Client: I’m free on Fridays, can we schedule time then?
Me: No, I take Fridays to be with Luca
When I explore working with new clients, one of the first items that I share is that I take Fridays to be with Luca. Who is Luca, you ask? Well, he is the previously mentioned radical spark that inspired me to launch Radical Spark Coaching and also the patient happy second child that is all too often a part of the many adventures of his precocious three-year-old sister. In addition to serving as a day for bonding and pure enjoyment of his little kind spirit, Fridays are an opportunity for me to reconnect with being in this time of parenthood. It is a set time for me to strive to be… be in the beautiful, humbling, messy, and crazy parts of life that are easily lost when in the daily grind of work and life.
Don’t get me wrong, actively taking a day away from work is not easy. Do note, I do not call it taking a day “off” because as a parent there are no days off. In fact, is some ways it is tougher to take the Friday away from work as a business owner than previously when I was working 80% for my previous employer. As an entrepreneur, when I don’t work there is no money technically earned but at this moment in my life, my family is where I value placing my time. For a while, I was nervous to share my self-imposed boundary of guarding my Fridays. I worried that I would miss out on potential clients or limit my business growth. However, that nervousness soon faded as I began sharing my no Fridays policy with my primarily female leader clientele. It wasn’t a big deal and in fact, it was a great embodiment of me walking the walk with them. I also embraced the fact that if a client was not supportive of my weekly schedule, then it was a pretty good indicator that I was not the right coach for them as well.