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May 16, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Prepare for Summer Break

Summer is almost here! In most parts of the country, there are only a few more weeks until kids are out of school, days slow down, and we start planning fun trips and activities for the summer months.

While all this fun goes on, there’s still work to be done.  If you’re a work from home mom, it’s crucial to plan ahead for summer break, so you’re able to enjoy the more relaxed season while still being effective in your job.

Add activity

Since summer is typically a bit less structured in most industries, do you best to add some fun and activity into every day.  These days – and the summer season – don’t last forever, so it’s important to take advantage of them.  A lot more people are taking vacations, half days, Fridays off, and so on, so take that time to make it work for you and your family – and have some fun!

Set it up

Since you’ll likely still have a full work schedule, it might be helpful to enlist childcare and babysitting services ahead of time.  Many of these professionals book up well in advance, so act now to avoid the rush.  While it’s important to make time for your family and kids, it can still be incredibly helpful to have some undivided time for work and personal time.

Another option is to start speaking with your child’s family and friends to set up carpool situations for team sports, activities, and so on.  Have these conversations early, as everyone’s vacation and work schedules tend to change in the summer, so maybe you can all help each other have more family time, as well as more focused work hours.  Look into having these conversations and booking your childcare as soon as possible, so you can ensure that your children are enjoying their time and that you are still maximizing productivity!

Create a summer schedule

As we’ve mentioned, summer tends to be more relaxed – and a lot more fun! The spontaneity of it all is what makes it a magical time of year, but schedules are still important in a family.

Keep a large family calendar on the refrigerator that everyone can add to, and take a look at your weeks and months ahead of time.  Of course things will pop up, but if you can see where your family is and how you’re spending your time, you can more easily take time off to be with them.  Also, it’s helpful to keep some structure in your kids’ days, even if it’s as simple as scheduling a play date once per week.

Make it fun

Since we know that several jobs are more laid back in the summer, simply remember to have fun this summer.  It’s a short but special time of year when almost everyone is home and fun plans pop up all the time.  It’s best to keep a bit of structure but also be prepared to go with the flow.  Set up your plans in the beginning and you’ll gain more time with your kids while keeping your obligations top of mind.

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May 9, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Work From Home Moms

Many people work from home, but not all of those people are parents.  While working from home affords a lot of flexibility and schedule changes most of the time, it can still be a challenge to juggle work as a work from home mom.

With some adjustments to your schedule and reaching out to others, you can still get work done while prioritizing family.

Use naptime

Utilize naptime to your advantage! If your children still take naps during the day, do your best to keep them on a schedule and plan to get your most challenging work done during this time.  While naps aren’t typically hours and hours in length, they can provide enough time for 100% focus.

Ask for help

Whether it’s family or friends, asking for help is a key tip.  If you don’t have family close by, you can look into children’s groups or babysitters available during the day.  In this day and age, there are even babysitters who come to your house for the day and can watch your kids in the comfort of their own home.

You don’t have to reach out for outside help every day, but if you can get a few hours or free days once in awhile, it can mean a lot to your productivity.

Keep your space

We’ve said it before, but keeping a separate space for work is key to staying on task with kids.  While you can’t always be without distraction, it’s easier to really focus on those uninterrupted hours in a designated space.

When you set up your office space for success, it’s much easier to access necessary materials and get work done in a neat, quiet, and personalized environment.  Keeping this separate from working at the counter or on the couch allows you to separate work from home, which also tells your family when you are working versus being wife and/or mom.

Set it up

You can look into educational or physical activities for children outside of the home.  Is there a local swim team?  Maybe there are discovery classes on various topics from karate to nature walks and education.  Not only does this allow your children to participate in activities outside of the home, it gives you more free time.  Do your best to set up these times in advance, so you’re able to know when you can be the most productive.

If there isn’t much going on outside the home, set up your kids with and educational toy or activity here and there to keep them engaged and enriched.

Working from home with kids can be a challenge but it’s not impossible.   All it takes is some tweaks of the schedule and planning ahead.  By creating a productivity plan that works best for you, you’re giving your children the opportunity to be entertained while maintaining your work balance.

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May 2, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Get 10,000 Steps Per Day

 We all hear how important it is to get in those 10,000 steps per day.  It’s important for our health, as sedentary lifestyles are not heart-healthy, and we can end up with various health issues by sitting still all day.

When you work from home, it can be especially difficult to accomplish this task – you’re close to everything from the bathroom to your car, you likely don’t have to run around to meet co-workers, and you typically spend lunch hours alone.  It’s easy to see how this goal becomes elusive!

While you don’t have to set out for 10,000 steps right away, use these tips to get well on your way to more movement.

Set an alert

Use your phone or Google Calendar to set alerts throughout the day.  When they go off, go for a 5-10 minute stroll around the block or simply walk in place.  There are various walking workouts online for free, which you can find by typing “walking workout” into YouTube.  They range from 5-60+ minutes and help to get your heart rate up – and those steps in!

Getting your steps in doesn’t have to involve a structured workout – it’s actually better to walk at random intervals throughout the day.  This keeps your metabolism humming along, along with boosting other health indicators that are reduced by sitting all day.

Meet with friends

Meet with friends for lunch and move instead of eating.  This accomplishes two goals of meeting your steps and increasing your social interaction.  Since you’re working from home, it’s easy to do a working lunch later while using your “off” time for a walk with friends.  Set a certain time each day or week to meet with friends fro 20-45 minutes.  You can certainly accomplish a lot of steps in this amount of time! It’s active and social – two very important ingredients to our overall health.

Purchase a counter

You don’t need a fancy FitBit or anything like that, but a simple pedometer can get the job done.  Clip it onto your waistband each morning, and see how many steps you can rack up.  Take a few trips to get food or park further away when you run a midday errand.  These might seem like small changes, but when you’re tracking your progress, it makes it much more fun and motivating to see those numbers going up..

Replace Happy Hour

Happy Hour and dinners with friends after work is fun from time to time, but can you replace it with a healthier habit?  Maybe you can even combine the two! Set a time to meet up with friends or family members after work, and you can even go to your favorite spot afterwards for a leisurely dining experience.  It will be all the more enjoyable after a mini walking workout!

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April 25, 2016 0 Comments

4 Ways to Spring Clean Your Resume

The new and improved weather this time of year comes with a sense of renewal and change.  Many of us are seeking new employment, or simply looking for a new freelance project to fill a few hours.  Either way, a resume is a critical component of this process.

While we’re taking the time to spring clean our homes, bodies, wardrobes and so on, why not take a few minutes to update – or “spring clean” – your resume?  Read along for some tips on making effective tune ups to your resume.

Importance

It used to be that your resume had to be in chronological order – no exceptions.  Times have changed and so have resumes! Don’t be afraid to put your experience in order of importance versus a specific timeline.  This can be customized for each job position, as you want to put the crucial information that the employer is seeking first.

Go through your resume and determine what is most important or the job that you want and make the necessary changes.

Remove

As important is it is to organize your resume, it’s equally as important to remove what is no longer serving you in your career.  Do you need to note jobs that are 10 years old or club positions from high school over 15 years ago?  In most cases, these kind of inclusions aren’t necessary.  Do your best to focus on current, relevant work experience, and craft your resume in a way that highlights those accomplishments that are in line with your new desired work position.

Additionally, you can remove old, boring descriptions from your resume.  Make your resume pleasant to read and focus on the most important aspects of your career so far.

Add

While you’re removing the older descriptions, focus on adding in valuable information – quantitative data and results, specific numbers and improvements, and so on.  The more specific and measurable you can be, the better.  If your job position doesn’t lend itself to this kind of data, still include results from your jobs and/or internships.  Employers are interested in what you did, but they really want to know how you’ve helped others in the past, which in turn can show how you can help them.

It’s also incredibly important to include other new, relevant information, even if it’s volunteer work.  Certifications, associations, and volunteer positions can tell an employer a lot about you, so they are very important to take the time to include in your updated resume. We often forget these types of notes in our resumes, and they can truly forge common bonds and extra credibility with a potential employer.

Ask

This is a bit of a bonus tip, as it won’t actually appear in your resume.  Ask for quality recommendations and letters from past employers.  It’s incredibly important to have these on hand as you’re sprucing up your resume and getting ready to go through many applications.  Give your past employer(s) plenty of time – up to 3-4 weeks – to complete a quality recommendation.  When your new potential employers ask for letters of recommendation, you’ll be ready and waiting without hesitation!

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April 11, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips to Manage Stress

Stress is one of those things that has become a fact of life, but how you manage it can make all the difference in your health.  Although you might not have the stress of a commute or office environment, you likely deal with more distractions and the temptation to work around the clock.

While stress is basically inevitable in our fast paced world, there are certain things you can do to reduce and manage it.  Read along for some of our best tips to manage the stressors in your life.

Identify them

If you feel like a constant ball of stress, it’s important to take a minute to identify what’s causing the stress.  Maybe you assume that it’s your carpool duties, but it’s really a work project that you put off until you have to leave for the car line.  Shifting your schedule a bit and knowing where your stress takes place is the first step in making changes.

Meditate

Meditation is all the rage right now – and for good reason.  It helps to quiet the mind, and there are numerous ways in which you can meditate.  Whether you sit quietly listening to music and observe your thoughts, sit by the ocean, or choose something more formal, looking into meditation is a key step.

Try the Headspace app for something quick and simple. Headspace is a free app that provides some “extra calm and clarity” in 10-minute sessions.  This is a great way to get started with meditation and to fit it into your already busy life.

Exercise

Exercise isn’t only healthy for your body, it’s healthy for your mind. Exercise can help to release stress in the body, as well as release endorphins for a natural boost of happiness and calm.  You don’t need to do this for hours each day, but start with a good variety: a mix of cardio for endorphins, yoga for a calm mind, and light weights for a strength boost.

Get outside

Nature is calming and grounding, so take a few minutes each day to walk around outside, feel the breeze on your face, and simply take in some fresh air.  This is a simple task, but once that can relax your system and help you to see the beauty around you.  Take a few slow, deep breaths and spend a few minutes connecting to nature.

Schedule fun

When you’re stressed, most things can seem less than fun, and it can seem like you’re stuck in a cycle of a lot of work and obligations.  It’s okay to say “no” to unnecessary things, as well as incredibly important to schedule some fun into your days and weeks.  Think of something fun that you could do each day – can you meet a friend for coffee?  Have a weekly lunch date with a local co-worker. Plan a fun playdate over your lunch hour.  Do something that will get you out of your routine and out of the stressed out mode that you find yourself in.

Stress is part of our lives, but it can be controlled and managed with a little effort.  Take a few minutes to quiet your mind, incorporate exercise, get in touch with nature, and schedule some fun to manage stress in a healthy, productive way!

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March 29, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Time Management Success

Time management is a hot topic, especially for those of us who work from home.  It can be tough to plan your day – with kids and pets nearby and the distracting items of being at home (think TV, radio, interruptions, and so on!)  All of this can make managing time a full-time job.

Read along for some best practices in time management skills that will allow you more productivity and extra time to do the things you love.

Set your hours

As much as possible, set your work hours to remain consistent throughout the week.  If 9-5 works for you and your family, set it early and work around those times.  If 2-10 works better for your lifestyle, that might be the way to go as well.  Time management also maximizes what’s best for your lifestyle, family, and other obligations, so factor that in from the get go.

Set your time

Set an alarm or timer for each task that you complete.  If you need to do three things for one client, accomplish one, move on to the next client, and so on.  Of course, it’s necessary to designate these tasks in order of priority, but you can still set your time.

This will allow you to manage time so you’re allocating enough hours and minutes in the day for each task, helping them to get completed on time.

Multitask – to a degree

Over time, various sources have started proving that multitasking isn’t as good as it was cracked up to be; it can eliminate focus and draw your attention from what you started.

Even though multitasking gets a bad rap, you can do it in a productive manner – especially if you work from home! It’s not difficult to throw in a load of laundry, set your timer for your next task(s), and then retrieve it at the end.  While lunch is in the microwave, run the sweeper briefly.  It even becomes fun to work chores and other to do items into your time schedule.  This is yet another benefit of working from home, and it allows you to truly manage your work and home life time more efficiently.

See where your time is spent

Take a good look at where your time is currently being spent and evaluate it.  It’s not always easy, but it’s crucial to trim some time here and there, just as you would trim your budget or amend your health and fitness routine if it weren’t working.

Make sure that you’re billing your hours and accounting for all time spent on certain tasks.  When you track where your time is spent, you may realize that you’re spending more time on one task when you thought it was a quick, 30-minute item.

Time management is all about evaluating what needs done, where you’re currently spending your time, and how it can be used more effectively.

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March 22, 2016 0 Comments

5 Steps to An Organized Office

Organization is the key to success! Creating and maintaining systems of organization will allow you to work more effectively, efficiently, and with less chaos.

From your computer screen to your most important files, taking the time to organize will streamline your daily process and your office into a manageable system that seems to run itself.  Read along for some best practices in establishing a sufficient, organized office.

Declutter first

The golden rule of cleaning and organization is to declutter first, organize second.  It’s important to get all of the “junk” off of workspace before you can begin to organize it.  Take a day to go through every single paper, office supply, magazine, piece of mail, and so on, and put it into organized piles.

From here, invest in organization tools that will keep your items in order.  Think mail bins, desktop office supply organizers, shelving for more space, and so on.

Don’t forget your computer

Your desk isn’t the only thing that can become highly disorganized! Your computer is equally as chaotic when it’s not in order.  Start with your desktop – remove or digitally file away all of those past files, while creating new folders and files that make sense to you.  Be sure that everything looks neat and orderly,and make sure it’s all easily accessible.   We spend so much time viewing our computer during the day, and removing the clutter from your desktop and old files removes mental and visual clutter!

Not only is your desktop important to organize, but so is your inbox.  Make sure that emails and accounts are segmented by job position, employer, task, and so on.  Create a system that makes important communications easy to find!  Flagging messages is also a great way to stay organized and find things easily.

File it

Filing is incredibly important, especially for important items like tax information, business expenses, and so on.  Keep things clear and simple by categorizing, creating a color code system, or using a label maker and folders to segment your items.

Don’t just shove things in a file! Keep them organized and set up a filing appointment weekly. You can also look into digital filing systems for business cards and important documents, which is especially important for taxes and business structure.

Use the space

There’s a probably a lot of office space that you’re not utilizing!  There’s wall space for extra shelving, under desk space which is great for filing boxes and cabinets, and desk drawer space for organized office supplies. Closets are good for old binders, extra printer paper, and so on.

Put as many items out of view (in an organized way, of course!) as possible.  Vow to keep your desk as a clutter-free zone that only includes the most necessary items.  Don’t forget to go through and keep your desk drawer and/or organizers in order as well.

Everything in its place

Everything has a place and it’s your job to keep it that way.  Set up a designated area for work, which would be your desk, a place for all of your filing and organizational items, like your filing cabinet, and a place for older items, such as a shelf in your closet.

When you take the time to establish an organizational system that works for you, it’s so much easier to find important items and stay on track.  It also clears the mental and physical clutter from your life, which is not only healthy, but much more efficient.

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March 7, 2016 0 Comments

Top Tips to Stay Focused When You Work From Home

When you work from home, the first thing that people in a traditional office situation will likely ask you is, “How do you stay focused?”  This is a very valid question, as there are plenty of distractions at home.

It can be easy for them to picture a day full of lounging on the couch, eating snacks, and zoning out to the latest Netflix release.  Unfortunately, if this was the case, there wouldn’t be any work getting done! Although most people who work from home report plenty of productivity, focus can be waning without the proper measures in place.

Regroup & Refresh

Interruptions will happen – regroup and accept them as you can.  It’s easier to move on this way after you take a moment to refresh after small or large interruptions – the doorbell, kids, dogs, neighbors dropping by, phone calls, and so on.  If you accept that these will happen and might throw you off for a moment or two, you’re better equipped to push past them.

Additionally, it’s helpful to regroup and take another glance at your current task or to do list after an interruption, as it brings you back in focus.  In addition to these ideas, sometimes a quick walk or breath of fresh air outside can be invigorating. Do anything (brief!) you need to do to get your mind back in work mode.

Schedule everything

Scheduling is a common theme in our posts and in the working world as a means of ideal organization – and for good reason.  Your schedule keeps you on task, assures that things don’t slip through the cracks, and also keeps you focused.  Whether it’s a schedule on a calendar or a master to do list, be sure you’re checking in with it fairly frequently throughout the day.

Another way to ensure expert focus is to schedule everything as you would in a traditional office workday.  Allocate certain times of the day to complete your tasks, i.e., work on one task from 9:00-10:30am, another until noon, break for lunch, and then come back to your next task. You can even boost focus by adding in the “extras,” such as picking up kids from school or throwing in a few loads of laundry.  When it’s not a spur-of-the-moment idea that leaves you unexpectedly away from your desk, it’s easier to get back in the groove of work.

Specific space

Create a specific space to do your work, far away from distractions.  Although you will still get interrupted from time to time, your workspace will become a kind of haven of productivity and focused energy.

It can be tough to focus when you sit in front of the TV or at the kitchen table all day.  Make your space your own with good lighting, comfortable furniture, an appropriate desk, and a door to close for calls and conferences.

Staying focused can be a tough task when you work from home, but it can be accomplished with some good planning and acceptance of those interruptions.  Refer to your schedule often, regroup when things are thrown off, and create a specific space for work and see your focus improve tremendously.

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February 29, 2016 0 Comments

3 Tips to Declutter Your Desk

Decluttering is hugely important, especially when it’s a space that you’re using on a daily basis for work.  When we see clutter, it can interrupt productivity and cause unnecessary stress.  By acknowledging the clutter and coming up with a plan to keep it at bay, you’ll be able to work more effectively and in much more peace.

Read along for some best practices in decluttering your work desk.

Create a plan

Your decluttering plan doesn’t need to be time-consuming or involved! Simply decide what needs to stay, what needs to go, what can stay out, what needs to be filed, and so on.  Create these categories on a sheet of paper and go through each item or category, one by one.

Invest in the right supplies

The next part of your plan will be to invest in the actual supplies! It’s very important that you do step one – organizing and planning – before purchasing your supplies.  You won’t know what you need until you see what you already have.

This doesn’t need to be an extravagant investment, as typically a few space organizers, a solid system for success, and creative space-saving ideas are usually all you need.

Here are just a few ideas to get your home office on the path to decluttered:

  • Drawers are your friend: Utilize them to keep all small office supplies, such as paperclips, extra pens, rulers, etc.  These are out of sight, which helps with stress levels.  Seeing small items on your desk all the time is jarring, so keeping them safely away (and easily accessible!) is a two-fold win.  You can purchase drawer and desk organizers starting around $5.

  • Start labeling: Labels are very helpful, especially if you have a lot of storage boxes and bins.  Create labels that make sense to your filing and organizing system and stick with them.  Use a font, color, and size that’s easily readable, and place the labels so they’re easy to read from the angle of the storage container.

  • Try scanning: If you don’t need to keep physical paperwork, try scanning.  There are numerous machines that can scan for you, as well as offer you organization on your computer.  This is very helpful for those stacks of business cards, receipts, old yet important papers and so on.  The ultimate bonus is that scanning papers allows you to disregard them, freeing up space on your desk.

Keep it going

Once your plan is set and you have all the right supplies, be sure to keep things decluttered.  It’s easy to fall back into your old routine, but it’s worth it to stay on top of your newly organized workspace.

Take a few minutes to add “decluttering” to your calendar right now.  This can be done in 3-5 minutes per day, or you can choose to spend 15-20 minutes at the end of each week.  Choose whatever option is doable for you and stick to it!

By creating a solid plan and systems, purchasing the right supplies, and staying on top of your cluttered desk, you’ll be well on your way to a more peaceful, efficient workday.

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February 22, 2016 0 Comments

3 Steps to a Quality Recommendation Letter

Whether you’re looking for a job, need one for your LinkedIn profile, or simply want to add it to your portfolio, recommendation letters are a key component to your professional file.

Quality recommendation letters give you credibility and instant trust with a new employer or prospect, along with giving you a boost of confidence in your strongest areas.  Read along for some quick tips to receiving a shining letter that makes you look great!

Ask when the time is right

When you come across a happy client or end a job or internship on a high note, it’s an ideal time to ask for a recommendation. A happy client will be more than willing to share their experience while they’re still in a good place, and your past employer knows that you’ll need a quality letter to move forward in your career.

It’s not a great time to ask for a recommendation if you ended a job in a less-than-ideal place, or if your client was simply lukewarm about your product or service.

Ask the right person

In addition to asking at the right time, be sure you’re asking the right person.  Choose someone who does a good job at using words to express thoughts, as well as someone who knows you well enough to write something specific enough.  Recommendations work best when they highlight you specifically versus general praise.

Asking a close co-worker is always a fairly safe bet, but be sure that they can speak about you professionally in a way that shows you at your best.  It goes without saying that all recommendations should be honest, and while they should be glowing, they must ring true to your experience and contributions to the position or service.

Offer something in return

While most people would gladly write a recommendation without expecting anything in reutrn, you can always make your request more appealing by offering something back.

Whether you can offer them a recommendation in return, a learning session, or an opinion on something for them, it’s always nice to give back.

Recommendations are important to your professional career, and along the way, you’ll likely meet numerous past clients and employers who are willing to rave about you.  Always ask! It can be tempting to be shy and walk away from an opportunity, but you can’t receive a great review if you never ask! Get those strong reviews at the right time, post them where they’re most visible, and watch your credibility and trust levels increase substantially.

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