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August 10, 2017 0 Comments

5 Ways to Fit Exercise Into Your Day

Fitting exercise into our already-busy lives can be quite the challenge! We want to stay fit and healthy, but work, family and friend obligations keep us pretty busy. There are only so many hours in the day, but taking the time for exercise is very important for a long, healthy life.

Read along for some best tips on fitting exercise into your busy day.

Use the morning

It’s not for everyone, but working out in the morning can be a great use of your time. Your family is likely still asleep, and you’ll be able to give dedicated time to your workout. Whether you workout or join a gym, working out in the morning is a great option. This is an especially effective option if you’re a morning person. If not, it may take a few early mornings to get into the groove – but don’t give up!

Lay out your exercise clothes the night before, lay out your water bottle, snacks, headphones, and anything else that you need to grab and go. Not having to think in the mornings makes it much easier, and seeing your items will make it more likely that you go and do your workout. The more that you complete your morning workouts, the more your body will get used to them. Don’t be surprised if you’re a little tired and slow moving at first! It just takes some time for your body to adapt to moving first thing in the morning.

Use your lunch break

You can use your lunch break (or any break during the day) to complete your workout. Go out for a walk, meet up with a friend, or hit up a group fitness class that takes place during the day. Breaking up your day with exercise can really boost your energy, mood, and fitness levels. A lot of us feel more awake midday, so it can be the perfect time to fit in some fitness.

Make it social

Exercise doesn’t need to be painful or isolating! It can be really fun to involve your family and friends and make it a social event. Exercise also doesn’t need to take place at a gym or involve a workout video. You can get in a few miles, squats, or dumbbell exercises during your kids’ games or activities!

When you’re waiting around at practices, instead of playing on your phone, do a quick workout. It will make the time pass without taking away from family and friend time outside of the practice. Fitting fitness into your life is a great way to make it a habit that sticks!

Multitask

Multitasking can be very helpful when it comes to your new exercise routine. If you find yourself ready to watch TV at the end of the day, you can combine both activities. Watch your favorite show on the treadmill, or do strength training exercises in your living room while your movie is playing. You can also listen to music during your workout. This can also be a great distraction that gets you into the workout zone, and you won’t feel that you’re missing out on anything. You get the best of both worlds – fitness and your other favorite activities.

Keep it realistic

Realize that fitness might not play a huge role in your life right now. It can be hard to workout with small children or a lot going on in your life. You might not have time for an hour, but can you spare 20 minutes? Most people have 20-30 minutes in their day to get healthy. Make it happen and stay in the groove. Once you feel better and see results, you’ll more than likely want to keep at it. Results and positive feelings are great motivators to keep going!

Utilize the tips below to keep at your exercise regimen long enough to feel great, and you’ll be well on your way to establishing a very healthy habit.

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August 10, 2017 0 Comments

4 Tips for More Effective Meetings

Whether you work from home or in a traditional office, meetings are typically a part of your working life. They often get a bad rap as being ineffective, too long, and pointless, but they don’t have to be!

As a manager or supervisor of employees, you can change the outcome and effectiveness of meetings. Read along for some best tips and advice to hold meetings that are worth the time of your employees.

Determine if it’s needed

The first step to ensuring an effective meeting is to see if you even need one! Ask yourself:

 

  • Can my questions be answered easily in an email or over the phone?

  • Is this more of a question for one person versus a whole team?

  • Are the topics needing discussed going to be of benefit for the whole team?

 

You can potentially address questions or small issues via phone, email, or with one person much more effectively, versus involving your whole team’s time. This isn’t always the case, but it’s important to only hold meetings that serve a purpose.

Create a schedule

Once you’ve established that your meeting is necessary, it’s important to create (and keep to) a proposed schedule. While things can veer off course slightly, schedules will keep you on task and on time. Start with the topics to be discussed, then allocate a realistic amount of time for each topic. Be sure to leave time for further discussion and questions at the end of the meeting.

Take notes and distribute

Delegate someone on your team to take good notes, and be sure that they’re written in a way that all can understand them. Once the meeting is done, make sure that this person sends the notes to all meeting attendees. You can also start a team Google Document that keeps the notes in an easily accessible format in one place.

Keep it short

No one likes a long meeting! We’re all busy and other tasks need to get done, but sometimes a meeting is just necessary. Whether it’s to recap client notes and activity, to address a specific question or issue, or just a time to get the team together, meetings are still important. When you put more attention into determining if your meeting is necessary, putting organization and scheduling at the forefront, and making the most of the meeting time, your employees will appreciate your efforts to conserve their time.

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August 10, 2017 0 Comments

3 Top Tips to Use Pinterest for Business

According to SocialMediaToday.com, “87% of Pinners bought something because of content on Pinterest” – which means that Pinterest is still clearly a very powerful social network. You can truly make sales from this network, and it’s important that you’re using it to your advantage in business.

Not only is Pinterest a great place to find recipes and home ideas, it’s a useful place to share your business knowledge. From images of your work to blog post graphics, it’s crucial to utilize Pinterest’s visual medium to produce content for your clients and prospects.

Work on your images

Pinterest is a visual platform, so your images are crucial! Pinterest images should be a certain size to be optimal, and that size is 735 px x 1102 px. You can use a program such as Canva.com to create graphics in this size.

In addition to the correct sizing, your images should be eye-catching and optimized. You can optimize images by naming them something relevant, versus simply leaving them as is. If you’re writing and then pinning a blog post featuring homework tips, you can name it something like: “top-homework-tips-for-kids.” It’s also important to look into keywords here, as that will make your images even more likely to be found. This allows your images to be optimized and more SEO-friendly. In addition to your image file names, you’ll want to include a detailed description of the Pin.

According to CoalMarch.com, you can use keywords to create image file names by using this formula: Industry + Service Provided + Location or Feature (not both). Use Google Trends or another keyword search to find trending topics, as well as keywords that those in your industry are seeking.

Lastly, you can use free graphics programs to create a custom image. Find a stock image of your blog theme, add some text, and make it look nice! Attractive images are more likely to be pinned.

Get social

Pinterest is place where you can share, but it’s also a place to be interactive. Follow relevant Pinners, Pin others’ content your boards, and generally stay active.

The more you add content, pin others’ content, and continue to follow new users, the more your page will be viewed, and the more your Pins will be saved. Try following other Pinners every day, and see how many you get in return. If you’re putting in the effort to follow others, it will likely come back to you.

Be consistent

Consistency is very important in using Pinterest for business! Whenever you write a blog post, piece of content, or produce a product/service with quality photos – Pin them. Get into the habit of sharing your content on this platform, as it’s very visual, and visual networks are encouraging for buyers.

By spending some time optimizing your images, creating stunning graphics, naming your files, being social, and posting consistently, you can see the outstanding sales and business results of Pinterest.

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July 24, 2017 0 Comments

5 Top Tips for Work From Home Success

Working from home is often the goal of many moms.  It affords flexibility, more time with family, and a comfortable work environment.  While it’s a goal that can lead to a big increase in the quality of your life, it also comes with challenges.

Between distractions and the lack of traditional work environment, it can take a while to find your footing in the home based working world.  Read along for some best practices for a smooth work from home life.

Separate your spaces

While it might be comfortable to work on the couch for a while, it can lead to posture issues and a lack of focus.  It’s better to establish an office or a separate space in your home specifically reserved for work.  If you don’t have the extra space to make a bedroom into an office, you can set up a space at the dinner table, or place a small desk in another room.

It’s best to eliminate as many distractions as possible, while keeping the environment as “businesslike” as possible while being from home.

Get out of the house

Some people find home based work too isolating and mundane.  If you start to feel this wya, it’s best to get out of the house as much as possible.  You can even work from a coffee shop, park or office space daily.  Even if you obtain a “work from home” job position, you might still look into something more social like a coworking space.

Coworking spaces combine people from a variety of industries and businesses into one location.  This provides the social, office environment while allowing you to keep a flexible schedule and unique working arrangement.

Treat it like work

Working from home is still work! It can be easy to see it as a way to work less and spend time all day with family or friends, but unfortunately, work still needs to get done.  Use the first few weeks to find a good balancing act between the two, and then be sure that you’re working when you should be.

Of course, the benefit of home based work is flexibility, so there will be times when you can use evening or early morning hours to work.  Going outside of the schedule is more than permitted, but a routine work schedule (most days) makes for more effective, productive work.

Unplug

While you should treat your home based career like work, it’s also important to unplug! As home based workers, it can be tough to turn it off.  Your computer is essentially your workspace, but it needs to be turned off once in awhile.

This is why it can be helpful to establish specific work times, so it’s not too tempting to work well into the evening.  Use your off time for friends, family, and personal time, and work on a schedule that works best for you.  Avoid the trap of working around the clock – it can cause unnecessary burnout, stress, and fatigue.

Set your boundaries

Boundaries are important when you work from home.  Since you typically become the point of contact, person who’s there for appointments in the home, caregiver, and so on, it’s important to maximize your schedule and set boundaries so you can still get work done.

Working from home requires some forethought and effort between you, your employer, and your family, but it can be done.  It’s a wonderful working arrangement that affords more flexibility and less missed good times, but ensure that you’re being smart about it and setting boundaries that keep you healthy, happy and productive.

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May 30, 2017 0 Comments

5 Ways to Get Your Employer to Let You Work From Home

While there are plenty of work from home jobs out there, sometimes it takes a less traditional route to get there.  If you’re currently in an office setting, but would like to make the case for working from home with your employer, read along.

We’ve compiled some best tips to work with your boss on a home based arrangement.  While it’s becoming more and more common, there are still traditional bosses who see the office as the only way.  Fortunately, we know that working from home offers flexibility, increased productivity, and other benefits that may sway their decision.

Present the benefits

This is the time to make your case! It’s proven that working from home increases productivity by a large margin.  According to remote.co, “two-thirds of managers say employees who work remotely increase their overall productivity.”

According to Forbes.com, productivity increases can be attributed to more well-timed distractions, the environment of working at home, and optimized communication, to name a few.  One might initially think that productivity would decrease, but it’s exactly the opposite.  Additionally, sick days are reduced – yours and your kids’.  You might still be able to work from home while ill, and also care for a sick kid without taking hours away from the office.  There are a host of work from home benefits that directly benefit your employer!

Give a demonstration

If you can get your boss partially on board, now is the time for a demonstration. Ask if you can set up a trial for 2-3 days per week for a couple weeks.  This is the time to be productive, show that you’re still available for communication, and generally show why you should be allowed to work from home.

Show the costs

Since saving money is a large benefit with remote workers, you can also give statistics on monetary savings from an employer’s perspective.  From commuting, to office space, to computers and office supplies, a lot of money can be saved by remote workers.

Additionally, there are fewer travel costs, far less sick days, and higher retention rates, due to higher job satisfaction reported in remote workers, according to Entrepreneur.com.

Show your productivity

Show what you can do! While it’s important not to go all out and exaggerate the amount of work you can get done from home, really focus your efforts during your trial period.

It’s important to show that while you’re not in a traditional office setting, you can still get your work done – and then some!

Negotiate

If your work from home experiment goes well, do your best to negotiate something that makes everyone feel comfortable.  Since your boss may be more traditional, a full-time home based arrangement may not be best in this case.  Working from home doesn’t need to be all the time, but perhaps begin with 1-2 days at home per week.

If this arrangement continues to go well, and your employer is seeing your productivity and the benefits, you may be able to arrange it into a full-time position.

If your goal is working from home, it’s worth the effort to have an honest discussion with your employer.  It might not fly for everyone, but it’s worth the conversation.  Working from home saves money, boosts productivity, and allows for better work-life balance and happiness!

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May 22, 2017 0 Comments

4 Ways to Prepare for Summer Break

As the school year winds down, we’re all starting to prepare for one of the best times of the year – summer break!

While this is a great opportunity to spend more time with family, it also takes a bit more juggling.  As work from home moms, we have the flexibility to adjust our schedules and truly make the most of this time of year.

Childcare

Since the kids are home now, it’s important that you have readily available childcare.  Look into options now – whether it’s family, friends, or outside help.  Make sure you discuss scheduling and see where you might need some time for yourself.  Depending on the ages and schedules of your kids, you might need more or less help, but it’s always a positive to have people you can call on.

It can also be helpful to look into activities and set up carpool to help during these times as well.  Look into fun things for your kids and see if some of the other parents can alternate driving obligations.  This gives you more time to get things done and manage your workload!

If you need to take a conference call during the day, or you need a few days to get a big project done, you’ll be glad you’ve pre-established some options for your kids.

Review your workload

Some businesses are less busy in the summer, and you may be prioritizing differently and rearranging your workload.

This is a great time of year to review everything on your plate for the next few months.  Does it look the same as always, or are there gaps?  Do you want to fill this time or allow for more space with family?  Sometimes taking on more hours is a good thing if work is sparse, and this is common in the summer months.

This analytical process will help you to better manage your work schedule in the summer, as well as the schedule of your family.

Summer schedule

Once you’ve taken a look at your summer work obligations, delegate some time off in the afternoons for your kids.  This doesn’t necessarily have to be the afternoon, but any time that works best in your schedules.

It’s a unique time of year when your school-aged kids are home, so it’s nice to take advantage of this when you get the chance.  It’s also a great time to rearrange your schedule a bit, so that you have that free time each day, or a few days per week.

Plan some fun

Summer is full of fun! Spend an afternoon by the pool, go for hikes, and generally enjoy the summer months.  It’s also perfect to plan a vacation or staycation, and enjoy more time with friends and family.

You don’t have to leave your area to have fun either! Schedule work meetings outdoors, or in coffee shops with outdoor seating to enjoy the weather.

Summer is a fleeting time of year and one that brings a lot more fun – and juggling.  Review your schedule, make time for family where you have it, and enjoy their time off!

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May 15, 2017 0 Comments

4 Types of Content to Post on Social Media

We all know how important it is to have an online presence – especially on social media.  It’s a place where we can share information, tell others about our businesses, and hopefully make some sales.

Unfortunately, a lot of business owners utilize their pages incorrectly, and don’t post content that intrigues the reader to build a relationship.  Today, we’re sharing tips to build your page, keep consistently posting content, and eventually – make that sale!

Value

When readers come to your page, they’re likely somewhat interested in you and/or your product or service.  They want to know that you’re an expert, and that you know what you’re talking about.  Make this easy for them!

Use your page to post thought-provoking, valuable content that answers their most burning questions.  You can post your own blogs, syndicate articles and blogs from outside sources, and do tips, advice, and Q&A posts that will share your knowledge with your readers.  While it may seem counterintuitive to give away your knowledge for free, it gives your readers some trust in you, making it easier to hire you someday.

About You

Whether it’s a behind the scenes post, news about your business, or information on your latest hire, readers like to get an inside glimpse into your business.  Social media can be fairly casual, so it’s the perfect place to go live with tips, share something personal (but relevant), and communicate with customers.

Share some personal things about yourself and your business – it doesn’t always have to be so formal!

Inspirational

We’ve all seen the inspirational quotes and graphics going around social media.  They might seem simplistic, but they’re easily shareable and provide your readers with a “feel good” message.  As we mentioned before, not all content has to be so heavy and information-filled.  It’s fun to mix in positive messages, tips on a graphic, or other fun content that will be easily shared.

When your graphics are shared, it’s more likely that more people will like your page, growing your following.  Be sure to include your website and business name on each graphic, and work to create your own content versus taking from others.  It’s fine to share directly from another page (with proper attribution, of course!), but creating your own graphics is much more powerful.

Sales

Last but not least, we come to sales.  This is because very little about your social media profiles should include sales information!  Once you’ve given lots of good content, it’s fine to ask for the sale.  You can run an interesting promo, offer a discount code to social media followers only, or something else that involves a direct ask to your products or services.

Again, this should be a small, small part of your strategy! Don’t drive away sales by constantly asking for them.  It’s important to strike a balance between value, solid information, fun information about your company, and finally – the sale.

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May 8, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Hiring for the First Time

Hiring can often come with a lot of pressure – managing the job posting, interviewing, and hiring the right person can be a daunting experience.

Although many managers and employers are pros at this, what if you’re hiring for the first time?  Read along for some best practices in hiring as a novice.  With the right preparation and mindset, you can be sure that you’re on your way to hiring successful candidates. If you prefer to have someone do this for you, check out HireMyMom’s Concierge Service.

Create the right post

Creating the right job posting is key in attracting the right candidates and fully understanding what you’re seeking.  It’s important to be thorough when creating the position, including necessary skill set, education, experience level, pay, and more.  If you forget key components or realize too late that you are seeking a certain type of person, you may have to go through several rounds of the hiring process.

Save yourself some time, effort, and expense by nailing the job description from the beginning.  This also includes using the right posting sites that avoid spam.  More reputable sites help to weed out spam hirees, as well as have your post seen by serious applicants.

Be prepared

When it comes time for the interviews, be sure that you’re prepared.  This will also reduce time spent on interviews that weren’t properly organized and stalled the hiring process.  Begin by asking the right questions, which would feature a good mix of past experience, knowledge of the job position and company, and personality fit questions.

Be prepared for conversations and negotiations around pay as well, and know which response is appropriate for your company.

Make sure you’re thorough

By being prepared and organized, you’ll be well on your way to being thorough in the hiring process.  It might be helpful to start by coming up with your own screening process, and create a checklist around this.

To begin, ensure that each applicant has contributed every material that was asked for.  If they have, look at every aspect of their cover letter and resume for keywords and matching qualities and experience that fit the job position.  You might have a kind of criteria that must be met, which allows you to adhere to your posting and make smart hiring decisions.

Be a great listener

It takes more than a checklist to make smart hiring decisions – you also have to be sure that you’re hearing everything accurately.  Listen to what each applicant says – or doesn’t say.

Do they know about your company and enough about the position?  Are they a great person but not a fit?  Listen closely to ensure that you’re truly hearing what the prospect is saying correctly.  It can be easy to jive with a personality, when the skills or lacking.  On the other side, someone might be great on paper but not a personality fit to your brand.  Listen closely to what is being said!

Set expectations

Unmet expectations can be the cause of many problems, especially in hiring.  It’s best to let your potential hire what’s going on from the very beginning.  Is there a trial period for this position?  How are tasks evaluated?  Does this position require tracking time? Do you report daily?

Make sure job and communication expectations are set up early to avoid any issues. Also, be sure to let your new hire in on time frames and deadlines for starting up, since that’s typically the most frantic part of any new job.

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May 1, 2017 0 Comments

HireMyMom Success Story: Anza Goodbar

What’s your success story with HireMyMom?

Hire My Mom has been a wonderful tool for me to find clients over the years.  I have been an active member off and for more than 6 years.  Every client I have found on this site has been wonderful to work with and flexible with my schedule. Whenever my business is in a lull, HireMyMom is the first place I go to find new clients.

What’s your educational and experiential background?

I have a degree in communications.  I have been a business owner since 2004.  I have owned a mortgage company, a video rental company, a wholesale distribution company, a branding and packaging company as well as my online business services company.  I have recently started a coaching certification program to enable me to grow my virtual company by including business coaching, masterminds and webinars to teach entrepreneurs business basics.  I work primarily with coaches who want to grow their businesses. I also enjoy writing articles and blogs.

What is your top tip for landing a gig on HireMyMom?

Take your time to answer the questions the potential employer is looking for.  Also add a cover letter and follow their instructions for applying. Many small business owners will use a sequence of directions to see who can pay attention to detail and follow directions, if you don’t follow their directions you’ll be disregarded before you even have the chance to sell yourself.

What’s your favorite thing about HireMyMom?

The ease of use on their website.

What’s one fun fact about you?

I’m a competitive ballroom dancer.

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April 24, 2017 0 Comments

5 Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

We all hear about the elusive “work-life balance” concept.  It’s the place where our careers and personal lives become balanced.  We don’t feel overworked, we have enough time for friends and family, and so on.  While this is a great concept in theory, and one we should strive for, it can be quite difficult to make it happen.

Since reducing stress and making more time for those things that are important to you is truly crucial, read along for some of our best tips in increasing your work-life balance, and hopefully, your quality of life.

Declare your priorities

When you figure out what’s most important in your life, it becomes easier to figure out where to place your time.  If you’re working very hard to advance your career, perhaps that’s your priority for the next six months.  On the other hand, if you’ve been pulling 60 hour weeks and your priority is family time, you may have to re-evaluate a bit.  Everyone will have different priorities, and they will often change depending on the season of your life.

To start to create that feeling of satisfaction and balance in your life, start by examining priorities and place more of your time there.

Take time for yourself

It’s important to unplug when you aren’t in “work” mode! And it should be noted that work mode should not be 24/7.  This can be difficult as work from home moms, but it’s a necessity in gaining balance.

Take time for yourself: schedule something exciting, keep weekends for friends, family, errands, and fun, and generally create space for the good things in life.  Yes, work is important and a huge part of our lives, but if that’s all you do, you’ll quickly feel out of balance.  Don’t feel guilty about making yourself a priority; you’ll be a better mom, friend, and employee for it!

Manage your time

Are you spending more time than you thought on work tasks?  Keep track of your time for a while – both business and personal.  Once you see some patterns forming, create a solid schedule.  This will allow you to keep things in order and allow you to see where your free time is.  WHen you know where you’re spending too much (or not enough) time, you can readjust.

A lot of the work of establishing a solid work-life balance is in seeing where your time is going.  If you don’t keep track for a while, how will you know?  Put in some of the effort in the beginning and you can truly see where your time is being spent.

Make time for fun

For most people, a large part of work-life balance will include relaxation, family and friends.  You still have to have fun, even if your current priority is work or career advancement. It’s crucial to stay social, especially if you work from home.  Keep those social appointments and work them into your busy schedule whenever possible!

Take breaks

It’s important to stick to your guns regarding vacations, time off, and breaks.   Vacations and breaks don’t need to be elaborate, but there needs to be a definitive break from work on a consistent basis.

In our current culture, it’s easy to put these things off because so much needs to be done.  Fortunately, these things will still be there when you return! This isn’t to say that a great work ethic isn’t a wonderful thing, but too much of anything isn’t useful.

Work towards a balanced sense of work and life by following the tips above.  When you see where your time is going, focus on your priorities, and stay committed to what’s best for you, you’ll find these things are much more balanced in your life.

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