MY top 6 tips for better work-life balance
MY top 6 tips for more of a work-life balance
As a mom of 5 kids, finding time to fulfill all the needs of my business as well as be a good mom can be challenging at times.
But after 10+ years of entrepreneurship, I've compiled a list that will hopefully help you in your own journey to finding more work-life balance.
Here are my Top 6 tips all entrepreneur moms Need to Know about work-life balance.
1: Get clear on what you want
This is probably one of the most important things. You need to know what you want in order to get it. If you want more time with your kids, then don't start a business that requires you to be on the computer 12 hours a day. That's just not going to work and it's not sustainable. Get clear on what you want for your life and then build a business around THAT.
I wanted more time with my family so I focused on creating passive income streams (my template shop) that would allow me to do just that. I also wanted to be able to work from anywhere so I made sure my business was location independent.
I can evaluate the tasks at hand and really work on the ones that will get me close to that goal. I try to only ever have a few tasks for each week. Making sure your work is balanced with your life goals is crucial.
I am so glad that our businesses give me the time and freedom to be with my family. If you want to achieve a work-life balance, make sure you get clear on what you want out of life and then take the steps to get there!
2: Time block your days
This is has helped me have more of a work-life balance for sure. Time blocking is when you schedule out your day in chunks of time and dedicate each chunk to a certain task. For example, from 12-2:30 I am going to work while the kids watch TV. From 2:30-4:00 is when I am going to {fill in the blank}. Time blocking allows you allotted time each day to get the things you need to get done, done. When that time is up, I know it is time to put it down, even if I didn't get everything I wanted to do. This way, you are not trying to do too many things at once and you are focusing on the task at hand during that time period.
Time blocking has allowed us to be in the moment with our kids. I am a mom when I am “momming” and I am a business owner when I am sitting down to do business. Those two things usually don't mix well. My kids know that from 12-2:30, mom is working, and afterward, my attention is theirs.
If you want to know more about time-blocking, one of our template purchasers, Kristin VanHorn is a beast at it.
3. Shave off wasted time by creating your website correctly the first time.
You wear all the hats in business. Website designer and copywriter and marketer are just some of them… but websites can take so much time!
So, how do you fast-track your website journey? Invest in a good website template. We just happen to know of a good website template shop ;)
A lot of times, you can find wonderful templates that already have all the pages and functionality you need built-in. Our templates even come complete with copywriting prompts so that you can stop piecing together other people's content (wondering if you are saying the right thing on the right pages), and simply plug in your own colors, fonts, images, and words… and you’re ready to launch!
How do I know if it is a good template?
A good template will save you time from having to design everything from scratch or trying to figure out how to add certain features. A website template will save you HOURS if not MONTHS of your life. Most of our template purchasers have been googling how to do things and piecing their website together from scratch for months. Most of them say that they thought that hiring a designer to do it all for them is the goal… but most of them don't realize that hiring a designer was not the only way to a beautiful website that sells for you! … until they found our Squarespace template shop.
Here is what some of MY customers have said:
"I have been wanting to update my website forever because my business had shifted, but it felt so complicated. Now it is SO much easier. This is going to be freaking amazing.” - Rachel P
"Everything is going great, nice and smooth with this template. I should be done in just a couple of days!" - Aischa
See how much time a Squarespace template can save you? I have personally seen my Squarespace site save me time in my business (not to mention earning me sales while I sleep), and know it can do the same for you too!
4: Keep the power of your website in your hands
Let's face it. Creating, maintaining, and updating your business website can feel like a never-ending to-do list item. Your business and brand are always evolving and you are always tweaking your messaging and updating offers and photos.
I have so many clients that come to me from different website platforms frustrated and confused as to why it is so hard to update their website. I am here to tell you that Squarespace is your best friend when it comes to your website platform. Squarespace allows you to not only create your website and maintain it without worrying about all the updates and plugins that WordPress has. It gives you the power of your website in your own hands. You can easily go in and change text and images, add pages and move things around. No more hiring a graphic designer every time you need to switch out an image or figure out why something is broken on your site.
5. Make sure your website is working for you ... even while you sleep
Your website has the power to be collecting leads and making money while you sleep. You might be laughing right now saying 'yeah, that's a stretch'. But truly, I wake up with leads in my inbox from my website and people finding me on Google ALL THE TIME. I wouldn't make that claim if I haven't seen it happen in my own business.
Here's the truth. If your website has the right layout, the right call-to-actions in the right place, and a beautiful design that keeps the viewer interested, you will find that your website CAN be a tool to help generate leads and sales.
TIP: Make Sure Your Website Has a Goal!
Make sure that each page on your website has a purpose and a goal. Whether that's getting someone to sign up for your email list or buy a product from you, every page should have a clear purpose. Think about your own marketing or sales funnel. What are the touch points or journey that people typically take to buy from you? Once you know that, you can easily map out your website pages to get them to the next step in the sales journey specific to your business.
here is an example of a sales journey:
Someone finds you on Pinterest
They land on your website and signs up for your email list
They read some emails that are automated and to them after they sign up
They sign up for a high-value, live (or pre-recorded) training by you
They buy from you (maybe right after the training, or maybe a month later!)
Here is another example of a Sales Journey:
Someone finds your Social media account and follows you
They decide to visit your website that is linked in your Instagram bio
They book a free call with you from your website to learn more about your services (because of this, you now also have their email address on your list!)
They continue to read your emails and blog posts you send out for a few weeks/months
They decide to book a paid package with you or buy your stuff because they have been nurtured by you and now feel like they know, like, and TRUST you.
These 2 examples of a sales journey are very different. Not everyone is going to be the same since every business has unique offerings and other variables. But the common thread for all sales journeys is YOUR WEBSITE.
It is important to know what your calls-to-actions should be on your website and to make sure that these call to actions are in the right places. If you want to take the guesswork out of it and just have someone tell you exactly where to place those pesky little buttons, just grab a website template from our shop… With my templates, you get strategic page layouts proven to sell, copywriting prompts proven to keep your viewer reading, and an easy to follow customization course so you can LAUNCH in as little as 5 days!
6. Outsource and automate your business
One of the best things I ever did for my business was to outsource and automate my processes. I created SOPs (standard operating procedures) for the little tasks in my business such as blogging, email scheduling, social media scheduling, etc. I got all of these things ready before I was even ready to hire so that when the time came, I had it ready to go. Start recording your processes now.
Doing these things has helped me to have more of a work-life balance because I am not wasting time on things that can be automated or outsourced to an assistant. I highly recommend you do the same in your own business!
This is why my templates are different from other template shops. The pages I offer include not only the basic pages but all the pages you need to automate sales with your business! I include full sales pages, landing pages, webinar pages, tripwire pages, and more that can all be hosted on your Squarespace website! I don’t charge you extra for each of these pages like many template shops. It’s all included so your website will grow with your business for years to come!
In conclusion, when you are a mom, you don't have time to be wearing all the hats in your business! Focus on the things only you can do.
For me, that is showing up on live training, designing new templates, and doing phone calls with clients and leads. I try to outsource or automate everything else!
I hope these tips help you in your journey to find more of a work-life balance.
If you have any tips that have helped you, please share them in the comments below! I would love to hear from you.
Cheers to a more balanced life!
Melissa
