Bala karthiga M

Everytime I have a book launch, or post an article or create something in general, I get asked: “How are you managing to write, create, hold down a full-time job, and keep two tiny humans alive—without combusting into a pile of stress and broken dreams?”

I get it. On paper, my life should be a circus act featuring burnout, forgotten deadlines, and coffee-fueled existential crises.

But here’s the twist: I’m not drowning. I’m thriving. And no, it’s not because I’ve unlocked some secret 48-hour-day hack.

Two kids in, and I’ve never experienced postpartum depression—not even once. Not because I was lucky, but because my mindset and nervous system were built like a fortress long before I became a mother. From the time I was a toddler, my parents instilled in me an unshakable foundation—one rooted in confidence, competence, and a no-BS attitude toward life.

They didn’t coddle me into fragility. They made me face challenges, taught me resilience through action, and ensured I knew that setbacks weren’t tragedies—they were training.

I was never told, ‘this is not allowed in our family.’ Instead I heard, ‘we don’t have experience with this but we will both support you as you try this out.’

I was never told, ‘You can’t handle all that you’re taking.’ Instead, I heard, ‘Let’s figure this out, and make sure you have all the resources needed as you take up this new goal.’

They raised me to trust my own strength, to problem-solve before panic, and to meet life with a steady, unshaken nervous system—not one wired for chaos.

Motherhood didn’t break me because I wasn’t taught to break. I was taught to adapt, to anchor myself in my own capabilities, and to always meet difficulty with calm, collected clarity. And that has made all the difference

It’s because I’ve figured out what actually matters. And that doesn’t mean doing more—it means doing the right things with unwavering focus.

Okay, I will not brag about what my parents did.

Instead, I want to give you a glimpse into my adulthood, my motherhood, and my life as I live it now.

I’ll break it down, piece by piece, and decode exactly how this foundation shaped the way I navigate challenges, raise my kids, and show up in the world—no fluff, no filters, just my raw, unfiltered, authentic, truthful self.

The Brutal Truth: You Don’t Need More Time—You Need Priorities

Most people believe productivity is about doing more. Nonsense. If you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing that matters. The most successful people aren’t the busiest—they’re the most intentional.

Take a look at my daily non-negotiables:

What you actually need is ruthless prioritization—the kind that makes people uncomfortable.

The kind where you say no to things that don’t serve your highest goals, even if it means ruffling a few feathers.

Think of it like curating your life the way an elite chef curates a Michelin-star menu—only the best, most essential ingredients should make the cut.

Here’s what keeps me sane, successful, and still able to read bedtime stories:

Ruthless Time Blocks – If it’s not scheduled, it doesn’t exist. I guard my deep work time like a dragon hoarding gold. No distractions, no excuses. Case in point: Cal Newport, productivity expert and author of Deep Work, emphasizes that focus, not busyness, is the real key to getting things done.

Non-Negotiables – Sleep? Sacred. Family time? Untouchable. Writing? Mandatory. If you don’t set non-negotiables, life will decide them for you (and spoiler alert: it’ll pick things you hate). Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, swears by prioritizing sleep to sustain high performance. If billionaires make it a priority, so should you.

The 1% Rule – Perfectionism is the silent killer of dreams. I don’t aim for overnight brilliance. I aim for consistent, compounding progress. Tiny daily actions build empires. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, illustrates how just 1% improvement every day leads to massive transformation over time.

Momentum Over Motivation – I don’t “feel like writing” every day. But I write anyway, because waiting for motivation is a rookie move. Action breeds inspiration, not the other way around. Hemingway wrote daily, even when uninspired. Professionals work through resistance—amateurs wait for inspiration.

Personal Branding Isn’t a Vanity Project – Every single day, I take one action to build my personal brand. Why? Because obscurity is the enemy. The people who show up consistently are the ones who win. Period. The reality? Whether you’re an entrepreneur, writer, or corporate leader, your visibility is currency in the modern world.

The Motherhood Myth: Why Having Kids Isn’t a Creativity Killer

Somewhere along the way, society convinced us that motherhood and ambition don’t mix. That you either choose your passion or your family—never both. That’s garbage.

Motherhood hasn’t hindered my creativity. It’s supercharged it. When your time is limited, your focus sharpens. You become an efficiency ninja. You learn to create in short bursts instead of waiting for those mythical “perfect conditions.” J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series as a single mother on welfare, squeezing in writing between naps and crying fits. Proof that constraints don’t kill creativity—they ignite it.

Let’s be real: There is no perfect time to start that book, launch that business, or go after that goal. There is only now—and what you choose to do with it.

The Motherhood Myth: Why Having Kids Isn’t a Creativity Killer

There’s a myth floating around that having kids is the death of creativity—as if the moment you hear that first newborn cry, your brain just… powers down. No more ideas. No more ambition. Just diapers, sleep deprivation, and the occasional existential crisis in the baby aisle.

I call bullsh*t on that.

Motherhood Didn’t Kill My Creativity—It Amplified It

Here’s the thing: motherhood rewires you, but it doesn’t erase you. The idea that once you become a mother, all personal pursuits should be shoved aside, that you should sacrifice the things that make you, you, is nothing more than an outdated cultural script. One that, frankly, I never grew up hearing.

Because in my world, no one ever told me I should stop.

Not my parents. Not my husband. Not a single person in my support system ever implied that motherhood meant abandoning the things I loved. The expectation wasn’t that I would have to erase my pre-kid self—it was that I would integrate, evolve, and adapt.

They trusted me to re-align my life on my own terms. They knew that I would shift gears where necessary, not out of obligation, but out of the kind of instinct that only mothers understand: the instinct to build a world where both I and my children can thrive.

And here’s a truth bomb you won’t believe: No one in my family ever bugged me about having kids in the first place! My mom, mother-in-law and literally everyone in my immediate family checked and double checked on my decision when I had two babies back to back in two years.

Motherhood on My Own Terms

Let’s address another myth: the pressure to have kids immediately after marriage.

For a lot of women, the moment they get married, the countdown begins. “When are you having kids?” “Why are you waiting?” “Clock’s ticking!”

Not me. No one in my life asked me to get pregnant right after marriage.

Not my mother. Not my mother-in-law. And definitely not Tanuj 🙂

No hints. No nudges. No unsolicited advice on “timing it right.”

And when I had my first child? No one even remotely nudged me about having a second.

Apparently, everyone except me had an opinion about my second-born’s arrival.

Everyone around me – including the father of these kids – worried:

• “How will you manage two kids so young?”
• “Won’t it be overwhelming?”
• “Shouldn’t you wait longer?”

But I knew what I wanted. I was stubborn and I held my ground. I always believed in being a young mother. I didn’t want to have a second child with a large age gap. It wasn’t a decision driven by societal expectations—it was gut instinct. And I couldn’t be happier that I listened to it.

It’s been 4 years now and I have raised them both into such kind, intelligent and healthy toddlers. I followed my deep gut instinct to have a large family, and came out with flying colors.

Was it hard? Of course. But I thrived. I didn’t just survive the newborn chaos—I built, I created, I grew: more than I did all of my life before motherhood.

Having Kids Is a Power Move

Here’s where I’m going to say something that will probably get me side-eyed:

Having kids is a power move.

We live in a world that tells women that children are a liability to their careers, their ambitions, their independence. That kids hold you back instead of propelling you forward.

But what if the opposite is true?

What if motherhood is not a limitation, but an accelerant?

Motherhood forces me to prioritize with ruthless efficiency. I now don’t have time for distractions. I learnt to move faster, think sharper, and execute better.

Motherhood built an emotional intelligence in me that one simply can’t fake. I now understand people, patience, and resilience in ways that gives me an edge in leadership, creativity, business, and life.

Motherhood turned me into a strategic thinker. Every day is a lesson in crisis management, negotiation, and creative problem-solving.

If anything, having kids didn’t slow me down—it sharpened me. It gave me a perspective most people will never have. It turned me into someone who can build under pressure, pivot on the spot, and adapt to chaos—skills that will now serve me in every aspect of life.

So no, having kids wasn’t a career-ending decision. It was a power move.

One I would make again, every single time.

Creativity Doesn’t Die—It Evolves

Motherhood isn’t the end of creativity. It’s a new chapter of it. And if we stop feeding into the myth that women have to choose, maybe more mothers will realize:

Parenthood didn’t slow me down, like I said, it leveled me up. It taught me how to operate under pressure, build systems that actually work, and eliminate distractions like a pro. Turns out, those same principles are the backbone of building an unshakable personal brand online.

If you’re tired of generic advice and want real, no-BS strategies to:
–> Grow through parenthood instead of feeling stuck
–> Build a digital brand that actually gets noticed
–> Create content that turns heads, builds trust, and opens doors

Then hit subscribe. It’s free, and every post lands straight in your inbox—no fluff, just high-impact insights on mastering both worlds: parenting and personal branding.

So, What’s the Play Here?

If you’re a writer, creator, entrepreneur, or just someone trying to do more with less—here’s what I need you to take away:

Stop waiting for the “right time.” Start now, even if it’s messy.

Ditch the busywork. Focus on the high-impact actions that actually move the needle.

Sleep. No, really. Sleep. Science backs this up—rest is productivity’s best-kept secret.

Build your personal brand. Visibility = Opportunity. And guess what? Opportunity changes everything.

You don’t need more hours. You need clarity, systems, and boundaries. That’s where the magic happens.

Now go do the damn thing.