Being a mother is a full-time job. Once you have a little person, the most important thing in your life is the health and wellbeing of your child, and then there’s your marriage. Then when you add business owner to the mix, it’s like having three full-time jobs. To say that striking a balance between home and your business is a challenge is a vast understatement.
Mompreneurs who successfully balance motherhood and business make it look so easy, but there are a few key things to know that will help you not feel so overwhelmed. Here are a few secrets of successful mompreneurs.
How to Increase Your Mompreneur Productivity
1. Start Early
The rise-and-grind mentality is one that many business moms embrace, but I suggest you start the day by slowing down and thinking about how you want the day to unfold. I start my days in prayer because I want to take a minute to focus before chaos ensues. It’s helpful to mentally prepare myself for the day. I also take the time to have breakfast with my son and see him off to school before I jump into a productive day of work.
2. Limit Your To-Do List
Itemizing your priorities can be a useful tool so that you don’t overwhelm yourself! To maintain balance in your life, cut your to-do lists down to five things that you will get done during the day. Try to get those tasks done by 11am each day. Consider everything else you achieve to be a bonus. This will require some prioritizing the day before, but it will stop you from feeling like you never get anything done.
3. Keep Your Schedule
It’s incredibly important to budget your time if you want to be a successful mompreneur. This means that whether your hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., they need to stay consistent to keep your schedule. You might be tempted to become a workaholic, but resist the urge. You family needs you as much as your business does. Give 100 percent and be productive during your workday. Don’t be distracted by social media or your cell phone, get your work done!
4. Use One Calendar
As a mompreneur, your have a work calendar and your family has multiple calendars. Use one calendar to manage the master family schedule. Using a single calendar for all of your commitments will make sure you don’t drop any balls. In doing this, you’ll never absent-mindedly forget about the school play or schedule a business meeting that conflicts with that dance recital.
5. Self-Care is Key
Mompreneurs fire on all cylinders, so self-care is key. You move from home to work to school, and if you are really organized, you’re able to hit the gym too. If you want to be a success mompreneur, you’ve got to take care of yourself. This means eating well, exercising and getting plenty of sleep. If you’re sick, take the day off. Your business and your family need you to be healthy. I also try to get regular massages to reduce stress. You can’t be productive at work or attentive at home if you aren’t healthy.
6. Hire Help
As soon as you can afford it, hire help. You can get a college student, retired person, or another mom in your community to help with your children. Drop off and pick up can be quite time consuming, and you want to focus your time on high revenue activities, so that you can afford to do special things with your children.
7. Unplug
I firmly believe that everyone who works should take the time to completely shut off. This means that you are not checking emails at the dinner table, you’re not taking calls in the middle of bedtime stories and you are not looking at your computer in bed. Once your workday is over, go home and enjoy your children, at least until bedtime. You are never going to get this time back with your family. Do not sleep with your cellphone in the bedroom.
Being a busy Mompreneur can be a challenge. Your work never ends, but if you can set reasonable limits for yourself and follow the tips outlined above, you’ll see that you really can have it all.
Republished by permission. Original here.
Mompreneur Photo via Shutterstock
Hi Melinda,
“I want to take a minute to focus before chaos ensues”… Thank you for this sentence alone! It’s nice to know that there are others out there who are experiencing the same situations as me.
‘Self Care’ is real focus for me this year as I have been neglecting myself since I started my business. I’m already thinking how I can ‘treat’ myself this Friday.
Also ‘Unplugging’ has been a game changer for me. I used to be trying to do everything at the same time, but at a low quality. Now, I’m present to work, my kids and myself and I can give 100%. Plus, my kids never have to competent for my attention.
Great post Melinda
Naomi
Aira Bongco
I am all for starting early. There is just something about mornings that makes you feel so productive and ready to take on your day.