The Split-Screen Life: When Your Mind Lives in Too Many Places at Once

Hi! I’m Lauren; CEO of Fox &Fable Photography and terrible multi-tasker. Welcome to my blog!

Saturday morning. Your 11-month-old is crawling around the living room, babbling at their toys while you edit photos on your laptop, mentally calculating how many sessions you need to book next month, wondering if that load of laundry will ever make it to the dresser, and feeling the familiar tug of being everywhere and nowhere all at once.

The Privilege and the Pressure

As a photographer and primary parent, I know I'm living a dream many people long for— The freedom to create my own schedule, to be present for the small moments, to build something meaningful while raising a human—it's a privilege I don't take lightly. No alarm clocks dictating my morning, no office politics, no missing bedtime stories because of someone else's deadlines.

But here's what they don't tell you about this beautiful, messy arrangement: your mind becomes a browser with thirty-seven tabs open, and the CPU is constantly overheating.

When 100% Feels Impossible

There's this moment that happens—maybe you know it. You're reviewing client galleries while your child asks for the fifteenth snack of the day, and suddenly you realize your business has consumed your entire headspace. The house feels chaotic, you can't remember the last time you had a real conversation with your child that wasn't interrupted by a notification, and you're wondering how other people seem to have it all figured out.

Or maybe it's the opposite day—you're fully present, playing on the floor, reading stories, being the parent you want to be, but in the back of your mind, emails are piling up, potential clients are probably booking with someone else, and your business feels like a plant you forgot to water.

The truth is, nothing gets 100% of you anymore. And that's not failure—that's mathematics. When your life is a pie chart with thirty different slices, each piece gets smaller, not because you care less, but because there's simply more to care about.

The Mental Load of Multiple Worlds

Being a work-from-home parent means you're simultaneously the CEO, the primary caregiver, the household manager, the creative visionary, and the person trying to maintain some semblance of sanity. Your brain doesn't get to clock out from one role to focus on another—they all exist in the same space, competing for the same mental resources.

While your child naps, you're editing photos but also mentally noting that you need to schedule their dental appointment and wondering if you should meal prep for the week. While you're on a client call, you're also monitoring the sound levels in the background and praying your toddler doesn't choose this moment to have a meltdown about the wrong color cup.

This isn't scattered thinking—this is the reality of a life where boundaries don't exist because all your worlds live in the same four walls.

The Guilt That Lives in the In-Between

The hardest part isn't the juggling—it's the voice that whispers you're not doing enough in any area. When your business consumes your thoughts, guilt says you're not being present enough as a parent. When you focus fully on your child, guilt says you're not taking your business seriously enough. When you try to tend to both, guilt says you're half-assing everything.

But what if we reframed this internal split-screen as something else entirely?

Finding Grace in the Fragmented

Maybe the answer isn't achieving perfect balance—maybe it's accepting that this season of life is inherently fragmented, and finding ways to be gentle with yourself within that reality.

Some days, your business will need 80% of your mental energy, and your child will get the remaining 20%—but that 20% might be the most intentional, present 20% you've ever given. Other days, you'll be fully absorbed in peek-a-boo games and tummy time, and your business will run on autopilot—and that's okay too.

The goal isn't to split yourself evenly; it's to show up authentically to whatever requires your attention in each moment, without apologizing for what's getting less of you today.

Building Boundaries That Actually Work

This ongoing battle has led me to some practical strategies that feel sustainable rather than overwhelming:

Asking for help twice a week. I've started reaching out to family for three hours, twice a week. Those six hours have become sacred business time—uninterrupted editing, client calls, administrative tasks that require real focus. It felt vulnerable at first to admit I needed this help, but it's been game-changing for both my sanity and my work quality.

Maximizing naptime micro-sessions. Instead of trying to tackle big projects during naps, I focus on small, completable tasks. Responding to three emails. Editing one gallery section. Updating one social media post. These micro-accomplishments add up without the pressure of needing a full work session.

The 6 PM shutdown ritual. This has been the hardest but most important boundary. At 6 PM, the laptop closes. The phone goes to silent. The business thoughts get gently redirected. This is when I become fully present as a partner—not someone who's half-listening while mentally editing photos. My relationship deserves this focused attention, and honestly, so do I.

These aren't perfect solutions, and some days they fall apart completely. But they're creating a framework that feels more intentional than the chaos of trying to do everything simultaneously.

Practice the art of full presence, even if it's brief. Instead of giving partial attention to multiple things simultaneously, try giving complete attention to one thing for shorter periods. Twenty minutes of undivided focus on your child—really watching them explore, narrating their discoveries, being present for those precious babbles—can be more nourishing than two hours of distracted presence.

Remember that your child is learning something beautiful. They're watching you create, problem-solve, and pursue something you're passionate about—even at 11 months old, they're absorbing the rhythm of a home where creativity and love coexist. They're seeing that adults can build meaningful work around the things they love. This is not a small gift to give them.

Todays Invitation

Today, maybe the most soulful thing you can do is acknowledge that your mind lives in multiple worlds—and that's not a failing, it's a feature of this complex, beautiful life you've created.

Your baby doesn't need a perfect parent; they need a real one. Your business doesn't need a perfect entrepreneur; it needs an authentic one. Your partner doesn't need someone who has it all figured out; they need someone who's committed to showing up intentionally. Your home doesn't need perfect management; it needs a space where love lives, even if that love sometimes looks like baby toys mixed with camera equipment and teething biscuit crumbs on your desk.

Some days, let your business consume your thoughts while your baby / child explores nearby—and don't apologize for it. Other days, close the laptop completely and get down on the floor for tummy time with your full attention. Both choices are right when made with intention rather than guilt.

The split-screen life isn't a problem to solve; it's a reality to navigate with grace, humor, and concrete strategies that honor both your creative work and your role as parent and partner. You're doing something remarkable—creating art, raising a human, nurturing a relationship, and somehow holding it all together in your own beautifully imperfect way.

If you're a parent entrepreneur reading this, struggling with your own version of the split-screen life, know that you're not alone in this beautiful, messy experiment. We're all learning to create something meaningful while raising tiny humans, and there's no perfect formula—only the daily practice of showing up with intention.

Today, which world needs more of you? And how can you show up there without guilt about the others?