If Life Can Flow
I am what they call a “work at home mom.” Specifically, I am a new work at home mom. It’s much like being a new mom. At least, I feel like it is! I have been working in an office with a door and a desk for the last 15 years. Then along came Arboreta Group (yes!) and here I am with two little people, no desk, and most importantly no door. I’m lucky my mom is here to watch them a couple days a week so that I can focus that time on our clients and I’m slowly figuring out the balance between being present with my kids (including feeding for what seems like all day!), working, and keeping the house at a minimum level of chaos until the weekend when my husband and I catch up.
I have to admit that I’ve been full time with Arboreta Group working at home for over six months and I often feel like I’m falling behind on less pressing but still vital company infrastructure and marketing, working when I ought to be sleeping, fretting over messes in the house and healthy meals, and disillusioned because I thought I’d figure it out faster. My guess is that some parents relate to this feeling. But aren’t these things we also feel at our organizations? We’re trying really hard and we’re moving really fast but we can’t give enough attention to that new project, nurture our staff as much as they want or need, we hit every deadline but slide in right underneath? I know I felt like this at times.
Getting some “help” with an infographic.
In my quest to figure out work/kid flow I emailed a colleague that I keep in touch with on social media. I chose her in that moment because she’s a mom that works at home, we’ve worked in the same field, and because I have always admired her work, her ideals, and her family’s photos and happenings on social media. I was so happy to hear back from her that it’s not just hard for me; it’s hard for others also. That most kids don’t just quietly stack blocks while we write a grant or participate in a phone conference. Most importantly, that we can be a resource to one another by sharing our successes, our struggles, and our solutions. Ah, community!
So as I’m writing this I realize that this begins a series. A series about work/life balance that I know I will write with Cristina, my work at home partner in crime. And a series about how important it is that we share our struggles and failures within our organizations because we learn from them. And we learn even more by sharing them and gathering resources from the folks who have inevitably been there also.
Here is my invitation to you…share with us so I can include you in my blog! Got tips, got resources, have a fabulous tool? We’re going to be sharing with our community and would love to include your wisdom.
by Jessie Towne-Cardenas
