Streamlining Success: How the S.O.S Method Empowers Mompreneurs
As a mom entrepreneur, the challenge of balancing work and life can be overwhelming. Juggling the demands of a growing business and a family can be stressful and exhausting. However, with the right approach, it is possible to achieve a balance that enables you to thrive in both areas of your life. Today we are talking about streamlining success and how the S.O.S Method empowers mompreneurs to achieve better work life balance.
You can’t do it alone
Before we get into the method, it is important to acknowledge that you cannot do everything on your own. It’s okay to ask for help from family and friends. In fact, it can make a huge difference in your ability to balance work and life. Delegating tasks such as grocery shopping, cooking, or cleaning to others can free up time and energy that can be devoted to your business. Additionally, outsourcing tasks such as bookkeeping, social media management, or website design can be a great option to consider.
You may be concerned about the cost of outsourcing, but it’s important to consider the value of your time. Time spent on tasks such as cleaning and grocery shopping is time not spent working or with family. By outsourcing these tasks, you can focus on growing your business, spending quality time with your family, or taking care of yourself. Quantifying what you gain instead of only seeing what it will cost is a great way to put things into perspective. Consider how much more revenue you could generate with the extra time and energy you gain by outsourcing. Remember, investing in yourself and your business is worth it in the long run.
Simplify your life by auditing your schedule
The first step in the S.O.S. Method is simplifying your life. Simplifying your life can help you create space and time for the things that matter most. Creating a daily routine and minimizing distractions can help you stay focused and productive. It can also help you reduce stress and overwhelm. However, it’s important to regularly evaluate how you are spending your time in order to identify areas where you can simplify even further.
I often recommend performing a schedule audit at least quarterly to fully understand how you are spending your time and what can be done to simplify your life. While many of us have some type of calendar to track major events or tasks like meetings and appointments, we rarely take a more granular look at how the other hours of our day are spent.
Consider questions such as: Are you spending more time than necessary commuting? Would carpools or public transportation be more efficient? Do you have to be the one to drive the kids to practice every day, or can you set up a schedule with other parents to share the load? Is a lack of organization causing your morning and evening routines to take longer than they should? These are all questions to ask yourself as you evaluate how your time is spent. This will allow you to simplify and remove the tasks that are actually distractions or time sucks.
By regularly evaluating your schedule and simplifying where possible, you can create more time and space for the things that matter most to you. Remember, simplifying your life is an ongoing process, and it’s important to regularly assess and adjust your routines and habits to ensure that you are living a balanced and fulfilling life.
Organize With Time Blocking
The second step in the S.O.S. Method is organizing your time. Time blocking is a powerful technique for managing time and increasing productivity. It involves dedicating specific blocks of time to specific tasks, and it can help you stay focused and avoid distractions. It is especially useful when you are wearing many hats because it allows you to be fully dedicated to one area of your life at a time.
To get started with time blocking, it’s important to set specific hours for work, family, and self-care time. This is crucial because as moms and entrepreneurs, it’s easy for those lines to get blurred. You may try to work while preparing dinner or answer emails during family time. Having a specific block of time dedicated to self-care ensures that you are actually taking care of yourself because unfortunately, with competing priorities, self-care is usually the first thing to be sacrificed.
Once you are able to stick to your larger boundaries of having clear working and family hours, you can get more granular by blocking your work time down even further for specific tasks and doing the same for your responsibilities to your family. For example, you may only answer emails at 10 am and 2 pm each day while dedicating Wednesdays from 7-7:30 for meal planning and ordering groceries.
The more efficient you get with your time, the more productive and less stressed you will be. Remember, time blocking is a tool that can help you take control of your time and achieve your goals. By dedicating specific blocks of time to specific tasks, you can stay focused, avoid distractions, and make the most of every moment.
Create Systems Using Tools
The final step in the S.O.S Method is systematizing your tasks. Using technology and tools can help you streamline tasks and increase efficiency, not just in your business but also in your personal life. Project management software, scheduling apps, and other tools can help you stay organized and on top of your business tasks. Consider investing in tools that can help you automate tasks, such as email marketing or social media scheduling.
Moreover, tools can also be helpful for simplifying and streamlining at home, especially when budget is a concern. For instance, if you feel that you are unable to hire someone to meal prep for you, what tools can you use to make meal planning and grocery shopping easier? With the prevalence of AI, tools are increasingly capable of doing some of the work of people.
Consider starting with integrated calendar systems for work and home, meal planning tools that build grocery lists for you, project management apps to keep track of your to-do list, or maybe even an all-in-one life dashboard to have a centralized hub for everything. By using these tools, you can save time, reduce stress, and increase productivity both at work and at home. Remember, investing in tools that simplify your life is an investment in your overall well-being.
Conclusion
Balancing work and life as a mom entrepreneur can be challenging, but it is possible with the right approach. The S.O.S Method emphasizes the importance of simplifying, organizing, and systematizing your life. By simplifying your life, you can reduce stress and overwhelm, while organizing and systematizing your tasks can help you stay focused and productive. It’s also important to ask for help when needed and focus on creating a simpler, more streamlined life that allows you to thrive in both your business and personal life.
If you’re struggling to implement these principles, don’t worry! You can sign up for the S.O.S. challenge and get your life back on track in just seven days. This challenge will provide you with the tools and resources you need to simplify, organize, and systematize your life, so you can achieve a better work-life balance.