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7 Tips for Balancing Motherhood with a New Career

Motherhood can be a demanding vocation for many, but it’s also one that instills moms with great passion and purpose. A mom will always find it amazing to see their little ones enjoy life and explore who they’re meant to be. Moms also love being around to see their kids reach important milestones, whether it’s their first crawl, their first time standing up, or their first time to hear their baby say “Mama.” 

But being present in a child’s life and being able to meet one’s family obligations both take time and commitment. Achieving these can be doubly challenging if you want to have your own career on top of being a mother and a partner. Knowing that you have dreams and ambitions just like everyone else, how can you balance your professional development with the duties of motherhood? 

Whether you’re looking at prospects for job hiring in Manila or in another city, here are seven useful tips for juggling motherhood and a new career and ultimately achieving work-life balance for yourself, your partner, and your kids: 

1) Establish Clear Boundaries 

Setting boundaries is crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy balance between your career and your responsibilities as a mother. Clearly define the times when you’re committed to work versus the times dedicated to your family. For example, early mornings and evenings can be set aside for enjoying meals and catching up with your family, while the usual 9-to-5 can be relegated towards work commitments. 

Communicate these boundaries to your employer, colleagues, and family members. This lets them all understand and respect your designated time for both aspects of your life. Setting these boundaries will allow you to feel less burned out and be fully present in whichever role you’re fulfilling at the moment.

2) Practice Effective Time Management

Effective time management empowers you to be productive at work while still having space for important moments with your loved ones. It also ensures that you’re devoting adequate time to work, family activities, and self-care. 

Mastering time management is crucial to successfully balancing motherhood and a new career, like in content marketing, finance, or virtual assistance. To help you manage your time effectively, you can use tools such as calendars, to-do lists, and mobile apps as well as practice time-blocking techniques to allocate specific time slots for different tasks. 

3) Leverage Flexible Work Arrangements

If your company offers flexible work arrangements, take advantage of them from the get-go. Flexible hours and work-from-home (WFH) setups will give you the freedom to adjust your schedule based on your family’s needs. Such arrangements also ensure that you’ll have time to attend your child’s school events and doctor’s appointments, as well as other family commitments, without neglecting your professional responsibilities. Moreover, it’ll be easier for you to begin practicing work-life balance that honors your lifestyle as both a mother and career woman.

4) Delegate Your Tasks and Seek Support for Both Your Work and Your Family Life

Mothers eventually become experts at multitasking and handling a lot of responsibilities, both at home and at work. But although you’ll always have a lot on your plate, remember that you don’t have to carry it all alone. It might go against your nature, especially if you’re always used to personally taking charge, but asking for help will allow you to free up time and mental space to focus on your career goals and be present for your family. 

At home, enlist the support of your partner or family members to share household responsibilities. At work, on the other hand, consider collaborating with your colleagues and delegate tasks when appropriate. If you work solo, weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing some of your work and hiring freelancers to help you meet your targets. 

5) Get into the Habit of Open Communication

Effective communication is key in both your career and in motherhood. Keep the lines of communication open with your employer and colleagues about your responsibilities as a mother. Discuss your needs, challenges, and potential adjustments that you can make to your workflow to support your efforts in balancing both roles effectively. Being transparent and proactive with the people you work with will foster trust and collaboration among you all, leading to a more supportive work environment.

6) Focus on Quality Time with Your Kids

You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice a large chunk of your time to create lasting memories with your children. What’s more important for your little one is for you to be fully in the moment when you need to be. Prioritize quality interactions with your kids, which they’ll appreciate as they get older. Avoid thinking about work or bringing work into the picture when you read a bedtime story, play games, or have heart-to-heart conversations with your kids so that both of you can concentrate on strengthening your parent-child bond. 

7) Dedicate Time Exclusively to Taking Care of Yourself

Lastly, as a busy mama, you should never forget to set aside time for yourself. Though your fast-paced and other-oriented lifestyle may make it difficult to do at first, make it a point to honor your wants and needs. 

Whether it’s engaging in regular exercise, practicing mindfulness, pursuing creative hobbies, or simply catching up on your favorite movies and TV shows, this time spent nurturing your own well-being will be very important for living both a productive and well-rounded life as a mom and career woman.  

As a working mom, you’ll encounter various obstacles in both your professional and family life that may make it tempting to give up. But once you get into the habit of adapting, finding the right accommodations, and asking for the support you need, it will be like second nature for you to practice being yourself, a mom, and a breadwinner for your family all at once. Good luck, and here’s to your success in multiple important chapters in your career and family life!

5 Types of Business Solutions for Busy Mompreneurs

Being a mom and a successful entrepreneur at the same time is no easy feat. It can be difficult to balance the responsibilities of running a small business while also managing a household and taking care of kids. Because of how strenuous such a one-woman job can be, you’ll need the right strategies and the most efficient tools to have an easy, but more productive time as a mompreneur. 

Luckily enough, there are several business solutions available today that the modern mompreneur can use to her advantage. From banking and payment solutions to productivity tools, these resources can help a mom stay on top of her entrepreneurial duties by streamlining business operations, enhancing customer experience, and optimizing productivity for both Mom and her staff. 

Let’s take a look at the business solutions that can empower you as a Filipino mompreneur:

Online Business Banking for More Streamlined Finances

Managing finances is a crucial aspect of any business, and for a busy mompreneur like you, time is a precious commodity. Banking solutions like that of Maya Business will eliminate your need to visit a physical banking branch and do all your business banking online. Through today’s online commercial banking solutions, you’ll be able to do almost everything you’d do at a commercial bank, from accessing your account to paying all of your business suppliers in one go. Best of all, you can complete various business banking transactions anywhere and anytime, as long as you’re connected to the internet. 

Some examples of features you can expect on a modern online business banking platform include the following: 

  • Seamless integration with payment links to receive customers’ payments
  • A system for generating and managing invoice payments
  • Simplified and more accurate bookkeeping processes
  • Tighter security and privacy protocols, such as encryption and two-factor authentication, to protect both your funds and your financial data

With the ability to monitor and complete key transactions from your account using just your phone or computer, you’ll be able to attend to the financial needs of your business while still having enough time and energy for your family. 

Today, the business banking Philippines landscape features financial technology or fintech solutions for all types of businesses, which levels the playing field—online and off—for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). If you’re a mompreneur whose business falls under this category, it won’t be hard for you to find a wealth of up-to-the-minute business banking solutions. It will just be a matter of choosing the right one for your needs and the nature of your business. 

Time Management Solutions with Productivity Apps and Tools

Every mompreneur should become a master of time management given the many business- and family-related tasks she has to handle. Thankfully, there are numerous productivity apps and tools available to mompreneurs to help them optimize their hectic schedules. 

Task management and organization apps allow mompreneurs to create to-do lists, set reminders, and track progress efficiently. Meanwhile, calendar and scheduling apps like Google Calendar (which I personally use!), will be a tremendous help when it comes to planning and managing appointments, meetings, and deadlines. Also, one of the time wasters for a mompreneur is encoding receipts to compute and prepare their tax forms and falling in line to file and pay for Philippine taxes. I use Taxumo so that I can do all of these in the comfort of my own home.

Lastly, collaboration and communication tools like video conferencing apps and virtual boards will prove crucial to mompreneurs that manage teams, as these can foster good teamwork and efficient communication practices among team members.  

When you incorporate them into your workflow, these productivity apps and tools may prove to be a boon for both your business and your family life. On top of helping you efficiently manage your time, they’ll boost both your individual and collective productivity and reduce the day-to-day stresses of running your own business while being a parent.

Automated Solutions on E-commerce Platforms

If you’re looking to expand your reach and automate your operations, consider running your business from an e-commerce platform. These platforms will provide you with a user-friendly interface for setting up your own online store and automating the following, among others: 

  • Invoicing for customer payments
  • Inventory management for your existing stocks
  • Payment processing for a variety of payment methods
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) processes like tracking points for loyalty programs

As a mom running your own ecommerce business, pay special attention to the payment gateways and checkout plugins that you install on your website. Ensure that your checkout process is fast and simple and that your customers have lots of options for completing payments, which will surely entice them to return to your e-commerce store. 

Social Media and Content Strategy Solutions for Digital Marketing

Digital marketing plays a vital role in enhancing any brand’s visibility and engaging with the brand’s customers. The same goes for the business you now run as a mompreneur. Mastery over social media and content strategy tools will allow you to properly showcase your products or services, make your mark on your target audience, and build a community around your unique mompreneur brand.

Do remember, however, that it’s not as easy to make a name for yourself on social media as influencers make it seem. You have to be strategic about your content plan and create valuable and engaging content that truly resonates with your customers. 

That said, Filipino mompreneurs who have embraced digital marketing have seen remarkable growth in their businesses, thanks to the power of social media and well-executed content strategies that hit the right notes with followers.

Outsourcing Solutions with Virtual Assistants and Freelancers

A busy mompreneur should recognize that she doesn’t have to do it all alone. If you’re working solo and have found yourself overwhelmed with the number of things you need to do, remember that it’s an option to outsource your work to eligible individuals. Working with virtual assistants and freelancers can significantly lighten your workload and free up valuable time to spend with your family. From administrative tasks to content creation and customer support, there’s a wide range of tasks that you can entrust to skilled professionals. 

You can explore platforms like Upwork and Freelancer to tap a large pool of talented freelancers and virtual assistants and hire one who’s a good fit for your business. By outsourcing some of your tasks, you may find yourself better equipped to focus on your core business activities and achieve better work-life balance.

Filipino mompreneurs will weather all sorts of challenges in their lives, but they’ll also be able to harness some incredible opportunities. Mompreneurs will find a unique sense of fulfillment, for example, in providing not just for their families, but also for their employees. As an entrepreneur and not a rank-and-file employee, you can also take control of your time and choose to be with your family whenever you want to. 

Thanks to the innovative solutions listed above, you’ll be able to manage your time wisely, stay on top of various business- and family-related needs, and fulfill your calling as both a professional and as a parent. Thrive as a mompreneur in the digital age, and make good use of the business solutions currently available to you. 

Love Learning with These Online Learning Tools from Globe

From self-care courses to mind-blowing science experiments, exploring South Africa’s wild reserves to learning important life skills—all these can now be done by kids and adults alike using their gadgets and Globe’s new learning partners.

As part of its Globe for Education campaign, “Tuloy ang Edukasyon, Tuloy ang Pag-asa,” the telco giant is bringing new learning opportunities within reach of every Filipino home with discounted subscriptions to educational platforms, Da Vinci Kids and upskillist, to make education both a worthwhile and rewarding recreational activity for all.

Create, experiment, and explore with Da Vinci Kids

Families can create meaningful moments with Da Vinci Kids’ impressive collection of unique educational shows and games that offer a wealth of knowledge and discovery to children for only 169 pesos every month when they subscribe through GCash or the GlobeOne app.

A family-oriented learning app available on both mobile and TV, Da Vinci Kids offers thousands of award-winning TV shows, videos, and games designed to capture your imagination, including fun DIY experiments and challenging quizzes, covering a wide range of topics, from STEM to soft skills and social emotional learning.

Da Vinci Kids offers more than 200 games developed by academics that are designed to encourage kids to develop their creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and memory skills.

Its most popular shows include “Marvelous Makes,” an original production that lets children discover the joys of creating things with simple household items; “My Petsaurus,” which follows the adventures of a seven-year-old named Chloe taking care of her troublesome pet triceratops; and “Darwin & Newts,” a show about two siblings who love to explore the outdoors and find out how things work.

Upgrade skills, discover new passions with upskillist

Meanwhile, adults with a constant thirst for learning have over a hundred certification courses at their fingertips through upskillist, a global online education institution formerly known as Shaw Academy.

Globe customers can enjoy upskillist’s extensive catalogue of courses on almost anything to feed a new passion or upgrade a skill for career advancement—from candle making to fashion design, photography to blogging, cryptocurrency to crystal healing—all available at a special subscription fee of P849 for 3 months via GCash and the GlobeOne app.

upskillist also offers a space for those who want to learn more about taking care of their wellness with its wide range of self-care courses taught by expert instructors. Among these wellness-related courses include mindfulness and meditation, yoga, pilates, meal planning and building resilience.

Globe Platinum and Postpaid subscribers can avail these exclusive GCash offers on GLife by heading to the Shop Lifestyle Daily Deals section, while Globe Prepaid customers can use the GlobeOne app to access Da Vinci Kids and upskillist’s extensive collection of educational materials.

Globe has been at the forefront of creating resilience in education and promoting 21st century learning through various initiatives that provide both educators and students enough support to ease learning disruptions and get education back on track.

Through its Globe for Education campaign, it seeks to create more spaces for learning and give every Filipino a greater chance to access quality education.

To learn more about Globe’s initiatives and offers for education, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/learning.html

Top Tips for Working More Efficiently at Home

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

Whether you work remotely for a company, or you are running your own business from home, working more efficiently can make your day better and give you more time to focus on things that are important to you. One of the biggest factors that can slow down your work is your laptop or mac. When you first purchased your laptop, it probably ran fast and smoothly. Over time, its performance and speed will slow down. From slowly opening programs to not having enough space to download any files, it can become frustrating and impact your work.

Making some simple changes to your device will significantly improve your efficiency and the way you work. 

Here are some of the best ways to improve your laptop performance and efficiency. 

#1 Free up space 

Freeing up space on your device can be one of the most helpful things that you do. Even if you don’t need to download files on a regular basis, your device will still need empty space available on the device for virtual memory, to perform tasks and run programs. You must aim for completely clean MacBook storage. Start by removing any old programs and files that you don’t need, delete any temporary files and uninstall any unnecessary or unwanted software. 

#2 Check your device for malware 

Sometimes your device might not be running efficiently due to a virus, adware, spyware or another malicious software or program. This can take up a lot of space, and use a lot of resources on your device, as well as put your security at risk. You should regularly check your device for malware by running a virus or threat protection check in the settings, to ensure your device is running as best as it can. You should also download anti-virus and anti-malware on your device. These steps will keep your device running efficiently, and ensure you do not hit any costly or detrimental disruptions later down the line, that may stop you from being able to work altogether. 

#3 Service your laptop 

You should get regular service on your device, especially if you use it every day. You can do this yourself by watching YouTube tutorials by professionals. Alternatively, you can find a reputable company that can service your device for you. This service will increase the speed and performance of your laptop, by making sure everything is running properly. A service will focus on the hardware, rather than the software. When dust and debris build up on your device, it can impact its performance. All the parts of your device, including the circuit board and other components that sit inside, require cleaning at some point. If you choose to service your laptop yourself, make sure you are careful and put everything back properly. You should also try to avoid eating in your workspace to reduce the crumbs that fall into your device and keep your workspace clean. 

#4 Regularly reboot your device 

When you regularly lock your device or reboot it, you are providing it with the chance to improve its performance automatically. During this time, your device will fix any bugs, reduce memory leaks, and flush the RAM. If you don’t have anything of importance on your laptop, you may also consider the option of resetting your laptop. Over the years, you may have built up many files and programs that you don’t want or need. A reset is quick and will get rid of all the files, and set it back to the way it was when you first purchased it. 

#5 Increase the Random-access memory (RAM) 

RAM is the short term memory of your device. While you might not be downloading a file during your workday, the RAM is used to process all the tasks you are working on. Without RAM or a sufficient amount of RAM, your programs or any activity to try to do on your device, will not work. It works by reading files, temporarily storing them for you to use, and loading applications. Depending on what you do for work, will dictate how much RAM your device requires. For example, if you just use your laptop for basic activities, then 4GB of RAM should be sufficient. If you are running bigger and more demanding programs, for activities such as programming, graphic design, or gaming, then you will need 8GB of RAM or more. Review the tasks that you complete regularly, and consider if increasing the RAM will help your device run more efficiently. 

An efficient workday heavily relies on the performance of your laptop or mac. Follow these top tips to help you improve your working day. 

Woman in Business While Being A New Mom

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

Being a woman in business has never been easy. We’ve had to fight for the right to work in the first place, fight for safe working spaces that are free from sexual harassment, fight for equal pay, and fight for respect. The fight for true equality in business may be far from over, but with more than 9 million businesses in the US now owned by women and more women opening businesses than men in the Philippines (*Philippine Statistics Authority report), we have made undeniable progress and have forged a path for future generations of women to follow. 

When it comes to business women there’s always one topic that recurs time after time – how do women balance the running of their business with being a mom and a parent?

The reason why this topic comes up so often is that being a mom and a parent can be hard, but just because it is hard, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. After 9 months of pregnancy, the experiences of childbirth, and surviving the first few months caring for a newborn baby, women aren’t in the same position as men when it comes to jumping back to work, but these differences don’t make us any weaker than our male counterparts, no, in fact, our ability to overcome our biological differences makes us stronger. So if you are currently feeling overwhelmed as a new parent but are rearing to get back to your business, then here are some tips to help you balance things as a new mom. 

Give yourself some support

As a woman in business, there can often be this overriding feeling that we need to prove ourselves, leading us to try to do too much. You may be a supermom, but even superheroes have “back-ups”. Make sure that you put some support in place to help you with your workload at home and at work. This could be having a family member or friend help you with childcare, utilizing a cleaner so that it’s one less thing on your mind, using a recipe box service so that you and your partner need not worry about grocery shopping or dinner, or even outsourcing some of your simple work tasks so that you can focus on the ones that matter most. Using the services of a virtual headquarters or virtual office, sometimes abbreviated to a VHQ, can be a great way to free up your time, handling your incoming phone calls and screening them so that you only need to speak to the people that matter. 

Outsourcing is one of those things that needs to become habit, as it is impossible to do it all yourself. And while you may feel that you want to put your own personal stamp on it, the lesson that outsourcing can be a way to save your sanity needs to come first. Whether you need custom labels that communicates a rustic feel or you want to personalize your emails more, there are ways and means to outsource this to people who actually have the time to do it!

Schedule in time to just be a mom 

When you own a business, it can be very difficult to switch off, putting pressure on your mental health and potentially impeding the valuable time that you have as a family. Many new moms feel guilty about going back to work, so to give your brain a rest and to allow you to just focus on being a mom, try scheduling in some time each day for you to switch off from work, put your phone down and enjoy the unadulterated pleasures of being a mom.

If you are working from the office, then this could mean scheduling time in the mornings and evenings, but if you are working remotely then you have more flexibility to schedule in family time throughout the day. By scheduling in free-family time, you will begin to feel less guilty about the time you spend at work and will start to feel as though you are achieving a more realistic sense of balance. 

Don’t be afraid to allow your family and business lives to mix 

Although scheduling separate time for family and business is very important, you shouldn’t be afraid to let the two mix. With more women in business than ever and antiquated attitudes to business changing, it is now more widely accepted that family and business sometimes have to mix. If you can’t schedule childcare and have an internal meeting, make it known that your child will be joining you for the call, let them see you in action as a businesswoman and not just as a mom. If you need to travel for work, then so long as you are able to, then there is nothing stopping you from taking your child with you for the trip. Many clients like to see a family-friendly attitude within the businesses they choose to work with, so embrace the fact that you are both a mom and a businesswoman, and don’t feel as though having children is ever something you need to hide. 

So there you have it – a few tips to help you in the first few months of life as a mom and a woman in business. Balancing being a mom and a businesswoman may not be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.