Home office expert's guide to working from home/home office tips
Working from a home office never felt so cool
I’ve worked with home-based business owners for years, who had little less than the corner of a room for a home office. On the opposite end was a client who couldn’t find space for a home office within her 6,000 SF home (really).
If you think you don’t have room for a home office, think again. Start by evaluating the various rooms in your home. [Read more...]
I’m a huge fan of chalkboard paint and how it can transform a simple home office wall into a ready-to-use chalkboard. IdeaPaint™ does the same thing, but instead of converting a wall into a chalkboard, it turns it into a multi-purpose dry-erase board.
The best part of this product is that instead of hanging a heavy or even ugly dry-erase board on the wall, you can transform any wall in your home office into a functional message center, idea catcher or project organizer. The IdeaPaint™HOME kit covers up to 20 sq. ft. If you want to cover more space and choose from colors other than white, there’s the CRE-8 kit (get it…create?). This kit covers up to 50 sq. ft. and comes in 9 colors.
Separating your home life from your business life isn’t easy. It’s even harder when your home office and living space are in the same room.
That’s where Loft Wall comes in. These decorative, freestanding room dividers let you physically separate your home office from the rest of your home. One of the best features of the Loft Wall is that aside from adding a bit of color and design to your home office, you can design your own wall.
In a previous guest post, Michelle Shaeffer shared 10 proven strategies to help you improve your business. The response from readers was overwhelming. In this guest post, Michelle shares 15 more tips.
Guest post by Michelle Shaeffer
1. Write a testimonial.
Think of a product or service you’ve recently received that was fantastic. Now write a testimonial for it and send it to the business along with name, business, URL, and city/state. Include a statement of your permission to reprint it on their site, in their newsletter, etc. If you don’t feel like writing, record it as an mp3 and send. Most (all?!) businesses love to get testimonials or positive reviews and will happily use them on their websites and include your business name and sometimes even a live link to your site.
2. Record a quick how to video and upload to YouTube.
YouTube is a huge source of traffic for many websites. Using Jing (there’s a free version) or similar program you can quickly and easily create a short how to video with a tip or step by step use of a product or service you offer. [Read more...]
Most of us who are self-employed agree that we’re unemployable. How could we ever take orders from a boss again, after we’ve enjoyed the freedom of being our own boss?
Whether you free yourself from the corporate world by choice, or by your (former) employer’s choice, you need to figure out the best place to set up a home office. The F-R-E-E-D-O-M plan (as in freedom from the corporate world) will get you started on the right track.
My philosophy is that no matter what size home you have, there’s always room for a home office. Try to avoid setting up a home office in your kitchen, because it tends to be a high-traffic area. Your bedroom is also a bad choice since it should be a place to relax and get away from your business.
Instead, find a place that’s not in a high traffic area, but not too isolated. A dining room or a living room is a good option for a home office, especially if it is rarely used.
I have the privilege of being a contributor for Success…Your Way. To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.
Yesterday morning, I woke up drenched in sweat. Sometime during the night, my air conditioner quit working. I called the same company that fixed it last month, and they moved me ahead on the schedule. (My desperate phone call probably had something to do with it!)
After I dropped off my younger son at football practice, I went straight to a coffee shop around the corner. It had been a while since I had spent time working at a coffee shop. Usually I meet friends and clients for coffee, but this time was different…I needed to work.
There were a few things I figured out about while I sipped my cup of decaf.
Bring headphones. During the first hour, the place was busy, but not too loud. During my second hour, three guys sat down and apparently their moms never taught them about “inside voices.” I pulled my headphones out of my laptop bag, listened to music on my iPhone, and then kept working. [Read more...]
I travel often for business and pleasure, but my last trip didn’t involve packing, booking a flight or even asking someone to water my plants while I was away.
The last trip I took was an inspiration vacation.
It wasn’t a planned trip. It started one morning when my alarm clock went off and I didn’t want to go to work. That can be a big issue when you work for yourself.
When I had a corporate job, I used to dread going to work. Now that I work for myself and set my own hours, I don’t have a good reason to feel that way. But sometimes, I do.
So instead of feeling stressed, which was going to further destroy any enthusiasm I had for working, I quit pushing myself. I decided to soak in as much information as I could.
I knew that no one was going to answer emails for me, finish the guest posts I committed to write or work on the next seminar I was giving in two weeks, so I took care of what needed my immediate [Read more...]
Photo courtesy of Sligh
When I bought my first home office desk several years ago, it fell apart after I moved it three times. I definitely got what I paid for…almost nothing. I replaced it with a desk that cost a bit more, but it was reliable and functional.
As the number of home offices has continued to grow, so has the quality of home office furniture. Finally, there are plenty of home office furniture options available and the days of dealing with cheap, flimsy home office furniture are over.
Whether you’re setting up a home office for the first time, or you’ve decided it’s time to replace your existing furniture, you don’t have to spend a fortune. In fact, you may not have to spend any money at all. [Read more...]
On a show that my sons and I were watching a few nights ago, one of the characters walked in and said, “I’m late because I’m very important.”
Can you relate to that line?
Think about the last time you were sitting in a coffee shop waiting to meet with someone. You were clear about the time and place to meet, yet you have to wait at least 15 minutes until that person shows up. How frustrating is that?
All of us know someone who’s time-challenged. They’re not trying to be disrespectful of our time…it just seems that way. There are a few ways, though, to help people in your business life and personal life be on time.
When you schedule an appointment with the always-late person, give him or her a time that’s 30 minutes earlier. When that person shows up late, they’ll actually be on time. That worked with a former boss of mine. When she had to do a live television interview, I told her to show up at the studio 30 [Read more...]
Last night I decided to give up multi-tasking. I made that decision after I forwarded an e-mail without scrolling down completely and reading the last sentence. As I pushed send, I looked at the last line and let out a loud Nooooooooo!
The friend who had sent me the original e-mail, knowing I was going to forward it, included a smartass sentence at the end. Note to self: read entire e-mails before you forward them.
You’ve heard of what not to wear. There are a few things not to do when you send an e-mail.
When the e-mail should go only to the person who sent it, send it to that person only. If you [Read more...]
Guest post by Michelle Shaeffer
Sometimes we’ve only got a few minutes here and there to work on our home-based businesses. Don’t let this stop you from marketing and building your business network!
If you’ve got just 10 minutes, you can take positive actions that will help you move forward.
If I had to write a 50-page marketing plan and spend 4 hours a day implementing it… well, either it’d never happen… or I’d never get anything else done and never have time to complete the services I need to for my clients and create the products I offer. Or, I’d never get to play with my kiddos and my house would look like a hurricane hit it. There just aren’t that many hours in the day. [Read more...]
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