You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for July 2009

Creating Famous Flocks

July 31, 2009 By

Take a rubber ducky, give it a famous face and you get a “CelebriDuck.” CelebriDucks is the original creator of the first ever collectible rubber ducks featuring icons from film, music, athletics, and history. There are currently over 200 different CelebriDucks in the flock. The story of how Craig Wolfe, founder of CelebriDucks, started his business and what he’s learned along the way was enough to fill two blog entries. Look for the second entry tomorrow.

CelebriDucks includes a famous flock of musicians, sports figures and more.

CelebriDucks includes a famous flock of musicians, sports figures & more.

Working Naked: When did you start your business?

Wolfe: We actually started the business in 1986. Back then we were buying and selling original Disney animation drawings. That evolved to us becoming the largest publisher of advertising/animation art in the country [Read more...]

Filed Under: Making money from home Tagged With: , , , , ,

Don’t Skimp On Quality

July 27, 2009 By

I’m always looking for a good deal on office equipment. Who isn’t? Sometimes I find something for a low price and I use the product for years with no problems. But other times a product that I bought at a ridiculously low price breaks constantly and reminds me daily of what a bad deal it was.

Cheaping out on equipment can catch up with you.

Don't forget that you get what you pay for.

Before you spend any money on new equipment or on modifying your existing equipment, consider a few questions.

  • Will the new equipment help you save time? A new cell phone may improve your productivity. A printer that prints more sheets than your current printer can cut your printing time and printing costs significantly.
  • Can you afford to buy the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line computer or will you have to settle for a less expensive, less effective system? If possible, wait until you can afford the more reliable, better-performing system. You’ll save time later on. I still drool when I see people with the latest Mac. Guess I should have followed my own advice and not settled for my MacBook (although it works fine).
  • Will you know how to use the equipment? If it’s going to take you six months to learn how to use something—or if you’re like me and you refuse to read manuals—be willing to pay someone to teach you how to use the equipment immediately. Either pay a high school or college kid to figure it out—trust me, they can do it—or use a professional service like Geek Squad.
Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: , , ,

Leaving Your Home Office to Work Naked

July 20, 2009 By

Some people I know avoid working in their home office for different reasons. Their office may be a wreck, the lighting is awful or they feel too isolated. Whatever the case, they’re working naked, but not in their home office.

You can work anywhere when you're working naked.

You can work anywhere when you're working naked.

I love my home office. It’s comfortable, stylish, and of course, functional. Normally I enjoy sitting down at my large, L-shape desk—some people enjoy jewelry but office furniture really does it for me—but last week everything changed. I was burned out, sick of my home office and desperately in need of a change of scenery.

So throughout the week—thanks to my wireless Internet connection—I worked on my front porch, in my family room, and at my dining room table. Most of my work didn’t involve paper so it was easy to move from room to room and outside without worrying about losing anything.

This goes against the advice I’ve given for years: work in one place to make it easier to keep track of paper and other information. But after spending a week away from my home office and realizing it wasn’t affecting my productivity, I’ve changed my mind. There’s nothing wrong with working naked somewhere other than in your home office every now and then.

This week I’m back to working in my home office but I may shake things up later on in the week and ditch my desk for my deck.

There’s never a dull moment when you’re working naked.

Filed Under: Home office organizing Tagged With: , ,

Working Out While Working Naked

July 10, 2009 By

When you’re working from home, it’s not always easy to find time to exercise. When I put out a request for ways to combine exercise with working from home, I received an overwhelming amount of responses. Consider these tips from several folks who are working naked and working out. I’ll share more tips soon.

It's important to find time to work out.

It's important to find time to work out.

“My work requires a lot of networking, so I have started net-walking. This is networking and walking, all rolled into one. This saves money on coffee meetings, and you can enjoy being outside.”
—Wendy Schwarz, Lyman Group

“Squeeze your butt cheeks while sitting in your chair. Sit up straight and breathe while you work. Do basic warm up exercises while speaking on the phone (knee bends, etc.).”
—Douglas Tombow, Saber Systems

“I work from home by phone. My clients receive the best sessions when I bounce on my mini-trampoline while speaking to them! (I also wear a headset so I’m hands-free.)”
— Dr. Shoshana Bennett, clinical psychologist

“If I have calls to make with colleagues (excludes conference calls or more formal/official calls), I slip into the gym mid day. Typically the gym is more lax on cell phone usage when not busy. Also, less noise means the other end is not aware I’m on the phone (unless I begin breathing heavily from the workout!).”
—Emily Richards, Drew Consulting

“One thing I do is to sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair while working at my computer. It’s amazing how much exercise this gives me, working my core and my back. I find myself moving and stretching and exercising a large number of major muscles without even thinking about it.”
—Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates

“I just took the plunge and purchased a treadmill. I can now answer and review those morning emails while taking my daily trot. Conference calls are another opportunity to fit some workout time in. You can do simple free weight exercises such as bicep curls, or simple stretches like lunges while that phone is on speaker—without sounding winded.”
—AJ Dax, bamboo Marketing

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

Working Naked With Others

July 8, 2009 By

I’m all for working naked, teambuilding and improving morale. But all at the same time? Not so much. David Taylor, a business psychologist, disagrees.

This company took working naked to a whole new level (Telegraph.co.uk).

This company took working naked to a whole new level (Telegraph.co.uk).

According to the Telegraph.co.uk, Taylor convinced the staff of a design and marketing firm in the UK to hold “Naked Friday” to “strip away inhibitions and talk to each other more openly and honestly.” The entire company worked completely naked except for two female workers who kept on their black underwear and a man who wore a “posing pouch.” (Check it out on Google.)

This poses a few questions.

• Is a leather chair more comfortable than a fabric one?

• Do you avoid bringing in a hot lunch for fear of singeing important bits while microwaving?

• How do you avoid laughing uncontrollably when the way you imagined someone naked is completely wrong?

Gives Casual Friday a whole new meaning.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life Tagged With: , , ,
Hide me
Sign up now for an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success!
Name Email
Show me
Sign up now for an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success!
Enter your e-mail address below to get an excerpt from Organize Your Home Office for Success. You'll also receive updates and occasional promotions that are available only to subscribers. We respect your privacy and will not share your information with anyone.
Close