Tips for balancing business + kids.
I asked y'all what you would like to know about running an online business while raising a tiny human and still being a decently awesome wife and this was the most asked question: How to balance it all....
You can't be good at everything, at least not at the same time. I feel like my life on social media sometimes looks like I have it all together in a perfect little planned out day. The only thing I plan on day to day is keeping my tiny human alive. Everything else just kind of falls into place.
Over the past 2-ish years i've transitioned from running a 3 story brick and mortar + wholesale + online shop into just having an online shop. I choose to give up some things in order to raise SJ the way I wanted. We've got a pretty good system down so I thought i'd share my tips for having a successful business + happy home.
Be present.
When i'm in my studio working I try to be 100% focused on my to do list. When I'm at the park or out playing with SJ you won't find me answering emails or doing anything business related. When the husband is home we spend our evenings CELL PHONE FREE and actually enjoying our time together. You can be present with your kids or spouse while simultaneously answering emails or working on your business.
Make a list.
Write things down. Plan out activities with your spouse or kids for the week. It is SO easy to get distracted and forget what you actually needed to be doing. I have a home to do list and a work one. When i'm in my studio for any amount of time the first thing I do is look over my list and see what task can be checked off in the amount of time I currently have. I do the same thing around our home. If SJ is working outside with the husband then I take a peek at my list. Of course I could spend this time mindlessly scrolling social media or watching trash TV but that ain't going to help a darn thing. I am a much happier person when I don't have a mile long to do list sitting there waiting for me.
Be flexible.
I know I just said to plan things out, but make it a flexible plan. I generally try to take SJ on an "adventure" twice a week. This is usually to the park, zoo or museum. I pick the days i'm going to make this happen but I don't plan out the times. Since he is only 2 and still takes a nap during the day, I have to be flexible with our days. This is where having those to do lists comes in handy again. When I have down time (like during a nap) I can look over both my lists and see what I can get done. Being flexible with my time helps me from getting annoyed that my day isn't going as planned.
