Being a new mom is hectic.  Running your business is hectic.
Being a new mom and running your business is overwhelming.

You’ll have your child crying in the other room, but you’ll need to take an important business call. You need to hop on a Zoom video sales call, yet you look homeless and feel like someone dropped a house on top of you. 

That’s fine because you’re still getting the hang of things. 

You’re basically taking care of two babies – your own newborn and your (growing) business. Having your business and being a hands-on mom will take some getting used to and might require you to pause to find the balance.

But where does one find the balance – in the sixth cup of coffee? Waking up at 4 am? 
The question I often hear is, “Will I be able to balance these?”  YES, YOU CAN!

Introducing a concept I call the “Naptime Hustle.”
It’s my secret how I hurdled through everything for an entire year. 

When my daughter was born, I knew I wanted to take a pause and spend time profoundly connecting with her. I was fortunate to have planned for a full three-months of maternity leave. I thought soon after my break, I would go back to my usual high-functioning and workaholic lifestyle again. 

Of course, things didn’t go to plan.

Three months quickly spiraled into six months. 
Six months switched into nine months. 
Nine months transformed into a full-year (and a few months, but who’s counting).

For the first 14-months of my daughters’ life, I was the sole provider during the day. Needless to say, my business took a backseat to her needs.  But I did not close up shop.  In fact, I was able to grow my businesses during those precious first months.

All of this was possible because of her afternoon naps.

 

 

It was the one time a day that I was able to do all the necessary work. Luckily, my daughter loved her afternoon naps and took them as seriously as I do my business. 

Because I had this defined work schedule established, 90% of the time, I was able to get back to business during the afternoons and separate myself from “mama mode” while switching back to “hustle mode.” Afternoons were a time for myself and my business. It sure was not a walk in the park, but it was doable, and it was more than a workable setup for me.

Being able to find your balance can help you more than you know. These tips might help you find your balance in being a Mompreneur.

1. Know what your top priorities are
Jot down your tasks and categorize them according to priority. You’re going to need to identify urgent tasks (for the day), the priority tasks (that can be done during the week), and the neutral tasks that don’t need to be finished immediately. This setup will help you get everything organized and clear your mind. Because before you start doing anything, your tasks should already be laid out so it’d be easier for you.  As time progresses & business grows, I’d suggest moving your “to do” list over towards a digital platform.  I now use the Trello platform to organize pressing tasks across multiple businesses along with personal needs.  It’s helped preserve my sanity (& businesses) on numerous occasions.

If you don’t do this, what might happen is that you’ll continue to think of new tasks requiring attention, and those will all just pile up in your head. You’ll sometimes forget what the most pressing tasks are and supplant them unnecessarily.

2. Get organized, stay organized
Your workspace needs to stay organized.  Time is by far your most precious resource, and therefore you can’t waste time daily organizing a workspace that could otherwise be spent more productively.  You want to spend that time growing your business. Your To-Dos are categorized according to priority. Keeping it crowded might worsen the situation and just stress you out. Having all essential files within your reach or in a specific area helps a ton from a digital perspective. Don’t forget about your emails, too! Get into the habit of sorting your emails into labels so they can be retrieved with a degree of ease.  It’s always helpful to “keep receipts.”  I likewise use Google Drive as a one-stop for file storage.  It’s proven to be a great help in ensuring the projects the team or I are working on are readily available. 

You can’t afford to waste your time finding things and going around in circles.  This means even if space is limited & you must keep your projects in a box stored away, you can’t have everything scattered throughout the household. Your work hours every day are limited. You don’t have the luxury to stay focused for 8 hours straight anymore. Practicing being organized will help you significantly in your transition as a new Mamapreneur. Everything can be hectic at home, but at least you’ve got your workspace all neat and tidy. It can function as your little space of paradise.

3. Work between naptimes
You’re going to have to adjust from the usual 9-5 working hours. Your working times will have to be broken down when your baby goes for their scheduled naptimes. The naptime hustle, it’s like trying to catch the last bus or train. Each day, your one goal to finish urgent tasks before naptime is up and schedule appointments while the sun is still shining. Follow your priority list and leave small tasks for when you continue working into the night. You’ll feel out of breath after, I sure did. 

It’s a feat you’ll overcome once you’ve gotten used to it. 
You’ll find your rhythm.

4. Get help from your partner
Ask for help. There’s no need to hog all the work. When you need assistance, communicate with your partner about how they may help you. You both are juggling full-time jobs, and it’s better that you figure out together how to share the responsibilities at home. Don’t forget that you’re in this together, partners in crime. One of the keys to success is knowing when to get help. And at the end of the day, be grateful to each other that you’ve successfully ended the day with the other’s help.

5. Rest and take care of yourself
You’re going to be exhausted with double the work you have now that you have BOTH a child and a business. You’ll feel like you don’t deserve to rest because you still have pending tasks or need to take care of your child. There aren’t enough hours in the day to complete everything, and that’s fine. I bet you had wished that there’d be 30 hours in a day because you think by then everything will be done. Learn to rest and take care of yourself. Non-stop hustling will tire you and your immune system out. 

If you keep worrying about not completing everything, well, when your body crashes, how would you be feeling by then? Part of the balance is learning how to rest.

A bubble bath on a weekend, a quick stroll outside, enjoying your favorite book or movie, or other activities you can reward yourself with to recharge. A pamper day would be a perfect idea. You’re a power mom that juggles life and work. You deserve every bit of rest that you take.

I know you can do it, fellow mama! It will be a matter of time to get used to everything. Keep up the fantastic work, mompreneur!