Two Best Reasons To Blend Business With Pleasure

One of the biggest caveats to working from home is that, inevitably, your personal life will mix with your work. Some of the best advice I’ve read about doing this kind of contradict each other. (Click and read links after you’re done with my blog, k? 🙂 )

• Don’t spend too much time going over business details with your significant other. If they respect your boundaries and leave work behind, do the same for them. It will mean less strife, and it’s a great way to treat what you do as a career and not inextricably tied to your abode.

• Great relationships make for great business. The qualities you hone in making a relationship work are also the same ways you can make a business work. Plus, your spouse is your biggest support and can be there for you and your business.

I tend to side with the second blog more. I figured that one month into my marriage would be a great time to bring up a couple of neat little personal ways having a significant other is a boost for business.

1) Your loved one is also your biggest critic. Now wait – I’m sure you’ve always heard that you are your biggest critic and that your loved one is your biggest cheerleader. Depending on your personalities, however, this may vary. My husband is extraordinarily complimentary. He is always telling me that no matter what I do, as long as I do my best, I’m doing well.

However, he has also become aware of my weaknesses in business and has actually suggested things I shouldn’t do as well as what I should do. Was it unexpected? Yes. Was it needed? Absolutely. I already know he wants what’s best for me, and even if it’s to say something isn’t working in my career goals, he is there for that bit of butt kicking. Sure, I don’t always like it, but I take his advice very seriously and have adjusted my personal and career goals as a result.

And, darn it, it seems he’s right.

2) Rewards are better when shared. I know that motivating yourself is hard. I’m really great at procrastinating. And rewarding yourself isn’t always much of a motivator. But what if achieving your goals benefited the both of you?

And I don’t mean monetarily. Of course, if you are a success (and I hope you are) then you can better support your loved ones financially. But, next time, when you are having a difficult time working on something, think about rewarding yourself and your loved one.

Instead of just getting yourself a manicure or buying yourself a beer, have a date night. For example: I’m trying to establish real “business hours,” as my ultimate goal is to be there for my spouse since he works really unusual hours. What I want to see happen is to work on my business for several hours early in the morning and through 1 p.m., then take a break for a couple of hours to spend time with my husband. Then I go right back into it after dinner.

Cuddles on the couch is a much bigger motivator than treating myself to a hot fudge sundae.

Oh, and a bonus benefit: blogging late into the night while watching your hubby fall asleep in a chair is way more amusing than watching YouTube videos alone.

What are some of the ways having a significant other has been a help or a detriment to your business? Do you prefer sharing details about your work lives with each other? Sound off below.