When Your Professional and Personal Lives Collide – Write About It!

Restrictions from COVID-19 lockdown are starting to lift, some children are returning to school, and businesses are beginning to reopen tentatively. It’s all a bit weird and nerve-wracking, but it’s something we shall all experience in our own way over the coming months.

We’ve all adapted to this new way of working and living. Not once in my 48 years did I think that a trip to Tesco would be the highlight of my week! However, here we are. The many Zoom meetings and networks I’ve attended over the recent weeks have changed significantly. In the beginning, there were furrowed brows and many tears (mine included), whereas these days there’s an air of determination and fighting spirit. We are all awakening to this new dawn refreshed and raring to go.

Life can be messy

One of the biggest questions I’m asked is ‘what on earth should I write about?’ That might be for blogging purposes, newsletters to subscribers, or content for social media platforms. Some of my clients want to keep their content professional. However, when their personal lives have been running around in underpants during a Zoom meeting, smearing chocolate buttons up the curtains, or painting the dog with a sharpie, it can be tricky.

I’m fortunate that my three children are grown-up (college, university, and work age), and I’ve never been so relieved to avoid the home schooling phenomenon. All parents have my utmost respect for surviving such a task. With older children comes the variety of music blaring from behind closed bedroom doors, the eating of snacks 397 times a day, and the thump of Tic Tok moves thundering through the ceiling. So what can you write about when the line between professional and personal life is messy?

Be honest and authentic

My advice is to stay true to your authentic self and write about it! The good, the bad, and the ugly. Remember, any content you share on your blog, social platforms, or on your website is written with your target audience in mind. The trials and tribulations going on in your house will, no doubt, be happening in your customers’ homes too.

Turn that into entertaining, uplifting, or helpful content. Here are a few examples:

• Running a business while home schooling – the highs and lows.
• Changes to your usual routines – are you working three days instead of five, and how has it helped or hindered you?
• Are you furloughed from work? How has that impacted you/your family?
• Have you gone grey during lockdown? Have you embraced this or taken to wearing a hat at all times?
• Extra helpers – whether it’s your toddlers or a pet, who is now on your staff rota?
• Extracurricular activities – have you taken up a new hobby or learned a new skill? Was it a success or a failure? Share the results either way.
• Are you getting ready to go back to school/work? How do you feel? What preparations are you making?

Your audience will be going through similar experiences and could be feeling unsettled, nervous, or anxious. To discover that you, a respected and trusted connection, is feeling the same way can be enough to give them a boost of confidence.

Don’t underestimate the power of honesty in your written content. After all, people buy from people.

What I did to entertain my audience

Here’s a list of things I’ve done during lockdown, and how I’ve shared it with my audience:

• Hired a skip and de-cluttered – I wrote about the benefits of a clear workspace and how clearing out the junk helps my mental health.
• Paint by numbers – I haven’t painted since I was in school, but I discovered a company who supplies a digitally printed canvas together with paints and brushes. It took me three days to complete, and I was delighted with the results. I wrote about mindfulness, creativity, and rediscovering hidden passions.
• Camped out in the garden – this was a two-fold plan. Firstly I needed to pitch the tent so I could take photographs as I’m selling it. Secondly, it was my birthday, and I wanted to do something fun as I couldn’t go away as initially planned. I wrote about the benefits of camping/being outdoors.
• We built a ‘bar’ in the garden – this was influenced by my three children (of drinking age) who were missing their pub! It was a well-choreographed social distanced project where I collected a pallet from my brother, dropped it on my dad’s front lawn, he built and painted it, and I returned to collect! I even purchased a sign for the front saying The Wilson Arms. My social media audience loved it!
• Rekindled my love of LEGO and bought a few (too many) sets! I wrote about embracing your inner child, and mindful activities.
• A quarantined birthday – it might seem strange, but my birthday this year was one of my favourites! I didn’t have to go anywhere. The kids cooked my meals, I painted, read, sat in the sunshine, and had lots of doorstep visitors waving at me from half-way down the drive. I wrote about the positive impact on my mental health, having my kids together under one roof again, and celebrating events under strange circumstances.

That’s a small portion of my lockdown antics, but it’s kept my audience engaged and communicating throughout the pandemic. I’ve always used humour as a coping mechanism, and it appears my audience appreciate that judging by the fantastic comments I’ve received.

Talking about our current situation, especially as we leave lockdown and begin to ease back into the world, is more critical than ever. Using your experiences and sharing this with your clients or customers will not only keep you and your business in the front of their mind, but they’ll probably thank you for getting them through the tough times.

Embrace the chaos and use it to your advantage, and when your professional and personal lives collide – write about it!

Need help putting it into words?

If you know what you want to say but struggle to put it into words, I can help. It’s my job to ease your personality into your brand storytelling via your blogs, newsletters, social media content, or website copy. Want to find out more? Get in touch for a FREE 30-minute consultation call or email me via authorshelleywilson@gmail.com