How Becoming A Mom Made Me a Better Businessperson

Last week, I discussed some things that I would have done differently as a new mom(preneur).  Many of you expressed having had similar experiences as a new parent.  And, some of you yet-to-be-mom(preneurs) expressed “YIKES!  I’m scared!  Better rethink my plan!”  I hope I didn’t scare too many of the yet-to-be mom(preneurs) out there.  There are many ways I became a much better business owner when I became a mother.

I became much more efficient.

Before having Lili, I had allllllll sorts of time… Time to work ALL the time!  I think if I actually spent all that time working, it would be a different story.  But, often when we work all the time, we aren’t really working.  We are often wasting time.  The incredible thing is when you are forced to smush your week into 10 hours or 20 hours or 30 hours (and eventually 40 hours) it’s incredible how efficient you become.  There is no time for nonsense.

I became much more intuitive. 

Along with efficiency came intuition.  When I became a mom, I didn’t have time to deliberate on every single decision.  I got really good at trusting my gut and going with my instinct.  I no longer question every single little tweak to my business.  This intuition has saved my sanity and given me piece of mind.

I established better work-life boundaries.

I became better at setting boundaries between my personal life and my work life.  This didn’t happen overnight, tho.  I had to evolve into this after being a parent for a couple years.  Initially, I was all over the place – without boundaries – and not taking enough care of myself.  After a while, I became better at turning off the computer before dinnertime and LEAVING it off.  I became better at closing the office door and not going back in.  I became more confident in telling “no” to the client when the request just wasn’t realistically feasible or good for business (or my sanity).  I became better at prioritizing.

One more thing…

Some people will say that you become better at multi-tasking as a new parent.  I think multi-tasking is not effective.  As a new mom I thought I was good at this.  I would even brag about it.  But, the truth is, when you’re doing 10 things at once, you aren’t really doing any of them well.  What I came to see on the days I was attempting to work while simultaneously take care of my child, I wasn’t giving either the attention they deserved.  It was hard, frustrating, and exhausting for everyone involved.

How about you?  What are some traits, characteristics, or work habits that you picked up when you become a mom?