Time as an obstacle

In my goal setting work I keep noticing time cropping up as an obstacle. I run my own business and have recently returned to work after maternity leave. My partner works full-time and I am the primary carer for our baby during the week. I have about an hour each morning and her nap times to work along with some time at the weekend, but it never feels enough and I’m finding myself stuck i’n a state of constant catch up, which makes me feel stressed and I’m sure means I get less done. This state completely hampers my creativity too. I’d like some support to overcome time as an obstacle to doing what I need to do to run my business whilst looking after my baby. I’m aware of the fact that i’m operating from a place of not enough and want to flip it around.

Thank you!

 

Answer:

You have great awareness of the model you are creating, and what is causing it. You feel stressed from thinking that you are constantly catching up. That statement implies that you should be doing more. It implies that what you are doing is not enough.

So let’s look at what your choices are. You have choices with your time. You may choose to care for your baby, hire somebody else, do an exchange with another parent where you care for two on one day and they do it another. You could let your baby stay in their crib a little longer, or put them in there for more time. You may argue that some of these options don’t feel right, but that does not make them less of a choice. It helps to see that you are choosing the option to spend the time the way you are, and why that is.

This may sound like, “I am choosing to only work when the baby does not need me during the day, because I want to be their primary care provider.” or “I’m choosing to work when not caring for the baby, because this is a better financial decision for our family rather than hiring somebody else.” Whatever the reason for your choice, see how it is the reason for spending your time the way you are.

So if how you spend your time is your choice, what are all your options? From those options, how do you choose to use your time and why? Check in with yourself and see how that feels to make those choices.