The internet has made a great impact in our society. While bringing us closer to the various answers we may be looking for, it has also provided a good number of us with permanent employment. Some of us are part time or full time bloggers, some are full time internet marketers, some are copywriters with a handful of clients on the cyber space, and some are freelancers, graphic designers, partnership marketers and a whole lot of other online professions. Yes, it can fun and rewarding; people that work online, above all, have full control of their time (though depending on the kind of work and the circumstances surrounding it).
However, counting between the skills and the level of commitment required for these professions, it is really easy for one to get lost along the line, thereby forgetting his family, friends and sometime oneself. There is a lot of work to be done; bloggers need to write posts, schedule them for publication and respond to comments; freelancers have to satisfy clients while working hard enough to beat deadlines; marketers need to do everything possible to make that sale and may sometimes have to force products down the throat of potential clients – so that they can at least break even. The list can go on, hence sometimes; it is really difficult to recognize the widening gap we are creating between us and our family.
I will give you a life example. I like playing the bass during worships and sometimes we have to schedule a whole weekend for rehearsals. But when I started my coupon blog where I write unbiased reviews about digital product creation tools like Snapily and Mixbook, though I couldn’t discover it myself, but my colleagues started sending messages to inquire about what was going on with me. During that period, I think my blog, I breathe my blog, and I act my blog! If you have handled a similar project, you probably know what I went through then. While that was between me and my colleagues, it can even be more dangerous when it has to do with a family; wife and children… I guess you will never want to become a total stranger to your wife and children. So if you feel like your profession is stealing you from your family, here is how I maintain the closeness between me and my family.
I Started A Family Blog
This is one of the steps I took to show my family that no matter what I get involved with, I always think about them. I already had a hosting account so what I did was create a wordpress blog in my family’s name. Every morning before I start work, I would make a pretty short post here with relevant family pictures – recounting our happy days, like when any member of the family is going for an exam, when my wife is going for her weekly shopping, and many other happy memories like what my wife said while we were watching her favorite movie last night. They all have access to the blog and read my posts so on several occasions, I heard them discussing about those posts and that gives me joy. However, despite making this blog private, I am always carful with what gets published on it. No matter how much fun I want to create on it, I often use nicknames and fun pictures. Also, I don’t make posts that contain our physical address or financial records for security reasons.
Keep In Touch Through Their Messenger
Yes, we may have woken from under the same roof, but while tucked in with my PC, I often like my family to know that they are still in my mind and that I do care about them. So I like dropping them an offline message every day. It could be to wish them a wonderful day, to ask how their day is going or even to tell them how much I love them. Sometimes they ask questions. Specifically, my daughter had to ask me this last week; “Dad, I thought you were supposed to be working, what were you doing on my messenger?” And my response, “then what were you doing in my mind when I was supposed to be working?”. It was kind of fun, but I knew it meant so much to her.
Keep In Touch On Facebook
Facebook has also offered me a great way to get involved in my family’s life. While working online, I make time on a daily basis, after checking my email just before lunch, to head over to Facebook and respond to messages. One of the first things I do is to check out what my family has shared on their walls and make my own comments. Sometimes I may just click the “Like” button if I don’t have the time for a few lines.
Working online is not an excuse to encourage that widening gap between you and your family. By leveraging the methods shared above, I have been able to close that gap that can make anybody a stranger in his or her own family and I hope they will do the same for you.
Steven from VBS is a professional photographer who also loves writing about business opportunities and technology tools he uses at work, like Mixbook and Snapily photo albums. He uses and reviews online services for digital creations, including phobooks, ecards, personalized calendars and many others. From time to time he also publishes coupons and new upgrades when available.
