The Word for 2018 is ……Boundaries

It’s the new year and I’m really taking a look around me and looking for ways I can make my life better. My life less complicated. Less stressful. And the one thing that keeps popping up is a lack of boundaries.  I suck at setting them and holding them. From personal to professional I can see they are lacking everywhere. So this year is the year of setting boundaries!

Setting boundaries is not easy, especially when you haven’t been doing them or have let people walk all over the boundaries you thought you had set.

Boundaries at Home

I really need to set some boundaries at home. My goal is to set a physical boundary with my workspace. That no toys or children are allowed to rummage through my home office area, open boxes or rearrange the furniture. This one will be hard because my office is in the living room.  We have a very open floor plan that is spacious but also makes it hard to have defined spaces. My thought is to put some masking tape on the floor outlining the area that is off limits until family members can remember what space is the office space and what furniture needs to be left where it is.

Boundaries with Family Members

My family and extended family have lots and lots of opinions that they like to force on me. They never want to lend a hand and help out but they want to tell me how I should do things. Usually I just blow them off but lately, they are getting more and more overbearing.  They have a criticism for everything I do from the way I keep my home to the way I raise my child and everything in between. They even think it’s appropriate to tell me how I should be taking care of Peyton’s sensory processing disorder though they know nothing about it. I need to sit down and have some conversations with them and let them know they are overstepping and that while I know they have good intentions it would be helpful if they could help me with a, b and c. It won’t be a fun conversation but it’s one I’m sure I’ll have to keep forcing myself to do time and time again this year.

Boundaries with Professional Life

This one is hard! I love working with my contacts, my brand reps, and all their support staff. I’m always there to say yes I can do that or to go the extra mile with additional promotional posts or whatnot. I’ll stay up to 3 am working on something just to hit a deadline, even if the product or information arrived a few hours earlier. I worked until 7 pm on Christmas Eve to make sure everything I promised was completed on time. So I missed my whole birthday and a large part of Christmas because I was working and not spending time with my daughter. No more. I am going to be putting firm deadlines in place. If a product does not arrive on time, if a payment is missed, if information or contracts are delayed the timeframe for completed work will be pushed out.  I will no longer be working till the wee hours of the morning, missing holidays and ignoring my daughter because others did not hit deadlines and have put me so far behind that that is what I need to do to hit the deadline. I am also going to be limiting the work we take on. Just because someone pitches me something doesn’t mean I have to say yes. And that’s something I am horrible at doing! I hate saying no. But I’m going to work on it. I am going to work on setting product value minimums, sponsored posts rates, and policies for when those are not met.  It’s really hard and not fair for me to spend hours working on a post for a product that costs $2.99. It’s hard to write a post when I am sent a sample size to photograph. A sample that is available to the general public. It’s actually an insult. It’s like saying my time and work and talent is not valued.

So this year, I’m speaking out. If a product does not add value to my site, my life and my audience it won’t be appearing on Peyton’s Momma. It will mean there is less work and that’s ok! Then I can focus on writing pieces I have been thinking about forever but have never had the time to sit down and write! That will mean more personal stories and personal content for you guys. That means you’ll get to know more Peyton and I! We are more than the products you see us write about, we are more than a gift guide, we are a mother-daughter force to be reckoned with! We have creativity, style and pizazz to share with you all.

Bottom line, Peyton’s Momma and myself are going to be taking a stand. Things will not be the same old way. There will be times it’s difficult and I may wonder if I am doing the right thing but I believe I am. I also believe it will help bring my readers more into our lives, you’re all going to feel more connected. And I’ll get to write about lots of things I have been dying to share! Oh, I cannot wait for this adventure to start!