The balancing act

I’ve been reading and hearing bits and pieces of late and it’s all resonating with me. Since the birth of my son my priorities have significantly changed and I can no longer work the hours I used to. A post by Andrew Stopford really clicked with me. The choice is to spend time with my child as he’s growing up and being a big part of his life or continue to work the way I have been. There is no choice, my son wins hands down.

The difficult part for me at the moment is that I’m feeling ineffectual at work and guilty because I can’t put in the hours I used to. The culture that I’m working in at the moment is one of if your seen to be putting in the long hours your doing your bit for the company irrespective of how effective you are. I’ve almost come to the conclusion that its time for a change at work as well. This is a little harder choice to make as the fear of not providing for my family scares me. I wish I could find an employer like 37 Signals, maybe its time to branch out on my own and create such a company.