Welcome to my world, where I juggle the roles of (1) being a mom to five energetic boys, (2) entrepreneur of two new businesses, and (3) the manager of our bustling household of seven. Balancing business and family life is no small feat, but over the years, I’ve learned invaluable productivity hacks that have allowed me to not only survive but thrive in this demanding set of roles. I’m excited to share my top strategies and insights for managing business and family with efficiency… and grace!

In this three-part series on Productivity, I hope you’ve already part 1 about keeping your mind right and part 2 on productivity strategies have been helpful so far. Let’s close out the series with some key takeaways on setting yourself up for success and prioritizing yourself within the rest of your responsibilities.

 

Today is part 3, watching yourself win:

It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed and feeling like you’re losing, so this last part of the series is on how to set goals, track progress and celebrate wins all while caring for yourself.

 

Setting Goals Helps You Stay the Course

Goals are very common in the work place. Why? Because goals are the perfect way to align our work with the overall vision for the company. You want to be the biggest consulting agency in Florida? To do that, you have to hit $1M in sales this year, so let’s set a goal for $100,000 each month and if we hit that monthly goal, we’ll achieve our overall vision of being the biggest agency in Floria. Ok, so these numbers are fake and just an example, but it shows the point, right? If you have a hefty vision, you need to lock in some goals to make sure you get there.

Family goals are likely a little less concrete, but they are still important and very doable. I’ll circle back to the vision I shared with you in part 2 of this series (link), “To create lasting memories through meaningful experiences, to foster deep connections through quality time together, and to embrace the beauty of the world together.” To achieve this vision, we have set family goals that we strive to achieve:

• Have regular family adventures at least once a week: This could be as simple as a family bike ride down a new trail, or as extravagant as a family trip to Maine, but the requirement is there, we must adventure together to create lasting memories through meaningful experiences. To help make sure we meet the goal, when I do my weekly plan, I put it on the physical calendar, “Family bike ride” or “New restaurant for dinner” or “TN for the weekend”. We have the goal, we plan it into our week, and at the end of each year we have amazing memories to look back on.

 

• Have at least 30 minutes of family time each day: This is also planned on our calendar. Each day there is a block for “Family Time” after dinner. Some nights it’s only a half hour on the couch, all snuggled in blankets watching the latest show the kids enjoy (no phones parents!). Other days it’s working to plan our next adventure, or talking about something fun coming up, and some days it’s 2 hours at SeaWorld after school on a Friday night. As simple or as extravagant as it is, we make sure to dedicate specific time to the family, without the distractions of work, or phones, or Tic Tok or whatever it may be that takes our attention away from the family.

 

• No more than 30 minutes of screen time during school days and 2 hours on the weekends. Ok, I know I am going to get flack for this one, and we can all debate whether screen time limits are necessary or not, what they should be, etc. This is not a prescription for you, this is the goal for our family because it aligns with our family vision, it fits into our active lifestyle, and Luis and I agree that it’s best for our specific boys. What we find is, with these limits in place, its much easier to meet our other goals for family time and adventures because we’re not trying to peel the boys off the XBox or from their favorite show. Those screens suck our kids in, and pulling them out is harder than just saying no to begin with. And yes, they complain, and yes some days we allow a 2 hour movie and an XBox battle, but those days are far and few between and when they happen we don’t feel so bad because we’ve already adventured, read, spent time, got active, and did a million other things that week.

 

Track Your Progress

Ok, setting goals is great, but you have actually track your progress to see if you’re meeting them! Writing down our family time on the calendar is great, the boys see it, we all agree to it, but if we don’t follow through and actually HAVE the quality time, what’s the point, right?

One way I track our goals is on the weekly calendar itself. If we have a family bike ride on a Wednesday night, but someone had an appointment, another had a play date, and the rest of us just played at home, I simply erase the bike ride from family time, and we go about our week. Now if this happens regularly, then it’s time to start talking about it as a family, to remind ourselves why we had the goal, and talk about how to make it a priority again or how to rearrange our schedule to add it to the morning if the evening is too hard, etc.

Tracking progress isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about making sure you’re meeting your goals and updating them if they aren’t suiting your life at that moment.

 

Celebrate Your Wins

If you’re tracking your progress and realize you are hitting your goals, celebrate them! Give yourself a huge pat on the back for making it all happen, express your gratitude to the kids for happily following the plan, give your spouse a big smooch for supporting the mission. Recognizing the hard work it takes to squeeze in family time, to choose playing outside over the Xbox or all of the other goals you’ve hit is super important. The gratitude and joy will boost your family morale and motivate the entire family to keep prioritizing the important things in your life and achieve your shared family vision.

 

Celebrate You

Listen, if you play the same role I do, you manage it all. You do it all, you know it all, you manage it all, you remember it all and if it wasn’t for you, it would be much harder for your family to thrive together. So, never feel guilty for taking care of yourself the way you need it.

Set boundaries for yourself. These can be boundaries between work and family life to secure the family time, or these can be boundaries between kids and spouse so that you aren’t always at the kids’ beck and call and can enjoy a quick cuddle or conversation with your spouse. You don’t have to be on call at all times to the millions of people that need you daily.

Prioritize self-care, or as I call it, prioritize “critical resource management”. You are a critical resource in making it all happen, and if you treat yourself like the star employee, you’d be giving yourself a whole lot more grace, compliments and perks than you actually do give yourself. Make critical resource management a non-negotiable part of your routine. Whether it’s a quiet moment with a book each morning or a rejuvenating yoga session once a week, self-care keeps you energized, less stressed and more focus to tackle the massive load of mom, professional, spouse, sister, daughter, or whatever roles you play in your family’s life.

 

Conclusion

Being a mom to five energetic boys, entrepreneur of two new businesses, and the manager of our bustling household of seven may be demanding, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. With effective time management, organization, teamwork, and a commitment to self-care, it’s possible to navigate these roles successfully. By embracing the chaos, staying flexible, and celebrating the small wins, I’ve found a way to thrive in the chaos, create a life that is both fulfilling and productive, and to live our family’s vision… and I want the same for you!