Mother’s Day is now behind us (hopefully you enjoyed your seven minutes of fame that day!) and it’s back to business as usual. While it’s no secret that juggling motherhood and running a business is challenging, putting some effort into aligning these two facets of your life can set you up for success.
I spoke to several mumpreneurs to uncover their top mindset hacks for successfully running a business without letting go of their supermum status. Here’s what they said.
Outsource the hard stuff
You’re smart, capable and hardworking, but that doesn’t mean you should do it all. Outsourcing the tasks that eat up too much of your precious time will free you to focus on the things that matter.
At work, delegate some of your tasks or consider hiring a virtual assistant to help you cut down on your admin time. You can also outsource at home by using a meal delivery service or hiring a nanny to look after your kids for a few hours a week.
Behind every great mumpreneur is a team of outsourced help, so ignore that nagging voice saying you should be able to do it all yourself and delegate, delegate, delegate.
Remember who’s number one
Spoiler alert: it’s you. If your wheels fall off, both your family and your business risk crashing down around you. Self-care might be an overused word these days, but it’s critically important for both mums and entrepreneurs.
Looking after yourself doesn’t need to involve long days at expensive spas. It might be as simple as parking the car on the side of the road for 10 minutes and belting out your favourite song before picking up the kids from daycare. Carving out small moments for yourself within your day will do wonders for your well-being.
Seek out advice
It takes a village to be a mumpreneur and that includes seeking wisdom to help you succeed in both areas of your life. In business, it pays to listen to your team’s input or hire a business coach. Inviting fresh perspectives can help you overcome challenges and grow your business.
With all the pressure mums feel to be effortlessly perfect in motherhood, asking for help can be daunting. There are countless podcasts, books and online parenting classes that can help you sharpen your parenting skills without outing yourself as a “bad mother” (you’re not!). You could also engage a sleep consultant or parenting coach for a few sessions to gain some valuable advice and insight.
Stay on top of all your schedules
If you have an old-school calendar at home for family activities, an online calendar for business meetings and scraps of paper with other important engagements floating around everywhere, you’re bound to forget important events.
Block out your children’s activity times in your online calendar and send meeting requests without delay for every business phone call you set up. Centralising all your commitments will ensure you stay on top of everything.
Keep it simple
Embracing a minimalistic mindset can do wonders for your well-being. Eliminating clutter has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels, improve focus, boost productivity and even improve relationships with others.
Try to set up your home and workspace to make everything you need easily accessible and regularly clear out stuff you don’t use. Spending just a couple of hours a month doing this could have a significant impact on both your work and home life.
Rock it as a mumpreneur
No one said juggling work and family life was easy, but a few simple tweaks can streamline your life and boost your success and happiness.
