If you want to listen on the go, you can do so via this podcast link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/this-and-that-with-draoa/episodes/HOW-I-EFFECTIVELY-MANAGE-MY-9-TO-5--VOLUNTEERING-AND-OTHER-BUSINESSES-e213egf

If you would rather watch me then use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEygoajjdqQ

 

HOW I EFFECTIVELY MANAGE MY 9 TO 5, VOLUNTEERING AND 5 OTHER BUSINESSES

Historically, women have had to choose between having a family, an education or a career. I believe a woman can have it all if she wants!
I have
A PHD
Career
Family
I volunteer and manage
Multiple Side Businesses

I do get a lot of people ask me, how I am able to do all that I do. In today's blog post, I talk about how I manage all these competing priorities.

Not everyone needs to run multiple businesses or be a serial entrepreneur. 

This blogpost is for people that have a lot on their plate and are wondering how to effectively manage them. 

I have a YouTube video on this for those who prefer to watch a video.

Someone maybe asking, “so what exactly does she do? isn’t it just her family and her 9 to 5?” 

Let me give you a list: 

I am a mother

I have a 9 to 5

I have Animwaa Consulting

I run this blog, you are reading

I have a podcast

I have a YouTube Channel

I manage an Airbnb

I am taking professional courses on the side 

And I Volunteer as the president for a non-profit called Afri-Can Connect Society in Calgary.

 

I love doing all these, don’t get me wrong. I have always multitasked and I have done that pretty well. 

At every point in my life after my undergraduate, I have always found myself doing more than one thing. 

There are advantages to it, the two main ones for me are; the financial benefit and the fact that it makes me creative. 

 

So how do I manage to handle all these and do it well?

Supportive Partner

I have a Supportive partner. My husband takes care of the children, and holds the home front when I have to work. I do same when he has to work. Thus, our family is never lacking the absence of a parent when I am busy. And even when I am busy, I am not too busy not to listen to my children or family when they come in when I am working. 

If you are not married, you need a supportive system. If you are a single parent, you still need a supportive system that can help you with your children whiles you work on the multiple things you have on your plate. Find your village and soar!

 

Time management – Schedule 

You need to have a schedule or manage your time very well when you have competing priorities. I have a schedule that I work with. 

Find below a draft of how my schedule usually looks like:

Monday: 8am to 4 pm: Main job

               4:30pm to 8pm: Family

               8pm to 9pm: husband time

               9pm to 11pm: Animwaa Consulting

              11:30pm – 6:30am: Sleep

Tuesday: 8am to 4 pm: Main job

               4:30pm to 7pm: Family

               7pm to 8pm: Afri-Can Connect 

               8pm to 9pm: husband time

               9pm to 11pm: Afri-Can Connect

              11:30pm – 6:30am: Sleep

 Etc ...........

This is no way set in stone and its very dynamic and based on deadlines.

This is a guide that helps me know what I need to do and which day I need to work on them. 

Weekends are also shared between the things I have to do. For example, some Saturdays I have DEI trainings. Right after the trainings, I will play or be with my children whiles cooking. After cooking, my husband will take over the children and I can write many drafts for my blog, podcast and Animwaa Consulting social media posts. Then I record my podcasts on Sunday. So as a result of my schedule, I am always ready and have a post to go or things ready.

 

I use my Paid time Off (PTO)

If you have Paid Time Off (PTO) from work, please don’t feel guilty when you use it. I am blessed to work with an organization that gives me PTO and I make very good use of them. 

When I have trainings and other things to work on, I take time from my 9 to 5 and use them to work on the things I need to work on.

I have earned those days and I can use them for whatever I want to use them for. And so I take them and I use them to keep me on track.

 

I Work More Hours

I sometimes work more hours and sleep late at 12 am or 2am to wrap up on deadlines. If this happens, I sleep during my lunch time. So, because of these competing priorities, I work more hours than most people to help me stay on track. Regardless of what time I sleep, I try and get in at least 7 hours of sleep.

 

Outsource: Have people help you 

Outsource! Don’t always try to do everything yourself.

With Afri-Can Connect, I delegate so that I do not become overwhelmed.

At the end of 2022, I decided to start a blog and build a website for Animwaa Consulting. At a point, I realized that was going to be a lot of work and I couldn’t do it all by myself and so I outsourced the work. 

I also tried doing my logos and decided I could use that time for something else and so I outsourced that as well. Let others help you so you can spare time to work on other things.

 

Take Rest! 

With all these, I guess you are wondering so does she rest? Hahaha, yes, I do. I rest and take breaks. There are days I don’t follow my schedule. I close my laptop, close my books and sleep. There are times I go to bed at 8pm when the children are also going to bed. That is why I said earlier that, that the schedule is not set in stone. 

You need to rest, if you don’t rest, your body will break down and force you to rest. So, take time to rest and that will help you manage better.

 

Take a “me time” and refill

Self-care is not selfish. I like “me-time” a lot. There are times, I take my PTO, just to watch a movie or dance or just reflect. All these activities help me to manage my different roles and responsibilities very well. So take yourself out, do what help you relax, refill and then continue.

How do you manage your competing priorities? Please share them in the comments.

 

And until next time, know that 

You are enough, you are worthy!

Learn to Live life in the present 

And know that nothing last forever so everything will be fine! 

Take care of YOU, YOU are all you've got!