7 Life-Changing Tips for Mom Entrepreneurs

Do you admire mothers who run their own business? Are mom entrepreneurs your idols? While you struggle to get every-day things done, they seem to have accomplished the impossible. And they do it with a smile on their faces, while they are fit as a fiddle and bursting with energy.

The truth is that this is not always the case. Combining entrepreneurship with having children can be especially tricky. But being very organized, committed and self-aware will help you finally achieve the much-desired work-life balance.

Follow these seven life-changing tips to help become a successful mom entrepreneur yourself and find your equilibrium:

1. Take care of yourself first

Sometimes you will notice that your business requires extra work; sometimes your kids will need further attention. But the most difficult thing to appreciate is when you are the one who needs some care. When you are a mother and an entrepreneur, it is essential to switch off the background noise and listen to your body, before you have a mental breakdown. The sooner you learn how to put this into practice, the better for your work-life balance.

Some simple tips are to schedule weekly exercise, such as yoga, Pilates, aerobics, running, or whatever workout helps you disconnect from the world and re-connect with yourself. Your body and mind will also appreciate a monthly massage, to recharge your energy. And don’t forget to find time to meet up with your friends for a coffee or a night out.

Remember to take care of yourself and only then will you be ready to look after your family, employees, and clients. Not the other way around.

2. Organizational skills are the key to productivity

A common issue among mom entrepreneurs is that the day doesn’t seem to have enough hours in it. That is why the exceptional organization will be vital to making it all work. A good practice is to use a color-coded calendar to mark business activities and kids stuff. That way, instead of your calendar controlling you, you will know what to do and when you need to do it.

Create a realistic schedule and stick to it. At work, pay particular attention to developing your business processes and follow them. At home, prepare meals in advance and do your grocery shopping online. Eating healthy while saving time is possible!

3. Delegate what others can do

Do not try to do it all. Both in the office and at home, find competent people and delegate work. Think about all those tasks that don’t require you to be hands-on and come up with procedures to get other people to perform them.

At work, it may be a good idea to outsource or hire collaborators who are as flexible as you and, if possible, remote co-workers. This will help you to stop multi-tasking, so you can put all your focus on one thing at a time and live in the present.

4. Get up early, before the kids are awake

The first hours of the morning can be precious. When the kids are still in bed and the silence fills your home, you can catch up with your emails and plan your priorities for the day. Once they are up and after your morning routine, you can take them to school and then start working with a clear, stress-free mind, as you will be aware of what the day has in store for you.

5. Use the time with your kids to recharge your energy

Kids are so full of energy that it can feel tiring just trying to keep up with them. But actually, children’s enthusiasm and joy can be contagious and so parents can use their time with their kids to help boost their own energy levels.

Take them to the swimming pool or the park. If you don’t have much time, play their favorite game at home. Focus on spending time and having fun together. See how much you can learn from them and observe your creativity, productivity, and energy grow.

6. Never lose perspective

When you have doubts, think about why you started both a business and a family. And treat the responsibilities accordingly. Every time you have a commitment to make or you are feeling burned out, reassess your mission and put everything in perspective.

To do so, it is a good practice to write down your personal and professional objectives, so you can always refer back to them when you need it most. And remember that according to research conducted at Harvard Business School, by being a working parent, you’re setting an example for your children. And as Open Colleges expands on the study information, working parents are “more likely to raise successful daughters and empathetic sons.”

7. Be prepared for the unexpected

After finishing your daily, weekly and monthly plans, and making all the necessary arrangements to stick to them, unexpected items will pop up. It is normal. Kids get ill while you have to work and clients may need your help when you are on holiday. Knowing this, try to minimize the impact of these events and find your balance without obsessing.

Being a mother and being an entrepreneur are not so different after all. Both require large amounts of time, commitment, and exceptional organizational skills. To find your work-life balance as a mother entrepreneur, schedule a realistic and in-detail calendar and stick to it. And at the same time, build your adaptive capacity, because you never know when you are going to need it.