Introduction: Being Your Own Boss Is a Scam (But a Nice One)
Running your own business is sold as freedom. You’re your own boss. You make the rules. You take control of your life.
Then you accidentally become the kind of boss who never gives you a day off.
What no one really tells you when you start a small business is that you’re not just the CEO. You’re also the creative director, marketing department, customer service team and IT support — mainly because you’ve forgotten your Etsy login details again and refuse to reset the password on principle.
This isn’t a productivity method or a five-step routine designed by someone who wakes up at 5am and drinks celery juice. This is simply how I stop my brain from powering down at 2pm.
So here’s how I plan my workdays around school, family and energy levels (spoiler: it involves coffee).
School Hours: The Only Deadline That Actually Matters
No planner, app or “just wake up earlier” advice has ever survived contact with the school timetable.
If you’ve ever done the school run — either as a parent or a former pupil — you’ll know that drop-off and pick-up times are the most immovable objects in the universe. Yes, sometimes my son has after-school clubs. Yes, sometimes he asks to stay at wraparound care to hang out with his friends.
But still. There is a hard stop to the day where you must retrieve your small human.
Everything else around those times is flexible, negotiable and occasionally ignored (I see you, enormous laundry pile). Because of that, I’m careful to set realistic tasks during school hours — things that actually fit into that window, rather than pretending I have an uninterrupted eight-hour workday like a Victorian factory owner.
Energy Levels: The Real Boss (I Just Work Here)
Coffee. That’s it. That’s the section.
Only joking. Mostly.
Some mornings I wake up full of confidence and creative enthusiasm, brimming with ideas and fully convinced this is the week everything clicks into place. Other mornings I open my laptop and stare at the screen like it’s personally wronged me.
Both are completely normal.
So instead of fighting it, I plan my work around my energy levels:
- High energy: designing new products, writing, planning launches, convincing myself this idea will absolutely work
- Low energy: packing orders, answering emails, tweaking listings, staring into the middle distance while Photoshop or Illustrator loads
What I learned the hard way was not to force creativity when the energy just isn’t there. It only leads to frustration and designs that don’t meet the standards I’ve set for myself.
Some days the most productive thing you can do is curl up on the sofa with a hot cuppa and be kind to yourself.
(If this sounds familiar, I’ve written more about this in A Gentle Reset and learning to embrace low-energy days.)
The To-Do List: A Place Where Dreams Go to Be Moderated
I do have a big, ambitious master list of business goals for the year. It’s full of dreams, plans and ideas that feel very exciting when written down.
My daily to‑do list, however, is much smaller and far more realistic.
I focus on small, achievable tasks that move the business forward bit by bit — and, crucially, can be completed before the afternoon school run. Small goals build into bigger ones, and they’re much less likely to make me want to lie down dramatically on the floor.
Daily tasks might include checking eRank for keyword trends, replying to emails, tweaking a listing… or blocking out time to design an entire new product range. Some days are tiny steps. Some days are leaps. Both are valid.
The School Run: A Built-In Intermission
Whether I like it or not, the school run splits my day neatly into two halves.
Mornings are for coffee, creativity and attempting to coax my brain into action — all while glaring at the laundry pile and wishing the mice from Cinderella would finally show up and earn their keep.
Afternoons tend to be more practical: packing orders, marketing, blog planning and all the necessary-but-not-thrilling admin tasks that keep the business running.
Creativity, I’ve learned, is fragile. It needs to be handled like a rare houseplant. Gentle care, regular attention and absolutely no shouting at it.
It can’t be rushed — and it certainly won’t thrive if you bully it.
A Completely Unfiltered Small Business Workday
A typical day might include:
- Creating something I genuinely love
- Packaging orders with care and tissue paper
- Catching up with some of my fellow small business owners.
- Snacking (professionally)
- Ending the day tired but oddly satisfied
Some days I move the business forward. Some days I maintain it. Some days I simply stop it from falling over.
All of it counts.
Boundaries When Your Office Is Also Your House
If you’re anything like me, most of your business lives on your phone — which means work is always right there.
It’s dangerously easy to think, “I’ll just do one more thing,” and accidentally work your way straight into burnout. I’ve been there. Repeatedly.
Closing the laptop or putting your phone in another room isn’t giving up — it’s a business decision. You’d set boundaries in a traditional job, so your small business deserves them too.
Rest isn’t a reward. It’s part of the process.
When Small Business Brain Fully Takes the Wheel
You know that feeling of having 20 tabs open and no idea where the music is coming from? That’s me in full business mode.
Pinterest is open for colour inspiration. Social media is open for reel ideas. I’m halfway through convincing myself I need a rebrand (again). Shop stats are being checked. Into The Fog Vlog playing in the background. Everything is happening at once.
When this happens, breaks are essential — usually involving snacks or green tea. I also come back to my weekly planner on my desk, which gently (and sometimes firmly) brings me back down to earth.
What This Has Taught Me (Mostly the Hard Way)
Sustainability is elite.
Going full force all the time isn’t impressive — it’s exhausting. A quiet day is still a productive day. Running a business alongside family life isn’t about doing everything at once; it’s about strategy, flexibility and knowing when to step back.
It’s easy to lose yourself in your business, and just as easy to lose yourself in parenthood. Be kind to yourself. Your business will still be there, ready to welcome you back with fresh ideas.
Closing Thoughts: You’re Doing Better Than You Think
Congratulations. You ran a small business today and remembered school pick‑up. Win‑win.
This isn’t about perfect routines or colour‑coded planners. It’s about finding a way of working that fits your life. Keeping things simple makes it easier to stay flexible — especially when energy levels change.
And always, always making room for a hot cup of tea.
Do you have any gentle, realistic ways you plan your workdays around real life? I’d love to hear them. Why not leave a comment below. Or follow me on social media.
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