Tips for Balancing Business and Family

Being a mom and an entrepreneur is amazing. It gives me the ability to work while raising a family. However, challenges of juggling all the roles as a mom and an entrepreneur can get daunting at times. If adding a busy summer break to it really sends you into panic mode; then keep reading to find out my 5 tips on making the juggling a little easier.

1.Write out a list of all the tasks (for your business and family):

Having everything on paper keeps your stress levels down.

Constantly thinking about numerous tasks at hand can feel overwhelming and leave you stressed and de-motivated. It’s the feeling that you will never be able to get anything done, which I am sure many of you can relate to and the feeling I personally dread.

When blending a family and business there will always be a lot of items on the to do list; and the sooner you will take control of managing them, the easier your life will be. So take time every day to write out everything… and I mean everything that has to get done. Trust me once you do, you will realize that your tasks are managable. Our minds have a tendency to exaggerate many issues and overwhelm us. Don’t let it happen to you.

2.Prioritize:

Once you have all your tasks written out, prioritize them from the most essential ones (that absolutely have to be done that day) to the least essential ones (the ones that can be put off for the next day). Yes, that does mean that sometimes your laundry won’t get done and your house won’t look in tip top shape. But it really won’t make any difference when you think of it on a large scale. Realizing that it’s ok not to have everything done or perfect will alleviate a lot of stress.

3.Get the small stuff out of the way first:

I know many people say that you should tackle big projects first. However, what I find works best for me is getting the small stuff finished off prior to starting time consuming tasks. So if you have a list with 15 things to do and 3 of them are major ones and the other ones are a lot less time consuming and less intensive, get those out of the way first.

It feels sooo good to cross things off to do list. The more you cross off, the more accomplished you will feel and that will alleviate a lot of stress. Let’s face it, when you only have 3 things on your list (even though they are major projects) you will feel a lot less overwhelmed then if you accomplish 2 of those big projects and still have 13 left on your list.

4.Designate:

As moms and entrepreneurs, we have so many things to do for our family and our business that sometimes we need to designate some tasks to others. This is a challenging one for me.

As a type A personality I many times feel that in order to have things done properly, I have to do it. However, over the years I have learned to designate and it has made a huge difference. Whether hiring an assistant for your business or a cleaning lady for your house, doing so will make life a lot easier and a lot less stressful for you. So figure out what you mostly need help with and get someone to assist you with those tasks.

5.How to find help for your business without adding additional expenses:

Now that you know that you have to designate, I’m sure many of you are thinking where you will find room in your budget for that extra help. What I have done in the past is to trade services. This is the best way to get help with your business and around the house.

For example, if you don’t have time to do social media, find someone who does and see if you can exchange services or use it as a cross promotion for both of the businesses. Similarly if you need help at home such as babysitting and cleaning, call around other entrepreneurs and moms and find someone you can exchange the needed services with. It is important to stay connected to your local community and groups, because those networks and connections can really benefit you. Many entrepreneurs are in similar positions, so most are willing to help out for this mutual benefit.