Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship – I think it has to be the most asked question from mums running businesses to other mums running businesses – how do you make it all work? I think (for me) the answer is first deciding what it means by – making it work – and then respecting the season you are in to attempt for that to happen.
Right now for me with 3 young children (my eldest being just over 6 as I write this and youngest just over 1), Im acutely aware that my time, the time that I have day to day is with them and the family life. But, I still have a business and new ideas all the time that I want to bring to life. I refuse to think that I cant make it work, partly because I want it to and secondly because I’m now at peace with my approach. I cant dedicate hours and hours of time during the day unless I’m at a shoot for work -and even then, that cant be all the time. So what I have to do it break every task I have down into bite size chunks. Literally 15 minutes sections that I can complete. But, read that like there is never any frustration or that it happens easy. Some days it doesn’t happen. Sometimes I have to wait. Sometimes I need it to wait. Business will always take second place to family, but equally I dont want to be broke so I have to keep things moving – but at a pace that works.
We all have priorities that are important in our day. For me I need and want to be generally on top of the house. I know that the workload will never stop, but Ive also come to recognise that I need some sort of order in order for me to run a smooth ship so to speak. I’m currently in a stage of life where my middle one goes to school in September so the days that we have together I want to keep for him because when September comes life will change again and my ‘free’ time will be different. It’s a constant game of what I am willing to give up and what I’m not. What is going to come first and what’s not.
Next year we have some big plans family wise that we want to achieve which is going to cost a lot of money, which means I need to find time to make my business still run whilst not comprising on my boundaries. I know work will always be there – my time whilst my children are at this age – quite simply won’t. But, like I said in order for my to be able to get the big ideas manifested I need some flow of income.
I think we forget the fact that we are in the power to change everything that we want to do.
So here we are again at the question of how do you make it all work?
In short, you need to know your boundaries. You need to know what matters. What you prioritise – what is going to give you your peace and work from there. Because when we are in peace in ourselves we can power through fast paced crazy chaos and achieve big goals. But if we’re comprised we get stressed which leads to burn out, which helps no one.
So here’s the simple take home.
- Set out your goals
- Break them down into bitesize 15 minute tasks
- Know your boundaries
- Protect your boundaries
- Tweak and change as you need to
- Slow down but don’t stop.
Im here if you ever need to talk. You got this mama.
x
