Top Marketer Moms Tips for 2018

Much like most marketers and PR professionals, I’m deep in the weeds in planning for 2018. Beyond developing smart content strategies and thinking about the news pipeline for the coming year, I have also been thinking about how to tackle that feeling that many working moms have: that they aren’t doing a good enough job at either work or home because there just isn’t enough time in the day! So I’ve sourced some hacks from my working mom marketer friends in the hopes of going into the New Year with some strategies that will help at home, and in turn allow me to be more focused at the office.

Erica Sniad Morgenstern, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Communications for Welltok, and mom to three girls under 7 says that, “focus is extremely important. I can either fully focus on work or on my family – trying to do both is a disservice to both. I have dedicated family time in the morning and evenings that I block on my calendar. I may work before the kids wake-up and mostly likely do after they go to bed, but morning prep and bedtime routines my focus is fully on family. My company and team respects that time, which is so important to my productivity and wellbeing too.”

Cara Harrington, Senior Marketing Manager at WuXi NextCODE seconds this saying, “I try to save the time between getting home and bedtime for exclusive family time.” Cara also stressed that it’s important to take time away from work for the school events, “those end of year performances, the Halloween parade. Work is always going to be there, but these years go quick!”

Once you get home from the office, or closed your laptop for the day and family time starts, it’s important to organized. Laurie Gillis, Director of Marketing at Seniorlink and mother of two, said that she recently “re-organized the fridge and pantry so snacks and drinks kids can eat can be easily accessed. I did the same with kid cups, bowls, etc. The girls can gain independence and help themselves to what they want.”

Finding time to exercise is virtually impossible, as is cleaning the house, but Jennifer Carter, Vice President of Portfolio Development at McKesson Ventures, has a fun hack for this, “My son loves the Swifter. he thinks it’s a toy and I’ll have him hold onto it and ‘chase him’ around the kitchen. He thinks it fun, my floor gets clean and I get some steps in.” It’s a win for everyone involved.

As a mother to an active four-year-old, Theresa Masnik, Senior Account Supervisor at Lovell Communications quickly realized how precious mornings and evenings were to a work-life balance. “My daughter loves competition, so I embrace her competitive nature by making the morning routine a game to see how fast she can change out of her pajamas. She thinks it’s a fun game and we don’t waste time.”

Also, Theresa mentions that meal planning is essential. “I make my daughter’s lunch the night before, so even if I’m running late, I know her lunch is ready, and all I have to do is grab the lunchbox and go.” Theresa said by planning lunch ahead, it not only eliminates morning stress, but it provides time to sit down and eat breakfast together. The same is true when it comes to dinner, “we make three crockpot or Dutch oven meals on Sundays. Usually the Dutch oven meal is for Sunday dinner together, and the other two are refrigerated so we just need to reheat them throughout the week. This way we don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner.”

With these tips and tricks in my back pocket, I feel much more prepared to face 2018! For more about being a working mom in the PR world, read my previous post here.

Jennifer Toole
Director, Healthcare Practice 

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