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How to Decide Whether or Not You Should Work From Home

May 17, 2012 By 6 Comments

I wouldn’t trade working from home for anything. There’s no dress code, it’s easier to stay focused, and if I want to work late at night I have a three-second commute. But working from home isn’t for everyone.

If you’re thinking about working from home or questioning your decision to work from home, consider these pros and cons.

Pro: Your overhead is low and you can furnish your office however you wish.
Con: You’ll need to carve an office out of living space in your home.

Pro: You can set your own hours.
Con: You have to be disciplined and keep some type of schedule. By disciplining yourself and getting on a regular schedule, you can still be productive while enjoying the benefits of working from home.

Pro: Associates or other business professionals won’t be nearby to bother you.
Con: You risk feeling isolated, “out of the loop,” and even lonely. Consider meeting regularly with other small business owners for coffee or lunch.

Pro: You don’t have to waste time traveling to meet with clients or waiting for clients to arrive.
Con: Clients will see how you live and work, unless you find a way to set your office apart from the rest of your home. French doors, a folding screen or even room-dividing bookcases can help.

Pro: No commute so you save time, energy, and money.
Con: You can’t escape your work, especially if your home office is in your bedroom.

Pro: You can merge your personal and professional lives.
Con: Trying to juggle both personal and professional obligations at the same time can be a challenge.

What made you decide to work from home or what’s keeping you from working from home?

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

How to Get the Most Out of Live Seminars

May 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

source: Today's Innovative Woman

Years ago when my older son came home from his first day of Kindergarten and I asked him what he’d learned, he said, “My brain is full!” After attending a few small business conferences this year, I understand how he felt.

This week I’m speaking at the Today’s Innovative Woman Success Summit and I can’t wait to interact with other business owners. When I spoke at their conference two years ago in Los Angeles, I was thrilled at how much I learned at the information-packed sessions ranging from how to market your business to growing your online presence.

Not only did I learn great tips and strategies from the speakers, I picked up a few tips from the attendees as well. This was no group of slackers!

Before you go to your next live conference, consider the following tips.

Consider the benefits.

Make sure that the conference you want to attend will help you grow your business. Unless you’re attending a conference that’s in town, going to an out-of-town conference can be expensive and may not be worth your time and money. Even if it is in town, the conference should be worth the time you’ll need to take off from your business.

Take notes…plenty of notes.

Whether you use an iPad, a legal pad or your laptop to take notes, be consistent. When you use one place to take notes, you don’t have to waste time searching for them when you need to refer to the notes again a few months later. When I was a speaker and an attendee at a conference a few months ago, I left with pages and pages of valuable notes and strategies that have helped me take my business to the next level.

Start a to-do page.

At one of the conferences I attended, the event planner provided each of us with a detailed booklet that featured each speaker’s bio and room to take notes. I took notes on the speaker’s pages. On a separate to-do page, I listed action steps. Taking notes is one thing…putting the information to use is another. The day after the conference, I highlighted the key to-do items and added them to my to-do list and overall project list.

Network, network, network.

During each break, I make a point to meet at least 3-4 new people. During one conference, they held a contest for the person who collected the most business cards (I lost).

At one conference, almost every person I met was prepared with a one-sentence “elevator pitch.” When I asked someone what she did, she’d answer, “I work with (insert type of business) to help them (insert three benefits).” Brilliant! In one sentence I learned what they did and what type of people they helped.

I’ve “virtually” attended plenty of Webinars, and at times I walk away from my home office with tips I can use. But nothing beats the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration that a group of successful entrepreneurs (both male and female) can provide at a live conference. The next time a Webinar invitation hits your e-mail, think twice and consider going to a live conference instead.

What did you learn from your last business conference?

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

12 Rules For Working From Home

May 8, 2012 By 17 Comments

When you work from home, there aren’t any official rules. That, however, didn’t stop me from creating my own.

1. Bathe daily and try to change your shirt and underwear at least every other day.

2. Clean up your office once a week (even if you just remove coffee mugs and food wrappers).

3. Limit your work hours…you need to sleep.

4. If you have a deadline and you want to stay focused, turn off your e-mail alert.

5. If your home office is a mess, meet with clients somewhere else. Clients may say they don’t mind your mess, but they do, and they may try to figure out how to fire you.

6. If possible, don’t let your kids use your computer. If you get a virus, you can’t work. If they get a virus, they can’t play computer games. Do the math.

7. Make sure your mute or hold button works. Sometimes they don’t, which means you may have some explaining to do.

8. Don’t answer your business line if your kids are screaming or your dogs are barking. Caller ID and a hold or mute button can only do so much.

9. Set ground rules with your friends and family and let them know that even though you work from home, you’re not available to wait for the cable guy or plumber.

10. Don’t use a chair from your dining room or kitchen as your desk chair. Instead, invest in an ergonomically correct chair.

11. Teach your kids to leave your office supplies alone. In fact, buy them their own set.

12. If you’re (literally) working naked, please wear underwear while sitting at your desk. ‘Nuff said.

What rules do you follow for working from home?

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: , ,

Is Telecommuting Right For You?

April 20, 2012 By 8 Comments

When you think about working from home, do you picture a small business owner, or a corporate employee?

Some people forget that not everyone who works from home is an entrepreneur. Along with those of us who work for ourselves, corporate sales reps and other corporate employees work from home full-time, too.

Another group of people who work from home are telecommuters, those who work from home a few days a week instead of working in a corporate office every day. Whether you used to work from home and then had to go back to the corporate world, or you want a more flexible schedule, or you want to avoid a daily commute, telecommuting may be the perfect solution for you. Before you approach your boss about telecommuting, ask yourself a few questions. [Read more...]

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4 Ways to Send E-Mails Without Annoying Others

April 6, 2012 By 12 Comments

Does everyone read every e-mail you send? For most of us that’s the goal, but without realizing it you may be doing a few things that keep others from opening your e-mails.

Unlike the list of e-mail mistakes I published in another post, here’s a list of things you can do to ensure that others enjoy, not dread, your e-mails.

1. Use bcc.

Some people don’t realize that bcc means blind carbon copy, which means don’t make everyone on your e-mail list mad by listing their email addresses in your mass mailings. In the “To” section, enter your email address and in the “bcc” section, enter everyone else’s addresses. When you send a mass e-mail, no one else’s address shows up except for yours. [Read more...]

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The Advantages of Renting a Mailbox

March 26, 2012 By 18 Comments

Aside from getting Caller ID — the best invention since chocolate — one of the best business decisions I ever made was to rent a mailbox.

When I started working from home, sales people showed up at my house and called my personal line. Renting a mailbox stopped the drop-by sales calls and made me seem more professional at a time when working from home wasn’t as widely accepted as it is now. In fact, no one knew I worked from home until my first home office book came out — it was sort of a dead giveaway.

While most of us get more e-mails than snail mail, there are still some things you can’t get electronically. Companies send me products every week to review, so I need to have a place to receive the packages. Sales reps need to have a place to receive marketing materials and samples from the company’s home office.

If you’ve been trying to decide whether you should rent a mailbox, consider the advantages and disadvantages. [Read more...]

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4 Home Office Traps to Avoid

March 22, 2012 By 2 Comments

Some people who don’t work from home think that those of us who do, sit in front of the television, surf the web or lay around the house all day. Those of us who work from home know that the opposite is true.

Between the lack of a set schedule, no boss looking over our shoulder, and personal tasks screaming for our attention (including laundry), our homes are loaded with home office traps. Before you fall into these traps, it’s important to recognize them. Start with these four common traps.

1. Working overtime

Without a commute and a home office that’s only a few seconds away, it’s easy to work day and night. You may even go to your home office and think you’re going to work for an hour, and then three hours later you’re still sitting at your desk.

I’m a reformed workaholic. Before I had kids, I worked seven days a week. Finally I burned out and took a week off. During that time I reprioritized my life, cut back my hours, and actually became more productive. Set reasonable hours and not only will your family thank you, your mind and body will thank you as well.

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

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways to Let Your Family and Friends Know You’re Working

March 19, 2012 By 6 Comments

Guest post by Amanda DiSilvestro

Let’s face it—not everyone understands what it means to work in a home office. They may say that they understand you’re working, but the distractions still don’t stop.

You may have a husband who works nights, a girlfriend still living the sixteen-hours-a-week college life, or kids who are out of school for the summer. If you’re dealing with this, you might be surprised to know that this is actually quite common.

Naturally, someone working in a home office will say something light-hearted to the person bothering them and hope it stops. Unfortunately for many this simply isn’t enough. They may try to hold back for a few days, but sooner or later it’s back to the old tricks and you’re back to being distracted. There comes a time when enough is enough and you really need to set something straight with your friends and family. [Read more...]

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How to Make Working From Home Painless

February 23, 2012 By 22 Comments

working from home Before I started this blog, I rarely spent more than a couple of hours at a time sitting at my desk. As much I enjoy working on WorkingNaked.com, after several hours at a stretch, I have to admit that sometimes it’s a pain in the neck…literally. I’ve made a few changes in my office to give my back, neck, wrists and even my eyes a break.

If you’re feeling the wear and tear of sitting in front of a computer all day, there are a few simple changes you can make.

Use an adjustable office chair

If you’re reading this blog post while sitting in a chair from your dining room or kitchen set, considering making a chair change today. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a chair that adjusts to the right height and reduces the strain on your body. Make sure that whatever chair you buy has a few options including:

1) Lumbar support to reduce the strain on your lower back

2) A waterfall seat where the front edge of the seat is rounded to help you prevent any problems with circulation and to reduce the compression of nerves behind your knees

3) Seat height and back height adjustments

4) Tilt mechanisms and tilt lock to reduce strain and fatigue of your leg muscles

5) Tension control that adjusts to your body weight for easier reclining. (Steelcase chairs are reasonably priced and usually fit the decor of any home office.)

Avoid back strain

Keep frequently-used equipment and supplies within reach to avoid straining your back. Rather than play a game of Twister to grab what you need, store items logically and within reach. You can add shelves above or near your desk, or a desktop holder to keep supplies nearby.

Choose the right lighting

A good way to reduce eyestrain and fatigue is to use one or several types of lighting. Your options include ambient or general lighting, natural lighting, and task lighting. The type of lighting you use depends on the tasks you’ll be doing. Use one or a combination of these types of lighting to give you the right amount of light for your home office.

Find the right tools

You’ll reduce the risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by using an ergonomic wrist rest, mouse, and adjustable and articulating keyboard. Wrist and mouse rests — Fellowes is one of my favorite brands — are made from foam-like and gel materials, and are available in interesting colors and patterns. If your monitor is too low, use a monitor riser to bring it to a more comfortable level.  The first clue that your monitor or laptop are at the wrong height is when you feel a constant pain in your neck.

Along with making ergonomic changes to your home office, take breaks throughout the day to give your wrist (and your entire body) a break from being in the same position for a long period of time. After all, working from home is supposed to be pleasurable, not painful.

What do you do to make working from home more comfortable?

Filed Under: Home office design Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Fight Loneliness When You Work From Home

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
working from home

source: Jen SFO-BCN

Working from home can be lonely.

When I started my first home-based business, I was thrilled to see or hear from anyone, including phone solicitors and my neighbors. I was lonely.

I knew I had reached rock bottom when I looked forward to seeing the UPS driver every few days!

Now that my business has grown quite a bit from those early years, I could use a little more quiet time.

If you’re just starting your business or have been working from home for years, don’t get discouraged if you feel lonely. It happens to all of us. Consider these four ways to overcome loneliness.

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

 

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,
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