When you're a mom with a job, it is sometimes difficult to find time for both sides of your life. You're saddled with a ton of guilt when you look at the to-do list of both the personal and the professional, and there is a lot of pressure when the family starts asking for attention. Even when working from home, it's a hard line to walk.
But before you throw it all in, and think you're never going to get anywhere trying to be a business owner and mother both, check out this guide - it's for parents who have ambitions for career success but also want to be there for their kids as much as possible. You can have both, you can do both, and you don't have to be tied down by stress either.
Remember, Importance Doesn't Equal the Time Put in
Work and motherhood are two sides that make up your life, meaning they're both important. Treating your life as a whole can help you to reassess how you approach each side.
Of course, it can be very difficult to understand that in the moment when one side is making more of an impact on your life than the other. Trying to equally balance out your time and attention often ends in failure, and when it does it just adds to the stress, leaving you feeling like you're constantly playing catch up.
However, that's where the idea of equity comes in. Instead of trying to make sure your attention is divided equally, divide it in a way that makes it fair for both the business and the personal.
Kids are typically going to need more of your time and attention, and while you do need to answer those emails, ship that order, and get back to that one client, you can do those things before the end of the day. If the package isn't being sent out until the morning, and that person won't be able to answer the email until the following day, no time will be lost anyway.
That way you can free up an hour at least to spend time with your children, while still doing what your business needs of you. Look for these equitable chances in your life; that's where your work/life balance can really be found.
Get as Much Done at Home as You Can
If you don't have to leave the house, you're going to have a lot more time and energy to get things done. You won't have to factor in commuting time for work, and the only times you have to step outside the front door is when it's time to take the kids to school or to pick them up. If you can spend more time at your desk, you can get a lot more admin done, and even stop for a full hour long lunch break.
Getting stuff done at home is the most life-friendly way to work, so don't feel bad that you're heading out less or not being as social, especially while you're readjusting your work/life balance. Once you get to a point where you feel good about your choices, and you're sure you've got the energy to take it all on again, it's clear your remote working setup is working for you.
Give Customers a Convenient Contact Option
When you're a mom, you already have to deal with kids needing you and asking unending questions all throughout the day, especially when they're home from school.
Now, having to get back to work and then answer a load of questions from customers may sound like the last thing you want to do. It can be frustrating to go over the same things each and every day, even though you want to help your customers as much as possible.
That's why you should make this process more convenient for everyone. Download live chat and chatbot software, install it on your website, and give your customers a 'portal', essentially to get their questions answered. You can still look over the interactions, and have people put through to you when they want to speak to a human, but you can cut out a lot of the meaningless customer service you need to perform and automate it into a neat package.
Use Online Networking Options
It's quite often touted that networking in person is the best way to meet business contacts, but websites like LinkedIn exist for a reason. You can meet a lot of great and useful contacts through the online world; you just might need to put in a bit more effort than you would if you were walking into a trade expo with a business card and a winning smile.
Online networking can be quite adaptable as well, with online meets through Zoom where you can basically do the same thing you would if you were networking in person. You just need a camera, a strong wifi connection, and a willingness to put yourself forward and talk yourself up in the span of 30 seconds. The former two are easy, but the latter may require some practice.
Always Have Two Days Off
That's standard in the working world at large, even if these days don't occur over the weekend or aren't consecutive in nature. When you have two days off per week, you give yourself time to get other things in your life done, and get used to being away from your control hub (your laptop or your phone) and turning these off and focusing on other things. Nothing is going to fall apart in those 48 hours, especially if you've put some clever automation in place.
If You Need Help, Ask for it
It's OK to need a helping hand - even a mother isn't meant to be superwoman. If you need to get other people involved, whether in a freelance capacity or you just need a friend to come in and help you stuff envelopes for an afternoon, put yourself out there and reach out.
Ask for help, put up a job posting, or get in touch with skilled freelance creatives directly. When you do, you free up your own time, make sure the job gets done properly, and you build your confidence for when you need to ask for help again.
Needing help isn't a bad thing, and if the kids want to spend more time with you, you're going to need someone else at the helm for a while!
Don't Leave Yourself Out
If you do, none of the hard work you put in to achieve a proper work/life balance is really going to count. When you leave yourself out, you live close to burn out at all times, and that'll automatically lower the quality of any work you do and any interactions you want to be a part of.
Don't let yourself fall into this; it's OK to need to take a break, and it's best to do so, even when you're super busy or even have a missed deadline or two to hit. Practice self care, make sure you're eating well, and watch a few episodes of a program you like - if these things make you feel refreshed and recharged, and try relaxing.
Push Past the Guilt
Guilt is quite common for working mothers. If you're not with the kids, and you're doing something else instead of devoting all your time to making sure they're growing up healthy and happy, the churning feeling in the stomach can put you off ever thinking about anything else. And that's where your career plans can suffer.
However, push past the guilt and remember that your life and your wants matter as well. It does not make you a bad mother to dedicate time to a business you've put a lot of hard work into. In fact, if you let the guilt win and give up on it, that work will actually go to waste, and you'll probably end up feeling even more guilty.
So get rid of the guilt now; it'll make you a better business owner, a better manager, and make your life a lot more fulfilling while you're living it.
Work/life balance is essential, even for busy moms. If you want to have it all, take the tips above into account and use them to arrange your life in a way that truly works for you. You're allowed to have multiple responsibilities in multiple areas, and even when people tell you that one is more important than the other, don't believe them.
Disclosure: Please note that all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2024. Please Ask First
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