Photo: Maria Gloss from Pexels
I have a lot to say about the postpartum period and being a mama boss. First though, let me paint a broad picture of my personal situation: I have a newborn son, who is nearly four months old and a four-year-old, I founded and run a wellness business called Solluna, and I am in the midst of writing my sixth book (a deal I signed about three days before giving birth).
To say I’m busy feels like a massive understatement. But even in the chaos, there is a sense of flow. Actually, there is a lot more flow going on down there than from my first postpartum period. Maybe it got easier? I doubt that. I think it’s more that I’ve learned and grown, so I’d love to pass some mama wisdom on to you also.
One of my biggest lessons is about the sheer importance of being crystal clear on what your focus and priorities are ordered by one, two, three, and maximum four, on occasion, for any given day. Before I had kids, I might have answered emails by going straight down the list, or organized my folders, or done a handful of other things to fritter away time. Now, I don’t have that luxury. Workplace studies have found that the average employee spends 28% of their time just managing their email inbox which goes to show this method of working is typical but not productive.
As a really busy working mom, I don't have unlimited time to fritter away by sitting at my desk for hours on end or getting distracted by the minutiae. So, I have really learned the art of prioritizing. Now, I have my running list of priorities: one, two, and three (and, occasionally, four). And if something doesn't fit into one of those priorities, isn't part of promoting them, or in some auxiliary way related to those priorities, that something becomes a very clear “no.” And that sometimes means not speaking at many online conferences that are constantly going on which I am always getting asked to partake in.
Studies show that the most satisfied company executives are the ones who manage their time around their top priorities which I completely relate to now. If something is not related to my top priorities, then I say “no”, and if it is, then I say “yes.” Having these clear priorities allows me to really focus my time. When I am able to work and set aside these periods away from the baby, or while he’s laying quietly on my lap and away from my toddler, I sit down and work on my priorities in order of importance. I chip away at these priorities until I have exhausted everything that I can do for the time being.
For instance:
Today, my first work priority was working on an online pregnancy and fertility course that we are developing at Solluna. I also worked on some new products that will be going into the online course and tinkered with the video scripts.
My second priority was a charity T-shirt that I am truly passionate about. I read an article about how many more people are going hungry now as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, so I became inspired to do something about it. So, today, I checked in with the designer and our publicist, and we will be selling a charity T-shirt.
My third priority was my book. This is a new book that I'm writing, so I really needed to dedicate a lot of time to that. Hence, today was partly dedicated to writing.
Finally, my fourth priority was recording the Feel Good Podcast which we need to continually come up with new information and topics for, as well as tape new episodes every week. Okay, okay, so sometimes, there are four top work priorities.
Another example:
I will sit at my desk, and I think through what I have to do with the pregnancy course today. Then, I focus on it: I write, record, and do whatever's needed to get things done.
After that, I move on to the second priority. I’ll dive into working on the products we are developing. I’ll go through a list of tasks involved with how we are going to get this Shatavari product launched, and how we are going to produce this charity T-shirt. There is a little bit of free flow to it, but this is my general way of working.
Then, I might shift my focus onto my third priority which is my book. And while it's not necessarily hierarchical, the book is important. Writing my book is something I usually set aside time on the weekends to do since it requires a different sort of energy.
Lastly, I use my remaining time to work on our podcast and find ways to get more work done in the spare hours that I have as a working mom.
Working within this prioritized structure and harnessing my creative energy to spend on things that are of the greatest importance to my business and passions has allowed me to be incredibly productive.
By keeping my priorities and honing my focus, I'm able to get work done and move things forward. This method has helped me cut out a lot of extraneous ways I used to waste time which would make me feel overwhelmed. During this postpartum period, where my time is more limited than ever, I'm much better at saying “no,” and handing off and delegating things to other members of my team.
This lesson has led me towards the path of clarity so I know what to put my fullest energy into. Prioritization is the key to moving things forward faster with more efficiency. I’ve learned the importance of really putting your biggest energy into whatever's in front of you in the order YOU decide is important and then giving it your all.
“As a really busy working mom, I don't have unlimited time to fritter away by sitting at my desk for hours on end or getting distracted by the minutiae.”
—Kimberly Synder, New York Times bestselling author and Founder of Solluna
About the Author: Kimberly Snyder is the founder of Solluna, a lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering you to live your true beauty. She is the multi-time New York Times bestselling author of The Beauty Detox book series and Radical Beauty, co-written with Deepak Chopra. She is also a nutritionist, renowned speaker, personal development expert, meditation teacher, certified yoga instructor, and holistic wellness expert. Kimberly also hosts the top-rated Feel Good with Kimberly Snyder podcast, which airs on the Podcast One network.
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