As a mom and business owner, my challenges are yours—How do I fit it all in and balance my family’s needs with those of my business?
I usually keep my tips focused solely on your business, but today, I’m sharing a couple of tips that work at home too!
- Work with a schedule in mind. Having a schedule, even a loose one, will keep you on track. A little bit of up front planning saves time in the end.
- Use a central calendar to plot out monthly activities. Whether you use a PDA (personal digital assistant) or a paper planner, keeping a calendar with scheduled activities handy is a must. Personally, I prefer electronic calendars with built in reminders that ring or buzz at a preset time before an appointment to make sure I’m not late. Input everything from doctor’s visits, soccer practice, school trips to “date night”. Then get in the habit of checking your calendar at the start of each day. Knowing what’s coming ahead, helps you avoid schedule pit falls and double booking.
- Prioritize–think about what really matters. Start each day with a list of the 2-3 things that you absolutely want to get done no matter what. Make them your priority and focus only on those things (barring emergencies).
- Do What You Can and Don’t Stress the Rest–Do what you can and learn to let go of the guilt for the things you can’t get to. Even if you’re wearing your Supermom cape, you won’t be able do everything all the time. Don’t beat yourself up when things slip through the cracks. Regroup and try again the next day.
- Learn To Say “NO!” Say “no” or “not right now” to the things that steal time away from you. It could be the bridal shower for your best friends’ cousin-in-law’s sister, or that second trip to the coffee shop that steals your time. Be stingy with your time—it’s precious. Save it for the people and things that really matter
- Don’t’ forget to schedule “Me Time.” Taking even just 20 minutes to do something for your self is refreshing and helps you focus!
Have a great idea for managing the juggling act? Send me a note to let me know about it–nicole@visionsps.com