When my son, Shouray, came into my life, I knew that much of my daily routine would change, but I also knew I didn't want this to affect my business or its growth. I took a short maternity leave and now I'm back in my office space. Although it looks a little different (hello play-gym in the middle of the room), I'm enjoying navigating this new adventure. So how do I do it with a 3-month-old? Let's dive in...
Plan, Batch & Automate
I've always been a planner, and truly believe if you're building valuable content, then it can be planned in advance. This allows for campaigns to have REAL meaning. Why? Because you're not doing things for the sake of getting them done, but rather building on content that truly connects with your audience/clientele.
I applied this to every aspect of my business and batched tasks that I know I can only get done if my baby is napping or with someone else.
This means taking advantage of when I'm "in the zone." Whether I'm on a roll making reels, feel like writing a bunch of blogs, or beginning design/web projects. If and when I'm "in the zone" and feel driven to do more, I focus there vs tackling a variety of tasks.
During this time I've also learned to automate like never before. Automation has always been a part of my business, but I've levelled up now that baby is here. I'm truly taking advantage of my website, newsletter tools and social media planner as they allow me to elevate my marketing strategy, without missing moments with my little one.
Outsource/Hire
Expanding my team has helped me in ways I couldn't even begin to describe. I'm still a solopreneur and much of the work lies on my shoulders, but I was able to bring on some amazing talent that's here to stay. Alongside this hiring, a Virtual Assistant is an amazing way to get that admin work out of the way. I know these things cost money and can feel daunting at first, but honestly, it's allowed me to elevate my business and focus on where I NEED to be vs. doing everything myself.
Go With The Flow
For someone who loves routine and doing things her way, learning to go with the flow isn't easy, but something I work on every day. I remember when I first found out I was pregnant I reached out to many of my successful entrepreneur friends, who have children of their own. The best advice? Go with the flow. Here are tips they all shared with me:
Let go of your daily routine in the beginning. Eventually, children thrive on routine but for the first little bit you're just figuring each other out. It's important to be ok with skipping bits and pieces of your routine in order to be present for both your business and your baby when needed.
Take advantage of nap time & independent play. This is your time to thrive and trust me take advantage of every minute! Maybe it's because I know that it's crunch time; I find myself being way more productive in these chunks than ever before.
Create daily goals and make 3 your priority, this way you don't feel bad if you don't cross off everything. This was and still is the hardest one for me, but I'm learning to adjust my daily tasks and prioritize things based on various factors, like deadlines, urgency etc.
Be ok with shifting the hours you work. This could mean waking up early and getting started sooner, or working a bit later in the evenings. Either way, a consistent 9-5 isn't happening so be ok with shift. That said, I've kept my office hours the same, that way if I am doing "overtime" at the beginning or end of the day I can focus on those tasks alone. This allows me to keep those boundaries and get the work that needs to be done completed with the utmost attention to detail.
Take Advantage Of Your Support
I've been lucky to have a lot of support from my husband, parents and sisters. Each and every one of them has stepped up at various times and allowed my business to continue to bloom. Whether it's having an extra cup of coffee ready or babysitting for a couple of hours while I attend meetings and finish up work. I'm still learning to take advantage of their support but it's getting easier each day. Remember it takes a village to raise children!