Boss Lady & Bob: 1 Month In and My Mental Adjustment

I'm officially 1 month into my new career as a small business owner/partner with Melissa (aka "The Boss Lady").  There's been lots to learn so far, like how to: answer some common customer requests via email, reconcile the business finances, and write a blog post (like this!).  But the biggest learning so far is how to mentally adjust to my new work environment.

For 10 years, I left the house around 8:00 AM, went to an office, had meetings, talked with co-workers, created marketing strategy and materials, responded to and sent email (like a boss I might add), and then came home around 5:00 PM.  I networked, planned, and thought about my career in the short, mid, and long term...constantly.

Working at home on a blog with my kids home for the summer is so totally different from that!

I'm on point to get them to and from camp (usually from 9:00 AM to noon) and some days find activities for them in the afternoon so that Melissa can finish her next book (it's almost done!).  Books are our biggest revenue generator, so intellectually I know that the sooner we can get another book out, the quicker we can make more money.  But I'll tell you what, it doesn't necessarily feel like "work" when I take the kids to the pool at 2:00 in the afternoon so that Melissa can write!

Besides the structure of my day, feeling impactful also is very different.  Have you ever taken the Strengths Finder test?  One of my top strengths is Achiever.  It means that I have a strong drive to contribute and literally do things.  I feel good about myself when I accomplish things every day.  And by every day, I mean every day.  People like me enjoy checking things off of a To Do list.  I'm still able to stay organized and create lists of things to do to further the business, but I can't say that I get a strong feeling of accomplishment every day in the way that I was used to.  I know I put too much stock into doing things vs. accomplishing things...but it was my "normal".

I'm learning to look at accomplishment differently and understand how what we do TOGETHER impacts the business as a whole.  So when I keep the kids busy during the afternoon and Melissa has an additional 3-4 hours to write, I'm contributing to the book getting out sooner.   And that's what's best for our business right now.

I know when school starts we will have a more structured work day, but for now, I'm learning how to adjust with the added responsibility of kids home for the summer.

I knew going into this that working from home would be different, my roles and responsibilities would be different, and summer would be different.  And it's not necessarily a bad thing.  I'm definitely enjoying spending the additional time with my kids...like at the pool on a hot summer day :)


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