Being a mum is busy, but when you’re a mum and you’re running a business, your time is so precious. Now, while we can’t help you with that night feed, or the carrot purees that your youngest has just spread up the wall, we can help you navigate some of the biggest time drains in your business.
Read on to find out more. ..
Set consistent & clear boundaries
Being a mum and being an entrepreneur are both challenging and rewarding full-time jobs. What that means is, if you decide to do both you will need to get good at setting and maintaining some very clear boundaries, both with your work and your family.
For instance, I know a lot of mompreneurs that work from home, which is great because they can skip the long commutes, and also get to spend more time with their family. However, having some clear boundaries about what is and what is not acceptable while mummy is working can protect you from constant interruptions.
With that in mind, when there is another responsible adult in the house, and your office door is closed, creating the rule that no one gets to enter can work well. Then you get to work uninterrupted and the kids learn they can also rely on their other caregiver when mummy is buddy.
Become your own IT support
If you want to preserve the precious resource of time and as a mumpreneur, you’ll need to get up to speed with the hardware and software you use. This is because, sadly, a great deal of time can be lost if your tech goes down or suddenly suffers a fault.
For example, would you know what to do if you found your mouse suddenly not working, or your website was hacked? If the answer is no, it’s time to look for resources online that can help you solve issues like this as they arise. Otherwise, you could end up wasting huge swathes of time marked for completing other tasks on resolving them.
Always plan your day
While it’s true that no two days are ever quite the same, either as a mum or when you run a business, planning your days can be a very useful task that can help you protect your time. In particular, it can be very useful to plan your days around your kid’s routines such as when they are at school or when they have a nap, as then you know you will have some uninterrupted time in which you can work on your business.
You can use a physical planner, e-planner, or online calendar to plan your days, but remember it’s not about perfection. Instead, it’s about having an idea of how you will spend the allotment of the precious resource of time you have for that day. To that end, spend no longer than 5-10 mins a day planning your schedule.
Batch your time
Another way to preserve as much time as possible as a mumpreneur is to batch tasks. This means grouping the same tasks to do at the same time. One of the most effective ways you can use batching is with emails.
For example, instead of having your notifications on, and checking emails as they come in, set aside two 30 min sessions a day where you check, and respond to emails. You’re then free the rest of the day to do other things without constant interruption.
Say goodbye to multitasking
For busy mums, the idea of multitasking can be very appealing. After all, in theory, it allows you to complete two tasks at the same time, which means more time for all the other things you have to do right? However, multitasking is not the perfect solution that it seems.
First of all, multitasking means that you aren’t present for what you are doing. Now if packing orders while having a chat with the kids about their day, you might just get away with it. However, anything more mentally taxing and you’re likely to miss important details, as well as end up racked with guilt that you are not present enough for your kids or your business.
Then there is the fact that the skill of multitasking doesn’t exist. What is happening when we ‘multitask’ is that we switch to and from one task to another very fast. Unfortunately, this takes up a great deal of mental energy and is very ineffective. With that in mind, it’s much better to try and be as present as possible, especially for the really important stuff in both parenting and your business, you’ll be more efficient and happier for it.
ChrissyJ xxx