Erin Falconer | A Productivity Expert and Author On Making Motherhood A Single Task
by Neha Ruch
Erin Falconer is a Canadian transplant living in sunny Venice, California, and to us, she’s such a great mix of both regions. Equally laid-back and strong, sunny and smart. She’s developed multiple companies while finding a regular yoga routine and she’s shared her wisdom in a book on productivity (the first written by a woman for women in over a decade, by the way).
Mix that in with her adorable son George, who she’s made her primary focus over the last year, and it’s no wonder we wanted to feature her to start off 2019. From her advice on self care to how she’s turned motherhood into a beautiful single task, she’s definitely getting us inspired for a fresh, focused start.
How did you change after becoming a mother?
It’s funny, everybody told me I was going to learn how to do 100 things at once as a mother, and my experience has been totally the opposite. If anything, I’ve learned how to be completely focused on one thing at a time - with my new son being the center of that focus (and learning experience). I don’t want to be distracted when I’m with him; I’ve never wanted to just do one thing so much.
I think I’ve been able to apply this to other areas of my life, and I’m loving this vibe so much more than the chaos of feeling like I have to be doing a million things a minute.
What choices did you make to accommodate motherhood? Would you make them again?
I was very lucky because just before my son George was born, I had left and sold my old company (LEAF) and had just handed the final edit of my new book over to my editor. I had a lot of free time to devote to George in the first five months of his life.
I think the biggest choice that I made, knowing I had a lot of free time in front of me, was to be disciplined about making time for myself and my new project that I had just launched. One of the things I’ve found as a mother is that time just kind of blends into this big blur if you’re not careful. Without the discipline of having to go to an office or report to anyone, I was really strict about pulling myself away to work on other things that are really important to me. I found this has really worked for me because every time I return home to see George, I am excited, happy and full of energy just for him, as opposed to being burned out.
Describe yourself as a mother in 3 words. What kind of mother would you like to be?
This is a question for George! But I like to think some of my strengths are my patience, I’m a great listener, and I’m not afraid to make a complete fool of myself if it makes him laugh.
Ultimately, I would like to be the kind of mother that inspires my son to be the greatest person he can be - to have the confidence he needs to reach his highest self, the kind of mother that makes him feel totally understood and heard.
How do you take care of yourself outside of motherhood?
Well, I am a total skin care junkie. Like, send help. Serum is my favorite word. So I spend a lot of time playing around in that department - and have regular facials. I also meditate every morning for twenty minutes, which makes me so calm and happy. And if you’re ever wondering what to get me as a gift: massage gift certificate!
Every mother needs help to find balance. What does your village look like?
One of the things I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is the power of asking for and accepting help. I have never appreciated this more as a mother. Both sets of George’s grandparents live far away (Canada and France), so we don’t have any family to help. I have a part-time nanny 20 hours/week. And a half dozen of my friends as babysitters!
What are you working on improving about yourself as a woman & a mother?
I’m working on giving my partner more credit for all of the amazing things he does as a father for George. It’s so easy to start taking it for granted, but when I stop and think about it, he is so hands-on and gives 100% of his energy to George. I have to remind myself to not jump on every little thing that isn’t perfect or how I would do it, and just chill a little in that department. It’s far more important to have someone that is completely dedicated to the cause than clothes that are folded perfectly!
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