As an Amazon entrepreneur, you can work just about anywhere. It’s one of the major perks. But being a digital nomad doesn’t always mean sprawling out on a beach in between emails and Zoom meetings… and that was before the pandemic.
If this wasn’t quite what you had in mind when you signed up for location freedom, Titan Leader (and one of our founding Ladies of Titan) Kata Phipps has some top tips to keep entrepreneurs, who happen to be Moms, sane in these challenging times.
The facts: Over 90% of women feel guilty for leaving their families to engage in some form of work. Over the past year, men joined the mix, now having to experience the “guilt” of being home yet not being “available” due to remote work.
Now you have new “colleagues” at home, and they are NEEDY.
Many children around the world have been learning from home since the arrival of Covid-19. Now you are officially a lunch caterer, their office admins, their therapists and assistants. Kids are like mini executives, welcome to “every day is a Monday”. But there are things you can do to make the transition a little easier.
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A combination of measures such as good planning, structure, creativity, and flexibility can all help you create an environment in which everyone can fulfill their obligations – while maintaining family harmony.
With a house full of kids and working parents, it’s important to be realistic about your working situation and the willpower it will take to succeed – that means taking time to explain what’s happening to everyone, kids included. You'll be surprised at how much they can understand and help if given the chance.
But when it comes to your timetable, understand that the situation has changed. Create a daily plan for the entire family that includes work and school schedules, and make it easily visible to everyone. By doing so you take anxiety and boredom away as everyone knows what’s happening and when… it’s in the schedule. Bye endless questions!
Nobody can fully tend to all the needs that arise with lockdowns whilst navigating their first attempts at home-schooling, monitoring headlines for the latest developments, worrying about relatives, and figuring out the best way to keep the kitchen cupboards stocked.
Yet too much multitasking - like trying to work and oversee homework at the same time - can reduce a person’s ability to focus on a specific task. Creating windows for productivity is one option; if you have the help of a partner, divide up the day into blocks that give each one space away from the children at a time.
Don’t let social media make you feel forced to be more creative or finish that special project. Those craft supplies have lived in a cupboard for years for a reason, now truly isn’t the time to papier mache that old cabinet. I mean; come on, let’s set realistic goals for both the home and work parts of your life, and don’t be afraid to let things that matter less slide away. Save less urgent work such as answering emails for times when you pretend to watch those boring cartoons with your children, so you are not distracted when adding up numbers for your next inventory order.
Working adults with children have been given a rare opportunity to take a break and experience recess and playtime with their kids but it will pass, and we don’t want to regret the days when we could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. Avoid judging yourself. If you don’t reinvent the wheel during lockdown that’s totally fine. Just tucking those cranky colleagues into bed each night is an accomplishment. And it should feel like it.
Find achievements that help to ease the guilt of working duties and print a reminder of these if you need to. In fact, ask your children to remind you of these, and let them come up with things that Mom does great at.
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Kata Phipps is a Chilean-come-British clinical psychologist who traveled the world accompanying her military husband, until coffee mornings didn’t quite fit the life vision she had in mind. After mastering several fancy letters to follow my name in the academic world she decided to translate those skills into the e-commerce jungle, allowing her to change her life completely in just 10 months. She is now a multi 7 figure seller, multi-brand owner-entrepreneur in the Amazon world, a Titan Network Leader and a mother of two.
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