There is a growing sector of women in our society who have broken free from the stereo-typical ‘stay-at-home mum’. These women raise their children, look after the house (and often their partner!) AND have a successful career or run a business, often from their own home.
As a busy Mum, Life Coach and Trainer from an office in our home, I fit snugly into this category and, as I coach many women who are also in this position, I understand the importance of maintaining balance in one’s life.
All too often, women can feel that they are one-step away from being a ‘Super Mum’ – they can’t let anyone down, whether it’s their family, friends, partner, career or business and this can leave them feeling unappreciated and unsupported.
It’s so amazing to be in a position where you can have the best of all worlds, but if you are feeling like you are trying to do or be too much, here are some tips that I’ve learned along the way:
- Work your career or business when your children are at school, nursery or being looked after by someone else – if money is tight, ask a friend or relative for help and set times for your career or business around this. You may also find women in a similar position to yourself in your area who you can help each other out with child care. If your kids have a nap during the day, or when they are asleep at night, this is a great time to work.
- Get your kids involved with the housework. Even from a young age, children are interested in what we do and their play reflects our household jobs. You can ask them to dust, sweep, wipe, bake, or stir while you get on with it, too. This is great time together, makes the jobs more fun and you can sing songs and rhymes with little ones while you do it. For older children, they enjoy the responsibility of tidying and cleaning their own space and if you start while they’re young, they’ll get into great habits.
- Be time efficient – use what time you have for the important things and prioritise every task. I find it useful to write a list before I set to work. Take each task and put a star by the most important ones, then prioritise them again by numbering the order you will do them. If you get them all done in the time you have, do the same with the tasks you didn’t star. Also, when prioritising your starred tasks, do the ones you dislike doing first. This gets them out of the way and you’ll feel much better once they’re done.
- Make sure you get time with your partner. Whether it’s a night out or a cosy night in, it’s really important to your relationship to have together time. Make sure you add this into your schedule each week.
- Get your ‘you-time’. This is probably the most important thing to remember. It’s like in the aeroplane - you put on your oxygen mask before your child’s – you have to look after yourself in order to look after them. If you’re not a relaxed, well-rested and happy person, this will reveal itself in your day-to-day life. So take guilt-free you-time, whether it’s a night out with friends, a long bath, a spa day, shopping, or a film and chocolates, time out will give you a huge boost in your home and work life.
So don’t try to be a Super Mum – it is possible to get balance as a Mumpreneur and if you need help with that, a Life Coach is only a click or phone call away!
