Emem Nwogwugwu is an entrepreneur, author, life coach and certified project manager.??For over a decade, she has motivated people to continuously aspire to become the best version of themselves. With her warmth and passion to see people excel, she has organised events that have impacted people positively in different industries and spheres of life.
Emem has now developed the Parent Organiser, a unique planner and coaching program that addresses some of the daily issues of family life and parenting. SCHICK discusses the impact of the book, how parents can help their children build good organisation skills from young and how to achieve better work-life integration.
How did your background in life coaching and project management lead to creating the Parent Organiser?
I already had a business where I helped my clients achieve transformation in their personal lives and businesses. My services are Life Coaching, Tailored Trainings, Project Management and Consulting services to organisations, top leaders and entrepreneurs. So creating Parent Organiser and products for families came naturally to me after I became a mum.
I figured I had to create a service in my business where I can cater to families. Being a parent is a rewarding project but requires a lot of hard work, planning, skills and patience. My career background in life coaching and project management enabled me because it made me realise and see the Parent Organiser as a project. It became glaring when I had my daughter and she turned 18 months, I knew that I had to have a structure in place if I was going to be an excellent mother and see this part of my life as a project. Life coaching opens your mind to more areas in your life where excellence is achievable through structure.
What impact have you seen it have on your own life?
Orderliness, excellence, commendation and having parents recommend the book after utilising it, not just buying it; so much positive impact. It made me see that anyone can be super productive and organised in all areas of their lives if they choose to be. We do not need to drop the ball in any important areas of our lives just because we are parents or face a lot of responsibility.
What would you say are some of the major advantages of this organiser to the user?
The major advantages are:
Planning: Become more intentional about your life, your children and domestic assistant’s schedule. You can plan meals, shopping, study and playtime effortlessly.
Structuring: Train your staff to help with your kids’ academics and grooming, balance family assistant(s) and nanny duties and enjoy a stress-free relationship with your domestic staff.
Healing: Based on a method that has been used for years, this book will help you heal from past hurts, failures, and live free from pain through the personal coaching session.
Wholesome Kids: Rest assured because you can keep track of how your kids fare while you are away, you can raise balanced kids with a culture of being organised and an early love for reading.
You speak about how the book can help aid ???healing??? from past hurts, failures, etc. In what ways does it help achieve that?
There is a segment in the book where you can have an emotional healing session by yourself. You can repeat this session as many times as you need to. I am paid as a life coach for sessions like this but I felt it was necessary to include this part for the parents or anyone who is hurting and needs a private way to handle it.
What can parents do to help their children build organisation skills from an early age?
First thing is to learn how to be organised as a parent; learn it if you don’t know it, read up on it or pay for the knowledge. Then implement it daily and let your child see you. Next, you set a goal on how you want to teach them the skills and make it become part of their daily lives. Then implement this plan as often as you can.
The most important thing is that your child has to see that organisational skill in you and how you manage things at home, even your relationships.
You included an effective planning guide for domestic staff in the Parent Organiser. Why did you choose to do that?
I did because I knew that parents do a lot of hard work and most people have domestic assistants in Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world. I knew there was a need for them to have a standard operating procedure for their duties, so as to be on the same page and also reduce the challenges parents and domestic assistants face.
What are some practical management tips you have for parents juggling work, homeschooling and tasks around the house?
Educate every team member on how to use the basic apps like Zoom, school online portals and the Internet. The essence of doing this is so that everyone’s hands are on deck – the mum, the dad, relatives too.
Carry the child along, let the child be aware of the schedule; be flexible, not rigid and try and make learning fun as you’re dealing with children. Set boundaries within your work time, as well and let kids and staff know you are not available at that time.
Take out time to work out well, eat healthily and rest properly. Prioritise your self-care. A healthy meal plan for the entire family is also important. Finally, be disciplined about your child’s bedtime and yours too, so you can recover from the day’s work.
Do you believe an equal work-life balance is possible? How do you suggest parents who work outside the home develop better balance?
First of all, I don’t believe in a work-life balance, I believe in work-life integration – i.e. setting your priorities right, delegating activities to the right people. Parents who work outside the home will need a clear productivity workflow document stating expectations for your domestic assistants and your employees or team members at work, and being able to merge them effectively.
Also, use a work hourly tracker to keep you on track. Use mobile apps like Trello, Slack and Any.do to stay on top things and make sure your goals are wrapped around your personal values and that of your family.
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1 Responses to “AUTHOR & LIFE COACH, EMEM NWOGWUGWU IS ON A MISSION TO EQUIP & EMPOWER PARENTS WITH HER DEBUT BOOK”
Excellent article. I am dealing with a few of these issues as well..