So often I get asked this question, “Dina, How do you do it all? Running a business, building a brand, writing a blog, building a house, being a mom, finding time for yourself…how do you do it?”
Ok, I can see how that seems like a lot…have you read my posts on hair loss? Just kidding (sorta)…
Well first off, I am so sick of hearing things like “you must be so disciplined” or “it takes a lot of discipline to manage all that you do”. Well, guess what? no! I am not disciplined. Disciplined sounds like such an awful dreaded word. Discipline does not sound very motivating. So I never use that word.
The definition of discipline is actually to teach. That is exactly what I have done over the years to be able to find balance and live the life I love without feeling overwhelmed as a mompreneur or business owner. I taught myself to believe in myself, I taught myself ways to keep me on track and focused, I taught myself to put things down and spend time with my family, I taught myself tricks and tips to handle my stress; because believe me, it might look all perfect and put together but that’s not always the case!
Here are my 5 tips for managing your time, business, home and life as a Mompreneur
1. Get a planner or use your Calendar…either way, make a plan
You have to write it all down. Without my day planner, I am lost. Every year I purchase one large desktop calendar and one small portable planner. Sure, I have my cell phone to input all the things that are going on and I share that with the people involved but I much prefer looking down and seeing first hand what is up on that day without having to press the screen a million times to get there (personal choice).
Photo by Kaboompics
I write everything down. I write down times allocated for focusing on blogging, scrolling the Gram, working on Akidemy, planning, grocery shopping days and times, budgeting time, meetings, kids stuff… I even carve out time that I know is for me (workout, walk, yoga, girls night) and the time that is spent with the boys or hubby (device free!). I write it all down, and somehow it just seems way clearer to me. Without this, I WOULD BE LOST. You need to schedule and plan. It doesn’t have to always be perfect or go that way…but it helps keep you on track and on task. I get way more done when I have a plan or schedule.
2. Social Media
Being a business owner today means keeping up with social media marketing across multiple platforms. Sharing your message daily can be time-consuming and very stressful. You are busy trying to find content, beautiful images, the right captions and then wrapping it all up with hashtags. One Instagram post can take some people hours to do. When you are a small business you may not have the funds to outsource this work for some marketing company to do for you. You also probably don’t have the time to sit there on Instagram for an hour or two a day while you should be focusing on other important parts of your business but I know it happens! (GUILTY!) But the fact is today’s world, traditional marketing in local magazines, flyers and radio is dying! So what do you do? How do you share your message? How do you engage others without spending to much time on it every day? Sure these a free ways to market yourself, but the hours going into creating is costing you your time.
Photo by rawpixel.com
Use the tools. There are a ton of great apps out there to help keep you organized. First off you want to create a cohesive look to the photos you are posting on any platform but more importantly on Instagram. It has to look somewhat cohesive and reflective of you and/or your brand. Get a great app like Snapseed or Canva for consistent design. All you need to start you out is some basic and free tools, you do not need to pay for any presets or filters or fancy apps. Brighten your pictures, sharpen them, make them cooler or warmer…and keep that piece/theme consistent across all posts.
You should also use an app like Planoly, Later or Preview, which allows you to pull up your Instagram grid, see all your posts, and add new pictures to the grid prior to pushing it to your social media pages. You can see how they look, add captions, edit them and ensure it all looks cohesive and nice! All you got to do next is just schedule your posts! THAT EASY! I typically spend about 2-3 hours on a Sunday planning out all the AKIDEMY posts on Preview for the upcoming week, then all I have to do each day is once I get the scheduled reminder/notification is hit post. GENIUS! and saves me time time time time time. I went from hours creating posts on Instagram daily, to seconds!
3. Make sure to take time for yourself DAILY
This is huge. Whether you wake up 30 minutes before everyone, or during your day you take 30 minutes to yourself when the littles are in school or napping. STOP everything you are doing and breathe! Sometimes I do yoga, sometimes I meditate and sometimes I do nothing at all and just daydream or listen to music. Those thirty minutes are LIFE. They recharge me. They let my brain stop. I don’t think or worry about anything. I take this time to just be and breathe, so should you, because I promise you will be amazed at what you feel you can accomplish when you give yourself a little time back.
Photo by Burst on Pexels.com
4. You have to be passionate
In order to do it…you have to love it. You have to believe in it. You have to be passionate. I don’t care what anyone says, YOU HAVE TO BE PASSIONATE. Anyone can sell something. You aren’t selling. You are sharing with others something you believe in. Your product or service, whatever it may be, you are passionate about it and you want the world to know it. THAT is what will drive you and your ambition to succeed. If you aren’t excited about it anymore, or you are getting frustrated having to do another post, writing another blog, hosting another event, opening up the shop every morning….maybe you need to really reevaluate why you are doing this in the first place.
5. Ask for help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. At home, I communicate with my husband when I need support or help. Whether it’s to cook dinner, take on certain tasks in the house, to edit or respond to an email or manage the three boys. We look to each other for support, especially with managing the household stuff. ASK FOR HELP. You don’t have to be in control of everything at home. (Believe me, for those who know me well, that was a hard one to let go lol STILL…)
Photo by rawpixel.com
Reach out to others in your field or profession. I have met with other bloggers, educators, women entrepreneurs that are like-minded and I admire and asked them for advice, ideas, suggestions or help. It’s nice to have the perspective of other mompreneurs who are doing similar work. They can help connect you with people, services or supports that you may not have heard of and this could really help propel your business and fuel your passion.
These 5 tips are just some of the ways I found that helped me become a more successful and balanced mompreneur so that I can find time to hang with these two turkeys more this summer. The above helps keep me organized, on task, passionate, feeling supported, find time for family and time for myself. I hope you find some value in these and I would love to read any other ideas/comments you might have to share.
till the next post,
moveplaymom
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