5 Tips for Balancing Parenting with your Home Business
Attempting to balance life as a working parent is always tricky.
Add a home business to the mix and you’ve got a challenge on your hands.
Are you juggling parenting and business now?
Do you spend half your time feeling like you can’t get enough work done for your business? And the other half of your time feeling guilty that you are not spending enough time with your family?
Following are my 5 tips for getting that balance right:
1. Do What You Love
It is so important to do what you love. There is nothing worse than working in a business that you don’t love AND not spending time with your family.
If you do what you love, you can make it work. I’m not saying that getting the balance right will be easy, but it can be done.
Initially, you may feel like you are neglecting your family, as you put your heart and soul into your new business venture. Later, as you shift the balance back, you may feel guilty that you’re not getting enough work done!
It’s a common feeling.
But rest assured that you CAN have a successful business AND be a loving parent, if you do what you love.
2. Schedule your days (but stay flexible)
Knowing how to juggle being organised with being flexible will help you to keep your eye on the big picture and achieve better life balance.
Rather than thinking of organisation and flexibility as being in conflict, think of them as two ways to achieve the one outcome, balance. You need to schedule time for business to ensure you get things done, but if you end up having to deal with a sick child, you can always get back to the business task, as soon as you’re able to.
If you don’t schedule your time, you just won’t get as much done.
3. SET BOUNDARIES
Family time is family time. All our mobile devices make it so easy to attempt to multitask.
By multitasking, you’ll feel like a superwoman in that moment, but you won’t get the balance that will make you happy. You’ll feel like you are neither spending quality time with your family nor are you delivering the best outcomes for your business.
Doing one thing at a time will give you the best results.
4. BE PRESENT
Whether you are wearing your business hat or parent hat, be present in that moment. Even if you put your phone away, your mind can wonder back to work when you are with your family. Try not to let it!
Similarly, while working, put 100% into your business and don’t feel bad about what you may or may not be missing out on with your kids.
5. MANAGE YOUR STRESS
Keeping stress levels low is so important for that balancing act.
If you are stressed at work it will likely impact your family time. Owning a business invariably has stressful times, and very busy times.
Accept that sometimes the balance may have to shift but it shouldn’t be forever, otherwise it won’t be sustainable and you won’t be happy.
Consciously find ways to manage your stress, perhaps meditation or exercise could be the solution?
Own Your Goal!
p.s I’d love to hear your take on this topic. Leave a comment below.…
If you know someone who will benefit from reading this, share this post now. It might be the spark they need to give their goal a real go.
THANKS FOR READING & SHARING!
