Ever wondered how you can balance a busy family schedule with work? Author, blogger and website founder Lisa Hendey provided me with the answers to the following questions. I am indebted to Lisa as a friend, a productivity expert and an honest voice for strong families. Thanks Lisa!
What led you to begin Catholicmom.com and what have been 2-3 surprises that have come with the site's enormous success?
I began CatholicMom.com back in 1999 as
a hobby in an effort to learn more about both my faith and parenting.
I had volunteered to take on the webmaster duties at my children's
parochial school and began contemplating the idea of using my newly
learned web skills to connect with other mothers around the country.
I am constantly amazed and humbled by the gifts and surprises that
come from being affiliated with CatholicMom.com. The first surprise is
one I credit to the Holy Spirit and to the goodness of people - it's
the willingness of people to step forward and to contribute their work
freely towards the end goal of making our site a success. We are unable
to financially compensate our writers and contributors, and yet we have
over thirty people from all over the world who regularly volunteer their
time because they believe in the mission of the website and our efforts
to celebrate faith and family.
The second surprise is the phenomenal growth the site has
experienced. I am humbled by the fact that we have readers from around
the world who regularly visit the site to read our columns and download
our free children's content. We have never spent a dollar on
advertising and the site has completely grown by word of mouth. It's a
blessing to receive emails and know that you play a small part in
helping families around the world.
Which types of productivity issues do you feel that parents are dealing with?
I
think parents are often overwhelmed because we truly want to give our
best to both our families and to our careers or other endeavors. We
are all trying to cram more and more activity into each day, whether
that is our own work or carting our children off to their many school
events and activities. We have difficulty setting limits on our
commitments, and as a result may spread ourselves too thin. I speak
from experience!
I write on personal productivity because it
motivates me to try to be more effective in my own use of time, not
because I'm by any means an expert on the topic. I believe in working
harder, not longer! I find that writing for Productivity @ Home keeps
me abreast of the latest trends, gadgets and techniques and puts me in
contact with people in the field who are doing great things to make our
world a better place. I look at productivity from a multi-faceted
approach, including everything from work and time management to
life-long learning and health and fitness. If I let one aspect of my
personal productivity efforts go, the rest of the areas suffer with
it. Blogging on these topics every week challenges me to try a little
harder every day!
How does your faith help you to stay productive and manage projects?
My
faith is at the core of everything I do and ultimately drives every
project I undertake. I need to continually ask myself whether my
projects contribute to being a more spiritual person and a better wife,
mother, family member and friend. If the answer to these questions is
"no" then it's time to re-evaluate.
Any other advice for busy families?
Just know that you are not in the struggle alone! Take time to laugh,
to play, to work, and especially to pray each day. Never assume that
someone else has all the answers - you don't know what really goes on
in another family outside your own. Let all you do be a sign of your
love for God and for your family and you'll be on the right path.
For more information about Lisa Hendey, visit CatholicMom or Productivity@Home.