Dr. Seuss tells us “that Life’s a Great Balancing Act” and no one knows this more than entrepreneurial moms! As we are constantly juggling several balls in the air at the same time, striking a balance between our work life and family life is always front and centre in our daily lives.
So we wanted to know: How Do you Balance your Work Life and your Family Life?
Heather Lopez Happy and Healthy Mom /Super Mom Entrepreneur Conference & Expo
“By wearing sturdy shoes on the tightrope. But seriously, every day is a new day. Sometimes you ROCK everything, get it done, & reach the other side. Sometimes you wobble a litttle or even fall off. What matters is that you get back on and keep trying.”
Amy Charette Godiva’s Toy Chest
“Stay focused! I stick to the task at hand until it’s finished whether it be a work task or helping with homework. Jumping back and forth divides focus on both fronts and everyone looses (esp me). Work stuff has loose ends and the kids feel I am not truly paying attention. I schedule specific work days where my youngest goes to Nana’s house and I also plan out of the house family activities so the lure of my computer isn’t there.”
Robyn Turnbull Giddy Giddy Up and Grow
“This is a question I get asked all the time. I have 2 kids under the age of 4, and balance is my biggest issue. I work from home so a lot of the time I find my work starts to blend into my family time. I am constantly reminding myself to keep the two as separate as possible. Right now I try to limit myself to working during nap times and when my oldest is at school. I wish there was an easy, one-step answer for this question, but I bet you’ll find everyone’s answer is different and so is the solution.”
Dandy Civitarese Creative Memories
“I have two children, age 7 and 2, and have a hairsalon in the home, and I am an independent Creative Memories consultant. I take full advantage of nap time, and bed time. I keep the hairsalon to 3 nights per week, and my CM work to nap time and after bed time. Weekends/stat holidays are always kept open for family time, and I try very hard to follow the school schedule as well. I write everything down so I constantly know a good month or two in advance what needs to be done, and where everyone needs to be.”
Sheri Harke Bruneau Get it Together
“I run my own business and have two teenagers in the house. I balance my work life and home life by setting “working hours.” I could spend hours and hours on my business, but I know that my family needs me AND I need my family. This keeps my family, and I balanced!”
Tara Ogg Chaput The Foodie and the Family
“I am fortunate that my ‘work’ is my family life. I get to cook and bake all day for the people I love most. Then I get to share with others so they can do the same! My philosophy is there is always time in the day for a batch of freshly baked cookies!”
Terrill D Young Awesome Toy Box
“I use a time balance schedule, with color coding to identify family time, work time, me time and business time. It makes it easy for me to see when I get time with my family so I don’t feel guilty when I’m working as I know they are getting plenty of my attention. It also allows me to fully focus on the task I am doing, making my days more productive.”
Want to be one of our readers featured in an upcoming From our Readers? Visit our Entrepreneurial Moms facebook fan page on Wednesdays for the next From our Readers Question of the Week.