From Struggle to Juggle: Tips on Handling Work As a New Mother

It’s 9:57 AM and I just put my 8-month-old daughter to sleep.

After I finish writing this piece, I’ll be off to get myself tested. I fear I might be turning into a sleep-deprived zombie.

Here is what nobody tells you about motherhood. It gives you super-powers that allow you take on much more than you ever imagined. I was a lazy ass person, since always. I had an easy life (I just don’t give as many f*cks guys, don’t judge!) but that turned upside down when I found a pweety, tiny human totally and completely dependant on me.

That, and work.

I am a freelance writer. It is the most ah-mazing career any woman can opt for. However, guys, it’s not all bed of roses. Everyone talks about how being your own boss, but no one really describes how many roles you have to take on that way.

I am not just a writer; I am a businesswoman. I have the following tasks to execute: Find work (and face rejection sometimes). Set up meetings. Plan. Write. Edit. Proofread. Publish. Deal with clients. Deal with the technical stuff, the creative stuff, and the managerial stuff.

Basically, lather, rinse, repeat. (Singing in Phoebe’s voice. And if you don’t get my reference, just get out. Get out right now!)

Now I’m going to keep it very simple you guys. Most of us are here to look for solutions to our problems. I’ll write about my problems and offer solutions like a Q ’n’ A script.

So here goes.

The biggest problem I had to face after my delivery was finding the motivation to work, at all.

SOLUTION: I gave myself a measurable goal to accomplish.

I took the responsibility to start saving for my daughter’s expenses. Some of them were due on specific dates. So I had to earn enough by that time. This is the entire secret to my awesome portfolio.

I had a set amount. I earned and ran out of that amount gazillion times but every time I saw the last $10 in my account (its true, it happened… more than once) I jumped to the next (great) opportunity that came.

The second biggest problem I faced after delivery was to set up a schedule to work.

SOLUTION: I was the kind of person who slept a lot, and had trouble sticking to a routine. What I did was, I started tracking my sleep.

Trust me; this might work out for you too! The human body needs 6 hours of sleep to function properly. You can always splurge some extra zzz’s on the weekend. I used that time to work on projects or invest in finding potential clients.

My third problem was that I was always tired.

SOLUTION: Okay, this one is the best! You’re a sucker if you didn’t make it till here. I started looking for and landed high paying jobs that required less time. I cut my working hours to half and started making double because I invested my time and energy into learning how to do that.

I will discuss this in some of my later posts. Now my daughter is stirring in her sleep, and I gotta run. This was fun!

P.S. I had another problem. I needed to lose weight.
Fast.
That is a hilarious story for another time!

Adios amigos, till then.

This was originally published on Medium/Vocal.Media

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