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Bare Essentials: Controlling Cord Clutter

February 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

No matter how much technology advances, there’s no way to get away from cords. Power is everything, right?  So when a box of whimsical cable cord organizers was delivered to my home office, I couldn’t wait to try them. After all, I’m open-minded about using anything that can make pasta-like piles of cords less annoying. I was going to include only one of the organizers, but I couldn’t decide which one I liked better.

Animal clips

Go wild!

Think about the last time you were surrounded by power cords snaking around your desk. You may have tried to tuck them behind your monitor, but that was only a temporary solution. You don’t have to be an animal lover to appreciate these helpful Animal Clips. Whether you attach a lion to your laptop or a dog to your desk, these adorable animals are ready to bite your small cords and keep them out of the way.

 

 

 

core cord cable organizer

Organizing to the core

Untangling headphone cords or cell phone charger cords is a waste of time as well as incredibly annoying. The Core offers the perfect solution: wrap the cord around the middle, and then tuck the end into the channel on either end. It’s small enough to throw into your purse or laptop case. Maybe the person who designed this product was sewing a button on a shirt and thought, “Spool of thread…tangled headphones…organizing solution!” Maybe that’s not how this product was invented, but you never know.

 

 

 

 

Storage in a shellnew cable turtle cord organizer

Not all products are well-designed and functional, but the Cable Turtle is both. This donut-looking cord organizer is easy to use. You simply turn it inside out, wrap the cord around the center, and then snap it closed. It comes in different colors and is even part of the Museum of Modern Art’s Design collection. Impressive.

 

 

 

Kermit’s cousin

Cababo

How many frogs have you seen that are actually helpful? Aside from Kermit who can teach your kids the alphabet, no frog is as helpful as the Cababo Frog. This wide-eyed critter holds your excess cables inside his body. After you wind your cable around the cable winder, tuck the extra cable inside, your frog is ready to go.



 


		

		
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How To Make Friends Appreciate Your Time and Expertise
 
		
		
February 8, 2013  By  3 Comments 
		

			
others taking advantageLast week while I was juggling three projects that had to be finished by the end of the week, I received this text:


“I need the name of a good flooring company and painter…now!”


The text was from someone I’ve known for years, but haven’t spoken to in months because she’s a user. She appreciates what I do for my clients, but she doesn’t respect my time or ability. She doesn’t consider that the time I spend helping her with a project at no charge, will take time away from my clients who do pay.


What do you say?


When a friend asks for a favor, do you tell your friend NO and risk insulting him or her? Or do you put your clients aside and help your friend because you don’t want to lose that friendship? If you can answer those questions honestly, either you’ll keep letting others take advantage of you, or you’ll realize that your friends need to see your value, the same way your clients see it.


What do you do?


Take a mental inventory of your friends and figure out which ones are users. Decide whether or not it’s worth spending time with them or with others who appreciate your abilities. My guess is that when you take time to think about who appreciates you, you’ll spend less time with the users, and more time with your friends who don’t want anything from you but your friendship. Those are the friends who rarely ask you for anything, but when they do, you’ll help with no questions asked. I have a handful of those friends who, day or night, know they can count on me.


What about next time?


The next time a friend asks you to do yet one more favor, consider what your expertise is worth. Think about what you will you have to give up to help someone who will ask you to do something for him or her again. Consider why a friend thinks it’s OK to ask for your time, help, and advice, for nothing. Sure, doing favors for friends is part of any friendship. but at some point enough is enough and your friendship will change from a mutually beneficial, give-and-take relationship, to a one-sided, constantly-giving relationship.


The site Freelance Switch — I’m one of their newest fans — published a comic that illustrates how hard it is to turn someone down, especially when you’ve always considered that person a friend. Something to think about.


 


		

		
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Turn Up the Heat…It’s Working Naked Day!
 
		
		
February 1, 2013  By  4 Comments 
		

			
heat up Working Naked DayIt may be cold outside, but working from home is hot, hot, hot!


Today, the 4th annual Working Naked Day, is the perfect time to focus on all of the benefits of working from home. After all, there’s no commute, no co-workers to waste your time, and no boss around to bother you.


Whether or not you’ve already started the celebration, or you need a few ideas for making the most of this day including improving your home office, start with these six tips.


1. Spark some new ideas. While your corporate counterparts are stuck in traffic, grab a blanket and a hot cup of coffee, and brainstorm about ways to grow your business and breathe new life into it.


2. Rekindle an old friendship, either business or personal, via Skype. Think about someone you haven’t spoken to in years, and give him or her a call. Don’t forget to position your camera to avoid any awkward moments!


3. Light up your inner organizer. If you’ve tried to organize your home office but it’s still a mess, start with one corner and work your way around the space. Keep in mind that it took time for your home office to get to the point it is now, and it will take time to create the home office you want.


4. Extinguish bad habits. Start by limiting the time you spend on the Internet. You can set a timer on your computer or use a kitchen timer to remind you to get back to work. Also, stay focused by using some type of to-do list, whether in your Smartphone, on your computer, or in a simple spiral notebook. When you get sidetracked, refer to your list.


5. Turn up the heat on your friends. Today is the ideal day for you and a friend to get out of your comfort zones. Whether you try a new sport, take a Zumba class at the gym, or start a small business together (the one you’ve talked about for years), take a few risks.


6. Fire up your inner designer. Start by adding one thing to your home office that makes you smile. Whether you add a piece of artwork your child made, hang a picture from your last vacation, or mount an inspiration board near your desk, that extra something can change the look of your home office and your mood.


Don’t forget to snap a picture of yourself today for our Working Naked Facebook page. Please crop the photo to make it grandma-friendly.


How are you going to celebrate Working Naked Day?


		

		
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All Dressed Up: A Small, Yet Spacious Home Office
 
		
		
January 29, 2013  By  1 Comment 
		

			
small home office design ideas


Do you know how some women can wear a paper bag and look gorgeous? My friend, Allen Hart, who is also an interior designer, can make any simple space look fabulous.


He recently moved and transformed a small home into a showcase. My favorite part of his home is, of course, his home office.


His design revolves around a huge, colorful, contemporary print above his desk.  He has a completely paperless home office and stores everything electronically. That means he didn’t have to find room for a file cabinet. He found a creative place to store his all-in-one machine: under a sofa table.


home office printer storage idea


The layout of Allen’s home office makes it easy to convert the space into a cozy conference room. When he has a client meeting, he pulls a table from the window to the center of the room, and then moves the chairs in front of and next to his desk to the table.


Each time Allen moves, he creates an even better, inspirational space. This one definitely is my favorite.


		

		
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How to Get Ready for Working Naked Day
 
		
		
January 23, 2013  By  Leave a Comment 
		

			
pre-working naked dayLast week was No Pants on the Tube Day…the perfect lead-in to the 4th annual Working Naked Day next Friday, February 1st.


Whether you’re going to work in your birthday suit on Working Naked Day, or plan to celebrate your home office freedom some other way, there are a few things you can do to get ready for the big day:


    

  • Grab your favorite blanket and leave it in your home office. It could be a cold one.
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  • Get ready to snap pix of yourself on Working Naked Day for our Working Naked Facebook page. Make sure you crop out the TMI parts and don’t send any pix you wouldn’t want your grandma to see.
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  • Set up a Skype session with your corporate friends who are stuck in an office while you’re working in the comfort of your home office.
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  • If you work in a corporate office, convince your boss that you need to work from home on February 1st and make him or her wonder what you’re up to.
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    How are you going to celebrate Working Naked Day?
    

    		

		
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Stuff Happens When You Work From Home
 
		
		
January 17, 2013  By  7 Comments 
		

			
home office challenges small business


A friend of mine I’ve known since grade school likes to say that “life is messy.” She’s right.


I like to say that home office life is messy, because it is. But it’s a life that few of us want to give up, because dealing with the messes outweighs the alternative: working in a corporate office.


Consider whether you’ve ever had one of those days when:


    

  • The dog gets sick. This time on the product samples you need to send to a client.
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  • Your in-laws decide to visit you the same week your biggest project of the year is due.
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  • Your child is home from school and in a lame attempt to entertain him, you show him how cool your new shredder is. Everything’s fine until you realize you’ve accidentally mixed up your “throw away” pile with your “extremely important” pile of paper.
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  • You’re wearing a suit (finally) and as you’re ready to leave your car, it starts raining. That’s when you remember that you never replaced your broken umbrella.
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  • Your printer runs out of ink when you need to print a proposal and you’re already running late.
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  • Your smartphone quits working the week after the warranty runs out.
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  • Your favorite client is laid off and now you have to deal with his boss who’s a jerk. It’s hard to take him seriously considering all that your client has told you about him, including what happened at the last company Christmas party.
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  • You lose your Internet connection right before a videoconference call you’ve had to reschedule three times.
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  • Your car is on empty, your meeting is across town, and you don’t have any time to spare.
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Working from home has its challenges, and every day isn’t going to go as planned, but that’s true in a corporate office too. The difference is that when you work alone, you’re the one on clean-up duty.


So the next time anything listed above (or anything similar) happens to you, try not to get discouraged. Instead of working from the comfort of your home office, you could be stuck in traffic, cornered by a co-worker describing his latest surgery, or leading a boring corporate life.


 


		

		
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Corporate Employees See Benefits of Working From Home
 
		
		
January 10, 2013  By  4 Comments 
		

			


working from home office surveyThose of us who have worked from home for years know the benefits of a home office and would have a tough time going back to a cubicle. Who needs a boss looming over your shoulder, or co-workers who can’t stop bothering you?


In the article Top 10 Benefits of Working From Home, Forbes shares the results of the Microsoft survey, Work without Walls. In the survey, corporate employees ranked what they consider the top benefits of working from home.


10) Environmentally friendly (23%)


9) More time with family (29%)


8) Less stressful environment (38%)


7) Quieter atmosphere (43%)


6) Eliminate long commute (44%)


5) Less distractions (44%)


4) More productive (45%)


3) Avoid traffic (47%)


2) Save gas (55%)


1) Work/home balance (60%)


Do you agree with this order?


		

		
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Make Room for the New Year
 
		
		
January 2, 2013  By  7 Comments 
		

			
new year organizing declutter officeThere’s something about the new year that brings out the organizer in all of us. Maybe it’s the desire to start fresh, wipe away the previous year, or start over.


I started 2013 by organizing my garage. Big deal, right?


Actually, it was. I’ve been able to fit my car in my garage (my son’s car too), but I was tired of looking at all of the shelves in my garage filled with things I knew I wasn’t ever going to use. By the time I finished, I had four trash bags full of stuff, three rugs, and a desk, all ready to donate.


How could I have kept so many things I didn’t need? The answer was as clear as my newly organized garage. Because I had extra shelves and plenty of room to store things I didn’t need to keep, I kept them.


Doesn’t it make sense that the more space you have, the more things you’ll keep? Think about it…it’s easier to stick something on a shelf in case you need it some day (something my clients always say), than to decide whether you really need to keep it.


So this new year, take a look at your closets, bookcases, cabinets, your garage, or storage space — not in one day, it’s too overwhelming — and see if you can get rid of a few things you’re no longer using.


Don’t be surprised if while your organizing you say a few times, “I was looking for that!” because I promise you will.


Which organizing project are you going to tackle this year?


		

		
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5 Steps for Accident-Proofing Your Home Office
 
		
		
December 26, 2012  By  6 Comments 
		

			
source: ell brown 
source: ell brown


When my sons were little, I baby-proofed my entire house. Between cabinet latches, toilet locks and baby gates, our house was safe. I realized it was time to remove the locks when my younger son showed his babysitter how to use them.


Taking the time to make your home safe for your kids is important, but who’s keeping your office safe for you? All it takes is one fall to break a leg and you’re out of commission for weeks. If you don’t have a staff or a virtual assistant, who will keep your office running smoothly?


Whether you work by yourself, or with others, an injury is still inconvenient. These five steps can help you make your home office safe.


1. Keep your path clear.


Avoid accidental falls by securing loose cables instead of letting them snake throughout your home office. Keep your home office from becoming an obstacle course by putting things away where they belong or close to where they belong. I used to put things on the floor “for now” and would forget I did that until I tripped over whatever it was I should have moved earlier. Graceful is not my middle name!


2. Place items strategically.


Set up your home office so you can reach the equipment and supplies you use often and reduce the strain on your back. You may not notice the effects of regular up, down, and twisting motions until you feel a sharp pain shooting up your spine or down your neck.


3. Strive for support.


Avoid neck, back, and even wrist injury by using a chair that supports your back while absorbing and distributing your weight. In other words, don’t use your kitchen chair or dining room table chair in place of an ergonomically correct chair. Sharp pains or a throbbing in your neck are a sure sign that your monitor is either too low or too high (usually it’s too high). When you use an adjustable chair, you can set it so the monitor is at the right height. Or you can use a monitor riser to help you reduce neck strain.


4. Manage stacks.


It’s easy to think you’ll be able to tackle the stacks of magazines you’ve saved all year, but who has the time to read everything? Instead of stepping over stacks, tripping over plies and seeing your blood pressure go up as your stacks rise, recycle them. If you want to read a certain article, you’ll be able to find it online. Also, not only will you be able to save space in your home office, you’ll be able to save money on subscriptions to magazines you’ll never read.


5. Ensure that you’re insured.


You may have homeowners insurance, but make sure that you know what it covers. Not all policies cover home office equipment. The time to find out that you’re not insured is before, not after, you have to turn in a claim.


		

		
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Working With a Spouse While Working From Home
 
		
		
December 19, 2012  By  16 Comments 
		

			
I admire couples that can work from home together and not strangle each other by the end of the day. It’s not that I’m unreasonable, bitchy or territorial (at least not all of the time), but there’s no way I could stand to share an office with a spouse. Period.


Part of the reason is that I’m from a family of five kids which makes me want my own space, my own supplies and as much privacy as possible. I like working by myself in a quiet home office.


The other part is that too much of a good thing can be bad. You may adore your spouse, but if you spend every day and night with him or her, you may drain the fun out of your business and your relationship.


If you’re still willing to work with your spouse, there are a few ways to keep the peace so no one considers hiring a hit man by the end of the day.


Buy duplicate supplies.


No one likes to reach for a stapler and realize it’s on someone else’s desk or in another room. Get creative and buy two sets of office supplies in different colors. While you’re buying extra supplies for your spouse, pick up more sets for the rest of your family.


Use separate equipment.


There’s nothing wrong with cutting costs, but sharing a computer will cost you more than money. It can affect your working relationship, and more importantly, your productivity. Whether you use a desktop and your spouse uses a laptop, each of you should have your own equipment. If one of you prints more often than the other, you may want to have two printers. Otherwise, share one.


Leave the room when you need to take a call.


Unless you can talk quietly and not bother your spouse while he or she is in the office, leave the room during a call. Another option is to use a headset and of course, talk quieter. It’s a good idea to leave your desk throughout the day anyway, so why not leave during a call?


Use separate workspaces.


Whether you use two desks, or install a long counter with enough room for two people to work, keep your workspaces separate. This is especially true if you have two different working styles. Someone who is a packrat will drive a perfectionist crazy with piles of paper, cups of coffee and the leftovers from his or her last snack. The perfectionist will do the same thing by complaining about the mess and throwing things away without asking.


Compromise on the temperature.


You may like the office to be as cold as a meat locker, but not everyone likes to wear three sweaters, a hat, and gloves to work. Consider using a fan for your side of the room and keep the thermostat at a reasonable temperature.


Working with a spouse can be the perfect arrangement for some couples and a recipe for disaster for others. In fact, I’m a firm believer in everyone working together, but not always in the same space.


		

		
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