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October 25, 2021

Four Powerful Habits to Boost Productivity and Get More Done Each Day

As moms, we understand the power of habits. We develop habits to help our families keep moving. We encourage our children to develop good habits as they grow. The habits we depend on make it possible for us to keep many balls in the air while guiding our children to adulthood with support and direction. 

When you work from home, habits can serve the same purpose in your professional life. Key productivity habits can help make your days easier.

Over the years, the HireMyMom team has observed the habits of highly productive and organized work-from-home moms. Here, we share their habits with you.

 

Set Goals Early and Often

In Stephen Covey’s famous and bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he advises “to begin with the end in mind.” In our experience, starting with that view when approaching your work from a home office can help move the needle on productivity. Having a clear destination helps to keep you on track. Knowing your goals enables you to make decisions that support your overall objectives.

We tend to think of goal setting as an annual affair. While it’s true that a yearly cycle can help you develop longer-term goals, one habit we often see in successful work-at-home moms is that they set goals regularly and often in multiple time increments.

For example, if you have a big project due in 30 days, finishing it could be a goal for the month. Breaking the project down into smaller weekly and daily tasks provides shorter-term goals that can make your work more productive and help guide your decisions around the actions that will help you realize your goals. 

For best results, write your goals down. Research shows you are 42% more likely to achieve goals if you write them down.

 

Make a List

There’s nothing better than creating a to-do list and then crossing items off as you complete them. And, for moms who work at home, regularly creating a to-do list is an essential tool and an important habit.

There are many ways to make a list–you can use pen and paper, dash off an online list, or use a phone-based app. The important thing here is to take all the tasks rattling around in your brain and dump them into one place that’s easy to access and quick to read.

Here’s a low-tech approach we often see used and many find effective.

  • Treat yourself to a fun or pretty notebook and designate it for keeping all your lists and notes together.
  • Write your long-term goals on the inside cover and any pertinent information that you need regularly but don’t always remember on the back cover.
  • Draw a line down the middle of a fresh page each day. At the top, write “work” on top of the left column and “personal” on the right side. 
  • Assign tasks into each category. This method differentiates personal and professional tasks, which helps you be more efficient when you sit down to work.
  • Fill in the tasks that you aim to achieve that day, using your goals as a guide. 
  • Place the most important jobs at the top of the list or put a star next to them, so they draw your attention.
  • Enjoy crossing items off as you complete them.

 

Establish a Routine

As a mom, you know that babies and children thrive on comfortable routines. As a work-from-home mom, a routine can help you feel a greater sense of control over your life and time. Knowing what comes next and when makes much of your day easier because you don’t have to stop and think about each step. Instead, you fall into a daily rhythm that helps you thrive.

Many work-related routines fall away when you work from home–there’s no commute, you don’t have to get dressed or pack a lunch. While that has a beautiful quality, it also eliminates powerful signals to your brain that it’s time to work.

As a work-from-home mom, create new routines to set the stage for productivity. Here are some ideas to establish a routine:

  • Set specific work hours and honor them as much as you can. 
  • Batch your work by dividing your day into increments for doing certain things. For example, start each day by checking your email for 30 minutes. Then move on to a block of time dedicated to project-based tasks.
  • Use a timer to help keep you on track. For example, if you designate 30 minutes for email, use a timer to help ensure that email responses don’t eat up a block of time set for another task. As your routine falls into place, you won’t need the timer as much because you will feel the transition times as they approach–that’s part of the power of a routine.
  • Set aside break times to connect with a colleague through slack or gchat or walk around for a few minutes–just like you would in the office.

If you find Mondays particularly difficult, check out these tips to start your work week off right.

 

Develop Rituals

It’s tough to transition out of mom mode and right into professional mode without taking a few minutes to reset. 

When you work outside the home, preparing for the day and completing your commute are rituals that help you with the transition. But, when your commute is just a few steps down the hall, you lose that time and process.

Developing a few short rituals to ease the transition can make you feel fully present as you start your workday and can help increase your productivity. Here are a few suggestions to help create rituals to begin your workday:

  • Pour a cup of coffee.
  • Sip it as your walk around the block.
  • Listen to a short podcast related to your work.
  • Check your goals as you sit down at your desk to ground yourself in the day’s tasks.

At the end of each workday, rituals can help you transition back into mom mode. When you wrap up your workday, try:

  • Closing any open documents on your desktop.
  • Review your to-do list and cross out any completed tasks.
  • Make a few notes for the next day.
  • Close your eyes for two minutes and reflect on the day. Try to leave any stress behind.
  • Shut your office door, physically or metaphorically, as you leave work for the day

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October 18, 2021

Turn Your Idea Into a Supercharged Business With These Four Easy Steps

While making dinner or driving carpool, many thoughts likely go through your head. If one (or more) of them includes a new business idea, congratulations-you have the heart and mind of an entrepreneur (and a momtrepreneur)!

The business you are considering can be anything–it doesn’t have to be a wholly unique new product. Perhaps, you’d like to put your top-notch project management or administrative skills to use by launching a virtual assistant business.

Or, maybe you know you’d like to work for yourself and are thinking of launching a business that fills a need in your community–like a dog walker or child care provider. 

Whatever your interest, the next step is taking the idea and making it happen. So, how do you take the kernel of an idea or a desire to hang out your own shingle and turn it into a full-fledged business? 

While the prospect may seem overwhelming, a few initial steps can quickly put you on the road to success. The HireMyMom team talks with successful entrepreneurs looking for help every day. Here, we distill what we hear from them into four easy-to-follow initial steps to get you started with whatever business you are considering.

 

Talk About It

It’s exciting to consider launching a new business, and it’s fun to talk about your vision. So, the first step is easy–talk with trusted friends, family members and other advisors about your idea. Share the big picture you have in your head and get their reaction to it. Encourage them to ask questions and poke holes so you can refine your plan and create a clear vision of what you want to do.

We encourage you to seek out the enthusiastic and skeptical for this step. In this phase, it’s crucial to have a wide variety of input, and each perspective will help you get a better sense of how you can massage your idea for the best chance at success.

That said, establish a timeline for this phase–probably two to three weeks. That gives you time to have many conversations and chew over different ideas but still lets you move forward with the plan in a timely manner.

 

Conduct Research

Next, embark on a research project. The goal is threefold:

  • Find out what other businesses are operating in your space–this is called market research.
  • Determine where your business fits in–this is called competitive analysis.
  • Learn about any permit or licensing requirements to open and operate your business. Knowing about any required permits or licenses can help you avoid potentially costly situations down the road.

The information taken together can help you refine your business plan and position you for success.

Start with market research. Aim to learn more about other, similar businesses. Ask potential customers what they are looking for and what they value in the service. Find how much they charge and what their customers think of the service. Ask potential customers what service is missing from the current mix. Find out more about the demand for your product or service.

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a helpful guide for conducting market research before launching a business. 

Next, perform a competitive analysis to determine how your business will fill a niche. For example, you may decide to offer a twist on a product or service to make your business stand out and solve a problem you saw in the marketplace. For example, if you were thinking about a child care business, you might learn that parents are looking for evening care during your research. As a result, you may decide to offer child care after traditional business hours to cater to families who need help in the evenings or on weekends. 

Or, you might learn that the only infant night nurse within 50 miles is cutting back her workload and the need for that service exceeds what the market offers. You might then steer your business toward short-term overnight care so new moms can get some sleep. You could offer to do laundry while on duty as a way to make your business stand out.

In some cases, you may find that the area you are considering is currently underserved, and standard product offerings plus availability are enough to get your business off the ground quickly. 

For example, in your research, you may find that a shortage of qualified administrative assistants has local accounting firms struggling to return calls and schedule meetings. In that case, you might tailor your virtual assistant business, so you cater to industries with high demand.

Or, maybe you are considering a pet-based service, and you learn that there aren’t enough dog walkers in your neighborhood now that people are heading back to work. You’ve found a gap that you can easily step into to meet the need. 

Market research and competitive analysis are both necessary because they position you for success by uncovering your competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

 

Write a Plan

Next, craft a business plan and put it in writing. Your business plan doesn’t need to be MBA thesis-worthy. You can use an online template from sites like hubspot or the balance small business. 

If that’s not your style, you can write the plan out on a piece of notebook paper or pull up a document on your laptop. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers helpful tips for writing a business plan.

Generally, your business plan can be as comprehensive as you desire. But, at a minimum, it should reflect the basics elements of your idea. 

Start by documenting your vision, hashing out your overall mission and the details of the product or service you plan to provide. Peer into the future and include an aspirational statement to help you guide you along the way.

Suppose you are launching a virtual assistant business. In that case, your vision may look like this: Start a virtual assistant business that focuses on calendar management, customer callbacks and spreadsheet support for small business owners in the real estate industry. Over five years, grow business sufficiently to add three part-time employees providing similar services.

From there, your business plan should answer these questions:

  • What is the name of the business?
  • Who does this business serve? 
  • How will I find customers?
  • How will they know about my service?
  • What’s the competition?
  • What’s my competitive advantage?
  • What obstacles might I face?
  • How much does this product/service cost the customer?
  • How will I staff this business to meet the demand?
  • Do I need money to launch this? How much? How will I get it?
  • What are my promotional plans?

 

Then, set a few short and long-term objectives to help you move along. Many people find that creating specific action plans with deadlines helps them set and achieve goals. Make sure your goals are SMART, that is, specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely.

 

Make It Official!

Armed with your great idea, backed by research and fueled by the concepts documented in your business plan, it’s time to get moving. 

Complete any legal and tax forms required to launch your business. You can find guidelines for selecting a business structure and instructions for getting federal and state tax ID numbers from the Small Business Association. The NOLO website offers low-cost legal forms.

Line up support to help ensure your success. While the specific support you need will vary by business type, some likely sources of support include:

  • A banker who can help you set up a small business account and offer basic bookkeeping guidance.
  • A mentor who has small business experience and can guide you as you launch, run and grow your business. Check out the Small Business Development Center for information about programs sponsored by the federal Small Business Association. They offer specific counseling for women-owned businesses.
  • A community of like-minded business people to share in the joys and struggles.

 

Call Us

The HireMyMom team can’t wait to hear about your success! When you are ready to find a work-from-home mom to supplement your staff, or you have an opportunity to give a budding, at-home professional some work, visit HireMyMom.com to find the resource you need.

 

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October 11, 2021

How to Make Money from Home and Save on Childcare

At HireMyMom, we work with mom professionals at every stage of their motherhood journey. We have moms with newborns considering their professional options and mothers with kids entering college who love working at home and can’t imagine any other way of working. 

One of the most common questions we hear from mom professionals with young children considering working from home is: can I work at home without childcare? And, we get it! Childcare is expensive, it can be tough to arrange, and using it can be a source of stress. 

The answer is that it depends on lots of factors. Let’s dig into what’s possible, based on our experience working with thousands of mom professionals as well as employers who seek them.

A General Rule of Thumb

If you have young children who aren’t old enough to go to school, you can probably work about ten hours a week without childcare. Any more than that is difficult because your kids need your attention just like your work. 

Without childcare, squeezing in those ten hours will take creativity and discipline. Many moms who work from home with little kids rise early to knock out work before their family wakes up. Others burn the midnight oil, and some are committed to working every second of nap time. Some moms establish routines that include specific hands-off kid activities that allow them to work while the kids keep themselves busy. 

The great news is that HireMyMom offers many part-time opportunities that can work with this schedule. But, if you find that you want more hours, you can likely find a part-time childcare situation that meets your needs and your budget.

Finding Part-Time Childcare

The prospect of finding high-quality, full-time child care can be daunting. But, there are several ways to find part-time child care, perfect for work-from-home moms. Here are some ideas:

  • Ask nearby family members if they are willing to commit to helping a few hours one or two days a week. 
  • Share childcare duties with another work-from-home mom who has similar needs. Take turns on kid duty a few hours each day or every other day, giving each set of adults a chance to work kid-free and the kids a chance to play with friends.
  • See if local churches offer a mother’s day out program where you can enroll your children and establish a regular work time while the kids attend the program.
  • Consider a preschool program that your kids attend a few mornings a week. Many pre-schools offer a session that meets from 9 to noon. Usually, you can pick the number of days your child attends, choosing between two and five-day programs.
  • Enroll your kids in a sports camp that meets a few times each week and work while they attend. 
  • Look for a local high school or community college student who could provide a few hours of support each week. Community college students often have a few free hours midday between classes, which can be ideal if you are looking for mid-day care.
  • Ask a neighbor to consider swapping tasks with you–trading a few hours of child care for a service you’d be happy to provide like shopping, cooking, or organizing.

Need More Childcare?

If you need more hours of child care than these ideas provide, consider partnering with another family (or two) to hire a shared nanny. This is an excellent solution if you both need a fair amount of childcare but don’t want to use a child care center or commit to a full-time child care provider. 

There are many ways to split the nanny’s time. One option is arranging different days/hours but ensuring the nanny will have a set number of work hours each week. Or, you could arrange to have the nanny take all the kids to alternating houses throughout the week. This type of setup makes it easier to find a professional, full-time nanny without having to shoulder the expense on your own.

If you go this route, do the work upfront to make the arrangement successful. Start by agreeing on a general framework for hours and days at the outset. This type of arrangement works better when everyone is on the same page in terms of schedules. But, be prepared to be flexible, as schedules and needs can change. 

Also, talk with the other family about general expectations for kid behavior and activities while the nanny is in charge. For example, will kids watch television with the nanny? Do you expect the nanny to supervise while the kids play or actively engage them in activities? Many nannies provide light housekeeping services like dishes and laundry. So, map out expectations in those realms, too. Discussing these topics in advance can ensure a smoother partnership.

Another idea: Invest in Yourself

Many moms with young children use the time when their kids are tiny to take training classes and launch a virtual assistant (VA) business. As a VA, you take care of many tasks, including email response, appointment setting, travel planning, and calendar management. These businesses are flexible and can be scaled as your family life changes and your children grow. 

VA work is catching on quickly. You can work as a general VA who does a wide variety of tasks or become one with a specialty in a particular industry or need. It’s a great business model because it solves a problem so many people have — squeezing more tasks into a day. It’s also an excellent lifestyle for moms who want to control their own time while keeping professional ambitions alive. 

At HireMyMom, we’ve partnered with four different training programs to help our members learn more about this business opportunity and acquire the skills needed to launch a VA business.

Find support

No matter how much you love your kids or how much you love your job, it can be tough to be a working mom. Join our Community of moms working from home and share your struggles, ideas, or best tips for managing child care and connecting with other moms like you.

 

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September 27, 2021

Want to Work From Home? Answer These Six Questions First

As a busy mom, one thing you may be considering is if a work-at-home job is right for you. We suspect this is on your mind whether you work now or have been away from the workforce. As more and more companies offer work-from-home opportunities and your family life and personal goals change, it’s natural to wonder if this is an approach that could help you find the sweet spot between income, professional ambitions, and family responsibilities.

Like so many areas of motherhood, there are many important considerations as you ponder whether or not an at-home job fits your life. In our experience, concerns generally fall into three main categories–personal, family, and professional. 

At HireMyMom, our team totally understands these questions. We want to help you by creating a framework that makes it easier to answer the question of whether or not you’d like to work from home.

So, we’ve pulled together this list of questions every mom can ask herself before deciding whether an at-home job is a good fit. Think of this blog as your personal “Ask Alexa” as you wrestle with this important question. Here, we break down the questions to ask yourself as you search your heart on this important decision.

 

Personal Considerations

Let’s start with the personal part because, ultimately, this is a decision that will affect you more than anyone else. Working from home can be a radically different way of life–many people love it right off the bat, others warm up to it, and some find that it’s not the right approach for them.

There’s no right or wrong answer, and there are many layers to consider. But, here are three good questions for you to consider as you think about whether working from home is right for you.

How do you feel about being at home more/most of the time? If you are familiar with the routine of going to an office each day, suddenly working from home can be a significant change, and some people find it jarring. 

  • COVID-19 provided many of us with a preview of working from home. While you may have a good sense of how you’ll feel, knowing    that being at home is a more permanent situation may change the equation for you. So, it’s worth considering how you will feel if you    have no office or work location to go to when you need a break from the house.                                                                                                         
  • Here are some specific things to consider. Will you miss getting dressed up? Would missing out on your commute make you sad? Do you have sufficient friends and social support systems outside the office to stave off the loneliness that can come from working at home?

Do you have a sound time management system? When you work at home, it can be challenging to manage your time because many traditional time markers disappear. There’s no ritual of getting ready, no commute, no coffee run, no customary chats with a co-worker to ground you at the start of each day. And, with no office to get to, no boss standing by, and family obligations easily visible from your workspace, it can be challenging to organize your tasks and time in a way that lets you be successful. 

  • For others, working from a home office makes it easy to let work slide into the nooks and crannies of life. When that happens, some at-home workers find that work takes a larger swath of time and leads to an unsustainable lifestyle.                                                                        
  • Ask yourself: How will you find the discipline and motivation to work each day? How will you organize your day into intentional blocks of time where you can work? Can you turn off your work brain when it’s time to move on to a family-related task? Will the temptation be too strong to focus on other things? One way to think of this is to consider if you’d rather fold laundry or work on a project. If you say fold laundry or you aren’t sure, working at home could be more of a struggle for you, and you may want to do more exploration before you jump in.

Do you have a place to work? Or, can you find one? Working from home is still work and having a place to focus makes it much easier to be successful. We find that the most successful at-home workers have a dedicated space to do work. It can be a complete home office, a desk tucked into the corner of your living room, or a bag that holds your work materials and gets popped up when and where you need it. The point of identifying a space is that it helps put you in the right mindset to get to work. 

  • So, look around your house and see if you can carve out some space to call your own. What’s needed to turn that area into a workspace?

Family Considerations

As a mom, your family situation will weigh on your ability to transition to working from home. Talking your plans over with your spouse is an excellent way to assess whether or not your family is ready for you to work at home. These questions can also help you plan a transition to working from home.

  • How does your budget look? Working at home can save you money. But, it can also cost a little in the short term as you make the transition. To assess how you may fare in this equation, consider how much money you might save by not commuting, buying work clothes, and paying for other expenses related to work.
  • Then, consider the costs involved in setting up a home office. Do you need to purchase a computer? A desk? A printer? Upgrade your internet service? Finally, take a look at the pay you are likely to earn from a work-at-home job and run the numbers with your spouse.
  • What’s your childcare situation, and how does it affect your ability to work? The question of childcare often is framed as one that affects younger kids more than older kids. But, as your kids get older, the times and ways they need you change substantially.
  • For example, if your kids are in middle school, your afternoons may include lots of driving around. That could limit the types of jobs you are available to do, or the hours you can work.
  • Conversely, if you have very young children, you may find that you have a good chunk of work time in the afternoon during nap time and again in the evening. Consider whether your kids are at school all day. If they are too young for school or if you homeschool, think about what that means for your ability to work.
  • You can involve older children in this conversation and discuss times when they may manage on their own while you work. If your kids are younger and you think you may need childcare, explore your options for finding it as part of your consideration process.

 

Professional Considerations

As you think about transitioning to a work-from-home lifestyle, the type of work you are interested in is an important consideration and likely to drive many of your decisions. In terms of professional concerns, there’s one main question to consider: what are your professional goals? 

Work can be a significant source of identity for many moms. For others, career considerations are not that important. But, thinking about professional goals makes it easier to determine what you want out of a job. There are several ways to answer this question, and the answer could vary at different points in your life. 

For example, if you have an established profession, do you want to continue to work in the same field but move to an at-home job? Or, would you prefer to make a change to something new? 

Maybe, you don’t have professional ambitions but would like to find a job that provides additional income or lets you engage a new or different part of your brain each day.

Or, perhaps you’ve always wanted to start a business and want to use this time to launch something. 

All of these answers are valid and offer great opportunities for working at home. Knowing how you answer this question can help you find the right work-at-home opportunity that aligns with your professional goals.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do or how your skills may translate to different types of jobs,  HireMyMom offers resources to help.

Ready to move forward?

If all this soul searching has you sure you are ready to work from home, it’s time to find the right partner in your job search journey.

Join HireMyMom to have exclusive access to a curated list of legitimate work-from-home jobs. Moms love us because they know all applications are going to real businesses looking for help. Employers love us because they know they can find high-quality, highly motivated candidates who want to work from home. 

 

 

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September 20, 2021

How to Save Money, Attract Talent and Grow Your Business Like a Pro

As a savvy small business owner, you are always looking for new ways to gain a business advantage. One option you may be considering is moving to a fully remote workforce. For many businesses–large and small–this move makes a lot of sense.

As the labor market tightens, a fully remote workforce can make it easier for you to source high-quality candidates from across the country. Also, offering remote work leads to greater flexibility, which can mean greater productivity and increased retention. Finally, if your entire team is offsite, you can save money by cutting back on or eliminating office space.

Whether you dipped a toe into the remote office waters during the COVID-related closures or if it’s new to you, a few key strategies can make it easier for your business to thrive. Here are our top tips from the team at HireMyMom.

 

Build the Right Team

Many people–especially moms–love working from home. The right people make it easier for your to build a remote team that works. 

Before moving to a remote work model, talk with your current employees and explain your plans. Outline the vision you have and give people a chance to share their thoughts.

If you need to add to your team or find new team members, your best bet is to search for those who are actively looking for jobs that can be done from home. Using a platform like HireMyMom is a great way to source qualified candidates specifically looking for remote work. You can find and hire a team member who’s located anywhere with good internet access–which can save you time and money.

If the prospect of a nationwide search daunts you, consider our concierge service to help reduce the amount of leg work you need to do. We created HireMyMom’s Concierge service for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners, like you, who need to hire help but don’t have the time or desire to go through the time-consuming process.

With our full-service Concierge service, our HR Specialists will do it all for you from start to finish and present you with the top candidate(s). 

 

Let Communication Flow

Effective communication can be a challenge when your team moves from on-site to remote. The challenge is on two fronts–keep track of the work and maintain the critical relationships that connect staff members to you and each other and make it easier to work through issues, solve problems and innovate.

When you are accustomed to leaning over for a quick, impromptu chat, it can feel unnatural when you can’t do that. And, if you use email for all your conversations and requests, reading and responding to email can quickly take over your workday. 

As teams move offsite, it’s easy for you and your team members to feel isolated from each other and miss the cues and camaraderie that comes with being together in the office. Trust is an essential element for remote teams, and relationships build trust. 

Luckily, there are many ways to keep the lines of communication open and nourish the relationships among co-workers. Here are options we’ve seen work well to keep teams connected, talking, and growing:

  • Host stand-up calls where everyone joins to share updates. Timing can vary, with most happening either daily or Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Weekly can work, too.                                                                                                                                                                                                  
  • Start these calls with some small talk to help grow personal relationships that ease overall interactions. When people know each other personally (even just a little), those connections make it easier to establish and maintain working relationships.
  • These calls are also a great time to share feedback about the work process and highlight great work that an employee or team member is doing. It’s also fun to celebrate birthdays, talk about weekend plans, and briefly swap stories or pictures. For example, ask people to share pet pictures or back-to-school snaps. Closing the meeting with talk of schedules and near-term objectives is a great way to get everyone on the same page.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  • Pick up the phone and call your team. Sometimes, a live, one-on-one chat is precisely what you need. Talking by phone provides an opportunity to check in, connect on a relationship level, and work through options. Depending on the size of your team, you may want to schedule regular one-on-one calls or have impromptu conversations as needed.
  • As a leader, aim to make phone chats familiar enough that team members are comfortable talking with you and sharing in an open environment but not so common that people feel micromanaged.

 

Communication is also key to keeping track of the workflow. Here are some communication tools that we’ve seen help make workflow and tracking more productive.

  • Use an online project management tool like Trello or Asana to track work and communicate with your team. These programs help all team members stay up-to-date with the workflow across the team and provide an online forum for questions, comments, and updates. These tools offer each team member a broader context and make it easier to know where things stand.
  • Add instant messaging to your suite of work tools. It’s a great way to replicate the instant communication you may miss in the office. Also, sending short requests via chat helps to cut down on email.         
  • Set up a text group that makes it easy for people to share with co-workers and exchange information back and forth, even when away from their desks.

Establish Boundaries and Let it Go

One of the most challenging elements of switching to a remote team is learning to be more hands-off as a leader and a manager. A lot of the battle is mental–changing your expectations for control over the work. Here are four concrete steps to make that switch easier:

  • Establish boundaries that increase your comfort level and share those boundaries with your team. For example, if it’s important to you that everyone maintains certain core hours, share that expectation and collaborate to find the core hours that make the most sense. Likewise, if you prefer to keep specific hours open, let your team know how and when to reach you best. Understanding expectations makes it easier for team members to manage their days avoid mixed signals that can lead to issues.   

 

  • Set expectations and share them. For example, consider how to approach time zone differences. Using the context of deadlines is an excellent way to consider this issue. Is a 5 p.m. deadline in New York a 2 p.m. deadline in California? Or, does the end of the day mean, end of that person’s day or before you log in the next day? Addressing these types of expectations upfront makes workflow more manageable.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  • Adjust as needed. Remote work arrangements throw up gray areas. A process that works well now may not work as well next summer. Be open to making adjustments as needed. Tell your team that you expect things will change and that you are open to their feedback about tweaking the system.       
  • Let it go. The final (and possibly most difficult) step is to exhale and let the magic happen. You have a great business, a fantastic team, and all the building blocks for success in place. Time to relax and see what happens.                                                                                               

Share your Experience

Tell us about your experience building and maintaining remote teams that work. What steps did you find most valuable? What would you do differently?

 

 

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June 1, 2021

8 Mistakes to Avoid When You Work from Home

Working from home can be a fun and rewarding experience. There are many benefits especially for moms because of the flexibility and accessibility that comes from having a remote job.

There are however some common mistakes that can impact the quality and productivity of work if you’re not careful.

Here are 8 Mistakes To Avoid When You Work from Home.

 

MISTAKE #1: ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE DISTRACTED

It can be easy to become distracted when working from home. From phone calls to unexpected guests dropping in – to your kids coming home from school with “big news” about their day  …

There are many opportunities to get pulled off task and this is why self-discipline is critical to the success of your remote career and lifestyle.

It’s important to set clear boundaries ahead of time and communicate them to your friends and family members (your children are another story, they may need some gentle reminders). 

 

MISTAKE #2: PROCRASTINATING YOUR WORK

When you work from home, it can be easy to procrastinate doing your work and placing personal tasks as a priority instead. “Oh I’ll just get some chores done first, and then I’ll work on that spreadsheet.” Sound familiar?

It’s important to treat every assigned task as a priority. If you have project management software, this is a great time to use it.

Set clear objectives and deadlines, block off time in your calendar to complete tasks at hand and keep track of your time (very important especially when it comes to invoicing). Batch your work so that you can focus on one task at a time and up your productivity. 

If you don’t have the software, a spreadsheet in Google or Excel is a great alternative.

You can color-code priorities by order of importance, set the framework for each project, assign time entries to each task, and more.

 

MISTAKE #3: LACK OF DESIGNATED WORKSPACE

Working from home is great but it does require commitment. 

Making sure you have the right technology in place is one thing but having a designated workspace is another (and no, your bed and couch do not count as a proper workspace).

It’s important to make your designated at-home work environment a priority so that you can stay organized, focused without disruption, and fulfill your tasks without compromising the quality of your work.

 

MISTAKE #4: NO BACKUP PLAN FOR OUTAGES

It doesn’t happen often but, from time to time the power could go out or the wifi might be disrupted.

When you find yourself without power and/or internet it’s important to have a Plan B in place so you can pick up and go with minimal interference to your workday.

Backup ideas include – your local coffee shop, public library, a friend or relatives place, or your local business center.

 

MISTAKE #5: DISORGANIZATION

When you work from home it’s important to stay organized. Not only does disorganization wreck havoc on your workday (especially if you can’t find something you need right away) but it also takes up your precious time. 

Time management is critical to the success of a remote worker’s career and goes hand in hand with staying organized so you can stay focused. 

 

MISTAKE #6: LACK OF ROUTINE

It’s important early on to establish a routine for your workday. 

Make sure you find enough time in your routine to:

 

  • Take appropriate breaks,
  • Start and stop work within a decent time frame.

 

A routine also sets the framework for your remote employee-employer relationship. This will help set boundaries for contacting you outside of your work hours. 


MISTAKE #7: ISOLATION 

Another mistake a lot of remote workers make is isolation. 

It’s important to keep balance in your life. We all need time with friends and family, time for ourselves, and time to maintain our homes. 

Stay connected with your colleagues, friends, and family. Join networking groups like our FB Community and if you’re a parent – mom’s groups can be a tremendous support system.

(We have a great article that discusses some ways online community support groups can help you build a successful work from home business here).

 

MISTAKE #8: LIMITING FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

They say “connection is currency” however with remote work, it’s easy to become distant and less connected with others.

Often remote workers start to lean towards one method of communication only (for example email) but in order to succeed, you need to offer more than one way to connect.

It’s good to get on the phone once in a while, take advantage of video conferencing (as offered through Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom and Google G Suite) and use team communication software such as Slack in order to stay organized, focused, and communicate more effectively. 

So there you have it, the 8 mistakes remote workers make that you can avoid. We also have some great tips on helping you grow your remote business, check out those tips here. 

 

At HireMyMom we carefully screen employers taking the necessary steps to offer only the highest level of work from home positions to you. Ready to get started? Visit our enrollment page here.

 

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August 3, 2020

Back-to School Tips to Help Parents Survive and Thrive this Fall

As summer sizzles toward the end and the calendar turns to August, many parents start to think about the start of the school year. Starting school always brings new blessings and opportunities along with new routines and new challenges. With the ongoing pandemic, the start of this school year is different than years past–very different.

With many schools opening virtually or partially, home learning will be a key fixture of the fall term. And, with many offices still closed, more parents will work from home than in years past. This means parents and children all sharing the same work areas for the foreseeable future. While this autumn holds the potential for challenges, it also holds prospects for new blessings and discoveries about ourselves and our children. 

A plan to get through the day-to-day challenges can go a long way to making the situation more successful for you and your family.  After years of working at home, here are our best tips for thriving this fall–including a back-to-school to-do list that will help you prepare for the new learning environment.

 

Communicate Early & Often

This will be a fall like no other. So, the usual back-to-school chores need to be updated to reflect our current circumstances. Before we tackle the list, the first step is a series of frank discussions about how to best manage school and work as a family. These discussions are more valuable if they happen early and often, as communication is the key to success.

 

Plan it Out

The first conversation is adults only. Sit down with your spouse and discuss your likely workloads for the next few weeks. This can (and will) change each week, but having a sense of how much work each of you faces in the near-term is important. 

For example, if your spouse knows that you have a capstone project due in October, it’s easier to make day-to-day plans that allow for success. Likewise, if one of you is less busy right now, it may make sense for that person to serve as the primary parent as school starts. If you are single, map out how your workload looks in the near term to give you a better sense of what’s on the horizon. While it’s impossible to predict everything that may come up, talking about likely scenarios will help you prepare for the weeks and months ahead.

Once you have a good handle on your work obligations, share them with your children. Depending on their age, some kids may not realize that mom and dad have work obligations that must be met. Spelling these out in an age appropriate way is important for setting expectations.

 

Consider School Expectations

Once you have a handle on your own work and that of your spouse, turn to school expectations. Knowing how the school schedule will work and the obligations of each student are important first steps. Many schools are sharing specific objectives for home-learning days. For example, some require a minimum number of contact hours each day or a certain amount of online assignments turned in each week. 

 

Set Family Goals

Armed with knowledge about what the school expects, add your own expectations for the fall, and ask your children what they’d like to achieve. As a family, discuss goals for the fall semester, including personal, school and family goals. For example:

  • Meet all school-issued objectives.
  • Start school work by 8 each morning.
  • Complete school work without being reminded.
  • Do chores in a timely manner.
  • Learn three new skills outside of class work.
  • Limit time on phones, video games and other devices to X hours per day/week. (See section below for more on this.)
  • Set aside designated family time each week.

 

Back-To-School To Do List

Your normal back-to-school to-do list likely includes buying school supplies, finding the right backpack and picking up a back-to-school wardrobe. While some of those tasks may be on hold, here are a few things that can help make the back to school transition easier and more productive under these extraordinary circumstances.

  • Set ground rules for school days. When school was unexpectedly moved online last spring, it took families by surprise. This made it difficult to set ground rules. This fall, having rules in place will help make remote work easier and more productive for everyone. You don’t want to spend a good portion of your work day negotiating screen time with your kids. Decide on your ground rules early and make sure that all family members understand them.

 

  • Establish a policy for use of electronic devices. One area where many parents struggle is with the use of electronic devices. This is tricky on a number of levels. A lot of school work is completed online. But, as many parents found in the spring, a child who is sitting at his computer and looks engaged may be playing video games instead of completing online assignments. In addition, text messages and social media notifications can easily divert the attention of the most well-intentioned students.  Before the first day of school, agree upon rules as to when/how electronic devices can be used. One option is to follow the same rules that your local school uses with respect to phone and technology use. Make sure you, your spouse, and your children are all on the same page for device use during the school day.

 

  • Share your expectations with your family. Based on your family’s goals, outline the expectations you have for your children to get their school work done in a timely manner. Be clear about the work you expect your child to do on his/her own and how and when to ask for help during the work day. Share the specifics of your schedule with your children (based on their age) so they understand when a parent is available for help. Consider a sign for your office door (or back of your computer) that lets your children know if you are available or not.

 

  • Outline a typical day. Routines help make days go more smoothly by adding automaticity. To get into a daily routine more quickly, consider how you’d like a typical school day to look this fall. Maybe you like to rise early and start working during the quiet morning hours. If so, perhaps  you’d like your kids to serve themselves breakfast and read until a certain time. If your kids are older, they may have their own schedule preferences. There’s no right or wrong day. The important thing is to have a shared sense of how the days look. Talking about how typical days might unfold can get you there sooner.

 

  • Divide the house work. Acknowledge the extra work created by having more people in the house each day. Discuss a plan for kitchen clean up, laundry and cooking with an eye toward ways to share the work across the family. Sharing chores can be a wonderful learning opportunity for kids. Consider assigning tasks to lighten the load on everyone.

 

  • Establish feedback channels. Regular family meetings about school work progress and expectations are an important tool for success. Share feedback with your kids and ask them to share feedback with you about how things are going. Prepare to be flexible as you learn what works and what doesn’t. We are all learning as we go and some things are bound to work better than others. Keeping the lines of communication open makes it easier to focus on the positive and correct things that aren’t working.

 

  • Take a Deep Breath. This experience is a foundational life experience for you and your children. As we embark upon a school year like no other, let’s remember we are all learning new things this year. It’s an opportunity for you to get more involved with your child’s education and to watch them learn new skills–like time management–in real time. But learning can be difficult, so extending  extra grace to our kids, our co-workers, our spouses, our teachers, our communities, and ourselves can help us thrive during these times.

 

Drop us a line to share your experiences, ideas, successes and struggles. And if you are seeking work from home options, be sure to check out some of our recent job posts. 

 

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June 18, 2020 0 Comments

7 Tips to Rock Your Remote Job Interview

Whether you already work from home or you’re seeking your first remote job, an online interview is likely part of that process. Believe it or not, many of the interview tips for a traditional office job still apply to work from home jobs.  Here is our advice for your interview success!

Dress Appropriately

Treat this interview as if you were meeting face to face in an office. Wear appropriate casual work attire. Not only will you look professional but dressing the part will help you feel more prepared and put you in the right mind set. Take those few extra minutes to prepare to look your best, as it will help your confidence and help you come across as a true professional!

 

Check Your Background

Make sure there is no clutter, distractions, people walking around behind you, dogs barking or children making loud noises. Plan your interview for a time when you have child care if needed so that you can focus and the interviewer does not have to wonder if that’s the environment you’d be working in if he or she hired you. An employer is going to want someone completely focused on the job. If kids are there, it will lead them to believe you will not be completely focused on their job. Also check the lighting and make sure it’s bright for a clear picture for a video interview.

 

Be Prepared and On Time

It should go without saying, but be on time. Being punctual is still important in the remote world. If your interview is at 2pm, then sign on at 1:55pm. Don’t wait until the interview start time to download the app or go to the chosen platform to see how it works. Get to know the platform you will be interviewing on. If it’s Zoom, take some time practice and get familiar with it.  Same with Skype, GoTo Meeting or whichever platform they are using.

Be prepared — you will impress the employer if you know something about the company you’re interviewing to work for.  Take some time before the interview to visit their website, social media and blogs. Look for things you can talk about in the interview to let them know that you’ve done your research. In addition to learning about the company itself, know something about the industry.  You don’t need to do an in depth dive, but having some knowledge is key, and allows you to answer questions with more clarity and understanding.

And just like a face-to-face interview, eye contact is important. Be sure to look at the person as if you were speaking directly in person.

Lastly, make sure you read the job description again before the interview. Have a good understanding of what the job entails, as well as the skills, experience and personality needed to succeed.

Ask Questions

In any interview, it’s likely that the employer or hiring person will ask if you have any questions.  This is a prime time for you to show interest and gain more insight into the employer. Spend some time coming up with a few questions ahead of time, but here are a few to get you started:

  • What traits do you most value in someone in this role?
  • How will we communicate as a team?
  • How do you measure success for this position?
  • What are the day-to-day responsibilities for this job position (if not specified in the job posting)?
  • What are some of the qualities of successful people in this position or company?
  • What is the timeline for hiring for this position?

Have it Memorized

Make sure you know your resume inside and out! Interviewers will often have your resume in front of them during your interview, and they might pick out older job positions or positions that aren’t super fresh in your mind.

Take some time to review your resume ahead of time, and be ready to discuss every piece on it.  For bonus points, do this with an eye for what’s the most “stand out” and applicable about each resume item for the position you’re interviewing for.

Sell Yourself Confidently

This is your time to shine and tell them why you are a great fit for this role. Share the traits, skills and experience that you feel make you a great fit for the job.  Along with that, it’s important for a company to know that you really want this job!  Express that when you’re talking.

Say Thank You

Common courtesy goes a long way! Before the interview, begin drafting a standard thank you email.  After the interview has been completed, fill it in with details about your conversation. There’s no need to make this more than 3-4 sentences, but personalizing it can make a great impression.

Thank the interviewer for their time, mention a point of conversation from the interview, and continue to express your interest.  From there, be sure to follow up within a few days to a week – being proactive is key! Unless the interviewer gave you a specific time frame for a decision, there’s no harm in checking in.

For additional help with your resume, cover letter or interview skills, check out our Job Seeker 101 Course and our One-on-One Consulting Services.

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March 16, 2020

How To Start Working From Home – 5 Important Steps

As we enter 2020 there has been a shift in the way we work. 

About a decade ago working from home was considered a luxury but with the small to medium sized businesses booming and becoming the key drivers in our economy, remote employment is emerging as the new trend.

If you’re thinking about transitioning over to a work from home job this article is for you!
In this article, we’ll cover five steps to help kick-start your journey to remote employment.

STEP ONE: Do You Have the Right Stuff?

It takes a certain type of work ethic to be able to sustain and succeed in remote employment.

Here are some of the most important core competencies:

Time Management

Time management is an extremely important skill to have. You’re doing everything remotely from communicating with your boss and coworkers, answering emails, and handling day-to-day tasks as they come in. This is where time management comes into play. Being able to quickly prioritize and plan out your day from the start will help ensure success as a remote worker.

Discipline and Focus

It’s easy to get distracted when you work from home. With family at home, unexpected guests showing up at the door, and being tempted to complete a chore or two, things can quickly add up.

Stand your ground, have some rules of the home in place while you’re working remotely, and set your business hours so that friends and family know when they can contact you or even put your phone on “do not disturb” when you have work to complete.

Strong Communication Skills

Because you’re working remotely, strong communication is a vital skill to have. Whether you’re sending out emails, conferencing in a phone call or jumping in on a Zoom meeting, communication is the key to success in the remote work world. It’s important to communicate and acknowledge tasks, deadlines and project statuses to your team.

Ability to Work Independently

For the most part, you’re all on your own. If you’re someone who needs to be around others and socialize, remote work can sometimes feel isolating.

The good news is that there are ways to still socialize when you have a work from home job. You can join an online Facebook community (HireMyMom has an Online Community for example) or make time to attend networking or social meetings in your area.

Check out this blog for a more comprehensive piece on the core competencies.

 

STEP TWO: Finding Your New Work From Home Career Path


Transitioning to a work at home career can be life changing (in a good way), and it’s important to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. There are so many different remote work professions to choose from. Here are some of the most popular:

  • Virtual Assistant
  • Copywriter / Content Developer / Blogger
  • Digital Marketing Specialist / Marketing / Advertising
  • Accountant / Bookkeeper
  • Customer Service / Client Support Specialist

It’s important when deciding on what jobs to apply for to assess what you have in your “toolbox”. Your toolbox contains your education, work experience, and any additional training you received that you could incorporate into the position you are applying for.

It never hurts to take a course or two to brush up your skills or learn some new ones. There are several online and in person options available. It’s best to do a Google search to find out what programs are offered as well as a search on YouTube to find any free training.

If you’re interested in becoming a Virtual Assistant we offer two great programs; our 31 Day VA Training Program and our 6-Month In-Depth VA Training Program.


For a more in-depth look at these professions and others including pay rates check out our article “10 Work From Home Jobs For Moms”.

 

STEP THREE: Do You Have the Right Tools?


Working from home does require some necessary tools to get started. Here are some you may need:

Computer and Backup
It’s important to have a good computer to work on plus a backup system in place should your system go down. And having a laptop is convenient for those working remotely since you can pick up and work from anywhere including the coffee shop, the pool or even on vacation.

Programs / Apps
Some key programs and apps you may use when you work remotely include G-Suite  / Google Docs, Zoom, Slack, Trello, Asana and other project management tools. There are also time tracking services like Harvest that are helpful for tracking hours.

Designated Workspace
It’s important to have a designated area so you can tune in to your work and tune out any distractions. You should have a desk area, proper office chair, and good lighting.

 

STEP FOUR: Where to Find Legitimate Work from Home Jobs?

The best place to find work from home jobs is online. There are however some considerations as to which job sites you should avoid.

Some questions to ask yourself when deciding which sites to apply to:

Does the website take commission every time you are paid?

Do they carefully screen employers before allowing them to post a job? (See Spotting Work at Home Scams)

Are you competing with thousands of applicants all over the world or is it a smaller niche site?

Is the website easy to navigate and use?

Do they have customer testimonials and good reviews?

It’s important to go with a website that features high quality job postings from reputable businesses. There may be a small cost to join the website but this is a good thing. It means there’s a filter in place to provide quality employment opportunities and greatly reducing the candidate pool so you are not competing with hundreds or thousands of other job seekers.

(HireMyMom has a great selection of jobs to choose from. Give your career a kick start, learn more here).

 

STEP FIVE: Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Skills


Having an updated resume and cover letters tailored to each individual job increases your chances of getting hired with a quality employer. It’s also helpful to brush up on your interview skills so you can leave a lasting impression and land the job you want.

Need help? We have a collection of articles that offer tips on writing cover letters, advice on how to make your resume stand out, things to think about while preparing for a job interview and more. You can check them out here.

Are you ready to take that next step? Here are a few work from home success stories to inspire you: 

 

 

 

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February 25, 2020

6 Statistics Proving the Benefits of Working at Home

Did you know the number of people who work from home has increased by 140% since 2005?

Over the past decade, technology has really transformed the business world. Now, more and more businesses and individuals are discovering the benefits of working remotely from home.

With small businesses driving 44% of the total US economy, it’s easy to see how allowing employees or contractors to work from home would be beneficial and cost saving. It is a great solution to growing companies who seek an alternative to hiring, training and finding space for on-site staff. 

We at HireMyMom, already know the amazing benefits of working from home but let’s look at the benefits the Industry Experts have to share on remote work: 

 

1. Working at Home Saves Money

One of the biggest benefits of remote work is cost savings. According to Global Workplace Analytics (GWA), businesses can save up to $11,000 per employee each year by simply allowing them to work from home.

There is also less absence in the workplace when an employee can work from home. Again according to GWA, unscheduled absences cost employers $1800 per employee per year. The American Management Association realized a 63% reduction in unscheduled absences.

 

2. Working from Home Saves Time

Remote work can save a lot of time (and stress) because it eliminates the need to commute. According to the State of Telecommuting, part-time remote employees save around 11 days a year by not traveling to work. This means the employee is less stressed, less tired and can commit more time to performance rather than having their energy drained in rush hour traffic.

 

3. Working at Home Improves Productivity

It is true that distraction decreases productivity. There is nothing more annoying to an employer than seeing staff doing more chatting than working. But according to 2018 statistics, the majority of surveyed employees feel there are fewer distractions when working outside of the office.

Forbes.com relays that 77% of those who work from home get more done in fewer hours thanks to fewer distractions like meetings, conversations, and noisy coworkers.

When Highfive.com conducted a study, remote workers accomplished 30% more work in less time. 

 

4. Working from Home Helps Improve Employee Retention Rates

Keeping employees happy is the key to a successful and productive business. If employees are not happy, the quality of work often suffers significantly and could lead to employee loss.

A huge part of employee happiness comes from:

  • less travel time and commuting costs
  • less distraction from their co-workers
  • the ability to have a more flexible schedule and;
  • a comfortable work environment

According to Global Workplace Analytics, a poll of 1,500 technology professionals revealed that 37% would take a pay cut if they could work from home.

From an employer’s perspective, 95% report that working from home has had a high impact on their employee retention rate.


5. Working at Home Improves Health

Remote work can improve employee health both physically and mentally. Monster.com reports that when Staples conducted a study in 2011, they found employees who worked from home experienced 25% less stress. They also reported being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance and experienced improved eating habits as well.

Working from home also means being less exposed to viruses and other airborne illnesses that can sometimes heavily impact the workplace environment. It’s much easier to self-quarantine one person than an entire office. Less sick employees mean less disruption to productivity and in turn can lead to companies saving thousands of dollars each year. This is an especially timely topic given the outbreak of the Coronavirus. 

 

6. Working from Home Is Better For The Environment

According to the State of Telecommuting, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through telecommuters / remote workers is equivalent to 600,000 cars.

When employees eliminate the commute to work every day they help reduce the amount of pollution. By eliminating the commute, working from home drastically reduces the carbon emissions created from driving. In Entrepreneur.com’s article “How Telecommuting Reduced Carbon Footprints at Dell, Aetna and Xerox” it’s stated remote work, even if it’s only done on a part-time basis, can still reduce over 54 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.


At HireMyMom we help businesses hire talented, affordable, virtual team members and freelancers while at the same time, assist mom professionals in finding flexible, legitimate, home-based work to help create the perfect work-life balance.

If you’re interested in using our services to find your next remote employee you can visit our registration page here.

 

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