Too many balls to juggle as the mom, entrepreneur, wife, house manager, school volunteer, etcetera?
Most mom business owners think that’s the norm. They’ve accepted it.
Which means that they can’t think OUTSIDE it.
They’ve bought into the “having too much on your plate is normal” lie, which keeps them running from one sports game to one last client check-in to yet another house tidy-up before falling into bed….
All while they’re operating on fumes themselves due to a long day at work beforehand.
(Throw in the school pickup routine, making dinner, and homework help on top of that, and you’ve got a recipe for a chronically burnt out work-from-home mom!)
The cure for this?
Skip the crazy productivity hustle schtick, and start saying “no” like one of those hardcore “50 things” minimalists – except to your CALENDAR.
- No, I can’t drive the kids to practice tonight – someone else needs to take them, ‘cause I’ve got one more day of launch prep to finish.
- No, my work hours end at 4pm (with only 1 bonus client check-in at 6pm) – because my only workout time is right before we sit down for family dinner.
- No, I can’t cook that tonight because it takes too long – but you’re welcome to learn the recipe, if it’s your favorite.
- No, we can’t go to the museum this Saturday – no one did their cleaning chores throughout the week (oh, and I’ll be off at the coffee shop to avoid getting pulled into micromanaging this mess).
Because the key to being really good at sticking to your priorities (which is NOT the same thing as crossing off your to-do list)….
….Is getting used to “heck no” being the first thing out of your mouth.
- Not sure about a collab opportunity? Heck no. (To yourself, not the other person on the Zoom call.)
- Heard about a new social media platform? Heck no. (I don’t need to be making more content.)
- School asked you to volunteer in your child’s classroom? Heck no – I don’t have time for that.
- Church wants everyone to come to their latest and greatest foster and adoption workshop? Heck no – we’re not doing that (if we’re NOT interested and we DON’T have a call).
Instead of looking for the possible BENEFITS of each and every calendar commitment, you’re switching your focus to “what are the possible COSTS of dragging my family to this.”
Which is why in my “get 20 hours back a week” program, you’re going to walk away with the confidence that everything your biz & family needed from you this week got done – ‘cause you have the mindset now to say no.
The ability to filter everything through your energy.
That laser focus on what you have time and capacity and brainspace for, and what you don’t.
(Trust me, with 30 days of calendar help support, you’ll be laughing at those shiny object distractions when we’re done!)
So your mental process now is “Shiny new thing? Here’s the cost…. Uh, HARD NO.”
And just like a minimalist, you start questioning all those must-have’s about your schedule….
Only to discover they weren’t must do’s at all. They were clutter.
So you hit delete and unsubscribe and text people you’re out and uncheck the Gmail calendar notifications….
And the white space starts slowly spreading through your weekly schedule.
Because YOU started giving hard no’s.
To EVERYTHING.
And you and your kids have never been happier.
(“You mean you actually have TIME for family dinner 6 nights a week? To play board games with the kids? To hang out with your teens? To watch family movies together, not work on your phone all evening?” Yeah. I do. It’s ‘cause we’re not running out for extracurriculars 5 nights a week – we’ve only got 2.)
Like just last week, I hit the end of my day in “still need to recharge those batteries but ALSO still have 3 big rocks on my to-do list” mode.
So what did I do?
I called one kid to come fold laundry (I’d forgotten I’d handed that off to him, and fallen into my old pattern of doing it all myself); I asked my husband if he could supervise the trig homework (so I could go for a meditation walk); and I took 4 minutes to touch base with my high schooler about her ACT prep plans to make SURE those were covered.
That’s it. That took care of everything.
And I was home free for the evening.
So no, black belt time management skills have NEVER been a business requirement. Even when you’re a mom.
The industry only TELLS you this because they don’t think you’re willing to be a commitment minimalist.
But when you choose to be one….
The calendar juggle dance disappears like magic, there’s room for generous client care (that never feels like a burden), and your kids always have enough time for each other (and for you).
And your only cost? Is being a little (okay, a lot) counter cultural.
Which is a price I’m willing to pay (for this amount of time spaciousness).
‘Cause you and me both, we’re always looking to uplevel.
Get more efficient.
Cut out what’s not “you” anymore.
So DM me when you’re ready to live the laptop lifestyle on YOUR terms as a mom.
