How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business



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Tips To Manage Your Startup As A Busy Mom. By admin Business. Running your own business can provide you with the financial freedom you’ve always dreamed of, and the opportunity to schedule work when it best meets your needs. If you’re a mother, these factors are already likely important to you. However, when you are.

  1. Listening to my inner voice has never failed me, and I always recommend my clients do the same, whether it's their personal or professional life. If you are ever confused about your business.
  2. Use these tips to balance your life as a mother and a business owner in a sane, reasonable fashion: Set a Schedule, Stick With It When you’re trying to run a business and care for your family, the most important thing you can do is come up with a set schedule that works for you.
  3. Alternatively, use the following steps to create your Life Wheel by hand and assess your balance. (This allows you to define your own dimensions.) Start by downloading our free worksheet which contains a blank Wheel of Life diagram as shown in figure 2, below.

There’s no doubt that we live in an era where moms are itching to get back to work sooner than ever after baby comes. But, heading back to our jobs, whether it’s part-time, full-time, or even working from home, while being a round-the-clock parent in most definitely a balancing act. From artists and musicians to entrepreneurs and those at the peak of the corporate ladder, we’ve had the privilege to sit down with an incredible amount of working mothers and ask them: How do you balance motherhood and work? So, if you want to hear just how they do it, read below as 20+ mom-bosses chime in.

Lisa Moir, mother to 9-year-old son Finn Fox and 2-year-old daughter James.
“Finding ways to work smarter, not harder, as a freelancer, has been the true key to finding a better balance between my home life and work life. It took some time, learning from mistakes, resourcefulness, hiring support when I needed it, a little extra planning, and working in blocks of time so I can get larger chunks accomplished. I instituted my own policy that I check emails only certain times a day unless it’s vital to a project, so that I’m at my most efficient. Efficiency is key in order to keep some time, not only for Finn, but to give myself a little break, once a week, for a massage or a hike or anything that will keep my own cup full so that I can continue to fill his.”

Elizabeth Antonia, mother to 7-year-old daughter Elodie and 4-year-old daughter Francesca.
“The only thing that creates a sense of balance is keeping a routine during the week. If everyone knows what the daily rhythms are, we are all a lot more calm. Francesca is not in pre-school full time, so I have her home some days and Elodie is in 2nd grade. I do not have a nanny or extra childcare. I pick Elodie up from school every day, so my work day is fast and furious. I want to at least do this until Francesca starts Kindergarten in two years and our family is sacrificing to make that happen. I stay up late a lot and when I am on set, I have to get a sitter.”

Megan Papay, mother to 9-year-old daughter Piper.
“When we decided to start Freda, I realized that I needed to be okay with Piper being with a sitter during the day. There were growing pains and guilt with this decision, but over time it was evident that she is okay, I love what I do, and I am proud of what I do. She is seeing me at my happiest, she is seeing me work hard, she sees me celebrate wins, problem solve, work with others, and create something I am really passionate about. I realized that this is a gift to her and it helps balance me not always being there with her. Now that she is older she comes to the office from 3-6 after school. She does homework, art projects, sorts shoes, etc. and I love having her there. At home we ‘shut off’ from 6-8 to focus on dinner, board games, homework, and reading. At the moment, everything is working pretty seamlessly.”

Christine Alcalay, mother to Thy-Lan, 13, Simone, 8, and Liem, 2.
“This is the most difficult part for me. I know that my work makes me a better mother and vice versa. Mindfulness is what I try to achieve in all the different aspects of my life. I try not to wear too many hats at once, but instead, remove one hat before putting on another. Trying to avoid the overlapping of all the aspects of life is almost impossible, but I find the key is to focus attention on what is the most pressing. When I feel pressured or pulled in many directions, I always ask myself what would matter most in five years. The answer becomes quite clear—my balance comes from the happiness of my family and my accomplishments long term.”

Anine Bing, mother to 5-year-old daughter Bianca and 3-year-old son Benjamin.
“I’m not sure there is this ‘perfect balance’ that we’re all striving for. However, I’ve learned to be more focused when I’m at work and be present when I’m with my kids. Running your own business means that you’re never completely off, but it also means that you can schedule your own agenda, which helps.”

Heidi Merrick, mother to 6-year-old daughter Hiver and 2-year-old son Alfie.
“With constant attention to both.”

Mo Clancy, mother to 7-year-old son Magellan.
“Honestly, it’s not easy and I don’t always balance it that well. But every day I get up and try to do the best I can. As long as I always put Magellan as the priority, I can do it. Two things that really help are 1.) Planning—I sit down on Sunday nights and really plan out my week and time. 2.) Rituals—Magellan and I have specific times each week, whether it’s me going to his swim lesson or Friday night slumber party, that we do every week. I never miss them.”

Jenni Kayne, mother to Tanner and Ripley.
“I make a conscious decision to balance my time. When I’m home with the kids, my phone is away and my laptop is closed so I can really be present.”

Angela Lindvall, mother to 14-year-old son Dakota and 11-year-old son Sebastian.
“It took a while to find peace in it. I always wanted to be a mom, and didn’t want to jeopardize my involvement and relationship with my boys from making work #1. It’s a challenge. I learned that fear holds us back and that ultimately following our heart, we are always taken care of. It’s just about finding the right balance, budget, where we focus our energy, and what it is that truly makes us happy. I feel I have. As soon as I surrendered and trusted, things seem to fall into place. I certainly still have growth and challenges, it’s an ongoing process. But it’s all a part of growth and worth it.”

Karen Mordechai, mother to 5-year-old daughter Sophia.
“Total work in progress, but one thing I’ve learned to do is to include Sophia in my work. She just loves it. She loves food and cooking, and going to markets with me. I’ve even see her shoot her food on my phone and she’s been really into Julia Child videos.”

Shiva Rose, mother to daughters Colette and Charlotte.
“I try to shut down work after 4pm, so I can make dinner with my girls and be present.”

Carolyn Murphy, mother to 16-year-old daughter Dylan.
“It takes a village. Like most working mothers, I have to have help and create boundaries. I wouldn’t say my industry was always understanding of this, but I it helps having an agent that has children herself.”

Amanda Chantal Bacon, mother to 5-year-old son Rohan.
“Just thinking about balance is stressful in itself. I try to embrace what each day brings. Some days I’m fully present, others I can’t get anything done. I no longer have any expectations and just roll with it. I find comfort and balance in that.”

Temi Adamolekun, mother to 3-year-old son Rayo.
“Like most mums I know, it’s an ongoing process trying to figure that one out. Balance is an elusive ideal, so I just do the best I can to enjoy the flexibility of working for myself and be present with Rayo when I’m with him. Rayo goes to bed relatively early (6:30), so that provides me a window of time to catch up on work before Tobi gets home.”

Claire Oswalt, mother to sons, 4-year-old Ozzie and 1-year-old Hagen.
“Oh, hell yeah. This is probably the toughest and most emotion-evoking question for me to answer. Working while mothering children is an amateur circus act of spinning plates. I always have an eye on every plate, making it impossible to truly watch and enjoy the beauty of just one plate spinning. The feeling of being ‘stretched thin’ is constant. But the best part about my new circus act is that I no longer do it for the attention of the larger audience, but really for just those two children sitting up front.”

Ulla Johnson, mother to Soren, Asher, and Agnes.
“It’s impossible, really. Just do your best! Hopefully our daughters will have it figured out.”

Sue Tsai, mother to 10-year-old son Nico.
“I am a workaholic, so I can work around the clock. But I have realized that time is so precious and I need to shut work off when I am with him. He is growing much too fast and I don’t want to miss a moment.”

Bronagh Staley, mother to son Fointan and daughter Isis.
“It is really difficult. I often feel guilty for focusing on work as much as I do, but owning a business makes it very difficult to turn work off. On the other hand, being my own boss enables me to not have a set schedule, so I am always there for my kids. We are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. Fortunately and unfortunately, since so much of what I do can be done on the phone, work is often mixed into family time.”

Michelle LeBlanc, mother to daughters, Lila and Louisa.
“I think the scrappy, ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ non-business plan I stumbled into has actually worked really well for balancing work and motherhood. I initially had a very small online consignment shop and used what I was making from that to start the online shop, with just two lines. It grew really incrementally from there, and I worked out of my house up until three years ago. There wasn’t a grand scheme to grow a giant business from the get-go, so it could ebb and flow as needed. I realized the value of finding amazing people to do all the day-to-day things that I didn’t need to do, so I could spend more time with my girls. I have the best help ever—Kelsee who runs all the day-to-day at the shop, and Brittany, who watches the girls. Now I’m able to work four days a week and my husband is really the best field trip dad. He is always planning out epic Saturday jaunts and is able to hang out with them in the mornings, too. It’s always a work in progress though—it’s definitely not effortless!”

Skye Parrott, mother (and step-mom) to son Stig and daughter Oona.
“I’m lucky, in that, being self-employed, I have a lot of flexibility in my daily schedule. If I’m not shooting, I make my own schedule, which means I can choose to take the afternoon off, pick the kids up from school, and take them to the playground. Doing that is one of the ways I reconcile myself with having to travel and be away for days or weeks at a time. I’m also lucky to have a partner who is a very hands-on dad, and whose schedule also allows him to jump in, when I need him to. We also have a great nanny. All of those things make a huge difference in allowing me to be a full-time parent and have a career that I love.”

Cindy Diprima, mother to son, Louis, and daughter, Sally.
“I’m not sure that I do! I am constantly striving to get my work done during the day so I can log off in the evenings and be purely present for my kids. However, I do run a start-up and when I’m styling, there are two businesses to look after. Laurent is such an incredibly attentive and intuitive dad. We give different things to our kids, but I know that when I’m working late or on the weekend, they are getting no end of love and attention.”

Eliza Kenan, mother to 8-year-old daughter Una Mae.
“I prioritize motherhood, possibly at the expense of my career. I’m allowing myself the space to change my mind in a few months or years, but for right now it feels good. I still need to pay the studio rent every month, but I’d rather skip a new pair of shoes to spend more time with my family.”

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The trick is to be completely present wherever you are.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

is all the rage these days. Unfortunately, it seems that most of what we have been told is a lie.

Here are 10 myths regarding work-life balance that are stressing you out and setting you up for failure.

1. It’s actually about achieving balance.

This is the biggest misconception regarding work-life balance. The hard truth is that balance doesn’t exist. It would be great if it did but our lives don’t exist in silos.

No matter how hard you try, there will be times when work bleeds into your and vice versa. Just because you clock out for the day doesn’t mean that you’re 100 percent free from work. You may still have to respond to an email or review your schedule. As an entrepreneur, you’re always thinking about work in some capacity.

If balance doesn’t exist, then what’s the solution? For Meeta Vengapally, founder and CEO of Garnysh, it’s integration. The integration is needed because “it’s about not separating the compartments of your life, but rather thinking of them in terms of the whole.” For example, when you’re at your child’s game, you can have a quick business call. If you have to run errands for work, ask for a friend who wants to tag along.

Another option is to take the approach. “I think work-life harmony is a good framework,” Bezos told Thrive Global. “I prefer the word ‘harmony’ to the word ‘balance’ because balance tends to imply a strict tradeoff.”

If you’re happy outside of work, then you’ll be more productive and energized in the workplace. And, if you’re fulfilled with your work, then you’re more content at home.

Related: The First Step to Achieving Work-Life Balance? Stop Calling It That

2. Life needs to be compartmentalized.

Another myth is that we need to compartmentalize life. For some of us, that means an even 50-50 split where we spend half of our at work and the other at home. For others, it’s dividing our days into 8-8-8 hour blocks. This longstanding mentality is that we should spend eight hours at work, sleep for another eight, and set aside eight hours for leisure and social activities.

The thing is that it’s not possible to evenly divide your time like this. There will be days when you put in 10 hours of work. The tradeoff is that there will be others when you only work for a couple of hours.

Instead of forcing yourself to compartmentalize your life, devote the right amount of time on your current priorities. If you’re approaching a deadline, then you may need to put in long hours working. You may miss out on with your family and friends at the moment. However, when you meet that deadline and celebrate with a vacation, then that’s when you make up that quality time.

3. You can have it all.

Even if you have created a schedule that allows you to exercise, spend time with your inner circle and get all of your work done, you’re still making a sacrifice somewhere. If I want to help my business grow, then I will have to travel frequently. Whether it is to check in on my remote team or speaking at a conference, I will be out of town and unable to spend that time with my family.

How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business

As Evernote CEO Chris O’Neill told the New York Times, “The truth is that it’s not easy balancing work with family. I travel a bunch. I don’t get home in time for dinner on a regular basis. Saturday is the thing that’s closest to sacrosanct.”

Don’t fall for the trap that you can have it all or doing everything that you want. Sometimes you have to give certain things up while pursuing your goals and dreams. The sooner you realize this, the faster you’ll be able to cut the unnecessary out from your life until you’ve reached your goal.

4. Time management is the answer.

I’m all for time management. At the same time, it’s an outdated concept. Most of the time management techniques we put on a pedestal were created before we were connected 24/7.

I wish I could completely unplug to free me of distractions or unwind. The reality is that as a business owner, I can’t go completely off the grid. To counter this, you have to be selective with how you spend your time. That means spending your energy on the right actions at the right time.

5. Technology will give you more free time.

has definitely made life much more comfortable. However, it’s not guaranteed to add more hours to your day magically. For example, you can use chatbots to handle necessary customer service inquiries. Artificial intelligence can give you smart suggestions on how to schedule a meeting. But, you still need to interact with customers personally and plan your own productive meeting.

In other words, technology is an assist. But, it’s not going to do everything for literally. You still need to put in a little effort.

6. It’s what employees care about most.

While employees enjoy flexibility, it’s not always at the top of their list. For most of them, they want meaningful work. Additionally, they crave recognition and want to work for an empathetic .

Again, balance is essential for your team. But, making sure that your team knows how they fit into the larger picture, acknowledged for their hard work and understanding their needs trumps balance.

Related: What Employees Really Want (No, it's Not About Money)

7. The early bird catches the worm.

I wake up at 5:15 am. A lot of successful people do. The idea is that if you’re up bright and early, you have more time to get things done. As a result, you’ll have more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

But that doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are more productive at night. Also, whether you realize it or not, you’re adding more work hours to your day. That’s not terrible when there’s a deadline or a fire to put out. But, that’s not good for the long-term cause you’re going to burn yourself out.

The key is to work around your productivity peaks. So, if you’re more alert and focused around 10 a.m., then it may not be beneficial to set your alarm at 4 a.m.

8. You never have to work during off-hours.

Perhaps the leading argument for work-life balance is that you never have to work during “off-hours.” Entrepreneurs don’t always have that luxury. Sometimes we do have to be tapped into our business while on vacation or having downtime with the family. And, some of us enjoy what we do so much that work can’t be turned off just because we’re not at the office.

Having a fulfilled life, then, doesn’t mean always sticking to strict boundaries. If you’re in the zone and want to work, go ahead. And, when there’s nothing you would rather do than play board games with your family, then don’t feel guilty about tuning out work during that moment.

9. The less you work, the happier you’ll be.

Just because you’re able to crank out all of your work in 20 hours doesn’t mean that you’ll be happy. I know plenty of people you don’t put in excessive Elon Musk hours who are miserable. And, some folks don’t mind putting in 40 plus hours a week.

In other words, it's not about how many hours you work or do something you love. It’s about the quality of how you’re spending your time.

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Related: 20 Secrets to Living a Happier Life

10. Everything has to be scheduled.

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Essential tasks and appointments always go into my calendar. But, that doesn’t mean you have to schedule your entire life literally. It’s unrealistic and adds more stress to you’re already hectic life. And, it’s been found that people are happier when leisure activities happen spontaneously.

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So while you should use your calendar to keep your life organized, don’t overdo it. Leave blank spaces so that you can grab coffee with a friend or sit back and process your day.