2010 October

Decluttering Your Home Office Can be Freeing

October 29, 2010 By Lisa

The trend for “living small” continues to grow. That includes less square footage, less expenses and less stuff.

Until I downsized a few years ago, I didn’t understand what people meant when they described how freeing it was to live small.

They were right.

In the past two years, I haven’t missed the stupidly high property taxes, outrageous utility bills and all of the other things I left behind in my old house. Now I’m the one saying that living with less can be freeing…and I’m saying it often. [Read more...]

You CAN Take it With You, But What Would You Take?

October 27, 2010 By Lisa

In one of my favorite “brain candy” movies, The Jerk, Steve Martin leaves his house (with his pants around his ankles) upset and a broken man. As he walks to the door, he picks up things to take with him. Each time he reaches for something he says, “All I need is my thermos…my lamp…my chair…” and so on.

If I had to leave my house (with my pants on, of course), there are a few things I couldn’t leave behind. Although a few would be physically impossible to take without a little help, I’d have to take my:

iPhone. I’m addicted to this second brain of mine that makes my life so much easier. Between the calendar — the alarm feature keeps me from missing [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office products, Home office setup, Home office technology Tagged With: Home office products, Home Office Tips, iPad, iphone, MacBook, working from home

Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

October 25, 2010 By Lisa

Guest post by Jessica Maes

As a Virtual Assistant, I work directly with small businesses to support their business efforts. A byproduct of doing this is that I have the opportunity to observe small businesses up close and I notice certain tendencies that other people may not notice.

Small business owners try to do everything in their business. Often it is because they don’t think they can afford assistance, and sometimes they think that delegating would require an employee. An employee is something they don’t want to take on.

Some business owners can’t afford not to have assistance in their business. Time is money and when you spend time on parts of your business that you don’t enjoy or aren’t your strengths, you miss out on time that you could spend doing work you love that will generate revenue for your business. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: hiring home office help, Home Office Tips, Jessica Maes, Virtual assistant

How to Make Working From Home More Interesting

October 22, 2010 By Lisa

I love working from home. My no-commute arrangement gives me the freedom to work whenever I want. But sometimes all that freedom can be incredibly boring. Sure, social media can adds a little spice to each day, but there have to be other ways to make working from home more interesting.

Wendy Sullivan, freelance writer and blogger, takes a more creative approach to beating boredom by celebrating Topless Wednesday and No Pants Friday. (She takes Working Naked to a whole new level!) Her not-so-G-rated approach to working from home inspired me to find out what other home office pros do to fight home office boredom.

– Music. I max out my free 40 hours of Pandora within the first week of the month.
- Twitter. Lame, but it does make you feel somewhat like you’re talking to people.
- Hula hooping. I have a client who teaches hula hoop classes. It’s so much fun, so from time to time I hula hoop in the middle of the day.

—Sarah Early, dodeline design [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: fighting home office boredom, Pandora, Small business, Twitter, working from home

What Are You Doing to Invest in Yourself?

October 21, 2010 By Lisa

Most of us who own a small business invest countless hours and money in our business. We may spend more time on a project than we originally thought it would take — I know I do — but when it’s your own business, the extra time you invest in a project, usually pays off in the long run.

While you’re busy investing in your business, what are you doing to invest in yourself? There are a few ways to build your personal stock.

Take classes. Whether you go back to school to earn a professional degree or take a few classes to sharpen your skills, the time and money you invest in school should pay off. You can offer more services and maybe even raise your rates.

Virtually attend Webinars. If your schedule and budget are tight, enroll in free Webinars that you can take day or night.

Create a space where you want to work. If you dread walking into your home office every [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office design, Home office organizing, Home office setup, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Home Office Tips, Invest in yourself, Small business, working from home

Need to Promote Your Business? It’s in the Cards

October 15, 2010 By Lisa

Guest post by Richard Moross

You only get one chance to make a first impression. For nearly 300 years the humble business card has been the primary tool for transferring business information to new contacts or potential clients, in a universal and memorable format.

It’s often surprising how unremarkable people choose to make their cards. They are, after all, the ultimate direct marketing tool — something that your potential customer or client is given in person, takes away, and hopefully keeps forever. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life

Getting Others to Meet Your Deadlines

October 13, 2010 By Lisa

A client called me today about a freelancer who is helping her write a book. She’s been waiting for his first draft for five weeks, sending several e-mails and leaving a few messages every week.

I can be annoying and persistent, neither of which are qualities my family appreciates, but she was even tougher with this guy than I could have been. (Note to self: Never make this client mad.)

This morning, he finally sent her the first draft along with a note that he had finally finished it. She responded that she was finished with him and fired him.

You may not have any trouble meeting deadlines, but at some point while you’re working on different projects, you’re going to need information from others. Here are five ways to help other people meet their deadlines and keep you on track.

1. Develop false deadlines. If you need something by the 15th of the month, tell the person you need it by the 10th. If they’re a few days late, you’ll still be able to meet your deadline. The same tactic works for friends and colleagues who are always late. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working with clients Tagged With: Home Office Tips, working from home, Working with clients

5 Stupid Texting Mistakes to Avoid

October 11, 2010 By Lisa

E-mail is the perfect timesaving tool, but so is texting. In other blog posts I’ve shared stupid e-mail mistakes, but now it’s time for a list of texting mistakes.

My friends, associates and I have made most of the mistakes on this list (we like to be good examples of what not to do). As you read through this list you may recognize some of these mistakes or thank your lucky stars that you have enough common sense not to make any of these mistakes.

Make sure you’re sending the text to the right person. After you type a text and before you push send, double check whose name is at the top of the screen. Whether you’re complaining about someone, making suggestive comments or sharing private information, a text to the wrong person can have devastating results. It could even [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office technology, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, Home Office Tips, Texting, working from home

Tips and Tricks for Your Next Business Trip

October 6, 2010 By Lisa

Last week I traveled to four cities in six days to give seminars to entrepreneurs and home-based corporate employees. The people I met during my sessions were sharp, savvy about business and eager to share the challenges they face while working from home.

Sure, I hear from home office folks through this blog and e-mail, but there’s nothing better than being face-to-face with others who, like me, don’t have to face a daily commute.

While I was on the way home from my last seminar, I thought about what I had done to make my trip go a little smoother. Consider the following tips the next time you’re out of town for business or for pleasure. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Making money from home, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: Entrepreneurs, Small business, staying organized while traveling

5 Ways to Create a Working Home Office

October 4, 2010 By Lisa

Everyone has a different definition of a working home office. You may consider it a place with a desk, chair, computer, printer and office supplies. Someone else who works from home may describe a home office as a space with high-quality furniture, accessories and draperies.

I describe my home office as a place where I enjoy working every day (except for those days when it’s too nice to work inside) and a space that fits my working style. There are a few things to think about whether you’re setting up a new home office or thinking about fine-tuning your current office.

Decide if your home office would be better off in another room. When you first started working from home, may have set up your home office in an obvious place: a spare bedroom, guest room or basement. There may be a better place. If you [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office organizing, Home office products, Time mgmt./Productivity, Working at home Tagged With: Home office organizing, Home office setup, Home Office Tips, Improve your home office day, working from home