Being a mother is hard enough as it is. If you are a business owner on top of that, you are going to need to make sure that you are doing everything in your power to reduce the stress in your life. Here are some things that can make your hectic and stressful schedule far easier to work with, and help you mange business stress.
#1 You are going to need access to extra space
This is important for anyone who owns a business at home, especially if you have a temporary office that you are going to be changing to a permanent one. It isn’t fair on your family to have their space and lives disrupted because they are having to move around the displaced furniture from the room you are using as an office.
So, getting some on-site storage is important, especially if you still need to access everything regularly. It can be a relief to have everything to hand, especially if you are a mother with a truly relentless schedule which means you can’t go and nip out to the closest storage unit that might be twenty-plus miles away from your home. Therefore, it might be a good idea to look into portable storage to make sure that you can reap the benefits of having extra space without it being disruptive.
#2 You are going to need to get a hang of social media
If you are a business owner, you are going to need to keep on top of your business’s social media output. This can be something that you might find to be really difficult in your day-to-day, so you are going to need to come up with a way to put it into your schedule. Thankfully, social media is a relatively painless tool to use for a lot of businesses, as it can be really important to your company to make sure that you are easily accessible online.
By making sure that you have a set time of day to post and create content (even if you schedule it for later), you won’t be interfering with family time and you will be posting at regular intervals, which is in your favor when it comes to getting the best from the algorithms.
#3 Automation is your best friend
Find ways to automate your business. For example, find out the numerous different ways that you can automate payroll for your employees, and make sure that you are sending out immediate response emails to your clients to say that you have received their emails.
You might also find that it is important to put a chatbot on your website to prompt customer interaction, which is automated to a certain degree – you might find that this also increases customer interest. There are a lot of other areas that you can automate in your business, and you should take advantage of this wholeheartedly as it can free up so much time.
#4 Understand your limits
That’s because, as a Mom as well as a business owner, you are already stretched thin. But you need to know how much further you are willing to go, and how much you are capable of going before you snap. Being a mother and a business person is some of the two most stressful things in the world, and takes its toll over time.
Imagine yourself to be an elastic band. It can repeatedly stretch, and by doing so it increases its flexibility. In the same way that stretching yourself and challenging yourself increases your capabilities. However, stretch this elastic band too far and it will snap, as a person you will experience burnout.
You might also notice, however, that an elastic band, when stretched and held into a certain position for a long amount of time, will never go back to the same shape it was again. This has the same effect on your energy levels. Work too hard for too long, and you will never fully recover. Planning your time and being strict with these boundaries helps you stay flexible without ever ruining your enthusiasm.
#5 Outsourcing can help you massively
As well as automating, outsourcing can help you really stay on top of what is important. It can help you work to your strengths while other people work to theirs to benefit your business. This is something that you will need at some point in your life, and it can really benefit you when it comes to tackling tricky subjects.
It is not reasonable to assume that you can learn enough to become an expert in every aspect of running your business. By handing over certain jobs to the professionals (who you should ensure have your interests at heart), you are able to focus on the parts of running your business which you are expert in. This is particularly helpful if you find a certain task difficult, compliance for example, or handling international payroll and you do not want to risk making a slip at a time of stress or worry in the rest of your life when you might not be as focused as you normally are.
#6 You need to make sure that you and your people are trained
Whether you are part of a group or it is just you on your own, you are going to want to make sure that everyone involved in your company is trained well, and that is especially important when it comes to end-user education. If you aren’t sure what that is, you should look into it immediately. It helps you and your company become more aware of online threats and the importance of the role of cybersecurity within your business.
This is, needless to say, something that is difficult to wrap your head around if you are unaware of how big the role cybersecurity plays within your company. You should make sure that you are aware of everything that can affect your business, and make sure that you have the hardware and software that you need, not only to protect your business but your family as well.
This can really help when it comes to reducing stress for both your home life and your work life, so make sure that your business knows all the ins and outs of end-user education.
