7 Tips to Being More Productive as a Business Mom

Productivity is the goal. We all want to be productive, but there are some big obstacles in our way of feeling productive (Instagram, I’m looking at you).  The hard part as a mom growing a business is that there are so many areas that we want to be productive in.  Because of that, we are frazzled and stretched and feel unproductive in our business.  Today, I want to share my top 7 tips on being more productive as a business mom because the time that we do have to work on our business is precious.  I don’t want you to get that hour to focus on moving your business forward and then you end up scrolling Instagram doing “research.”  You are in charge of your business, so take charge of the time you spend on your business.

 

 

**Disclaimer** I’ve been growing a business and being a mom for the last 15 years, so I’ve been through all the stages, from new born to teenage kids and every stage in between.  So, I’m going to give you some productivity tips. Some of them are going to apply more to you than others depending on which stage of life you are in.  Take the ones that help you the most and leave the ones that don’t apply to you.  You are the one who decides how your motherhood looks.  I trust you to read my advice and then translate it into your own life.  This is meant to help, not guilt.

 

 

7 Tips to Being More Productive as a Business Mom

Business Mom Productivity Tip #1: Focus on the Moving Needle

Ever get to the end of the day and realize that all you did was put out fires?  Or, you just respond to every ding of your inbox instead of doing the work that will really make a difference in your business?  Yeah, me too.  You need to know exactly what in your business makes the most difference and then you focus on that.  So, what are those needle-moving activities?  I like to follow the money here.

What are those things in your business that are actually making you money or helping you work towards your goals?  Does sending out an email get you 10 more sales?  Then you should probably be doing that.  Does creating a Reel get you more engagement and followers than posting on stories? Then you should focus on Reels.  Look to your past and your analytics to decide which things are making the biggest difference in your life and prioritize them.

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #2: What are the Things Only You can Do?

After you get your list of needle-moving activities, you are going to see that there are a lot of other activities that would be good to get done, but they don’t need to be done by you.  This is where outsourcing comes in.  Outsourcing frees up your time to work on growing your business instead of working inside your business.

Here are some things you could outsource right now:

Cleaning your house (I have a house cleaner come two times a month and it has been a complete game-changer.)

• A VA who responds to your email, social media content, and DMs.
• Blogging, Pinterest, email marketing, and social media management (I’ve got the right agency for you here.)
• Branding your business (I’m here for that too.)
• Bookkeeping
• Legal Services (Check out Brittany Ratelle here.  Use Michelle15 for 15% off all templates.)
• Accounting
• Video editing

 

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #3: Be Prepared with a List

When you get time to work, you don’t want to waste a minute.  Spend a few minutes before bed to make a list of the things that you need to get done the next day.  Then, when you have time, pull out your list and start crossing things off of it.  This list is your best defense from getting sucked into spending a day putting out fires.

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #4: Have Work Times and Protect Them

When I had little kids, I spent the morning playing at the park with my kids and going to the library.  We’d come home, eat lunch, and then during nap time, I’d get to work.  That schedule has carried me through for 15 years and a very long pandemic.  My kids don’t nap anymore, but when they are home all day with me, we work in the morning, and then there is tv time in the afternoon.  During that time, I get to work.

There is one big rule for this time: Don’t do anything during this time that you could do with kids around.  For example, I know that once the kids are settled watching a movie that it feels like the perfect time to fold the mountain of laundry.  Resist.  You can fold laundry while listening to your child read or recount the stories of the day. Protecting your work time makes you a better mom and business owner.

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #5: Turn Off Your Alerts

Because you have your list of to-do’s, you would never end up spending all of your work time on Instagram, right?  Right.  Me either.  But, listen.  We have to get really good at having self-control and self-regulating so that we don’t waste all of our time doing the things that we really don’t want to do.  It is really hard to write a blog post, record a podcast, write an email when you are constantly checking Instagram or responding to email alerts and it will take you 5X’s as long.  I actually don’t get many alerts on my phone because I’ve turned them all off.  I get text messages and that’s about it.  This has saved my sanity because I’m not acutely aware of every like and follow and I can focus on the bigger picture.

 

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #6: Be Real About Your Real Life

Your life is different than my life and my life is different than yours. Obvious, I know, but sometimes we look at other people and compare what we are doing to what they are doing.  So, we build our productivity on their lives without realizing that they don’t have a newborn baby, but you do, or whatever.  So, look at your life and be honest and real about what you are able to get done.  That’s why I just create a to-do list.  I don’t map out every action with every time slot of the day.  I have my list and work my way down it.  My goal is not necessarily to get to the end every day but to keep moving the ball forward.

 

Business Mom Productivity Tip #7: Fight the Overwhelm

Building your business is a big undertaking, don’t feel like you have to do it all at once.  You’ve got time and seasons.  Take a breath, you’re doing great. When looking at big projects ahead of me, I break them down into smaller steps and then accomplish each step one at a time.  For example, when I think about creating a course, it feels too big, but if I break it down into smaller steps, it makes it a lot easier.  I will make a list of the different videos, then create the videos, then create the sales page, then write the sales copy.  That is a list I can accomplish.

 

 

BONUS Business Mom Productivity Tip: Don’t Do Business Alone

You need a team, a community of women who get you, who understand what it is like to grow a business.  That’s why I created Money Makers, my group coaching program.  You get access to all of my courses ($1,000’s of dollars worth), twice a month coaching, and a community that will be with you and hold you accountable.

Click here to join now.

These productivity tips might not be ground-breaking or sexy.  That’s fine.  They aren’t supposed to be. What I’m telling you is that if you want your business to work, you’ve got to do the work.  No magic algorithm fairy is going to come along and drop a business in your lap, which is great news because it puts you in control.  It is all about consistency and showing up and doing the work.

I hope these 7 tips to being more productive as a business mom help you accomplish more of the work that you’ve been called to do.  If it helped, would you let me know over on Instagram and share this article with a friend.  Thanks, Biz Sister!

Luvs,

Michelle