It’s not always easy to be a work-from-home mom when it comes to juggling how to prioritize your kids and actually making an income to be able to contribute to your family. We have so many obstacles to overcome, from trying to stay focused on actually getting the time to work on our businesses, the fear of failure, organizing our time, second-guessing everything we do, feeling like there’s never enough time to be able to do things the way we actually want to do them. The list could go on and on!
That’s why I’m giving you 3 incredible tips in this blog to help you navigate this life you’re living, of really feeling like this is exactly what you know you’re supposed to do. This is an opportunity for you to be inspired, to feel empowered, and maybe even just to take one small step in the direction of knowing you can do just a little bit better.
I want you to know it’s possible to do both! You can prioritize your kids and provide an income for your family. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You don’t have to fail at one to be good at the other and then flip-flop back and forth. We’ve got so much to think about, dream about, and mull over to be able to move forward in the work that we do in both our home and business. So without further ado, let’s go ahead and get started!
Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast
The Struggle So Many Women Face: Prioritize Your Kids While Working
I wanted to talk about this topic because I recently asked some questions in our free Facebook community. This is where everyone gets to hang out and talk about what they’re learning in my podcasts. If you’re not inside the group, you should definitely join! In this group, I got some incredible feedback about what’s going on in your lives. I absolutely loved reading everyone’s answers. I care so much about what my community is experiencing. When I first started Chelsijo.co I really aimed to focus on one mission: to be able to prioritize their kids and family AND make money.
We All Face Similar Issues
I have felt that same pressure that you are feeling. It can be unbearable and keep you from showing up the way you want to. Whether that’s for your kids or for yourself or your business. I believe that happens because you don’t have the right systems on board. A lot of that goes along with discipline, and that’s such a core value of mine. Discipline is going to play a big part in the relief of the complexity you’re experiencing while trying to prioritize your kids and working to provide an income.
We’re going to talk about three big things that I’ve observed to be extremely important in my own journey (and other women’s journey). This applies if you’re going to a 9-5, doing network marketing, or running your own company. Anything on the list of how you can make money will apply. This applies to everyone.
“You can prioritize your kids and provide an income for your family, and I want you to know it’s possible to do both! It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You don’t have to fail at one to be good at the other and then flip-flop back and forth.”
# 1 Set Boundaries With Your Time to Prioritize Your Kids
The number one thing you can do to prioritize your kids in the midst of working towards growing your income is to set boundaries with your time. Setting boundaries with your time will look different for everyone. Systems in place will help you with this! Let’s talk about what setting boundaries with your time looks like.
Some things you may be dealing with if you’re not setting boundaries with your time will show up when you’re trying to get out the door, or when someone needs something from you and you feel like you can’t give it to them. This may be because you’re already feeling hard-pressed in another area. It could look like constantly being late or constantly rushing. That’s how you know you might have a problem with boundaries in your time.
Setting boundaries with your time is so much more than just watching the clock and knowing you need to leave ten minutes early to get somewhere on time. Having boundaries means you actually have wholistically looked at your entire day and figured out where all your puzzle pieces fit. How are you going to routinely get through your day so that you are effective and efficient in getting through the blocks of time that you have?
How Time Blocking Can Help You Prioritize Your Kids
This is where I created my Five Block Time Blocking method, and why I always refer to it. It is truly the way to set boundaries with your time. However, even within each of those time blocks, you have to understand that time is precious and sacred.
What are you doing with that time you have? Are you wasting it? Do you even know what you’re doing in that time block? Those are the kind of things you need to ask yourself to get a handle on boundaries with time management. There is an infinite number of ways to rearrange and organize your day. That is up to you. I believe that having the structure for your time is what will give you those guides to go through your day as you try to navigate how to prioritize your kids and the work you have to do each day.
I want you to understand that this is important. You should take it seriously, and you can care about what you’re doing in each of your five-time blocks of the day. Your family can have great leadership from you and you can depend on yourself. There are so many more things we can talk about with just this one tip, but we are going to move on to number two!
#2 Become Efficient and Effective With Your Time and Everything You Do
This tip isn’t as much about the time as it is about the tasks and what you have to do. It’s also related to your thought patterns. It’s related to your energy input and output. I’m talking about becoming efficient and effective in EVERY way possible. Waste nothing. You have so much control over what it is that you are wasting, consuming, conserving, and how efficient and effective you are.
You are trying to show up hard for your kids to make your kids a priority. And for your house and husband while also making money that can be life-changing for your family. Whether that’s a couple of hundred extra dollars for your family per month or a couple thousand.
Waste Nothing
No matter where you are with that, it’s just as important. The point is that you are trying to be everything you can and be able to maximize your efficiency. That means you waste no time. To be effective means that the decisions you make, how you move about your day, and the thoughts you think are not wasted.
This is the mathematical science behind living a systemized life! This doesn’t mean being completely regimented or neurotic about it. I’m not encouraging you to be super strict about things that don’t matter. The important thing is figuring out what is effective and what is not. I don’t want to waste time.
Reflecting On Your Own Efficiency
Start to look at what is not working in your life. What is taking a bunch of time? It might be thoughts that spiral out of control or terrible habits. What could be holding you back?
You have full control over what you’re wasting in your life. If you’re in a spot right now where you’re wasting a lot, that means you have SO much potential coming you’re way! Just start with one small piece of that, and move to the next piece. Being efficient and effective is so important when you are trying to show up for your business AND show up for your family.
#3 Realize Your Growth is Infinite But Your Time Raising Children is Not
The third tip that I want you to be thinking about is realizing that growth in you is infinite, but your time raising children is not. Yes, you will always be a mom. But the art of raising a child is limited. You will not have that forever. None of us will. Although you will always be in a supportive and nurturing role, the day will come when there will be less guidance and they will be doing their own thing.
Your job right now is to pour into your kids in every possible way that you can. That is why you are trying to figure out how to prioritize your kids. Sometimes that means that you are working, showing them that you are growing, and they can do that too!
You Don’t Have to Give Up One for The Other
I am not at all saying you should shorten your goals or lessen the time you give to creating income for your family. What I do want you to look at is what I mention in tips number one and two! Making sure those boundaries and becoming effective and efficient are non-negotiable! They’re non-negotiable because raising your children does not last forever.
You have your whole life to grow, and the opportunity to do that every single day. Don’t feel like you have to rush that process. Your time is not going to expire on growing. You have that forever. I know the eagerness that you feel because I feel it too! I am so eager to show up every single day for the best parts of me.
When I stop and think about what that looks like, sometimes that means slowing down and being OK without checking all the boxes. It might mean just sitting and listening to my kids. Or watching them flip through their sketchbooks while they show me their recent drawings. The stories they tell and the questions they have are more important than trying to hustle on my phone in the car while trying to get somewhere.
These are the things that truly matter when you’re dedicated to growing as a mom and as an individual that’s creating income. If you want to connect more with me and other women who are on this journey together, check out our free Facebook community, and share how these tips are working for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get more of this kind of support to prioritize kids and family while juggling work?
You’re more capable than you think. But if you are anything like me, trying to do it all without systems created complete chaos. You don’t have to feel stuck in a rut. To learn more about how to implement those in your own home check out the Systemize Your Life Academy. I created the Systemize Your Life Academy so you can access the exact systems I use to juggle kids, a marriage, a house, and my business. When you learn the Systemize Your Life Method you become efficient and productive which allows you to have the balance you need to grow in your business without drowning in your home.
