Listen to ‘I work 15-20hr weeks as a mompreneur: here’s how’ on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Your player of choice

In today’s episode, I’m answering a question about how I balance work and family—and what boundaries actually make that possible. This comes at a time when I’m juggling a lot more than usual, so I’m sharing what I’m actually doing right now to stay productive without feeling completely burnt out.

I break down the simple framework I use to manage my time—what I delegate, what I delete, and what I automate—and how that applies both in my business and in my personal life. I also share the small shifts that have made the biggest difference, from deleting email off my phone to setting clear expectations around my availability.

If you’ve ever felt like there’s not enough time in the day (or like your business is bleeding into every corner of your life), this episode will help you simplify, prioritize, and take your time back.

What you’ll learn

• The 3-part framework: delegate, delete, and automate—and how to use it daily
• How to buy back your time through delegation in both business and home life
• Why tracking your time helps you make smarter, more efficient decisions
• The impact of setting boundaries with your inbox, phone, and social media
• How to prioritize what actually matters (and push the rest back without guilt)
• A simple weekly structure to help you stay focused without burning out

How I Run a Business in 15–20 Hours a Week as a Mompreneur

If you would have asked me a few years ago if it was possible to run a successful business in just 15–20 hours a week, I probably would have laughed. Not because I didn’t want that, but because I genuinely didn’t see how it could work—especially as a mom balancing business, family, and everything in between. But now, that’s exactly what my business looks like. And I want to be really clear about something before we dive in—this didn’t happen overnight, and it’s not perfect all the time. There are seasons where I work more. There are weeks that feel chaotic. There are moments where life throws things at me that I didn’t plan for. Right now, for example, I’m juggling a course launch, onboarding clients, supporting mastermind students, working on a brand opportunity, solo parenting at times, and functioning on less sleep than I’d like. So no, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about systems.

The reason I’m able to consistently come back to a 15–20 hour workweek is because I’ve built my business around a few core principles that help me stay efficient, focused, and present in my life outside of work. The foundation of everything I do comes down to three simple questions I ask myself constantly: what can I delegate, what can I delete, and what can I automate? Delegation was one of the biggest mindset shifts for me, especially as a mompreneur. And I’m not just talking about hiring in your business—although that is a big piece of it. I’m also talking about your life. For example, I use grocery delivery every single week, which alone gives me back one to two hours. I have a house cleaner come once a month for deep cleaning, and during busy seasons I’ll use meal delivery services for quick lunches and dinners. Something I’ve recently started doing is having my husband take the kids out of the house for a few hours once a week so I can have uninterrupted work time, and that block of focused time has been a complete game-changer because I can get more done in those few hours than I sometimes can in an entire distracted day.

Inside my business, delegation looks like leaning on my virtual assistant and asking myself whether something actually requires me or if I’ve just been doing it out of habit. That one question alone has freed up so much of my time. The second piece is deleting, and this is where things really shift because most of the time we’re not overwhelmed because we have too much to do—we’re overwhelmed because we’re doing things that don’t actually matter. One of the biggest changes I made this year was deleting email from my phone completely. I only check my inbox on my computer, and only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And I know that might sound extreme, but it has been one of the most freeing and impactful changes I’ve made. Nothing in my business is an emergency, and if something feels like one, that’s a systems problem—not a me problem. We’ve been conditioned to believe we need to be available all the time, but that’s simply not true. You don’t lose clients because you respond in 24 hours instead of one, and you don’t lose credibility because you’re not constantly online. In fact, setting that boundary creates more respect for your time and your business.

Deleting also shows up in how I manage my workload. Sometimes it doesn’t mean removing something forever—it just means not doing it right now. There have been multiple times where I’ve had ideas or projects I was excited about, but I chose to push them back because I knew they weren’t the priority in that season. You don’t have to do everything at once to be successful. The third piece is automation. Anytime I notice myself doing something repetitive, I ask if there’s a way to simplify or automate it, because every small thing you automate creates more space. Now, if there’s one tool that has completely changed how I approach my time, it’s tracking it. I track how long I spend on every single task in my business, and I know that might sound excessive, especially if you’re not someone who loves structure, but tracking your time gives you data and data removes emotion. Instead of guessing where your time is going, you actually know. You can see what’s taking up the most space, what’s worth it, and what isn’t.

It also makes you more intentional. When I start a task and hit start on my timer, I’m immediately more focused. It almost turns productivity into a game—how efficiently can I complete this? More importantly, it helps me identify what needs to be delegated, deleted, or automated. Without that visibility, I wouldn’t be able to run my business in the limited hours that I do. Alongside that, I follow a very loose weekly structure that supports my energy instead of fighting against it. Mondays are my CEO days where I’m in the backend of my business looking at numbers, reviewing data, responding to emails, and making higher-level decisions. Tuesday through Thursday are my execution days where I record content, take calls, coach clients, and show up in a more outward-facing way. Fridays are my soft days where I still work but nothing is scheduled, and it’s more about wrapping things up and easing into the weekend. This structure allows me to stay focused without constantly switching between different types of tasks, which takes a lot more energy than we realize.

Boundaries are another huge part of how I make this work. I unplug at 5 PM, I use tools that restrict my phone usage so I’m not mindlessly scrolling during family time, and I limit how much time I spend on social media during the week, which forces me to be more intentional with how I use it. I also protect my mornings and don’t jump straight into work. I give myself space to ease into the day, which makes a huge difference in how I show up when I do start working. All of these things combined allow me to be fully present when I’m working and fully present when I’m not, which is really the goal. This isn’t just about working fewer hours—it’s about creating a business that actually fits your life.

There will always be seasons where things feel busier, and there will be weeks where you work more and weeks where you work less, but when you build your business around systems, boundaries, and intentional decisions, you always have something to come back to. If you’re wanting to start moving toward a 15–20 hour workweek, start simple. Track your time for a week and see where it’s actually going, delegate one thing even if it’s small, set one boundary that protects your time, and ask yourself what you can remove or push back. You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight—you just need to start making decisions that support the life you actually want. Because at the end of the day, your business should work for you, not the other way around.

Resources & Links:

• Join Stacked Inbox
• Join Scalability
• 30 free selling on stories prompts
• Scaling Unlocked Mastermind Application
• Kajabi 30-day free trial + 2 bonuses
• Manychat
• IG University

Some of the links mentioned are affiliate links, which help to support this podcast at no additional cost to you.

Connect with Mya:

• Follow on Instagram @myanichol 
• Join my email list
• Check out my website
• Now on YouTube

More about the Radical Disruption podcast: 

Are you wanting to make waves in your industry, push the envelope, and change the way things are done in a radical way? Are you looking for tangible, tactical, and actionable steps that will help you build a sustainable business that stands out? You’re in the right place!

Radical Disruption is home to the disrupters. Here, you’ll learn how to take your business to the next level, break the status quo, and build a disruptive business.

Nursing student turned business and social media expert and host Mya Nichol (hey, that’s me!) shares the real and raw of the crazy journey of entrepreneurship and building a multi-six-figure business.

Through solo episodes and special guest interviews, you can expect honest conversations about throwing out the traditional way of business, scaling in a sustainable way, and becoming the go-to expert in your industry. It’s time to build a disruptive business. See you on Tuesdays!

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