Episode 31: 3 Tips for Working From Home With Your Spouse

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 As an entrepreneur you may be working at home with your spouse, especially now with the pandemic. During these crazy times you may also have your kids at home as well. Working at home with a spouse can be stressful and it can put a lot of pressure on your marriage. 

We have worked together for several years side by side and over the past year we have had our two children at home with us as well. And today we are sharing the three tips we have found extremely helpful for our marriage and for our work.

You can watch the video of our full discussion below or just listen to the audio version as a podcast. If you want more content like this you can subscribe to our Youtube channel. 

1. Communicate effectively. When you work closely with your spouse it is so important to communicate with each other. Check in with each other at the beginning of each day to see what your schedules are like. Maybe one of you has a full schedule with a lot of stressful meetings. Communicating that to your spouse can help them better understand later on when you are tired and overwhelmed. It is good to ask your spouse how they are feeling throughout the day. If your spouse is having a hard day or not feeling well, be empathetic and help out when you can. 
2. Take space when you need it. We have found it very helpful to have time throughout the day to be on our own. You can do this by going into a room in the house where you can be alone to meditate or play chess or read. You can go outside and go for a walk or sit in your garden or go for a car ride. We actually schedule time on our calendars for this. This time away from each other can help you relax and recharge.  
3. Delay reaction. It can be easy to react quickly when your spouse does something or says something that bothers you. Delaying your reaction can help you to reflect and process things instead of just blurting something out in your anger. When those times come up try going for a walk or go into the other room for a while. You can even just give yourself 5-10 seconds to take a few deep breaths to calm down before responding. Your reaction will be different when you give yourself time instead of responding immediately. 

Practicing all of these tips together has really helped our marriage while working together every single day. It takes time and effort to effectively work together. Entrepreneurship on its own is stressful and it can put pressure on any marriage. You may not have regular paychecks, the future of the business may be an unknown, and you are probably working long hours. But implementing these things can help you successfully run your business while also nurturing your marriage.

This episode is sponsored by FedEx Office

FedExOffice serves small businesses at more than 2,100 store locations and through convenient and easy to use digital and mobile platforms. FedEx Office is committed to entrepreneurs and small business owners – like us – to support all our printing needs as well as packing, shipping and more. Think of FedEx Office as an extension of your team … your office … or your business.