663. Pretty big number, right? Add hours after that and you have 663 hours, a really long period of time. Imagine what you could do in 663 hours (equivalent to 28 full days or 88 business days).

Why have I focused on 663 hours? Because… wait till you’re surprised… that’s how much time I’ve spent watching box-set TV series since I had my first child three and a half years ago!

Fast forward to today and people often ask me how I find the time to work on my online business while having a job and being the mother of two young children. ‘I just don’t understand where you find the time’ is what I hear…a lot. I’ll tell you a secret: I stopped watching so much TV!

I’m not quite sure exactly when my husband and I started watching TV series/box sets, but I know what got us hooked: it was series 24. Good old Jack Bauer and CTU! It may have taken us a little while to get to 24, but we made up for it by watching all 8 seasons in a very fast amount of time, given that it’s 192 hours sitting in front of a TV!

Like most parents, since we had children we were much more at home at night. Having gained a taste for toddler box games, and with more home time available during the evenings, we stepped things up! Like I said, our oldest son is three and a half years old and in that time we’ve seen all of The Sopranos, Dexter, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Orange Is The New Black, Sons of Anarchy, The Wire, and Boardwalk Empire (and , worryingly, I think I’m still missing a few!).

This brings me back to 663. I did the math: that’s the number of hours I spent watching post-kids on the series. It’s also not like we watch these shows exclusively back-to-back, but it’s also about watching other shows, movies, etc. The mind boggles!

By the way, don’t judge me for my choice of TV show, that’s not the point of this post!

The point is to show that if we really want to achieve something we can all find the time.

One of the many benefits of starting an online business like mine is that you can start small and scale. You can start working on your business while keeping your full or part-time job if you choose, thus limiting risk and reducing the stress placed on you to turn a quick profit. With an online business, you get a lot of flexibility over when and where you work, and this is one of the many reasons why it’s feasible to start your business alongside your ‘day job’…whether your day job is a job paid or being a full-time parent.

I am delighted to say that I have traded The Sopranos for social media marketing mastery and Walter White for website magic! Is it easy to work in my business in the evenings or relax in front of the television? Not always, but it’s not as hard as you think. Because? Because it is interesting and much more rewarding! Because I know the compensation is more than worth it.

I know that what I am working for will pay off in more ways than one.

…I’ll be my own boss…run my own flexible business…be passionate about what I do, never waste time commuting to work, and what’s more, I’ll go to bed every day excited to work in my business.

and… watch my children grow up. I will be there to pick up my children from school, I will spend all school holidays with them. We are going to travel more and are already thinking about a year in Naples, Florida (our favorite place), a family adventure in which I will take my business with me.

So, I’m glad I traded in too much TV for working in my business…heck yeah!