LaKesha Womack

Archive for the tag “Time Management”

28 Apr 2012
2 Comments

Are you a lazy parent?

For  some people, if they are honest with themselves, the answer is yes…

Parenting is hard.  Anyone who tells you differently… Well, let’s just say for me parenting is hard.  Not because I don’t love my son but because taking care of him is more than a full-time job, it’s a lifetime of responsibility.  From the time I first knew I was pregnant until the day one of us passes away, I will be responsible for him.  Of course, that responsibility will gradually decrease as he gets older (hopefully) but I will always feel some level of accountability to be there for him.

Some parents, I have observed, don’t seem to take parenting that seriously.  They are content to allow others to do the bulk of the work – a day care center, the school system, other family members… I even had a lady who rents fun jumps tell me about the parents who bring their kids and leave them for hours without coming back to check on them.

Lazy parenting also manifests as…

“Not right now…”

“I don’t feel like it…”

“Just go somewhere and play…”

I will admit that I am guilty of uttering those phrases sometimes and I have to catch myself and be sure that I am making time for my son.  I realize that he won’t always have time for me so while he does, I need to take advantage of it.  That doesn’t mean that I drop everything I am doing when he beckons but it does mean that I…

  • look him in the eye when he’s talking to me so that he knows he has my attention
  • review his homework, everything in his backpack and ask questions about school every night to be sure I know what’s going on with him
  • try to find activities that we both enjoy – UNO, golf, reading – so that it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice when he wants to “do stuff”
  • plan dates for the two of us to hang out or go out to dinner  because I want him to know what quality time really means
  • give him more experiences than stuff… when choosing between a hundred-dollar pair of sneakers and a trip to the museum, I am sure you know which we choose
  • saving and planning for his future, yes… that is an important component of not being a lazy parent, set your kids up for success instead of failing to plan and making them suffer the consequences later in life
  • most importantly, let him win, I don’t think we spend enough time teaching our kids what it feels like to be victorious, although I can beat him in almost anything that we play, there is nothing like the excitement that I see on his face when he has won a game of UNO or hit the ball a little further than me on the golf course

Like I said, parenting isn’t easy for most of us but we owe it to our kids to put in the work to help them become well-adjusted adults.  There is not instruction manual for raising kids so we all do the best we can and that’s what our kids deserve… our best, even on our worst days.

Posted in Tales for the (mommy) hood and tagged , , , , , , ,
30 Nov 2010
3 Comments

5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make During the Holidays

It’s hard to believe that December 1st is upon us.  It feels as though this year has rushed by but I’m grateful for each day that has passed.  However, as an entrepreneur once the Thanksgiving week passes, it is tempting to shift into cruise control and coast through the end of the year.

Here are five tips to avoid common mistakes that entrepreneurs make during the holidays.

  1. Don’t take too much time off. When you work for yourself and have the power to control your own schedule, it can be tempting to take more time off than necessary.  Having the freedom to travel and make time with family may be one of  primary reasons you became an entrepreneur but it is important to make sure you balance that freedom with keeping your business viable.  Think very carefully about how much time away from your business activities your business can tolerate without losing momentum.
  2. Set goals. At the beginning of each year, you should set revenue goals for your business.  If you know that you want to take time off during the holidays, make sure that you have factored that into your annual goals.  This is also the time for you to begin setting goals for 2011.  Goal setting one of those passive activities that you can do while traveling, while enjoying a drink in front of the fireplace, etc. As you’re enjoying your down time, give yourself the time to dream about what you to accomplish in the new year and commit those ideas to paper and begin to create your master plan for 2011.
  3. Get out and network. You will probably receive lots of invitations for holiday parties and events.  Obviously, this a great opportunity to get out and have some fun but you should also be making connections with people who can help to achieve your goals in 2011.
  4. Don’t empty your pipeline. It may be tempting to complete all of your projects so that you can start the new year fresh, however you should also have some projects that will begin in January so that you are not starting from zero on January 1.  The worse feeling is not knowing where your next client will come from when the new year begins and having to start rebuilding your business from scratch.  You goal should be to be able to hit the ground running once you return from your holiday vacation.
  5. Use this opportunity to connect with old clients. Sending holiday cards or e-cards may not seem like a profitable activity but think again.  These cards are a great opportunity to connect with old clients and let them know that you are still around.  This subtle reminder of your existence and letting them know you are thinking of them will go a long way in maintaining a connection with the client and possibly remind them to use your service again.
Posted in Business Dollars and Sense and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
23 Aug 2010
101 Comments

6 tips to help your kids with their homework

Now that school is back in session for many parents, I would like to share 6 tips that I learned during a presentation last week on helping your kids with their homework.

  1. Stay in contact with the teacher. One of the biggest complaints that many teachers have is not being able to communicate with the parents.  As much as we love our children, they are not the most reliable sources to pass along messages.  Make sure you are communicating directly with the teacher on a regular basis to track you child’s progress.  I often wonder how children fail a grade and the parents claim to have no idea anything was wrong.  *Sidenote: children don’t usually go from honor roll to failing over night.
  2. Give them space. No only do they need to be in a comfortable area to focus on their homework, make sure there is adequate lighting, resources (encylopedias, reference books, internet sources, etc) available and other supplies.  You should also eliminate any distractions such as television, radio or telephones.  Just because other people are not doing homework, does not mean that these noises won’t be distractions to your children.
  3. Be available. Here’s the catch with this one.  You don’t have to be physically sitting there with your child but they should know that if they need assistance, you are available.  Consider dividing their assignment into things they can do on their own and encourage them to save the harder parts that they need with for last.  This will give them confidence after seeing what they were able to accomplish.  It will also allow you time to help with the hard parts, give them a chance to finish the work then go back and check all of the work.
  4. Help them with time management. Purchase a calendar for your child that allows them to track assignment due dates and help them break larger projects into managable pieces with several deadlines.  It should not be your responsibility to remember all of their deadlines.  Set them up for success by teaching them to manage their own time.  Also set a beginning and end time for homework with the ability to do something “fun” once they are complete.  Although they may run over the time limit on occassion, they will have an incentive to make it to the finish line. Their fun thing could be that their favorite TV show comes on at 8p.  They must understand that the homework must not only be complete but that you will check over it before they are released.
  5. Don’t discount study groups. Once your child is old enough to study with other people, consider hosting a weekly study group.  Make sure the group is also free of distractions and provide some type of incentive for them to do well collectively.  Maybe the parents can plan a hot dog party if the group achieves a certain score on the project.  This will help them to realize the value of team work and not think that everything is just about them.  Also, children are very motivated by their peers.  Forming these groups will help to monitor the types of people your children are hanging around.
  6. Praise your children for the successes. Every day our children are put in situations that chip away at their self confidence and cause them to question everything that they thought they knew about life.  Many parents have resorted to “things” to show their children that they are proud of them or to replace simple phrases like, “I am so proud of you.” “Great job today!” “You are the best son/daughter a mother could wish for” It is amazing how much more valuable these words of encouragement are to your child than the latest sneakers or newest Play Station.  Our children need more emotional support than material items.

I hope at least one of these tips will help you all make this school year a huge success.  Please share any additional tips that you have to help your kids with their homework. Remember: we are in this together, children don’t come with instruction manuals…

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Posted in Tales for the (mommy) hood and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
03 Aug 2010
7 Comments

One of my secrets to having it all…

I cannot promise you that I have all of the answers to achieving success in life but I have figured out a few things.  One of them is that I can have it all and the other is that in order to have it all, I have to stay organized.

I have searched for years to find the perfect system to keep me and my “have it all” attitude moving in a forward direction.  I finally realized that like many other problems that I face in life, the perfect solution is usually the one that I create for myself.  I would like to share my system for staying organized with you.  It is a work in progress so make sure you check back often because I may make some adjustments as more people begin to use it and provide feedback.  I encourage you to submit your ideas also for making the system more user friendly.

  1. 1 1/2 inch three ring binder with clear view front (to insert an information sheet with your company/project logo *keeps your eye on the prize*) and pockets in the front and back (to store information until you have time to file it)
  2. A zippered pouch with three holes so it fits in the front of the binder.  Inside of the pouch store pens/pencils, a mini stapler, white out, scissors, a sharpie, a highlighter and a calculator.  You will prepared for almost any project that comes your way, no matter your physical location. It feels like you have your desk with you everywhere you go.
  3. A month by month calendar so that you have an overview of where you are supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing for the next year and a half.  This is not the place to write specific details rather to give you a general idea of what your will include.  This is especially helpful if you travel a lot or attend a lot of events.  One of the worst mistakes you can make is to over-commit yourself.
  4. 2 set of tabs - one for the days of weeks that you want to track (Monday through Friday = 5 or Sunday through Saturday = 7) and a set for your projects (list the projects that you want to track i.e. household budget, committees that meet regularly, work groups).  For me the tabs are the key because I keep my daily activities filed under each day of the week and store memos, emails that I need to have readily accessible, old meeting notes/agendas, etc so that I don’t have to constantly search for information on my desk or in my BlackBerry.

Need some help getting organized?  Email me (contact@lakeshawomack.com) to discuss some tips to help you create a system that will allow you to have it all!!

Posted in Business Dollars and Sense and tagged , , , ,
16 Jun 2010
1 Comment

How much time do your kids need?

As a single mother and serial entrepreneur, one of the biggest struggles that I have is finding the right balance between working to provide for my son and spending time with him.  I am not a perfect parent but I try hard to do my best.  However, as a small business owner, my day doesn’t end at 4pm when the day care closes.  In fact, I frequently have conference calls between 6pm and 8pm.  Ideally, having a nanny or husband to catch the slack for me would work wonders but in reality, I don’t have that luxury.  My solution is to schedule events with him during my free evenings but I often wonder if that is enough…

So my question is… how much time do you spend with your kids each day?

Posted in Tales for the (mommy) hood and tagged , ,

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