Now that I’m back into the groove of my business after summer break (yeah, I know, it’s waaaay past summer – but I’m just now starting to feel like I’m getting a routine again!), I’ve been paying a lot more attention to my hubby’s processes. And I have to admit – he gets things done, even if his methods make me cringe sometimes!

• To Do List – I keep everything – from medical records to business notes to PTO agendas – on my computer. I write detailed to do lists with time frames. Then I stress about everything until items get knocked off the list. Hubby makes a list every few days – usually on the back of a grocery receipt or envelope – with very little planning involved. But somehow he still gets just as much accomplished!

• Communication – In school, I loved essay tests. Hubby liked multiple choice. And our customer responses really show it! If a client asks if a system can do something it can’t, I’ll research possible solutions and try to find an answer for them. Then I write a nice long message explaining the steps to take, turning a five minute answer into a two hour one. Hubby just responds “No”. (Yeah. Guess why I don’t let him answer many client questions?)

• Work/Life Balance – I map out my work so I can spend as much time as possible with my daughter when she’s home in the evenings and on the weekends. But it’s really hard, and I always feel guilty when I spend time on the business and she’s home, or spend time for fun when there’s work to be done. But hubby doesn’t seem to stress when he has to ask the kiddo to hold on while he works, nor does he worry in the least about turning off the computer to take a weekend away.

• Future – I have contingency plans with very specific instructions, processes in place should something happen, and try to save as much as possible for that ‘just incase’ day. I worry not just about our livelihood, but my clients’ as well, and always try to incorporate that into my daily activities. Hubby lives for the moment, and says that it’s silly to worry about something that may not happen.

It’s obvious that hubby and I have two very different approaches to life, and that carries through to the business. We both get things done, but they’re done in completely different ways.

We’re learning from each other though! He’s learning to plan a lot more, and is becoming more organized. I’m taking weekends off and am trying to cut down on my research-filled client responses, focusing just on the question at hand. Working together has definitely shown us that merging our approaches a bit can actually make us more efficient overall in the long run.