During a recent call with fellow women business leaders, I asked if I could help address anything they were hearing about from their female clients or social media followers. One of the women in the group commented that she’s getting questions from her senior level female clients about how to make sure we can take advantage of opportunities when we’re not seen each day. I decided to write 5 tips to help you take advantage of more opportunities and become more visible when you’re working from home.
I loved this topic suggestion. After all, part of work-life balance is maximizing your time and effort so that you get to jump on opportunities.
Get support at home
It seems like there are more conversations about missing opportunities coming from the working moms who have started working remotely. Let’s face it, moms are usually doing more of the caregiving at home, especially for distance learning/homeschooling or taking care of kids in general.
If you want a shift so that childcare doesn’t sit only on your shoulders, make sure you’re asking for the help. It starts with your significant other, but it also includes outsourcing. You can hire grocery shopping, have a housekeeper clean your house, hire someone to help with specific duties like cooking or laundry. It might look at little bit different right now but outsourcing is still doable. Be creative with your solutions.
Create structure and a routine
Plan your time for the week and each night for the next day. Compare your schedules and plan with your significant other so you can be better partners. Choose what you’ll wear the night before. Have kids do the same. Create as much structure as you can. Proactively deal with what would be interruptions in your day (e.g., snacks and lunch for you, your spouse, and your kids) when you get up instead of throughout the day. Organize things so that kids can self-serve where possible. Let the things that would be your natural routine and habits not take up valuable mental space for getting work done. Yep, you guessed it, you must aim to maximize your time.
Create and maintain boundaries
It might seem counterintuitive for boundaries to help you take advantage of more opportunities, so hear me out. It’s hard to say yes to something that really matters to you and can move your career along when you simply don’t have time. Say no to some things so you can say yes to the things that can make a difference for you and your career. Be aware of your time and your obligations. Be present in all the areas of your life, especially with your loved ones.
And don’t be afraid to walk away from your computer. Taking a break each night from your work and from technology in general will make you more productive. Think about it this way. When you’ve worked on something for days, weeks, or months, you stop finding mistakes. When you step away for a while and then re-engage, you start to find mistakes again. You start to improve your work again.
You need that time away from work, even though you might have the fear of missing out (FOMO). I recently shared a post on boundaries when working from home that might help if this is an area you struggle with.
Develop an expertise
What are you known for? If you’re known for something, people seek you out. Continue to build on your areas of expertise now. Speak up in meetings to share your knowledge when it makes sense. Add value during conversations. Share what you’re working on or what you’ve uncovered. If you’re shy about doing this, highlight what others are doing while you talk about your projects and findings (that way it’s not just about you).
Look for opportunities to share your knowledge internally and on social media, a podcast, or in publications (understand company policy on external sharing first). Take the initiative to write a white paper. There isn’t a deadline for most of these opportunities, so you can take your time. You want to be of value so that people inside and outside of your company seek you out. That can go a long way to being sought out.
Richard Medcalf shared thoughts on gaining influence on a recent How to be Awesome at your Job podcast interview. He talked about the time and space needed to do deep work as you aim to increase your influence. You need these as you develop an expertise as well. This is part of the reason why creating structure and a routine to maximize your time really help.
Relationships, relationships, relationships
Part of your ability to become more visible is by people knowing you. It’s hard to be known for an expertise if people don’t know you. You might be thinking that you want your work to speak for you, but you can’t assume that is the case. You want people to seek you out, right? Instead of having to find time to do these in-person, you can now focus on building your network online from your home.
If you don’t have a networking plan, know that it can be helpful. Network strategically. Set goals for who you want to meet and speak with. Follow up with them after a meeting to get to know the better. Follow them online and comment on their posts. Share articles or resources you think they might find helpful and explain why you’re sending the information his/her way. Ask how you can help with what he/she is working on. Combine building relationships with being of value and you’re unstoppable.
For those in a situation where your employer has laid people off, make sure to stay connected to those who have been laid off. And get to know people you’re starting to work with. And also remember that reconnecting with people in your network who you haven’t talked to in a while can be really beneficial. Those people who you don’t talk to every day can connect you to new opportunities.
If building your network is something you struggle with, I wrote about building your tribe in February. Check out that post to help you get new ideas. Networking is the #1 tip that working moms I interviewed for my two books shared. It’s incredibly important for those looking for more work-life balance because who you know is as important as what you know or do.
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Now that I’ve shared my 5 tips to help you take advantage of more opportunities when you’re working from home, I’d love to know what’s helping you. Or what things are you going to change? What other questions do you have? How can I help?
Looking for more tips and ideas to maximize your time or network smarter? Grab your copy of The Mompowerment Guide to Work-life Balance on Amazon today. Get loads of tips, insights, and advice, based on my own experience and research as well as interviews with 110+ professional working moms like you. You can start making changes and take action.
