Today is Tuesday. The last post I wrote was last Tuesday. Why is this significant? Well, because I usually post Tuesdays and Fridays, but that didn't happen last week.
While I'm sorry that you missed out on an article, and it probably wasn't a good time for that to happen since I am trying to promote my book, I don't feel guilty about it.
If you have been reading my blog for a while or if you are on my email list, you know that I have been abundantly clear about my priorities. First is family, then the work that pays the bills and supports said family, and then the blog.
I love the blog, and I love sharing all the things I've learned and discovered with you. However, that will never come before family and supporting my family.
So, last week there was a major snow storm and an extreme cold snap in the Northeast. While for many people that might have meant 1 day thrown off course, for me that meant many. Not only did I have a snow day on Thursday where the whole family had to entertain ourselves in the house, but as an insurance adjuster, that also means I had to handle a crazy amount of claims.
I spent most of last week running around handling pipe bursts and flooded buildings. I barely had a second to sit down. I usually work on the blog on my lunch break at work and in the evenings, but I didn't get a lunch break and in the evening I was too exhausted to write.
On the snow day, I could have asked my husband to watch the kids while I spent a little time with my blog. But, as you might know, my husband and I work opposite schedules. Usually our days off together are packed with activities that we want to do together as a family.
This was a day where the family could be together with no agenda. So I took advantage and soaked it up. Check out what gets created when we are both home together with nothing to do.
Over the weekend, I could have tried to catch up and write the missed post, but we already had outings planned with family and friends. And since I prioritize family, I decided to stick with the plans and not feel guilty about it.
The Lesson
Here's the thing, we can't do it all. Inevitably, something has got to give. When you know your priorities, it's easy to choose what to do and what not to do. You just look at the items you are choosing between and look at your priorities. If one item matches a higher priority, then that's the one you should do.
When you make decisions in this way, you can rest assured that you made the right decision for you. You might disappoint someone and that stinks. But, generally when you are choosing between two things, one party will be disappointed.
Mom guilt is a funny thing. You can feel guilty about spending time with family when you have other things that need to get done and you can feel guilty about doing things away from the family instead of spending time with them.
In your case, your priorities may take you away from the family. That's OK too. But by using your priorities as your guide, you know that it is necessary and therefore you have less guilt about it.
As long as you made the best decision for you, then there is nothing to feel guilty about. The people who know and love you will understand and will respect your decision.
If you need help determining what your priorities are, check out my book, Take Back Your Time, which has an entire chapter devoted to determining your priorities.
Do you suffer from mom guilt? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers,
Emily
