The alarm rings and you attempt not to hit the snooze.
Any minute the kids will be up, so you drag yourself out of bed. You stayed up late last night working, and then the baby was up several times with teething issues. You are exhausted, but you have goals - you start your day.
Next comes breakfast, getting the kids ready for school, checking and rechecking backpacks, packing lunches, and carpooling. Add in calling to confirm the plumber, doctor appointments for physicals, preschool drop off, work, pickups, and then lunch. That's just before noon! Then two client meetings, social media updates, and a photoshoot. By the time you SO arrive home, and it's bedtime, the real work begins.
Then...deployment happens.
Another deployment/workup has taken control of your life. You tell yourself that you can handle everything with the house, kids AND your business until you are reunited; that it isn't too long. But you start panicking on the inside about what this will actually be like.
As the spouse of a service member, additional factors are making the "life" of an entrepreneur more complicated. Deployments, workups, on-call schedules, and the unpredictability of their spouses' work come into play. When you are an entrepreneur, the work doesn't really stop to catch up. It can sometimes feel like you are juggling too many "balls" at once, and there are just not enough hours in the day. When deployment strikes, but you do not want to take a break from your business, here are four powerful tips to keep pushing yourself forward without any of those "balls" droppings.
Determine your Priorities
It is vital for you to determine your priorities when approaching any sort of rocky road when it comes to your business. Although in a perfect world, nothing would be put on hold, the truth is, you can't always continue with the same to-do list as you did before. Take some time to determine what is most important and have a timeline to complete those items on the list. I usually categorize my tasks into the A, B, or C group. A group is a priority and requires more than half of my attention. The B group are the things that I would love to accomplish next and usually are given another 30% of my attention. Finally, the C group are the things that would be "nice" to accomplish. For example, you may love to wrap every product you send out personally, but that may need to wait for now. Making a list like this allows you to focus on what is most important to propel your business forward.
Learn How to Delegate
You do not have to do everything yourself, and honestly, sometimes they are parts of running your own business that either you do not want to do, or maybe are not as good at as others. A wise entrepreneur once told me that I should make both a to-do list and a NOT to-do list. Yes, I know, another list! Trust me; this is an important one too.
Once you know what is on both lists, consider looking for help to complete the items on the NOT to-do list. Delegating those items will free up your time to focus on the items on the to-do list and also give you some time to do all the other things deployment will throw at you. Are you looking for a place to find like-minded people who can maybe help with your load? The Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs is full of connections, mentors, and friends who can provide the support and skill set you may need.
Set Aside Times to Hustle
When you have to manage every aspect of the home, children, a business, and your personal life and needs, it is essential to be respectful of the time that you use. Look at your calendar and schedule a specific time you can focus on your business with minimal distractions. Keep in mind the needs of your business: daytime only versus flexible hours, different time zones for a meeting, kid-friendly or not, etc. Consider weekend hours as well, if possible. I am personally a night owl with a flexible business and get my best work done late, so I block my work time from 8-11 pm every night during the week and keep weekends free.
Give Yourself Grace
Deployments have a way to throw curveballs at you, even when you feel like you have everything under control. Try to give yourself some grace when things don't work out the way you planned. Moving forward with patience and grace, for your circumstances during deployment will have longer-lasting effects on your business than beating yourself up when difficulties arise.
Meet Noralee-
Noralee Jones is a MILSO of 12 years, mom of 4, and writer/creator at www.mrsnavymama.com. Having experiences with 7 deployments, 4 PCS moves alone and the author of the Self-Care Guide for MILSOs, she is an expert on the importance of taking the time to focus on filling our bodies, minds, and souls with our individual needs in order to make the most out of our lives. She is also the Co-Author of The Newbie’s Guide to Military life and focuses on supporting MILSOs through the ups and downs of military life through Mrs. Navy Mama. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
