How I Balance Content Creation with Family Life

Balance is a realtive word, right? Like, what even does that mean?

Technically, it basically means that you're evenly distributing the weight of something so that it's even on all sides. BUT, as a content creator, working mom, small business owner- life is hardly ever equally balanced.

And so, if you landed on this blog post with the hopes of learning how to do this perfectly, you aren't in the right place. I AM going to be real with you and explain how I "balance" it all, but first we need to redefine what the word balance means.

In my world, when I'm "balancing" everything, I am NEVER doing more than one thing at a time. I am ALWAYS placing my focus on one thing, and switching my focus a lot so that all the things I need to do get pretty close to even amount of attention. But, it ebbs and flows with each and every day.

It's not perfect.

I drop a lot of balls throughout the week.

I let myself cry when I need to.

I focus on gratitude.

Ok, that's the short of it. Here are 4 things I do regularly that helps me to balance family life and content creation:

1. Set Timers This seems super simplistic HOWEVER, setting timers througout the day helps me to stay focused instead of doom scrolling or focusing on one thing for too long. Typically, I start by writing a list of things that need to get done. Work things and home things. Then, I set a timer for 30 minutes and start on the first thing on my list. I work as hard and as fast as I can on that ONE thing and when the timer is up, I stop. Wherever I'm at with that one task- I leave it unfinished until I can come back to it. Then, I set a new 30 minute timer and move on down the list. More often than not, I end up finishing so many things on my list this way! With a timer set, I am confident in my list because I know I will not spend too much time on one single thing. Because of that, it feels like my list gets equal attention on some level, and I feel more accomplished. If I can spend 30 minutes on emails knowing that when the timer goes off, I will be able to spend 30 minutes on dishes and laundry- it helps my mind tremendously.
   

2. Be Ok With Things Not Getting Done Soooo yea. This one is hard. When I start stuff, I want to finish it. But, life as a busy mom and business owner doesn't always allow for that. There are so many days that I wake up with high aspirations to get so much done and then the day derails and goes completely differently than I planned. I used to not be ok with getting nothing done on my list but, I have learned to just let it go. There's always tomorrow! And, my family deserves better than me being flustered daily at my to do list because I can't get to it all. Walk away from it and just know that even though it's unfinished today, it won't always be that way. Take a breath and be ok. Trust me, it's way better.
   

3. Have A Cleaning Schedule There is no way I could be a busy working mom and not have a cleaning schedule. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford house cleaners but until then, it's ME. And my husband and family. We all work together on this because I am NOT the maid. However, it's my responsibility in our home to make sure these things get done and to delegate appropriately. On my fridge, I have taped up a daily cleaning schedule. This helps us to get a little bit done each and every day. Yes, the house isn't usually clean all at the same time BUT, I do have time to do a little bit each day so the house is always tidy. And that's what works for me now. This is a brief idea of what my schedule looks like: Mop It Monday- Sweep, mop and vacuum all floors Tubs & Toilets Tuesdays- All the bathrooms get cleaned Wipe It Wednesdays- All counters get wiped down and everything gets dusted, including the fans. Throw It Away Thursday- Declutter and piles that have built up or anything that needs to get donated Full Friday- All laundry baskets get emptied, the laundry gets cleaned and put away Saturday & Sunday- No need to clean unless there's dishes and other daily things that need to get tidied. This is what works for me. Switch it up and make it work for you! Whatever you do, having a simple cleaning schedule that the whole family can help with is essential. I can't do all of this on my own, nor should I have to.
   

4. Work In The Corners Of Your Day This is a skill that now feels like breathing to me. I have so many different apps, programs and basic softwares on my phone that allow me to get work done from anywhere. That does NOT mean that I choose to work 24/7. But, it DOES me that when I have a few spare minutes, I can catch up on emails, schedule a post, create a video etc. This helps me to maximize the small minutes here and there that really do add up to a lot. If I'm picking my kids up from school and sitting in the pickup line, I manage to get a few things crossed off my list. It really makes a difference! What you don't want to do, is to allow the "corners of your day" to take over and now you're glued to your phone. That's not how this works. Use the little moments to stay caught up. If you do this right, you will experience work freedom!
   

5. Gratitude This is the biggest one and I can't stress it enough. Practicing gratitude every day, is what keeps me from going bonkers. When trying to "balance" your life, it's easier to be frustrated and to focused on all the things that aren't going right. Instead, try focusing on even just 3 things a day that went right and be thankful for it. Really practice FEELING thankful for it. Before I go to bed each night, I write in this gratitude journal as a way to really spend time focusing on 3 things for the day. When I'm frustrated and overwhelmed, I read my Bible and also will flip back through my gratitude journal to see all the things I've written down that I'm thankful for. Big things and small, this has really helped my brain to shift and to be able to "balance" things with a lot more grace for myself.

So as you can see, there's nothing magical to balancing your life when you're taking my advice. It takes a little bit of thought, some self control, and a lot grace given to yourself. Life is crazy. Running a business and raising kids, at ANY age, is tough. It's a lot and you know what? It's also marvelous. Let go of the things you can't control and if one day totally falls apart, go get a milkshake, take a bath, get to bed and try again tomorrow.

It will all get done, I promise. It won't be perfect but if you do these things, you WILL enjoy the process a little bit more. And isn't that what life is all about anyways?

You've got this!

Jess xo