In September 2014, my daughter was three months old. I was in the middle of multiple program launches, preparing for my first international speaking event in Brazil, and pretty much trying to do it all. The truth was, I had no handle on my time management. I thought I could be Superwoman.
I was breastfeeding, pumping, getting mastitis every week because my daughter had a tongue tie, but I was determined to make it all work. I felt like a failure and was utterly miserable. I may be smiling, but I am one exhausted mama with a baby that would not sleep.
I had too much on my plate: as a new mom, running my company, creating content, and marketing. Thank God I had a support group of entrepreneurs to lean on at that time.
They asked me, “How many hours do you want to work each week?” I said, “I have no idea.”
They asked me, “What is your working schedule? I said, “I don’t know.” It was very clear that I needed some major help.
That was my lightbulb “time” moment that I will always remember as a turning point in my life. This was the difference between quitting or thriving. This was when I discovered these tools.
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The Best Time Management Decisions I Made
When I asked and got support from other entrepreneurs, I learned that I needed to be more disciplined than ever before if I was going to make my business really work and complete my purpose and calling in this life. I also needed to ask for help more and change my mindset.
I did not need to do everything around the house, and also, be a wonderful mom, and a kick-ass CEO. Something had to give and let me tell you; it wasn’t going to be the mom part.
I didn’t need to be Superwoman.
This is important so I am going to say it again.
I am not Superwoman. I can’t do it all. I need help.
There is one more mindset shift I made through the past six years of building my business. It has to do with your calendar. Did you know that you are in charge of it? You have total control of it! I know other people like to schedule things on it and other people need you to do this and that, then all of a sudden you are stressed out looking at your calendar on Sunday night.
Here are the three decisions that helped me get a grip on my time management:
- Say No: I said no to pretty much everything this year. Opportunity. Interview. Now I’m ok. It feels good saying no. The most successful people say no to pretty much everything.
- It’s Okay If It Doesn’t All Get Done: There are some days I get one thing done, and I just have to be happy with that. This last year I didn’t do a ton, I didn’t launch anything. I just was in hibernation mode. Now that my daughter is nine months old, I feel alive again and ready to put a new Anna and brand out there. Know that it’s ok to sit back for a while (or a year!), and work hard when you are ready. It’s like a hill. I need hard work time, but I also need the rest and family time. I batch similar items and focus on my priorities each day. I also make time for a weekly review.
- Daily Habit List: I make a list of daily habits that I try to go through (like take vitamins, exercise, reading for five minutes) But overall, I am okay if I don’t get all those things done.
