If you’ve ever priced office furniture, you know just how expensive some of those uber-cool desks, bookshelves, file cabinets, and chairs can be. If you’re thinking about telecommuting, defining your work-at-home space is essential. Creating a home office space, or upgrading your current work space, can cost a pretty penny. But guess what, you don’t have to spend a fortune to make your space functional and aesthetically pleasing.
In most cases, you’ll be spending quite a bit of money on hardware, software, and other work necessities. So remember, your home office workspace is all about your own productivity and comfort. Unless you’re an event planner or a photographer with a home office, your space probably won’t need to serve as a showcase business front and you’re probably not going to be sharing your space with too many people. Your home office is one place that can really be all about YOU and YOUR tastes.
My own home work space has gone through several evolutions over the past 14 years and I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. So today I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned. Here are some creative ideas for making your home office space your own on a shoestring budget! >>Continue reading Creating a Home Office On a Shoestring Budget
On October 20-21, 2011, the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA) will host its sixth Online IVAA Summit entitled, “VA Adventures — Learning, Exploring, Growing.” This year’s Summit is specifically designed to help new and seasoned virtual assistants and other entrepreneurs grow and streamline their business. The Summit sets sail Thursday, Oct. 20 – 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (US Eastern), Friday, Oct. 21 – 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with over 30 sessions available from leading experts. >>Continue reading An All Online Conference for Virtual Assistants
I’ve had a second land-line since 1997 and a cell phone since 1998, but I’m absolutely in love with Google Voice. If you work at home, or want to, as a telecommuter or a small business owner, you might find Google Voice to be a helpful tool, too. >>Continue reading Google Voice Is Handy Handy Handy
A while back a Pendaflex rep emailed me to see if I’d be interested in test driving some office organizing products. I already make use of Pendaflex hanging file folders to keep my file cabinet colorfully sane and keeping my home office organized is always a goal. So I decided to take them up on the challenge to see what they’d send and how I might be able to incorporate it into my every day organization tactics.
I was pretty surprised when the package arrived. There were far more handy items than I had expected. >>Continue reading Getting Organized With Pendaflex
Do many of the people you work with work outside of the office? How has that affected your ability to manage and/or collaborate effectively?
Register for Citrix Online’s free webinar to hear James Ware, founder of The Future of Work…Unlimited, provide insights on how the nature of work has changed to include mobile and remote employees – and the challenges this new reality creates for managers. He’ll then offer… >>Continue reading Free Webinar - Managing People You Can't See
Telework Week Recap Finds Productivity Gains, Increased Management Support, and Savings at the Pump
ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 29, 2011 – Telework ExchangeSM, a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the tangible value of telework, today announced the results of National Telework Week, an effort that encouraged employees to telework during the week of February 14-18, 2011. Underwritten by Cisco, the post-Telework Week report, “Filling the Tank with Telework: The 2011… >>Continue reading Telework Week Pledges Filled Their Tanks with $2.7 Million in Commuting Savings; Demonstrated a Nationwide Impact
The New Year always brings to mind thoughts of improving my constantly-in-the-works organization tactics. The more organized you can be, the easier working at home is. It’s not always easy to balance both working and living in the same space and keeping both sides organized is super helpful for obvious reasons.
If you’ve decided to telecommute and are a tad bit worried because you’re not very organized, you’re certainly… >>Continue reading 5 Truisms of Staying Organized Throughout The Year
I swear, I’m not making this up. I’ve seen the Bruce Willis movie, you know, the one where robots interact for people in the futuristic world where humans live in isolation, controlling said robots from a control room inside their homes?!
I remember thinking, after watching that movie, that the idea of robotic surrogates really wasn’t that far fetched. As I type this I’m avoiding my Wii personal trainer and we’re getting xbox kinect for our big family holiday gift this year (which supposedly gives my virtual personal trainer even more information about me and my lack of controlled yoga movements).
I really didn’t think having a robotic surrogate representing me in some physical office location would be a real possibility within the year, but guess what. The future is here! >>Continue reading Anybots - The Telecommuter's Avatar
