It is that time of year again when the kids are getting ready to go back to school. If you are a mompreneur this is also probably one of your busiest seasons. You’re probably busy juggling your clients, mailing products, taking care of home, being a spouse, and a friend all while being a mother. In other words, you are juggling a lot and time is probably not your best friend.
So how do you do it all? Go back to scheduling! Here at Priceless Planning, we have worked with mompreneurs on business planning, time management and organizing their in-house operations. The common denominator in all of those services for mompreneurs has been scheduling.
Scheduling is simply finding a designated time to do specific projects or work on specific task during the day week and month.
Scheduling is simply finding a designated time to do specific projects or work on specific task during the day week and month. Now we know you’re probably thinking this is common sense and indeed it probably is. However, there are still mompreneurs who are stuck and indeed it probably is. However, there are still mompreneurs who are struggling to recognize scheduling as a solution to their mayhem.
As the kids go back to school it is important to build your schedule for more than one reasons.
- It allows for you to leverage your time between your business and taking care of home.
- It eliminates chaos and that burnout feeling.
- It ensures that you are not neglecting your kids or your business, ideally creating balance.
Recognize that business time is just that and you have to delegate time to the business.
Now that you understand why you should build your schedule when the kids go back to school, let’s discuss what are some of the things you should be scheduling.
School drop off and pickups
While this may sound like a very silly task, believe it or not, most mompreneurs do not give themselves enough wiggle room in between drop off or pickups. This causes them to rush out of a meeting and back home into another. In the end, this only creates chaos and a heightened stressful situation.
Holiday Recitals & Graduations
Holiday recitals and graduations are times that you should block off. Now while most of these days do not come out until a month before, as a parent you are still aware of which month they occur in. For example, November-December are holiday events at school and graduations are in May-June. Therefore avoid scheduling major business events, or launches during this time. It avoids the mommy guilt.
School Calendar
Download your kid’s school calendar from the school’s website. Make a note of the early release dates and no schools. If these times are conflicting with your business, plan ahead with a babysitter.
Business Meetings vs. Kids Activities
At Priceless Planning, we have a high value for family, therefore with all of our time management clients, we recommend them to always schedule those family activities first. This goes the same for kids activities. If your child is in sports or another form of after-school activity, you should plug all of those dates in which requires you to be present as a parent. Once those dates are plugged into your calendar, block those times off so you are not double booked. Open the remaining time for business meetings.
For example, if your child is in football or cheerleading. At the beginning of the school year, I asked the coaches for the team schedule so you can plan and discuss with your child which games you need to be at or who you can have dropped them off and pick them up.
Business Time
Scheduling business time is ideal when the kids are at school if you are a full-time mompreneur. If you are still working a 9-5 or have multiple businesses, try enrolling your child in an after-school program to give you some extra time. You can even try starting your mornings earlier before the kids get up or working after you put them to bed. You have to find a chunk of time when you can just focus on doing a task for your business. However what is important to recognize is that business time is just that and you have to delegate time to the business. Additionally, do not forget that you cannot do it all in once, so prioritize tasks and do a little each day.
Your time
After of all that, don’t forget to take a moment for you. An hour a day or an hour week. Whatever time you get to take it and enjoy it. Treat yourself to mani/pedi, meditate, watch a movie or even just watch the sunset. Don’t forget to refuel yourself so your family and business can have you at your best.
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Still feeling stuck after these tips? Check out our Free Resource Library! There you can find time management resources, a list of some of our favorite systems that can save you time plus more!
