Being a mother is a full-time job. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t also be professionally successful. Many women manage to juggle both responsibilities like the celebrity Jessica Alba. Her success in both professional and personal life shows that a woman can have it all. If you are wondering whether you can also do it, here are a few tips that should help.
Know Your Limitations
The first thing that you have to remember is that you have limits. Many working mothers often think that they should do everything. However, that is not realistic. Think about what you can realistically achieve and have them as your stopping point. For example, if you can only work 30 hours a week while being a mother, that should be your limit. Knowing that you only have that much time can allow you to plan around those limits. This also goes for the goals that you set yourself. While it is nice to make a million dollars a year, if that pushes you too far, then you should aim for a lower goal.
Make Two Plans
An easy way to balance your two lives as a mother and an entrepreneur is to have two separate schedules. One schedule is for your home, and the other is for your work. With two separate plans laid out, you can see what needs to be done. These can change because of some circumstances, but having an idea of your tasks can allow you to better handle them. Do this scheduling every Sunday evening to be sure about the week ahead.
Don’t Forget to Do Some Self-care
Something that a lot of busy moms forget is the act of self-care. You can’t do all the tasks you set for yourself if you are not healthy or energetic enough to do them. There are dozens of acts of self-care that you can do for yourself. They can be as small as a light nap every few hours or treating yourself to a special dessert after a successful meet. The important thing is to do them regularly.
Additionally, this is better if you do it with your family. For example, you can have a special dinner with them every week. This allows you to connect with them and show your love to them.
Get Some Outside Help
Recognizing you can’t do everything opens the door to looking for help from others. This can be both in your professional and personal lives. For example, if you know you’re bad at online marketing or are too busy to do it, then hiring a skilled digital solution agency is a good idea. If you can’t do the cleaning or cooking at home, contacting an agency to send a housekeeper can be a big help. If you’re a successful entrepreneur, you will have the money for these, so put them on your budget.
Be Ready to Say No
Knowing your limitations also allow you to say “no” when necessary. There are many times in your life where you will be asked to do something but can’t commit for various reasons. For example, your friend wants some help in their own business or wants to have you over for a long dinner. If you can fit them into your schedule, then that’s great. But if you can’t, don’t ever feel guilty about saying that you can’t attend or help them out. Your priorities are your family and business — everything else can be skipped.
Find Strength in Others
Standing alone seems impressive, but no one can do that. If you want to succeed in balancing your professional and personal life, then you need to build a support group. They are the people that you can turn to for emotional and practical support. Your first additions to that group are your family. Tell your partner and your children that you need their help and love to get through things. Besides that, you should look for others like you who are mothers and entrepreneurs. They better understand the struggles of your position and can help at the worst of times. At the very least, you can have a supportive ear that will listen.
It is not easy trying to balance your two responsibilities. But with a bit of effort and persistence, you can do it. The tips above should help a bit and give you some guidance. The important thing is that you know the value of what you have, and you should be doing your best to protect it.
