4 Ways to Balance Business and Parenthood

Something I will admittedly say is I struggle at being a mompreneur.  Starting a small business was something my heart chased fiercely, but I never imagined I would do it with a sweet girl in my shadows.  I create art as a full time job working with sharp edges and invested in a large amount of bandages.  I am an impossible morning person and by the time 9 pm sneaks up on me, I am wore slap out from being Mom. Having a three year old princess leaves me with tons of questions, stories, dance parties, and “look at this”, having less and less work production in my studio.  There came a time when I had to sit with myself and make some barriers, as heartbreaking as it seemed.

1. Make one priority over the other. This was very hard at first.  I had to make a schedule for my girl to follow and sneak off when I could.  I found that between lunch and naptime, she could have an hour of educational videos.  I could set my laptop on her table on the safe side of my studio so she could see me but still be occupied.  After I put her to nap, I replace my laptop with finger paints or markers for an extra hour of art time together.  That revelation was a life saver.  I’ve learned that creating my daughter a workstation gives us both the freedom and restraints we need from each other while we are getting work done.
2. Sometimes doing nothing is a great option. Sometimes the Mom Hat needs to come off and the Businessperson Hat needs to stay down. That’s when you find a sitter and get your nails done.  In my case, I grab a coffee and find some live music to zone out to.  Recharging your mind and body is greatly necessary to be able to wear your hats well.  Trust me, one scheduled You Day can change the rest of your month.
3. Focus on one thing at a time. If you have fifteen things on your parenting plate, and twenty more on the business plate, you aren’t going to get any of it done if you attempt to clear both plates all at once.  You have to acknowledge the hat you are wearing at that one specific time and clear that plate one item at a time to keep your morale up and your panic attacks down.
4. Be flexible with your schedule. This is still the hardest thing for me to conquer.  As I mentioned in number one, I have work time immediately in the middle of mom time.  Sometimes, though, we have a family dinner or a baseball game to attend that interferes with the evening work schedule I hold myself to.  Welcome the mental breaks on occasion but don’t make them an excuse to procrastinate. Don’t feel obligated to miss every occasion, but also make sure you give yourself permission to miss some.  Stay flexible.