How To Balance Motherhood and Work – My Take

Unfortunately, in the times we live in, motherhood and work go together like never before. In the past mothers stayed home to care for the children while fathers went off to work each day. Now things have changed in most households with mothers also having to, or wanting to, hold down full-time jobs.

Like every entrepreneurial mom, I find it difficult to balance both life and work, and life is more often motherhood, especially when the children are small.  To balance motherhood and work you do need to get your priorities right.

Working mothers often find themselves feeling guilty, as they feel they are not spending enough time with their children or even that they are not doing motherhood the right way.

It is important to find what works for you as an individual, and you have to learn to balance your life by having some free ‘me time,’ time to spend with the children and time to spend on your business.

My Story

I have always been a driven person.  Most of my adult life I have worked for myself running a busy dance studio.  I became fascinated with the internet a couple of years after the birth of my daughter, and blogging then became quite addictive.

The problem is that running a full-time business, an affiliate marketing business and still getting time for a family life proved to be extremely difficult.  I found myself getting increasingly frustrated when I couldn’t get my blog post or article written for the day.  I began sitting up late into the night working on my blog, or working in the early hours of the morning when there were no interruptions.

It is not easy to juggle business and motherhood. I do not claim to be an expert.  It is like constantly trying to find a balance and still getting to spend quality time with your family.

The above approach did work for a while, but eventually, you become so exhausted you just can’t function properly.  I was tired when teaching my dance classes, too tired to stay up late after my daughter had gone to bed, and had no energy to keep up with her playfulness.

I then dawned on me that I would have to put my website building on a back burner, and just do what I could when I could, but not stress if I didn’t work on my websites every day.

After all, you only have your children with you for a few short years, and then they move off to start on their own lives.

Now I have cut my teaching hours so I can spend more time with her.  After all, it is my own business, so I should be able to work my own hours.  I also got in help in the form of student teachers which also took a huge load off.

As far as my part-time internet business goes, I take it as it comes, make goals, but make them doable with the time that I do have.  For instance, I only budget time for two blog posts a week, but if I get time to do more – bonus.  This way I don’t get frustrated with myself and set unrealistic goals.

Thankfully having your own business allows you much more time to spend with your family, and you are able to schedule your life around your children’s important activities, and also on occasion work with your children helping you.

I recently sat at breakfast with my daughter and asked her when she has been happiest with my work schedule. She too was happiest when I was able to take her to school and pick her up myself and attend all her important activities.

The best thing about working online is that you can get paid at 2 am in the morning, and not be working.  You can eventually get to a stage where you are earning a good income on autopilot.  All it takes is time and patience, and just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I love to help others, and as I continue my personal journey towards a more balanced life, I want to collect the experiences of other entrepreneurial moms.

More Tips On How To Balance Motherhood And Work

• Never compare yourself to other Mom’s. We all have our own individual lives and needs.
• Ask your children how they are doing. Are they happy and well adjusted or insecure and clingy? If the later then maybe you need to schedule some more time to spend with them.
• Remember, it is good for your kids to see that you need to work sometimes, as it teaches them that nothing good comes without hard work.
• If you have an extremely busy week and extra hours that you had to work, simply schedule a bit more time to spend with your family the following week to make up for it.
• Let your partner help you with getting the children organised. Don’t ever think you have to be the one doing everything. If you are single, enlist the help of other family members from time to time so that you can have a break too.
• Learn to say no more often. If you are asked to do extra things that take time away from your business or family that you can’t afford, you have the full right to say no.
• If you have a small baby, get him or her into a routine. Make them go to bed at the same time each evening so that they get used to that, and it allows you some free time to catch up. You will also be able to schedule your tasks more efficiently as you will know how much time you have.

Feel free to leave your comments below.  It is my goal to share your stories so that we can all help each other to master the fine art of balancing motherhood and work.