Do you remember that commercial? If you never saw it- it’s one of our favorites. You see a family strolling through the aisles of an office supply store. The father is skipping, joyfully throwing binders, pencils, and backpacks into the cart. The kids, who look *slightly less* enthusiastic, are pouting, walking behind Dad, who is now riding on the cart; he is so ecstatic. The best part- playing in the background is the Christmas song “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.” It is iconic. And for many parents, it is so. very. accurate. 

As self-employed business owners, Graham and I tend to work from… everywhere. Our office at COMPASS headquarters, sure, but also the car, the kitchen table, or the sidelines of a lacrosse, soccer, or flag football game. That “all the time” work mode is amplified as a husband and wife team. You should see us on date night. We spend the whole time NOT talking about work, which means we sometimes don’t talk much. Do you know who does not love our work ethic? Our son. But our mortgage doesn’t pay itself, and though we LOVE what we do, we work because we have to. This is why, when summer starts coming to a close and school starts back up, we breathe a giant sigh of relief. Because multitasking is hard. It isn’t that we want him out of the house per se. It’s that feeling guilty for working stinks.

Once school starts back up, we get the breathing room back. All the work tasks (like writing these letters 🙂) happen during regular business hours, not in the middle of the night or early in the morning. We don’t spend the day fielding “Mom, Dad, come plaaaaay with me,” which warms our hearts and breaks them simultaneously when we are in the middle of something work-related. I hope we aren’t the only ones who feel this two-way tug. I don’t think we are. Especially as more and more people work from home full or part-time, I think it’s a dance for all of us. 

Do you struggle to work from home during certain times of the year? Do the kids, or the dog, or the fish want all of your attention all of the time? How do you manage? We’d love to hear.

Thanks for reading,
Kelly (+ Graham) Levine