How I’m Building a Creative Business as a Single Mom Teacher
Trying to run a business, a teacher schedule, and single motherhood can feel impossible. So many people say that there aren’t enough hours in the day, or that you need huge blocks of time to make real progress. I’ve learned that’s not true. For me, the secret is structuring my time creatively and giving up on perfection. I’m sharing how I get things done in the margins of time, where I fit in business (and a little self-care), and how you can, too, without burning out or feeling like you’re failing, as a mother.
Letting Go of Perfectionism: The Real Game Changer
If you’re anything like me, perfectionism can be paralyzing. I used to obsess over every detail in my business and daily life, thinking everything needed to be flawless or it wasn’t worth doing. I’d refilm videos because my hair wasn’t right, fiddle with lesson plans for hours, and then nothing ever got finished.
Now, I live by done is better than perfect. My videos aren’t polished. Sometimes, my hair is a mess when I’m filming multiple videos in a day. I’ve stopped caring, because only things that are finished can actually make an impact. If you’re waiting for perfect, you’ll wait forever. This mindset shift made all the difference and freed me to just start doing the work.
Getting over the urge to do it all perfectly isn’t easy. But every time I put something out there, I move forward. Progress beats perfect every time.
Small, Focused Time Beats Long, Unfocused Days
During the summer, I theoretically have eight-hour stretches to myself. Strangely, I barely get anything done. I find I thrive with short, structured chunks of time. When I know I have just one hour, I use it intensely and my focus sharpens.
When summer rolls around and I have every afternoon wide open, my productivity tanks and I end up getting distracted. Give me 60 minutes between after school and dinner, and I’m a machine.
I’ve learned that one concentrated hour a day is enough to build a business if you use it wisely. You don’t need to hustle from dawn to dusk. Carve out that one hour, and show up for it on purpose. That’s all it takes to start seeing real results.
Structuring the Chaos: Time Mapping That Actually Works
Time mapping is my lifesaver. Most days don’t go as planned, especially with kids at home, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of winging it. Winging it doesn’t work for me. I need a clear plan.
What Is Time Mapping and Why Use It?
Time mapping means deliberately setting tasks to certain time blocks throughout your day. It’s more than a to-do list. It’s a structure for your day that fits your energy, your family’s schedule, and your reality as a teacher.
Here’s why time mapping makes life easier:
- Takes away the stress of deciding what to do next
- Builds habits and routines that stick
- Makes sure what’s important to you (business, family, self-care) gets protected time
- Increases consistency so you can build momentum
When I have a plan, my brain isn’t busy spinning over what needs to be done. I can just show up and get the work finished.
Automate and Make It Routine
I automate almost everything possible. That doesn’t mean using fancy software, it means building routines and habits so I don’t have to battle decision fatigue.
Once things are scheduled, my brain is free. Instead of carrying a mental list of tasks, I let the routine handle it for me. My best routines anchor my days:
My Typical (Aspirational) Morning
If you’re not an early riser or your season of life just doesn’t allow it, adapt your schedule. Find what windows work for you.
- 5:00-6:15 a.m.: Self-care activities (Bible reading, workout, drawing for products, journaling, reading for pleasure)
- 6:15-7:00 a.m.: Getting ready for work.
- Evening: Low-brain tasks (admin stuff, editing, TPT product uploads, batch work while watching TV)
A Sample Routine in Action
- Early Morning – Self-care: Bible reading, workout, journaling, creative drawing
- Next Hour – Get ready for work
- Evening – Creative output, editing, product creation,editing, responding to emails, prepping products while relaxing by the TV
The point isn’t the specific hours, but that every day has small, intentional pockets mapped out for both my energy and my priorities.
Finding and Using Small Pockets of Time
You don’t need uninterrupted hours. In truth, those rarely exist for moms who also teach. Small pockets throughout the day are gold if you grab them on purpose.
What Pockets of Time Look Like
- Five minutes in the morning: I do a quick drawing exercise, often working one piece at a time for a bigger clip art collection
- Lunch break at school: Time for quick reels, organizing B-roll, or outlining ideas with lunch in hand
- Right after work or after dinner: Editing, product uploads, brainstorming, often while unwinding with a show.
A few minutes here and there add up. For example, I’ve built whole TPT collections out of single five-minute-a-day sessions. It doesn’t take hours, just intention.
Making the Most of Every Snippet
If I know my son is watching a show, I work beside them. I’ll have Canva open, designing content for my store. Sometimes, I’ll edit photos while catching up on a favorite series. Multitasking works if you match low-brain-power tasks with downtime.
Instead of mindless scrolling (which eats up hours without us noticing), I batch my content.
Quick, Easy Tasks To Fill Pockets of Time
- Draw a single illustration for a product
- Outline a blog post idea
- Film 10 seconds of B-roll with your phone
- Organize files on your computer
- Write a short caption or description
- Respond to one customer question
Each finished task is a step forward and those steps build up fast.
There’s No “Extra” Time — Only Intentional Time
Stop looking for big, open hours. Instead, make your small windows count. Protect that hour, or those pockets before bedtime, as if it were a doctor’s appointment for your business.
Protecting Your Time and Energy: Boundaries are Non-Negotiable
Boundaries are the heroes of working motherhood. Without them, your energy gets drained and your minutes disappear, lost to scrolling, interruptions, and distractions.
Stepping Away from Time-Wasters
For me, the phone is my biggest trap. If I pick it up in the morning before my business routine, it’s 30 minutes later and all I’ve done is scroll. That’s time I’ll never get back and a hit to my momentum.
It’s easy to fall into this pattern, which is a sneaky way your brain can sabotage your goals. When you’re breaking old habits, your mind might try to trick you into sticking to the familiar. I’ve learned to notice when I’m about to self-sabotage.
If you catch yourself heading down a rabbit hole, pause and ask: “Is this helping my goals right now?”
Building Real Boundaries for Productivity
- Keep your phone on do-not-disturb (especially during your focused times)
- Set social media hours — only check feeds during a preset block like lunch
- Batch-create content for social media instead of scrolling mindlessly
- Say no to invitations or requests that clutter your schedule (protect your sacred hour, guilt-free)
- Use physical cues (like a certain workspace) to trigger “work mode”
Your energy is precious. If you don’t defend it, someone else or some distraction will take it away.
Outsmarting Your “Stay Safe” Brain
Your mind loves comfort. Real change feels scary, so your brain tempts you to quit or delay. Instead, make your new habits as easy as possible. Batch similar tasks and stack routines you enjoy (like a cozy tea and writing blog posts). Soon, showing up for your business will require less willpower.
Batch Work and Systems: Outsmarting Busyness for Consistent Output
Systems are my secret weapon. Once you’ve got momentum, you want to keep it. But creating content or products daily is a great way to burn out. That’s where batch creation comes in.
Monthly Planning & Filming Days
I map out my video, blog post, and product ideas for the entire month, all at once. Each idea lines up with one of my four core content pillars (more on those soon). On my batch filming day, which is usually a Sunday before the month starts, I set up, do my makeup, and film several videos back to back. I’ll change outfits for each, so viewers don’t realize it was one long session.
Once I’m on a roll, I get comfortable and my speaking gets smoother. Filming in a batch is less stressful, more efficient, and saves me having to set up every single week.
Smaller Batching for Weekly and Daily Tasks
Larger tasks aren’t the only things I batch. Every week at lunch, I’ll do a short-form video (like a Reel). Each day, I shoot a bit of B-roll, a quick classroom clip, a shot of my desk, or a collection I’m working on. These little bits go into folders, ready to use when needed.
I keep a Google Keep note on my phone for ideas as they strike. Those sparks of inspiration create outlines in Google Docs, so when I sit down to film or write, everything’s ready.
My Simple Content Workflow
- Spark of inspiration? Jot it in Google Keep (on my phone, anytime).
- Move promising notes to Google Docs, turning them into steps or talking points.
- Batch plan a day to outline, film, or photograph everything related.
- Drop links or finished videos into the outline doc for easy tracking.
- Upload, schedule, and share, with my future self thanking me for doing work ahead of time.
Staying organized and batching similar tasks reduces backtracking and lets me keep moving. I’m still trying to get consistent with all of this.
My Four Pillars:
All my content lines up under these categories:
Creative entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship: Creative Entrepreneurship and Making Money
- Lifestyle: Frugal teacher lifestyle
- Home: Thrifty home redesign
- Teaching: Creative teaching and classroom redesign
Building content around defined areas means I don’t waste energy wondering what to do next. It also helps my followers know what to expect and makes planning so much easier.
Creating Rituals: The Backbone of Consistency and Freedom
Habits and rituals aren’t about dull routines, they’re about creating freedom. With weekly and monthly rituals, I don’t have to wonder if I’m on track.
Rituals Build Momentum and Accountability
When my daily routine is automatic, I start the day with a sense of accomplishment instead of anxiety about what I’m missing. Weekly rituals (like planning Mondays or batch days) keep me grounded. Monthly sessions let me see the big picture and prevent last-minute panic.
Ritual Ideas That Make All the Difference
- Daily: One small creative action before the house wakes up (drawing, reading, journaling)
- Weekly: One block to review progress and batch-create social media or blog content
- Monthly: Set aside a Sunday to plan, film, and outline the coming month’s content and products
These rituals aren’t just for productivity. They provide structure so I can relax into my family life and still keep my dreams in motion.
Tools to Support Your New Routines
I love my daily, weekly, and monthly ritual templates. They help keep things straightforward, no guesswork about what to focus on next. My time blocking template (available on TPT) makes visual planning easier so everything fits together.
When my world feels chaotic, templates keep my brain clear and remind me of my goals.
Reality Check: Life Doesn’t Stop
While writing this, my kid has yelled down the stairs more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve told him not to, but this is the reality of a house that holds both business and family.
Wrapping Up: You Have the Power to Build Something Real
Building a business as a teacher and single mom is hard, but it’s not a pipe dream. Your time matters. Your boundaries matter. What you do in small pockets adds up to something huge.
The freedom I am creating now isn’t coming from big leaps or perfect workdays. It is coming from small, consistent steps in the minutes I can find. Don’t wait for perfect, start with your next five free minutes and see how far you can go.
If you have specific questions, topics you want to hear about, or something that stood out, let me know in the comments. What part of the business-building process feels overwhelming? If you suggest it, I’ll create a whole lesson or video just for you.
We really can build something amazing, right in the middle of real life. We’ve got this.