School goes back in less than 48 hours! The day after my oldest turns 10.
Which feels a little surreal!
For the past ten years, I’ve been juggling young kids while running a very busy business. I’ve been running Freshwater for fourteen years. As a solo Mum, I learned quickly that if I didn’t take time management seriously, I would burn out. I’ve experienced that more than once.
Time is far more precious than money. You can always make more money. You can’t make more time.
Over the years, I’ve refined a set of habits, systems and boundaries that allow me to run a busy firm, be present for my girls, and still feel relatively calm most of the time. None of these are revolutionary; however, together, they make a huge difference.
I batch everything
I group similar tasks together and work on them in blocks.
I have dedicated work days and dedicated admin days. I have a set day each week for client meetings. I plan my weeks in advance. I cook in bulk. If I’m already out of the house, I pick up groceries then instead of making a separate trip.
This is also why every Freshwater client has a dedicated tax month. Everything is scheduled in advance. I know what I’m doing, when I’m doing it, and how long I have to do it.
It is very rare these days that I end up over my head because my diary is built around batch tasking, not chaos.
I control interruptions
Inside our Freshwater Portal, we have an Urgent channel and a Non-Urgent Monday channel. This system is not just for our clients, but for me as well.
I turn notifications off when I am working on a task so I can focus completely.
Boundaries are everything
This has taken me years to learn.
I am not good at stopping once I start something. I am very OCD about finishing what I begin. I use timers and alarms to warn me when I need to stop.
I set aside a fixed amount of time for tasks in advance. If I say I will complete certain tasks on a certain day and I finish early, I stop. No excuses. Even if I have mountains of work that could keep me going for days nonstop! If something takes longer than expected (which is rare because I leave room for error), I have a system to cover this problem.
I use the Freshwater Portal to communicate delays well in advance, so clients are never left wondering what is happening.
Everything is scheduled. Everything has a place. This basic logic is what gives me breathing room when something unexpected happens.
When I stopped chasing growth, everything improved
Not for everyone, but life-changing for me.
At one point, I had eleven staff, accepted every new enquiry, and watched the business grow rapidly. I was proud. I was excited. I was also exhausted.
My top line grew. My profits shrank. My hours got longer. I had less control and less clarity.
I had stumbled into a common small-business trap.
These days, I work with an amazing bookkeeper and two wonderful long-term team members. Our Freshwater Portal automation has replaced a huge amount of administrative support. I do most of the tax work myself.
The result is that I am calmer, I know what is happening at all times, and I can jump in quickly when a client needs help because I am not running around like a headless chook trying to manage everything.
Dropping your top line can actually make you more money. Fewer staff. Fewer subscriptions. Fewer moving parts. A beautiful group of long-term, loyal clients who fit your schedule and your way of working.
I am much more selective about new clients now. Not because I don’t want them, but because I want them to be happy, looked after, and never sitting in the dark, wondering why their accountant isn’t responding.
I have been hearing that complaint about accountants for over fifteen years. I have no doubt it has been said about me before, too. Accountants are notoriously overworked because it is very easy to keep saying yes.
I learned the hard way that moving slower, with intention and a clear plan, works far better.
Outsource the non-essential things
As a solo Mum with young girls, this one is non-negotiable.
If you can afford to outsource something that isn’t essential for you to do yourself, do it!
I have had phases where I am so busy that I just order Uber Eats constantly and keep moving. I end up putting on weight and feeling awful. So now I prioritise cooking healthy meals in bulk in advance.
The bane of my existence is folding washing.
I am sure everyone can relate. It is the most boring, monotonous task on earth, and because I am OCD, it takes me forever.
Enter The Laundry Lady, a fellow AusMumpreneur winner.
I wash my own undies, bras, school uniforms, and towels. Everything else goes into the Laundry Lady bag and comes back perfectly washed and folded once a week.
What used to be one to two hours of folding and putting away clothes is now ten minutes. My wardrobes look perfect. I know where everything is, and I just make sure we own enough essentials to survive a weekly clothes cycle.
The juggle is real, but the clearer I make my systems, the calmer my life becomes. None of this is about being perfect. It is about being intentional with the most precious thing you have – your time.
