Minutes matter: Jane McEwan

Delighted to introduce Jane McEwan from Balanced HR as my next Minutes Matter guest. Here’s what she has to say on all things time.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and your family.

I’m Jane and I’m married to Derek (also a business owner!) and we have 2 wonderful boys. My eldest is 5 and attends Primary 1 at the local school. Our youngest, who just turned 3, started nursery at the end of 2023.

Can you briefly introduce your business.

I founded my business, Balanced HR Solutions Ltd. in June 2022. I'd worked for small and global organisations whilst I climbed the HR career ladder and, after the birth of my second child, craved more flexibility.

As an independent HR Consultant, I support small businesses with their people. I provide a bespoke solutions service to my clients which includes day to day people management from recruitment to performance management to employee engagement and everything in between!

I was inspired to start my own business following my son's diagnosis of autism. Being autistic and non-verbal, my son requires careful care and working for myself allows me to be there for him when he needs me.

I absolutely love that I have found a path to continue my passion for HR and supporting small businesses while also caring for my children and being a present parent.

How do you typically structure your workday?

My workday is condensed into school hours, which I do struggle with as I am used to an 8 hour day, so I need to be very strategic with my time each day.

I time block my calendar every Sunday for the week ahead and dedicate my clients days and hours for that week by time blocking and prioritising tasks.

Urgent client work is completed in the morning, meetings and calls generally early afternoon.

It's impossible for me to work while the kids are home, so I'm careful to let clients know when I am available and only take calls at certain times and never schedule work outwith school hours.

How do you typically structure your working week?

I have dedicated days where I work for retained clients and my 1-2 other days focus on the business. This involves updating my employment law knowledge, networking, website and social media content.

I love to schedule in a coffee meet up or netwalking with a fellow business owner once a week, which is usually planned for Thursdays or Fridays as I'm starting to wind down down to the weekend.

How do you prioritise tasks and decide what to focus on each day?

This is determined by my retained clients and at what stage we are at in developing their HR department.

Priority is always given to retained clients if I need to provide urgent, reactive support.

From there I focus on tasks that require a good chunk of my time, such as developing an employee handbook or a bespoke workshop.

I try to stay away from checking emails and social media content during the day and instead schedule 20 mins in the morning and again before the school pick up.

Are there any specific tools, apps or time management techniques that you use to manage your time efficiently?

Time blocking works really well for me. As does scheduling when to check emails and social media. Otherwise I’d get lost in the reactive nature of my role and the scroll of doom!

How do you balance the various roles that we often take on as small business owners, e.g. marketing, admin, delivery of product/service?

This changes from week to week depending on project work and client needs. My “administration” days are Mondays and Fridays and I schedule my content on Sundays. My HR support days are Tuesday to Thursday where I’m often onsite supporting clients or providing a free HR Drop in clinic at my local co-working space, the EK Collective.

What challenges do you face juggling entrepreneurship with parenthood, and can you share any strategies that you use to help with this?

This is, as many other parents will agree, a constant struggle!

My son has additional needs so each day can bring a new challenge. I have to be incredibly prepared so I plan the next day carefully the night before (pack school and nursery bag, get clothes ready and ironed) to keep my son's anxiety as low as possible.

My retained clients know when I’m available but running a business can be unpredictable so my husband and I arrange who will be the “main” parent that day. For example who will be close to the school if my son needs us, who will collect him so the other can tend to a client.

Distractions can be a challenge when working independently; how do you minimise distractions to stay focused?

I have to be really careful not to scroll on LinkedIn so I schedule posts on a Sunday then pop on for the 15 minutes after my post goes live so I can interact with comments and connections.

It’s a constant struggle trying to stay away from my phone as clients often text or call throughout the day, I’m not able to “banish” my phone to a different room!

I try to stick to my calendar and what needs done that day as best I can. But I also don’t give myself a hard time if I scroll on LinkedIn as the conversations on this platform help me to build relationships and better connections which can lead to more work!

How do you handle unexpected challenges or change, that invariably happens when running a business as a parent?

I am prepared every day to have to drop work and go to my son if he needs me and I’ve never had a client yet who had an issue with this. I’m lucky that I have understanding clients who share my values that being a parent comes first.

My business is really important to me so I like to do something every day to contribute to it, so I know I've been productive. This can be as little as asking a client for a testimonial to writing a blog for my website.

I also work in the evenings where my workday has been cut short to ensure my tasks are ticked off!

What have been your biggest insights when it comes to managing your time as a small business owner?

Time is so precious and I personally find it difficult to fully switch off from the business as I'm always thinking of more efficient ways of working, a new solution for a problem a client is facing.

I think the reality is that as business owners, we don't have the luxury to fully switch off from our businesses because it is built around our lives.

I'm getting better at being a present parent and keep a notepad in every room of the house. So when I have an idea, I'll jot it down and then run around the house on a Sunday evening searching for them!

What do you like to do in your free-time?

Take walks with my husband and children, which will be easier now we're getting into spring! Also love going to the cinema when we have an opportunity.

Is there another local business that you'd like to give a mention to and why?

I need to mention my husband's business as it's now 6 months old! Explore Floors are based in Clarkston and are a mobile flooring retailer, meaning that he will bring the shop to you!

For those that don't or can't traipse around shops searching for the right piece of flooring for their home, Explore Floors specialises in wool carpets, engineering wood, laminate and LVT.

Contact Derek for a free, no obligation quote.

Thank you Jane - really appreciate your honesty and it’s great to hear from another time blocking fan!!

You’ll find Jane in the following places: website, Instagram and LinkedIn.