Season 4, Episode 35: Quality Over Quantity This life lesson may be something we all know we need already, but when you have children, that lesson is very in your face, especially when you are working from home.  So how do you keep your sanity, free yourself from obligation, and yet still have that precious “quality time” with your family? Listen to this episode on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, YouTube, Spreaker or your RSS Feed Where are we?  Fort Myers Beach, Florida!  Check out the awesome work being done at Crow Clinic, who just celebrated their 50th anniversary. Meet our awesome new friends, www.LetsTravelFamily.com and over on Instagram as @letstravelfamily It’s about Quality Time, not Quantity Maybe you’ve rolled your eyes at the cliche “quality over quantity” a time or two. I have, too. Trying to rate what is truly “quality” can be tough, especially when you’re stressing about the “quantity” of time you actually don’t have! Life Doesn’t Fit Into Perfectly Closed Boxes As an entrepreneur, I have to say there are times that I can look with envy at the person with the traditional job who clocks in, works their shift, clocks out and completely leaves work at the office. When you have your own business, freelance, or any other variation of entrepreneurism, it’s hard to draw that clear line in the sand. Work and play can seriously overlap. This is a double edged sword, but can also be pretty freakin awesome, since my work is scheduled around the life I want instead of the other way around. There Are Days… I struggle with the fact that I’m working from home and juggling two jobs. I feel pulled when I see all of the family playing together and I’m behind a computer screen. But I’ve figured out something super important: working from home is so overrated. Let me first say that working from home does not guarantee that you will get to spend more time with your family. Sometimes, it is more a slap in the face of your family that you are there but not focused on them. Because, of course, the whole entire world revolves around your tiny little angels, right? Those Self-Centered Children To a child, they are the whole world. Try to just empathize with them – they are experiencing a whole new world on a daily basis. The first five years of life – think of all you learn and start to do! The next five…adding in the realization that there are others out there who have their own emotions and perspectives on the world. And then the next five…figuring out how to mesh those two together and learn and go in harmony with others! That’s a broad generalization, and this is clearly a rant I’ve run down – but this will get me back around to my point. Young children simply live the life of wonder and awe that happens when you are experiencing something that could be the best – or the worst- on the whole world on a regular basis. Quantity Is The Issue! So getting back to working from home. In all their innocence and wonder, small children, especially, are completely oblivious that their parents may actually have something to do that does not involve entertaining them. So they barge in and you: 1. Shout “not now – I’m working!” and shove them out the door 2. Stop and listen and then get caught up in helping them that you lose the rest of the day and don’t get whatever you needed to do accomplished. Again, two broad brush strokes, but essentially the extreme to a common them: Multitasking can result in you being a 'jack of all trades, master of none.' CLICK TO TWEET Now you are stretched for time, your patience is thin, and you haven’t really accomplished anything. Focused Time = Quality Time block. That’s it. That’s my solution, and that’s what I highly recommend to each and every one of you. It is much, much better to be the parent who is looking into their child’s eyes than sitting next to them on the phone going through your emails while you “hang out”. I’m the first to admit that it’s hard, especially when, sometimes, it’s flat out bo