5 tips for moms in business.
Photo by Matilda Wormwood
You may have imagined the first year of motherhood as a romanticized time when you would operate your business and do freelance work while your child napped and breastfed. It turns out that taking care of a newborn doesn’t leave any time for anything else. Running a business and being a mom is like having two full-time jobs. While there isn’t a magic wand to help you strike a balance between having kids and running a business or following your job objectives, you may be as prepared as you can be by staying informed. With that said, here are five tips for moms in business.
Make time for yourself
It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself when you’re operating a business and caring for a family. Everyone needs time to recharge on a regular basis. You should be kind to yourself and recognize that each day and each moment are unique and call for something you may not have needed the day before. Some days, you may need music, an extra cup of coffee, and setting stronger boundaries, and other days, you may play with your child. It’s recommended that you take one day off each week and on that day don’t answer the phone, do work, and try to avoid thinking about things that usually bother you. In fact, knowing your worth and making time for yourself is just one of the useful ways that will help you run a business as a woman entrepreneur.
Rely more on outside help
The most unexpected lesson that parenting teaches you is how to let go, in addition to how to be patient, resilient, gentle, put things in perspective, and rely more on other people’s help. For instance, if you run an online business, you’ll need assistance with website management. You may stop worrying about your site not changing or about not having enough time to spend with your child by choosing a team of experts who offer website development services. If you choose a team of experts offering website development services, you won’t have to worry about your website stagnating or running out of time to spend with your child.
Establish healthy boundaries
Even though it often happens that you frequently tell your children no, it’s difficult to do the same when it comes to your business. However, if you agreed to every request, opportunity, and line of work, you would be so busy all the time that you wouldn’t have time for your family. But, keep in mind that no could mean another time that works for everyone, rather than not today or this week. Being a mother teaches you the value of setting priorities for where you want to focus your efforts. The importance of being there and spending time with your child becomes clear as a result. It motivates you to concentrate on tasks you believe are crucial and will advance your career. It teaches you that refusing something is actually beneficial.
Be flexible and prepare for the unexpected
Unexpected illnesses in children can be prepared for with forward planning. It’s suggested that each morning you make a list of your top three priorities for the day. A call to pick up a sick child can interrupt the rest of the day’s work, so take care of them first. Therefore, accept where you are and take things as they come. You will adjust more readily if you are more adaptable to the numerous changes that occur every few weeks. Once you accomplish that, you’ll notice that it also translates to other aspects of your life. Your child is constantly growing and pushing you to grow as well, so there isn’t a single way to achieve this.
Don’t feel guilty
Working mothers experience a range of forms of guilt, from feeling terrible for choosing to work to feel guilty for taking time off, and everything in between. There is nothing wrong with helping to provide for your family’s stability and financial security, as well as the college fund for the future. Additionally, it might be challenging to take time for ourselves without feeling guilty, especially when children require our attention, yet a rested parent is more effective than an overburdened parent.
Hopefully, this article has increased your understanding of what it takes to balance a career with being a full-time parent and, in turn, motivated you to be your best self.