When life gets in the way

I haven’t posted to the blog for a while. For someone who used to post here multiple times a week, it’s a bit out of character. But, sometimes, life just gets in the way. Family, health, life and other circumstances can scream for a chance to hit the “pause” button.

So I did. I took a break from writing here – and I scaled back on my work commitments too. That’s the great thing about my consulting work. I can shuffle things around, when necessary, as long as I mind client deadlines and other details. But if I need a morning or afternoon off, here or there, I can usually make that fly.

Of course, when this happened, I ran into holiday mode. I usually wind things down in December, but, having already taken a little break, I’m trying now to get a little extra work done while shopping, baking and socializing. Oh, well! At least I have the option.

You see, after 16 years in consulting, I’m still very thankful for the work-life balance that self employment brings me. Sure, I may sometimes respond to email at midnight or at the crack of dawn or over the weekend. But it’s a choice and doing so usually reflects a decision to run personal errands in the morning or to take the afternoon off to take my kids to a museum or sports activity. Or it might reflect two weeks of being crazy busy so that I can make as much in that time as I would normally in a couple of months – and then head off on a sunny vacation.

How about you? Does life get in the way of your work? Or do you find you can make trade-offs?