Break Barriers: Tips for Women to Excel in the Workplace
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Women are continuing to shatter glass ceilings throughout the business world. In virtually every industry, women build and run innovative and successful companies.
As women continue to carve out their various paths to success in business, they mustn’t be neglecting their health in the process.
Remember, the better you take care of yourself – both physically and mentally – the better off your business will be. In this article, we’ve compiled five simple tips for balancing your health and business.
Women have long been underrepresented in the workplace, but that doesn’t mean they can’t succeed. In fact, there are many things women can do differently than men to succeed in their careers.
Table of Contents
Take Ownership Of Your Career
One of the most important things women need to do differently than men is to take ownership of their career development. Women should be proactive about seeking out mentors and networking opportunities.
Taking advantage of professional development courses and other resources available to them. This will help them build the skills and connections necessary for career success.
Take More Risks
Another key difference between successful men and women is how they approach risk-taking. Women tend to be more cautious when it comes to taking risks, which can be beneficial in some cases but can also hold them back from reaching their full potential.
Taking calculated risks can open up new opportunities for growth and advancement, so women need to learn how to identify when a risk is worth taking and when it isn’t.
Moms Have Special Skills
As a mom, you have many skills that can help you succeed in white-collar jobs. From leadership and communication to problem-solving and multitasking, moms are well-equipped to handle the challenges of a white collar job.
Leadership is an important skill for any job, but especially in white-collar roles. Moms are natural leaders who know how to take charge and make decisions. They also understand the importance of delegating tasks and working as part of a team.
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Communication is another key skill. Moms know how to express themselves clearly and effectively verbally and in writing. This helps them build relationships with colleagues, clients, and customers.
Problem-solving is another important skill for white-collar work. Moms are used to dealing with difficult situations daily, so they’re well-equipped to handle problems at work too. They know how to think quickly on their feet and come up with creative solutions to complex problems.
Finally, multitasking is essential for success in jobs. Moms are used to juggling multiple tasks at once, so they’re able to manage multiple projects simultaneously without getting overwhelmed or losing focus.
Overall, moms have many skills that can help them succeed in white-collar jobs: leadership, communication, problem-solving, and multitasking. With these skills, moms can be successful in any role they choose!
Be Confident
Successful women often have a strong sense of self-confidence that helps them stay focused on their goals despite any obstacles they may face.
This confidence allows them to trust their own judgment and take initiative even when faced with difficult decisions or challenging tasks.
Create a Routine
Entrepreneurs have to wear many hats, which means they are juggling a lot of different roles and responsibilities as they run their business each and every day.
Creating a routine is an effective way to reinforce consistency and manage what can sometimes feel like chaos.
Listen to your body. When do you feel most productive? Is it in the morning? Afternoon? If you’re a parent, perhaps it’s in the evenings once your children have gone to bed.
Tailor your routine, so you are maximizing your productivity. No one routine will work for everyone. Once you’ve decided what works best for you and your business, please do your best to be mindful and stick to it. This is how you will form positive habits.
Manage Stress
It’s no shock that running a business comes with a whole lot of stress. On top of the standard pressures and challenges of managing operations and ensuring the company performs well, there are dated stereotypes that too many women still have to battle with.
Suffice it to say, failure to address mounting stress can lead to exhaustion and burnout, which could affect your mental well-being.
Physical symptoms like a consistently increased heart rate, uneasiness, constant fatigue, or anxiety may indicate that you’re not managing your stress properly.
Consider investing in therapy if you’re able. Other relaxation practices like meditation or yoga can also help daily. It’s also important to take some time off to rest and recuperate every once in a while. This could be a vacation or a long weekend to unplug and refresh.
Eat Right
In thinking about ways to improve our workplace performance, we rarely think about food. However, what we eat actually plays a big role in our productivity.
Why? Food directly impacts our cognitive performance as it converts into glucose and provides our brains with the energy needed to stay alert.
With regard to what you eat, you should avoid processed foods. This will increase energy and decrease your chances of developing gender-related cancers like breast, cervical, and uterine cancers. Focus more on greens, fiber, protein-rich foods, and healthy fats.
Exercise
Exercise is an integral part of developing a healthy lifestyle. Too often we look at exercise as something that has to happen at the gym. This is not true!
With countless fitness companies and instructors curating online content, it’s easier than ever to break a sweat from virtually anywhere.
Exercising doesn’t have to mean an hour of running on the treadmill, either. Try different things – like yoga, cycling, Pilates, hiking, dance – whatever interests you.
Variety can help to mix things up and prevent your workouts from feeling like a chore. Companies like Peloton offer workout classes that vary in length – some as short as five minutes. Listen to your body and do what you can on a given day.
Fitness classes aside, you can also take small steps to form better habits throughout your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, going for a walk on your lunch break or breaking a few times a day to stand up and do a lap or two around your office.
No matter what you choose, make the time to move. Your body and your mind will thank you for it.
Get Annual Check-Ups
Lastly, don’t forget to schedule annual check-ups with your doctors – both your primary care physician and OBGYN for routine testing and preventative screenings. No matter how crazy and busy work can get, making these regular appointments must be a priority.
If something feels off, like irregular or painful menstrual periods, you should always air on the side of caution and get yourself checked out immediately.
Routine tests and doctor’s appointments can detect potentially serious diseases earlier when treatments are still highly effective. The same thing goes for regular dental appointments.
Health is Wealth
Running and growing a business can be one of the most challenging undertakings in an entrepreneur’s life.
While marketing, growth, and other business strategies will play a significant role in your business’s success, without a healthy body and mind, you won’t be able to meet the full potential that you, and your company, are capable of.
Prioritize your health and work to keep your body in its optimum condition.
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Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.