Guest blog – Juggling a toddler and a business over the summer holidays – Emma Louise Martin

As I sit here on the bathroom floor whilst attempting potty training, I try to hold in the importance of getting it right. That whilst having hit the milestone age of 3 means that we can finally use more reasonably priced summer camps, but under the proviso that all children are able to use the toilet….

You see, I really need to rely on childcare this year, between running courses and meeting clients, I am also working with a mental health charity. Which means no 6 week break for me, but several new components to juggle without the luxury of preschool!

When starting my business, I had two mornings a week of child free admin time, where I could ponder over new ideas, exciting collaborations and attend lots of networking events. Fast forward to now, and I have to be a lot smarter with my time.

Most importantly, I know what the impact of quality family time and self-care can do for our wellbeing, and it’s not something that I’m willing to compromise on over the summer. So, I’m going to take a balanced approach, and will try to grow my business in tandem with helping my little boy grow up.

I’m going to be more realistic. And set myself one small goal for each day. My emails and social media updates will get actioned during naptime, and projects will have to be completed over several evenings after bedtime. I need to be ‘present’ during activities with my son and will probably try and use my Mindfulness techniques to go on some ‘nature walks’ or ‘adventures to the park’, some picnic outings and if the weather holds, avoiding softplay at all costs, haha.

In between shifts at the charity, I will take a precious few moments each day to meditate or stretch or unwind with a nice bubble bath after the chaos has calmed, because a chilled out me, is much better for everyone.

I suppose in comparison to last summer, I will be reminding myself that I don’t need to be Superwoman, that the business essentials will still get done and that the toddler will eventually get the hang of toilet training, in between cuddles, ice creams and blowing bubbles.