Working Moms: How to Leave 9 to 5 Behind and Make More Money (FREE Report)

  This reader is appalled by Mark’s “self-absorption”…

From Elspeth T.: I read Mark’s article in the July 7 Daily titled, “A Life-Changing Routine.” I also read his book, The Pledge.

What is painfully clear about Mark’s well-ordered and productive life is:

1. He has no idea how a single working mother does what she does! There is no way life can be as ordered as he suggests when juggling family breakfast, lunchboxes, school drop-offs, school pickups, more work on the run/in transit, dinner, homework, and bedtime rituals.
2. That’s not to mention washing, cooking, cleaning, and spending time with family… And did I say that somewhere in there is squeezed a full-time job/running one’s own business?
3. Mark’s life appears to be primarily about himself and his goals. Does his family get a look in, or only when it fits his schedule and list of priorities?
4. His ordered day depends entirely on someone making the dinner that he was “just in time for” in the evening.
5. I hope that “someone” feels as important as all Mark’s other priorities.

From Mark Ford, editor, Creating Wealth: Elspeth, you will be pleased to know you’re not the first person to write in and tell me I’m self-absorbed. And it’s not just readers. Family members, friends, and colleagues have pointed this out to me, as well.

What can I say? Guilty as charged.

When I made “becoming wealthy” my top priority (more than 30 years ago), I was absolutely determined to achieve my goal. This single-mindedness was very helpful in achieving my financial goal.

But it meant that I gave, at best, secondary attention to everything else.

Putting my wealth-building goals first meant I was automatically less of a husband, father, and friend than I might have been otherwise.

When I turned 50, I changed my priorities.

These days, the goal of making money has fallen to the bottom of my list. Thankfully, I did not destroy my relationships. I am still happily married to the same woman, I enjoy lots of time with my children, and I have more friends than I deserve.

So, I sometimes feel I had the best of both worlds: I had my career, and kept my relationships, as well. But I did this in the context of a traditional family structure.

Many working moms may have different challenges than I had. They may feel pressure to put their families first, while also feeling pressure to put their careers first.

If so, how can they balance everything?

I’ve been asking that question for many years. And have written about it many times.

My argument is this: It is possible to have your cake and eat it too… if you are willing to make reasonable sacrifices and work smart.

My program, as I think you’ve seen, provides for a balanced life by establishing priorities in four primary areas of life: health, wealth, social goals, and personal objectives. I covered that in detail in The Pledge.

That’s my argument: One can do it all, but it will require sacrifice, willpower, and planning. For working moms (or working dads for whom family comes first), it may require getting up at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. and giving up television (and mindless Internet surfing) entirely.

It’s a lot to ask, but I’m not doing the asking. It’s your life. Your time. Your priorities.

I’m just saying, I do believe you can do it all.

  Some thoughts from a working mom’s perspective…

As I said, I received a similar letter from a working mom many years ago.

I was going to write the response I just wrote you, but when MaryEllen Tribby, my publisher at the time, read it, she wouldn’t allow it to be published.

“Yes, it’s tough to be a working mom,” she told me. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t also build a business. I am!”

She wrote a reply in which she laid out her own schedule. (We tried to find it to show it to you, but we couldn’t.)

It was impressive.

MaryEllen got up every morning at 4:30 and hit the gym. She then came home, put in her hour on a personal project, woke up the kids, made their breakfasts, got them off to school, and showed up for work at 7:30 a.m.

And when she showed up, she showed up! Anyone who knows MaryEllen knows that she is a dynamo.

You will be interested to know MaryEllen went on to create her own successful business called Working Moms Only. It’s dedicated to helping working moms take charge of their lives and accomplish amazing things.

Here are some tips she gives to her readers:

  Tips for Working Moms (and Dads)

From MaryEllen Tribby, CEO, Working Moms Only:

1. Define what a balanced life means to you.

Many people think having a balanced life means spending the same number of hours on work as you do on personal activities. This is a big mistake.

Most of the time, it’s just not realistic.

To define what will work for you, you need to take into consideration that life is constantly changing. And the right balance for you today may not be the right balance for you tomorrow or next week or next month, because over time, your priorities change.

The one constant in knowing you have a balanced life is the feeling of accomplishment and happiness you enjoy every day.

2. Create boundaries.

Some people think it’s inappropriate to take business calls at night. Others know they need to be flexible for their particular line of work.

But however you structure your work/life balance, be sure to set up boundaries. Decide for yourself which things are flexible and which are nonnegotiable.

Because I advocate balance, I support the efforts my team members make in striving for balance in their lives. Some of them work in the evening or on the weekends. So, I have no problem when they need to leave to take care of something personal.

I truly believe that your accomplishments aren’t dependent on how much time you spend in the office.

3. Learn how to say “no.”

No one wants to say no to their boss, their spouse, their employees, their friends, or their kids. But to achieve balance, you are going to have to do it once in a while.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. And we cannot possibly do everything that we want to do AND everything that everyone else wants us to do. So, a big part of leading a more balanced life is to cut down on unnecessary tasks and protect your priorities.

When requests or conflicts are set before you, ask yourself: “Is this going to give me a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of happiness?”

You must learn that sometimes you have to choose your family, your health, or even your social life over work. And you’ll also have to make some hard decisions to put work first.

4. Keep a journal.

The only way to make your life better is to understand what you’re doing, what’s working, and what isn’t. And there are far too many things going on in our lives to try to keep it all in our heads.

So, keep a journal. Write down what you spend time on—everything from the meetings you attend, to how many times you go to the gym. This way, you’ll be able to look at your schedule and analyze your time objectively.

This will help you accomplish your professional and personal goals, and it will make you proud of those accomplishments.

5. Understand you’re not a superhero.

Having a balanced life means being realistic. Realistic about the fact that some things are just not going to get done. And you have to be okay with that.

When my husband and I got married 12 years ago, we both had busy careers. But we still enjoyed spending time decorating and upgrading our home with art and new furniture. After a busy day, we loved coming home to our immaculate sanctuary.

Nowadays, there are always things out of place in my house—but that is exactly the way it should be. Because when I come home to my family, I have a feeling of great accomplishment and happiness!

This goes for work, too. You may have a dozen projects on your plate and only so much time to complete them. Don’t get down on yourself for letting one of them slide so you can spend more time on marketing, or so you can care for your ailing grandmother, or so you can spend an hour at the gym.

Reeves’ Note: MaryEllen has helped thousands of everyday folks start and grow their own businesses from the comfort of their homes… with just a laptop and an Internet connection. She has a hot-off-the-press special report called “Secrets to Living the Laptop Lifestyle: How to Leave 9 to 5 Behind and Make More Money.” For a limited time, you can claim your copy completely free, right here.