5 Keys to Keeping Your Sanity as a Mompreneur

As a Mom, the biggest challenge of getting your business baby off the ground is doing so while still being the Mom you want to be for your kids.

There’s an irony to it, really.  So many of us decided to launch our own business in large part so we could actually be around for our kids, right?  We wanted to be free from the corporate world, work our own hours, and be our own boss, right?  Have some flexibility.

But to get this business going, and to work it so that it’s actually profitable, takes a lot of time, energy, and commitment.  Instead of just having one job, as entrepreneurs, we become bookkeepers, bloggers, website mini-gurus, accounting departments, networkers extraordinaire, and more.  All while doing the biggest and most important job at the same time – that of mom.

But unlike with more traditional “jobs” – when you’re creating and running your own business, the work is never finished.  The to-do list is never completed.

And if you’re in the right business for you, you actually ENJOY it too.  So it can be hard to stop.  To shut down.  To close up shop for the day.

Plus, when you’re working from home, as so many mompreneurs do, there’s an endless amount of housework staring you in the face that you also need/want/feel-like-you-should tackle.  We all know those days where it takes all the self control you can muster to not just go fold the friggin’ laundry already when you’re trying to stay focused on your work.

Since we all know work/life balance is a total myth, I’m not going to tell you how to achieve it.

Instead, I’m going to share with you my top 5 strategies for living in a state of work/life SYNERGY.

Work/life SYNERGY is when the ENERGY you spend is an accurate reflection of your clearly held VALUES and PRIORITIES.

Here are 5 KEYS to achieving WORK/LIFE SYNERGY and keeping your SANITY as a Mompreneur:

1.  Set a daily schedule for yourself.

Know each day what time you’re sitting down at your desk (or otherwise starting work, if yours doesn’t involve a desk).  Schedule in time for exercise, recreation, meals, and Mama Time.  Incorporate time to answer emails, monitor your social media presence, handle bookkeeping tasks, etc.  Whatever needs to get done in your business, make sure it’s included in your schedule.  (Grab a free copy of my Daily Schedule Template for a Productive + Guilt-Free Work-at-Home Mompreneur here).

2.  Connect and network with other Mompreneurs.

No one is going to understand your challenges and be as sensitive to your constant tug-of-war over time as your fellow mompreneurs.  Whatever you need to do to find and engage with this tribe, do it.  If you can’t find a group of local mompreneurs, create one.  The value of this community cannot be overstated.  (Join our local tribe of South Florida Mompreneurs here).

3.  Make “Mama Time” sacred and non-negotiable.
Specifically schedule your “Mama Time” into your daily routine.  This is sacred, carved-out time each day where your energy is completely focused in your role as Mother.  No work calls, no answering email.  During “Mama Time,” you are fully present.  (This is absolutely critical if you want to live without constant pecking GUILT).

4.  Let go of the impulse to compare yourself to anyone else’s track or success.
Every time you catch yourself saying or thinking you should be further along in your business, let it go.  It’s one of the worst things you can do to yourself if you want to move forward.  Those attack thoughts will literally stop you from taking forward action and will leave you feeling like crap.  You are exactly where you need to be.  And with each and every action you take, you will be another step further along.

5.  Cancel your cable.
Seriously.  How much time are you wasting watching stuff that is not enriching your life just because it’s on?  Invest in Apple TV.  It’s a hundred bucks, but then no monthly bills.    It gives you access to virtually anything you’d want to watch, but you just pay for what you watch.  You’ll spend a lot less hours in front of the TV, and you’ll only watch good stuff.  This one’s a game changer.

And remember, “You have to laugh at yourself sometimes, cause you’d cry your eyes out if you didn’t.”  – Indigo Girl Emily Saliers

What’s your secret to keeping your sanity as a Mompreneur?  Tell us in the Comments below.