Work At Home Safari

Did you know that a cluttered office has a direct impact on your productivity?  If you work from home full-time or telecommute part-time, a messy office can have a noticeable impact on quality of your life and work.  According to the Web Worker Daily article, there are 4 easy ways to organize your office for Fall.

1.  Ask the right questions.  Look at your desk and the piles on top of it and ask yourself … Do I actually use this? Do I really want this? And where does this really belong?

2.  Use the 15-Minute Rule.  Set a timer for 15 minutes and then do a blitz through your office with two large, green garbage bags in tow.

3.  Learn to label.  Labeling is one of the easiest changes you can make to get your office organized.

4.  Manage your manuals.  Free up precious storage space by removing those manuals that are rarely used from your immediate workspace and store them elsewhere.

Read the rest of the story here.

If you’re like me, you’ve been hearing a lot of buzz on the news and radio about flu shots, Swine Flu, colds, seasonal flu, and many other things to avoid this upcoming season and frankly, it can be a little confusing. As a work-at-home mom, I want to keep my family healthy so I can keep my business going instead of tending to a sick child.

Here’s some information I found online that may help you decipher between the symptoms of a cold and the possible Swine Flu or H1N1 flu.

Cold

• Fever is rare with a cold.
• A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
• Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
• Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
• Chills are uncommon with a cold.
• Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
• Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
• Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
• A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
• Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
• Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.

Swine Flu

• Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
• A nonproductive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
• Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
• Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
• 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
• Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
• Sneezing is not common with the flu.
• The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
• A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
• Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu..
• Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

For detailed information, the Centers for Disease Control has tons of free information to help you and your family stay healthy this cold and flu season.  Also, if you have any questions, please consult a nurse or physician.

The U.S. Government Department of Homeland Security is urging small businesses to prepare for disruptions due to the H1N1 virus or more commonly known as, Swine Flu.  With influenza season lurking upon us, now is the time to educate your employees, business partners, friends, and family not only about about the H1N1 flu virus, but the seasonal flu as well.  The Swine Flu has gotten a lot of media attention lately, but some say the seasonal flu is just as dangerous.  It has just become a common household name that we don’t think about it as much. 

According to the CDC, “seasonal influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year, in the United States, on average 36,000 people die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related causes.”  

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

My family and I got our flu shots today.  I also recommend sending small care packages to your close business contacts with tissues, hand sanitizer, and an instant read thermometer so they can stay healthy too.  We small businesses depend on each other for success so let’s make sure everyone stays healthy and business can continue as usual.  

One of the hardest things I had to deal with when I first started working-at-home was what I call the work-at-home blues. 

For over 10 years, I worked in the corporate world where I was constantly surrounded by people.  I had a boss and I was a boss myself, so upper management and my direct reports were always seeking me out for one thing or another.  I remember how I dreaded coming back from a vacation to an inbox with a hundred emails, numerous urgent voicemails, and IMs popping up as soon as I turned on my computer.

All that slowed down a lot once I went part-time and started telecommuting in my last trimester.  After I had my son and started my own business, the constant interruptions from my boss, coworker, vendors, and employees that used to drive me crazy, were what I craved.  In fact, the lack of it gave me the work-at-home blues.  That feeling of being needed gave me a sense of accomplishment and frankly, power.  With post-partum hormones raging, a new baby, new city, and new business, I felt so isolated.  I wished I had that work friend to grab lunch with or colleague to bounce ideas off of, but I joined the ranks of many out there working-from-home – alone.

I finally told myself that there are so many advantages to working from home and these work-at-home blues were not going to get the best of me.  Here’s what I did to overcome them:

1.  Join a gym or workout group – I did both.  In addition to helping me work off the baby weight, I met a bunch of good people whom have become friends.

2.  There’s a reason why they call it Happy hour — Happy hour does not have to end because you work by yourself.  Meet some friends online, join a MeetUp group, and call your friends and neighbors and invite them to a happy hour.

3.  Shower everyday – You laugh, but I’m serious.  Treat your work-at-home career as a real job.  Whether you’re doing it part-time or full-time, make sure you take time every morning to shower, get ready, and “report” into work at a set time.

4.  Establish a structure and schedule for your day – Write down a to-do list at the end of the previous day.  These 15 minutes spent the day before while the information was fresh saved me about an hour the next morning.

5.  Reach out and network – When creating your schedule and writing your to-do list, make sure to include two things every day that require you to interact with a real person.

6.  Take advantage of technology and make friends online.

7.  Team up with other home-based businesses in a referral partnership – You will see in this win-win relationship that you send additional business each other’s way through referrals while establishing professional relationships.

8.  Turn on the radio.  One of the easiest things I did to help combat the work-at-home blues was turn on the radio.  I like hip-hop and top 40, but had to be careful not to turn it on too loud for two reasons: 1) so I would not wake my son up and 2) wind up jamming to it instead of working.

The transition from corporate life to working-at-home was not an overnight process.  It took me a couple of months to realize that the work-at-home blues had taken a hold on me causing me to dread “going” to work the next day.  I remember I would get so sad when my husband left for work leaving at home with a baby, empty house, and new business I wanted to start.  I did everything I could to avoid going into my office and realized I wasn’t getting anything done. 

Once I sat down and decided to do something about it and did everything I mentioned above, my attitude changed and work became something I looked forward to.  Remember, it takes times to transition into this new work environment.  As you can see, there are many things you can do to stay connected and you do not have to do it alone.  Contact me via my groups or contact page below.

After a couple of months of working-from-home, I diagnosed myself with the work-at-home blues.  My home office located in a spare bedroom in my house felt miles away.  In fact, it became one of the toughest commutes I ever had and all I had to do was walk across my house.  The isolation of being alone really took its toll on me.  So, what did I do?  I started exercising. 

In addition to helping me work off the baby weight, I met a bunch of good people whom have become friends. 

First of all, I joined a group called StrollerFit where you workout with your baby.  Not only did my son meet some kids his age, I got the benefit of working out and meeting other moms.  We shared advice, laughter, and spit-up stories while working off those muffin tops. 

Secondly, since I needed all the physical and emotional boost I could get, I also joined a gym.  I was going at the same time everyday and started running into the same people.  Pretty soon, we’d start looking for each other in class. 

And remember, exercise produces endorphins – and who couldn’t use more of those?

I was a frequenter of the after-work happy hour in my corporate days.  Not because I liked drinking, in fact I would rarely partake, but because I wanted to hang out with coworkers outside of work.  That’s when you really get to know someone and see the fun side of them. 

It’s also a great opportunity to network and even pitch an idea in a more relaxed environment.  And honestly, they’re just fun. 

Happy hour does not have to end because you work by yourself.  Meet some friends online, join a MeetUp group, and call your friends and neighbors – and invite them to a happy hour.  It doesn’t have to be anything formal; just a quick email or post with a time, date, and location.  Humans are social creatures and we love feeling included.

Starting a business can be tough and working at it all alone can be tougher. 

As you network with other businesses, keep your eyes out for those that offer complementary services to yours and ask if they would like to create a referral partnership.  You will see in this win-win relationship that you send additional business each other’s way through referrals while establishing professional relationships.

If networking is not on your daily to-do list, it better be. 

When creating your schedule and writing your to-do list, make sure to include two things every day that require you to interact with a real person.  Not only will it fulfill your need for interaction with another adult, you’ll be establishing business and social contacts that can add value to your business. 

Networking is a vital skill that needs to be honed so join a professional group or club, attend seminars and trade shows relevant to your business.  These are great ways to meet new people who have similar interests or challenges.  Also, don’t forget to bring a good supply of business cards with you.

Creating a structure and scheduling my day was something I carried over from my corporate days.  At the end of the previous work day, I’d sit down to write a to-do list for the next day.  No matter how exhausted I was, I still did it and since it only took 15 minutes, it wasn’t that big of a deal.  These 15 minutes spent the day before while the information was fresh saved me about an hour the next morning when I was distracted with new emails and trying to figure out what fire I needed to fight first. 

Today, working from home, that list gets me excited to know I have important things to do and gives me a real sense of accomplishment when I get to cross them off.  Without my list, it would feel like I had too much time on my hands, leaving too much room for the work-at-home blues to creep in.

Another great thing you should try is writing out a schedule.  For example:

• 8:30 – 9:30 AM – Go to the gym
• 9:30 – 10:00 AM — Catch up on current events, check Google Reader, read up on competitors
• 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM– Work on items on your to-do list
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM – Eat lunch (with your kids)
• 1:00 – 2:00 PM – Reach out and network
• 2:00 – 6:15 PM – Work on items on your to-do list or new items
• 6:15 – 6:30 PM – Write tomorrow’s to-do list
• 6:30 PM – Quitting time
• 6:30 – 9:00 PM – Prepare and eat dinner/family time

Of course, this is only an example.  The beauty of working-from-home is flexibility.  For those of you with children at home, you may need to schedule in some snack time and play time to ensure their needs are being met.  It is imperative to make the best use of their naps when you’ll have uninterrupted time to concentrate on work.

That’s right, don’t forget to shower.  You laugh, but I’m serious.  In my early days of working-at-home, I’d start working and realize around 2:30 PM that I hadn’t showered yet.  It was too late by then to shower, so I’d just continue working and figured I’d do it the next day. 

Well, not only did my husband suffer the olfactory consequences, I started feeling like the workday just went on and on.  The problem:  I had no beginning and no end to my office hours.  Home life and work life overlapped, causing me to feel rundown because my hours seemed to start the second I woke up to the minute I fell asleep.  The lesson:  treat your work-at-home career as a real job. 

Whether you’re working part-time or full-time, make sure you take time every morning to shower and get ready.  Change out of your pajamas and into something you’d want a colleague to see you in.  Set a specific time to report into work, eat lunch at a consistent time (which is good for your metabolism as well), and stop working at the end of the day (no earlier, no later – make this a rule, not an exception).