When Being Your Own Boss Means Working Instead of Napping

It’s 6 a.m. My toddler is crying, AGAIN. It’s not the cute, "I need a snack" cry. No, this is a "I’m not going back to sleep and you’re going to regret it" cry. My eyelids feel like they weigh 100 pounds each, and I am deeply questioning the life choices that led to me becoming a business owner.

Last night was… well, let’s just say it wasn’t the peaceful slumber you see in sleep-deprived Instagram stories. Nope. There was no "sleep like a baby" moment here. Instead, there was a toddler who thought 3 a.m. was the perfect time to practice their latest rendition of a banshee wail.

And yet, here I am. Still awake. With a full day of client work ahead. Because as much as I really wanted to just roll over, hit snooze, and pretend the world didn’t exist for a few more hours, I can’t. Because when you’re your own boss, there’s no "clocking out" for sick days. (Well, at least not until you hit that magic "make enough passive income to nap guilt-free" level — which, spoiler alert: never really comes when you've got goals!).

So, instead, I sit here, sipping my third cup of coffee — because caffeine is basically the glue holding my ambition together — and staring at my to-do list. Client 1: Social media post. Client 2: Email template. Client 3: Meeting prep.

And I wonder: What do I do when life takes over, and I have zero motivation? Turns out, I write a blog post...

Here’s the deal: being your own boss doesn’t mean you’re invincible. Some days, you just can’t summon the energy to be your most productive self. Sometimes, it’s not about pushing through and getting everything done; sometimes, it’s about acknowledging that today might not be your day. And guess what? That’s okay.

Because if I’ve learned anything from this wild ride of entrepreneurship and motherhood, it’s that you’ll have days where you’re on fire and days when your motivation is nowhere to be found. There are mornings where you’re ready to conquer the world and others where your biggest victory is making it to 9 a.m. without curling up into a ball under your desk.

And you know what? Those days matter too. They matter because they’re real. They matter because I am, in fact, human, and life doesn’t stop just because I have work to do. Sometimes, it’s a sick kid, or a lack of sleep, or a global pandemic (looking at you, 2020) that derails everything. And that’s okay. We’ll get back to it tomorrow. Or the day after. Or maybe, if we’re lucky, later today.

But in the meantime, I’m going to honor this moment. The "I don’t want to be productive right now" moment. Because you know what? You can’t hustle 24/7. You can’t grind nonstop. There’s a balance, and sometimes that balance means acknowledging the struggle and giving yourself some grace (and sometimes, it means saying f**k those dishes and getting take out for dinner!).

So if you’re reading this and you’re in the same boat — feeling like you’re one tantrum away from calling it quits, or wondering if you’re doing enough — just know, you’re not alone. We’re all here, trying to do our best, even when our motivation is nowhere to be found.

Today, I’m not conquering the world. But I am showing up for myself, for my clients, and for my business — even if it’s just a little bit. And you know what? That’s enough. And to my corporate working moms and parents, I've been there, I see you, and you are a badass.

Tomorrow will be better, and until then, I’ll be over here with my coffee and a toddler who’s probably plotting world domination. ◼️