5 Ways For Busy Moms to Find Time in Motherhood & Entrepreneurship

Balance is one of those words that I hear SO much, both in the world of motherhood and with the clients I work with! Today I’m sharing 5 Ways to For Busy Moms to Find Time in Motherhood and Entrepreneurship in this post sponsored by Neutrogena™.

My first question is always this, “What does balance mean to you.” Because truly, we can all describe it differently, though the feeling of it is still very similar.

Perfect balance is that ever elusive feeling and I think that we’re searching for it to bring us validation and certainty in what we do on a day to day basis.  We want to feel “balanced” so that we’re not dropping the ball in any of the multitude of areas we’re juggling. 

The thing is, for each of us, balance is personal. It’s based on our own priorities, dreams, desires and schedule. Allowing the word balance to be fluid in our lives is such a great way to begin to feel it in our daily schedules. Learning to let go of the things that are less important or finding ways to release tasks that others can do, we’ll find more time for those priorities. 

For me, motherhood and entrepreneurship are big ones for me, and with many of the women I talk to, chat with, coach and encourage… they feel the same way!

Finding more time in your life for motherhood and entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be an elusive goal though! In fact, I’ve got a few tips to help you do just that.

5 Ways to Find Time in Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

How to Find Time – Write it out.

Things always seem larger and more daunting when they’re in your head. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a list person (and in fact, I have some tips that I’ll be sharing soon on how to actually rock your list instead of leaving it undone).

We’ve all heard the old adage, “A short pencil is better than a long memory.” When I’m running around trying to remember everything that needs to be done and accomplished, but don’t actually get it out of my head and on paper (or a list on my phone), it tends to clutter my mind which can lead to more stress, and less time and focus on what’s important.

How to Find Time – Prioritize.

Sometimes we feel a pull in too many directions because we haven’t decided which ones truly need our focus and attention at the time. Again, balance is fluid and these things will change; sometimes daily.

Write out your to-do, appointments, and whatever else you need to get done both in your life as a mother and in your career… and then prioritize it. This will help you see what you can delegate, what you can remove from your list, and what really needs to happen.

How to Find Time – Declutter.

Okay, so speaking of the clutter I referenced earlier, it’s time to clear it out. Did you know that the average American home contains 300,000 items? No wonder we spend time looking for socks and shoes and keys and sunglasses when it’s time to run out the door. Or spend too much time standing in the closet not being able to figure out what to wear. Or having to move the same things from surface to surface because it doesn’t really have a place to go.

See where I’m going with this? While it may take a little time to declutter, it’s time to start! Begin somewhere, because in the long run, clearing the access and having a place for everything WILL save you time and allow for a less rushed pace and more time for the things you find important; motherhood and entrepreneurship.

How to Find Time – Ditch the comparison.

No matter how many times we hear to avoid it (which is often) and how much social media invades our space (which can be a lot), there is always an opportunity for comparison to rear its head, stealing focus from anything and everything around. And I’ve realized that spending my time falling into the depths of comparison robs my future of the real me and steals the good that I can contribute to those around me. Comparison keeps us separated and alone, instead of building each other up and walking this life’s roads together.

When you start to feel it, shut out wherever it is the distraction is coming from and instead show some extra love to your babies… or projects. Focusing on them, your priorities will realign you with your worth and help you feel excited about what’s in front of you.

How to Find Time – Strive for perfection. Settle for excellence. 

I’ve heard this term a couple of times, and each time, it rings so true to me. I’m a perfectionist. There are times I’ll wait before completing anything because it’s just not “perfect”… and instead of getting anything done, I can find myself in a cycle of chasing perfection yet accomplishing nothing.

Strive for it, do your best, and through it all realize that YOU are enough. 

Holley Gerth explains it this way “Excellence is simply doing what you can, with what you have, where you are, as you are.”

The idea of perfection is just as elusive as complete balance. As we invite excellence into our home and release the pressure of perfection, we’ll also feel the release for more time. We’ll feel the breath we’ve been waiting to take, the freedom to spend an afternoon disconnected from career to focus on motherhood, and the okay to spend a morning away from family to focus on business. 

How to Find Time Bonus Tip Number 6 – Mix it up. 

I know we didn’t mention there would be six, but here it is anyway. 😉 Get your kids involved in some of the things you need to do anyway! Go ahead and mix family and business, invite them to get involved with what you’re doing or let your kids in on your own personal tasks, resulting in more time together.

This past week I had to finish up a gardening project for a collaboration I’m working on, and instead of just doing it all myself, we turned it into a family project. Each of my kids helped in choosing the plants, we planted them together, watered them together and they each took ownership of helping to make our new little garden area thrive. It was a way to give them a bit of “ownership” of our home and space, and a way to spend time together. They love it!

Every night, I take off my makeup and wash my face… no matter what. In the evening, I like to remove the makeup that I’ve been wearing even awhile before bedtime, just because it allows for better snuggles (my kids don’t LOVE lipstick kisses all over their faces) and I feel clean and fresh to spend the evening together. 

Leaving makeup on overnight can cause bacteria growth and can damage skin! No worries though, Neutrogena™ has us all covered with Neutrogena™ Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes from Walmart, which I’ve been using and loving lately. And what better way to teach my little ones to take care of themselves than to get them involved with me? These ultra soft wipes removes stubborn makeup while giving my face a fresh start for the rest of the evening, minus the irritation! Yes, later on, I’ll go ahead and apply my products for night-time, but this is such a simple and easy process that even my littlest can get in on it. 

While my business means there are many days I need to apply a full face of makeup… for photoshoots, for presenting, etc, I want my kids to see the way I can embrace both that and the gentler side of me, free of makeup and undue stress.