The reality for many parents running a business is that life now revolves around two things: managing productivity and caring for your children. You have to look after both, and sometimes the weight of childcare can impact business productivity. It leaves you in the terrible position of trying to prioritize one thing over the other.

On the face of it, this is a simple decision: always prioritize looking after your children.

However, is this a smart move if it means you’re no longer able to run a productive business? You spend too much time away from the company, and work starts to slow down. Profits sink through the floor; you struggle to pay your employees, and suddenly you’re not making any money. This then has a direct impact on your children because you may struggle to support them financially – so there has to be a better way to find that balance.

You should absolutely not neglect childcare, so what can you do better to run your business and manage productivity while still ensuring your children get all the assistance and care they need?

Seek Cost-Effective Childcare Solutions

The obvious solution to this debate would be to pay for childcare, and it’s fair to assume that most business owners can afford this. Regardless of how much money you make, it still makes sense to find the most cost-effective childcare solutions; otherwise, it can put more pressure on your business to grow if you’re paying over $50,000 a year for childcare. That’s the reality for many people who pay for a private nanny or daycare, but Go Au Pair notes that hiring an au pair could be the best of both worlds.

An au pair lives with your family for 1-2 years and provides all the childcare you need in exchange for a weekly stipend. The cost can still be high – about $21,000 a year – but it is almost half the cost of other childcare services, especially if you have multiple people.

The joy of an au pair means you can work to your normal schedule and call upon them to handle the basic daily childcare tasks – like taking your kids to school, picking them up, playing with them, etc. It allows you to focus on being your most productive self, so you’ll have time after work to dedicate all your attention to your children.

Schedule Your Day With Time Blocks

The idea of time-blocking is simple: you schedule tasks for certain blocks in your day, ahead of time, and add them to your Calendar — for instance:

• 8-9 am: School run
• 9-11 am: Meetings
• 1-2 pm: Lunch at home
• 2-3 pm: Calls
• And so on

This puts you in a position where you have a clear schedule lined up every day and can work childcare into it where it works best for you and your child. You can also schedule similar tasks in nearby blocks, which lets you move quickly from one thing to another with fewer distractions. For example, maybe you have a meeting with a supplier somewhere and know their office is close to your child’s school. In this case, schedule the meetings for the hour before school finishes so you can go to the meeting and then do the school run on your way back.

Time-blocking is a great way for busy parents to manage their business and childcare responsibilities, specifically when they’ve got school-age children. It may be a bit harder with younger kids, but there are other tips on this list to help with that.

Make Your Schedule Work Around Your Child’s Routines

Sometimes you have to realize that the standard 9-5 workday isn’t actually that productive for everyone. This is the mistake most business owners make, and it’s even more pronounced when they have kids. There’s this almost constant need to work to a very strict schedule because it’s what you’ve been led to believe is the “most productive,” but it ends up making childcare a massive struggle unless you’ve paid for an au pair or nanny.

Alternatively, you should make your schedule more flexible and mold it around your child’s routines. Instead of waking up and going to work at 9 am, get up a bit earlier. Work a little bit in the evenings when your child is asleep, and focus on doing the bulk of your work during school time. With even younger children, you can make your main working hours fit around their naps.

The benefit is that it allows you to be present for your child as much as possible, while also letting you work in shorter, more productive bursts. It stops you from plugging away for hours just because you think you should be working. Sometimes, working less is actually a better way to be productive because you have more focus and can get more done in less time.

Delegate To People Better Than You

The best thing you can do as a business owner is to put your ego aside and admit that other people are better than you at many things. You’re the brains behind the operation, but are you the best bookkeeper? Are you the best salesperson, and can you run a social media marketing campaign better than someone with experience?

Don’t be afraid to look at your business and delegate tasks to individuals who are more talented than you are. This will immediately improve productivity because you’ve got people who know what they’re doing working in their specialties. It also then gives you more time to look after your family and share the childcare burden with a partner – or reduce the need for full-time childcare services.

The same can also be true when looking at the childcare side of things – don’t be afraid to ask parents or family members for a bit of help now and then. Your parents could take your child for a couple of hours one day because you’re overrun with work and need to finish a project ASAP.

There was once a time when running a business and having a child could not coexist in most people’s minds, let alone managing productivity in the balance. Now, it is definitely possible to juggle the two without them clashing or getting in each other’s way.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Pavel Danilyuk; Pexels; Thanks!