We are talking about ‘The Juggle’ and how we balance family life, because running your own business and a family is not easy.
We both find that the key to keeping afloat is lists. I have lots of different lists running alongside each other one for work, one for family things and one for everything else. Having smaller lists that I can deal with in manageable timescales really helps me to balance things. Running Tickle Tots can sometimes take over and eat into family life and when this happens I try to take a step back and re balance things.
Myself and Jade use and app called Trello to keep different to do lists for Tickle Tots and this is how we can keep track of what each other are working on. We can also tick things off as they are finished, something that is hugely rewarding.
When you run your own business trying to switch off and have a break is one of the most difficult things to do and something that we will be working on this year as things start to calm down. In a world where we are so connected, it is very hard to ignore that message or that email when they pop up in the evening when you're watching TV. One of our resolutions this year is to get better at shutting off over the evenings and weekends.
When it comes to the children we try where possible to involve them in what we are doing. You will find all of our children have appeared in photos and web images over the years. This weekend we have been packing a huge order and we have tried to involve them as much as possible. It also helps that they are best friends and love hanging out together.
Despite all the juggling, the late night working and the long days, having the flexibility to be able to pick the children up from school or attend sports day without having to ask permission is priceless and I wouldn’t change if for the world.
Whether you are running a business, going out to work or running a busy home we are all Mums (and Dad’s) doing the juggle. We would love to hear how you manage the juggle and any tips you have for making life a little easier.
Sophia & Jade xxx
