exQUIZZme !

Working from home can be a most effective way to be more productive!

Today’s open plan offices stop many people from getting their work done. The constant noise, phones ringing and colleagues interrupting can drive anyone to distraction!

Many people would dramatically boost their productivity if they could spend some or all of their working week out of the main office and join the thousands of small business owners who work from home.

However there are a few rules you need to follow to do this successfully:

Establish a Routine

Decide on a starting and finishing time. Include breaks.

Plan Your Day

Prepare a ‘to do list’ each day and action it.

Clean out the Clutter

Keep your work area clean and tidy. You’ll work far more effectively and reduce the stress levels.

Organise Your Work Area

Have the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair, desk, computer, filing system.

Group Tasks Together

Divide your day into similar activities. Make all phone calls in the morning and work on important tasks. Do errands later in the afternoon after the lunch-time rush or when you go to pick up the kids.

Learn How to Say NO!

Inform your family and friends of your working hours and that because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you’re ‘available’.

Take Time Out for You

It can be easy to lose yourself in your work. Take time to smell the roses…and make human contact.

The Final Word

Not everyone can work successfully from home - some need the daily discipline and people interaction encountered in the office.

However, for many others, working from home has greatly improved their productivity and enhanced their lifestyle.

They have more flexibility, more time and the opportunity to work much more effectively without all the usual distractions encountered in the traditional office environment.

So next time when you become overwhelmed with with the distractions at work and feel like you are going nowhere and getting nothing done, see if working from home for some of the week is a viable option.

After all, what’s the point of just showing up at the office if you cannot concentrate and work effectively.

Coping with your workload isn’t about being busy, it’s about being effective and working smarter, not harder.

Sometimes when I am communicating with other webmasters and I bring up the subject of writing articles, I often get a response like “I’d rather have a root canal, I just can’t write“, or “my spelling is horrible and my grammar is not much better”. In my view, the first excuse is just a matter of attitude. The latter excuse falls on deaf ears because the major word processing programs have good spelling and grammar checking capabilities.

We’re not talking about something that would qualify for the Pulitzer prize in literature, just articles dealing with a topic that may be of interest to a group of people that also may happen to have an interest in your particular business proposition or activity.

While not as dramatic as the college professor’s dilemma of “publish or perish”, many Internet marketers have found that the publicity and traffic that articles can bring to their websites is second only in importance to actually making sales. (more…)

An expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students when he decided to do an experiment. He pulled out a large mason jar, a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. When no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. The instructor then poured gravel in the jar, shook it and asked, “Is this jar full? ” By this time the class was on to him. They replied: “Probably not,”

Next, he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar until all the space between the rocks was filled. Once more, he asked the question. “Is this jar full?” “No” the class shouted.

Finally, he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured until the jar was filled to the brim. The speaker looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” The speaker listened to a number of very good responses and said: “The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the big rocks in your life? Are they your spouse, children and grandchildren? Are they your work, television or gambling? Are you wasting time with things that are unimportant? What is important in your life?

It has come to our attention that self-employed people have somehow escaped the burden of “office policies”. No longer. Now even work-from-home hermits can revel in the burden of “office policies.” (This is part three of a series that began at http://www.thehappyguy.com/hermit.html and continued at http://thehappyguy.com/pajamas.html .)

Every office needs office policies, if for no other reason to keep employees from scratching each others’ eyes out or “borrowing” company equipment. The home office is no exception.

If you are wondering why somebody barricaded alone in his basement needs a policy to keep him from stealing his own office equipment, you have obviously never sat alone in your basement 23 hours a day, day after day, in front of a computer screen that freezes every now and then just out of sadistic spite.

Policies designed to keep employees from scratching each others’ eyes out are even more important in a home office. In a corporate setting, spiteful employees go home at night and forget the objects of their loathing. But when one detests oneself, office politics often gets too personal to just forget. And that pest even follows you into the shower…when you take one, that is.

Here are a few guidelines you can use to formulate practical home office policies, just in case you get the hankering to live the glamorous life of the work-from-home hermit.

Every office has rules against sexual harassment. Due to legal requirements, you must adopt a zero tolerance policy for such insensitive advances. If your spouse complains about such a policy, seek legal council. Divorce can be ugly.

Office romance is another story. Most companies permit office romances, as long as there is not an actual office involved. In the home office, romance is encouraged, mostly to avoid the legal repercussions mentioned above.

Generally, spouses do not frown on home office affairs, either. In fact, they usually approve such morale-building activities…as long as this function is not outsourced.

Inventory control in the home office is key. Large companies have policies like: “It is forbidden to remove paper fastening devices from company premises, except within envelopes being disseminated through official company channels.”

Home office inventory control should focus instead on “consumables”. Here is recommended wording for your policy: “Stop hoarding the cupcakes. Leave them in the kitchen.”

In major corporations, absenteeism is a serious problem. Most companies have policies against calling in sick every day. The reverse is true in home offices, where employee omnipresence has been proven to cause psychological trauma in overworked computer keyboards. (more…)

When I first began looking to earn money on the web, I was curious about everything! I joined one program after the next because everything looked interesting. Like a lot of people I searched for an easy way to earn money from the net. If I saw the word “easy” I went for it.

It didn’t take long to find out there is no easy way to make money on the net. No matter what I decided to promote, if I wanted to make it work, I’d have to commit to it for the long haul.

That meant advertising CONSISTENTLY. Consistency builds trust. When people see your ad again and again they will recognize someone who is serious about their business.

Advertising also involves trying different venues such as placing ads in e-zines or giving away free reports to discover the best methods for your offerings as well as testing various ads to find out what works and what doesn’t.

I had to be willing to study the network marketing business. That meant reading, reading and reading some more.

Most of all, I had to discover if the opportunity was a good fit. If you don’t believe in what you are promoting, success is only an illusion.

I decided it was important for me to find a first rate product that would help others in their quest for network marketing success. My website reflects this desire. I market several top-selling resources that have helped hundreds of people build a successful online venture.

Are you discouraged? Take a fresh look at your opportunity. How much effort have you put it?

If you believe you’ve made the best effort and aren’t getting the results you want maybe it’s time to discard that program or product and find something else.

The bottomline? YOU GOTTA GIVE IT TIME. Give yourself time to study, learn, apply concepts, and develop your marketing skills. In time, you’ll reap the rewards of patience and consistency.

To make your home biz store successful, you need to establish the following characteristics. First. you need to cultivate the trust and credibility of others by being knowledgeable and honest about your business. Second. don’t exaggerate claims because people are wary of these tactics, and you may lose customers. Third, send email messages with at least one question that requires an answer.

Fourth, make sure the messages are short; long messages more than likely won’t be read. Fifth, ask people to acknowledge that they got your message about your home biz store. Sixth, be aware of stricter spam practices as many email providers are blocking messages even if they aren’t spam. Seventh, don’t expect a get rich quick scheme; it takes time for a home business to grow.

Eighth, be persistent with your home biz store. Ninth, expect emotional highs and lows as there will be successes and setbacks. There are time management skills you can utilize. You can make a “to do” list. Write the list down, and leave it somewhere you are sure to look. Of course the list can be flexible; some tasks will have to be put off, and the list may need updating.

Also instead of writing everything on scraps of paper, invest in a simple spiral notebook to record what’s going on. It can be a good memory jogger and can be used for future reference. There are also ways to manage the telephone. Record an effective message such as “Hello, this is John Smith. I’m not available now, but if you leave a message about what your call concerns and the best time to get up with you, I’ll call you back later.” If somebody can answer your calls for you, have them say the same. You want to know what the call is about to better prepare yourself for further conversations.

Your first priority in your home biz store is your customer; the old cliche “the customer is always right” is tired but true. Offer your customers newsletters to keep them apprised of your doings. Ask customers if they want to be notified if you change your website. Keep in contact with a customer after a purchase to ensure satisfaction. Send them surveys, and use rewards as incentives such as gift certificates.

If you have a website, make sure it’s easy to use. Have a “frequently asked questions” or FAQ section to tell customers your policies. Send surveys asking about site navigation. Fix any problems promptly. Make your contact information readily available; post hyperlinked email addresses and toll-free numbers. A nice touch is sending longtime customers thank you gifts, emailing them cards on special occasions, and giving them price breaks. With these suggestions, your home business can thrive.