I’m also a freelance translator, interpreter and interpreter trainer, I’m building a business marketing wellness products and a greeting card service, and I am learning how to get an online following. Plus I spend quality time with my husband ,take the time to cook healthy meals from scratch, devote time to spiritual practice, go for hikes, hang out with my friends…. So, how do I keep all these balls in the air?
Family first
Well, let me be the first to say that I don’t always keep all the balls in the air. Sometimes, something just has to give. Unfortunately, back in my early days, I didn’t do such a great job at all, and my family got the short end of the stick. Nowadays, my priority is clear – do what has to be done to keep things going, but family comes first and foremost, always.
A day in the life…..
Last week, I had an interpreting assignment in Oakland, and I was spending the evening with my amazing daughter in Berkeley, where she is living for the summer while she completes an internship in Oakland before heading back to S. CA to complete her Ph.D. Wow – there is a lot of information in that one sentence! Anyway, I was working on my computer, waiting for her to come home from work, settling into my weekly conference call with my on-line marketing mastermind group. I get a text from her - Bart is on strike, so she might be 1-2 hours late getting home because all the buses are going by full. So of course I offer to pick her up, jump into my green bug, and head off to downtown Oakland. Map quest directing me on my iPad, conference call continuing on my iPhone until I disconnected when I got to downtown Oakland so I could focus on being with her. We had a lovely evening preparing dinner and catching up over a glass of wine, I caught up on the rest of the call by FB messaging later on… I just love that my entrepreneurial lifestyle and modern technology makes it possible for me to combine my passions, my work and that oh so precious time with my loved ones.
I get by with a little help from my friends….
This week, my husband and I are taking a few days off to spend time with my son and granddaughters in Lake Tahoe… again, so grateful that we are both self-employed and able to arrange our own schedules. And of course my trusty iPad will be coming with me, so I can continue my blogging assignments – from my best ever blogging coach - putting into practice the tools and tricks I used in a recent seminar on “Using your iPad for business” from my dear friend and mac lady extraordinaire to keep up with my various business ventures from the beach.
So if I had to sum it up, here my 7 tips for juggling multiple roles:
1. Be clear about your priorities
2. Know when it is Ok to drop one or more balls
3. If you drop a ball, pick it up again (or decide to throw it away if it no longer serves you!)
4. Keep your sense of humor
5. Learn to use technology judiciously
6. Be flexible
7. Get by with a little help from your friends!
PS Of course, this all works best when you are your own boss!
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