Knowing When to Say “Yes”
We often hear that we should say no more often, but there are times when you should say “yes”, too! Though you may have your plate full, sometimes it is worth pushing back a deadline or at least forcing yourself to work a little later into the night in order to be with someone you love or do something that needs your special touch. Here are a few examples, feel free to add your own in the comments.
- When your best friend needs someone to watch her children so she can go to the hospital with one of them.
- When your toddler begs you to get down and color with him.
- When your husband wants to take you out for dinner.
- When a teething baby wants only your arms.
- When you are sick and tired and need to lie down (provided someone gives you the chance, that is!)
- When your teen wanders in and actually wants to talk to you.
- When your daughter needs help with her math homework.
When you work at home, especially running your own business, it is SO easy to say, “Just a minute, I have to finish this first” or “Not now, I’m busy”. Our children are only little once and it goes by entirely too quickly, as I am seeing with my two little ones. My son has leapt from infancy to toddlerhood in a single bound and if I don’t stop to play with him now, I’ll miss so much! Soon he will want nothing to do with me.
Don’t forget to stop and remember why you work from home and take a moment to say “yes” now and then.
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People know not to bother me while I am working as I get highly annoyed. However I have recently started working much earlier in the morning so that I can be (almost) finished by the time my husband comes home from work. I like being able to sit down with him, eat dinner, and watch a movie. But before I’d work until it was time to go to bed.
When your teen wanders in and actually wants to talk to you
That made me smile!
I cannot even describe in words how important I think this post is. The question I try to ask myself is, “What would I regret not doing more?” Jack is our last baby – after this, we’re done. There is no money or contract or gig that is worth more to me than being able to savour his babyhood. It’s the same with my husband – I don’t want to be wildly successful in my business but divorced and bitter because I didn’t spend enough time with him.
If I am struck dead by a bus tomorrow morning, I won’t be laying there thinking, “At least I got that work in 12 hours ahead of my deadline.”
Thank you for this fantastic article. Definite required reading.
Jen, that´s great to hear you are making effort to spend more time with your husband! What an inspiration.
Lorna, I haven´t reached those difficult teen years with my boys yet, but I remember them from when I was that age!
Naomi, I agree, we aren´t going to be thinking about our work on our deathbed, but our families.