Month: August 2018

Archives for August 2018

Tips for working parents to stay involved in kids school work

It’s that season again … back to school has arrived and with it, homework. If you are a busy entrepreneur and worried about how much time you will be able to devote to your kids’ schoolwork this coming year, we’ve got a few handy tips for you to help you stay involved without having to neglect your business or work.

1. Working parent tip #1: Leave work at work

Defining a clear separation between work and home life is important in the effort to be involved in your kids’ lives. Disconnect, put down the phone, and step away from your laptop; your kids might already view your work ethic as threatening to their time with you. Even if your office is in your home, set clearly defined hours for work and when it’s family time, be 100 percent present for them.

2. Working parent tip #2: Work on your time management skills

If you are finding it difficult to fit in everything you need to do in a day, maybe it’s time to start a more rigorous scheduling process. Pretty much everything can be scheduled, whether it’s meal times, shopping or family activities. For those of you who live by your calendar, this might be an easy way to ensure you are giving your family the time they so rightly deserve.

3. Working parent tip #3: Split homework time with your spouse

Studies show that 20 percent of kids don’t get any reading support from their mother and 40 percent don’t get it from their father. As a result, almost 20 percent of kids will grow up not knowing how to read or write as well as they should. Your kids shouldn’t have to go it alone and neither should you. Splitting homework time with your spouse may give you a better chance of devoting enough time to your children’s needs without raising your anxiety level around not getting your own work done.

4. Working parent tip #4: Do homework as early as possible

You might be exhausted when you get home – and tempted to put homework on hold until you have a chance to unwind. The truth is, kids’ brains tucker out quickly after a full day at school, so striking while the iron is hot is always the best strategy. Set a couple of hours aside as close to “school’s out” time as possible, say from three to five in the afternoon. Don’t start later than five or wait until after dinner or you run the risk of the lot of you burning out or moving on to other activities.

5. Working parent tip #5: Set a great example

Ultimately, we want our kids to be grounded and be able to make good decisions for themselves in life. This is a skill that comes from you. If you are constantly distracted or unable to devote time to your children after school, they will probably think that what they are doing is unimportant and so will not give it their all. Demonstrate the work ethic and family focus that you would ideally like them to have and they will always take your lead.

Has back to school got you in a panic? If you are a busy entrepreneur who needs a little support so you can spend more quality time with your family, we can help with flexible, scalable office space, virtual offices, coworking, and full-service administrative support. Drop by for a tour today.

The many benefits of offsite meetings

Meetings are an essential component of any business. Meetings connect your departments, provide a forum for ideas and innovation, strengthen your company culture and your employees to stay in touch with your company’s mission and vision. That said, there are many benefits to conducting your meetings off-site.

Let’s look at some of the ways that offsite meetings can help:

1.    Offsite meetings minimize distractions

When your staff is away from their normal working environment, they will be less tempted to wander off or worry about calls they are missing, and so on. A change of scenery reduces stress and often provides a boost in productivity that can be energizing and highly stimulating.

2.    Offsite meetings feel special

Your employees likely don’t get the opportunity to spend time working outside of the office. Offsite meetings encourage them to express themselves more freely and will likely lead to better retention of the information you cover during this time.

3.    Offsite meetings are great for team building

Being outside of the office gives your employees a chance to get to know each other better. They will be better able to understand how their unique skillsets complement those of their colleagues and the process will serve to strengthen your company culture in the process.

4.    Offsite meetings give you access to technology you may not otherwise have

If your office operates on a lean budget, you may not have access to all the bells and whistles of a high-tech environment. Choosing an offsite meeting space will provide you with the latest audiovisual equipment as well as next-generation conferencing and webinar technology. Having these tools at hand will help you bring your work to life in ways you couldn’t normally do. Additionally, if you work with remote teams, video conferencing technology can be very helpful as it will allow your home office group to get to know colleagues who work from other locations and collaborate with them in real-time.

5.    Offsite meetings boost productivity

There is nothing like a fresh environment to stimulate the creative flow. Studies show that an offsite meeting space encourages out-of-the-box thinking, which could lead to major innovation as well as creative solutions to problems you deal with every day.

6.    Offsite meetings give you a chance to connect with your team

While you may work with your teams on a daily basis, how often do you get to sit down with them in an intimate setting and really see and hear what they have to offer? Having a direct connection with your employees will foster loyalty and openness and will provide a level of comfort between you and others that may not have existed otherwise.

Lakeside Executive Suites in Weston, Florida, is dedicated to empowering small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs with flexible office solutions designed to help you grow. Our on-demand meeting rooms come fully equipped with today’s communications technology, helping you accomplish more without breaking the budget. Call today or schedule a tour to find out more.

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