Today we bring you a really interesting interview with another of our valued team members – Shirley chats with our New Business Developer, Natalie Hans, who shares with us some great advice on how she has stayed on track with her professional goals while taking care of a little one as a single mom.
As you know, our aim is to bring forward each and every one of our team members to offer you a wide range of advice and motivation, from our family to yours!
What is the most important thing that you have learnt in the last 9 weeks of lockdown?
Use your calendar! It is really important to plan in this new way of life. Previously it was easy to just roll out of bed and go with the flow but under these new circumstances it is incredibly easy to lose touch with reality and fall behind on your work. It’s really been valuable to plan out each day with specific time slots for each and every activity, be it personal or work-related.
There are a range of new challenges in working from home, not least of all, taking care of my son throughout the day. I have found that getting up earlier is a helpful trick. This allows me to sort my little one out before the work day gets started. I then also plan to take breaks at specific times during the day to spend time with him, balancing family and work responsibilities.
How will this impact the way you look at life and work going forward?
I’d like to take two major lessons with me going forward. The first being gratitude – There are so many people who are not able to keep working and providing for their families during this time and I feel it’s important to remember how fortunate I am to be able to do so.
The second thing I’ve learnt is that balance is key. I like to set out a plan for each week on a Sunday evening and try my best to follow this plan. This involves thinking about all the things I’d like to achieve and slotting them in depending on factors like how much noise there is in the house and finding constructive ways in which I can keep my son busy.
What are the top 3 things you think we should have in place in order to keep going?
- Be thankful for everything you have. This lockdown can be very overwhelming and depressing and it’s important to be grateful for everything you have in life.
- Practice positive self-talk to boost your gratitude too. As a part of my morning routine, I like to think of 3 to 5 things that I am thankful for everyday. This helps me to start the day off feeling motivated and positive.
- Put some time and effort into your planning and be sure to set goals for yourself which are realistic and attainable in all areas of your life. Remember that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Without this direction it’s very easy to become depressed and negative.
It’s really important to align your personal goals and your professional goals too!
Do you have any words of encouragement for everyone out there?
Remember that the only constant in life is change and know the value in being adaptable. When we adopt a more flexible attitude to life we open ourselves up to learning opportunities. Even when faced with negative situations or feedback, we can take it as an opportunity to learn and to do better the next time. This highlights the things which we can improve upon.
And as I said before, always be thankful. There will always be people who are better off than you and there will always be those who are worse off. Try to be accepting of and grateful for what you do have available to you and make the most of it. Keep pushing on and if possible, do a little to help others too.
