Ep 87: How to Homeschool AND Run a Business (Without Losing Your Mind)

Ep 87 Mikel Dyer Interview === Alison: [00:00:00] Hey guys. Welcome back you guys. Today’s topic has been on our idea board for maybe a year. Um, and then when I met our guest today, Michael, I knew she had to be like, she was the one, like we were gonna bring this off the idea board and make this happen. Um, because homeschooling and running a business from home takes extra strategy. It takes extra gumption. It takes extra like. Ee pa, like, I don’t know what that thing is, but the women who do this are like extra powerful. So, but there’s strategy and there’s gotta be some thought involved. And, and so I wanted to one, talk about my homeschool career and how things I, uh, how I managed it back in the day, but also how Michael is continuing to do it. So thank you for being here. Michael. Tell us a bit about yourself. Mikel: Um, okay, so, well, I’m a mom, I’m a military spouse. That’s how I know Allison. Thankful to be here and, uh, doing life with her. But, um. I’m a mom of [00:01:00] four kids. We’ve been homeschooling the whole time. I will get into that story a little bit, but I used to call myself one, the accident accidental entrepreneur and the accidental homeschool mom. So there’s like a lot of really, uh, a lot of accidents happening. But now I’m so thankful that they did. So I have four, my oldest is in sixth grade and we have been homeschooling the whole time. So, and my youngest is now five. So next year we will have all four in like formal age of school. Alison: That’s crazy. We never, so I homeschooled voluntarily as well before COVID, like we did it for seven years, but we did it a little differently where my oldest went to, started public school at third grade. Um, and I never homeschooled more than two at a time. Like it was two a time. Every duty station was a little different. Um, my oldest ended up going through a bunch of different schools in the beginning, um, of his public school career. Um, and it wasn’t until I realized I could afford outsource it to a private Christian school that, um, that we just, we stopped [00:02:00] homeschooling altogether. We always took it year by year. You know, the business was always secondary to homeschooling. Like whether or not we were gonna do this and who was gonna homeschool and what school everybody was gonna do was like a year by year decision. Like lots of thought and planning. Usually around January timeframe for the next school year. Um, but when I realized that I could afford to put all four into a private school. I did it. I did it. And I think it was the one thing that like made my money, like limiting beliefs around money and the guilt around charging more just evaporate. Uh, when I had a bill and that bill was on me to pay, wasn’t on the family expenses, wasn’t gonna be on a credit card, it like, it was me. Like that stuff just evaporated. I, so, I don’t know, maybe that’s a little hack for you guys. If you’re thinking about doing something like abundance mindset, go for it and uh, maybe it’ll help you out. Um, so what? Mikel: like Alison: Yeah, Mikel: identify those things like where, where are my mindsets? Like how is it limiting me in my homeschool and how [00:03:00] is it limiting me in my business because I’ve experienced both. So I think it’s. Like, it’s always a new season, right? We Alison: always. Mikel: spouses. We experience that in entrepreneurs. We experience that as moms in different seasons of life. So I think it’s always important to like keep that in the forefront of your mind and evaluate like, okay, is this helping me or hurting me? Can I use it to light that fire to go to that next level, to change that thing? Um, I think as long as we’re constantly evaluating, then it, it’s not gonna hurt us, right? It can only help us. But it’s when you like, let it creep in and you don’t realize like, wow, this is really limiting me in my business. or I can use it as fire as my business. Like that’s really the key difference. Alison: That’s so true, and that’s something I’ve said before too, like usually people need that decision when they’re transitioning, like making a decision to transition regardless of what that decision is, that’s what leads to the fire and into the motivation. But I. Mikel: Yes. Alison: Back to this. What is it that you do? What, how did you fall into entrepreneurship? What is your business? And, um, and how did, how did you [00:04:00] accidentally fall into it? Mikel: Yes, so about mindset, right? I no longer Alison: Yeah. Mikel: the accidental entrepreneur. Now I’m the intentional entrepreneur, but we’ll backtrack too. 2019. My oldest is like starting kindergarten age. We are about to move. So we’re like, oh, we’ll homeschool him this year. Right. My husband was homeschooled in the younger years I was homeschooled in the older years. So we kind of had a little bit, but it was never the intention to do it all along. So we’re Alison: Yeah. Mikel: 2020 happens and. erupts. Right. And I’m so Alison: Right. Mikel: he was home for me, like my oldest was home. That didn’t turn his world upside down. Alison: Yeah. Mikel: what did turn his world upside down is during the middle of COVID, his pregnant mama decided to start a business. ’cause why not? Right? Alison: Why not? Mikel: It’s our first time homeschooling. I’m pregnant with my fourth baby and we start our first Alison: What could go wrong? Mikel: exactly, exactly. So talk about like the fire and the heat. Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: we started a homeschool printing company because I ordered materials and it took 16 weeks to get to me. Like [00:05:00] I was halfway through my year. I forgot I had ordered it. It, it was a joke. So I was like, I’m buying an industrial printer and I’m gonna serve moms better. And my husband said, you’re crazy, but let’s do it. So that’s what we did with our Alison: Whoa. Mikel: and I ended up. Selling that business two years later. So that brings me to my business now, and that’s why I give that backstory. Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: now is operations for other small businesses because Alison: Yeah. Mikel: passionate about entrepreneurship and that it can be really stressful or it can be exciting. Um. And I wanna empower others to live that excitement, but also design your life like around your entrepreneur journey. You know, like you can have both. It’s not this or that. Um, it’s not motherhood or being a great entrepreneur. It’s not being a great homeschool mom or being an entrepreneur. Like, I can do all and I can do it well. So I serve, um, entrepreneurs in two ways. One is directly in their business through OP support. And the second way is actually like a new thing that I’ve been doing called Founders at Home, and it is supporting. Moms who are founders, because a lot of ’em are like, oh yeah, I have a business, but I’m not a [00:06:00] founder. I’m like, did you start something? Are you nurturing it? You’re a founder. So, um, that’s kinda Alison: Right, Mikel: into the home and I think it perfectly falls into what we’re talking about today because I cannot homeschool well without systems. And I think entrepreneurs struggle with that sometimes. And homeschool moms struggle with that sometimes. So Alison: Yeah. Mikel: of serve in those two ways. Alison: That’s awesome. So especially for creatives, like I think creatives, photographers being a creative, really Mikel: For Alison: struggle with systems. Um, one of my biggest gripes, and we’ve had a whole episode about it, is like responding and client communication. Like if you’re leaving your client guessing about what comes next or what they need to do, then you’re doing something very wrong, uh, which comes back toy systems. So you are doing all this from your house, Mikel: Yes. All of Alison: Okay. With your kids around you all the time. So what are your systems and how have they changed over time? Mikel: Oh, man. [00:07:00] Well, they change every, every time we move, right? Like, Alison: Right? Mikel: big example, we just moved from the east coast to Hawaii. Very different time zones. I had to shift my entire client Alison: Yeah. Mikel: Um, you know, I, I can’t really work a am. East Coast Times anymore. So these, these things shifted. So now my days and my rhythms look different, but I set that expectation for myself, for my clients, and for my kids. And when I systemized it and set clear expectations, everyone was happy and everyone can Alison: Yeah. Mikel: Um, so, you know, that’s just one really simple example of how a system. Has served me in setting those expectations and going back to that client communication. Right? Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: that is, it’s so important in how I serve clients and how I serve my kids, but I also teach them how to like communicate with others. So communicating their needs. We’ve brought time management into the homeschool and I mean, my sixth graders almost fully independent, like I’m facilitating at this point and people are like, there’s [00:08:00] no way, like my sixth grader in school. Apples and oranges, you can’t compare it. Right. Can you Alison: Yeah, Mikel: to five with owning your own business? No, Alison: no. Mikel: So why are you comparing what the classroom looks like with homeschooling? And it’s not one is better or worse, right? Not, it’s not better or worse if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re a W2. Um, it’s just different and it has to be a different mindset of how we come into it. Alison: What are, what are those mindset changes that you had to figure out, especially early on when you were first starting your business and first kind of managing, working from home, being an entrepreneur and a founder with homeschooling and the newness of homeschooling. What, what was that like then and how, how has your journey shifted in different ways? Mikel: Yeah. So that first journey and this, you know, might help some of your listeners. Um. I did a lot of it from, I mean, I did all of it from home, but then I was shipping, so I wasn’t necessarily having to have like the same types of calls and getting Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: and schedules. So that looked really different. Right. Um, a [00:09:00] B2C versus now I work B2B. Um, very different relationships. So, uh, that was really flexible. As long as I got my orders out, it was good. Now shifting, I have to really, uh, navigate my client’s needs and my kids’ needs and my own needs, right? Like, I gotta sleep Alison: Great. Mikel: Um, Alison: Yeah. Mikel: navigating what that looks like in setting the tone, um, in bringing systems into, hey, Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: when you can hear from me when we’re gonna meet what those deliverables look like. Um. And bringing the rhythms into the homeschool as well. So, hey kids, you know, mom is available for lesson time during these Alison: Hmm. Mikel: and knowing that with different seasons we’re gonna have higher volume of like mom to student ratios or mom Alison: Yeah. Mikel: client ratio. And I explain that to my kids and I think it helps them because I bring them into it. It’s not like this is mom here and then this is mom there, right? Alison: Yeah. Mikel: bring them into the business and the changes that are happening there as well. Alison: That’s [00:10:00] awesome. Let’s, let’s get into some of the nitty gritty of like what a school day looks like. So I’m thinking like a listener right now who is either considering homeschooling, homeschooling voluntarily or not. Um, how, what are some of the nitty gritty applications of how you manage to do both at the same time, any given day? Like how can, what are some con some concepts and some takeaways that a photographer homeschooling. Could, could take away. Mikel: Yeah, absolutely. So I think what helps is depending on your age ranges of your kids, Alison: Yeah, a hundred percent. Mikel: difference, right? Like I’m in a season of life where I have some older, I have some younger, so sometimes. They can be independent and sometimes I need to bring in childcare. I’ve built that into how I bill clients. Right? Like Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: something that they can be on their own? Is it something I need childcare? So one, I build, build it into my billing. Um, but then from there what I do is I like batch my days. So the kids have that expectation. We set their rhythm and schedule, um, and they come into their day. [00:11:00] They know that in the morning it is like, get up and go time, like. No, you don’t have a school bus to catch, but you still have responsibilities. And really teaching them that ownership is the biggest key to it because then it kind of leaks into everything else in life, right? It leaks into their ownership of their education, um, and of their time. So for us right now, just to kinda give you a sample schedule of kind of what that can look like. My oldest is 11, my youngest is five, uh, and I have two in between. They get up, they start their day, and I expect everybody to be dressed. Chores done by 8:00 AM because I know. I Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: I don’t have like all day, right? Alison: Yeah. Mikel: can’t Alison: Right? Mikel: here. Alison: Yes. Mikel: um, my morning, uh, time is typically my education time. I work before that. I do client calls in the morning and at 8:00 AM I make myself available to the kids from 8:00 AM to lunchtime. I’m doing school and education things. Lunchtime shifts. My older kids have a lunch [00:12:00] buddy, which are one of the younger kids. One prepares lunch while other one sets the table and do does those things. So they’re pretty much independent For lunch, I’m Alison: Nice. Mikel: emails, um, I’m there, I’m present, I can help, but I am starting to switch into work mode. It’s not client facing. Uh, you know, I’m on a call mode. I’m Alison: Right. Mikel: I’m set checking my emails, I’m resetting, in the afternoon. My kids have free time until they’re, you know, afternoon sports and all that starts. Um, and that’s when I do my deep work. I really dig in there and my kids have some afternoon activities that they’re allowed to choose from or go play wild with all the neighborhood kids, which is mostly what they choose. and in the afternoons, Alison: Yeah. Mikel: make sure I have my intentional Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: myself up for success the next day. So not leaving those things open-ended, I think really helps. Me, set myself up for the next day. Because if you don’t have those systems of, well, what am I working on? You spend so much wasted time. So it’s very defined buckets and rhythms to my day. And for a photographer that might look a little [00:13:00] different, right? Like, I know you have editing and you have to be on location at certain times, but I would take those things into consideration. Do I need childcare? Do I need to add that to my billable Alison: That’s huge. Yeah. Mikel: pieces. Um, figure that out and account for it in the process. Alison: So you’re, you’re getting up and you’re starting to work before the kids are, what time are you getting up every morning to work before 8:00 AM Mikel: it kind of shifts. I try and be up in the 5:00 AM hour. Um, days there’s workout involved. Some days there’s not. But I take my computer to the treadmill and I respond to emails and I voice note. I like make sure that I’m kind of always doing two things at once. Um, and I know what times that exhausts me and what times it doesn’t. So I like make sure I like. Have it stack those things Alison: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So for our listeners, Michael lives next door to me. That’s how we met. Um, I saw, I got to witness this treadmill walking and computer. She’s got a set up. Y’all need to like, you need to like link. We need a link to whatever you got going on. Mikel: Okay. Alison: she’s got [00:14:00] the laptop set up secure, like, and she’s walking like, I mean, you were doing two things at once. You weren’t running, you weren’t like walking fast, but like, Mikel: I’m Alison: I was oppressed. You’re getting your steps in. That’s that habit. Stacking, getting up and moving. ’cause I’m the same way. Like right now, you guys, we, Hawaii doesn’t do daylight savings time, and so the sun is not rising and fully risen until like seven o’clock. So getting up at 5:00 AM this time of year, it’s February. It’s really hard. It’s really miserable. I usually am up and walking by 5 30, 6 o’clock most mornings, but I decided not in winter, like there’s no sun. I’m not leaving. Um, your little hack of walking in the garage and, but also walking and moving. ’cause I always find I have really good ideas when I’m walking, but when I’m walking, I’m like out with a dog or, you know, not in a, in a way that I can ideate and record it at the same time. Mikel: The app Whisper Flow. Y’all need to get it. It’s the best app there is. And I like, I [00:15:00] respond to emails with it. Like I’m on my treadmill. You think I’m like talking to myself? I got my little AirPods in right? And I’m spitting out content. I’m responding to emails to clients like I’m, I’m doing all these things. I do it in the car. Whisper flow has like totally saved my life because that’s when my idea is. Pop up and I’m like, oh, I’m gonna go write that down. I sit down at my desk, I’m like, uh, it’s gone. You know? So I use that time. I like talk things out. Um, even like deep work with clients and projects that I’m thinking about, how can I serve them really well, um, for photographers or creatives? Like, I’m sure that there’s this creative outlet that happens that they’re like, I just wish I could get that on paper. Voice Alison: Yeah, Mikel: it, Alison: ideas. Okay, so what does Whisper flow do? Mikel: So whisper flow, it just, it’s, it, it’s a voice recorder that gives you a Alison: Okay. Mikel: transcript, but it starts learning like your tone and you can kind of program it to Alison: Okay. Mikel: Hey, like this is kind of my voice I wanna talk in. And it like very subtly will tweak it to like capture what you’re, you wanna Alison: Okay. Mikel: So [00:16:00] my 5:00 AM thoughts look real polished. which they Alison: That’s impressive. So it’s like audio ai, basically. Okay. That’s okay. We will have a Melissa Arlena: Yeah, that’s what I was wondering for, like the responding to emails. ’cause I feel like I’d get in there and I’d be like, uh um, and then I’m like, I need that to come out. I can’t just have like a voice to text on that. Somebody needs to. Mikel: ums, it takes all of it out. It will like all the things, so I just love it. Whisper Alison: Okay. We’ll have to, we’ll have to have that linked up. Um, okay, so another thing, and Melissa, I’m curious to know if you caught this too. She, you use the word batch your dates. That is something that we on the podcast have talked about, that batching your financial Fridays, your marketing Mondays, um, all the different things. So batching is huge because you, while you’re doing two things at once, you’re not actually. Doing two crazy different things at once. Right. Like movement and focus. You’re at, you’re focusing on the kids when it’s their prime time. Right. Um, [00:17:00] um, how has this changed from being on the east coast to now in Hawaii? Because you figured out the hard way. Nobody shares the Hawaii time zone with anybody else in the world like it. We are all alone out here. Mikel: yes, we are. Um, it, it has made things interesting, but I have to say, I actually prefer working in this time zone. I love that when I go to Alison: Yeah. Mikel: work at the afternoon, all of my clients are in bed. No one’s pinging me, like, and they know they’re not gonna get a response to like the next day. So it just creates this like beautiful buffer. So for my Alison: Yeah. Mikel: life. It actually Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: for someone else’s. It might be really hard, but I think it’s what, like it’s setting the boundaries, setting the expectations. And I very clearly communicate with my clients. This is when you’ll hear from me. I have a Alison: Yeah. Mikel: a voice note recorder in my email. If this is urgent, send me a voice note. ’cause otherwise I’m not checking it all tomorrow. Like I check my email once a day, all like, Alison: I love that. Okay. Mikel: help. So Alison: So, Mikel: comes in with that. Like I check my email [00:18:00] at a certain time of day. Alison: yeah. Mikel: don’t do it again. It’s that context switching, um, that really, really messes people up. Um, Alison: Yes. Mikel: in that batching element. So if you remove the context switching and bring in the batching and set those expectations for yourself, which I know you’ve heard me say that so many times. Set that expectations. If you set that for yourself and others, everything. clear. me it’s like, okay, on certain days of the week I do certain activities, Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: times of day I do certain activities and I typically try and pair it and use that habit stacking element that we’ve all heard about. Alison: I can just hear the listeners just going the, how, how did you do that? Like between guilt of not checking their email or being readily available for clients who are wanting to pay for them. Or like, like how did you set the boundaries with that client communication? Especially when you are moving from the East coast to a different, such a different time [00:19:00] zone. What did you do to be proactive? What words did you use? How, like how far, when did you start saying like, when did you figure it out and what were those nitty gritty like execution points to, to set that up? Mikel: So spin it in a positive way for them, right? Like Alison: Oh, always benefit, focus. Yep. Mikel: absolutely. So, you know, by not being available to email all the time, I’m getting undivided attention on your project. I respond to your email, I have to respond to every client’s email, and then I’m. Always coming out of your project, which is like doing you a disservice. So by protecting my time, I’m giving my best effort to your business. Alison: Yeah. Mikel: You know, Alison: good. So good. Mikel: So you Alison: that and spin it for photos, guys, that you just, I’m doing my best effort on your gallery. Mikel: Exactly. Do you want me to come out like while I’m retouching that perfect moment, right. Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: respond to your email? No, you don’t. Alison: No, [00:20:00] you don’t. Mikel: in the flow and stay in the zone. That’s why you pay me the big bucks, right? Because I Alison: Right. Mikel: that time and I do my best effort and I do my best work for you, the client. ’cause that’s what matters. Alison: So you set that up When you’re taking on a new client, when do you set that up? Like, so say we’ve got a new inquiry onboarding, like are you saying it on the phone? Are you putting in your emails? Is it said multiple times In multiple places. Mikel: Yeah, it’s in all of my proposals. It’s in the final contract as well of like what my communication boundaries are. Um. Alison: And that contract, we know about contracts. Mikel: Oh yeah, you need it. It protects both the client and you know, the service provider. I think it’s so, it’s so important, but Alison: Yeah. Mikel: bring it in some of that homeschool elements. Like I use it with my kids as well. Like, hey, like Mommy’s always available to you, but for me to do my best effort, and I’ve said it to them like, do you want me to respond to a client right now? No. So I need you to respect my time right now ’cause I’m giving my best effort, you know? Um. To Alison: Yeah. Mikel: and so I’m available to them. But having those boundaries to know like there is different levels of [00:21:00] available, but I bring them into my business of I’m doing my best work for, and that mindset, why am I doing it? So for you, it’s so I can provide this best education. Like this is the Alison: Yeah. Mikel: give you and we wanna provide that for you. I wanna provide that. I get to stay home and. Have those hours with you guys kids. So I’m gonna do my best effort work, right? Alison: Yeah. Mikel: and I ask them, what are you doing your best effort at? What do you wanna get better at? How are you using those developmental skills? Um, and so I think constantly like demonstrating that is really important in our family. Alison: No, that’s huge. That’s, you’re educating way more on just numbers and letters, right? Mikel: Yes. Alison: okay. So when it, yeah, right. Bare minimum. Um, oh, I just had a question. I totally forgot what it was. Okay. What do you, what would you say to somebody who feels like a photographer, who feels guilty, feels guilty to, to set those boundaries for their clients, to be available to their kids, or not available to, to check their email at a time, or who is [00:22:00] always in their email and ha or responding to people on the weekends or after working hours? What would you say to them and how can they take those baby steps away from feeling guilty? Mikel: I would say first is like pause. Always pause in those feelings. Like take yourself out for a coffee. I don’t know. We live in Hawaii, a long walk on the beach, whatever it is, like Alison: Yeah. Mikel: peaceful zone and pause like, where’s this guilt coming in? So either you are doing it for the wrong reasons, whether that’s your business, your Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: whatever. Like does this fit my seasonal life? Because it like if it. you are aligning your priorities, then that guilt should easily fall away. Um, but you have to like constantly come back to that reminder of, I doesn’t have to look how everyone else looks. Um, I think a lot of the guilt comes from that. Like, oh, and I, I think that’s hard for a entrepreneur, mom, homeschooler, all these things. Like I don’t quite fit in, in the homeschool community. And that’s hard Alison: Yeah. Mikel: because Alison: Oh, I hundred Mikel: why would you wanna [00:23:00] work? Well. Alison: girl. Mikel: love what I do and I love, I get to demonstrate this to my kids, right? But then also twofold and the entrepreneur front, why would you ever wanna homeschool your kids? I’m like, oh, ’cause I actually love doing that too, you know? Alison: Oh my God. You bring up some really familiar feelings I have forgotten about. I always felt like the bull and the China shop were on the homeschool moms. I was never available with my neighbors on a military base to go do fun lunch things while their kids were in school. ’cause my kids were being homeschooled. Like I was the weird one out in every single circle. Like I was always the weird person. Mikel: ago, you know, like, oh, hey, come down to the beach. I wish I could, but I have a big project, like I Alison: Yep. Mikel: school. Right? Like I had to set the boundary. Love you. No thanks, bye. And that’s Alison: Yeah. And I got people like, come hike with me. Let’s, let’s paddle. And I’m like, not today. I gotta work. Like Mikel: today. Right? Alison: It happens. Mikel: And it goes back to that why? So I think going back to your question is like pause. Why are you feeling the guilt? Where is it coming Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: it, is it real? Or is it like [00:24:00] made up in your mind? Which is also valid. Like I don’t wanna discount that. But then you gotta take control of it and be like, Alison: Yeah. Identify it. Mikel: am I doing this? Why am I doing this thing that is hard and isn’t like everyone else? But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. And either you say, you know what? This doesn’t fit my season of life, whether that’s. Entrepreneurship, whether that’s homeschool, right, and you make a change and that’s okay. There’s no failure Alison: Yeah. Mikel: actively are making the change, it’s not failure. So I think just having those decisions and having that pause rather than like just pushing through the guilt, like that’s not the Alison: Mm-hmm. Right. And then how, how would you encourage them to implement even slowly, even taking baby steps towards setting up email boundaries, communication boundaries for themselves? Mikel: Yeah. I think mapping it out for yourself first so that Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: on those hard days, you can go back and be like, I set these rules for a reason. Right? It’s a Alison: Yep. Mikel: as much as is a reminder. For your kids, your husband, Alison: Yep. Mikel: you know, clients, all these things, and then just slowly roll it out. So first, take that first step of like your next client. You’re [00:25:00] gonna onboard, you’re gonna make the change. You don’t have to announce it to everybody, right? Like some of those clients are just gonna naturally fall away and you just, you. Alison: Yep. Mikel: just deal with it, right? But the new people should live up to the new expectations and Alison: Yep. Mikel: super clear. People are offended by it. Especially when it’s like, Hey, I’m Michael and I have boundaries. Like, right, it’s Alison: Yeah, Mikel: Um, Alison: yeah. Yeah. Mikel: you just bring it in and throw in the beginning and that makes it a little bit easier transition. And then you start to see like, oh, people actually don’t really mind this. And then Alison: They don’t. Mikel: back aren’t your people, and Alison: Yeah. And I, in all of my many years of doing this in different formats, I have never found somebody get angry with me or question my availability. Um, most of, at least in the photography world, a lot of the clients are moms. They’re at least dads. If, if they’re not actually, but they understand, they’re like, oh, I get it. Oh, I like, they sympathize and they admire the ability to like be like, Nope, this, this isn’t working. Um, and also, uh, what [00:26:00] was I gonna say here? I totally lost my train of thought. Um, oh, and with young kids, what are, so you are, you’re kind of edging, your kids are kind of growing into independence. What about with anyone who is new to homeschooling and their, their oldest is super young, maybe just starting kindergarten or first grade. Are there any tactics that you have used that help you kind of set up boundaries or keep them independent so that you could have your afternoon time to focus? Mikel: Yeah, absolutely. I, when my kids were really little, it was like, okay, what is the things I can do with my kids around and what are the things that I cannot, and, Alison: Yeah. Mikel: just having clarity on that, making sure I don’t accidentally try and step into those zones of, oh, I’m gonna do this thing real quick. And then I have a. Kids coming at me and I’m like that. Alison: Yeah, Mikel: I become like, monster Mummy, like, why are you doing this? It’s not their fault. Alison: a hundred percent. It’s infuriating. Mikel: that for like, you know, them and me, right. Especially when they’re little, um, and say, okay, these are the things I can do [00:27:00] when they’re around childcare. Like we brought in Alison: Mm-hmm. Mikel: Just because I don’t wanna outsource all of my education, doesn’t mean I can’t outsource some of my childcare hours, you know? Alison: Right. Mikel: Um, whether that’s to create a different environment for me where it was just quiet or I could go somewhere and work, know, and Alison: Leave and focus. Mikel: Right, exactly. So whatever that needs to look like. But we had a lot more childcare support than we used to. Even still, like my oldest is really good at taking care of the littles. Um. their needs. If I’m on like a longer call, but I still sometimes bring in childcare ’cause it’s fun and it releases that burden for him. Uh, Alison: Yeah. Mikel: also now gets paid, you know, Hey, if you’re gonna be doing these things, like I make it advantageous for him. Why not? He’s doing a job too. So Alison: Yeah. Mikel: of like those different expectations at different times. And if I’m being paid for an activity. A client call and he’s watching the kids, he gets paid. Now if I’m like running errand and it’s normal mama stuff and he’s watching the kids, that’s big kid responsibility, right? [00:28:00] Like you’re the Alison: Yep. Mikel: it’s sometimes part of it. So that’s how we’ve outlined those boundaries. If mom’s getting paid for my time, you’re getting paid for your time. Alison: Hundred percent. Oh my gosh, it’s so funny. So we’ve never actually talked about these nitty gritty things, but we basically did a lot of parallel similar things, um, as homeschool parents. So that’s kind of fun. Um, yeah, I always coming to, uh. Talking about childcare and kind of getting that support. When my boys were really little, I always felt like childcare was a slippery fish, right? Like, you’d find somebody, they’d move, I’d move. Like it was really hard to keep somebody pinned down. Um, but I had one day a week where I would like, I think it was usually Wednesdays where I would leave, but for like three hours every Wednesday afternoon on the regular, um, babysitter had it booked out. I had it booked out unless something crazy came up to like very little could make that not. Happen. Right. Um, but I found that when I knew I had a dedicated, focused time to work and to, to work on projects, um, not necessarily to edit. ’cause I can edit mindlessly [00:29:00] with kids around and like, you know, it’s, it’s thoughtless, it’s, it’s attention, but it’s not really Um. I, I just, I felt a release of pressure to, when’s this gonna happen? When I knew I could take those ideas and those thoughts and I could write them down and save them for Wednesday afternoon, felt a sense of release as, as mom and as teacher that I could just breathe a lot better. Yeah. Oh, we’re wrapping up. Oh, dang it. Okay. Mikel: I. Melissa Arlena: Sorry. Alison: yeah, we, no thank you Melissa. ’cause I was it, five minutes went by really fast. Um. How do we wanna, how do we wanna wrap this up? I don’t even know. Like Melissa Arlena: Maybe like a tip, like best tip or something, or best advice or something. Alison: Yeah. So I guess Michael, this has been really good. I feel like we could keep talking for so much longer. Um, I feel like I have so much I could be adding too, but to wrap it up, some of your best tips really revolve around setting expectations, communication, um, and really identifying, slowing down if [00:30:00] and when you ever feel guilty. Is there anything else? Oh, batching you, you mentioned batching for the day of the week, but also time of day. Um. there one last tip that you wanna leave us with? Um, because I feel like we could have a two-parter here. Mikel: Yes, yes. Maybe. Maybe it can come back and share more. I would Alison: Yeah. Mikel: So I have like this framework that I work with, and it’s systemized, prioritize, and then remove. So I think if you take those three words, apply it to your life, what can I systemize? What is the priority in this season? And the season might be a week, six weeks, six months, three years, Alison: Right. Mikel: Um, and then what can I remove? Because usually you’re carrying a lot of things that you unintentionally picked up, so Alison: Yeah. Mikel: of it, girl. Alison: All right. So systemize, prioritize, remove. I like that. Um, well go ahead and tell us where we can find you. And of course guys, we’ll have all the notes, um, in the show links. Mikel: Yes, for sure. So you can find me on Instagram and LinkedIn. Uh, Instagram is [00:31:00] adroitly and co. And now founders at home. So if you wanna learn more about that, systemized, prioritize, and remove. We’re actually gonna be launching our first mini course coming up, so right around the time that this is coming live. So come and check Alison: Yay. Mikel: And it’s for founders who are. So this would be perfect for, Alison: Awesome. Mikel: learn how to do that. Alison: Well, thank you so much, Michael. We’ll definitely have to chat about having you on again soon. Mikel: Yes, Alison: guys. Mikel: Bye.