To celebrate my birthday today, I put my Apple watch into my desk drawer and took my old watch to the jeweler to have the battery replaced. I created an in-office schedule for myself that offers limited yet consistent weekly availability to my clients and an out-of-office schedule that creates more availability to my family. I turned off all social notifications on my phone. I turned off the news. I turned on some Lionel Richie. I felt better.
With the New Year upon us, it’s time to set some 2021 resolutions! Working from home became much more popular this past year and it looks like remote offices will continue to be prevalent for years to come. Whether you’re new to the WFH lifestyle of a seasoned pro, it’s helpful to set expectations and create healthy routines in order to thrive both personally and professionally. Here are some our goals for the year ahead and tips about how to work from home.
2020 has sucked, can we just say it? What a horrible, rotten year with loss and grief at every turn, a mean-spirited and endless election, a year of nothingness - no concerts, no openings, no parties, no family dinners, no leisurely strolls through the grocery store to mindlessly select the week’s menu without concern for the availability of food or the need to wear an uncomfortable mask and eye everyone else suspiciously for signs of illness. But wait…there’s optimism ahead?
America is a rich tapestry of geographies, climates, cultures, and people divided and united into states, cities, communities, and neighborhoods. America is a land with a rich history of migration and immigration; it’s a country of pride, passion, and power, as well as one of sorrow, struggle, and strife. There is no one story that fully captures what it means to be American, which is why the PBS American Portrait Storytelling Project was manifested to tell all of the stories.
They’re finally here, the 2020 holidays, and we’re not just Elf-level excited because we love the holidays, we’re also jumping for joy because the holiday season means we’ve almost survived the giant trauma bond that’s been 2020 (break out the bubbly). That in itself is something to celebrate…but it shouldn’t be the focus of your holiday marketing strategy. Rather, holiday marketing and any storyteller marketing for that matter should tell your audience the story they want to hear, manifesting the reality that they want to exist. So, here’s how you manifest the reality your audience craves.
The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, but when it comes to errands and commitments, the stress can pile up. While this stress can be a reality of the holiday season, there are ways to make our lives easier, especially if we work from home. If we work from home, we can schedule time into our day to cook, clean, and run errands, and with the pandemic in full force, more of us will have this opportunity in the 2020 holiday season.
What makes a solid story? Is it the diction? The organization? The creativity? Is there one thing that makes a story “good,” or is there an essence to a good story that can’t be seen or named? When it comes to storytelling, there are many facets of great work, but when it comes to ruining your narrative, things can go south real quick.
While the bulk of 2020 has been anything but “happy” (unless you like riots, fires, and getting quarantined in pandemics), there have been quite a few happy stories to emerge from this dumpster fire of a year. After all, there is nothing like strife to unite us in the interest of the greater good (well, for the most part) and to help us refocus on what really matters in life.
Is blogging important in 2021? That answer is a clear yes! There are numerous reasons why businesses should blog including SEO, building trust, telling your story and more.
Working from home can feel like a dream. You can wake up slowly, eat at your leisure, and heck, you don’t actually have to wear pants, but when it comes to working from the place you call home, there are a few downsides.
When we work from home, the line between work and play becomes blurred. There is no physical separation that tells us our workday is over, and there is no one to keep us motivated but ourselves. How do we create a work from home schedule that promotes health, wellness, and balance when the office is next to our bedroom? This is a job for expectations, schedules, and boundaries.
If you work from home, one benefit is that you get to pick your coworkers and sometimes the best work companions have four legs, floppy ears, wagging tail and a wet nose. We’ll take a dog over “Karen” any day! They keep us entertained, reduce stress and will greet you every morning with a smile. Sure, they might not respond when you start up a water cooler conversation, but maybe that’s a good thing? There are many benefits, but also some challenges when it comes to working from home with your dog. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure you have a successful day at the “office.”
Expectation of being a WAHM: You stay on top of your career while being present for your little one’s fleeting, formative years.
Reality: It takes 45 minutes to respond to an e-mail because of the endless demands for snacks, diapers, “Can I play with your phone?”, “Come wipe me,” and just, “Mom,” on repeat. The laundry pile looms behind you like the villain in a horror film (just smother me already) while your feral children’s toys multiply and spread through the house until it’s Jumanji. Seriously, who wet the gremlin?
You need help. You became a WAHM to get away from drama and to be the mom you always wanted to be, so what do you do? You get the tools and implement the strategies that puts your sanity first, that ensures your children are still being nurtured and are forming secure attachments, because you all deserve a peaceful, productive workday.
Another good argument for #NoMeetingMondays is that you can start your Monday at whatever time you choose. That sounded nice, didn't it? That was the Pinterest caption from the cutesy, I've-got-it-all-together-all-the-time mom who somehow makes sweatpants look tailored and has mastered whatever makeup trick it is that makes you look really awake/in shock all the time. Here’s the real caption:
As we all know, being a work at home mom (or dad) doesn’t just entail working; it also involves doing laundry, dishes, a fitness app, and (impossibly) showering. We also know that simply telling kids of any age to, “Go play in your room, Mommy’s working,” is an open invitation to be interrupted every three minutes (bye, sanity). This is why we suggest having quick activities for kids that will keep children entertained long enough for you to accomplish your goals without losing your mind.
The best business storytelling quotes are the ones that inspire you to take leaps of faith, to expose yourself, and to form meaningful connections with your audience based on authentic experience. These are the best quotes about business storytelling intended to inspire you to take your stories to the next level.
Great quotes about storytelling and quotes by great storytellers inspire us to dig deep and to tell our best stories.
When you are working with clients, you job is to promote their brand in their way. Sometimes that can feel difficult when it comes to voice because writing is such a personal experience. How does a writer balance their vision with that of another person or company without feeling like they are losing a piece of themselves in the exchange?
Your story is as much of your identity as your profile picture, your business storefront, your webpage, etc. Anything and everything that happens to and in your story is a reflection of you and your brand, which is why learning how to build, protect, and heal your personal brand online is a must-do. At some point, you will likely do all of these things as you strive to achieve success and to maintain a connection with your audience.
The stories we read make us who we are, and the stories we tell impact those who hear and read them. As children, we are read stories that shape us, that define our integrity and our social and moral fiber. Sometimes, it’s nice to reflect on the stories that made us who we are today, which is why we have a list of the best life lessons told in children’s stories.
Balance? Balance is for the birds, literally. Just kidding. A little snark always lightens the mood when we are dealing with such a frustrating, elusive topic. When there is a baby or children in the WFH mix, the family and work dynamic you have spent so much effort carefully cultivating can become a convoluted, tangled mess. Either the workflow or the enjoyment and comfort family time bring us will be compromised if we don’t have an arsenal of ways to cope at arms’ reach
