Claire Bradford: It’s all about the perfect mix

WITH the children back to school and the builders (just about) shipped out, it feels mighty quiet at Straightforward Coaching Towers this week.

I have a list of jobs the length of my arm and a number of projects I cooked up over the holidays that I’m keen to get started, but I’m finding it distractingly tempting to walk around the house, revelling in the silence of it all.

I’m surprised to admit to myself that I rather miss the hectic nature that our life has become over the past few months.

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At the peak of the building work, I couldn’t take a phone call without risking deafening background noise and I generally didn’t know where my computer had been moved to (again), but the frenetic activity was great for my creative side (if not my sanity or organisation).

I’m currently writing this on a computer that was where I’d last left it, enjoying the novelty of hearing the keystrokes as I type, but it feels rather weird to be alone again.

If you work from home, you will probably recognise that ‘alone’ feeling.

It can be a creative, productive space, particularly when you need to plan, write or be creative.

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Yet there is a real danger of becoming too introspective – running your business from behind a computer and not getting out and having a dose of other people.

So, I’m having a few days alone in the quietness to catch up with all that has been mounting up while I’ve been away, a couple of one-to-one sessions with clients, then I’m getting my fix of frenetic at the Mumpreneurs Networking Club on Friday.

I’m also going to pay more attention to my noisy/quiet balance in my weekly review.

From experience, I know that inspiration generally strikes when I’m out and connected, and the best time to act on that inspiration is in my quiet office at home.

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So, I will ensure that I get a good selection of both in each week, where possible.

For now, I’m just going to enjoy the peace and plough on through that list without interruption. Bliss!

What’s your ideal mix? Do you yearn for some silence, or is it the energy of colleagues around you that’s missing? How do you keep balanced?

Come over and share your experiences at www.facebook.com/womaninbusiness or tweet me @coachbythecoast