This article originally published on The Business Women Media: http://www.thebusinesswomanmedia.com/
You have a beautiful baby who you love above anything else. You have taken time for your body to heal and you have fully stepped into your new identity as mother. Now your business is calling you back. Needing you, wanting you to invest. You want the intellectual stimulation that your business gives you, your head says it still wants to be with your baby. How do you get back into business after a baby.
You need to find balance between providing for your business and your baby. More importantly you need to be able to disconnect from your ‘mother’ role and focus on your business. You also then need to be able to disconnect from business owner and step back into being mother. Constantly switching roles and being present in both.
Many women have and continue to switch between both roles successfully. Here is one big tip to help you: To be effective in your business you need dedicated space and time.
Dedicated space
This is not your lounge room or dining room table or a corner of the spare room. You need a space that is for your business, that you can set-up your computer and organise your ‘work’. A place that you can invite people into to talk business. A space that you can make uniquely yours. Where you feel motivated to work.
This space could be a ‘study’ inside the house, or a converted shed or garage. You may choose to rent an office or space in a business centre or co-working space. Sometimes having space away from home means your business is taken a little more seriously. Although having a space at home can be useful if your baby is still little.
Importantly you need to make sure that this space is respected by your family. That when you are working, you are not interrupted. That your work is respected, and the space doesn’t become an extension to a playroom.
Dedicated time
Here is the choice – you can spend hours juggling between your laptop and your baby – trying to meet the needs of both at the same time. Not able to get your head into work and starting to get angry at your child for taking you away from your work. Or you can invest in some childcare and get productive time in your business. The options are endless – childcare centres, family day care, in house babysitters or nannies, relatives or even swapping with friends. Some co-working spaces also offer childcare.
If you know that every week you will have so many hours that you can dedicate totally to your business, then you can schedule time to do the work. You can work through daily task lists more efficiently. People start to learn when they can, or can’t contact you. You become efficient with how you use your time and your business grows
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