Your life as a parent running a business is going to go through so many evolutions; you will grow, they will grow, and your business will (hopefully) grow too.
Having spent almost 14 years juggling motherhood and business, my goal today is to share some helpful, non-judgmental awareness with you.
Thought #1
Working when they sleep is great. And please take advantage of this when you are moving through that phase, but know that at some point this will not work anymore, and you will need a new strategy. It does not mean you have failed, and it does not mean you have to choose between one or the other, it’s just the first awareness that the life you have chosen (parenting & business) will need to evolve as your family does.
Thought #2
Realising you need time to yourself and choosing day-care is okay. Once I realised, I couldn’t manage both my child and my business at the exact same time I had to create a solution. For me, that was in the form of family day care a few days a week. Whatever solution you choose to know your child is well looked after and you can focus for the time you feel you need to it okay. It’s okay to decide to do something that supports you and your business.
Thought #3
Before and after school care are your friend. Working 9.30-2.30 is tough and some days it’s OK to know they are having fun with their friends after school or eating jam on toast for breakfast if it reduced stress within your day.
Thought #4
Now I am in the slightly later phases of motherhood (my little people are 11 & 13), I’ve been working on a few more parenting hacks: the first one – the school bus ROCKS. On the two days a week my big little people take the bus to and from school my whole day is different. I have more time for ME and I am much more productive. Hack number two involves teaching your kids to make their own school lunches. I choose to see this as an act of service in ensuring they can look after themselves but the amount of time and energy this frees up for me in the morning too is also a game-changer.
Thought #5
Understand that you have chosen a life where you blend parenthood and business. Some days it is going to absolutely suck and other days you will remember why you have chosen this life: when you can drop everything and be there for your child. But along the way it is important to remember to ask for what you need and to take care of you.
Not having clear lines between work and home make for downtime being more challenging and therefore you must have more awareness of how you make the delicate juggling act of parenting and business work for you.
