Shakadoo

Everything to do with your shak.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Work Shak

Goodwill Option When Decorating

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

I am currently decorating a new office and desperately need a work table.  The advice given me was to find one with a pedestal stand rather than four legs because it’s easier for people to sit around.

Being very budget conscious, I decided to visit Goodwill while furniture hunting.  Although I did not find the table and chairs I was searching for, it was very enlightening to see the wing-back chairs for sale at $50 each, a $30 shelf, and all kinds of other optional items (a nice screen, side tables, filing cabinets).

When shopping for office furniture, Goodwill really is a great option.  Other possible places to find affordable furniture are on Craigslist, Salvation Army stores, and yard sales.  Also don’t rule out estate auctions. You’d be surprised what can be found at these opportunities!

My best buy when looking around for office items was a Keurig coffee pot and the carousel to hold the coffees… found at a yard sale for $20. Have you found any great buys lately?

Photo by Claire Schmitt via flickr creative commons.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

What You Need to Telecommute

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Our dearest Miranda Marquit wrote an article recently called Working from Home: Becoming a Telecommuter.  I have two immediate thoughts on what’s needed:  1) Discipline, and 2) Quiet.

Miranda – ever the insightful one – offers more suggestions.  In addition to a good computer and a broadband connection, she added:

Of course, there might be a few other things that you need to be successful with your telecommuting efforts. I have an all-in-one fax/copier/printer/scanner in my home office so that I can take care of paperwork and contracts. I don’t have a dedicated business line, but if you work for someone else, you may need one. I also have a laptop so that I can pick up and do my work while I travel, or so that I can find a Wi-Fi hotspot if my home Internet goes down.

I have also found that it’s nice to have a husband at home to scan and email when you’re not there and need a file fast.  But I doubt we can order one of those easily.  Kidding!

Photo by Tina Lawson through Flickr Creative Commons.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Making the Leap into Workforce

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

This post Frustrated Reader nearly charmed me to pieces.  A young adult is just starting out to make her way through this big big world of ours,

Today, this job is official. It didn’t really set in that I’m an adult and have to start paying for stuff til now. Well, it did. I’m just being dramatic and freaking out about stuff.

How do I function out side of school and out side of home? That’s what I have known since the age of 6 when I started kindergarten. And age 0 for the home thing. I kind of like it here. I’m sheltered. I like it that way. They want to take me away from my mommy and daddy. HELP ME!!!! Okay freak out done. I can handle this.

I remember those heady days.

Photo by James Lee via Flickr Creative Commons.  And yes… I’ve gotten that fortune before.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Grin and Bear It For Now

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Dangling a carrot for added work is nice.  Except when they never pay up.  I learned that years ago in a former high-stress position.  That and other little things eventually added up to the point that my company lost my trust, my energy, my excitement for the job.  I went through the motions of the job, all the time focusing my best efforts on finding other employment.

Today’s companies are giving their workers more work for less money.  This tactic will catch up with the employers according to Doug the Headhunter in his post A Word of Caution for Employers.  When a strong job market returns, the employees will be racing to other jobs,

When things were really bad people were happy to just have a job and they would put up with a lot to remain employed. But the employment market in power generation, especially in the nuclear industry, is improving and as things get better employers that took advantage of that situation are going to find themselves conducting a lot of exit interviews.

How has your job been this past year or two?  Stressful?  Piled on work?  Will you be remaining with your current boss in the coming five years or looking for something else?

Photo by cyn74 via Flickr Creative Commons.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Live and Learn Works in Business

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Most people face some kind of adversity regularly.  You may lose a client or a big account.  You may have a back-stabbing colleague.  You can learn from these adversities and find a way to improve your professional status by how you react to these problems.

However, how do you learn from something tragic?  Our Work Ethos shares a story of loss and what he learned from burying his beautiful son.  The lessons he teaches are important. For example,

We have to live in the NOW! I urge you to read Eckhart Tolle. He has discussed NOW quite brilliantly. Live life in one day compartments. Because what happened to you today had nothing to do with what happened yesterday and you cannot go to tomorrow without going through today. All yesterdays and tomorrows are in essence NOW. Focus on the NOW.

This site is now one of my favorites. You should make it yours, too.  I thank Bashker “Bob” Biswas for sharing his story.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Jobs Can Kill You

by Kathy T. 1 Comment

I once had a job when my babies were growing up where I regularly worked 50 and 60 hour weeks.  It was during that job that an abundance of health issues hit me hard – even my Mom said, “That job is killing you!”

After much discussion with my husband, I accepted another position for 1/3 less of the salary I made at the busier job.  It felt so foreign to come home from a job at a normal time, to not work weekends, to not fly to different parts of the country for work.  It was wonderful!

Yes, jobs can kill you.  Steve at BripBlap shares his story,

I was getting ready to go to work one morning.  I had a cold and was feeling a bit woozy, but it was a big meeting.  As I put on my tie, I fell down on the floor and passed out for a few minutes.  When I got up, I STILL went to work (not the hospital).  I waited until after the meeting to go to my doctor, who informed me that I didn’t have a cold – I had pneumonia AND bronchitis.  And that I would probably be dead in six months if I didn’t address my health.

Really – he said that.  Dead in six months. He wasn’t kidding.  He said it in a very doctor-ish tone, so I knew he was serious.

I think changing jobs easily added 10 to 20 years to my life.  My hair stopped graying so quickly.  The increasing wrinkles began to slow. And I no longer felt a desire to drive my car into a tree rather than driving into the parking garage.

What about you?  What was your worst job?

Photo by archie4oz via flickr creative commons.
And what’s with the nice view being blocked by he cubicle wall?

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Put the Big Rocks In the Bucket First

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Being busy does not mean you are necessarily being productive.  I’m an independent contractor, so I set my own schedule.  I go to the office whenever I want or need to.  I mostly work at home these days.  No matter what, it feels I am always running.  My days and evenings are generally booked solid.  But what do I have to show for it?  Not always that much, really.  That’s why the post “What Productivity Isn’t” by Cordelia Calls It Quits struck a chord with me,

Each day, you can only fit so many rocks (to dos) into the bucket, so if you keep filling it up with petty, unimportant little rocks, you’ll never get around the big rocks (i.e., the things that really matter).  The way to approach life productively is to make sure all the big rocks get in the bucket first. Then, in whatever space is left over, you can try to fill in as many little rocks as you can. This is a concept I’m going to have to continually remind myself of throughout this mission to live more deliberately.

Me, too.  What is important to you?  Family?  Friends?  Church?  Home?  Figure it out and concentrate on making these “big rocks” your top priority.  Everything else is just filler.

Photo by Sean MacEntee via flickr creative commons.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Moments of Truth: Apply it to Work

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

I discovered this interesting web site called Living up to a name, ironically written by an anonymous blogger.  In it, the writer challenges him/herself each month to do different things.  For example,

  • Limit eating out to only once a week, if possible. EPIC FAIL.
  • Keep MOST of my spending on my debit card Win! And, no surprise, I was able to track my spending better.
  • Save more, period. Well, considering I had to take money out of my savings, I’d say  FAIL.
  • Track how much I spend on my pets. With no vet visits this past month, it totaled $37.82!

You can take little goals like these and apply them to your work schedule.  For example, track how much time you spend on social networking sites, texting, or daydreaming while at work.  Assign yourself a certain number of phone numbers to make related to your business.  Do you want to reach 50 people this week?  Make 10 calls each day.  Write down the names, take notes.

By setting goals – whether yearly, monthly, or weekly – and then tracking them, you may find yourself to be more productive.

Photo by lululemon athletica via flickr creative commons.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Working from Home Can be Challenge

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

Where there is delight in wearing jeans and sweatpants, there is also loneliness where day-to-day interaction with colleagues is absent.  Dan of Geek to Me understands what’s coming as he faces working from home,

I’ve worked some from home before. At that Wyoming paper, I took video home to edit from time to time. There wasn’t a reason besides wanting to be at home. I was still working, but I hadn’t slacks on. Or jeans if it was Friday. Sweatpanted bliss.

Then, when I returned to Chicago, I still did work for them through the ol’ VPN from the comfort of my couch. By simply glancing away from the screen I was able to look into the maw of Soldier Field or out across Lake Michigan.

The self-discipline to turn off the television and give your full attention on what’s before you could be challenging, especially with a fridge just a room or two away or a dog barking for attention.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0

Best Work From Home Job

by Kathy T. Leave a Comment

I split half my time at home, half at the office, and half with kids, politics, and other activities.  What?  Yes, I have 150 percent more time than others because I usually only sleep about four to five hours a night.

My best work is done either at the office or late at night when everyone has gone to bed.  At the office, I’m here to focus and get something specific done.  Late at night, I don’t get preoccupied with filling up an iced tea or telling my child over and over to go to bed.  Late night is good.

For anyone who wants to work from home – once the house is quiet and when there is plenty of “thinking” time to get the job done – the best work for a home job seems to be… (drum roll) WRITING.

Writing articles is a passion for some people and it is a hobby for others. Content writing is considered as the best work from home jobs all over the world considering the requirement of writers. There are also people who work part time writing content in various websites and blogs.

There are many blogs and websites in Internet that are looking for good content and so there are many opportunities for article writing jobs. This article provides an overview of how content writing is one of the best work from home jobs and how people earn writing articles.

Some caveats should be considered, though.  You can not earn a living by writing from home.  The only people who would argue that point are the .001% who successfully do this for a living.  Perez Hilton, perhaps. Fingers tapping… who else… there are others.

Companies hire people to write per article so they don’t have to pay for a full-time salaried position.  Remember $30 per article (which is considered extremely good money) with six articles per week will equal $180 per week.  That times 52 weeks per year = $9360 per week.  Consider that reporters make anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 per year and you’ll understand how much money companies save.

+1
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Shares 0
« Previous Page
Next Page »

Subscribe to the Shak

Copyright © 2023 · Shak Media · All Rights Reserved