work life balance

Always in the car, on the phone, or in a meeting, sales people compete with entrepreneurs on who has the highest level of work/life imbalance.

I recently received this note from a bride-to-be:

"I am getting married in 5 weeks, and it's just busy and I have a lot on my "plate"--some stuff I can't control and some I can control.  I get stressed easily and uptight. I don't want every change, road block, or honestly my stubbornness to get in the way of the joy and abundant life God has for me and my future husband.

I feel so guilty that I’m not spending more time with my family.
I feel so guilty for taking a vacation.
I feel so guilty for not getting that project done…

Sound familiar?

In 1995, Tammy Huinker had a 4-year-old, a corporate job, and a burning desire to own her own business. "This was a huge risk,  but something I needed," Tammy says."After years of thinking about starting a business, I decided I wanted to run a franchise. If I was going to take the plunge and put money into a company, I wanted the trials and errors at someone else's expense!"

For almost two years, I've aimed to build a business while working about 40 hours a week so I would have time for physical, relational, and spiritual health. But that doesn't mean setting time boundaries is always easy for me.

Are You Feeling a Bit Crazy Lately?

As an owner of two businesses, I understand your struggle to keep everything in balance.

Here are some of my tricks for making time choices and using time strategies so you can succeed at building businesses and still have a life:

Over the weekend my "wife" had to quit to watch her nephew while her sister tutors. And now I am scrambling to find a replacement. My husband just returned to work from paternity leave and so I am back to conference calls hoping my youngest will map and my oldest will play quietly for 15 minutes.

This morning I went into my daughters' playroom and watched my three year old arrange blocks in a checkerboard pattern.  I asked her what she was up to and got no response.  Then I asked her if she was focused, and she replied "I can't talk right now, I am focused."  Just like all of us, when she is focused on her task or project, she can accomplish a great deal in a concentrated time.

Interview with Career Coach Alexandra Jenkins

Who better to go to with questions about balancing motherhood, employment, relationships, and other life issues than a longtime friend and former college roommate? That’s what I did this month – I called on Erin Hutchinson to learn from her experience as mother, wife, full-time employee, volunteer, and quilter.

Tell me a bit about yourself and your various roles.

By: Cali Williams Yost for Fastcompany.com
(see below for site details)

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been repeatedly asked: “What do you think will happen to work+life fit and flexibility if the economy experiences a recession?”