by Jash | Dec 3, 2024 | Business, General, Health
The work-from-home (WFH) era may be over.
Companies like Apple, Dell, Starbucks, and more recently Amazon, are calling their employees back to the brick and mortar with their strict return-to-office (RTO) policies. In Seattle, home to Amazon and a large tech workforce, this could signal a larger shift with more local companies likely to follow.
For workers who enjoyed the perks of remote work, the change will be a massive shake-up for the household.
Walking the dog during lunch? Not anymore.
Managing household chores during the day? Gone.
Running a child to an appointment? Say goodbye to that flexibility.
Juggling work, home, and personal responsibilities will become harder, leaving many to wonder how they’ll manage it all.
If you’ve been affected by these recent mandates, you might be asking yourself:
- How do I get it all done?
- How do I adapt to this new normal?
- Do I need to quit my job?
Read on to find out why professionals are turning to personal assistants and how one can help you manage the RTO transition to survive and thrive in your new situation.
The Personal Cost of Losing Workplace Flexibility
For those accustomed to remote work, returning to the office doesn’t just change where they spend their workday-it fundamentally alters the rhythm of their lives. Common concerns that have rippled across social media platforms are how they’ll readjust to balancing family and household demands.
We firmly believe that increasing in-office minimums has a disproportionate and negative impact on working families – particularly for women and people of color with dependent care responsibilities.
-Karen Estevenin, executive director of PROTEC17, a union that represents more than 3,300 City of Seattle workers. Source
Remote work allowed workers to effortlessly manage their responsibilities alongside their career obligations. Now they’re left to navigate the loss of flexibility and the challenges that may come with it.
Here are some hidden costs that professionals will bear in light of the RTO mandates.
1. Losing the Ability to Manage Household Tasks During the Day
Remote work offered a significant boost to personal time, which many professionals made a part of their daily routines in meaningful ways.
For some, a daily commute takes up to four hours to and from the office. With the added flexibility of working from home or hybrid work, they gained precious hours redirected into managing household tasks.
Now with RTO mandates, they’re posed with the challenge of staying on top of essentials like paying bills, managing household finances, and restocking necessities. Not to mention, other tasks like accepting deliveries, scheduling maintenance, or overseeing other home services.
So what does this mean for employees? Simply put: It’s too much for professional couples to handle on their own, let alone a single person. The increased pressure to squeeze errands before or after work means being stretched thin, which could lead to overwhelm and burnout. And of course, errands will cut into precious time reserved for rest, family, or personal pursuits.
2. A Blow to Personal Wellness and Self-Care
With more control over their schedules, remote workers found it easy to prioritize mental health and self-care routines. The benefits, of course, were two-fold: allowing them to show up for themselves in their daily lives and their workplace.
But with the RTO mandates, strict work hours and five in-office work days now make it harder to build short breaks into their daily routines. It’s so much harder to maintain wellness routines like making a healthy lunch or meal prepping in advance.
3. Challenges In Childcare and Caretaking
It’s no surprise that balancing childcare was easier with remote work. It was a lifeline, allowing caretakers to coordinate carpools, attend extracurriculars, or even handle unexpected events like a child becoming sick-all while staying productive from home.
With RTO policies that limit flexibility, parents now face the daunting task of coordinating the needs of their children around their office hours, often requiring restructured family schedules. This added burden can quickly lead to other household tasks being neglected or going from streamlined to chaotic as parents struggle to keep everything in balance.
Is Quitting an Option?
Faced with these demands, some professionals may consider stepping away from their roles. The sudden loss of flexibility can feel like losing control over their time and life. While some may no doubt take that route, for many quitting is not an option. For example, high-income earners whose careers contribute significantly to their long-term financial goals, are instead exploring alternatives to buy back time and find balance in their daily lives.
Luckily, quitting isn’t the only option. Outsourcing household management and personal errands to a dedicated personal assistant has proven to be a valuable investment for many.
Rather than sacrificing their long-term career trajectory, high-earning professionals are choosing to streamline their lives by offloading time-consuming tasks to a reliable professional. They’ve weighed the cost of investing in support and realized that stepping back now could mean missing out on future earning potential. Many are willing to take a short-term loss to protect their long-term income and career growth.
How Personal Assistants Can Help With the Transition
If you’re feeling the impact of the RTO shift, questions around managing home and family responsibilities are likely front of mind: Who will take care of my pets? How will I stay on top of household errands? Can I really manage a demanding career without sacrificing family time? This transition may have left you with feelings of frustration. The good news is, there is help.
Personal assistants have provided a lifeline for many and can provide one for you, too. As the demands of office-based work grow, more high-income professionals are recognizing that the cost of a personal assistant is an investment, not an expense.
Personal assistants offer a range of support, from managing home logistics to handling daily administrative tasks. They’ll serve as a reliable extension of your support system, enabling you to keep pace with your career goals without sacrificing your home life.
Here’s how a personal assistant can make a difference in your life:
1. Coordinating with service providers and vendors: Perhaps you were better able to take a quick call to book a plumber or pause between meetings to accept a package. Now you find yourself with fewer options. These tasks may be left incomplete, or they require complex planning and coordination with family members or friends. A personal assistant can book appointments, arrange for a service provider, or accept packages.
2. Managing family logistics: From scheduling kids’ activities, arranging transportation, and coordinating with babysitters, to taking care of grocery shopping and meal planning, a personal assistant can alleviate the strain of balancing family needs with professional commitments.
3. Supporting wellness and self-care: By taking on errands, meal prep, and other routine responsibilities, a personal assistant can free up time that you can then dedicate to personal wellness. Whether it’s scheduling gym sessions, organizing self-care appointments, or handling lunch arrangements, a personal assistant will allow you to prioritize your health, even within a more rigid, office-based schedule.
A personal assistant may be an investment, but it’s also a transformative one. Take it from Seattle resident Maygan Wurzer, a Seattle business owner who found herself drowning as she tried to balance work and life on her own. She praises Pepper’s Personal Assistants as “The best money I’ve ever spent,” noting that the peace of mind she got from it was priceless.
Pepper’s Personal Assistants Can Help You
At Pepper’s Personal Assistants, we specialize in placing top-tier professionals who understand the demands of high-stakes careers and complex schedules. Our assistants are trained to adapt, ensuring you receive reliable, hands-free support without the hassle of micro-managing.
Our approach is straightforward with no onboarding headaches-just ready-to-go assistance tailored to the specific needs of your life. With Pepper’s Personal Assistants, you can focus on what matters most and do more of what you love, knowing that your home and family needs are in expert hands. Are you ready to see how a personal assistant can transform your routine?
Schedule a call to learn how we can make your life easier and help you thrive through a return-to-office transition.
by Kara | Sep 18, 2024 | Home, Outsourcing, Parenting, Residential
The start of a new school year is an exciting time, but it can also bring a host of challenges, especially for busy parents trying to balance work, family, and school-related responsibilities. This balancing act can be overwhelming, leading to stress and fatigue. Fortunately, a personal assistant can provide the support and help you need to thrive during this hectic period. By managing school-related tasks, organizing after-school activities, and taking care of household responsibilities, a personal assistant allows busy parents to focus on what matters most—their careers and their families.
Simplifying Morning Routines
Mornings are often the most chaotic time of day for families, with parents juggling breakfast, school drop-offs, and their own work preparations. Studies have shown that a well-organized morning routine can significantly reduce stress levels and improve overall family well-being. A household personal assistant can help by preparing breakfast, packing lunches, and ensuring that everything your children need for school is ready to go. This assistance not only streamlines the morning process but also allows parents to start their day calmly and with a clear mind.
Managing School-Related Tasks
Parents often struggle to keep track of the myriad school-related tasks that come with a new academic year, from signing permission slips to remembering important dates like parent-teacher conferences. According to a survey by Pew Research, 74% of working parents report that managing these responsibilities is a significant source of stress. A house manager can take over these tasks, ensuring that all forms are signed, all deadlines are met, and that you are always up-to-date with your child’s school activities. This level of support allows you to stay organized without the constant pressure of managing every detail.
Organizing After-School Activities
As the school year progresses, after-school activities become a central part of children’s routines. Whether it’s sports, music lessons, or club meetings, coordinating these activities can be challenging, especially for parents with multiple children. A personal assistant can handle the logistics of after-school activities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, participation in extracurricular activities is linked to higher academic performance and better behavioral outcomes, making it crucial for parents to ensure their children can participate without the added stress of coordination.
Supporting Work-Life Balance
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is a common goal for many parents, yet it often feels elusive. A report from the American Psychological Association found that 70% of working parents experience stress related to balancing their career and family responsibilities. A personal assistant can play a pivotal role in achieving this balance by taking over household chores and school-related tasks, allowing parents to focus more on their careers and personal lives. Whether it’s preparing for an important work meeting or enjoying a family outing, a Seattle personal assistant enables you to prioritize what matters most.
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Enhancing Family Time
One of the most significant benefits of having a personal assistant is the opportunity to spend more quality time with your family. With the daily grind of chores and errands managed by a professional, parents can dedicate more time to engaging with their children, whether it’s helping with homework, attending their soccer games, or simply enjoying a meal together. Research from the Journal of Marriage and Family indicates that increased family time leads to better emotional and behavioral outcomes for children, underscoring the importance of freeing up time for these interactions. For more insights on how a personal assistant can enhance your family life, explore here our other blog posts.
Reducing Parental Stress
The constant pressure to manage both work and family responsibilities can lead to significant stress, which can negatively impact both parents and children. A personal assistant in Seattle can alleviate much of this stress by handling the day-to-day tasks that often cause overwhelm. Whether it’s coordinating last-minute school changes or ensuring that the household runs smoothly, a personal assistant provides peace of mind, allowing parents to focus on their well-being and their family’s happiness.
Creating a Supportive Home Environment
A well-organized and clean home is essential for maintaining a peaceful and supportive environment, particularly during the busy school year. A personal assistant can help maintain this environment by managing household chores, organizing spaces, and ensuring that everything is in its place. Research from Princeton University found that cluttered environments can negatively impact an individual’s ability to focus and process information, highlighting the importance of a tidy home. By managing these tasks, a household manager ensures that your home remains a sanctuary from the outside world’s stresses.
Investing in Your Family’s Well-Being
Ultimately, hiring a personal assistant in Seattle is more than just a convenience—it’s an investment in your family’s overall well-being. By taking care of the details, a personal assistant allows you to focus on what truly matters: your career, your family, and your personal growth. The benefits extend far beyond the practical; they create a ripple effect that improves the overall quality of life for everyone in your household. If you’re ready to enhance your family’s life and achieve true balance, consider the advantages of hiring a personal assistant today. With their support, you can navigate the challenges of daily life with confidence and ease, ensuring that your family is well-prepared and thriving throughout the school year.
Balancing the demands of a new school year with work and family responsibilities can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pepper’s personal assistants can provide the support you need to navigate this busy time with ease. From managing morning routines to coordinating extracurricular activities, a personal assistant can help you focus on what truly matters—your family’s well-being.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a call with us today here to explore how our services can help your family thrive this school year.
by Kara | Aug 21, 2024 | Business, Home, Organizational, Outsourcing, Residential
As a busy executive in Seattle, managing your time effectively is crucial. Balancing work, personal life, and social commitments can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can optimize your schedule and achieve more. Here are ten time-saving hacks to help you stay on top of your game:
1. Use Time-Blocking Techniques
Time-blocking involves scheduling specific blocks of time for different tasks throughout your day. This method helps you stay focused and ensures that you allocate enough time for high-priority activities.
2. Leverage Technology
Utilize productivity apps like Trello, Asana, Zapier or Slack to keep track of tasks, collaborate with your team, and streamline workflows. These tools can significantly reduce the time spent on managing projects.
3. Outsource Household Tasks
Don’t try to do it all, consider hiring a housecleaner, landscaper, plumber or nanny for specific tasks at home or hire a personal assistant to handle household chores such as laundry, grocery shopping, and meal prep. This allows you to spend your free time relaxing or with your family.
4. Automate Routine Tasks
Use automation tools for routine tasks like bill payments, appointment scheduling, and email responses. Automating these tasks can save you a significant amount of time and reduce your workload.
5. Set Priorities and Stick to Them
Identify your top priorities each day and focus on completing those tasks first. This ensures that you tackle the most important activities and avoid getting sidetracked by less critical tasks.
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6. Practice the Two-Minute Rule
If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This simple rule helps prevent small tasks from piling up and cluttering your to-do list.
7. Schedule Downtime
It’s essential to schedule breaks and downtime throughout your day. Short breaks can boost your productivity and prevent burnout. Use this time to relax, meditate, or take a walk.
8. Plan Your Day the Night Before
Spend a few minutes each evening planning your next day. Outline your schedule, prioritize tasks, and prepare any materials you’ll need. This practice helps you start your day with a clear plan and reduces morning stress.
9. Limit Meeting Time
Keep meetings concise and to the point. Set a clear agenda, stick to it, and avoid unnecessary discussions. This helps you make the most of your time and keeps meetings productive.
10. Delegate Tasks to a Personal Assistant
Hiring a personal assistant can be a game-changer. They can handle appointments, manage your calendar, and take care of personal errands, giving you more time to focus on your core responsibilities. Learn more about how a household manager can make a difference.
By implementing these time-saving hacks, you can enhance your productivity, reduce stress, and achieve a better work-life balance. If you’re ready to take your efficiency to the next level, get the best help you can get by hiring a Pepper’s Personal Assistant today!
by Kara | Jul 25, 2024 | General, Grocery, Health, Home, Organizational, Outsourcing, Residential
Being a wife, mother, and career professional can pull you in many directions. In addition to raising a family and growing your career, you have many other responsibilities: errands, laundry, meal planning, and keeping everything in your household running smoothly each day.
Managing all these obligations, especially when you don’t get enough help, can quickly lead to feeling overwhelmed. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. By creating more efficiencies in your life and getting some professional help, you can improve your work-life balance and do more of the things you love.
The Challenges of Being a Working Mom and Wife
Full-time working moms are often still responsible for managing the bulk of childcare and household management activities. A Gallup study found that, in both single- and dual-income homes, women are significantly more likely than men to be responsible for chores such as doing laundry, preparing meals, caring for children, and cleaning the home.
Additionally, because moms are responsible for so many of these activities, they also carry more of the associated mental load of invisible tasks such as planning, anticipating, following up, and decision-making.
For many women, the pressure to do it all and be a “supermom” can result in feelings of stress, overwhelm, and burnout. In fact, an estimated 42 percent of working moms have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression—far more than the general population (28 percent).
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Tips for Saving Time, Reducing Your Stress, and Achieving Better Balance
If you’re feeling overwhelmed as a mother and wife, you don’t have to spend your days feeling exhausted, overworked, or paralyzed by a messy house. You can take the following steps to transform your life and get more time for what matters most:
1. Set meaningful goals.
To address the stressors in your life, it’s critical to identify them and set goals for your ideal future state. You can get started by making a list of all the things you love to do and those you detest and would love to get off your plate entirely.
For instance, if you feel grocery shopping and running errands take up too much time, you can create a goal to reduce the time those tasks take—perhaps by ordering online or limiting errands to a specific number of times per month. Once you’ve established your goals, you can prioritize them and commit to making the changes that turn those goals into reality.
2. Create efficiencies in everyday tasks.
Though you may have performed certain chores the same way for years, it’s worth considering that there might be a more efficient way to get them done. For example, you may find that meal planning simplifies grocery shopping and meal prep, and creating a home maintenance schedule helps to cut down on the number of calls for repairs.
Sometimes, the only way to know if something works for you is to try it. Once you’ve identified strategies to streamline tasks and eliminate unnecessary steps, you can implement your new approach for a week or two to assess its impact. Even the smallest tweaks can significantly improve how you spend your time.
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3. Get household help.
If you’ve been responsible for managing everything around the home, kids’ schedules, and family activities, it can be challenging to let go and consider outsourcing some of those tasks. However, when you do, you can tackle your to-do list and get more time for the priorities you’ve set for yourself—whether it’s to spend more quality family time, dedicate yourself to more philanthropic work, or have more time for self-care.
Outsourcing chores to a household assistant is an excellent way to get reliable, professional help for everyday chores and home projects. Household assistants aren’t just for celebrities and the superrich; you, too, can have an assistant to perform any of the following:
- Doing laundry and dropping off/picking up dry cleaning
- Making and rescheduling appointments
- Planning, prepping, and cleaning up after meals
- Shopping for groceries
- Making returns
- Caring for pets and taking them to the vet
- Planning travel
- Managing home renovation and redecorating projects
- Managing and supervising vendors
Say Goodbye to Feeling Overwhelmed as a Mom and Wife
If there’s a disconnect between where you want to dedicate your energy and passion and how you actually spend your time, it’s time for a change. While you can create new efficiencies with some tasks, there may be others you want to offload completely. A household assistant can help you do that and much more, allowing you to take ownership of your time and enjoy your life more fully.
To see all you can achieve with professional household help, check out our guide, What Your Life Could Look Like with a Household Assistant.
by Kara | Jul 23, 2024 | General, Grocery, Health, Home, Organizational, Outsourcing, Residential
A household assistant may seem like a luxury reserved only for celebrities and the super-rich, but it’s not. Household help is attainable and can completely transform your life and home for the better. Having a personal assistant in Seattle to run errands, perform household chores, and help with home projects means you can tackle your to-do list and have more time for your personal passions. And, managing an assistant requires much less oversight than you might think.
What does a personal household assistant do?
A household assistant is a partner in maintaining your home, helping you focus on your career, family, and whatever else is important to you. Your assistant can manage the day-to-day tasks of doing laundry and tidying rooms and also help you reimagine a room or other area of your home. Personal household assistance can include any of the following services:
- Shopping for groceries and running other errands
- Prepping meals and organizing the pantry/fridge
- Doing laundry and dropping off/picking up dry cleaning
- Planning travel, including packing and unpacking
- Managing and supervising household vendors
- Taking care of pets, including taking them to the vet if needed
- Managing home dream projects
If you’ve ever wondered if you even need a household assistant or if you have enough for an assistant to do, consider this: a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study found that household chores eat up an average of 21.5 hours per week—or three hours a day.
When you add that to the time you spend on your career and other obligations, there’s not much time left over for you, which can lead to stress or burnout. With a household assistant, you can add three more hours to each day and reduce the stress of trying to manage an ever-growing to-do list.
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What does managing a household assistant look like?
Given all that you do in a given day, it may seem like doing things yourself will take less time and fuss than explaining it to someone else. Not so! The right personal assistant service can match you with a skilled and professional assistant who can take work off your hands and get it done to your specifications.
As with any new relationship, developing a routine and rhythm with your personal assistant takes time. However, the more feedback you provide in the first weeks of the relationship, the sooner you’ll be up and running. Soon, your assistant will require less of your time and will be equipped to work independently. After the first few months working with a Pepper’s assistant, you can expect to dedicate only about 15 minutes per week for a quick check-in.
What’s it like working with a Pepper’s household assistant?
Our personal assistants in Seattle are well-trained and eager to make your life easier. Our clients say their Pepper’s assistants are:
- Professional but friendly
- Flexible
- Thoughtful and discerning
- Detail-oriented, with organizational superpowers
- Trustworthy and reliable
- Caring
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Here are some examples of the feedback we’ve received:
“My PA is incredible—an 11 out of 10—really thoughtful, thorough, and intuitive. She is professional but friendly; she has just been great.” —Libby
“One of the massive benefits of having a PA is during travel disruptions. When flights are delayed, the kids are upset, and you’re stuck in customs, coming home to a stocked fridge and a prepared meal eliminates the need for a late-night milk run. You don’t realize the stress these tasks add until you have someone to handle them for you.” —A.S.
“My PA is a thoughtful and discerning assistant. She pays attention to details in our home and makes great suggestions for how to improve and optimize our lives. We trust her judgment, and she communicates proactively and frequently. She is always on time and patient with my unpredictable schedule.” —Client
How do I get started with Pepper’s in Seattle?
Our passion is helping you get things done without having to do it all yourself. Our personal assistants in Seattle are skilled in supporting your busy life so you can enjoy it more. Each assistant is heavily vetted and evaluated for the right fit for your home and lifestyle needs.
If you’re ready for household help that will give you your time back, reach out anytime or schedule a call to get matched with your personal assistant in Seattle.
