5 Lessons From A Multitasking Mother Of Three

“How do you manage it all?” This is the most asked question on my DM, emails, and comments. Are you a new business owner too? New mother? A professional trying to juggle many responsibilities too? Let me know in comments, I would love to know more about you too.

Here are a few entrepreneurial lessons I’ve learned (the hard way, so you don’t have to!)

• 1: Hire help and delegate tasks, don’t wear yourself out to be self-sufficient.
• 2: Set Boundaries, decide when to work and when to rest – both are equally important.
• 3: Security and self-worth are not found in accomplishments. Family matters.
• 4: Practice Tithing to manage finances better.
• 5: Say NO. It may close doors now, but it may open more windows of opportunity later

read more about –

My Work Life Imbalance

As a solo business owner, I played all the roles. This included connecting with other business owners, getting their contact, making those calls, exchanging emails, following up on emails, negotiation, at the same time doing the backend website work, setting up policies, customer care calls and emails, responding to direct messages (DMs) on social media pages, to post comments. Of course I was also the model, the creative director so creating, filming, and editing my posts EVERY DAY on top of everything. This went like clockwork, for years, even while pregnant with my third child. Chipped nails, physical and mental exhaustion, working to the bone to get all my jobs done. My wake-up call from this boss-babe life came when my baby as born premature, taken-straight-to-the-ICU. Heartbreaking to say the least. Things had to change and this is how it’s going for me.

Rest to Rejuvenate

Our times of rest Refreshes us for times of service

There always seems to be something to do, and no time to rest. But GOD said rest is appropriate and right. According to the scriptures, God rested on the 7th day after all his work so we shouldn’t be surprised that we need rest also. Jesus also demonstrated this principle when he got away from the crowds (Mark 6:31)

Here’s how I make time to rest:

1. Limited screen time – A simple phone setting hides all my social apps from 5pm.
2. Scheduled email days – I check and respond to emails specific days of the week (not daily)
3. Off-limit-Sundays mode ON!- No work; a whole day to worship, and rest.
4. Fixed Bed time – To ensure I get adequate amount of sleep.
5. Taking Breaks – Mindful of the workload I take on.

Family comes first.

I was working so much I missed my children growing up. They were so little 2 and 4 to be precise, with tiny voices, tiny clothes, little feet and hands I could have kissed everyday, but no.

“Can you read me a story now, mama”. Not today, my puppy, I am so tired. Not today, but tomorrow let’s read two stories?! Tomorrow never came. Now they’ve stopped asking. 

It was my pleasure, a thrill to spend over 18hrs of my time with strangers on the internet, but was losing this precious time worth it? Here’s a scripture verse that hit me.

“Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” 

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

In all our accomplishments, even the big ones, our good feelings are only temporary. Security and self-worth are found, not in these accomplishments, but far beyond them in the love of God. [Life Application Study Bible ~ Ecclesiastes 2:9-10]

How I make Time for Family:

1. Created a schedule for meal times, bed/bath times, TV time, activity time.
2. We eat together, no screen times during meal times.
3. Weekends are more mindful, we watch movies together.
4. We read everyday before bedtime, I make the first move 🙂

Finance Management

This is where I am struggling right now. I recently paid my taxes for the year 2019-20 and it was from my accountant I learned the turnover in the course of that year. A flabbergasting number. A number I bet my family has never seen (in generations!) I made that year. I wasn’t wise with all the money God had blessed me with. Now here I am, having to pay exorbitant taxes on the money I have never seen. 

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to know when to quit.”

~ Proverbs 23:4 

In hindsight, I took on many responsibilities and wasn’t managing my finances at all. I wasn’t even tithing because I didn’t know how much I was making. It’s all faguzee-fugazee numbers in the air. Not knowing them was being an irresponsible steward of the treasures the Lord has provided. 

“Honor the Lord with your wealth And the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”

Prov 3:9-10

The point of tithing demonstrates that God, not possessions, has first place in our life and that our resources belong to him (we are only managers). Giving to God helps us conquer greed, helps us properly manage God’s resources, and opens us up to receive God’s special blessings. [Life Application Study Bible ~ NLT version]

Here’s how I Cope with Finances now:

1. Keeping a tab on every expense.
2. Recording every source of income.
3. Building a family budget for monthly expenses/vacation/retirement.
4. Eating take out over the weekends only (this is a big struggle for us!).
5. Paying off debt – following Dave Ramsey’s Method (and debt free, since 2021!)
6. Cancelling Credit Cards – keeping one for emergencies only.
7. Buying less clothes/shoes/toys.
8. Letting go of non-profitable businesses (and saying no to toxic people!)

The last one was the hardest for me. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also“, Matthew 6:21. So by letting go of jobs or work that was taking too much out of me was necessary. Saying NO is very powerful, it may close big doors but it also opens little windows of opportunity! God makes it happen, He is my provider.

Conclusion

I can give you tips on time management like creating a to-do list and using apps, but the most important thing is to have the right mindset. You should imagine who you want to be first. For example, I want to be a successful mentor and a present parent. With that in mind, and with God’s grace, I am able to manage my time with my three little ones. Stay tuned for my upcoming video where I will share more about this.

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