adminToday, I was at home with Ollie all day. Mandy was at a market, selling our Thais Tafelen cooking kits. While Mandy was making money, I had full responsibility for our baby boy. And I have to tell you, staying at home with your baby while running a business is not as great as people think.
Currently, Ollie’s first teeth are showing up. That comes with a lot of drooling and a lot of crying. Our five and a half month old boy also started crawling. A month ago, he crawled a couple of times. For the past two days, he’s been going places. He doesn’t move fast, and it comes with a lot of noise. But he moves forward. Then he has to sleep enough, drink enough, and hopefully not poop too much. So, for me there’s plenty to do in a day.
But then there’s my brain. My head is full of ideas and things to make. There’s still a lot I want to do for my own business. I have projects and promises to other people. I also want to spend more time on things like creating YouTube videos. Already, I don’t have enough hours in a day.
So, when staying at home, my first priority should be Ollie. When he’s asleep, I have time to do the things I want. Let’s say a day at home alone with the baby is eight hours. Four of those hours he sleeps. In the other half, I have to take care of myself. Shower, coffee, lunch. Then, there’s things I have to do for our household. Grocery shopping, vacuuming, the dishes, etc.
And then, there are also the things I want and need to do for our business. There was, and there will always be, enough things to do. My recent discovery of “programming” with Codex makes me want to work around the clock. Now, everything I can imagine can be built (software-wise). But, I don’t have a clock to myself.
If a normal day already does not have enough time. A day taking care of a baby means there really is not enough time. The problem is that I want to cram too many things into one day. Too much multitasking, while the priority is clear: taking care of our son. But the problem is that as an ADHD entrepreneur, my work brain never switches off.
I know what the solution is: change the mindset or setting. So, instead of thinking: I can work while Ollie is asleep, I have to rethink. Instead, it should be: when Ollie is awake, we are going to do something fun. And the work stuff? That can be fixed later!