10 Tips for Juggling the Mom Life and Small Business Life

I really haven’t been doing pregnancy updates along the way, but now that I’m in my third trimester, as a matter of fact, the due date is a couple of days away. So as I’m nesting, I thought I’d share a little bit about how I’m doing and give a few tips!

The second trimester was a breeze. I had so much energy, and I took advantage of it and tried to do as much as I can. The second trimester IMHO is quite a magical season in life. Compared to some other moms, I am really lucky to have almost no morning sickness and relatively healthy.

Now that I’m in the third trimester, it’s feeling way more real… and a little daunting, Deadlines are pressing, my to-do list seems never checked off, and I don’t know if Baby #2 is coming early or late. I realize that not only will my life be shaken up but everyone else’s, especially my 3-year-old. I often try not to dwell too much on how things will be different because no matter how much I plan or anticipate, it will look different. Yet when people ask how they can be thinking of me or how I am doing, I almost always tear up. Because I know life will look different and deep inside I am a little anxious with how little I can control.

With all that being said, I am often asked

How do you juggle life as a creative, a small business owner, and a mom, while expecting a second baby?

And if you’ve read the above, the very honest answer is— I don’t know. I feel very out of my depth and taking a day at a time. However, here are a few practical tips. I’m going to separate it into business tips and then general tips.

10 TIPS for the MOMPREUNEUR/ SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

1. Write it all down. I still keep a tangible planner and cannot live without it. I love the Moleskine Weekly Planner because on one side I jot all my to-do lists and notes down, and the other side is all my events and things to do that week.

2. Build Your Agenda the Day Before aka brain dump. I learned this from Bonnie Christine’s podcast — The Professional Creative. Before you leave your desk for the day, write down EVERYTHING you can think of. Then, list the top 5 things you need to accomplish the next day.

3. Note when you work best. Are you a night owl or a morning bird? I work best 5am-11am, of course with breakfast and coffee in between. So I save those hours for creative work and important work (see next point). If possible, I try not to schedule any appointments, meetings, or calls before 11am.

4. Differentiate the urgent vs. the important. The urgent will always feel like it needs to be addressed now and immediately. Do not let the tyranny of the urgent get you. It is a terrible taskmaster. The urgent may need your attention and action, but usually, they have a short-term impact. Save those for your “less efficient hours.” Whereas the important tasks align with your goals, values, and vision. They have a long-term impact and contribute to your success and satisfaction. You can read more about urgent and important here.

5. Separate your roles. Try to create a routine/ schedule so you know what times are designated for just your small business or just your children. This will help you find balance as a working mom, so that when you’re with your kids, you’ll be able to focus on being with them, but when you will be able to go into deep work.

6. Delegate. It takes a village, whether that’s raising children or building a business. This is something that I am still very much learning, but when I am able to let go of my control and recognize that other people are better at something than I am and can help, let them take it on. In Ryan Holiday’s book, Ego is the Enemy, he says, “The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice, because it prevents us from getting any better.” When we can let go of the notion that I will do it best, that’s when you can champion other people to do it.

7. It’s okay to say “no”. I’m the queen of saying “yes”, and I am here to remind you it is OKAY and good to say “no.” Opportunities will always come, but you cannot turn back time. When you say yes to something, you are always saying no to something else.

8. Keep yourself healthy. Sleep. Take a break. It’s easy to throw everything to the wayside and forget to take care of yourself. You are your biggest asset. If you are not taking care of yourself, everything else will fall apart. “We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.” - Stephen Covey

9. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s so easy to look at other business owners and think how quickly they are growing or how often they are posting. And then also look at other parents and think how they’re attending every game or volunteering at such and such. However, comparison is the thief of joy. You actually don’t know the full picture. Yes, you may not be doing exactly what they are doing, but that doesn’t mean you are not doing what you need to be doing.

10. Remember your why. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Try to find a day every quarter to just remind yourself why you do your art. Sometimes that means finding a friend or your spouse to talk through it. But, when you forget your why, everything can feel urgent. You need to know your why to stay centered.

I hope these tips help you as you juggle your different roles in life. Running your own business while trying to raise a family and be a healthy human is not a task for the fainthearted. The good thing is you do not have to do it alone.

To my fellow expectant moms, friends of moms, and business owners, I’d love to encourage you that it’s okay to feel like you are not doing it all and to enjoy the season at hand. Let’s celebrate all the new things that come in new seasons, one step at a time.