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July 16, 2018 0 Comments

4 Questions to Ask if You Want to Work From Home

 

Working from home is appealing to most – there’s the flexibility, lack of commute, and the ability to be more productive.  While it’s typically a huge benefit to work from home, it’s important that you know what you’re doing ahead of time. It takes a specific type of person, personality, and lifestyle to enjoy and thrive in a home based position, so don’t enter hastily!

Read along for our best questions to ask yourself before taking the leap into a work from home job position.

Am I independent?

Are you okay working independently? Yes, you will likely have a boss and other co-workers, but your actual work time is mostly completed alone.  Some people do not have the personality for this, and would thrive much better in a traditional office environment.

Additionally, even if you don’t mind working alone – are you motivated while working by yourself? It might not be the social aspect of an office that you need, but rather the structure.  Working from home requires you to structure your own time, and get things done without being managed in person, which can be a challenge for some employees.

Can I work in my home?

If your home is full of distractions that can’t be managed – either by outside help, a new schedule, or your own mind, it might not be the best idea.  If you don’t have any other option for your small children or pets, it can be challenging to complete work while caring for them.

Additionally, if you’re someone who can’t be home all day without cleaning, catching up on TV, or simply doing other things around the house, working from home might not be your best bet.

Work from home employees are still able to complete some housing tasks if they work it into their day, but the vast majority of them are very disciplined people who are able to ignore most home distractions.

Is my lifestyle a fit?

Take a look at you and your family’s schedule(s) and see if your lifestyle makes sense for a home based job.  You might find that you have a lot of flexibility and downtime already, and going to an office would make you feel more productive.

Additionally, you might be the kind of person who cannot stay in their house all day.  Of course, some work from home employees do enjoy co-working spaces and coffee shops, but in general, most work out of the home.  Use this time to really determine where you fall in this category, and make an honest decision about your work environment.

Why do I want to do this?

Which benefits of working from home are the most appealing to you? In some cases, you might find that you can get some of those benefits in a traditional office job.

For example, some office bosses allow a lot of flexibility – leaving early, free hours (as long as the work is done!), and much more. In other cases, there might be a closer office to the main headquarters that will allow you to save on a commute.  Lastly, a lot of bosses are now more open to partial telecommuting, so you can consider that as well. Overall, if an office job sounds better besides a few points, see if you can negotiate on them.

Working from home is filled with benefits, but it’s not for everyone.  Take some time to seriously reflect on what works best for you, your lifestyle, and your family.

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July 9, 2018 0 Comments

4 Tips to Be an Effective Work From Home Boss

There are many tips out there on how to be an effective manager, but it goes to another level when you’re managing a remote team.  Your workers are out of sight, and it’s very important that you manage them, hire the right people, and still stay sane in the process! Managing home based employees can be a challenge at first, but it will give you more flexibility and freedom if you master it.

Read along for some of our best tips for management of remote teams.

Manage reasonably

Since you can’t physically be with your employees, it can be tempting to micromanage every task, client, and project.  But this goes against everything that work from home can be – flexible and less stressful.

You must start by trusting your employees, and that comes with hiring the right people.  Hire those who know if they’re productive independently, and who never give you reason to question what they’re up to.  With work from home jobs, it can be helpful to have a trial period of 30-60 days so you’re able to see this in real time.

Get together

Although your company is remote, it’s important to get together in person if and when you can.  Whether it’s for a mini retreat, incentive trip, or convention that will build your knowledge, it’s helpful to get your team together.

When you get together in person, you get a chance to really connect.  You build relationships, get to know each other, and discuss the business, which ultimately builds more bonds and solidifies trust.  On top of this, it can be fun for a remote worker to get to meet their team in real life.

Don’t forget that they also don’t get to see their co-workers very often, so you can bring this benefit to them and allow those relationships to strengthen as well.  When a team is reliant and trusting among co-workers, everything runs more smoothly and more effectively.

Invest in a program

There are many programs – free and paid – that allow you to more easily communicate with your team via video.  You have the free options of FaceTime, Skype, and the free option of Zoom meetings. For paid options, you can utilize chat options such as Slack, Sococo, or any other online communication program that also features video.

Even if you don’t do video communication on a consistent basis, it can still be fun to do from time to time.  When you aren’t using the video feature, be sure that you’re still communicating often. Group texts, client management systems, and Facebook chat are all great options.

Ask for details

While you shouldn’t be consistently micromanaging, keeping tabs on your team is still key.  Ask for detailed timesheets if that’s helpful at first, or you can do daily summaries. Whatever you need to feel at ease, while still allowing your team some freedom, is very important.

You can also utilize tracking software and time management software, if your team should need that.  Establish a solid process for reporting results and deliverables to the company and/or to your clients.  At the end of the day, this is your business, and work still needs to be done.

Becoming a manager of remote teams is all about the balance! Take some time to figure out what you need to feel comfortable, while still giving your team trust and getting the work completed.

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June 25, 2018 0 Comments

4 Tips for a Home Office Renovation On a Budget

When you work from home, your home office is a space you’ll spend a lot of time in, so it’s important that it works for you.  Whether you’re just starting out from home, or you need to renovate, you’ll need to make the space your own.

Renovating any room in your house can be quite a process, and it’s usually not inexpensive either. Read along for some of our tips for renovation on a budget!

Repurpose

Repurpose furniture with a fresh, new coat of paint, or utilize unused items from other rooms.  Can that table behind the couch be used as a table for your printer? Take what you have a make it work!

You can take a boring chair, add some fabric, and make it new again.  A little bit of paint or fabric can make a world of difference. If you have a sofa in your office, add some fresh pillows or a throw.  You can also repurpose someone else’s disregarded items – look to antique or garage sales that feature desks, solid furniture, or any other items that can be spruced up with a minimal amount of work.

Get digital

With sites such as Etsy, you can get a lot of artwork in a digital format. You can simply search for art prints that feature inspirational words, photos, art from other countries, and so on.  There are truly an endless amount of options!

From here, you can print out the piece and have it framed, or purchase an inexpensive frame at a local store like Target or Michael’s.  Digital, print-it-yourself art is typically much less expensive, and generally runs from $3-20 per piece on Etsy. Adding just a few prints will likely run you $30-100 total, and it can really change the vibe of the room.

Spend where it counts

Some items will just always be more expensive. A good, solid ergonomic office chair is a great place to spend money! A nice desk is also a place where quality is important, but you can also find good furniture at repurposed places, such as flea markets or garage sales.

You can really go “budget” on things such as office supplies. There are plenty of cute options out there that don’t break the bank!

Make a list of all the items needed for your renovation, and jot down where you can save, and where you’ll need to spend a little bit more.  Once the major items are decided on, you’ll also have a better overall view of your renovation budget.

Change slowly

Start slow! You can start as small as adding a tiny plant – it can literally breathe fresh air into your space.  Paint your walls one month and get a new desk the next. If you’re budgeting, earmark a small allowance each month (or every few months) to make the changes.

Creating a cozy home office doesn’t have to be expensive! Start slowly, be economical, and spend where you need to.  Over time you can transform your space into your dream office with useful and cool office supplies.  In no time, you’ll have a space that reflects your taste and allows you to work in peace.

At HireMyMom we want to help our Mom Professionals succeed at home and in business. We have a supportive community of Mom Professionals as well as great work from home jobs posted by small businesses around the country! Learn more about HireMyMom and how you can join a supportive faith-based community of Mom Professionals!

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June 18, 2018 0 Comments

5 Tips for Work Life Balance

 

We often hear of work life balance, but how do we achieve it?  Bridging the gap between work, family, relaxation and social time is a challenge in our busy world, but it’s crucial to quality of life.

According to Small Business Trends, “66 percent of full-time employees say they don’t strongly believe they have a work-life balance,” which is a huge figure.  It’s important that we take the time to find a balance for better health and happiness.

What’s important?

The first step to work life balance is establishing what that looks like for you, along with what’s important in your life.  If you say it’s family but spend all your time working, it’s time to reevaluate your priorities. If you’re truly in a time period when getting ahead at work is crucial, you may have less time for family and friends.

Finding a balance starts with what’s ideal for you.  Is it important for you to have a few hours at night to do nothing?  Do you need to be done working at a certain time to get to your child’s game?  Lay out a perfect week that allows you to include those things that are non-negotiable.

Time management

For work life balance to be successful, you must manage your time! It’s easy to get distracted during work and outside of work, and that cuts down on the time you have left for you.  Break down your work tasks by time, and always leave room for breaks and downtime.

When you know where your time is going, you’re better able to re-adjust as needed.  Take inventory of where your time is spent, and take steps to rearrange some things if needed.

Stay social

So you don’t always feel like you’re in work mode, staying social is key! Make time for your friends and family, even if work is your current priority.  You can still take some time out of your days or weeks to see friends and family.

This is a great way to recharge your batteries, see where your priorities lie, and strengthen relationships.  It’s almost always known that we feel better after interacting with those we love! Make time for this – work will be there when you return.  When you get time away from work, you come back more refreshed and ready to do a better job.

Turn it off

Especially on weekends, it’s important to turn off electronics! Weekends should mostly be reserved for fun, relaxation, and recharging.  Your phone and computer can be used personally, but try not to get too involved with anything with work. It’s important for the brain to shut down for a while and not focus on work.  

It gets tiring for your brain and body to look at a screen constantly, and you seriously blur the lines between work and play when you end up working all weekend, even if it’s just through your computer.

Do your best to make weekends work technology free! Again, you’ll come back feeling ready to tackle your tasks on Monday if you didn’t spend the whole weekend working.

Remember downtime

Downtime is so important! Doing fun things with your friends and family is also crucial and valid, but spending time relaxing is very important to quality of life.

Whether you enjoy spa days, a leisurely walk, or just some time lounging by a pool, it’s important to have downtime where nothing is on the agenda.  We live in a very structured, scheduled world, and while that’s great for productivity, or figuring out where your time is, eventually you have to shut that off for a while.

 

You can even look at your schedule early in the week and ensure that you’ve carved out some time to do absolutely nothing!

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June 11, 2018 0 Comments

3 Challenges with Working From Home – and How to Solve Them

Working from home has many benefits, from more time and flexibility to a non-existent commute.  Although it’s mainly a positive experience for most, there can be challenges involved, especially in the beginning.

Check out this week’s blog for some tips on working through those challenges successfully.

Kids or Family

While kid, family, pet and friend time can be a huge bonus to a more flexible job, they can also require a lot of time.  Sometimes you’ll need to have focused work time, meetings or conference calls that demand your attention.

For your kids, ask your mom friends or moms in your groups if there are any play groups during the day.  You can exchange playdates while other moms need to get things done as well.

You can also take your work outside! Since most home-based jobs involve only a computer, you can bring your office with you.  Take your kids or the dogs to a park while you work.

Distractions

Distractions are part of every job, but can be even more prevalent at home.  Between the aforementioned family members and dogs, there’s postal deliveries, homes to be cleaned, and TV shows that can be a little too tempting. If you struggle at all with independent work, it can be even more challenging.

Instead of eliminating these things entirely, give yourself breaks to do what you’re tempted to do during work time, such as watch a TV show, put in a load of laundry, or start dinner.

Your distractions can become a healthy part of your life, as long as you work to manage them while still getting things done.  Create a schedule that allows time for the extras or “distracting” parts of your day while still completing your work.

Socialization

One of the first concerns when accepting a work from home job is the possibility of isolation. Whether you have kids or not, it can still be lonely to not work out of a traditional office.

To combat this, it’s important that social interaction remain part of your life.  Can you plan to work with a friend at a coffee shop? What about a weekly happy hour date with a friend or family member?

If you can, look into co-working spaces and spend a few mornings or afternoons working from Starbucks.  Even though you might not be working with anyone else, the energy from others, as well as social interaction, will help you feel a bit more normal.

Also, if it’s possible in your situation, be sure to meet up with your co-workers from time to time.  If you aren’t local to each other, schedule frequent Skype dates. Video conferencing can still feel like an in-person conversation much more than the phone!

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May 7, 2018 0 Comments

4 Tips to Make Summer Fun

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Summer is almost here! School will be out soon, and we move on to one of the most fun times of the year. Although it’s summer, work doesn’t usually stop.  It may be lighter in the summer months, depending on your industry, but work still must be considered.

Enjoy this time of year while still being productive! Read along for some of our best tips to do just that.

Mix up your days

As we mentioned before, hours and schedules are often lighter or more flexible in the summer.  More people are traveling and taking time off with their kids, and there’s a general air of relaxation.  If this is the case for your job or industry, adjust your hours! Maybe you can set it up so you have some time with your kids in the afternoon for activities, and you can start earlier in the morning or go later into the evening.

Plan something fun

Summer routines are fun – the pool, swim team, sports, and cookouts – but it’s still a routine! Plan something fun with your friends and family, and try to make it something you can’t do in the colder months.  Plan a trip to a local amusement park, take a road trip for a fun event, or plan a staycation that gets you out of your immediate area.

Utilize this time of year to get out of your comfort zone, and do something that you will look forward to.

Take it outside

It’s summer, so by all means – get outside! If you’re working, you can still appreciate the outdoors.  Bring a comfy chair on your deck or the patio and work outside for a few hours. It can feel like a mini vacation to simply breathe in the warm, fresh air for a bit.

If you’re used to meeting up with friends or co-workers at coffee shops or over lunch, maybe suggest a picnic.  You could also work together outdoors at a nice, quiet park, or even outdoors at the cafe. It’s a great time of year to mix things up a bit, and enjoy the sun and warmth while it’s still around!

Involve the kids

Since your kids will likely be with you during the summer, involve them in your day to day.  As we said above, it can be as simple as leaving some time during their most active time of day to swim together, see an outdoor movie in a park, or take a hike on a local trail.

Of course you can still do these things after hours as well, but it can be kind of fun to break free from the norm.

Summer is all about relaxation, having fun, and leaning in towards more flexibility.  Take time to spend with your friends and family, and make sure you’re doing some special things that make this time of year even better.

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April 16, 2018 0 Comments

4 Summer Activities for Kids

Summer is coming up quickly! It’s getting warmer and pretty soon, the kids will be home for summer break.  While it’s obvious that the pool, having friends over, and local sports are great activities for this time of year, what else can your kids do during their time off?

We’ve compiled a few ideas that can be inexpensive fun for your kids this summer!

Get creative

You don’t have to do crafts to be creative! The summer months are often spent outside, but once in a while, you’ll encounter a rainy or just “too hot” day.  This is a great time to get creative!

Look up some new recipes and bake or cook something fun with your kid, like their own pizza dough for individual pizzas! You can also bake play items such as homemade play dough and slime.  Other crafts can include painting pottery and creating jewelry. Exercise their minds by planning creative activities that get them thinking and participating!

Another option is to make a stand, such as a lemonade, Kool-Aid or popsicle stand.  This can be a fun craft that takes a few days or weeks to complete, and also teaches your kids about money and sales.  Teach them how to run the stand, create it, and what they need to be successful. It’s not only a good way to spend time, but also includes teachable moments.

Get in nature

This is the time to be outside! Barring those really hot and rainy days, kids benefit from a lot of time in nature.  While the local pool is a great option beyond the iPad, being in true nature is also something to strive for this summer.

There’s everything from camping, the local trails, swimming at the beach (if it’s nearby), and much more.  Let your kids explore and get dirty! Look up local paths and trails that lead to hidden places in your area.

Another great way to expose your kids to the more natural life is to garden.  Have them participate in the planting of trees, veggies, or flowers. Most kids love to get involved in this type of activity!

Free local activities

Local websites will often list free activities! During the summer, local attractions like museums, zoos, art galleries, splash pads, and small amusement parks will have free days, afternoons, or discounted days.

This is a great way to save money while still indulging in the fun! Look into these options a few weeks in advance and make plans to meet up.

Learn something new

Just because school is out doesn’t mean that your kids can’t be learning! Whether you want to teach your young child to read over the summer, or teach your 10-year-old how to throw a football, this is a great time to introduce new skills.

Additionally, there are beginner language courses via phone, TV or computer, or you can teach them yourself, if you have the time! Create flashcards and make it a fun, family-friendly immersive experience to learn a new language over the summer.

Summer doesn’t need to become a second school year, but you can foster new skills and interests during the break.  This way, they’ll go back to school having expanded their knowledge and used their brain!

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April 2, 2018 0 Comments

3 Social Life Tips for Work From Home Parents

Working from home provides more flexibility and time with family and friends, but it can also be isolating if you’re not careful.

When work is home and home is work, you can easily fall into the habit of rarely leaving the house, or rarely being social.  If you’re a parent, the issue can be compounded by a lack of time. Although it can be difficult, making time to be social is a very important component in your quality of life.  Read along for some tips to stay social as a work from home parent!

Involve the kids

Not all social events have to be kid-free! Especially if your kids are very, very young or a bit older, this can be a great option.  You can set up fun play dates for your kids while you and your friend(s) grab a cup of coffee or take a walk.

Set up an afternoon in the park while the kids play on the playground and enjoy time chatting with the other moms.

Make it a date

Create a standing date! Set up weekly or monthly time with girlfriends or a group, and make it non-negotiable.  A social life can truly make the difference between happiness and feeling isolated and lonely, so it needs to be a priority.

Your spouse, whether they work in a traditional office or not, will also need some time to socialize.  If you watch the kids on Monday night, maybe they can do the same on Thursday evening. It’s important to trade off so you’re both doing things that bring you happiness and socialization.

Additionally, social events don’t need to be all day.  You can take a few hours to attend a happy hour with a friend, walk a few loops around the block while you chat, or simply meet in a park for an hour.  The goal is to socialize on a consistent basis; it doesn’t need to be extensive or expensive.

Create your own group

If you don’t have many friends or aren’t finding the right groups in your area, create your own! Sites such as Meetup.com allow you to create a custom group.  You might set one up based on a certain age group, hobby or common interest, or make it for moms only.

When you create your group, you get the added benefit of choosing the activities you love to do.  You’ll meet like-minded people who likely share a similar lifestyle and enjoy doing the same things.

Being social as a work from home parent may take a little bit of work, but once you create a schedule that works for you and your family, it can become something you truly look forward to.  Create the social experiences that interest you and work for you and your family!

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March 19, 2018 0 Comments

4 Resources for Remote Teams

Successfully managing remote teams is becoming more necessary as telecommute jobs are more widely available.  There are countless tools and options to make this possible, and we’ve narrowed down some of our favorite options.

Whether you’re looking to track time, communicate with your team, or send professional invoices and billing notes, we have something for you!

Slack

Slack is a great communication and messaging tool that keeps everything in one place.  According to Creative Boom, with Slack you can “hold conversations that are open to others or private; organize and prioritize conversations based on topic or project; share files; connect up your favorite tools; search the archives later” and more.

It also integrates with several other productivity products and allows your workflow process to be more streamlined.

Google Drive

Google Drive offers everything you need to communicate! You can create documents via Google Docs, spreadsheets via Google Sheets, forms via Google Forms, slideshows through Google Slides, and so on.  It also automatically saves and updates, so you can make changes in real time with your team.

You can search for and share files, create folders, and generally work together on projects as they’re happening.  Google Drive offers “online storage, so you can keep photos, stories, designs, drawings, recordings, videos – anything,” according to their website.

The first 15GB of storage is free, then goes to $1.99 per month for 100GB.

Moon Invoice

Moon Invoice is a simple billing and invoice tool that lets you complete tasks such as businesses accounting, estimates, purchases, payment reminders, and so on.

According to their site, “Not only you could add and manage multiple business but you can also create unlimited invoices.  Irrespective of the nature of business, whether you are trying to simplify the complex business model and process, maintain databases, remove errors and simultaneously increase the efficiency online invoicing, Moon Invoice lets you do it all effortlessly.”

Moon Invoice offers a free trial and then costs $14.99 to purchase with unlimited invoices.

For Windows: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/moon-invoice/9wzdncrdchr8

For Mac: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moon-invoice-easy-invoicing/id1109397812?mt=12

Basecamp

Basecamp is a great tool for teams, and it comes with many features.  It’s a great project and client management tool that offers messaging, to-do lists, schedules, file storage, document storage, chat, and more.  You can share information with your team and/or your clients, and it keeps everything in one convenient location.

You can also sync it with Google Docs, so if you want to take notes in a separate location, it can all be stored in Basecamp in the end.

If you’re looking for more tools with helpful descriptions, check out this comprehensive list from Creative Boom.

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