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How to Be Effective and Efficient While Working Naked

September 6, 2012 By 12 Comments

When you’re “Working Naked” — working without the support of the corporate workplace — you face a few challenges. A few of them include staying focused and avoiding distractions. By taking the time to set up your home office to be efficient and change what’s not working, you can create a productive home office.

Start with the right equipment.

Figure out how much time you’re wasting using old equipment and outdated software. Computer prices fall regularly, so it may be worth your time to buy a new laptop or desktop. The money you’re saving by not buying new equipment may be costing you in lost time and productivity.

Turn four machines into one. [Read more...]

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How to Jog Your Memory

April 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

source: ganesha.isis

Some people think I’m extra organized because I always enter notes in my iPhone. The truth is that I have the world’s worst memory. I can remember faces, not names, and directions, not addresses.

Over the years, I’ve taken a few steps to try to improve my memory or at least fake that I have a better memory than I do. By using the simple strategies below, I’m able to finish projects on time, avoid annoying friends and clients, and remember important dates.

Consider these four steps tips for improving your memory.

Add an attachment to your e-mail before you write your message.

Have you had to send a follow-up e-mail after you’re forgotten to include an attachment? I have. By adding the attachment before I write the message, I don’t have to send the follow-up message. The best part is that my friends and clients have stopped sending me e-mails — some of them in an annoying tone — asking about attachments I was supposed to include.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

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Are You Controlling Time or is Time Controlling You?

April 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

source: Sean MacEntee

I’ve always wondered how a time management seminar could last two days, so a few weeks ago I went to one. By the end of the first day, I knew I was right…the speaker could have shared all of his information in three hours, not eight. He showed us how we were wasting time — I could relate because I wasting time at the seminar — and he gave us exercises to help us realize how we could make better use of our time.

By the second day I felt sorry for the corporate employees who realized that when they went back to work, they’d have to play catch-up for the next few days.

Let me save you a few days by sharing a few time management tips I didn’t learn at the seminar, but instead through trial and error.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

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4 Ways to Develop a Home Office Routine

March 5, 2012 By 8 Comments

source: Courtney Dirks

It took me a few years of working from home to figure out that I needed to follow some type of schedule. My schedule is flexible, but for the most part I work out early, take a shower, get dressed and make the 5-second commute to my home office.

There are days though, when I head to my home office in my workout clothes, fully intending to exercise after I finish a blog post or two, and before I know it it’s noon.  Does that sound familiar?

Working from home means you have the freedom to work when you want, wherever you want. Yet it’s important to get into a routine so you can be productive each day. These four tips are a good place to start.

Set a starting and ending time each day

As much as possible, follow a schedule to keep your productivity high and your motivation strong. Otherwise you may not make it to your home office until after lunch. On the other hand, know in advance when you’re going to stop working so you don’t work all night and into the morning.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

 

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5 Organizing Myths Keeping You From Getting Organized

January 11, 2012 By 11 Comments

source: miss.killer!

For years, I’ve worked with clients who’ve tried everything to organize their home offices, but then have finally given up. Either they didn’t know where to start or were overwhelmed by the process. They also started to believe the negative comments their family and friends were telling them about getting organized.

If you’ve tried to organize your home office and have given up, or have started to believe what others have told you for years about getting organized, it’s time to change your thinking. When you stop believing old organizing myths, you can move forward and get your home office organized.

Myth #1 You have to be born organized to be organized

We learn both good and bad habits at an early age and you can change any bad habit, including disorganization. When I was in the corporate world, co-workers who had organized offices told me that their homes were a mess. They focused more on their workspace because that’s where they generated their income. By the time they came home from work every day, they were too exhausted to organize anything. The bottom line is that you can learn to be organized, and it’s easier if you’re motivated to make a few changes.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

 

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The Advantages of Hiring Help

December 13, 2011 By 8 Comments

A business owner I’ve known for over ten years has owned several businesses. He sold two of his businesses within two years of starting them.

His last (and current) business was almost a failure. Although he had a strong business idea and product, he grew his business too quickly. Each month he added a few employees and by the end of his first year in business, he wasn’t making enough money to cover his overhead.

At the beginning of the new year he cut his staff in half and reorganized his business. By making a few staffing changes, he has converted his company from pathetic to profitable.

As your business grows, and you have less time to spend on sales and marketing, filing, and accounting, you may need to add additional staff or hire freelancers. There are a few things to consider when hiring others full-time, part-time, or on a project-by-project basis. [Read more...]

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Would More Hours in the Day Make You More Productive?

October 25, 2011 By 14 Comments

When my (now 29-year-old) nephew was four years old, I asked him if he wanted to go to the store with me. He told me that he didn’t have enough time because he was too busy.

I don’t remember much about my life at four years old, but what I do remember is that all I had was time. My nephew probably had learned that response from everyone around him.

What would you do with more time?

No matter what type of business you’re in, and whether you’re working from home full-time or part-time, time is a valuable commodity. Take the time to consider what would happen if you had more time.

  • Would you take the day off, spend more time with your family, or work on your personal development?  If so, let go of tasks that don’t need your attention so you can have more time to spend on yourself or with your family. [Read more...]
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4 Things You Don’t Have To Do

October 20, 2011 By

source: Homini:)

Yesterday while I was waiting in line at a store, a little boy threw a fit. His mom told him to do something and he kept saying, “I don’t have to!” while he stomped his feet. Two candy bars later, the mom convinced him to do what she asked.

That’s one kid who has a strong future in negotiating!

Working for yourself involves having to do things you want to do, have to do and hate to do…even when there’s no candy involved. Fortunately there are a few things you don’t have to do.

To learn what they are, click here to read the rest of my guest blog post on Success…Your Way.


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Do The Right Thing But at The Right Time

October 6, 2011 By 2 Comments

source: Ant Smith

Yesterday, I grabbed a sandwich at a deli near my house and the place was packed. While I was waiting in line, one of the employees almost knocked me over. He was busy mopping the floor and putting the rugs back, while customers tried to walk past him to pick up their orders.

The floor needed to be mopped, but did the guy have to mop during the busy lunch rush? He was doing the right thing, but his timing was off.

How is your timing? Consider these questions:

Do you follow up with clients when say you will?

A superstar realtor friend of mine has had a record year. Why? She calls her prospects back on the exact day she promises to call. When she shows that much attention to detail, the prospects are so impressed (and surprised), they hire her to represent them.

One of the few times a prospect she was working with decided to sign with another realtor, was when she responded to the prospect’s text at 3 am. The client had sent the text at dinnertime the night before and didn’t appreciate the text in the middle of the night. [Read more...]

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To Do or Not To Do…It’s All in the List

October 4, 2011 By 10 Comments

A good friend of mine used to use a paper-based planner to write her to-do lists.

As her business grew, she quit using her planner and switched to sticky notes that she plastered all over her monitor. Her system broke down when she started covering older notes with newer ones. She tried to improve her sticky note system by using different colored notes, but that didn’t help.

Now, instead of using her new smartphone to record tasks, she writes her top to-do’s on her hand. She admits that her “organic” way of tracking tasks is a little unreliable, especially by the middle of the day when she’s washed her hands a few times, but she’s out of ideas.

Whether you’re like my friend and you’ve exhausted all of your options, or you’ve used the same planning system for years, take a close look at how you’re planning your days. There are a few ways you can make your system more effective. [Read more...]

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