I was in the middle of a meeting, when I caught myself using the same organizational principles I use at home with my two kids (and the guinea pig). Fast-forward dozens of other meetings, and it boggled my mind how much
You may have heard the saying ” Nothing is new under the sun”. As new and increasingly more complex as current times may be, we may be tempted to think we don’t have the right tools to tackle yet another seemingly unknown challenge, yet another obstacle on our way. That we need brand new, revolutionary strategies to address the setbacks that come in our way. However, what we often realize, after much unneeded stress and angst, is that there is often no need to reinvent the wheel. Besides, as working women and moms, there are not enough hours in the day for us to do so.
I first learnt of the art of repurposing when I was self-educating and binging on copywriting books. Repurposing is basically “adapting something for a different purpose”. As working women and moms, one of the (only) saving graces of gender inequity is that we get to create and get exposed to so many experiences, tasks, ideas and processes. These are the same experiences, tasks, ideas and processes that can be re-used in different areas and parts of our lives and work. Hence why there is no one better at re-purposing than the working woman and mom, and that is exactly where our force resides…
Here are three (3) ways that you and I, and working women and moms, can use the art and the power of repurposing in our careers and businesses:
- Repurpose your skills
How many skills have you acquired in the process of going through your life and professional experiences, that you may tuck inside your memory and forget about? Working moms, how many organizational and managerial skills have you acquired just from raising kids and running a full household? What do you keep on learning day in and day out that you can re-purpose to your work?
For instance, you may have learnt new networking skills from your side hustle, or taken up a new coding class with your bestie, which can all contribute to your career or business in positive ways.
What skills have you acquired lately that can you repurpose at work?
- Repurpose your experiences
You’ve gone through many experiences already in your personal and professional life, which have equipped you with additional skills. How about re-using these skills at work? Therapy has taught me so much about mine and others’ personalities, which has made it much easier to navigate professional environments. Going through certain types of hardships has also taught me how to better handle delays and unexpected turns of events at work too.
What have your experiences taught you that you can re-apply in your career or business?
- Repurpose your ideas and processes
I use a lot of the same techniques I employ in my side business in my career, from negotiation skills to follow-up. Re-purposing your unique ideas and processes can go a long way at work, especially as a working woman often short on time.
What unique ideas and processes you used or have been using in one area of your life can you re-use for work?
As a working woman and mom, you truly don’t have to re-invent the wheel in your career and business. Re-purposing your skills, experiences, ideas and processes may not only help you save precious time, but also give you an incomparable competitive advantage.
The Corporate Sis.
