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November 28, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress

The holidays are officially here and they will only intensify as Christmas gets closer.  The holidays are full of cheer, friends and family, but they can also bring about stress: financially, emotionally, and with work.  Especially in the work from home world, work often needs to be completed despite traditional office closings.  Since home based careers often revolve around a laptop, we still need to find time to get the work done.

Work ahead

It can be tough to work ahead for those days off, but it’s worth it to be able to truly relax with friends and family members. Create a specific to do list for the days that still need to be covered over break and go from there.  It can be helpful to color code the things that need done, are already done, and can wait until the end of the break.  While working ahead can be a bit stressful ahead of time, you’ll know that your clients and employers are set while you’re relaxing.

Avoid the last minute

Whether it’s shopping, working ahead, or planning activities with family – start now!  Don’t ignore the current holiday cheer, but in the time between holidays, begin to get things done.  If you start early enough, there won’t be a big rush at the last minute.  Staying stress-free is all about doing things over time versus waiting until you’re stressed, tired, and down to the wire.

Reign it in

Reign in the spending, amp up the thoughtfulness! This is a key phrase that will help you through the holiday season.  We often get stressed out trying to find the most extravagant, expensive gifts, but that’s truly not what matters.  Begin by focusing on the person you’re buying for, then go for experiences first and foremost.  You can still do thoughtful gifts for your loved ones, all while focusing on what matters most this time of year.

Focus on what matters

Family, friends, faith, and being together is what is truly important right now.  The gifts, business stress, and other obligations can wait.  When you’re trying to do it all this hectic time of year, pause and remember this.  With a little bit of prep and forethought, you can enjoy the holidays more than ever, all while maintaining your obligations and work schedule.

Enjoy this magical, warm time of year with all those you love!

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July 25, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Recharge and Destress

In any job, there comes a time when you face burnout, long hours, or just find yourself in need of a break.  While working long hours is great for productivity, it’s not the best for your mental outlook.  If you don’t give yourself time to relax, destress, and unplug once in awhile, life can quickly become all about work.

Read along for some best practices for recharging after a stressful period of work or time of strenuous hours.

Unplug

Sometimes you just need to unplug for the entire night, weekend, or even a few days. Even if you can’t unplug for a full day, it’s important that you’re unplugging every day to avoid burnout.  Do your best to avoid marathon work sessions that leave your eyes, body, and mind stressed.  The key to this step is to first listen to your body and signals of overstress, then be willing to take some time off.

While you unplug, it’s important to frequently get some quiet time to yourself.  This can be challenging with family, kids and pets, and other obligations, but it’s important to give your brain and body a break.

Schedule something special

Put something relaxing on the calendar! Whether your idea of something special is scheduling a massage or manicure, spending an afternoon shopping, or simply curling up in a quiet corner with a good book, be sure that nothing interrupts this appointment! Barring any true emergency, show up for yourself and give yourself that much needed chance to recharge your batteries.

Look at your schedule

It’s time to take an honest look at your time and commitments.  Where can you cut back? This isn’t always possible, but if you’re truly stressing and need a break, there are often small things you can cut back on.

Is there a weekly commitment that doesn’t bring you a lot of joy anymore? A small side freelance job that no longer serves you? Take stock of what’s most important to you and prioritize accordingly.

Make it a daily habit

Recharging and reducing stress takes practice for most of us, as work can be time-consuming and a large part of our lives.  Self care starts with you, so it has to be put into practice by you as well.  Make it a daily habit to take a few moments for yourself, which might include things such as meditation, baths, yoga, hiking in nature, or meetups with friends.  It’s not selfish to take personal time, as it’s often the key to bigger breakthroughs and more stability in your life.  Coming back to everything with a fresh attitude is never a bad idea!

Taking the time to destress and come back more refreshed is not only great for you and your career, it’s great for your family and friends.  When you’re happier, healthier, and feeling more connected to what you truly need, you’re able to bring your best self into your everyday life.

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July 18, 2016 0 Comments

4 Ways to Stay Connected When Working from Home

When you work from home, it can be difficult to integrate social interaction into your day.  While your kids may be home with you, it’s still important to maintain a social life – digitally and in person.  Staying connected to co-workers and employers is very important, as is maintaining your social life as a work from home employee.

Stay in touch during the day

Skype is an excellent tool for a call or chat during the day, which is useful for friends or co-workers and employers.  It almost gives you an office feel to be able to chat with your co-workers “face to face” for a few moments, and it’s also more personal than a typical call.  The chat feature makes it easy to talk to co-workers, employers, or tech support employees in other countries without the back and forth of email.

If you’re feeling disconnected from your team, see if you can integrate weekly calls to stay on track and maintain contact.  When you and your team stay connected, less items slip through the cracks, and a more solid connection is able to be formed through frequent contact.

Network

Networking online via Facebook and LinkedIn Groups is great, but getting out is even better!

Utilize sites such as Meetup.com to find social and professional groups of interest to you, or join your local chamber for casual and high profile events that can boost your personal and professional circle.  Not only does networking get you out and about, but it allows you to bolster your professional relationships with other working people, all while getting to learn more about your community in business.

Work outside

This goes for outside the home or physically outside!  A change of scenery is known to be very helpful by boosting productivity and giving your mind a mental break from the same old thing.

Go outside on a nice day and spend an hour working while breathing in the fresh air, or take the kids for a picnic during the day.  You can bring some work along to do after you eat and they play!

If it’s winter or the weather isn’t cooperating, simply get outside the house for a few hours per week.  Your local coffee or cafe shop is always a great option, and they almost always have wifi available.  Again, this is another way to change up your work scenery and come back refreshed.

Get out and meet

Make a point to get out of the house a few days per week.  Whether you meet up with a friend for lunch every Friday afternoon, or plan your grocery shopping over Tuesday’s lunch hour, it’s just great to get out and get some fresh air when you work from home.

It’s also important that some of your outside the house time is social – plan walks with friends, meet for lunch, work together at a park or find a new walking trail to check out on your lunch hour.

While working from home isn’t a traditionally social environment, you can stay in touch with friends, family, and co-workers and have a satisfying social life by taking a few extra steps to stay connected!

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July 11, 2016 0 Comments

5 Tips for Healthy Eating When You Work From Home

Even though working from home allows you to generally eat whatever you want anytime, sometimes that can make it a struggle to stay healthy! In a traditional work setting, the issues usually revolve around takeout and convenience foods, while working from home can create poor eating habits and all day snacking.  Read along for some tips to stay healthy as a home based worker.

Keep healthy food

Keep healthy food options in the house – and visible.  Buy a nice fruit bowl and keep fruit right at the kitchen entrance, or purchase pre-cut fruits and veggies for the week.  As long as you have healthy options available, it’s much easier to stay on track.

Avoid temptations

If you struggle with all day eating or simply snacking on the wrong foods, do your best to keep temptations out of the house during the week.  It doesn’t have to be painful! Think of what you can include in your diet – fresh fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers, protein – versus what you have to eliminate.  You can always have whatever you choose, it’s just better for health and productivity to make most of that food healthy.

Find something fun

Find something fun to look forward to! This doesn’t have to be food, but it certainly can be. Why not plan evening trips to a new park with your kids, or another healthy activity that teaches them good habits.  You can also meet a friend at a new healthy eatery – this is something to look forward to that fits your goals and allows you to socialize as well!

Structure it

Make a plan and stick to it! It’s much easier for your time and productivity levels to have meals planned out as well.  On Saturday or Sunday, make a plan for the week, create your grocery list, and head to the store.  You can do all of the cooking for the week in a few hours, and then everything is pre-packaged and ready to go.  When you make a plan with anything in life, your goals tend to get met and unexpected challenges that come up are much less likely.

Meal plans are also incredibly helpful for families, as your kids can also participate and give healthy meal ideas.  This also allows them to learn about cooking, clean eating, and fun snacks that are always available.

Remember your goals

Your goals do not need to have anything to do with weight loss, but feeling good while working from home is a noble one. When we eat better, we feel better! Shift your focus from “bad” foods and deprivation to really fueling your body for a productive, happy workday, and feel free to include treats whenever you choose.  This process is really about what you’ll do most of the time, and what will allow you to feel your best when it would be easier to simply avoid healthy eating in the home.

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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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February 2, 2016 0 Comments

3 Tips for Work From Home Health

You might think that a home based career would be better for your health, and it can be – if you do it correctly! It can actually be easier to eat less healthy foods and continue to work all the time when you work from home.  To avoid mental and physical burnout, focus on the tips below for your best health from home!

Stop on time

Mental health is just as important as physical health when you work from home! It’s important to stop working at a certain time most days, or rearrange your schedule so that you’re working a certain number of hours per day.  When your work is just your laptop, it can be tempting to continue work throughout your whole day and night, but that mental break is so important.

Separate work from home and keep yourself mentally strong and focused by shutting down your work each night.  Just as an employee in a traditional office would go home at the end of the day, you should do the same!

Establish a routine

Create a workout routine that is sustainable for you and your lifestyle. Often times, we start out with overly ambitious goals of working out at 4:30 AM, but if that doesn’t suit your body, family, or work schedule, this isn’t an option.

Whether you choose to leave the house for fitness classes or the gym, or simply a strong practice at home – keep at it! We stay healthy when we commit to a routine that’s enjoyable and doable.  Set aside time in your day, just as you would any important meeting, and make fitness a priority in your day.

Keep it healthy

When you work from home, it’s even more tempting to search the fridge every hour.  Just like you’ll be creating a fitness schedule, keep your eating on a semi-regular schedule as well.  If you find you’re an unhealthy snacker, only keep healthy foods in the house.  Set yourself up for success, and keep meal times and foods on a schedule that keeps you feel energized.  This also helps you avoid eating all day, which can lead to weight gain and low energy fairly quickly!

On the other side of the equation, be sure you’re eating enough to keep your energy up! Since oyu don’t have the bustling energy of an office or in-person employees and employers, it’s important to keep yourself going to stay motivated.

Create mental space in your day, establish a sustainable fitness routine, and plan to eat healthy when you work from home – these tips will ensure that you’re in your best shape mentally and physically in your home based career!

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January 11, 2016 0 Comments

4 Steps to a Great To-Do List

The to-do list is a much talked about item, and that’s for good reason. Especially when working from home, staying on a schedule and keeping on task is crucial. Rarely is someone going to be managing your every move, which makes a to-do list a priority!

You can create a standard list to get through each day, but creating more of a “system” with your to-do list makes it more likely to stick.  Here are a few best practices for creating to-do lists that work with you.

Coordinate for you

Color coordinating is a great way to organize your list.  You can do this by client, task, priority, and so on. Although it’s useful, color coding isn’t for everyone, but you do need to find some type of system that works for you.

If you’re more visual, color coding is a great idea. If you like to group things by task, a more segmented list might be better for you.  Play around with your lists for a few days at a time to determine the best fit.

Prioritize

Whichever list you choose, prioritizing will be a constant necessity.  For example, do you have a specific task due on Friday? Be sure you aren’t placing that over an email piece due on Wednesday!

You’ll get in the flow of your tasks and priorities as your home based career continues.  You can always modify a list – sometimes it’s helpful to create one on the web via Google Docs or utilize a Word Document so you can change easily.

Repetition is key

Your to-do list isn’t going to be helpful if you use it for one week then quit. Get into the habit of adding every major (or even minor) task to your list. It’s truly an exercise in organization, and organization prevents you from missing items.  

It can take a few weeks to really get in the habit of using your list, but once you do, you will find that you’ll be storing far more information on your page and less in your brain.  This allows you to be more efficient and keep your mind on the tasks you need to complete.

Cross it out

Crossing off your items is half the fun! Not only does it allow you to keep track and feel accomplished, it can be important in billing your clients and employers.

The to-do list keeps track of your work, so be sure you’re giving yourself the credit by acknowledging when it’s done. If something is halfway completed, you can always update and make a note indicating the change.  These small movements in your list give you a sense of achievement throughout the day, and with longer projects, it can keep you feeling positive about your status.

A to-do list is always a must-have, and it can truly work for you in your work from home career.  Create one that works with your personality and work habits, prioritize what’s important, repeat daily, and cross it off – you’re well on your way to to-do list (and productivity) success!

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December 7, 2015 0 Comments

5 Tips for Home Based Work During the Holiday Season

It can be a challenge to juggle working from home during the holiday season. You’re doing your best to complete your tasks, but since your workspace is your home environment, this can get tricky this time of year. However, working from home has its flexibility perks, and you’ll be able to attend those Christmas concerts and holiday events with just a few tweaks of your schedule.

The holidays are a special time of year, so it’s important to recognize that and participate fully. On the other hand, work can pick up before the end of the year, so read along for some tips to manage both effectively.

Keep a normal daily schedule

As much as possible, plan ahead and keep a normal daily schedule. The more you can do this in the days surrounding the actual holidays, the more relaxed you can be on your days off.  Create a schedule now and do your best to prioritize as the holiday season moves along.

Hire some help

If your workload is too demanding right now or you want more time for friends and family during the holidays, consider hiring some help. You can find a great virtual assistant right here at HireMyMom.com. Need help with kids? Look for college students home for the holidays. They can also help with wrapping gifts, organizing your home / office and even help with some home office tasks that you’ve gotten behind on. 

Make time for what’s important

Work will always be there – but the holidays won’t be. Make time for what’s important, especially this time of year. If you have to work a weekend afternoon to be able to attend a holiday event, it’s worth the extra effort. Cherish the memories that the holidays help create. You’ll look back someday and be glad you did!

Schedule something special

Since your home is your workspace, it can feel like the day goes from work to celebration central in a matter of ours! Schedule some special outings, occasions, shows, and so on for this time of year. It feels good to get out of the house, and you can still use your home for those cozy nights over hot chocolate, good movies, and gift wrapping.

Don’t stress out

Overall, don’t stress out too much! It can seem like the work is piling up this time of year and that it will never stop.  2016 will be here before we know it, and all we can do is our best to complete the rest of 2015.

Create your schedules, make time for what’s important, and minimize stress for a fun and efficient holiday season!

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June 25, 2015 0 Comments

4 Home Workout Options for Busy Moms

Staying fit while working from home is a priority, but leaving the house to hit the gym can feel impossible most of the time! Between your home-based career, family, and other hobbies, there has to be a better option out there.  Home workouts for busy moms are the answer, and they can be just as challenging, useful, and productive as gym workouts.

While you may be a busy mom, maintaining your health is so crucial to caring for the rest of your family and successfully doing your job. Check out some of these excellent, low cost, effective options to integrate into your home workouts.

Barre3

Barre3 is said to “balance, strengthen, and lengthen the body with moves inspired by ballet, yoga and Pilates.”  While you can go to numerous Barre3 studios across the country, they also offer affordable online videos to complete with just a waist-level surface, light weights, and a yoga mat.  This workout will leave you feeling replenished – not depleted – and you’ll have access to a library of hundreds of videos ranging from 10-60 minutes in length.  Barre3 is best for those wanting a unique workout that gives you strength and cardio without the exhaustion.

There are a few free workouts available and monthly subscriptions start at $10.

Daily Burn

Daily burn describes itself as “the best streaming workouts from elite trainers, available any time on any device.” Daily Burn has everything from kettlebells to cardio and yoga workouts.  They pride themselves on the variety of workouts available on the site, as well as nutrition and general health advice. This program is best for busy moms who want to mix it up daily with some of the best trainers for an affordable price.

You can do a 30-day free trial and then membership is $10 per month.

YouTube Workouts

YouTube workouts are excellent, as you can find many videos done by well-known trainers and they’re free! Some of the best channels are Jessica Smith TV, Blogilates, Tone It Up, Fitness Blender, and BeFit, just to name a few.

These workouts often offer a lot of variety as well, and you can get your cardio, strength, yoga and Pilates without spending any money or leaving the house.

If you want more than what the channels offer, the top trainers often also have DVDs and downloads available for purchase.

FitnessGlo & YogaGlo

FitnessGlo offers everything from Strength to Tabata to High Intensity Interval Training, along with 8-week structured programs to ensure that you’re getting a well-rounded workout program.  You can search workouts by Style, Instructor, Duration, and Level, allowing you to customize your workout on a daily basis.

FitnessGlo offers a 15-day free trial and then costs $12 per month.

YogaGlo is the yoga version of FitnessGlo, offering affordable yoga classes from some of the biggest names in the business.  You can also search this site through a variety of filters, and you have the option of classes that are 5-120 minutes in length.

YogaGlo offers a 15-day free trial and then costs $18 per month.

(Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

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June 25, 2015 0 Comments

4 Tips to Stay Motivated Working From Home

Staying motivated during the workday can be especially tough when your home is your office. When you go to an office, it’s a little bit easier to stay on task with the structure of your day, management presence, and the office environment itself.

Although it’s a challenge to create a routine that will work to provide motivation, it’s essential to complete your necessary tasks and stay focused. Here are some best practices on how to stay motivated when working from home.

Dress Up

When you work in an office, there’s no choice but to dress appropriately. Although home-based careers allow you the freedom of clothing choice, you’ll be much more motivated if you continue to dress for the office. You don’t have to go all out, but doing your hair, makeup, and wearing casual to business casual clothing can help.  Dressing in sweatpants is incredibly comfortable, but doesn’t always do much to keep us motivated.

Create a Schedule

Schedules are key, especially when you work from home! You really have to strive to keep your work life and home life separate, so scheduling your time, appointments, and tasks is crucial to success. Make a schedule at the beginning of the week, and continue to move items down the list if you don’t complete them on a certain day. When you see your week laid out, it removes the overwhelm and tells you exactly what you need to be doing.  It’s easier to keep the motivation going when you can charge through your schedule.

Give Yourself Time Off

Whether it’s a 10-minute break or a few days off, you need to relax and recharge. When motivation is seriously waning, it’s typically because we haven’t had enough time to unplug. Taking a few short breaks during the day should go without saying, but add them to your schedule anyway! It’s always fun to take a quick walk, grab a snack, or get some fresh air.  When you need more recharging, make sure you’re taking time off to relax or spend time with family. Especially when you work from home, it can start to feel like you spend all your time in your home environment.  Keep your health intact by scheduling the appropriate amount of time off from work.

Do Something Fun

If you’re feeling unmotivated or your weeks are starting to run together, mix up your routine a bit. Call a friend or colleague and meet up for lunch, or take some of your calls outside, if at all possible. When you can change just the slightest parts of your routine, it can remove the monotony and spike motivation quickly!

(Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)

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