How To Work Smarter, Not Harder: Work-Life Balance For Busy Moms
Maintaining a work-life balance in your life is the holy grail! So increasing your work-life balance is crucial, especially when you’re working from home as an entrepreneur with kids in the picture.
Working remotely can be advantageous, allowing you to save time and money on commuting, have a more flexible schedule, and work from the comfort of your own home and even homeschool your kids. However, it can also be challenging to switch from work mode and disconnect from your professional responsibilities and career mom persona to family life, leading to burnout and decreased productivity.
Work-Life Balance For Busy Moms
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is vital for both your physical and mental health. If you don’t set boundaries between work and home, it can lead to long working hours, stress, and exhaustion in addition to some resentment from your family because it will seem like Mom is always working…
Burnout can also have a negative impact on your relationships with family and friends, as well as your overall quality of life. As someone whose experienced burnout earlier than I’d like to admit, let me tell you- you should avoid this at all costs!
Work Smarter Not Harder
Therefore, it’s essential to be mindful of your working routines and habits and find ways to balance your work and personal life. In this blog post, I’m sharing my top 5 tips to help you achieve a better work-life balance as an entrepreneur.
My husband’s favorite one-liner is to encourage me to work smarter, not harder! So that’s where I’m pulling this tough love encouragement that I’ll dishing for you today…
Remember, taking care of yourself and finding a balance between work and personal life is key to being a successful and happy entrepreneur or side hustler like me! So, let’s dive into these 5 top tips to help you achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Set Your Boundaries
Firstly, setting boundaries is crucial. It’s easy to get carried away when building a business, but it’s important to protect your energy by having a set time to stop working and creating a morning routine that doesn’t involve checking your phone or email right away.
Lately, I’ve made the switch from waking up and immediately check-in my email to not checking it first thing in the morning and I 100% feel more productive. I also end up completing more of the items I outlined on my daily planner for each day- which is HUGE!
Say No Sometimes
Additionally, try not to say yes to everything that comes your way! My friend and fellow entrepreneur Bryanna Royal, of Virtual Powerhouse told me years ago that you cannot say Yes to every opportunity that presents itself. Sometimes you have to put these great ideas and projects on your invisible shelf and circle back to them when the timing is right.
This is harder for me than I like to admit. But it’s really helped me a lot over the years to say Yes to the things that will make the most difference in my business as well as my life. Sometimes I have to turn down a project or client to make sure there will be time for family vacations, helping my kids start their own businesses, and date nights with my husband! These things are super important to me- so I make sure to keep them in mind when committing to new projects.
Hire Before Your Ready
Asking for help is another important tip. Don’t hesitate to collaborate with people in your industry or that align well with your offer and business model. Also, I think it’s important to encourage you (as well as myself) to hire before you think or feel ready!
If you need help, hire someone to help you out and relieve some of the stress! It’s impossible to do everything on your own, and getting assistance can actually lead to business growth.
Make Time For Breaks
Taking breaks is also vital to your mental and physical health. So make it a point to schedule breaks throughout your workday and set alarms on your phone to remind yourself to take those much-needed breaks.
For me, this includes taking time to go walk the dog and get fresh air throughout the day. It also includes making time to stretch and take a break from looking at the computer screen! I also take breaks for lunch and to check in on the kids!
Plan In Advance
Lastly, map out your week by taking a look at your projects, schedule, and tasks. Try to batch as much as possible. This can help you be more efficient with your time and prevent feeling overwhelmed.
Of course, it goes without saying that you should also have a high-level plan for your month, each quarter, and your year. This will help you stay on track with what you plan to accomplish in the year and make sure you hit your goals.
Work-Life Balance For Busy Moms
Remember, taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your business.
If you’re feeling way too overwhelmed and need extra help, look into hiring an online business manager or a few virtual assistants to decrease your workload. I’m here to help entrepreneurs like you streamline, organize, and automate your business. Keep up the great work and don’t forget to take care of yourself!
