I love finding the most efficient ways to get things done. The most efficient way is always the easiest way in the long run. And I am all for hitting those long-term goals! After having my daughter, I was pulled in two directions. I wanted to spend all the time I possibly could with my new little girl, but I also wanted to supplement our household income so I could spend every day with her!
As a new mama, so much of your time is spent learning all you can about your little one. Figuring out what makes them happy, how to make them laugh, what their favorite toy is. The thing is that babies change so fast! One day you will think you have got it down, you FINALLY figured them all out. Only to be stumped by an upset baby who just will not go down for their usual nap. You frantically try to find their pacifier, that soothing swaddle, their favorite white noise on youtube, but nothing works! Now imagine that you trying to hustle full-time from home in the midst of this. Pretty crazy, right!?
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I think I lived that way for about one week. And then I was so over it! I decided to put my thinking cap on and figure out some better ways to spend time with my little girl & to get stuff done!
Hit Auto-Pilot!
If there is one thing you need as a new mamapreneur, it is to automate as much as you can without sacrificing quality or engagement. One of my favorite automation services to use right now is Tailwind! I can set up the quantity of Pinterest posts per day, and it will create a custom schedule. From there all I have to do is plug in the content and it works day and night. Whether I am on my computer, changing diapers, or caring for a sick little one, Tailwind has got my back. I have it pushing new (and even some older) content all day, every day.
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Batch
This is something I STILL find difficult to do because I am so used to working in an ASAP environment. Before becoming a mama I worked my corporate job while pushing my side-hustle simultaneously. Now that I am home with my little girl, I have so much more control over my priorities. I get to look at the big picture of what I want to achieve for my own business, and at times it can be hard to focus on just one aspect.
Life with a little one can be so unpredictable, not to mention time-consuming. The best way to schedule my days is to focus on one area a day. If I want to focus on creating new content, I can brainstorm in the morning and start laying the groundwork. If my little girl needs me, I just make a note of where I am, and it is easy to pick up where I left off. Other days I work on promoting on social media, taking awesome pictures, or connecting with my audience. On days when I truly stick to one specific area, it is all so clear, even when my little girl wants to play and take me away from my hustle, I can still come back hours later (or once she is in bed) and jump in right where I left off.
Routine
If there is one thing I can recommend to any new mama, especially those mamapreneurs, it is to help your little one understand routines from the start! It will help them to understand what to expect, and it will help you know when you can get work done, so you actually take a break and spend time with your little one without worrying when you will get back to your desk.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Every Mama Should Have a Morning Routine
Work from Multiple Devices
Some days my daughter lets me set her in the bouncer, so I can work on my laptop for a few hours, other days she wants to be held all day. Some days she will take awesome naps, so I can power thru some content, other days she wants to nurse literally for hours! She is always keeping me on my toes!
I have gotten used to working on multiple devices. My laptop used to be the standard before having my daughter, but now I also use my iPad, iPhone, pen and paper, voice memos, and even my husband’s PC from webinars (because it has a nicer layout to take notes and breastfeed simultaneously). My point is not to have a lot of different devices. I have honestly gone a little crazy trying to remember where I left my notes before! However, you will need to be flexible in how you get your work done. For me, my daughter comes first, so if typing on my phone would get in the way of what we are doing, I switch to another method, or I simply put it on hold.
Set Deadlines
Always, always, ALWAYS give your self not only a deadline but some buffer time. In the beginning, if it was not an emergency, I would find myself pushing things off because I always thought “there will be more time tomorrow.” And before I knew it, I was stuck hitting send on something I did not truly love because that hard deadline appeared, and I was not prepared.
There are two major things to consider when setting a deadline. First, you want to make sure to be specific. If you need more images to fill your IG feed next week, you know there are certain steps you will need to take. Set a deadline for EACH ONE. Brainstorming content, taking pictures, editing, creating an amazing caption, engaging with your audience. Break it down and you won’t find yourself rushing to catch up. Second, you need to give your self some lee-way. Try to give yourself some room in your deadline so that if you end up spending an entire day taking care of a family matter, your business won’t pay for it.
Prioritize!!
Having a little one really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? I wanted to stay home with my daughter, but to do that I knew I had to put some serious drive into my business. The more I focused on getting my business perfect, the less opportunity I had to enjoy time with my little girl, which was the entire point! So I took a step back and looked at everything I was doing. My main goal is to get to spend time with my family and be a successful entrepreneur comes second. Since really coming to terms with this, I have been able to approach everything I try to fit in my day with fresh eyes. If I get to spend time with my family, and watch my little girl grow up before my eyes, then it has been a successful day.
Sleep Work
No, this isn’t some awesome superpower that allows you to get serious work done while you are getting in some ZZZs. I WISH! This is about getting down, and really figuring out what work can ONLY be accomplished while your little one is napping, or down for the night. This method has had me reevaluate a majority of the things I do for my business, and remove things that were just plain not working, automate things that could take care of themselves, and truly focus on the few main things that would really knock it out of the park for my business.
RELATED: 11 Tips to Help Your Little One Fall Asleep on Their Own
Minimize multi-tasking
This is similar to batching, but it takes it one step further. As mamas, we LOVE to multitask. We like to have the laundry running while we mop the floors, clean the dishes while dinner is in the oven, you know the drill! But when it comes to business, all of that jumping around from one task to another, can leave loose ends. Being a mamapreneur means that you can be pulled away at a moments notice. You do not want to loose your place, or forget to complete a task.
Instead of hopping from one task to the next when the thought pops into your head, try writing it down on a notepad on your desk. Once it is in a place you are sure to check, your brain won’t keep nagging at you. Just make sure you actually glance at that list once in a while!
RELATED: How to Go from Entrepreneur to Mamapreneur
What are your favorite ways you work smarter (not harder) as a mamapreneur?
You have good advice to make a schedule and focus on one thing a day. I have started to think about doing that, but now I need to start. I need to just make a schedule of days I will work on a new post and days I will focus on the social media. Thanks for the tips!
Yes, it helps so much to just focus on one thing. Like today, I just pulled in every direction and didn’t have time to work at all until my little girl went to bed. I hope it helps you! 🙂
Love these tips! My favorite is working on different devices. With 3 littles under 4 running around, I switch between my laptop, iPhone, and iPad 🙂
Oh my gosh! Yes! You are an amazing mamapreneur!!
Gosh your life sounds so much like mine! I have multiple devices spread throughout the house logged into my blog related sites for when it becomes possible to use one or the other! Because the baby is obsessed with “typing” my laptop that’s not usually an easy route when she’s awake 🙂
I think it’s invigorating finding those 20 minutes here or there and using that nap time to knock something out, at the end of the day you can look back and realize how much you accomplished. Those minutes add up!
Yes, it’s amazing how much we can get done in a day, and I love that we still get to spend a lot of time with our little ones! 🙂
Love all of this! I am new to this mamapreneur thing and learning all the time. I especially like the idea that you need to prioritize what has to be done while your child is sleeping because it is true that I can do somethings while we are playing or eating, but other things I need to have complete focus for.
Yes, I learned that the hard way. I would try to get the most important work done first, and then clean the house while my little girl napped. It did not work out so well for either of us haha
Great tipss! Mutiltasking really does make it difficult to get much done! I would also add, plan in advance with the deadlines set!
Yes, we’ve always got to be two steps ahead, or we will get behind with those little ones running around!