Mompreneurs: Tips for Professional and Personal Success
If you’re a mom and a business owner, you know first hand how hard it can be to juggle your professional and personal lives. Your kid’s school is calling you because your daughter forgot her homework, and you’re trying to meet your clients’ needs too. It’s a lot for anyone. First off, you should know that you’re not alone. The Department of Labor estimates that 57 percent of women work outside of the home. Second, you should know that there are plenty of resources out there that can help you. By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to achieve a better work and life balance.
Find Quality Child Care
If you have it in the budget, you’ll want to try to find either a great babysitter or a day care center for your child. That way, you’ll have a few uninterrupted hours where you can focus on completing as much work as possible. By researching a high-quality child-care provider, you can rest assured that your child is in good hands while you’re running your business. In an individual babysitter, you’ll want to look for someone who has good references and plenty of experience. Parents.com suggests even scheduling a paid play date so you can see how your child and the babysitter get along. In a day care facility, you’ll want to search for a place that has flexible hours, a low student to teacher ratio, employees who have had their background checks and up-to-date licenses. Be sure to ask your friends for personal recommendations, too.
Take Time for Yourself
Many working moms are often so busy fulfilling work and familial duties that they often forget to take care of themselves. If this sounds like you, pencil some “me” time into your schedule. Have lunch with a friend sans kids. Book a spa treatment. Take a bubble bath. Even if it’s just for an hour once a week, taking care of yourself is paramount. The only way you’ll be able to take care of all your other responsibilities is if you’re taking good care of yourself.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
If you can swing it, try to only work eight hours every day. Keeping your work and home life separate is key to maintaining balance. The following tips can help increase your productivity. Make a to-do list and work on checking all the tasks off before the end of the day. Try not to check email past 5 p.m. Turn down assignments if you won’t have time to complete them. Put your phone on silent starting around 6 p.m. and only answer non-work calls.
Give Yourself a Break
Most importantly, you’ll want to let go of perfection. Things will never be perfect. It’s OK if the house isn’t tidy. Your kids don’t need to eat a home-cooked meal each and every night. Likewise, it’s also perfectly fine to let them watch TV in the afternoons. The laundry doesn’t have to be done a certain way each and every single day. Plenty of moms feel guilty when they don’t have time to take care of everything around the house. But you’re working hard, and it’s difficult to do both. You can let a few things go every once in a while.
If you’re searching for a way an easy way to give your kids a fun activity that’s still educational, try creating a free double puzzle. Kids will love how engaging this puzzle is. First, they unscramble clue words and then use letters to figure out the final word. It will teach them all about spelling, and it’s a breeze to create. You’ll love how it keeps your kids occupied, and your kids’ teachers will appreciate your child’s growing vocabulary.
