Being a mom is a hassling full-time job, separate to the one that pays the bills. From the moment you wake up in the morning, to the time you put them to bed, your children’s myriad needs are your number one priority. Millions of moms worldwide are workers and entrepreneurs, too. The question is: how do you find the delicate balance between two very important roles?
The tug-of-war between career and motherhood
Balancing work and family can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope when no one told you about having to be in a circus. It’s a tremendous challenge, especially if you’re in the early stages of building a family. When you have your first child, you have to make so many adjustments to your schedule, work habits, and even your mindset.
If you are a mom entrepreneur struggling with time management, here are three simple tips you can follow to find that balance:
1. Build your routine
As a mom with so many things on your plate, having a routine will help tremendously in making sure you stay on track every single day. Scheduling can seem boring to some people, but it’s one of the easiest ways to manage your time and be as productive as possible.
Your routine depends on your own habits and productivity levels. If you are an early riser, maybe you can schedule your workout first thing in the morning. This will give you an energy boost that will last the entire day. Depending on your family’s individual schedules, you may have to stagger your work hours—that’s perfectly fine, as long as you can parcel out chunks of time wherein you can truly focus on your work.
Remember to include breaks and me-time during your day. If you’re mainly doing desk or computer work, schedule a ten minute stretch break at the top of every hour. Walk around the house, check in on your kids, go to the kitchen for tea and a healthy snack. These simple things can help you feel refreshed once you sit back down.
2. Set yourself up for success
Your work environment is crucial to your daily productivity. Set up your workspace with your preferences in mind. Do you need a standing desk? Do you work better with or without music? Keep your productivity tools within reach at all times.
In this day and age, you should be leveraging technology for work efficiency. If you need calendars, lists, alarms, or other time management tools, look for the best apps that will help you.
3. Establish clear priorities
Moms are natural multitaskers. Taking care of children involves keeping an eye on many things, often all at once. On the other hand, most business tasks will require your full focus. You can’t exactly update your bookkeeping records while writing business emails.
One of the most important time management techniques is to prioritize. At the beginning of every day, list down everything you need to get done, in order of importance. Following this list from top to bottom will help you stay focused and will give you a sense of accomplishment every time you tick an item off your list. And if you end up running out of steam before you get to the last few items, at least you know you’ve finished all the more essential tasks.
If you want to be more efficient, you can even plan the following day’s activities the evening before. This way, you can get the ball rolling as early as possible!
Conclusion
Finding success as a mom entrepreneur takes a lot of time, effort, and a lot of planning. These simple tips will surely help you on your journey of balancing your business with motherhood. With enough time and practice, you will find the best, most productive workflow for you. All you need to do is dive in!
