Valuing Your Time as a Mompreneur

It’s human nature. We don’t value things till they are too little or gone. And one of the most undervalued things is time.

When you are a creative person whose trying to juggle kids, family and home; it is paramount that we put assess every single minute and use it to our biggest advantage. As people, it is very easy to understand that we need to spend our money on need and not wants.

What is a hard idea to grasp is we need to be more proactive on spending our energy on what is essential to our creativity and parenting. Not on needless activities that take up space in our lives.

There are 24 hours in our day.

As a writer, it is so important that I get my write ups done, my submissions edited, marketed etc. As a mother it is important that I take care of my kids, send them to school, get them to do their home work , take them out.

My Story

When I started my writing journey, I totally underestimated the amount of work that goes into blogging full time and then starting my own publication. I constantly felt overwhelmed. But slowly and surely, I found ways to balance all the aspects of my life.

 I realized that there are many things that take away from us. It is important to keep your eye on the ball and do some, if not all of the below.

Plan, Assess, Calculate

One of most important pieces of advice I received from my husband was to write down time I spent on every activity I did. Writing, social media, courses etc. My planner to work out my week and my journal to note how much work I get done at a time became my two crutches in this struggle to cope.

Being prepared for your meals, articles, before the week starts helps you be armed with decisions. That is time saved in wondering how to make use of your time on the fly.

Shut Off From Social Media

Social media can be the biggest time suck there is, if not strategically used. Specially, in today’s times when there are so many gadgets to stay online often, it is very tempting to keep sharing your latest write up again and again. Have scheduled time for your social media and stick to it.

Time Yourself

You know how you have fit bit for steps. This one action will tell you how much time you are spending on everything. It will make a world of difference to your when you time your writing, how much time it takes to work on graphics, how much time it takes to get the kids to do their home work, their bath, cooking etc.

Don’t Say Yes To Everything 

It is very tempting to try to write for every single publication and volunteer for every activity for your kids. My kid’s first year at kindergarten, I volunteered for the PTA on the yearbook, social committee, along with the organization I volunteered for and social events and recitals I organized.

But by year’s end, I was exhausted beyond words and something had to give. I decided to start saying let go some of the many responsibilities I thought I had to take on. It freed up so much of my time to give to family, writing and self.

Keep Your Life Positive

Be wary of who you are letting into your own circle. The right kind of people help you grow and motivate you to do your craft better. A ten minute quality conversation is better than an hour of drama about who was or wasn’t invited to a party.

Pointless drama can take away from your creativity. Have clear boundaries. Respect your own and that of others.

Writing life like any other profession requires discipline. Be on time with your deadlines and that means planning your days ahead of time. Respect your own time and that of others’ as well.