Mompreneurs: Tips for Balancing Work and Motherhood

Many mompreneurs have given birth to successful and growing franchises. Whether working from home or from your franchise, however, there is no magic formula for making sure you have enough time for both. Well, here’s some smart tactics that will help!

Although there’s no secret recipe, there are thousands of women out there who have learned to balance work and motherhood successfully.

1. Become and maintain being organized

Your work time is precious and not as reliable as it would be if you worked in a traditional workplace. You just cannot afford to waste time looking for files, sorting through mail or even trying to find a pen. Therefore, keep everything clean and organized from the start. Have supplies available and in a place where you know you can immediately put your hands on them.

2. Have a plan

Whether utilizing paper organizers or tech gadgets, use some sort of planner to balance work life with family life. Ideally, you should keep both personal and work appointments on the same calendar so you that you do not overbook or double up. In addition, you need to set aside hours for when you are going to get your work done. If you just wait for it to happen, it never will.

3. Work with your family, not against them

When your child is little, make sure your office is child-proof. They find and get hold of everything! Therefore, get covers for your computer and child-safe drawers on your filing cabinet. Keep your paperwork out of reach if you do not want your reports and invoices covered in crayon. Ideally, you could set up a child’s office space within your office so that crayons, paper and activities are available to keep your children busy. As your children get older, find ways to get them involved in your work. Allow them to stamp envelopes, fold fliers or shred paper. Give them something to do that makes them feel like they are involved and helping.

4. Think snooze to snooze, not 9 to 5

Your hours as a mompreneur might start before your family wakes up, continue during nap times and go on into the early hours of the night. Therefore, break free from the 9-to-5 office hours’ tradition because it just does not happen. Prioritize appointments that need to be accomplished in person during the traditional day time hours. Remember, e-mail, filing, reading, and a lot of your other office tasks can be done at any hour of the day or night.

5. Stay ahead of the game

By the time evening comes, you will be completely exhausted. But take a few minutes to set out school clothes, prepare the coffeepot, prepare lunches and clear your desk. If you do this all the night before, you will be really grateful in the morning! You might also want to consider getting up a little before your family does so you can exercise, take a shower or get some work done.

6. No Martha Stewart

Let go of your need to be Martha Stewart. Your priorities are your family and then your work. You do not have to be the mom that bakes the school brownies or is part of all the school committees. Choose your priorities wisely. Your children will prefer that you are there.

7. Schedule a mommy day

Choose a day in the week that is Mommy Day. Work more on the other days so that you can make sure you have at least one day to yourself.

8. Stay focused, and do not get sidetracked

One of the hardest things for mompreneurs running a home based franchise is getting sidetracked by children, laundry and dishes. Therefore, make a list each month of what you intend to get done. Then break the list down week by week, and then day by day. If you stay focused, you can stay committed to getting things done.

9. Obtain help from your partner and thank him for it

Communicate with your partner about how he can help you. Figure out how to parent and share the chores so that you are both on the same page. Don’t forget to tell your spouse how grateful you are for all his help!

10. Take care of you

When embarking on a franchise opportunity, realize now that there will never be enough time in the day to get everything done. Therefore, remember that you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family, your business and your home. Take the opportunity to treat and reward yourself every now and then.

Balance is a feeling all mompreneurs hope to achieve yet it always seem to escape them. At the end of the day, however, you have to acknowledge all you have done and accomplished. Follow these 10 steps and you will be on your way to building a successful home based franchise.

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