Mar 22 2012
17 Comments
Motherhood, social media, working

The challenges of working from home – the good, the bad, and the adorable

I sit at my computer with hot tea. Today, it’s decaffeinated roasted brown rice. I light an aromatic candle – spiced apple, from two seasons past. Then my cat finds his way to my desk, and nestles himself next to my arm.

I proceed to scan my email Inbox. Followed by Facebook – my personal and the pages I manage. Lastly, Twitter, to make sure I respond to interactions, not to browse my stream.

Once I’ve taken care of all of the possible distractions, I start writing.

And that’s my blogging ritual.

I find that when I give it some structure, I tend to be better focused.

With my office job ending and my life as a work-from-home mom beginning just days away, I think it’s important, now more than ever, to find a way to clear the physical and mental clutter so I can accomplish the task at hand. Continue reading →

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Mar 15 2012
9 Comments
career, Corporate culture, Reflections, working

Seven days left…

I have seven days left of commuting to work. And exactly seven punches left on my 10-day train pass (I only use it one way). It wasn’t even planned, but I guess everything is coming together like it’s meant to be.

This growing excitement of leaving my corporate job behind is palpable. From here, it’s who-knows-what but regardless of the uncertainties and the fact that there are no guarantees, this feels right. Like my dear friends says to me in her email, “So glad you’re on the path you’re meant to be walking.”

Me too, dear friend. Me too.

This plan to leave my job 9 to 5 without a replacement job or a new source of income is obviously not perfect.

It has a downside. Continue reading →

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Mar 05 2012
5 Comments
Marketing, social media

Make sense, not cents – why outsourcing is sometimes the way to go

Misplaced apostrophe and the capers that ensue

Barber's Wanted or Barbers Wanted?

“Barber’s wanted”? Uh-oh. I wonder what the barber did. *chuckle*

All right, maybe it’s not that funny. I know what they meant – that they’re hiring – but I couldn’t help it. The error is more entertaining. I get a kick out of misplaced apostrophes and commas. I’m a geek; what can I say?

Here’s the thing: If communication is not their strong suit, they probably should’ve asked someone else to create that sign. I get that sometimes people don’t even know their skills aren’t up to snuff. I also get that even if they do, they may not have the means to an alternative.

And there are many who fall into categories A and/or B, especially small business owners who really have to DIY to save money. But at some point, they have to realize the value of the money they’re trying to save. Is it really helping or hurting them in the long run? Continue reading →

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Feb 26 2012
6 Comments
ambition, career, Parenting, working

We’re building something together

I am exhausted. Bone tired.

Night after night, after my full-time job, I come home and do the meal, bath and bed times for my girls with my partner, and finally, I settle back in front of my computer to work on this new career of mine. There’s planning, writing, learning, reading, and a lot of sacrificing. Of time to just relax in front of the TV, time to inhale inspiring works of fiction, time devoted to hobbies, time to sleep.

But I am not alone. My partner, a recent escapee from the nine-to-five life, and a fledgling entrepreneur whose passion awakened my own, is just as exhausted.

One evening at home, as we passed each other on our way to our respective desktops, I uttered to him, “You know, it sucks that we’re constantly working, but it doesn’t feel so bad. It’s weird.” Continue reading →

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Feb 15 2012
5 Comments
career, Marketing, social media, Uncategorized

Talk to me, not at me

If you can’t tell, I write for a living. Whether it’s marketing communications (the course of my career so far) or social media marketing (the one to which I’m veering off), I find myself tapping away at my keyboard for hours a day. It’s what I do. No, it’s what I love doing.

My love affair with writing almost came to a tragic end when I all I was expected to do was to pump out copious amounts of marketing spiel. You know the kind that employ stilted, formal language evident in financial and sometimes even health care industries to sound important and credible? The content is replete with esoteric jargon and corporate lingo that is so dry that it makes the Sahara look like the Bahamas.

Enter social media. Continue reading →

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