For Years, I Missed 3 Hours A Day With My Children While Commuting Into London. Now I’m #FreeToBe… a
One of the most rewarding parts of running The Harpenden Collective is watching people use it to build the life they really want. Their life no longer revolves around work, it is their work which revolves around their life.
They fulfil their dreams and do the things that are most important to them. For some it’s being there for their children, for others it’s to create, to inspire, to express themselves, to give back to the community or to change their world in whichever way they can.
Over the course of the next few months, we will be telling the stories of people from our community who, through working at The Harpenden Collective, are #FreeToBe who they really want to be.
Natalie Harmer is a mum of two and a graphic designer. She owns Noah Design and is based at The Harpenden Collective full time.
I was brought up to think I could have it all: a glittering career, a fulfilling family life and reaching the heights of personal development too. My career and my business were a huge part of my life and defined me to some extent. I worked in Shoreditch, surrounded by the hum of busy East London offices, building my own business. Every day, I’d wake up, mentally prepared to invest 3 hours of commute on trains and Underground, putting in the time and energy, often returning exhausted but thinking it will all be worth it in the end.
I was and still am very proud of all the hard work and determination to succeed I’ve invested in those early days.
When I had my children everything changed. I so desperately wanted to be a stay at home mum - but at the same time I really didn't want to leave behind my business that I had spent years building up. For the first three years of my son’s life, I still put in the commute, when I had an epiphany.
Commuting three hours per day wasn’t the best use of my time nor my finances. The time it took me to get to London, I could’ve been spending quality time with my son.
So I’ve taken the plunge and relocated my business closer to home. These days, my commute is all but 10 minutes long, 13 minutes if I take a detour via a coffee shop.
They say you can't buy time, but I now have 3 extra hours in my day and my office outgoings are a third of what they used to be, with no travel expenses.
Working from a collaborative workspace close to home has taken a layer of anxiety out of my day, knowing that I can attend any assembly, sports day, parents evening or other commitment and be back at my desk within minutes if needed. No longer would I have a niggling fear at the back of my mind, every time the phone rings - if I need to pick my children up, I can do so at the drop of a hat.
I like knowing that I am close to the children when they need me, I can do every school drop off and be at my desk for 9. It allows for a greater spontaneity in our plans, too.
I feel like I have the best of both worlds: meeting all of my mum duties no longer means sacrificing career goals or a fun and fulfilling worklife.
My business is thriving and I’m more focused and determined than ever, I’ve made new valuable work connections, met great friends and have also become involved in the lovely social scene at my collaborative workspace.
So can you have it all? Absolutely and more. I’m finally free. #FreeToBe a mum.
Natalie is one of the many members of The Harpenden Collective who inspire us to grow our community and allow more people to work and live in the way they want to.
If you’re inspired by Natalie and would like to know more about The Harpenden Collective, get in touch.
Standard membership is from £30 a month, you’ll get a creative coworking space, inspirational company, and a host of other benefits including:
Members directory of over 70 local businesses
Prestigious Harpenden business address
Free business events
Vibrant work social scene
Collaboration opportunities
Complimentary use of meeting room
