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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

 

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