How I Stay Productive While Balancing Being a Mom and a CEO

Apr 21

If you're running a business, I know you've got tons of work on your plate. From managing an agency or your client roster to DIYing your accounting to trying to wrangle your kids, it can feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done.

And boy, do I get it. In my first year of business, I got pregnant with my first child and had to brainstorm how the heck I was going to be a new mom and take maternity leave while running a business.

It was tough work, but I'm glad I got it out of the way at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey because now I have some rock-solid systems in place that help me create a sustainable income for me and my family without fighting burnout all. the. time.

Right now, I only work about 26 hours per week. Between balancing childcare and my agency, I've found that the best way to get work done is to stick to a plan of action that can be molded and moved around to fit the needs of my life at the moment.

This is one of the best things about running your own business — you get to dictate when and how you will get work done based on what works best for you. You don't have to worry about taking time off for a doctor's appointment or school play. You can shape your days around your personal life to show up as the best version of yourself in both!

Want to see what that looks like? Here you go.

90-Day Planning

To get focused each week, I need to know what I'm doing that month, i.e., my monthly goal. I want to make sure that everything I do points back to a specific goal so I can stay consistent and strategic.

For me, 90 days, or quarterly planning, gives me the best idea of what I will be doing over a decent amount of time — a period that isn't too long or too short.

Planning too far in advance to me feels like a waste of time because, for the most part, I have no idea what will pop up 7 months from now. It's also just too much to think about in one sitting. And planning too last minute leaves me prone to mistakes and chaos.

Planning a quarter at a time keeps me in check and helps to really get work done instead of fighting burnout from trying to do it all at once.

Brain Dump All My ideas

Before I get anything down on paper officially, I brain dump all my ideas onto paper. It helps me clear my head, and once it's out, I get a better idea of what I need to plan for.

But I don't do everything. I weed through my answers and scrap ideas that don't align with my goals for that quarter. It's tough to say no, especially if it's an idea you're excited about, but you're never going to get where you want to go if you're chasing shiny objects.

I'm giving you permission to be picky and say no!

Once I have a goal set for each month, I start breaking down the task and organizing it in Asana.

Set Themes For Each Day

Once I have all my ideas sorted out, and my monthly focus set for the next three months, I'm good to start planning out how my week will go.

I like to plan out my work week by batching days and "setting themes." Here's what it looks like.

Mondays: agency work, connecting with my team, and anything admin related
Tuesdays: all content — creating titles for my videos, gathering thumbnail inspo, and sorting out ideas
Wednesdays: filming all video content, including YouTube videos, Instagram Stories, and Reels
Thursdays: play catch up
Fridays: take the day off

I found that focusing on too many things in one day, especially when trying to content plan and film at one time, is too much for me. Breaking up the days helps me get more done much faster because my brain gets to stay in content planning or CEO mode all day, rather than switching it up and losing focus.

Create My Weekly Schedule

Here's where the fun happens!

Every Thursday, I sit down to work out my schedule for the next week. I block out time in my Google calendar so that if anyone wants to schedule a meeting with me or set up a call, they know I'm busy. I don't like leaving this time open to interpretation, because if I do, I will never sit down and plan.

I start by thinking about all the “set-in-stone” things that are happening that week:

Any recurring client calls or calls with my team
If there are any holidays that week
Any appointments I need to plan around
Any deadlines that are coming up

Then, I take a look at my weekly and daily needs for my schedule:

Full focus time
Leaving space for lunch
Client calls and agency work
Creating content
Filming

I then take this and put it into my Google calendar. I share that with my husband and my team so everyone knows what's going on that week, when I have heads-down work, or when I have calls and know it's strictly "do not disturb time."

This is different from what I do in Asana though. Asana is where I break down my projects into tasks, can set due dates, and ultimately keep track of the bigger picture. My physical planner is where I brainstorm all my ideas and how I'd like my days and weeks to go, and my Google calendar is where I get time blocked and calls/meetings scheduled.

It's Time to Create a Plan That Actually Works

Does it ever feel like your to-do list keeps growing, no matter how much you plan in advance or hard you try to sit down and focus? You never know what you should be devoting your time to, so you try to cram in as much as possible in the little time that you have. The chronic overwhelm of trying to figure out what to do next in your business leads to burnout, and before you know it, you’re ready to throw in the towel!

If you need a plan of action that tells you exactly what you should be focusing on each month, I want you to click below and apply for my FREE private training, How to Hit Consistent Revenue in Your Business.

There's a system for figuring this out, and you don't have to do it alone. If…

Launching a digital program or course
Creating your first product or course
Setting up a sales funnel to automate and increase sales
Using YouTube as a core piece of driving traffic to your business

…is on your radar for 2022, let me help you fall back in love with your business and start doing the things you've always wanted to do.

This free training is available by application only to people who are serious about wanting to get consistent with the content. Applications close at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. Apply for this free training here!