Scared of what lies ahead

[Former_Member]

I am Ready to have baby number two ( more then ready) As I am laid up in bed at the minute i have been doing a lot of research into which way I want my business to grow and expand. I have been looking in to new products and new lines that I would like to introduce.
Having looked at my list and notes I can say I am very excited at the prospect. HOWEVER I seem to have forgotten that I will have a new born as well as a 3.5 year old, to look after along with a partner who works away from home.
I seem to be looking at my list and thinking is this realistic can i achieve this? Will I have the TIME to dedicate to my business.
How do you fit your shops in around your life? Do you find you have to be super organised and let go of things that you like doing but dont have time for in order to work on your business. or do you put work aside while you concentrate on your family?
Would be really interested in hearing your thoughts, and advice you may have.

[domoshar]

Wishing all the best on all things mentioned.

It is definitelly a chalange to balance different aspects of life. I did slow my business for a while. It pays off in other ways. Take your time and go further one step at a time.

You might be able to work while your baby is spending most of the day sleeping or you may not. Just enjoy the period and take the best you can.

Good luck!

[clockworkfantastica]

Wishing you the best for your upcoming delivery, Frey.

Is hiring a few hours of help every day or week during which you can schedule work or relaxation away from your children and household tasks/errands a possibility at some point?

It's not just time, it's the energy needed to work and focus, too. It might be a matter of being forgiving and learning what your realistic goals for each month/week of your business will be.

It might be hard to tell exactly what you'll need until you're in the situation and can evaluate your own creative rhythms.

[StuckOnSilver]

Best wishes, Frey! The advice above is so wise and wonderfully put. Trust that you will find the balance that includes family and shop. Eventually you may be able to swap babysitting with a friend or neighbor for time to spend as you like.

[2ChicksAndABasket]

I completely understand your concerns! I have 2 little ones myself and I admit that it isn't always an easy balance. There will be times when you get overwhelmed and frustrated.

One thing that really helped me (as silly as this may be) is to start writing down all of my new ideas and goals and then I tried to put realistic timeliness with them. We wanted to launch a few new products but after I had my daughter, I realized that I was trying to do too much and it was causing me a lot of unnecessary stress. Especially since I already had a 3 1/2 year old little boy that loves to "help" mommy. Lol

After I mapped everything out on paper, I could see that I was still making progress and still managing a good work/life balance. It also helped me hang on to new ideas that probably would have gotten lost during all the sleepless nights and diaper changes.

Good luck to you!

[GabriellasTreasures]

Take it from this senior - good advice here, and I remind you work little by little at your shop, your family is first. Maybe find at least 1 hour a day to work Etsy - and tell yourself that's all I have to give. Let some of it mentally go. You are young and have time to build your Etsy shop as long as you keep it alive.

Remember, you can never recapture those baby and toddler moments, and what you do now creates memories for the rest of their lives :)

I wish you the best - relax and enjoy life!!! :) :)

[Inklets]

Focus on baby and then gradually ease back into Etsy. ...20 years later, I'm still grateful I took 14 months just to be with my little guy. Baby before everyday.

[KiltedWoman]

Babies are babies for only a moment and will be in school before you know it. Don't worry about working on etsy, it will still be here in a few years. (Hopefully! Ha!) My kids are 15 and 22, seems like yesterday they were little.

[Former_Member]

Working full time, being in grad school, a mom and a wife is overwhelming at times. I work on my Etsy slowly and on weekends when I can squeeze in a few minutes time. I love my Etsy!

[Former_Member]

Congratulations! Spending as much time with your new baby as you can is so important. You will never get that time back, and you will never regret the time you spent with your wee babe:)
I usually keep a notebook close by to scribble down my inspirations while I'm busy with my baby, and then work when she naps or sleeps at night. Even if you do just a little bit of "Etsy work" each day it will really add up. It's amazing how much you can get done during a 45-minute nap, haha!

[Former_Member]

Agreeing with all the advice about giving yourself some grace and enjoying the baby and the child while they are little. :) I take weekends off (unless DH is working Saturday) and try to keep office hours for both Etsy and my blog. Being a mom and family time come first for me.

But you still need time to do things and I understand that. Until a friend had her now 5 month old, we did a kid swap one morning a week with our 2yr olds. One week I had both kids from 8am-noon then next week she had both. That was a huge help. We are starting back up this week but we will be doing twice a month instead of every week until she is ready for more. That might be an option for you.

[Former_Member]

Hi all

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I think i need to remember why i started on Etsy in the first place, to be with my first baby. I think I am just scared of losing the momentum i have built up, Working on my craft is an escape for me and I am worried that will be taken away with two kids and a family, but I am sure once baby arrives that this will all fall into place as it did with the first and I will form some kind of routine and will be able to get some form of work done.

[ConcertinaPress]

I don't have kids, but I find that setting up a routine makes my work much more efficient - for instance, I check my email and etsy convos ONLY once a day, at 2:30, and never on the weekends. You might find that setting a specific time for email will keep it from eating up precious time -

[Former_Member]

I can't even imagine working with a NEWBORN again. WHen my shop started taking off I had my youngest son and that wasn't too bad but I never really thought about the shop getting THIS big. It is very important to set time aside for yourself and your family. I have a whole schedule as my Etsy shop (and my new website I am working on for my business) is my full time job. I have 2 toddlers who are at preschool and baby sitters during the week so that gives me time to work. As I am getting into the holiday season I am now working when they go to bed as well to keep up with sales. My husband just got stationed overseas so i am alone. Having time for your family is so important. Your children are young and need some one on one time. But you can also do both. Sometimes I let the kids play outside while I write customers, set up emails and create new listings. I will stop for a little to go play. Or I add listings while cooking food :) I just try to find the best medium while trying to be mom and dad :)