I love being a working mom who also owns a business. It may seem like I’m always busy, but in reality, I’ve learned to create a balance that really works. A lot of women ask me how I’m able to get it all done. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but earlier this year I gave myself a gift. My present to myself was a renewed commitment to taking care of myself and my loved ones. It can be a challenge when you love your work so much to turn it off and put it away. My family is so extraordinarily understanding, though. They know how important it is for me to be online, get posts done, take meetings, and generally engage, engage, engage.

The last few months in my business have been pretty remarkable. I’ve worked with some incredible brands on sponsored posts here on Mama Knows It All. I won a 2018 Iris Award for Entrepreneur of the Year at Mom 2.0. I was the keynote speaker for Type-A Parent conference this fall, and also spoke at the Motivated Mom Retreat. Not to mention my group coaching program Courage To Earn More is so fulfilling, and all of the folks in my circle are succeeding. On top of all of that, I started a new position with Bark, a start-up that helps to keep kids safe online.

How do I balance it all as a working mom?

How do I keep it together? Well, honestly, I still struggle.

Even with all of that good stuff going on, I was still recently prescribed anti-anxiety medication. I still struggle with finding flow and balance in my life between the work and personal stuff. I still question what my purpose is, and what’s next for me.

What I did, however, is start to center the most important things in my life and let my work play a supporting role instead of the lead character. Sticking to the office hours that I set at the beginning of the year, staying focused on my to-do list, not letting myself get sidetracked, and eliminating distractions are a priority.

How fortunate are we to live in a time where women can earn a living for their families right from the computer? Being able to be home with my children was always the goal, but it started to feel like I was back at work again.

Working moms make the rules.

I lost track of the most important part of being an entrepreneur: I make the rules. This business is my business. I can set my own hours, and work as much or as little as I desire. The cool thing, too, is that by training myself to be more efficient, delegating more, and working smarter, I’ve been able to make way more money than I ever have and spend less time working.

This is what it’s really like to be a working mom, y’all. Things can be going great and be challenging at the same time. There are highs and lows concurrently. You are NOT going crazy. This is normal.

I want to encourage you to keep the things that are most important to you at the front of your mind. If you are working for yourself, or considering starting a business, remember your what. What are you doing this for? I’m sure you don’t want to work  to have to be tied down to a computer all the time. You wanted more time with your kids, right? You wanted to be able to do more for your family. Remember, YOU are the boss of this thing.

Can you have it all? Absolutely. And on your own terms. But you have to know what you want and be willing to create the boundaries that will help you to get it.