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Contributing Author: Cheryl Schull
There are often days as a WAHM where 5pm rolls around, I stare out into oblivion and wonder where the day has gone and just when it will end.
I wont lie, being a mother who has to, perhaps I should say chooses to, divide her time between managing the administration aspects of her husbands business, content writing, a potty training toddler and keeping the home in order is quite frankly, exhausting.
Yet at the same time it is tremendously rewarding.
Unlike many other mothers who work, I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend precious time with my daughter, sharing in the amazing moments that children are able to give us. I learn each day from her, just as each day I am able to teach her and give her the quality time she deserves. And I think there lays the key with both business and babies– quality time.
But how do you divide yourself between so many different responsibilities without affecting the quality of time you place on each?
In my experience, it is as simple as managing your time effectively and efficiently.
Ensuring that you not only have a plan, but you stick to it. Not just creating daily tasks, but overseeing the month and week ahead of you. Scheduling what needs to be done, what you would like to do, time for and with your child, as well as - and perhaps the most important thing – time for yourself.
Creating a work / mum balance doesn’t have to be overwhelming or unmanageable. And as such over time I have found the following five pointers to be the lifeline of being a WAHM.
1.) Create a private and positive workspace.
A space that is yours and yours alone. An area that your child or children know is yours, and understand is off limits.
While it may be hard initially to create this space, I have found like many other things with children, that repetition is the key.
Continually let your child know that this is ‘mummy’s desk’ ‘mummy’s space’ or ‘mummy’s working’– I found that through repetition my daughter now knows that when I sit at my desk ‘mummy is working’ and she understands not to touch the things in mummy’s area.
2.) Create a visual work schedule and commit to it.
Whether you are a tech savvy mum who syncs their mobile & uses cloud, or simply just an old fashioned paper and pen kinda gal – I ALWAYS find having a visual planner or calendar to be key.
A simple desk planner or white board mounted in your space eliminates having to click away from what you are doing in order to see what must be done. A layout of the time that is taken and the time you have spare.
Ensuring every task is on the calendar, from the washing to the shopping, from play time to nap time, and of course the business related tasks that need to be achieved, will ensure that no matter what you can clearly see the day, week and month ahead.
3.) Regularly set realistic goals and write them down.
Whether it is for your business or your child always have goals.
Personally each fortnight I set aside ten minutes to assess what I have done and what I would like to do – personally and professionally. I find that setting goals and jotting them down in a journal, no matter how insignificant they seem initially, helps in achieving them.
4.) Create a daily or weekly routine.
When it comes to what needs to be done in the week and in each day routine is the key.
Know your work goals for the week and set aside the time you know you will need to achieve them. Know when your child is best able to be self-sufficient and choose this time to achieve your work goals. Make sure you allocate time for you and your child – whether it is reading, playing, shopping, or my favourite baby cino’s - and stick to it.
Both my clients and my daughter know the time I sign off for the day an
I also choose to place in my schedule, an outing a day. It may be as simple as a ½ hour for a coffee, toddler time at the local library, or a play date. However in my view it is essential to get out of the house at least once a day, not only to spend time with your child – but for a change of scenery and to avoid cabin fever!d there is a silent understanding that after this time, while on occasion I check my phone and my emails, I am solely a mother.
5.) Always make time for yourself.
I think quite often as mothers we forget about ourselves. We spend our time looking after everyone else to the point where we allow there to be no time for the things we love doing.
If it is anything I have learned from being a WAHM it is that WE MUST schedule in time for ourselves.
It is the little things such as reading a book, writing without interruption, heading out for a run, grabbing a baby free coffee with a friend, or simply just walking aimlessly around the shops window-shopping that refresh us, and make us feel like a whole person – not just a mum.
Personally I choose to wake before the rest of the household and head to the gym each morning.
I find the time spent "sweating it out" before the day begins ensures that I am feeling good about myself and energised for the day ahead.
It may seem impossible at first, however by creating a work/ mom balance doesn’t have to be. By giving yourself space, by visualising what needs to be done, setting goals and creating routine you will find that organising a hectic life and feeling on top of things isn’t as hard as you once assumed it to be.
On a final note, always remember there will be days where things don’t go to plan, where nothing gets done, and where you feel like you simply can not get on top of things… But it is on those days where you realise that the most important thing in this life is what you have – and that is the opportunity not only to be your own success, but to be there 24/7 for the little persons you love most in the world.
About the Contributing Author:
Cheryl Schull is a passionate and
dedicated Content Writer and Virtual Assistant whose experience steams wide and
far.
She has an uncanny ability to take the values and ideals of a business and place them in relevant readable articles that subscribers and clients appreciate. As a Content Writer Cheryl gives your business a platform to build an audience, the opportunity to ultimately sell your brand effectively and efficiently. Find Cheryl on Twitter, LinkedIn or at: cherylschull.com
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