They say that if you want something done, you should ask a busy person – somehow they always find the time to make what they need to do just work. When it comes to raising babies and growing a business, that is just about as busy as anyone can get.
While many people think that maternity leave will give you a lot of time to yourself – sometimes it can be a higgledy-piggledy time of doing everything but nothing at the same time.
But in the moments of quiet at 3 am, you might have a bright spark of a business idea, or perhaps just searching for side hustle ideas in the UK.
So how can you balance a baby and a business and grow them both up to be great?
Be Available
One of the most important things is that you need to focus on the individual tasks as they are in front of you. While you can be thinking about your next business move, it can be difficult to feed your baby and type at the same time.
It’s not impossible by any means, but you might find that you start feeling guilty for not being in the moment with your baby.
The same goes for your work – if you do have a routine that works and have time to focus on your business, then do so.
Be in the moment in each place, and you won’t feel like you are doing half a job everywhere.
Leave sorry behind
If you are serial, apologise; it’s time to ditch it. Everyone will have an opinion on your parenting and your business, and sometimes both at the same time.
Rather than apologising for how you spend your time and what you are doing, put yourself and your new baby first. Many people will say that you should put all your time and energy into your baby. And others will say there is no way you can have a successful business and be a great parent.
Don’t waste any energy apologising for your choices; instead, put your energy into doing the best you can do.
You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone.
Goals
One of the biggest things that happen when you have a baby is that things seem to take so much longer. Going to shop is a military mission. But setting small achievable goals will mean that it is possible for you to keep the momentum going and stay on track.
The trick with setting goals when you have small children is to keep in mind that you’ll need to be more flexible.
C’est la vie
It might not be in your nature, but you will need to get comfortable with having firm boundaries and saying no when you need to. Sometimes it will be a difficult decision, but you’ll have just let some stuff go and say – that’s life.
There will be more opportunities, and you are just getting started. Get comfy with protecting your time, space and what you have the capacity for.
There are plenty of things that you need to look out for when you are building a business; here are a couple of things to look out for: The Missteps of Starting a Home Business to Avoid – Mummy Matters