If you’re a mompreneur, you’re a busy woman. You have your family and your business to take care of. And sometimes, it probably feels like your business is just another family.
Either way, mompreneurs have their hands full when it comes to juggling work and personal life.
With so many responsibilities, it can feel like you’re going to drop the ball, but there are ways to achieve equilibrium. Here are our top eight tips for mompreneurs everywhere.
-
Dress for Your Job
It might seem pointless to dress up when you’re working from home, but if you look good, you’ll feel good. And if you feel good, you’ll do good work!
This is based on The Psychology of Dress, headed by a researcher, Jennifer Baumgartner, Psy.D. Her research has found that dressing well creates a positive internal change which has dramatic effects on your productivity and creativity throughout the day.
-
Create an Office Space
You might work from home, but try to create boundaries between your living space and your office space. If you worked in a traditional office setting, you probably wouldn’t have the TV or radio on. You’d also have to keep food and drinks in a separate area, too.
Try to do the same when you’re at home. Keep TV and radio for your snack breaks. Just be sure that when you take a break, you actually move away from your working space and enjoy a change of scene.
-
Take Advantage of Productivity Tools
No products found.
There are many productivity hacks out there, so why not take full advantage of them. This way you can optimize your working hours and get everything checked off your to-do list before your kids come home from school.
Tools like The Productivity Planner can help you get a lot of work done in short, focused intervals.
Meal planning tools are also a life-saver and can keep delicious meals on the table without you having to resort to take-away or sub-par dinners every night.
-
Love What You Do
In an ideal world, everyone should love what they do. But as a mompreneur, it’s extra important that you truly love what you do. That’s because running your own business takes an insane amount of time and energy – time and energy that you spend away from your family.
Make sure your work as an entrepreneur is truly worth it and that the work really inspires and motivates you. Otherwise, you’re sure to burn out and then, it’s nearly impossible to be present for your children, partner, and business.
-
Be an Amazing Boundary Setter
Boundaries are imperative if you want to achieve work and life balance. Here are some simple ways to establish borders so that work and family commitments don’t intrude and compete with each other (too much!).
- Create a separate email account for your business. This way, when you finish work for the day, you won’t be constantly reminded of it when you check your personal email accounts.
- Create a strict schedule and follow it! Your schedule should include breaks, during which you walk away from your desk. Your schedule should also have non-negotiable time for you and your family. This helps your children and partner see that they’re important to you.
- Say “No.” This can be very hard for women to do. Women are naturally very good at multitasking, and they don’t want to let their team or family down. As a mompreneur, you can feel an equal desire to give 100% to both work and family activities. But it’s important to admit that you can’t do it all, and that’s okay. Learning to say “No” means you’ll have less stress and guilt around decision-making.
-
There’s No Shame in Getting Help
It’s true, you can probably clean the house, buy the groceries and run all the other errands that other moms do. But if that leaves you exhausted and resentful, why not get help? Consider hiring a housecleaner, or having your groceries delivered to you.
Can you carpool with other parents? Or hire a responsible nanny or babysitter to help you take better care of your children? There’s no shame in admitting that you need help. You’re a busy, successful entrepreneur, and knowing how to delegate is your key to success!
-
Include Your Children
One of the reasons why mompreneurs feel so stressed is that they think they have to separate their family life from their work life. And that’s hard to do, isn’t it? So, why not consider including your family in your business?
Your child doesn’t have to work for you, but why not let them be present with you? They can sit quietly and do their homework in the office with you. They can come to meetings with you, too.
This engagement will help your children grow in maturity and learn to respect others. Children are very bright and intelligent and you’d be surprised how much they’ll pick up. Who knows? Maybe they’ll start their own businesses one day!
Hanna Baror-Padilla, the founder of an eco-fashion brand, Sotela, learned many important lessons, just by observing her mother’s own business.
No products found.
-
Be at Peace with Your Decision
Sometimes, you won’t be able to make all your children’s commitments. And as mothers, it’s easy to beat yourself up about this. That’s why it’s 100% necessary for you to feel at peace with your decisions, whether they are decisions you make for your job or your family.
Business owner and actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, says that it’s important to forgive yourself if you choose work over children. As she says, “You can’t be in two places at once. You can’t be at a board meeting and the basketball semifinals.” So, whenever you make a decision, commit to it and bring forgiveness and serenity to that decision. Your work and family will benefit.
Guilt and shame can be common feelings for mompreneurs who are torn between work and family. But that doesn’t have to be your experience.
Even though balancing your own business and personal life is a constant effort, you can do it with grace and confidence.
