Another month down — and if July taught me anything, it’s that progress doesn’t always look the way you expect.

As a single parent trying to build multiple income streams, July 2025 felt like it flew by! The older I get, the quicker time feels like it’s moving. In many ways, the month was all about getting back on track and creating a consistent summer routine. All of this ties back to my bigger goal of creating financial stability and flexibility as a single parent that I discussed in my first blog post, Breaking Free: Starting My Journey to Financial Independence as a Single Parent and How You Can Too.

I always go into the month motivated and will sometimes overestimate what I can accomplish in a month, week, or day.

I had a lot of wins! I also had many moments where I lacked energy or time. And that’s okay. I’m not a machine, and the journey isn’t going to be perfect. It’s all about forward progress.

If you’re a single parent trying to juggle goals or just doing your best to stay focused during a busy season, you’re in the right place.

Here’s what I’m going to cover in this post:

• July Recap: What Worked, What Didn’t
• Lessons Learned from July
• August Goals for Working Moms: How I’m Adjusting for Back-to-School

July Recap: What Worked and What Didn’t

In my post, Shifting Gears: Career Changes, Gig Work, and Real Estate Dreams – Single Parent Life, I broke out my 2025 Q3 targets. Here’s how it went.

W-2 Job Search: Where I’m At

My July targets for my W-2 job search were:

• Refine Resume
• Apply for 2-3 jobs a week

Here’s how July went with my W-2 job search as a single parent.

Refine Resume

I have been waiting for a friend to review my resume since the beginning of June, but she has been busy, and I’m hesitant to keep bugging her. So, I had to refine my resume on my own and move forward.

Job Alerts and Application Process

It seemed straightforward enough: review job boards, find potential jobs, and apply. However, as with so many other things in life, it’s never that simple!

What went well:

• I set up job alerts on LinkedIn, Google, and Indeed. I received a lot of job notifications directly to my email, which helped filter out a lot of fluff in the job listings.
• I turned on the “open to work” setting privately on LinkedIn, so that I would be searchable by recruiters, but the public wouldn’t see it.

What didn’t go well:

• There weren’t many job postings that fit what I was looking for.
• I used LinkedIn Premium (free trial) for the first 30 days, but didn’t feel like it added much value in the job search. It didn’t help narrow down the job listing, and I found the AI assistant unhelpful. It was nice to see who viewed my profile, but I didn’t see any value in helping with my job search. I ended up not renewing it.
• Although my job search alerts had specific keywords, I still received a lot of job listings that didn’t fit my qualifications.

Here was my process:

• Review job listings as they hit my email. This could be quick, maybe 1-2 minutes. I would then save any job postings that I wanted to look into in more detail.
• In the early morning or evenings, I spend about 20-30 minutes reviewing the saved job postings and searching the job boards.
• If interested, I would apply for the position.

Overall, I was able to review job listings as they hit my email. I spent about 20-30 minutes each evening looking deeper into the job listings. The result: I applied for ONE job. For that one application, I received a rejection email the very next day. This can be frustrating, and I always wonder if a person looked at my application or if AI filtered me out.

I’ve been receiving a lot of direct messages (DMs) on LinkedIn for various roles. Most didn’t fit my expertise and were outside the scope of my qualifications.

A Potential Breakthrough

Then, I received a DM from an external recruiter about a specific role. This role wasn’t posted on the job boards. It caught my interest: it is in my wheelhouse, in my industry, and it is a remote position. So I responded quickly, sent her my resume, and scheduled a time to meet with her.

I met with the recruiter in the last week of July. I was super nervous. I haven’t interviewed for a position in almost 10 years! I am so out of practice, even though I tried to prep. I think I fumbled a few responses, and I certainly need to work on my elevator pitch and better sell my qualifications… However, I am moving on to the next step in the process, where I must complete a questionnaire in response to job requirements. I’m very happy I turned on the “open to work” option on LinkedIn, which opened this opportunity for me.

All in all, not as much movement or progress as I had hoped for. But that’s the reality sometimes when you’re a single parent, job searching for a flexible, remote position. Still, there is a spark, and at least a little forward progress with this potential role. More to come on that as I work through the process.

Are you also updating your resume or exploring new roles? I’d love to hear how your job search is going. Drop a comment below!

Blog Growth: Small Wins & What I’m Changing

From my previous post, Shifting Gears: Career Changes, Gig Work, and Real Estate Dreams – Single Parent Life, I explained how I got off the blogging habit. I had a significant gap in posting in May and June 2025.

My July target was to resume weekly posts on this blog. The first 2-3 weeks were challenging, trying to carve out the time, but I managed to post three new blog posts!

My Weekly Blogging Schedule (Built for a Busy Mom Life)

I am trying a new “blog routine” to stay consistent. Previously, I was following guides based on what worked for others. The changes to the summer routine and being a single working mom, I had to modify my process a bit.

I was working with the time I had available and in a step-by-step process that worked for me. Here’s what I’m trying right now:

• Monday: Draft
• Tuesday: Get to a 50% draft
• Wednesday: Finalize draft
• Thursday: Editorial review and finalize
• Friday: Final review and schedule the post for publishing

My natural energy is higher earlier in the week, and my motivation starts to falter by Friday. This gives me some buffer to continue working on the blog on the weekend if something unexpected comes up. I plan to refine this process as needed to make it fit my schedule.

If you’re juggling parent life and passion projects too, here’s what’s working for me. I fit it in either early in the morning before the kids get up or after the kids go to sleep. I try to fit in 30-60 minutes for each session. Fridays are the lightest days since I’m just doing a final look and scheduling the post.

Do you blog or create content with a full schedule? I’d love to hear what works for you. Drop a comment or sign up to follow along.

Gig Work: Fiverr and Upwork

My July targets were:

• Complete profiles on both Fiverr and UpWork
• Begin pitching on gigs (on Upwork)

I feel like a broken record… but I have made zero progress on this goal. As a single parent juggling a W2 job, health, and a blog, freelancing just fell to the bottom of the list. I know I need to get over this non-action. In August, I’m adjusting my approach to get this moving.

Although I didn’t make progress on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, I know getting started on freelancing sites for beginners is key to diversifying my income as a single parent. It’s frustrating, but I’m realizing that unless I carve out a specific time block for this, it won’t happen.

Real Estate Update: Where Things Stand

My July goals around real estate were:

• Saving for a down payment
• Monitor the market
• Build out pipeline tracker (something to track target properties, market trends, and key contacts) in Smartsheet

This is another item that fell to the bottom of the list. I haven’t been following my target market closely. I also had an unexpected cost, which required borrowing from my down payment sinking fund. That was disappointing, but necessary. It felt like a step backward, but it reminded me that financial flexibility is part of this journey.

I may need to rethink the strategy around finding ways to fund the down payment.

I may need to put this goal on hold for the rest of Q3 while I focus on the other goals. This goal is more of a long-term strategy, which I can put off for a little while. I can’t do much until I have the down payment.

There’s also a lot of uncertainty in the housing market right now that gives me a bit of pause with the current state of the economy. I still intend to move forward, possibly after I get the other items up to par.

Even though I paused my real estate plans this quarter, I’m still keeping my eye on the market and refining my Smartsheet real estate tracker so I’m ready when the time is right.

I’m learning that sometimes strategic pauses are part of the plan, not a detour.

Lessons Learned from July

July was busy, and it also felt like it went by quickly. What I learned from the month:

• I tend to over-commit
• I don’t always take my energy levels into consideration
• I try to tackle more in a day than I have time or energy for

Life as a single parent can be challenging. In my specific situation, I do not have any assistance with my kids. Energy levels and open time sometimes don’t line up. That’s just how solo parenting works sometimes. Single-parent burnout is a real thing.

Time Management for Single Parents

I spent a lot of July listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and YouTube videos on organization, productivity, and time management. The truth is, though, I’m organized and I’m productive. I’m always looking for a new way to squeeze in more. But I’m realizing that I am focusing on the wrong things and prioritizing in the wrong order.

Realistic Goal Setting When You’re Doing It All

Yes, I want to get it ALL done. Pausing time sounds amazing, but I’m learning to stop expecting superhuman results from myself. In real life, we all have 24 hours in the day. Sometimes you’re going to have a lot of energy and crush your goal targets. Other times, you’re going to feel sluggish and struggle with motivation.

I don’t have a solution to any of this. Lately, I’ve been logging my goals in my planner and focusing on weekly wins and gratitude. I’m hoping to gain some insight into what my weekly accomplishments will tell me. I am going to adjust, but it may be slow going. I am super ambitious at times, and it’s hard for me to admit that I am overcommitting because it doesn’t feel like overcoming 😊

For example, I thought I’d apply for gigs on UpWork. I expected to set up my profile and start pitching right away. That didn’t happen. I also thought I would apply for 2-3 W2 jobs per week! That also didn’t happen.

Lots of observations this month and more to learn as we head into August. If you’re a fellow solo parent juggling work, life, and big goals, what’s helping you stay grounded right now?

August Goals for Working Moms: How I’m Adjusting for Back-to-School

With school starting back up, I’m revising my August goals to be more realistic and focused.

Goal Category	Previous Target	New Target
W-2 job search	Apply for 2-3 jobs a week Hopefully, get a few interviews	Review job postings daily (LinkedIn, Google, and Indeed) Apply for positions that are a good fit
Blog	Deep dive into Pinterest marketing	Publish four blog posts Set up a Pinterest business account Create a MailChimp newsletter Purchase Pinterest Pin templates If time allows, test creating Pinterest pins in Canva
Gig Work: Fiverr	Aim for 1-2 gigs	Set-up Profile
Gig Work: Upwork	Pitch on 1-2 gigs a week	Set-up Profile
Real Estate	Continue saving Meet with a local realtor Monitor the market	On hold

 

I’m permitting myself to scale back so I can follow through on what matters most this month. This month, I am focusing primarily on the blog and setting up my gig profiles, which I have been procrastinating on!

These small shifts keep me moving toward financial freedom, even when life gets busy.

Let’s Talk Goals – What’s Working for You?

• How did your July goals go? Any unexpected wins or challenges that surprised you?
• As we roll into August, are you shifting focus or sticking with your original plan?

I’d love to hear what’s working for you right now, even if it’s just one small step you’re taking to move forward. Please drop a comment and let’s encourage each other through it. Solo parenting comes with its rhythm, but we don’t have to figure it all out alone.