Being told to follow your passion is not particularly helpful in my view, for so many reasons.

Perfection is an interesting concept. When I was at school phrases like ‘practice makes perfect’ were bandied about. A perfect score was what you aimed for. Perfection was the ultimate sign of success. My understanding of perfection has changed over the years.

Limits are not something I really subscribe to. This is not a good way to live. In the past, this approach has caused my life to become pretty messy.

There’s one thing I do brag about, though, and that’s my special gift. Here it is: I can sit in my house, surrounded by dirty dishes, piles of unfolded washing, stuff all over the floor, and I can concentrate on work.

I’m pregnant. I’m about six weeks behind the Prime Minister and in sync with the Minister for Women. This closeness has come with its challenges. My mum likes to remind me when I say I’m tired “Well Jacinda is running a country, and she seems to be doing fine.”

Working from home and raising kids is all good while each element stays in its box. And then something shifts. It’s not even usually a big thing. In fact, it’s usually the little things that mess up your finely-balanced work/home ecosystem. Yesterday, that thing was a client coming back to me at 3.15 rather than 2.30.

Last week one of our Part Time Professionals was in hospital, with her laptop, trying to finish jobs. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t encouraging her. We told her to relax and recover. She kept working. This is the double-edged sword of being self-employed – you get to be your own boss, but sometimes your boss is a bitch.

No really, I am pregnant. The baby is due in August. It’s our third boy. We are very happy. So why am I so terrified about telling my clients?

My ten-year-old son asked me yesterday “why is Dad working so much more than you when you both have jobs? It doesn’t seem fair.” I told him that’s just the way it is at the moment. And this is true, but the fire of resentment is building in me, as I suspect it is in households all around the country and the world. 

Yesterday at 1.45pm will become one of those times that everyone in the country remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing for years to come. The next few weeks are shaping up to be a rollercoaster. Work lives and home lives will be combined in the most extreme way.