Home office expert's guide to working from home/home office tips
Working from a home office never felt so cool
No matter how you interpret what Working Naked means, it doesn’t mean that your desk has to be bare. The picture below inspired me to find out what other people have on their desks that have nothing to do with work. A desk that’s all work and no play, can make any home office desk dull.
source: Tom Newby Photography
I’ve made a career out of helping people organize their home offices, make better use of time and avoid the pitfalls of working from home. Some home office professionals I meet are very organized, while others are so frustrated about the way their home office looks, they work in their kitchen or family room instead.
Last week, I gave a seminar to an incredible group of business owners and after the session I spoke to a few of the attendees.
One woman stood out.
She waited until everyone had left the room and then sheepishly admitted to me that her home office was a disaster. She was ashamed, upset and convinced she was a failure. [Read more...]
Some people tell me that they don’t have space in their home for a home office. But no matter what size home you have, there’s always room for a home office.
A few days ago I needed someone to handle a small graphic design project with a quick turnaround. My business coach (you’ll learn more about him in a future post) suggested I find someone on Fiverr. I clicked on the site and found people with talents I didn’t know existed.
The services (actually gigs) on the site range from creating music for your next video, to getting advice on how to get your story or event covered in the local news, to creating a blog. Then there’s a guy who will post a sign on his “badass motorcycle” and take a picture, a guy who will call someone and take the blame for you and another person who will mail your pet a Christmas card. [Read more...]
I admire couples who 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. This site is called Working Naked, after all.
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 [Read more...]
When I hired someone to design my first Web site for another business I owned several years ago, I thought it looked incredible. When I look back at that crappy site, I can’t believe I was proud of it. My site and business focus have changed over the years. Now this site reflects who I am and what my business can do.
Do you know how your business looks to the outside world? As your client base grows and your business gets busier, you may start to ignore the basics. Take time to look at your business from an outsider’s point of view.
In Jeffrey Zaslow’s Wall Street Journal article, “Yes, I’m Home. No, I Can’t Pick Up Your Child,“ he writes that those of us who are working from home are finally saying no when someone asks for a favor. The response from readers was mixed. Some people could relate to the article and were happy that someone finally acknowledged the problem. Others thought that anyone with a home-based business is home anyway, and should be able to help others no matter what.
Here’s the deal: just because we’re working from home doesn’t mean that we’re available to wait for repair calls, UPS deliveries, or to pick up a friend’s kids from school when that friend can’t leave work. Of course when it’s an emergency, there’s no question whether you should help out. But there’s a point where others can take advantage of you.
One woman in Zaslow’s article who was asked constantly for help from friends and neighbors, turned errand requests into a job. She works part-time for a new online company called taskrabbit, that matches “senders” (people who need someone to do an errand for them) with “runners” (people who will handle the errand). Now she’s paid for her time. [Read more...]
The other afternoon when I went to Costco, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in years. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt so I figured he’d been laid off. I was wrong.
Later that day, I called a mutual friend and she told me that six months ago my friend started his own business and was doing well over six figures. As I clicked off the call, I realized that I did to him what others have done to me for years. I’d assumed that because he was running an errand in the middle of the day and was casually dressed, he wasn’t working.
It’s no wonder that others have trouble taking us seriously when we work from home. Consider why: [Read more...]
Working from home is hard work, but at the same time it’s scary.
When you first start working from home and you’re spending time growing your business, it’s normal to face a few worries along with fear. Aside from figuring out how you’re going to grow your business, you have to worry about how to pay the bills, where your next client will come from and how to keep your family from turning on you because of your crazy hours.
For some people, fear is a motivator. For others it’s the first step to feeling discouraged. While being motivated is a good thing, being paralyzed with fear and weighted with worry can dampen your spirits and possibly keep you from growing your business.
You can’t get rid of all of your fears but there are a few ways to tame them.
I don’t always listen closely to what others say (I’m working on it) but when it comes to my clients, I’m all ears. In fact, the reason I converted my organizing business into a full-service working from home consulting firm was because of client requests. Folks weren’t calling me to get help organizing closets and kitchens, instead they wanted help setting up a home office and learning how to work from home.
Not long after that, my clients asked for a book about keeping their home office in shape and their homebased business on track. After I did some research and found out that a home office book that would help my clients didn’t exist, I listened to my clients.
I wrote a book outline and then contacted a literary agent who had a home office, and she agreed to represent my book. (This is a simplified version of events, but you get the idea.) She sold the book within three weeks and four books later I credit my clients for directing my business.
If I hadn’t listened to my clients, I wouldn’t have changed my business focus as soon as I did. Also, I wouldn’t have a series of books under my belt and a blog that gives me the opportunity to share home office advice and tips for working from home.
Are you listening to your clients?
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