The WAHM's New Year
By Gina Ritter
There are indeed two New Year celebrations in the world of a
work-at-home mom (WAHM). We celebrate the calendar New Year with
millions of others on January first, but we also celebrate the
end of summer and the new beginning that a school year brings
us.
Many of us found time to work a bit during summer, but it's
not quite the same. Unless you're homeschooling or your children
are not yet in school, your power is restored and so is your
faith in humanity, sometime between mid-August or September when
those wonderful beasts have returned to their teachers.
"Freedom!" you
cry as you head back to your computer, desk and phone.
The house is quiet, the air is fresh and it's just you and your
coffee each and every morning. You don't have to duck flying
toys, break up squabbles or pick up after the kids ten times
a day. You're alone. You're free to work. You can't wait to get
started. And then you may realize, you just don't know how to
get into the groove again.
Don't let it throw you off kilter, ladies! Try these tricks
for regaining a stable work-at-home environment and easing into
productivity once again.
Begin your WAHM's New Year celebration with a few days off!
You've fought tooth and nail for this time all summer. You now
have nearly nine months to be productive. Take some time to transition
back into work by thinking about your direction, cleaning up
around the office area and mentally preparing yourself for work.
Make lists and goal sheets
Make lists of everything you need to do to get back on track.
Don't overwhelm yourself with three full notepads, but do make
some initial notes on direction and order. No one says you must
complete the lists just as they're written, but they will help
organize and motivate you.
Stop in to your most valuable business networks and speak with
old clients
Go say hello to all of your networking friends and contact old
clients. Catch up on recent updates and let them know you'll
be back in approximately a week's time and would like to hear
from them then. Give yourself that week or two to begin your
work again so you're not immediately overwhelmed.
Make sure you have some white noise or low background noise
Does the radio work? You
may need to have something playing in the next room, or the
light buzz of a fan or other "white
noise" to help you get into the WAHM's New Year groove.
If you've suddenly gone from disruptive house to peace and quiet,
you may need a little more disruption initially to ease your
transition.
Review the notes you made before summer
Take a look at where you were and where you're headed. Review
your notes and files on your business and clients. This is a
very important exercise to not only get you back into business
mode, but also to evaluate where you were headed last June and
where you'll be headed now. Take the time to sort them, rewrite
pages with holes in data, research any information you need and
be sure questions get answered now.
Study your competition
Take a look at businesses like yours. See what they're doing
that you should be, and what you can do better. This is very
important to every business. You don't want to be the same as
your competitors, but you need to know what's working for them
and do it better, wiser, faster and more reliably.
Bone up on business
Grab a business book and get to it! There's nothing more motivating
than reading a great business book or magazine like Entrepreneur.
Run to the library or to your own bookshelf and take a few hours
or a few days to sift through business materials, take notes,
get ideas, educate yourself and give your business a great kick
for fall!
Update your website and written materials
Make sure everything is fresh, updated and ready for immediate
delivery to old and new clients. Check out your media kit for
necessary updates, or put together a new one. Your newsletter
should also be evaluated for any necessary changes to stay up-to-date
and in the running with competitors. Should you change to HTML?
Change tactics for sign-ups?
Replenish your supplies and stock
Take a look at any office supplies, business cards, brochures
or other supplies that are running low. Don't forget to review
your in-stock product inventory, contact suppliers and line up
new shipments. Stock up now so you're not left in the lurch later.
The holidays are coming and your suppliers will appreciate an
early heads-up as much as you would appreciate fast delivery.
Start marketing immediately
Make your plans for the marketing year and get started immediately.
Advertising picks up in August and September as kids go back
to school, businesses start working again and parents start going
online for services more than during the busy summers. Next year,
line up your ad choices and marketing as much as possible before
summer so that you're first in line in the fall.
There are many more ideas you can use to help ease back into
work effortlessly. Above all, for your WAHM's New Year celebration,
resolve to take care of yourself as well as your business and
your family. Take a few days off from the Internet and computer
work in the very beginning and every month or two. Use the days
for planning and evaluating. You deserve it and your business
will prosper.
Gina Ritter is a WAHM of three boys under eight years old and
works from home as a freelance writer and owner of idEnterprises,
a group of businesses she began while training as a Personal
Life Coach. One of her greatest accomplishments is the idEnterprises
toddler, Busy Parents Online Magazine, at http://www.busyparentsonline.com
