet friends for lunch.  We take turns volunteering in our town so we always have each other's backs for the greater good.

He always makes sure that our girls are safe and taken care of and that in itself melts my heart.

I could never balance it all without his help and support.  We are a true team and I know how lucky I am.  He is the biggest tool to pure balance.

I can't wait to read all of your tips- always love learning how other Mamas do it! Thanks for stopping by :)