Flick the switch from Super-Mum to Biz Mum, in 3 easy steps!

You know as well as I do that there is no ‘9-5’ workday when you’re a Biz Mum! There’s hardly even a 10 – 2! When I had little kidlets I used to pray for a Pepper Pig marathon, when I knew I would get maybe an hour of total, uninterrupted work time. Generally however, my workday was in spats of 20 minutes where I would need to focus quickly before someone needed a cheese sandwich!

As a Biz Mum, it’s vital to be able to switch from ‘Mum mode’ to ‘Business Woman mode’ quickly and easily. If you’ve got 20 valuable minutes up your sleeve, you really don’t have time to spend 15 minutes of that being overrun by fear or doubt about making those sales calls or following up with a client. You need to get in and get dirty immediately to make the most of the naptime your darlings might be having.

For business sake, I learnt how to quickly switch from Mum Mode to Business Woman mode so I could be at my most productive. I have also worked with lots of Biz Mums and taught them the same techniques, so today I’d love to share those with you…

1. Rock your own Theme Song

In my last blog I talked about how a daily ‘10-minute Living Room Dance Party’ is a great habit for your mood and your confidence. Well, this trick is similar but based around having a theme song that really speaks to you. You know that song that makes your eyes lift towards the sky, your chest rise and a huge knowing breath exhale? These are the songs that give you power and can get you back on track with your business ‘why’ (and ‘how’) quickly.

If you don’t yet have a theme song, then don’t stress, we’ve got you covered.
Head over to the Rise Women Spotify List that we’ve filled with a bunch of awesome and uplifting songs. Pick your favourite, or use ours as inspiration to choose your own. Either way, you’ll soon find that having a theme song playing as your own personal background music (in your head or out loud… it doesn’t matter) will instantly give you the proverbial kick up the butt that you need to switch out of mum-mode and into business woman mode in a snap!

2. Ditch the PJ’s

I know, I know… one of the perks of working from home IS that you can sometimes work in your pj’s BUT, you need to know two things:
1. Not everyone can do it; and
2. There are times when it really doesn’t serve you to do it.

The clothes you have on can, and do, make a difference to how you feel. If you need to feel like a business woman, then you have to dress like a business woman! If you need to make a super important sales call to a new, prospective client then being dressed in clothes that make you feel like you are the girl-boss of your domain WILL make a difference.

Now I’m not talking about walking around your house all day in a power suit! (That’s not practical and I’m all about practical!) The trick is to recognise that one special ‘thing’ that makes you feel like a confident Biz-Mode chick and use this at times when you need a boost.

For me, it’s high heels! Whenever I am coaching with a client on the phone I always wear a pair of my favourite high heels under the desk. Yup – I’m still in my mum clothes… but with my favourite pair of heels on! Does it look odd? You bet! But does it also hurtle me straight towards my much-needed biz-mum mode? Hell yeah! I’m looking (and feeling) the part and the effect on my mood and mindset is instant!

I’ve worked with lots of Biz Mums on this and here are a few ideas they have used:

• Create an official ‘place of work’ in your home. It could be a spare bedroom, a corner of the garage or a desk in the hallway. When you’re there, consider yourself ‘at work’.
• Have a beautiful business-type folder and special pen that you use for your notes and when you are on calls. (Do NOT use this pen to write the grocery list!)
• Clothes & shoes work for a lot of people. It doesn’t have to be high heels if that’s not your thing. One client was a personal trainer so she had her ‘good Nike’s’ that would make her feel like she was on her game! Another just applied lipstick! It’s simple… just find your ‘thing’ and embrace it!

3. Stand Like Wonder Woman

Yes, it’s a ‘thing’. Research has proved that there are powerful effects on the way you feel when you use confident body language. They call these power poses!

When you stand in a power pose (like Wonder Woman) for 2 minutes the levels of testosterone and cortisol in your body change allowing you to feel more confident, powerful and risk-tolerant! Yeah!

And 2 minutes really is all it takes. I use this trick ALL the time, especially in the toilets right before I go on to do a presentation to a room full of people. It works, I promise!

You can read more about power poses and watch the TED Talk about it here.

So, now that you know the secrets, it’s your turn… stand like Wonder Woman in your best heels while your favourite theme songs pumps through your headphones and, before the end of the Pepper Pig introduction, you’ll be ready to take over the world!

Meet Jodie

Jodie Bruce-Clarke is an author, speaker and coach specialising in helping women increase their confidence. She is the co-owner of Rise Women and her book ‘Pumped: Confidence Techniques that will have you Standing Taller in the World’ is a ‘must-read’.

Website: www.risewomen.com
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