Guest post by Deidre Rienzo:

While I was pregnant, a few women told me, “Oh, you can work while the baby sleeps!” Some also told me I wouldn’t want to work anymore after the baby was born. Honestly, I was nervous I’d become a totally different person.

Now that my baby is 9-months old, I can tell you:

1. These work-while-the-baby-sleeps women were clearly on drugs, or far more capable than I am. (Don’t listen to them. Read this from Jill Anderson.)
2. I’m still the same person. And I still LOVE my work.

What having a baby has done is put more demands on my time and make me reconsider my priorities.

I love my job. I want to do it amazingly well. I love interacting with my clients. But I only have so much steam in my ship, which was part of the reason for my 2021 goals. 

These days, I want to:

1. Be a good mom.
2. Be good at work.
3. Stay a whole, happy, healthy human who makes time to exercise, shower, sleep, eat healthy and watch 90 Day Fiance, which might be the most fascinating glimpse into human motivation that I’ve ever seen. 
4. Make a gainful living.

I feel like going to the post office is an immense task. I’m constantly overwhelmed with life and adulthood, so how the hell am I going to manage all of this?

1. Say no.
2. Charge more.

For the people who aren’t a good fit, say no (and refer when possible).

For the people who are a good fit, charge more. (And if it’s too much, then they’re not a good fit anymore.) 

Every time a new possible job or partner comes along, I have to consider whether it’s worth my time and energy, because now, they are both in shorter supply. 

It sounds kinda brutal, but I am starting to see that everything is either adding to, or detracting from, my ability to do the four things I want most.

Babies-in-tow or not, we all only have 24-hours in the day. 

*When Dominic's in his giant playpen, he can play with his favorite toys. He can't roll across the room and get stuck under the couch or play with the fireplace. Maybe we need to create our own playpens?

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Hi, I’m Deidre. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a copywriting partner to web designers , my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning as I go (with Marketing Mentor as my guide). To keep in touch, sign up for my un-newsletter here and get my freebie download, 12 Sparks to Write Sizzling, Audience-Attracting Website Words.

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