A Day in the Life of Planning Life

As a mompreneur, I tend to wear multiple hats with multiple outfits and multiple mindsets. I have to be doctor, counselor, disciplinarian, assistant, chauffeur, cook, and so much more as a mom. When I throw being an entrepreneur in the mix, it just gets even more interesting. I wanted to share a day in planning my life as a mompreneur to encourage - and perhaps entertain those who have made the choice to wear all of those hats along with me.

Kids Just Don't Understand

Will Smith came out with the song, "Parents Just Don't Understand" in 1988 (Yeah, I'm telling my age). The song was the new anthem of pre-teens like myself, and at times especially now, I think that my kids just don't understand. Case and point:

I'm over 40 okay? So when I'm in my work "zone," I'm in. My creative juices are flowing like crazy, spitting out genius like nobody's business. I mean, I'm amazing myself that this stuff is coming from my brain, and then it happens... "Ma!" The kids need me... now. So when I can finally turn back to my computer screen, I can't even remember my last thought. This awesome e-book that I was about to publish is gone, because I can't even remember what content I was going to share! They don't always understand how crucial it is for me to push through my hundred million ideas in my head to focus and develop just one. The idea of being balanced can be a challenge, but it is possible. Learning how to communicate boundaries and structure systems with even your children was one thing that I really found valuable, and it is a constant teachable moment with them, because as I grow, they grow. We're growing and planning together.

Adding To The Plate

As a single mompreneur who runs her business solo, the stress of it all can be so overwhelming that I have to just sit in my car just to get a breath in. It seems like everything and everyone needs me. No matter how I try to downsize and manage my tasks, I always end up adding something to the plate.

Someone asks for help on a project that is due... tomorrow. Now I love the opportunities to make money, so I usually just say 'yes.' And then I'm stressed all over the place trying to squeeze a new project onto my already full plate. My mindset is fixed to not passing up opportunities, because I need the experience and the money. And it's not their fault I said yes, but it doesn't make me feel any better about looking at my plate.

The Pressure

I don't know about anybody else, but as a mompreneur, I feel pressure. I feel pressure to be perfect as a virtual assistant and mom. Case and point: two months ago I had a deadline to get some tasks done for a client, and it just so happened to be the week my kids had activities out of the wahzoo. I was so stressed trying to be there to represent them, but make time to be the super VA that my client tends to believe that I am, and it was making me crazy. The pressure to be perfect had me all over the place, and it kept me from being 100 percent for either of them.

Planning Life

There is no planning life. But there is developing systems that can help make it easier. Life happens to us all, but as a mompreneur, we have to have endurance and seek balance. When you're trying to do it all - business and family, the stress can make you feel like you're not reaching the mark. And that leads me to my next point: Define your mark. Set goals. Set attainable goals for your business and your family. We all want to be superwomen who save the world in stilettos, but the truth is we have only 24 hours a day, and 4 of those are usually dedicated to sleep. What I have learned, and am learning, is to set small weekly goals - no more than 3 a week. There is nothing worse than setting goals that you don't achieve to make you feel like you're unaccomplished! Plan to succeed, plan to make the most out of your day, and plan to make the most out of your life.

Get your goal planning worksheet for free right here! GOAL PLANNING WORKSHEET

Need To Meet? Scheduling Software Can be a Lifesaver

Have you ever had so many meetings going on that you couldn't tell your left from your right, and you manage to overbook yourself? I know that has happened to me often, when I've forgotten to write an appointment down, logged the appointment on the wrong calendar date, or was in such a hurry that I didn't notate it at all. I realized that I needed some help, and I have been scouting for scheduling software that can be a lifesaver to my business, but also be cost effective to my budget.

I don't know if you've heard of Need to Meet, before. But it is a beta-mode software that can be a great tool for mompreneurs, especially those who have virtual teams. In my search, I decided to blog about it. The first thing I like about this software is that it's free. I love free stuff, and I love being able to manipulate new tools into my business toolbox to make my business run smoother.

Setting Up Your Meeting

Need to Meet is user-friendly. In a matter of a few steps, you can easily set up a meeting, add your team members and select several days and times. This is a great feature, in that, I know with my experience with working with event planners, they have a team of people who are always busy, and it gets challenging to schedule time for all members to chat virtually. The choices are easy for team members to select, and attendees get a customized URL to the meeting. Now, what I like about this, is that this helps keep tabs on your meeting set-ups, and who attended your meetings. If you have a transcriptionist for your meetings, this helps a great deal in getting things done more efficiently.

Sharing Your Meeting

Sending out meeting invitations can be tedious. With Need to Meet, you can send out your invitations either through Need to Meet, or conveniently through your own email platform. This is a great feature in that it helps to streamline your email management, and if you already have your team members in a folder, all correspondence from your invitations go directly to that folder. It helps to manage your meeting even better. You also will receive notifications from your team members when they answer your invitation.

Scheduling on Different Platforms

iPhones are today's new computers, and some apps still haven't caught on in being compatible with mobile devices. I live by my phone (although I don't have an iPhone), and I conduct a lot of business from my Wifi, so having this software that is compatible on mobile devices, even on Microsoft Outlook plug-in is an awesome feature. You can plan your meeting from your desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone, or Smartphone, quick and easy.

Running Your Meeting

Busy team members are often double-booked themselves, even when they are active in your online meeting. So, this software gives them the freedom to see all comments in one place. Now, if you have to have a one-on-one with a team member, there are privacy features available with the advanced plan that you can utilize to prevent other team members from seeing your comments with one team members. This can be handy when you have a co-facilitator and want to discuss agenda items a few minutes prior to the meeting, or to address some issues even during the meeting.

Manage My Calendar

Need to Meet does integrate with your calendar, for the appointments to automatically add to your calendar, and it also can serve as an admin to show your calendar with team members to show them which meeting you're interacting with at which time. When you have multiple teams, and in search of finding the right date and time to plan for your business, you will enjoy having this premium plan feature.

How Can This Help Me

This software is a great tool for most business owners. Wedding planners can use this when working with the Maid/Matron of Honor in planning events for the bride or working with vendors, PTA/PTO groups for planning executive board meetings and fundraiser activities, finance committees in planning budgets for your business model, and those in marketing working with clients on developing marketing strategies and campaigns. Just about anyone in business, profit or non-profit, can find this tool useful to streamlining order as well as providing great time management for their business. I'd love for you to try it, and share with me your opinion to using Need to Meet for your appointment scheduling.

Don't forget to download your virtual agenda planner tip sheet right here.

How to Plan Your Business Mompreneur Style

How many times have you tried to scratch your head to figure out how in the world are you going to have an important meeting, yet have a busy 3-year-old asking you what does the "Del" key do on your laptop - while two seconds away from touching it and deleting your entire project? Being a mompreneur can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be the end all of end all. You probably wish you could even schedule a play date while you work! I'm going to give some tips on how to plan your business, while working around your bubbly bundles of joy.

Tips You Can Use

1. Schedule during a time you know your child is about to wind down for nap or resource time. Planning a FB Live tutorial video, watching a webinar, chat session with a new client should be planned around the time when you know it is time for the kids to give you some free time. It can be quite difficult to share tips and tricks of the trade when you have baby screaming their head off in the background.

2. Schedule when you are most focused. The great wonders of online businesses is that you can be flexible with your work hours. If you're most alert at 5:00 am while the kids are still snuggling, find your quiet space to blog, create content, and pre-record your videos. It's not a good idea if you've gotten cottonhead around lunch time, and while the kiddos are eating, you're just looking for a cup of coffee and a place to zone out.

3. Network with other mompreneurs. Yes! Someone who shares your story. Someone who knows the challenge of trying to focus on writing your next blog article, while young "Cody" is asking you to come help him color because he's bored. Find a time and place where you can both meet up and let the kids play away while you take turns monitoring them, learning more about them and their business, and getting some work done at the same time. This leads up to tip number four.

4. Find local play date meetups. Trade time with sanity. Join groups that offer to watch your sweetface, while you go to the room up the hall to answer e-mails, make important calls, and host that next great lead generating webinar. You will be surprised how play date meetups can save you time and peace of mind, and build your revenue.

5. Make smart task planning choices. Let's face it, tips 1-4 may work some of the time, but may not be foolproof all of the time. The life of an entrepreneur is demanding, and being a mompreneur is unpredictable. So, choose to plan your tasks wisely. During the hours when the kids are fully-loaded with energy, it's not a great time to schedule a time to chat with a sponsor. Take this time to check and respond to emails, add dates and tasks to your calendar that you didn't have time to do yesterday, check your to-do list and check off things you've accomplished to energize your efforts.

6. Purchase and use a day planner. Make your life a little bit easier and organized with jotting things down. As a mompreneur, it is easy to forget things and overbook yourself. To prevent additional frustration, map it out. Leave room for the unexpected (like "Cody" putting a lego block in his nose, causing you to cancel your perfect 1:00 naptime his time, 1:00 your meeting time). Only add tasks that will be achievable. Don't plan so much, that you only get one thing accomplished, and feeling like your entire day was defeated.

Being a mompreneur can be rewarding. If you're choosing to raise the kiddos at home, but want to work to build a legacy for them, or if you're opting to build your business so that you can spend more time with your kids, where there is a will, there is a way.

CLICK HERE to get your resource list of child-friendly places where you can also have work time for you.