Being a mompreneur can be both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. Rather than just raising a child or children, you are also building a business, both of which take a lot of emotional energy and commitment. Here are few tips for succeeding as a mompreneur:
Separate Business and Personal
Having toys on your work desk or work papers in your living room can make it very difficult to concentrate on work when you have personal belongings in the same space, and having work scattered about your personal space can also induce a lot of stress. Ideally, you should keep your business materials separate from your personal belongings. That way, when you are working you’re working, and when you are not working you’re not working. One of the best ways to do this is with a separate room in the house as your home office.
Discover Distractions for Your Children
One of the most effective ways to get more done as a mompreneur is to find a few healthy distractions for your children. For example, get your children a basketball hoop, something they can play with for hours on end, giving you some free time to do your work. Or get them a game like Jenga, which is both exciting and requires them to develop hand-eye coordination. The last resort is television or video games, which you may or may not choose to have your children indulge in.
The Magic of Scheduling
The more you can schedule, the better. Schedule when you plan to work, when your children are at the babysitter, when you will take breaks and be with your children, etc. Of course scheduling everything simply isn’t realistic. Kids are naturally spontaneous and sometimes can unexpectedly interrupt even the most well-organized schedules with surprises. Having a schedule can really help you maximize both your time at work and your time with your children. The more you can plan things out in a way that works for everyone rather than just trying to wing it, the better.
A Babysitter May Be a Great Investment
If an hour of work is worth more than $20 an hour to you, it may be well worth it to hire a babysitter to play with your children, even if you are present. Because your children know you are there, they will still feel as though they are spending time with you. However, they will know that mommy needs to work right now and you will have much more leeway to do your work rather than have to worry about your children at the same time.
These are a few tips to succeed as a mompreneur. It is not easy raising children and building a business at the same time, but in a few years you might just look back on these challenges with a smile.
