My life is busy; there is no doubt about it. Yes, there have absolutely been days when one of my staff has walked in to ask me if I was alright after hearing a loud sound come from my office, but hey – we all need our vices.
Mine just happens to be belting out a few bars of one of my favorite songs! Co-running a rapidly growing lead generation company with my husband, especially one that is responsible for guaranteeing that some of the largest durable medical equipment suppliers in North America meet their sales quotas each year, is no easy task. Ensuring that our proprietary software can scale as we add features that push our databases to the next level can often be taxing. Sustaining media budgets, ROI, campaign launches and compliance changes can be both exciting and exhausting at the same time.
However, after all is said and done, there is nothing more challenging than separating work and life so I can be a mother to my rambunctious three children and an adoring wife to my husband.
There isn’t a day that we don’t get asked “How do you do it?” My answer is always the same: efficiency. We schedule everything in. Here are some rules I follow to ensure that I am efficient and driven while I’m at work, and present and relaxed when I am at home: Plan, Plan, and Plan Some More As I was brainstorming topics for this blog post, I realized that the planning my husband and I do is something that has been a constant in our lives since we met 19 years ago.
Thinking back, planning wasn’t something we did consciously until we had kids. Now each weekend we find ourselves writing goals and targets into our latest Apple gadget.
We make sure to have a quick meeting each Monday as we drive to work and get on the same page. From there, the rest of the week is spent focusing on execution. Learning to balance a busy work life with an equally busy family took a lot of work, a lot of patience, and a lot of trial and error.
Make A Routine and Stick to It Having a routine is so important – as an entrepreneur, and as a mom. Often, it is just as important for my staff to be aware of my availability during the day as it is for my family to know when I’ll be home that night. When you put your week into a routine, it is easier to maintain a transparent schedule that benefits your staff, your family, and really makes life a whole lot easier for you. Create Time for Family Bonding Having a routine is great, but that is only half the battle. A big part of the planning I discussed earlier involves scheduling time to spend together as a family.
For us, leaving work at the office isn’t just an individual rule, it’s a family rule. On more than one occasion my daughter has caught me talking about work at the dinner table and reminded me that we were on family time, and I’m so glad that she did.
Taking time at the beginning of each week to schedule time to draw, make music, play board games, or even just curl up with a good book are all ways that we can ensure that, even during our busiest weeks, we are still making time for family.
For me, my “me time” is spent exercising. I strongly believe that staying active and getting that extra oxygen flowing really helps to relieve the stress of balancing work and family, and it makes me happier, too.
When I can’t make the time to get outside on my own, I always have a blast incorporating my kids into the mix – whether it is a trip to the park, a rip around the skating rink or a splash in the pool. Not only is it a great way to bond while being active, but you also instill the importance of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle! Embrace Technology
We are fortunate to live in a society where technology makes it easier for us to stay connected. We are lucky to be able to sit and use our latest Apple gadgets (sorry Android users!) to stay in touch with our families or our employees when we need to be in a place that disrupts our typical routine.
Don’t get me wrong though, there is a time and place to use technology and online apps to make work more manageable – and family time is not that time.
It’s one thing to reply to e-mails on the go during errands or appointments, but it is something different to let this access to work creep into what should be attentive family time. Ask For Help I’ll admit – there are days where I feel like Superwoman.
Closing deals and helping clients by day, and cooking, playing, and loving my family by night. While there are days where I think I can do it all, there are just as many days where I feel like nothing is going right – and those days are the real tests.
On days like this, days where work has been tough and parenting has been tougher, I remember that I’m not alone in this.
I remember that I am so lucky to have a partner who is there to support me, who is balancing a lot of the same pressures and stresses, and who truly can understand how difficult it can be.
Being Superwoman is great, but there will always be days where you need to lean on someone close to you – whether in business or in family – to help you get through a tough day, so don’t be afraid to have a friend, family member or even a co-worker lend a hand. Learn to Say “No” As the oldest in my family, I always want to be the one to help.
I often find myself saying “yes” when asked to help out without even fully thinking through how I will manage to fit another commitment into my schedule. Being able to say “no” is a valuable skill, and it’s one that I am still working on.
As a mom and as an entrepreneur, knowing your limits is such a big part of being able to balance the responsibilities and pressures that come along with both roles. Recognizing when you’re just doing too much is the key towards taking those first steps towards a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.
Karina Hayat is one of Canada’s top 100 female entrepreneurs as listed by w100 and has been in the lead generation business since 2001.
A self-declared “Mompreneur,” she is the President and Co-founder of Prizm Media; a PROFIT 500 Listed and compliance focused lead generation company that caters to some of the fastest growing DMEs and pharmacies in US and Canada.