As summer rolls around, you might start to feel a bit more stressed because you know you’ll have to figure out a way to balance your work schedule with your mom schedule. You’re, of course, excited to be making moves in your business and eager to spend more quality time with family, but you might also feel exhausted just thinking about juggling it all.

Even though it feels like you’ll constantly be juggling the demands of fulfilling each role, there is hope! There is a way to balance CEO and mom life and that’s what we’re discussing in this blog post today. I have five tips to help you navigate the challenges of being a business owner and parent when the kids are at home for summer.

A short disclaimer before we get started: I’m by no means an expert at this topic because I think any mom who is also building her own empire often feels like she’s failing at one of those titles at any given time. I sometimes feel like that because I”m still finding my perfect balance. That being said, I’ve learned a thing or two about balance in my 15+ years of experience building a business and raising three girls. So, I’ll do my best to share some of my favorite tricks that have helped me (and my kids) feel less chaotic during summer!

Tip 1: Get up early

I can hear the groans already! I know getting up early can be challenging, especially if you have little ones who love to wake up at the crack of dawn. But sometimes, you have to work with what you’ve got if you want to learn how to balance CEO and mom life.

When my daughters were young, I would get up at 4:30 AM (no, that wasn’t a typo), grab some a huge cup of coffee, and hit the computer. I could expect my girls to wake up around 7:30 AM, so I had a solid three hours to work before I switched gears to mommy mode. My goal for those three hours? I would send emails to gather information so I had all the necessary information when I worked again later in the day. For example, I would email venues and vendors about scheduling information so that when I came back to my desk after hanging out with my kids, I had all the information I needed to finish my work tasks.

Every family has its own dynamic, of course, so this is just an example of how I made my work schedule fit around my daughters’ summer schedule. For more examples of how this could work, listen to this podcast episode I recorded with Kristy Rice! She gave a few great examples of how parents can balance their life with family and work in our conversation.

Tip 2: Work during naptime (or make an agreement with your partner)

Naptime = go time. No matter if you have thirty minutes or three hours, this is precious time to get at least something done. Now, I’m not one to support the idea that you need to hustle if it’s going to cost you your mental health — but I do believe there are ways we can efficiently use the time we have. And sometimes, that means working around our kids’ schedules so we can move the needle forward in our business.

Yes, it will suck sometimes, and you’ll run into moments where you’re tired, but if we’re being honest, it’s still so much better than the burnout you would feel working in an office. The difference now is that (besides the obvious fact that you’re building something for yourself and for your family!) once your kids wake up from their nap, you’ll get to hang out with them and be a present mom for them instead of being stuck in a cubicle.

If your kids are past the point of naptime (or having a stubborn moment), consider recruiting your partner to help you out, so you can reserve some time to get a bit of work done.

Tip 3: Set realistic expectations with your kids (and yourself)

When you’re working full-time for your business, working just a few hours here and there every day sometimes won’t cut it. This especially depends on which stage of business you’re in or if summer is a busy season for you.

I’ve definitely been in the position where I knew I would have to put some serious work hours in and needed to really focus. On these days, I would let my daughters and my husband know that I had to work until a certain time — and then we could do an activity together. However, until that time, they had to play quietly so I could grind out my work.

If I didn’t communicate with them, they would feel neglected or confused about why we weren’t spending time together.

Always be honest with your communication because, even though it’s hard at times, it’s the key to setting boundaries so you can really tuck away into your work.

Tip 4: Be flexible!

The wonderful thing about entrepreneurship is that you have the option to be flexible. Every day, especially during summer, can look different, and that’s OK!

To ensure some consistency (so you can properly timeblock your schedule), you could do a kid swap with the neighbors or hire a nanny for a few days during the week. Personally, kid swapping was my lifeline when my girls we little! When I was taking care of the neighbors’ kids, I could focus completely on mom duty. And when the neighbors were looking after my kids, I could be in work mode all day.

The goal is to find solutions that work for you and your family. Even if that looks different every day or you need to call in some reinforcements, that’s perfectly fine! Learning how to balance CEO and mom life is all about also learning how to be resourceful.

Tip 5: Remember what you’re teaching your kids

Don’t forget to give yourself some grace because, as an entrepreneur who is most likely working from home, you can’t forget that your kids are learning from you. Balancing mom and CEO life isn’t for the faint of heart, and I understand that the mom guilt can creep in more often. In fact, the feeling creeps in more times than I like to admit.

However, when your kids watch you build your dream enthusiastically and with vigor, that’s leaving a positive impact on them — even when you think they’re not watching.

The moral of this shpeal: don’t get caught up with what the other Pinterest-worthy moms are doing. Hand your kids a Lunchable, and be confident that God knows your strengths when he gave you your kids!

Final thoughts

It’s honestly a miracle we parents get anything done! Between building our businesses and taking care of our family, there aren’t many moments when we’re not running around frantically. But, we’re learning balance. It’s not always easy, and it won’t be perfect, but we’re doing our best and making it work for our own lives!

Now that you’ve made it this far, you might be motivated to make some small changes in your life to find that perfect balance that works for your business and family.

If that’s you, you will get so much value out of one of my most popular courses, Time Block For Your Business!

In this short and fun video course, I’ll give you the tools you need to craft a schedule that works for you. It’ll help you increase your productivity, improve your mental health, and let you spend more time with the people you love! Start today by clicking here.