What to do when…

As a professional mom or “momtrepreneur”, your time, energy and devotion is torn in so many different directions. Being a full time entrepreneur (because you are never off), full time wife and full time mother takes its toll. On the bright side, my hair dresser is making extra money to cover all my gray hairs!

So for all you professional moms out there, I thought a blog post dedicated to “what to do when” is in order. Here is a list of top tips of “what to do when” which will hopefully help in sticky situations we face every day.

1. What to do when have a meeting and a child’s event at the same time – network with other mothers! There is nothing more powerful than having a team of mothers who can help out when you need it the most. Can’t make it to dance class because a meeting got in the way? Ask one of the other moms to fill in for the day. You can take the next class.
2. What to do when you have a business trip coming up at the same time as your husband – enlist the grandparents or people you trust to take the kiddo to school, do homework, get to bed on time (good luck with that).
3. What to do when your child needs homework help and you have a huge deadline – divvy up your time the best you can! I’ve amped up the coffee intake, gotten takeout for dinner and discussed homework topics while eating dinner. This saves time on the whole cooking thing, transitions into homework mode and gives you the extra energy you need to continue on your tasks.
4. What to do when you have a whole bunch of little to do’s hanging over your head – pay another mom to assist you. There are many mothers out there who are looking for part time work as a way to pass the time while the kids are in school or simply make a few bucks on the side. Why not ask one of these moms in your network to help on the nagging smaller tasks so you can concentrate on the bigger picture?
5. What to do when you simply have to get your hair done, cannot miss the appointment you tried months to get and have a pressing time frame to get things done – bring the laptop with you! Since it could be two to three hours with you sitting and only magazines to keep you occupied, it stands to reason that getting some work done is a fantastic idea. If there is a wireless connection around, all the better!

For all you momtrepreneurs and working moms, I hope this list of tips helps you out with time management and how to balance the various moving pieces that makes up your lives. If you have some tips to share, please make sure to leave a comment. Ideas and dialogue are always welcome!