Balancing the Grind with Elna Cain, Freelance Writer & Coach

Elna Cain is a freelance writer and coach, who’s writing has been featured in Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Freelance Writing, Tailwind, The Penny Hoarder, Infusion Soft, Smart Blogger and many other publications.

1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

My name is Elna Cain and I’m a mom to some adorable seven year old twins.

I am also a professional writer for brands and businesses and help people make money with their writing, either through blogging or freelancing. My husband joined me two years ago and together we work from home and help people create an online business.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

Typically, my twins attend school from 8:30-3 so I’m able to work from 9-2 and if I’m running behind in my business tasks, I can work when my twins go to sleep from about 8-10pm. Currently, my twins are home and I’m homeschooling them so my day changes.

What is working right now is I am able to work from 9-12 while my twins do some yoga, drawing or some activity that I set up for them.

Since they are learning to read, I have Alexa read them stories or they watch a story being read on the Scholastic website.

From 12 onward I’m on mom duty. I do homeschooling after lunch and then we spend most of the afternoon outside. Then it’s supper, bath, family game and off to bed. If I’m not tired I will work on my business.

I’m fortunate because my business doesn’t require me to do much conference calls or interviews. I’m able to focus on my writing tasks, networking and outreach strategies.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

Yes, I primarily work from home as does my husband. I use the spare bedroom for my office and my husband uses our master bedroom for his office.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

I find that when my twins are home, either in the summer or for a long break, my work life schedule is more mom focussed.

I have to remind myself that the reason why I chose this lifestyle of working from home is because is to be there for my twins.

So this meant that as my business grow, I had to outsource and delegate work so that I wasn’t working 24-7. I have a few writers I use for ghostwriting and I have a virtual assistant to help with non billable tasks.

5) What do you think are some of the best habits or routines that you’ve developed over the years to help you achieve success in your life?

I feel for me, the best habit I have is perseverance and to keep going. So many of us give up before really trying and I’ve known over the years that you really have to see the big picture and keep striving for success.

I own over 8 websites and many of them make me money. I put what I learned for my first two sites and used that to create a niche strategy to make money.

I find ways to create a sustainable income by diversifying and that has allowed my husband and I to continue to work from home.

6) Are there any books that have helped you improve over the years?

I actually don’t have time to read or watch TV, but I do love reading blogs and right now I love Ash from The Middle Finger Project.

7) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?

I tell myself that I can do only what I can do. I don’t beat myself up if I don’t finish my to-do list. I don’t call myself a failure if I didn’t finish a blog post. I just tell myself there is another day and I did what I could feasibly do for that day.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

I am in awe of Lisa Tanner. She has (I think?) nine kids, homeschools, and freelances.

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

Remember to give yourself grace! As moms we have a lot on our plate and to add an online business to that means we have to throw away that perfect day you envisioned.

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