I was reading Nataly’s post about conquering email and noticed a commenter said she’d gotten hers under control - well, her work email. Her personal email was admittedly still a mess. I found myself wondering not about the woman’s organizational skills, but about how many email addresses she had.
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Begin with the end in mind.

It means to live with intention, and to be clear on what that intention is. Successful entrepreneurs know that a clear picture of the end, the goal, is crucial. Whether opening a new store or starting out as a freelancer, a proper business plan tells where to invest your most precious resources: time and money.

It makes sense to begin with the end in mind, to decide where you’re going before you start.

What’s a little trickier is taking the time to stop and seek directions when you’re already flying down the highway.

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I’ve been working towards one significant professional goal for several months now:

Get published in print.

(I’m pretty sure that’s not cool to admit out loud, but whatever.)

In order to research that goal, I’ve invested hours and money on research and tools. I’ve pushed through the scary first steps and I’ve “put myself out there.” A lot.

Thus far, all of my bylines are still digital.

The last few days I’ve been struggling with the decision to quit. It’s hard to work with no feedback (which is pretty typical in publishing) and I’m cognizant of all the people who want to be published writers and never are. My family is planning a move and will be setting up a new home soon, which is going to require money I’m not making from researching and pitching. I’m going to have to make some choices about the future of my career. But how?
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For all my talk about freedom and self reliance, I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety recently. The root of my fears is uncertainty.

I don’t know where my kids are going to go school next fall.

I’m not sure what my husband will be doing to earn a living in a few months.

I’m not sure where my career is going.

I’m not certain what city–or even state–my family will be living in by the end of this summer.

After spending 10 months moving from campground to campground as my family and I traveled around the country, you’d think I’d have made my peace with uncertainty. As it turns out, I’m still scared of all the things I do not know.
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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about what was more important to me than financial security. I shared that, for my family, the freedom to come and go as we please has become more valuable than a steady paycheck. The comments on that post surprised me.

I wasn’t surprised to read about different priorities, that was to be expected. What I hadn’t been prepared for, however, were the multiple ways financial security was described.

For some people, financial security means being able to cover major bills and health care expenses. For others, having a certain amount of money equates to security. One commenter mentioned the word self-reliance. I realized there is more than one way to interpret the concept of financial security. It made me take a closer look at my own ideas and examine whether any of them really meant what I thought, what I needed financial security to be.
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It’s tax time.

Or rather, it’s tax time for people who put off doing their taxes until the last minute. People like me.

While I was gathering all of my paperwork this morning in preparation, I lamented my lack of 1) an accountant, 2) a consistent filing system, and 3) ability to be a real grown up. I do this every year.
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I’m reading another book about organization and productivity. This time, I have been reading it aloud to my family so that we can all benefit from the wisdom that is guaranteed to result in more effective lives. It seemed like a good idea at the time, until my husband almost had a nervous breakdown.
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When I first started writing for Work It, Mom! back in November of 2008 (wow, that seems like a long time ago!), I was working in sales and marketing for a small business in Central Florida. I worked roughly 40 hours a week, commuted another 8, and earned a salary plus commissions for my time and efforts. I was confident I was happy and fulfilled in my work. In fact, my very first post here (and still my most popular) was a manifesto of sorts about why some moms work full time.

Three and a half years later, I am now working from my laptop as I travel across the country with my family. I have no office, co-workers, or commute. Also long gone are the days of a reliable salary.

There are days when I question the sanity of my decision to go rogue, to quit my grown-up job and hit the road. I still have two young children to provide for, after all, and my family’s standard of living - though it’s changed dramatically - still depends on my ability to earn money. My work continues to grant me the other benefits of working full time, but the income is as dynamic as my mailing address. I wonder on occasion if the forum commenters are right, if I’m being selfish and depriving my children of the security that comes from a normal life.
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I woke up this morning in a foul mood.

Scratch that. I woke up this morning in a fine mood, and then I rolled over and checked my email. A critical email from an editor promptly put me in a bad mood (reason number 836 why I shouldn’t be checking my email in bed.)

As I lay in bed waiting for the sun to finish rising, one email spiraled into a parade of my favorite self doubts and insecurities marching across my mind. Before the first child could ask for breakfast, I had decided I sucked at my job, hated my life, and would never have the time or breathing room I needed to make things right again.

I should mention here that I have been traveling full time with my husband and two kids for the past ten months. We’ve never gone hungry and the only work I’ve had to do for the past year has involved writing, which I adore. Also, I may be flying to the Caribbean in a couple weeks for a quick trip to check out a luxury resort - for work. In other words, I love my life and my job and I have more breathing room than most people can even fantasize about. But early mornings are no place for logic, clearly.

At any rate, by the time I opened the laptop to begin work, it seemed my temperament for the day was firmly set to ‘not good’.
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It’s been one week since I decided to kick the laptop out of bed in an effort to bring a little more balance into my nomadic life. Yes, I work from a traveling home right now, but that doesn’t mean I have to work from bed, right?

Right.

So, how is my attempt to unplug from the matrix at night working out?

I’m about halfway there. Maybe a quarter of the way.
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