January Update: Finding the Balance

January has been a period of adjustment and learning for me.  Much like Steph Crowder says in her awesome podcast "Courage & Clarity", we start off January with a clear vision and then get derailed by ALL the things.  Especially us moms.

Now is about the time it is hitting for most of us.

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We get the holiday decorations put away, the kids back into school, and our workout routines revitalized. And then....a sick baby, or car trouble, or a good problem to have - a new client.  The to do list mounts up. I start scanning to see what can be dropped or delegated. It all gets hectic in a handbasket right quick.

Only two weeks into January I have found myself right here. The plan is not going to plan! And I'm so happy about it!

Happy?? What?

Happy because I can truly take a look at my life, my priorities, and what is realistic for my goals. I'm an ambitious, glass half full type. I would be more than happy to lock myself in an office and toil away for hours on end cranking out some work. But I have learned this does not serve me and my ability to show up for my family. I quickly run myself down and feel depleted. 

My life coach (yes, I recommend EVERYONE has one) says this is a solvable problem. I can plan for all the things that come up. I can allow extra time in my schedule. Let me tell you that I did not like the way this looked on my calendar. My business goals were pushed out. The overdue projects around the house - they were tabled until much later. I really didn't like planning for tasks to take twice as long as I projected them to take. 

But I tried this approach anyway. The result?

Things starting falling into place. I took care of me, my mental health, my physical health, my family's needs, and my projects in a sustainable way. I gave up some things that weren't fitting into the calendar well and that I was cutting short on my attention. 

CONSTRAIN. That's the word of magic for January. Creative entrepreneurs are notoriously bad at this. Limit yourself to one project / one task / one focus area at a time. The other pieces will work themselves out, and you will get SO much more momentum focusing on that ONE thing.

Are you signed up for the newsletter? I will be sending out financials and my Mompreneur Biz Planning Worksheet in just a couple weeks to our subscriber list. Lots of great info and insight will be coming your way.