I received a DM from a designer the other day who had recently welcomed her first baby. She asked, “How are you balancing creativity, self-care, relationships, work, and personal responsibilities?” She went on to express that ever since becoming a mom, she feels her time is so limited, her to-do list is endless, and her priorities are shifting.

And man, did I feel her words to my core.

Between caring for your little one(s) and all the responsibilities that come with them,
Growing your business and all the hats that come with it,
Fostering your relationships with your spouse, your faith, your family, your friends,
All while making sure you move your body, drink enough water, shower…

Not to mention keeping the house in order, sorting through the sink full of dishes, folding that mountain of clothes that practically touches the atmosphere, and taking your first-born, who has been demoted to dog, for a walk…

The list goes on, and I’m exhausted just thinking about it. How can you stay inspired as a mother and business owner when you are stretched so incredibly thin?

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How can you stay inspired as a mother and business owner when you are stretched so incredibly thin?

As I’m writing this, we are 1.5 years in with our first son. While I in no way think I have all the answers, I do feel like we’ve found our stride (for now, lol), which has prompted me to share my experience of “work/life balance.”

Everyone’s circumstances and needs are different, making your priorities and schedule completely unique to you. But perhaps by sharing some lessons I’ve learned, it may give you some ideas to consider. It’s been a lot of trial and error, adapting to the ever-changing seasons, and working towards a cadence that feels right.

1. Finding Your Village

For us, we kept our son at home for the first 10 months. My husband and I tag-teamed childcare while working full-time, which was fine for a while, but as he got more mobile and hands-on, it eventually became unsustainable. Now we have him in daycare 5 days a week, from approximately 8:30am to 3pm.

Getting help with childcare has allowed me to be present both at work and at home. It was definitely emotionally difficult to have him “in school” at first, but he quickly fell in love with his teachers and new friends. When he is playing and learning, I’m working. And when he is home, he has our full attention, making our quality time so much more intentional. While our childcare situation may not be what you want yours to look like, the sentiment of “it takes a village” holds true. If you need a little help to create some margin for yourself, that is okay.

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When he is playing and learning, I’m working. And when he is home, he has our full attention, making our quality time so much more intentional.

2. Streamlining Your Work

The structure of my business has changed drastically since becoming a mom. Before our son, I only offered highly custom, 1:1 projects that took months to complete. But as my time has become my most precious resource, I’ve had to find offerings that don’t consume all of it. While I still take on longer-term projects if they are a perfect fit, I now focus more on projects with shorter timelines and a high ROI for both my clients and myself.

In addition to expanding upon Showit website and Canva templates in The Shoppe, the bulk of my schedule consists of 4-day brand and web intensives as well as our Day in the Studio service: a design offering where existing clients can hire us for one full day to tackle their laundry lists of design tasks. Pivoting to short-term projects has allowed me to pull back on my hours without sacrificing revenue, ultimately creating more margin in my life and business.

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As my time has become my most precious resource, I’ve had to find offerings that don’t consume all of it.

3. Investing in Relationships

When it comes to relationships, I completely understand the challenges. Because your time and energy are capped, it can be so difficult to give and connect with others on top of everything else. But I truly believe human connection is a cornerstone of a fulfilling life – and you need to continuously invest in them to maintain thriving relationships. After having our son, I felt stretched so thin between all the things. With everything we had going on, my husband and I had to sit down and map out intentional time together. We now have an at-home date night scheduled once a week where no laptop is to be seen, and a special date night out once a month.

When it comes to relationships – whether with spouses, friends, or family – I believe it boils down to recognizing what really matters and being intentional about fostering it. Set reminders to text loved ones, say no when you need to and yes when you can, schedule time to connect with friends, set specific boundaries, and honor them.

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Human connection is a cornerstone of a fulfilling life – and you need to continuously invest in your partner to maintain a thriving relationship.

4. Prioritizing Self-Care 

One of the biggest personal shifts I experienced when I became a mom was actually my relationship with myself. Before my son, I struggled with my physical well-being: I yo-yoed between unsustainable diets, intense cardio stints, and falling back to binge eating. In a hamster wheel of chasing “perfection,” I never felt completely comfortable in my own skin.

But when I had our son, I had an epiphany of two things: 1. I wanted to be the absolute best role model I could be for him, which to me partly meant showing him what a healthy relationship with diet and exercise looked like. And 2. I needed to take care of my body to make sure I felt the best I could mentally.

When I was cleared for exercise, I took up strength training for the first time. And I honestly believe moving and thoughtfully fueling my body saved me from having postpartum depression. 1.5 years later, I still train 3-4 times a week, and I think the reason it finally stuck is because “my why” shifted. Rather than wanting to look good, I simply want to feel good – taking care of myself so I can take care of others.

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Rather than wanting to look good, I simply want to feel good – taking care of myself so I can take care of others.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I think having the mindset of trying to do it all just sets you up for failure and feelings of guilt. I’m here to say, it’s impossible to do everything well, and it’s okay not to do everything at once. Instead, be intentional about what’s important to you. Figure out a roadmap, take one step at a time, and get help where you need it. And along the way, please, please, please give yourself so much grace because what you are doing is HARD, mama.

Hey Mamas

If you are looking for a space of encouragement and support, we’ve created an online community for creative businesses owners navigating parenthood: Creative Mamapreneur.

Credits

Photography: Darby Bobo Photo