Get my best tips and insights on productivity, confidence, balance, and connection ... learned from 15 years of successfully working from home. Long-term WFH is a CHOICE, a lifestyle, a CULTURE. And I believe that if you're going to do something, you should do it right. But you don't have to do it alone. Activate your free subscription to The Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur newsletter so that you get your weekly dose of grit and grace to keep you going by entering your email address below.
🔔 The work I can put down when the doorbell rings
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What I Did While I Waited for the Rrefrigerator Repair Tech Hey Reader, For about a week, our refrigerator was making a screeching, nails on the chalkboard noise that made me wish I could shut the kitchen door. (We don't actually have a kitchen door, so that wasn't possible.) By the time the replacement part came in, I was happy to work around the technician’s afternoon arrival window. I wanted my quiet refrigerator back. So I took my live mentoring slots off my scheduling page for that afternoon. Nobody had booked them yet, which meant I could make the decision before anyone was counting on me to show up for a call. I could have left the slots open and hoped the technician came between calls. But I know myself. Part of my attention would have been out in the driveway. And if I’m mentoring someone, I want to give them the time and attention they came for. I still wanted to do some work while I waited. So I cleaned up my inbox, paid a few bills, reconciled my business bank account, and spent some time scheduling posts and responding to other people’s posts. And can I just say that I’ve kept my inbox at zero unread emails ever since? I’m still pretty pleased about that. 😉 I like that working from home meant I could be there for the repair. I like that working for myself meant I could decide what I’d promise that afternoon. The lesson behind the experience?
There’s work I can do at home, and there’s work I can do while something else is happening at home. That afternoon called for the kind I could put down when the doorbell rang. That’s a little YOU, Inc. moment right there. CEO Me decided what people could book. Employee Me got time for the work in my own business that usually waits behind client projects. I wrote more about how I made that tradeoff, and how I’d use the same thinking if a client needed something sooner than I could deliver it in this week's article. Read What I Do With a Work-From-Home Afternoon I Can’t Promise to a Client I could make this decision in my head. For the ones where two things matter and I’m less sure what I’m willing to move, I like to write it down. My Tenacious WFH CEO Tradeoff Sheet is a useful tool for that. (Insiders and VIPs, you'll find that in your November resources.) Your Action Step this WeekThink of one window when you need to be available for something at home. Decide what you can comfortably promise during that time. If there’s still room and you’d like to work, pick one thing your business needs that you can set down and come back to. Maybe it’s sending an invoice or scheduling a post you’ve already written. And if the only thing you get done is getting the refrigerator fixed? I’d still call that a worthwhile afternoon. 💛 Insider & VIP CornerTenacious WFH Entrepreneur Insiders and VIPs can download November’s free tool — the CEO Tradeoff Sheet — as well as other ready-to-use pieces of the CEO Toolkit located in the exclusive Mini Power Tool archive. If you’d enjoy practical tools to support your weekly self-leadership, explore Insider/VIP membership here. You can upgrade anytime to unlock not only this month's Mini Power Tool but also the growing archive of practical worksheets, templates, and resources created to help you build your business with greater clarity, confidence, and sustainability. Premium subscriptions start at $7/month. 💎 Upgrade your experience here.
As always, I'd love to know what you think of this week's newsletter. Post your thoughts on social and tag me (@coachmichelepeterson), or simply reply to this email! Thank you. I appreciate you! xoxo, Now for more good stuff ... Upgrade Your Experience ...Tenacious WFH Insiders get access to monthly Mini Power Tool downloadables like this month's CEO Tradeoff Sheet, an exclusive audio version of the weekly newsletter and blog via the private podcast Insiders Only Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur Audio Experience that you can listen to on your favorite podcast platform ... and more! Get all the details here. UPGRADE TO INSIDER or VIP STATUS TODAY! Interesting Reads ...
Win WFH Tip of the WeekWFH Tip: To WIN working from home, give yourself deadlines. Not just for client work but — and perhaps more importantly — for personal priorities, too. Grit & Grace Affirmation of the WeekI push through negativity and criticism. Say it. Believe it. Be it. From the book Badass Affirmations by Becca Anderson I hope you enjoyed this week's newsletter. Thank you for linking arms and being part of my working from home tribe! I'll be back next week with more tips, inspiration, and other fun stuff to empower your WFH success. Until then, have a beautiful week! xoxo, P.S. It's my goal to inspire you and remind you of your greatness as we navigate WFH life together. If you loved this week's newsletter, please feel free to forward it to your friends! And just one more thing ...
November 12, 2026 | Coach Michele Peterson
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Coach Michele Peterson
Get my best tips and insights on productivity, confidence, balance, and connection ... learned from 15 years of successfully working from home. Long-term WFH is a CHOICE, a lifestyle, a CULTURE. And I believe that if you're going to do something, you should do it right. But you don't have to do it alone. Activate your free subscription to The Tenacious WFH Entrepreneur newsletter so that you get your weekly dose of grit and grace to keep you going by entering your email address below.
What Your Calendar Doesn’t Count Hey Reader, I recently did a little calendar math. One two-hour block of client work became two one-hour blocks across two days. Still two hours. But I’d given up something in the rearranging — the uninterrupted stretch. The reason? I said yes to a 30-Day Substack Challenge. I discovered it on the very day it started. It hadn’t been on my radar, and the timing felt like the universe was telling me something. I wanted to participate. So I said yes. I am the...
Keep What Matters. Reconsider How It Fits. Hey Reader, There’s a recurring 30-minute appointment on my calendar called “Planning Time + Text a Friend.” The planning is big-picture thinking. The text helps me stay connected with a friend or professional contact. Combining them helps me. Planning often brings people to mind; giving myself permission to send the text seems to help me return to the thinking. Finding the right time for that combination? Still a work in progress. It used to be...
It's Up to You to Choose How Your Helpful Extras Become Part of the Job Hey Reader, Early in my marriage, pie was my job for family holiday gatherings. My grandma had taught me how to make fabulous pie crust. I enjoyed making the pies, feeding people I loved, and hearing how much they enjoyed them. There was a lot to like about the arrangement. But somewhere along the way, making the pies became an automatic assumption. I didn’t necessarily want to stop. It was simply nice when someone...