Many of us are in the midst of a paradigm shift. We’re working and running our businesses from home, causing the lines between our personal and professional lines to blur. There are many ways in which that can be a negative experience. It can lead you to feel as though you’re always at work without the luxury of physical distance between yourself and your work worried.
As such, you may find yourself thinking about unfinished business from your working day instead of unwinding with your nearest and dearest. By the same token, you may find yourself working longer hours than you ever did in the office because your perfectionist nature prevents you from being able to put your name to the day and say you’re satisfied.
Still, bridging the schism between these two aspects of your life can be beneficial. It can allow you to bring your business acumen to bear on the challenges of your home life. For instance…
Start Treating Your Household Budget Like Your Business Budget
When it comes to business spending, you’ve got your budget on lockdown. Every spending decision you make is carefully qualified and measured against the potential for ROI. You abhor wasteful spending at work… so why do you permit it at home? If your household budget has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak (and let’s face it, whose hasn’t?) you should apply the same stringent standards to your home spending that you apply to business spending.
Why are you still paying over the odds for your gas and electricity? It’s not like one provider offers a better product than the other? Why are you spending so much on your car insurance when you could be acting on these transparent Metromile reviews and driving down your vehicle costs? Why are you getting takeout again when you have a kitchen full of food?
Of course we don’t expect you to lead a joyless life, but it may be a good idea to scrutinize your purchases more.
Treat Your Family Like Stakeholders… Because That’s Exactly What They Are
Even the best of us can sometimes let our standards slip when it comes to how we communicate with our families. As much as we deserve to “switch off” outside of working hours, we also need to hold ourselves to high standards when it comes to our interactions with loved ones. We can’t afford to wear out stress on our sleeves or take our workplace woes out on them. Especially in the current climate where we’re all in such unrelentingly close proximity. Whenever you’re speaking to a family member maintain the same convivial tone that you’d have for a stakeholder in your business. Because that’s exactly what they are!
And like any good business, your family communications demand transparency at all times. Your family members deserve to be kept in the loop when making major decisions, especially if you are looking to expand your empire by moving to a bigger property. When taking this step, though, you also owe it to the stakeholders (family) as well as yourself to get the best mortgage loan rates. After all, the interest will directly influence your family’s finances each month for the entire term agreement. Ultimately, though, keeping everyone on the same page is as vital in the living room as it is in the boardroom. Embrace it.
Your Family Unit Is Your Brand… Act Accordingly!
Branding is an essential aspect of building any business in the 21st century. It’s the face you present to the world. As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says “it’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Everything your employees (and your kids) do contributes to your brand. Everything you say to your customers (or your neighbors) contributes to your brand. What face do you want to present to the world in your home life?
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