I just got back from a fantastic trip back to my hometown of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Sad, but I hadn’t been back in EIGHT years!

My husband, daughter and I had a great time visiting with family and going back to my old stomping grounds. It was fun to play tourist, and to introduce my daughter to all of the family members she hadn’t met yet. I had especially been looking forward to introducing her to her Great Grandmother’s! Not a bad way to celebrate her 3rd Birthday, too.

And with this trip came a very important life lesson…

Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Vacation

You know, that thing that is a break from work, to rest the mind, body and soul!

I’ll be honest… it was VERY difficult to take a complete break from work. But I did restrain myself, and am happy to say that I succeeded in my goal!

A Little Bit of Planning Goes a Long Way

The first step was to make the decision to NOT bring my laptop or any client files with me. Making that decision just about killed me, but I knew that I had to leave the computer at home if I was going to make this a truly restful vacation.

I knew that if I brought it with me, I’d end up working “just a little bit” here or there, which would have added up to several hours of work a day. And that is NOT what a vacation should be about.

I was very good at taking care of as much as possible before I left. The last two weeks before my vacation were spent with lots of overtime, getting as far ahead on client work as possible.

I knew I would still have computer access while away, so with very minimal planning, I setup a Gmail account so that I could check my POP email while away from my computer (Mozilla Thunderbird is generally my email application of choice). This way I was able to check email once every couple of days to make sure there were no client emergencies.

I’m quite proud of the fact that I was able to hold myself back from replying to every single email that came in while I was on vacation, LOL. There were a few urgent client emails that I responded to, as well as to some potential new clients. After all, it’s not the best first impression to let a prospect’s email go unanswered for a week or more. Believe it or not, I actually signed a new client while away, too!

Back in the Saddle

I’m officially back at work today. Yes, there was a backlog of emails to respond to – which took no less than 4 hours to get through! As well as still pending blog comments to respond to, posts to write, and not to mention client work to do!

But, now that I’ve managed the mountain that was my inbox, I have a good handle on my upcoming work. I’ve got my week almost completely scheduled out now, and it is completely manageable. Nice to see that the world DIDN’T end just because I was on vacation for a bit.

Newfound Goals and Plans

This was a long overdue and much needed vacation – which meant that I needed to use the time to completely relax and unwind. To spend quality time with my family, and fully enjoy my trip back home.

With this achieved, I’ve found that I now have a completely refreshed and renewed mindset. This trip served as a way to clear my head, and let me re-focus my energies.

I currently have quite the to do list going. Not just specific client projects, but my own projects, too – from re-developing my business site as a WordPress driven site; to reading David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity so that I can completely declutter and organize my office and get a proper task management strategy underway, etc.

I’d basically say that I want to create a bit of a clean slate in my home office. Heck, I’d almost say it feels like I’m nesting… you know the urge every pregnant woman goes through to declutter EVERYTHING when baby is about to arrive, LOL.

As I’m about a month and a half into my career after taking the freelance plunge, I’ve had a bit of time to test the waters to see what methods work for me. This vacation served as a fantastic break so that I could re-group and see what I need to do in order to pursue my business goals.

Scenes from Paradise

So, now that my lecture is over, LOL, and without further ado, I would like to share with you a few pictures from paradise!

Below are some scenic images from US Virgin Islands – truly breathtaking views from two of the US Virgin Islands – St. Thomas and St. John.

You can also see from the beach shots below why I am completely spoiled as far as beaches go. Some people rave about the beaches in Florida… not me, LOL. When you grow up with crystal clear, turquoise blue water – where you can be neck deep and still see your toes, well, how can you expect anything less after that? LOL

You can click on any of the images below to view the full size images, or you can view the entire set of images (in slideshow or thumbnail format, complete with descriptions) over at Flickr.

Welcome to My Native Home – the United States Virgin Islands

If you’ve never visited the islands before, I hope the images below will help convince you that it is a travel destination not to be missed!

Wendy Piersall of SparkPlugging (formerly eMoms at Home) recently interviewed me about my recent journey towards self-employment. That interview was just published in the Internet Entrepreneur Channel of the blog!

• How to Leave Your Job & Take the Freelance Plunge in 6 Months

I hope you’ll head on over to SparkPlugging to read the interview!

Asking the Right Questions

Wendy asked me some very thought provoking questions about the preparation and process that I went through in reaching my new full-time freelance status. I hope my answers are helpful to anyone else out there who is considering taking the “freelance plunge” too!

Thank you so much for the interview, Wendy!

Author’s Note: I wrote this post on Saturday, May 31, 2008. Something I couldn’t publish right then, but had to get down “on paper” to be sure I remembered my thought process. I hope it will help some of you reading, who might be going through a similar dilemma – wondering if or when it’s time to take the freelance / solo plunge. As of the time of publishing this post, everything is official – I am FREE!

Times They Are A-Changing

Big, big changes have been in the works! I am almost completely FREE!

I just finished drafting my resignation letter for my full time job of over 9 years. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to be taking the “freelance plunge” – 2 more weeks before I officially go solo and can call myself a self-employed entrepreneur.

This is something I’ve been looking forward to for such a long time now! Anyone who knows me knows of the insane hours I’ve been keeping – working 60-70 hours a week, with not more than 4-5 hours of sleep a night. All to juggle working a full time job, running my own web design business part time, and not to mention that thing called having a life – which in my case is heavily centered around an almost 3 year old.

What Made Me Decide It Was Time?

Let me tell you… this didn’t come without a LOT of preparation and thought. My poor husband has had to deal with the worst of it, LOL. My friends and family, and even general acquaintances have been so incredibly supportive. You know who you are, if you’re reading this!

My AH-HA Moment

I had my “AH-HA” moment last weekend – the Sunday before Memorial Day. I was playing outside with my daughter in the sandbox, while sitting in a lawn chair right beside her. Watching and hearing her play… looking up at the clouds floating and birds flying by in the sky… hearing the relaxing sound of wind rustling through the palm trees… watching the squirrels playing (and napping) in the trees…

A combination of things in that single moment, made me realize THIS is what it’s all about.

My husband and I moved here a few years ago – we had this house built on the lot that we picked (much more bang for your buck than where we were previously renting an apartment). It finally hit me that we moved to be in this beautiful place – to enjoy each other and our house and our lives – now with a beautiful baby girl… ok, toddler – she’s NOT a baby anymore!

In The Blink Of An Eye

I realize these last few years living here – especially since my daughter was born – have literally flown past me in the blink of an eye. This year in particular has gone by so quickly! And what was I doing? Instead of enjoying the back yard on a regular basis, I was couped up inside this office. Missing out on her growing up – missing out on LIFE!

Now, I must say that I do work from home, and it’s something I am so incredibly grateful for! I have been able to witness so many of my daughter’s “first’s” – her first smile, first bath, first time rolling over, first time crawling, first time walking… heck, even the first time she tried to get something from her Daddy (chocolate covered raisins), and then came to ask me when he said no! Where did she learn to do THAT so quickly! LOL

It’s a lot of the little things, too. Working so much now, I am constantly tired and stressed – thinking of work. So even when I’m with them now, my mind is still at least half on work, if not completely checked-out and wishing I were asleep.

But WHEN?

I had been flip flopping for the longest time, as to if or when I should take the plunge. My initial plan was to wait until the end of the year to make the big move.

I worked my butt off this year, though, and much to my surprise and joy, I realized I had reached a point where I could take the solo plunge much sooner, rather than later. Amazing! I’ve been astonished, to tell you the truth.

But is it safe? How do you know it’s time to leave a steady paycheck for something more? Well, you don’t…

I recently read an interview by Akemi with Naomi of Itty Biz. I’ve hired Naomi twice already, with some more stuff in the works! Anyway, a few weeks ago, I read an amazing interview titled “I Can’t Not Do This” – All I could say is WOW! It’s like she was talking right to me!

You’re Never 100% Ready

To quote my favorite part of the interview…

Any advice for people who dream to have
their own business and yet find it hard
to make the leap?

Make the leap before you’re totally ready. I read in a magazine once that you should never be 100% ready to have kids. If you think you’re 100% ready, you’re missing something. I think the same thing applies to business. If you wait until you’re 100% ready, you’ll be dead before you launch. Be 80% ready. Do the best you can and just go for it…

Jump and the net will appear.

Something about this quote really struck a nerve with me. I literally have the quote up on my bulletin board as inspiration!

When my husband and I were deciding when to have kids, I had said to myself that I was not 100% ready… I don’t think you truly can be! You just have to decide when you are “ready enough” and trust that the rest (knowledge of parenting at that point… running a successful business now…) will come naturally!

Well, this is a similarly life changing event, just in terms of career rather than family – although in actuality, they do all connect as part of the circle of life…

First Things First

So, here I am, on a Saturday night. Planning on a big conversation that’s about to take place at work. Not one I’m particularly looking forward to, I admit. But the outcome of which, is something that I’ve been dreaming about for such a long time now!

It’s time to put me and my family first. I deserve this! I’ve worked hard, and I deserve to be successful.

I’m so ready for this move, and can’t wait to start this new phase of my life.

I hope you’ll join me for the ride!

Author’s Note: I can’t end this post without linking to the great article that Naomi just published yesterday with some amazing advice on starting a home business. THANK YOU, Naomi! You made my day with your post, and to be honest I even welled up reading it. Thank you for Everything!

I read a great post on Freelance Folder today: How to Balance Freelancing with a Full Time Job Without Burning Out by Michael Martine of Remarkablogger.

This article is of particular interest to me since…. well, I am a freelancer / small business owner who also has a full time job. I have to tell you, it can be stressful at times! I’ve managed well so far but I realize that it is a very delicate juggling act to successfully manage two careers and a family, without burning out!

A Small Snippet from the Article

It is possible to effectively balance your full-time job with freelancing – without going insane or burning out. I do it, and in this post, I’ll tell you how you can, too. Many of us begin freelancing while we are still employed in full-time jobs.

Here are some requirements and tips for staying sane while working the 9-5 and freelancing on the side.

• Get help from others
• Calculate your total work and billable hours
• Become an efficiency ninja
• Take care of yourself
• Write blog posts in advance
• Keep your two jobs separated
• Take mini vacations

Juggling Act

If you’re facing a daily juggling act like I am, I highly recommend heading over to Freelance Folder to read the full article. Michael makes several good points. One in particular I know I need to focus more on is “Take care of yourself” – I know sleep is the first thing to go when I’m facing multiple deadlines, and is likely the thing that’s going to burn me out the quickest (I live for weekends when I can actually get 7 hours of sleep – 8 if I’m lucky!)

The information on calculating your work time and billable hours are very important, as of course, are the tips on efficiency. I also like the suggestions on writing blog posts in advance. This is something I’m only now finally starting to do…

Reader Suggestions

I hope you’ll head over to the original article. I made a few comments there, and am sure the post will receive many more reader comments and suggestions, as well, which I am very interested in reading about. Anything to help a girl out, right?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, whether here or over at Freelance Folder. Is there anything you feel is most important when juggling both a full-time and freelance career, and in many cases, a family too?