Being a working mother is hard enough as it is but running your own business as well as being a mother is even more complex.
There are so many pressures piled on us as business women and pair that with raising a family, can leave little time to work on yourself and do things that you really love doing.
We sat down with some of the female Business Century members who run their own business and families and fond out some of their top tips for striking the perfect family/business balance.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries come naturally in parenting in work this seems so much harder.
From picking up emails when you’re in bed to staying late in the evening and doing weekend shifts, it’s hard to switch off from work.
Divide your time fairly between work and family life and try hard to not let them cross over too much. Working when you’re looking after the children will quickly become an issue and won’t be very good for your stress levels and ability to ‘be in the moment’.
Take Care of Yourself
Running a business and family is like having two full-time jobs so it’s important to take time every now and again to look after yourself.
Make sure you’re getting 8 hours of decent sleep a night, staying hydrated and eating well as if you’re sick, everything will suffer.
From spa days to having a bath and early night, there are a number of ways you can take care of yourself.
Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help
Us women are superheroes but we can’t do it all.
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness and it’s something we all need at some point. From help with the house and family life such as hiring a cook or cleaner or delegating a bit more at work and hiring an assistant, we all need to relieve some of the pressure.
Don’t Feel Guilty
Mothers in business experience all kinds of guilt. From choosing to work to feeling guilty for taking some time out for themselves to having to leave the children alone at home and everything in between, there are a million reasons why we’ll sometimes get the feeling of guilt.
It is possible that you have set your boundaries and have taken all steps, but sometimes things crop up unexpectedly and we can’t help it, so don’t take the guilt too seriously and just think carefully about how you can balance everything. For instance, you can read books on the lives of other female entrepreneurs and how they balanced personal and professional lives and articles on parenting advice to learn how to deal with the feeling of being away from your kid, and any relevant article that can help you avoid feeling guilty and stay focused on your path.
It’s OK to say no
In work and at home – no has become a word that reflects no negatively on you but it really shouldn’t be that way.
Saying no exercises your boundaries because if you said yes to everything then you’ll never have any time for yourself. So think about all decisions and do it for the right reasons.
