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We struggled for a while with this. I would get home from my 9 to 5, gobble down dinner, and immediately start working on my web design projects. It led to many arguments, and I have to admit, my wife was usually the right one. I had to take a step back and prioritize things. While I loved my web design business, it wasn’t making enough to go full time. I felt I was getting out of touch with my family, and with the clients I had coming in, things weren’t going to get better. My family is much more important, so I closed up shop. Sure, it hurts a little financially. But I’ve moved on to some other projects where I am not at the mercy of clients, so it’s easier to manage my time.

What’s pretty funny is my wife is going through the same thing now with her blogging. While no where near the time I was taking with my projects, it is kinda funny to see the show on the other foot.

What does your family say?

Steve - thanks for your insight. I hope your wife doesn’t back off blogging too much - she has a style and tackles topics that we are all dealing with, but she does with a style that is all her own and always makes me smile.

Ingo - If I ask my family, I get a different answer from each of them. I do feel some sort of a family meeting coming on though.

Char - Believe me, she is not backing off. She has big plans in the works.

I realise you are working from home - but that’s still work, why are YOU soley responsible for “laundry, cooking, cleaning, and maintaining a household.” surely a little delegation would ensure that you don’t actually have to lose something, all you need to do is allocate a time limit for the things you do.

Set working hours for yourself as though you were in an office and then set aside 1-2 hours a day on top of that for blogging.
As to household chores, have alternate cooking nights with the hubby and make the kids take a hand in maintaining a household - it’s good practice for the far off day they need to manage a place of their own.

No one can do it all.

Vics - thanks for your sane words. One thing I think I could do better with is defining my blocks of time for certain activities. Unfortunately I tend to get going on something and don’t stop until it is done or I have to.

Char ~
I know what you are going through because I’m right there with you. It seems the only productive time I have to myself is when everybody is in bed for good for the night. I wind up staying up until 1:00 or 2:00 am just to complete what I need to get done with my online projects.

I think what’s going to make things easier for me is to invite fellow bloggers to join forces allowing each other to post on one another’s blogs. I believe this will form a sense of community and on the days that we can’t be available to jot down our thoughts ~ our co-bloggers can jot down theirs. It’s a win win for everybody involved and it gives the serious blogger a much needed break.

I created a guest blogger invite before I went away for Spring Break and it worked out fabulously. I love it when the folks that contribute to my blogs feel free to just post whatever random thoughts come to mind. It switches things up just a bit and I think that’s a good thing. However, it might not be such a good thing if you are the person that has to remain in control of every single aspect of your blog, ya know?

Working at home may be beneficial in that we save on travel time and travel fatigue. I also find that working at home can be difficult, though, because there are often no clear demarcation lines between “career work” and all the other family stuff.

My husband and I both work from home and find ourselves working on laptops on the dining table while the kids are doing their homework, eating, watching TV, etc. We have learned how to work with all this going on - and helping with homework or commenting on TV shows at the same time. The kids love it this way, too. We’re all together most of the time. It may not be a very organized way of doing things but it works.

We completely do NOT manage..

I am a combination of most of the posts above

Laptop on the dining room table
Up until 1-2 AM most nights
Getting beef from the other members of the family

I have a 4 month old baby + 3 other kids, so its NOT easy.

I am also not as focused as many others exactly WHAT my online goals are. Sometimes I jump around from idea to idea.

I just spoke with a friend who told me she was taking the kids somewhere with 6 bags of garbage in her hands, while they were all empty handed and she was like WTF??

Now her kids, starting at age 3 each do just 2 things a day in the house. They have become so used to it, and they like seeing their Mommy happy. This rule is definately going to start here too.

I recently tried closing the computer from 2:30 until after bedtime, but the problem is that I work with people in all different time zones! Also, my husband and older son would then want some attention in the evening, so I wasnt pleasing everyone and then I was jonesing for the computer come 9:30!

Its a work in progress. Babysitters help.

I am breastfeeding while typing now, sitting indian style on my bed.

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