December 11, 2007· Filed under Shopping, Uncategorized, Working from Home
So I get to work from home in my slippers, that doesn’t mean my office doesn’t want to be chic!! Every year my family asks what I want for the holidays and every year they seem a bit astonished that I want stuff for my home office - after all, it is where I spend so much of my time!!
Here some items I have on my list this year:
See Jane Work - Okay Santa - anything from See Jane Work will be just fine with me. How about some yummy Pepper Pot file folders, desktop files, or an Internet Notes black book?
TheGreenOffice.com - I love the tree-free stationery - the Harvest Collection is so nice.
My laptop needs some spunk!! I would love a Pacific Design Kailo Chic Laptop Sleeve or a cool laptop skin (I could design my own) from Schtickers.
I am determined to get even more organized in the new year so a new Brother PT-1880 Advanced Deluxe Labeler for Home & Office would be very welcome.
How about some new essentials like the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop (keyboard and mouse) or an ergonomic 3M Gel Wrist Support.
We don’t live very close to a Starbucks or coffee shop and I love to start my day with a perfect cup of coffee. A few years ago, my husband gave me the Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System and it makes the BEST coffee ever. More of the Newman’s Own Organics Extra Bold Special Blend, K-Cups would always be welcome, too.
Do you work from home? What is on your wish list?
September 27, 2007· Filed under Working from Home
Laura at Work from Home Momma wrote a great reminder post this week about the importance of making time for family when you work from home. I know this is something I struggle with constantly. I began working from home so I could spend more time with my family, however, as my business has grown I definitely have days and sometimes weeks where business takes priority.
Go check it out!
September 19, 2007· Filed under Organizing, Working from Home
Do you ever feel like you are running in circles, never really getting anything accomplished, and feeling stressed out? As part of Inspiration Bit’s group writing project on time management, here are my top time management strategies as a work at home Mom with three kids.
1. Sunday Night Strategy Session
Sometime each Sunday afternoon/evening I take about 30 minutes to check in with my MomAgenda and get my week in order. I put all the kids appointments/sports practices in on the calendar. Next I add in my appointments, conference calls and exercise. From there I take a few minutes to plan our dinner menu for the week based on what we have going on each evening. With those two big areas of my life organized, I can face the rest of the week with a lot less stress.
2. Get Up Before Anyone Else
Each morning I start my day about 45 minutes before the rest of the family. It allows me to get my thoughts together over a good cup of coffee and I start my day off prepared rather than crazy.
3. Daily Goals List
Split a piece of paper into two columns - label one side work and one side personal. On the work side I list out the highest paying, most urgent client tasks first followed by other tasks by priority. About half of my work is for clients and half is for blogging, I also keep a running list of blog topic ideas for each of my sites in a notebook. On the personal side of the paper I list phone calls I need to make, chores I need to get done, and any errands that have to be run. IMPORTANT - I always have more on my list than I could ever get done, but that’s okay. It helps me stay on top of things that way.
4. Block Your Time
Once I know what needs to be done, I usually block out time and estimate blocks of time per task. This allows me to have a realistic idea as to what I can get done in the day and to make sure I am maximizing my earnings for the day. Since I know that I work best in the morning, I schedule my highest priority and highest dollar tasks for the first 2-3 hours of my day. I save a lot of my blog reading, commenting, web maintenance tasks for later in the day when my mind needs a break, the kids are around, and my day becomes fragmented.
5. Use A Timer
This kind of goes with #4 and blocking your time. Start your task and set the timer for your allotted time. You will be less distracted and the timer will let you know when it is time for a break. If it is a longer task, break it up into smaller time chunks. Reward yourself with a quick walk, a snack break, a phone call break or something once your timer goes off.
6. Create Work Hours
This is REALLY important if you work from home! Establish hours that work for you, your clients, and your family and stick with them. They don’t have to be the same everyday, but set them. If you have set your work hours for today to be from 9-12, then you don’t do housework during that time. Avoid the temptation to watch Oprah during this time - unless you schedule it into your day. (Of course, there is nothing wrong with running the dishwasher or dryer while you work - that is the ultimate benefit of working from home)
7. Outsource Where Possible
Make a list of the 10 biggest time wasters or energy drainers in your day and find a way to eliminate them! This topic could actually be a post of its own - and maybe it will be soon.
Create a carpool with a friend so that you aren’t doing all of the running back and forth with the kids to sports practices. Hire a cleaning service. Barter for administrative help. And the list goes on. With a little creativity, you can save yourself A LOT of time and stress.
8. Group Errands for Efficiency
Rather than popping out for this today and that tomorrow, schedule your errands for maximum efficiency. One way to do it is to tack on an errand to another scheduled event - like stopping in for groceries after soccer practice because they are in the same end of town. Another way to do it is to schedule one morning or afternoon a week just for errands and some time away.
There is no doubt that there will be some unexpected daily drama and the occasional day where you just can’t be bothered, but put these strategies into action and I guarantee your day will run smoother!
Now I’ve shared my tips with you, what are some of the time management strategies that work for you?
Related Posts:
September 13, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Working from Home
Wendy, from eMoms at Home, has been busy - and I mean really busy! She has gone from having one awesome blog on internet home businesses for moms and dads, to having a whole magazine-style site complete with 6 new blogs plus the original eMoms blog.
New to the line up are:
And the original eMoms at Home blog is staying put. The “Original Recipe eMoms at Home†will always be there to talk about affiliate marketing, parenting, blogging, social media, empowerment, and everything else that her regular readers have come to know and love.
Take a few minutes this week and go check out the new sites. I have already added a few of them to my daily reads.
August 30, 2007· Filed under Blogging, Working from Home
September is on our doorstep, the kids are going back to school, and your brain is ready for something different. I have a challenge for you! Take some time over the next few weeks to learn something new. Push your intellectual envelope. Feel the rush of doing something new - all by yourself!
I have gathered up some of my favorite web how-to posts for those of you who are feeling brave and wanting to push your self-guided professional development up a notch today!
- How to choose and sign up for a Web host for your WordPress blog by Sarah
- How to install WordPress using cPanel and Fantastico by Sarah
- Tutorial - FTP - it’s as easy as 1-2-3 by Char
- Tutorial - How to create your own FavIcon by Char
- CSS Classroom - Div vs. Span by Char
- Mixing Typefaces Cheat Sheet by Inspiration Bit
- 6 Easy Steps to making a Web Hosting Switch by Char
- 13 Steps to a Blog Redesign by Char
- How to show your most popular posts in the sidebar by Randa
- Blog Carnivals, Start to Finish by MamaBlogga
- 8 Constuctive Bits on Running Contests by Inspiration Bit
- The Ultimate Guide to Where the Moms are Online by Char
- WordPress for Beginners - a whole category of great posts by Lorelle VanFossen
- JUST ADDED - It’s Really This Easy to Add a Link to Your Comment by Dawud
Plus two mega posts from eMoms at Home:
- 26 Internet Marketing How-Tos for Every Level of Experience
- 28 Internet Marketing and Home Business How-Tos
Most of these tasks are not as hard as they might initially appear, and you won’t believe the feeling of empowerment that you will get once you have learned something new and DONE IT YOURSELF!
This post is part of Thursday Thirteen. For more Thursday Thirteen posts, visit the official TT hub.
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