Work Shak Archives - Page 32 of 123

Must Haves for Home Office

Without stating the obvious computer and phone, my must-have for an office includes a fax machine, comfortable chair, and wireless internet. Jason of The Virtual Leader has his own list of three things he must have,

A second monitor. Plugging an old, yet large, monitor into my laptop gives me dual screen capability so I can multitask or manage online training sessions easily. For example, notes or slides to myself on one screen while sharing the other screen with online participants.

Jason also has a good headset and a powerline adapter as his own must-haves. What’s on your list?

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Get it in Writing

by Kathy T. 1 Comment

Whether you sell real estate, whether you are a private contractor, whether you loan money to family or friends – always get the terms of the agreement in writing. The hard part is plowing through what could be uncomfortable for the self-employed. However, a signed contract or agreement will protect both you as an entrepreneur and a client.

Capital Concierge shared an experience about how – although there was no agreement in place – it still worked out,

I fast discovered my friend and I were not on the same page! Suddenly, we found ourselves in a disagreement because there was no agreement. I didn’t know what to do. I value my friendship with this person and didn’t want the relationship damaged yet, I had my expectations of the event too. The truth is, there wasn’t much I could do. The real problem lied in what I didn’t do, taken the time to go over the agreement to engage which includes the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved.

Thankfully it all worked out in the end, but still drives home the point that when you get something in writing it can hold up in court!

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Working at Home Through Distractions

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

My daughter has moved back home from college. She finds that the Internet is her single biggest problem in getting her homework done. Like students, there are plenty of distractions for home offices as well.

Apartment Therapy’s Jason Loper offers some tips on how to successfully work at home, including:

Get Dressed: One of the easiest ways I can switch from lazy Jason to professional Jason is by getting dressed in the morning. Changing from pajamas to jeans and a shirt and putting product in my hair makes me feel like I’m ready for the day. If I stayed in my pajamas, my day would probably never get started and I’d be tempted to nap with the cat all afternoon.

I get this! It’s a good weekend for me if I get out of my pajamas and take a shower! Go read the rest of Jason’s tips for successfully having a home office!

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Wordless Wednesday: Home Office

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Photo by Sean MacEntee.

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Simplified Productivity

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

When there’s a lot of clutter in your life – whether it’s stuff, bad relationships, disorganization – it is hard to be productive. Sometimes to soar, you have to let go. Tom Basson reveals some very helpful steps on how to simplify your life and increase your productivity. Here are my two favorites:

1. Clean out your closets. Get rid of things you never wear or don’t use anymore.

2. Learn to protect your time. The data says workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. Distractions destroy productivity and complicate your life.

Read all of his tips. They’re excellent!

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Be the Grocer

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Has there ever been anything you want to buy, but you have to leave town to get it? Chances are other people may want the same thing. So as you fish around for business ideas, consider that. Now JUMP in if it’s something that’s a necessity item like food. That’s what Mike did when the local grocery (and ONLY grocery) closed,

… a young man Mike Redd who had worked at the store, and now had no job took the chance and with the help and support of the town reopened the store. Now our little town has an even better grocery store Redd’s Mercantile. And jobs are restored along with hope. It was a big chance but it, is a success that is good for our town. So if you own your own business or are thinking of starting one remember the keys to success are hard work, self belief and community support.

Nice job, Mike!

Photo by Amanda Govaert.

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Starting a Business the Frugal Way

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

With so many businesses that fail in their first year or two, trying set one up frugally is a must. Then as you grow, you can expand into bigger and better.

Russell Cavanagh of business posts.co.uk offers some frugal tips for startups,

Don’t go daft buying office furniture. Larger charity shops, and even other businesses, may have desks and chairs they’re selling cheap.

Exploit free advertising opportunities such as free online business directories. Also, get mentioned in your local newspaper.

Russell offers several other really great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Photo by Taro the Shiba Inu.

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Working for Yourself is a LOT Harder

by Kathy T. 2 Comments

When I was self-employed, I worked about 16 hours a day. Now as a paid worker of two jobs, I find myself at it only about 10 hours every day (although for one job I’m on call 24-7). Working for yourself means you have to HUSTLE to find that next dollar, as Sarah Leaps vouches,

In the morning, brew up a pot (whatever that means to you), spend hours on craigslist, flexjobs, morning coffee, HARO, facebook (strictly business), crowdspring and whatever other rabbit hole you can find to explore for leads. Pour your heart and soul into crafting customized cover letters and resumes that reduce grown men to tears and make grownups out of babies. I know you want to, but do NOT skip this part. Always customize–unless, of course, you don’t really care whether you get the job. In that case, just use your boilerplate for everything.

Ha. Her entire post is entertaining, if not uncomfortably true!

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Salsa and Loneliness

by Kathy T. 1 Comment

I finally bit the bullet and went back to work in an office job about six months ago. It doesn’t leave me much free time to do my “home” work but I squeeze it in on weekends and in the evenings.

I so miss the freedom I had just a few months ago. Go where I wanted when I wanted. Have time to do philanthropic work. Take an occasional road trip to see the parents. And eat salsa right out of the jar, just like Will Bailey of nailsbails,

I work from home, which means I have a lot of…freedom [shudder]. Horrible, limitless, malaise-inducing freedom. For instance, my current outfit consists of boxer briefs and slippers, I just ate a bunch of salsa straight from the jar, and in about five minutes I’m going to lie face-down on my bed as a reward for writing this.

I miss my window from home as I sit in my office with two red brick walls and two regular walls (but no window).

Photo by Amy Loves Yah.

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A Cardboard Office

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

All I want in an office is a window. I’ve ha plenty of offices without them. And plenty with them. If I didn’t have a window, though, having a cardboard office might be kind of high on the awesome scale. From Inhabitat,

… we bring you the Rabobank Headquarters in the Netherlands, a 25 storey office building decked out in immaculately-crafted Washi paper and paperboard that delights the senses. Skylights give the building’s partitioning a pleasant visual sheen, and the design enhances the positive emotional environment as well.

I love how bright it is.

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