How To Do It All (Hint: Don't!)
I'm so excited to be joining my friends over at the Mom Blog Collective today!
Once a month, our group of amazing and inspiring mamas will answer the same set of questions to do with blogging, Instagram, photography, collaborations, sponsored posts, balancing it all with motherhood, and more. We each have different perspectives and different opinions, so this is a fun way to learn from one another. We hope you'll join along! Check out the hashtag #themomblogcollective to see everyone on Instagram, and I will also link you to all of the amazing blog posts here at the bottom of my post!
HOW TO BALANCE MOTHERHOOD & BLOGGING
Without question, the most common question I get is "how do you do it all?" "how do you balance everything without drowning?" "how do you manage all your kids and a business and a blog and a husband and the groceries and showering"?!!?!? The simple answer would be "I don't"! But I'll share more of the hows & whys because "I don't" is a totally lame answer ;)
1. PRIORITIZE: I try to blog 2-3 times a week, and sometimes (just like everything in life) I succeed, and others I miserably fail. I keep a running list through the week of to-dos and try to start out my day by prioritizing (numbering) them - I find that if nothing else, when I accomplish my number one item on my list, I feel like I've been productive.
2. SACRIFICE/HUSTLE/GRIND: I never knew the real meaning of sacrifice until I had kids and ran a business. I spend all morning with the kids, whether it's errands, playdates or just hanging at home. I really try to be present when they're awake, because otherwise we all become very irritable - I feel interrupted and their need for attention just grows. During nap time, I'll try to fit in lunch, pick up the house, and some days will work if it's in the cards (that means everyone has to be napping, which happens about 3 days a week). Otherwise, we'll continue on our day and as soon as everyone is asleep for the night (usually by 9 PM), I'll start working and sometimes will be done as early as 10:30 but typically don't hit the pillow until 12 or 1 am. This leaves very little room for anything else. The reality is this: I wouldn't trade what I do for anything in the world, but it's never easy. I hustle and grind from sun up to sun up, trade sleep for just about everything and usually don't have that "unwind time" at the end of the night.
3. LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS: Being a mom is tough. What makes it tougher? Comparison, should do-s and have-tos, mom guilt and of course expectations. One thing I've learned (even more-so with each kid) is that lowering your own expectations is a huge key to happiness. I don't expect to get 4 errands ran in a day - one is a major feat, and if that doesn't happen, I roll with it. My kids don't care if we're not doing all the festive things and in reality, they're just as happy if we stay home in our pjs all day :) Mom guilt is real and so self-inflicted. Lower your expectations and your morale will be much higher!
4. SAY NO: It's so easy to become a "yes-lady" in the blogging world - you get cool offers for products, collabs, ect.. .but guess what? It's just one more thing on the list. And what started as exciting & fun turns into a major stressor in a lot of cases. So, I say no to a lot and only say yes when it makes sense, when it matches who I am IRL, and if it's worth it financially. Sure I probably sacrifice some really cool things for sanity, but I've never had a regret about it yet - because time with your family and time for yourself always end up being more valuable.
5. SCHEDULE: I try to schedule my posts throughout the month, and even if I don't get to all of them, I at least have a framework of whats ahead so I can start planning. Often times, I'll add all my posts in with a quick outline in my drafts, and that way, when I have time to write a post, I just need to go plump up an existing outline. This makes things so much easier and can really help you avoid a writers block.
I hope these help - I know everyone is different but I encourage you to lower your expectations, GRIND where it counts, prioritize what is most important to YOU, and say no when you feel it in your gut.
TO SEE MORE FROM MY FRIENDS:
darlingnightingale.com | @darlingnightingale
occasionallyperfectstyle.com | @occasionally_perfect
mrsseacannon.com | @mrsseacannon
britthavens.com | @britthavens
koleimpressions.com | @steph__pollock
cultivatemotherhood.com | @cultivatemotherhood
www.ashleynoel.life | @_ashley_noel_
hellobabybrown.com | @hellobabybrown
thelovedesignedlife.com | @thelovedesignedlife
other guests this week:
