1. How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Cards
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4. How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Plan

Take a breath and make the changes you need to find your own version of balance in your life. Rachel Allan has been a business owner for 12 years, and a mum for 5½ years. On her business-and-baby journey she has learned a lot about life, business and herself. While it has not always been an easy ride, it has definitely been fulfilling. My checklist is a living document, that I am constantly updating. That’s really it! It’s a crazy easy concept, but an absolute necessity for anyone trying to balance motherhood and working on your business. A to-do list keeps your mind and your life organized, so you don’t have to spend precious time trying to remember everything you have.

My beliefs of what it was to be a good mother were being smashed, although I wasn't sure if it was my beliefs that were at fault or my own ability. I peered at the other women on the train. Accounting for revenue and expenses can help keep your business running smoothly. Make sure you maintain proper bookkeeping and have a basic knowledge of business finances.

Although there's no secret recipe to balancing work and motherhood, there are thousands of women out there who have learned to do it successfully, women who've taken on this challenge before us and have come out on top.

I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to interview many, many entrepreneurial moms. And without fail, at some point during our conversation, they all say the same thing: 'When I'm working, I feel like I should be with my kids. But when I'm with my kids, I feel like I should be working.' But that guilt doesn't stop us from striving for success in both work and as a mother--we want to be able to do them both and do them both well. And if you ask any mom entrepreneur, they'll probably tell you what they're doing now is the most rewarding thing they've ever done. It's certainly not easy, but it's worth it.

I know for a fact that any one solution won't work for everyone. But I've found some common themes among the successful working moms that I know, and here are their 10 tips for being both a terrific mom and business owner.

1. Get--and stay--organized. Your work time is precious and not as dependable as it would be if you worked in a traditional workplace. You can't afford to waste time looking for files, sorting through junk mail or even finding a pen. Keep everything clean and organized from the start. Have supplies available and in a place where you know you can immediately put your hands on them.

2. Have a plan. Some mompreneurs use paper organizers and some use tech gadgets, but all of them use some sort of planner to balance their work life with their family life. (Personally, I love the 'Chaos Companion' organizer by Mommy Hulabaloo . It's a complete mom-inspired day planner.) Ideally, you should keep both personal and work appointments on the same calendar so you don't overbook or double up. And while it doesn't always work, you need to set aside hours for when you're going to get your work done. If you just wait for it to happen, it never will. Of course, you'll have to be flexible as your child-care provider will inevitably cancel, your kids will get sick and your spouse may occasionally need to work late.

3. Work with your family, not against them . When your children are little, make sure your office is kid-proof. Get covers for your computer and child-safe drawers on your filing cabinet, and keep your paperwork out of reach if you don't want your reports and invoices covered in crayon. Some women I've spoken with set up a child's office space within their office so that crayons, paper and activities are available to keep their kids busy. As your children get older, find ways to get them involved in your work. When they're old enough, let them stamp envelopes, fold fliers or shred paper. Just never let them answer the phone!

4. Think nap to nap, not 9 to 5. Break out of the 9-to-5 office hours' tradition. Your hours as a mompreneur might start before your family wakes up, continue during nap times and go on into the wee hours of the night. Prioritize appointments that need to be accomplished in person during the traditional day time hours. But understand that e-mail, filing, reading, and a lot of your other office tasks can be done at any hour of the day or night.

5. Stay ahead of the game. By the time evening hits, yes, you're exhausted. But take a few minutes to set out school clothes, set up the coffeepot, prepare lunches and clear your desk. You'll be so grateful to have a less chaotic morning if you do all this the night before. You might also want to consider getting up a little before your family does so you can exercise, take a shower or get some work done.

6. Suzy Homemaker who? You don't have to be Suzy Homemaker to be a good mom. Let go of your need to be Martha Stewart. Your priorities are your family and then your work. You don't have to be the mom that bakes the school brownies from scratch or hand-makes the costume for the school play. Choose your priorities--your kids will care more that you're there!

7. Schedule a mommy day. Every Tuesday used to be so stressful for me because I didn't have a nanny or my husband to help out at all. I prayed for long naps and few interruptions. Needless to say, most of the time, it didn't happen. So I finally decided to make Tuesdays a 'mommy day.' I worked more on Monday night and Wednesday to make sure I could have Tuesdays to myself. Now when I get work done on that day, it's an extra perk and not a source of distress.

8. Stay focused, and don't get sidetracked. One of the hardest things for work-at-home moms is getting sidetracked by children, laundry, dishes.well, you name it. Make a list each month of what you intend to get done. Then break the list down week by week, then day by day. If you stay focused, you can stay committed to getting things done.

9. Get help from your partner, then thank him for it. It's very difficult to succeed without help, so communicate with your partner about how he can help you--you both need to remember you're juggling two full-time jobs. Figure out how to parent and chore-share so you're both on the same page. Then tell your spouse how grateful you are for all his help.

10. Take care of you. How can you work out when you don't have enough time with your kids? How can you take a bubble bath when you're behind on a report? Realize now that there will never be enough time in the day to get everything done. Your in-box will still be full when you die, so learn to accept that fact now. It may seem like a cliché, but in this case, it's the truth: You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family, your business and your home. Just mark it in your calendar!

Working moms are amazing jugglers who fulfill many roles. I love the logo that Lolita Carrico created on her site, www.modernmom.com . It's a woman with eight arms balancing everything from a baby to work and everything in between. It represents our never-ending quest to find balance. Balance--it's a feeling we all hope to achieve yet which always seems to escape us. At the end of the day, however, you have to acknowledge all you've done and all you've accomplished. The fact that you did it and will do it again tomorrow means to me that you've mastered it as well as anyone else.

is all the rage these days. Unfortunately, it seems that most of what we have been told is a lie.

Here are 10 myths regarding work-life balance that are stressing you out and setting you up for failure.

1. It’s actually about achieving balance.

This is the biggest misconception regarding work-life balance. The hard truth is that balance doesn’t exist. It would be great if it did but our lives don’t exist in silos.

No matter how hard you try, there will be times when work bleeds into your and vice versa. Just because you clock out for the day doesn’t mean that you’re 100 percent free from work. You may still have to respond to an email or review your schedule. As an entrepreneur, you’re always thinking about work in some capacity.

If balance doesn’t exist, then what’s the solution? For Meeta Vengapally, founder and CEO of Garnysh, it’s integration. The integration is needed because “it’s about not separating the compartments of your life, but rather thinking of them in terms of the whole.” For example, when you’re at your child’s game, you can have a quick business call. If you have to run errands for work, ask for a friend who wants to tag along.

Another option is to take the approach. “I think work-life harmony is a good framework,” Bezos told Thrive Global. “I prefer the word ‘harmony’ to the word ‘balance’ because balance tends to imply a strict tradeoff.”

How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Cards

If you’re happy outside of work, then you’ll be more productive and energized in the workplace. And, if you’re fulfilled with your work, then you’re more content at home.

Related: The First Step to Achieving Work-Life Balance? Stop Calling It That

2. Life needs to be compartmentalized.

Another myth is that we need to compartmentalize life. For some of us, that means an even 50-50 split where we spend half of our at work and the other at home. For others, it’s dividing our days into 8-8-8 hour blocks. This longstanding mentality is that we should spend eight hours at work, sleep for another eight, and set aside eight hours for leisure and social activities.

The thing is that it’s not possible to evenly divide your time like this. There will be days when you put in 10 hours of work. The tradeoff is that there will be others when you only work for a couple of hours.

Instead of forcing yourself to compartmentalize your life, devote the right amount of time on your current priorities. If you’re approaching a deadline, then you may need to put in long hours working. You may miss out on with your family and friends at the moment. However, when you meet that deadline and celebrate with a vacation, then that’s when you make up that quality time.

3. You can have it all.

Even if you have created a schedule that allows you to exercise, spend time with your inner circle and get all of your work done, you’re still making a sacrifice somewhere. If I want to help my business grow, then I will have to travel frequently. Whether it is to check in on my remote team or speaking at a conference, I will be out of town and unable to spend that time with my family.

As Evernote CEO Chris O’Neill told the New York Times, “The truth is that it’s not easy balancing work with family. I travel a bunch. I don’t get home in time for dinner on a regular basis. Saturday is the thing that’s closest to sacrosanct.”

Don’t fall for the trap that you can have it all or doing everything that you want. Sometimes you have to give certain things up while pursuing your goals and dreams. The sooner you realize this, the faster you’ll be able to cut the unnecessary out from your life until you’ve reached your goal.

4. Time management is the answer.

I’m all for time management. At the same time, it’s an outdated concept. Most of the time management techniques we put on a pedestal were created before we were connected 24/7.

I wish I could completely unplug to free me of distractions or unwind. The reality is that as a business owner, I can’t go completely off the grid. To counter this, you have to be selective with how you spend your time. That means spending your energy on the right actions at the right time.

5. Technology will give you more free time.

has definitely made life much more comfortable. However, it’s not guaranteed to add more hours to your day magically. For example, you can use chatbots to handle necessary customer service inquiries. Artificial intelligence can give you smart suggestions on how to schedule a meeting. But, you still need to interact with customers personally and plan your own productive meeting.

In other words, technology is an assist. But, it’s not going to do everything for literally. You still need to put in a little effort.

6. It’s what employees care about most.

While employees enjoy flexibility, it’s not always at the top of their list. For most of them, they want meaningful work. Additionally, they crave recognition and want to work for an empathetic .

Again, balance is essential for your team. But, making sure that your team knows how they fit into the larger picture, acknowledged for their hard work and understanding their needs trumps balance.

Related: What Employees Really Want (No, it's Not About Money)

7. The early bird catches the worm.

I wake up at 5:15 am. A lot of successful people do. The idea is that if you’re up bright and early, you have more time to get things done. As a result, you’ll have more time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

But that doesn’t work for everyone. Some people are more productive at night. Also, whether you realize it or not, you’re adding more work hours to your day. That’s not terrible when there’s a deadline or a fire to put out. But, that’s not good for the long-term cause you’re going to burn yourself out.

The key is to work around your productivity peaks. So, if you’re more alert and focused around 10 a.m., then it may not be beneficial to set your alarm at 4 a.m.

8. You never have to work during off-hours.

Perhaps the leading argument for work-life balance is that you never have to work during “off-hours.” Entrepreneurs don’t always have that luxury. Sometimes we do have to be tapped into our business while on vacation or having downtime with the family. And, some of us enjoy what we do so much that work can’t be turned off just because we’re not at the office.

Having a fulfilled life, then, doesn’t mean always sticking to strict boundaries. If you’re in the zone and want to work, go ahead. And, when there’s nothing you would rather do than play board games with your family, then don’t feel guilty about tuning out work during that moment.

9. The less you work, the happier you’ll be.

Just because you’re able to crank out all of your work in 20 hours doesn’t mean that you’ll be happy. I know plenty of people you don’t put in excessive Elon Musk hours who are miserable. And, some folks don’t mind putting in 40 plus hours a week.

In other words, it's not about how many hours you work or do something you love. It’s about the quality of how you’re spending your time.

Related: 20 Secrets to Living a Happier Life

How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Account

10. Everything has to be scheduled.

How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Name

Essential tasks and appointments always go into my calendar. But, that doesn’t mean you have to schedule your entire life literally. It’s unrealistic and adds more stress to you’re already hectic life. And, it’s been found that people are happier when leisure activities happen spontaneously.

How I Balance Motherhood With Running My Own Business Plan

So while you should use your calendar to keep your life organized, don’t overdo it. Leave blank spaces so that you can grab coffee with a friend or sit back and process your day.