This is a special moment. It's the first ever guest post on Iquitmyjob. Champagne anyone? What do you mean 10:04am is too early?
The thing is I've been completely slammed lately, pulled in a kabillion different directions. It's like life has been testing my commitment to this new venture. So I decided to call in the awesome Emma Grey from WorkLifeBliss to keep me on track.
Emma is indeed the master of balance. Last week her entire family was struck down with a nasty bug. So nasty one of her 3 kids and 2 step kids ended up in hospital and yet Emma still managed to write this guest blog post for me. Enjoy....
My business, WorkLifeBliss, was born one lunch-time, when I
went to speak at the Lifeline Women of
Spirit Awards after my book on working motherhood had been published, and
returned to my public sector job afterwards - not knowing what had hit me.
You know that scene in Wind in
the Willows where Toad is trundling along in his Gypsy Caravan and he’s
overtaken by a motor car? He’s never seen one before, and he sits in the middle
of the road, in a cloud of dust - spellbound by this new ‘thing’ in front of
him?
That was me at the Women of
Spirit Awards - smitten by my first glimpse of a potential new career that
I couldn’t even articulate yet. And I as I drove back to the office and back to
the job that at that point left me cold, I knew that something had to change.
But how? And more importantly when?
I was already working full time and studying, and had two
young kids. Life was packed as it was and I was fighting a strong desire to
spend ALL my time creating this new 'thing'.
My 'day job' and the housework and my studies and even some of the
things I loved doing in what little spare time I had, suddenly seemed as
unappealing as a bowl of cold porridge. I began to resent the time that I had
to spend away from my new idea doing the things to which I was
currently committed - and was torn by the fact that I wasn't ready financially
to take the leap into the new business full time.
Layering a new business on top of an existing life isn't easy, but
there are some things you can do to manage things during what is usually a
temporary overlap:
Bang for buck -
everywhere!
You'll have been prioritising before, but now it's now more
important than ever to choose the 'bang for buck' tasks first. We can't do
everything, so we're forced to choose the few activities that will skyrocket
our progress and make the most of the limited time that we have.
The temptation is to get stuck 'colouring in the title page' -
taking an age to choose font colours or re-editing something you've proof-read
twice. Friday rolls around and you're not much further than you were at the
start of the week and that's frustrating.
Make a list of the 'bang for buck' tasks at work, at home and in
your new business. Always do these first and you’ll propel yourself along the
path.
Outsource what is beyond
your skill set
It can be difficult to fund a new business when you’re first
starting up, so the temptation is to DIY everything. You hop onto Vista Print
and design your own business cards, and decide that it can't be that hard for a
complete novice to build a Wordpress site, surely…
If there is any leeway for outsourcing jobs that are not aligned
with your natural talents or experience, DO IT. Most people who DIY end up
'Going Pro' a few months down the track when they realise that first
impressions are costing them clients.
Patience
Your brain is a mind-map of explosive ideas, and you could go in any
of hundreds of directions. It can be exciting and overwhelming, but a great
question to ask is 'What would get this business to first base?' What's the
minimum structure, the minimum number of pages on your website, the minimum
information, the minimum number and type of products or services that you need
to have in place before you really get started.
Capture your other ideas and you might find that you use them to
build on your basic business after the first twelve months, or you might find
that your business takes on a life of its own and moves in other
directions.
Don't try to line up ALL the ducks at once - just the few crucial
ones!
Relationships and the fun
stuff
No matter how tempting it is to immerse yourself constantly in the
new business, it's important to take breaks. There may be people around you who
are supporting you with this idea and it's important to nurture these
relationships. Likewise, pay attention to your fitness and mental
health. And, as an added bonus, when you allow time to switch off, you'll
likely notice a barrage of brilliant ideas… creativity needs space.
Remember 'this too shall
pass'
This juggling, this chaos, these sleepless nights filled with
inspiration and energy (and a dash of fear) - it's all transient. Things will
settle down. They will get easier. You will work it out.
Enjoy this 'honeymoon' period with your new idea and keep your head
in the clouds and your feet on the ground - grateful for the opportunity to
give this a red, hot go.
Emma Grey is the author of Wits' End Before Breakfast! Confessions of a
Working Mum (Lothian, 2005), director of the life-balance
consultancy, WorkLifeBliss and
co-founder of a fresh approach to self-development - My 15 Minutes.
Emma tackles the thorny challenges of
juggling professional and personal priorities, staying productive despite a
barrage of distractions, dealing with fear and uncertainty, increasing
confidence, managing work-and-family and more. She writes for various
newspapers and magazines and for websites like iVillage Australia,
Mamamia, HerCanberra, Australian Women Online and others.
As a speaker and trainer, Emma presents on
the '7 Types of Busy' and offers masterclasses for working parents and for
managers keen to implement flexibility in the workplace. Her training and
executive coaching has been described as a 'yellow brick road out of the chaos
of modern living'.
Emma is the mother of two teenage girls, a
3-year old boy and two step-children in their early twenties. When she can
sneak the time - she's writing a vampire-free novel for young adults.
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