Decluttering Your Work from Home Office for New Years!

As the New Year looms, work tends to slow down a bit, making it time to take on the work from home version of spring cleaning. Not only is this about tidying up your workspace, it is an important ritual that signifies the "out with the old, in with the new" attitude of gearing up for another year of success of working from home. (It's important for work from home employees to be positive.) While the definition of "organized" differs from one person to another, decluttering your home office can be quite the morale booster as the end result is a functional space in which to get your best work done.

Ready to get at it? Here's a few tips that can keep things from becoming too overwhelming. (Especially if it' been a while since you've seen your desk!)

Break it down now! Don't feel like you have to put yourself through a military inspection.  Some of us have a small enough workspace that we can get everything done in one fell swoop. But then there are those that tend to just, uh, "shove things out of the way". Start small. Begin at the door and move from wall to wall and then to the middle of the room. Take your time but set a small goal for having each "zone" cleared by a certain deadline. (Depending on the size of your workspace, that may be the end of the afternoon, day or week.)

Get your feng shui on! Don't just reorganize your office, rearrange it! If you have the space to do it, move things around in a way that will help you feel a revitalizing flow of energy… or simply do whatever gives you a different perspective than the one you've had over the last year.  Put up new curtains, rearrange pictures, add plants, take down posters or just get rid of everything altogether. Freshen up your workspace in a way that is invigorating to you!

Set a day for organizing all emails, papers and other data. Back up your system information, organize and file papers that need to be kept and toss out anything else. Consider cardboard filing boxes to store information and records that may not be immediately pertinent but need to be kept. Clear out space so that new info and data will always have a place to go and you won't be cluttered up again by the end of the week.

Get a new stash! Get yourself a nice new reserve of fresh office supplies! There's nothing wrong with keeping what you have if you might still use it but there's also nothing wrong with tossing out the old, half-used provisions you forgot you had.

Get help! If you're not good at organizing, ask someone who is! Sometimes, even kids get a kick out of helping mom or dad "get it together". It not only strengthens their own organizational skills, it helps them understand that you have a real job-- even if it is a position where you get to work from home-- and your office (and all that goes with it) is important.

Productivity is everything and the more organized your office is, the less time you waste looking for that one important brief that was "somewhere on top of the file cabinet the last time you saw it". When you need a receipt or some other record from six months ago, you'll know right where to look. Not only will this make you feel accomplished, you will come off as professional and on top of your game. When working from home, that's something you always have to work just a little bit harder at.Organization and clearing out the clutter is a tremendous help with this.

Well, here's to a coming New Year and a decluttered office to kick off the new work year in!

Good luck!

How to Work from Home and Keep the Body of a God(dess)

Working from home can be great for your psyche (no more office stress, ridiculous gossip and backstabbing or listening to your co-worker blather on and on about her terrible relationships) but once you are doing so, what about your physical health? More than likely, you're continually staring at a computer screen, typing on a keyboard, sitting at a desk (or a reasonable facsimile thereof), snacking on something you shouldn't and washing it down with something caffeinated.

 

Keeping healthy is an important issue for work at home employees. Why? Because:

·         most don't have sick days (even though most find a way to work through a cold)

·         what you do for a living has an effect onlong-term health

·         a number of work from home employees who have no (or are scant on) health insurance

·         time is money

·         an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

To stay healthy when working from home, consider these tips:

Start each day with exercise. Doesn't matter what. Take a brisk walk, jog, ride your exercise bike or even practice some yoga if you're into it—and do it a minimum of twenty minutes each morning. This isn't just a physical benefit; it keeps your brain chemicals (your endorphins, serotonin and dopamine) at healthy levels-- something that is imperative for good health.  

Practice a positive mindset. Meditation, repeating affirmations—anything that gets you to that "feel good" place. This too is totally necessary for good physical, mental and emotional health. (Try it while you're out exercising for the extra boost!)

Aim for Healthy foods. It's easy to grab whatever is easiest and just start noshing.  Don't let snack times get out of control. It may feel inconvenient when you're busy but you gotta pay attention-- mindlessly grazing adds extra calories and extra calories have a way of sneaking onto your waist line and creating health hazards you won't know about until they pounce. Even if you're exercising every day, you still may be shoveling in more than you're working off. And certain snacks, like potato chips and other things that have sugars in them, can make you sleepy and less productive.  Before you grab and snack, ask yourself: am I eating this because I'm hungry or because I'm_____________?

Pay attention to your keyboard. If you type a lot, beware of the "Big Bad C"-- carpal tunnel. That's nerve damage. Once it's done, it's done. There's no way to undamaged the nerves in your hands and wrists. And, take it from those who have been there-- you don't want to wait until you can't do even the most basic things with your hands to realize how important they are to everyday life. Surgery is usually the end result but rarely is it the end-all, heal-all.  It's a road that is better just avoided. Make sure the desk, the chair you sit in (and the way you sit in it) and your keyboard are set up in an ergonomically correct way.

Take breaks. Most who work from home are good at this but don't make the best of them. Therefore, take ten minutes away from your workstation every so often and go outside and get your eyes off your computer screen! Move around so that the blood that has pooled in your lower body can flow someplace else. Stretch. Listen to music. Reach out and call someone you know you can have a brief and fun conversation with. GIVE YOUR BRAIN A REST!

Move your workplace. This is why you wanted to not be stuck in the office anymore, remember? If you can, work outside occasionally or in a different setting. It can be refreshing. If you can't, open windows and curtains. Let the fresh air and natural light in.

Keep your workspace clean. Of course the only person in your office is you but thanks to cross-contamination, things can get germy anyway. Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and take the time to occasionally clean (I mean REALLY CLEAN) your workspace. Declutter your space, sanitize your keyboard, move your chair and desk and vacuum under it. This will create a nice flow and a pleasant feeling of cleanliness that makes it easier and much more pleasant to work.  

Have strict hours. Starting is usually not a problem for those who work from home—stopping is. Set an alarm and when that alarm goes off, business is OVER. It may seem near impossible for some but break your habit of telling yourself 'I'll just work 15 more minutes" or checking your email "one last time". Shut your computer down for the day and start an evening ritual that allows you to wind down so your mind is uncluttered before you go to bed. If that means taking a hot bath, drinking some tea, a little comedy television or some combination thereof, do so. If you're not good at self-control, ask a family member to put your laptop someplace out of sight or if you have an office with a key, have your spouse lock the door and put the key somewhere you don't know about. Whatever you have to do.

Get good sleep. Your brain is going to need some respite after the massive electrical storm it has going throughout the day as you work-- and so is the rest of your body. Since they both are helping you keep up with a work from home job, YOU need to help them too by keeping up with healthy habits. It's quid pro quo, here. When pushed, the body has a way of doing what it needs to preserve itself—and will do so without asking your permission. So work with it—not against it!

We Told You Working from Home is Royally Awesome

If working from home isn't poo-poo'ed by those in the royal family, why should anyone else turn their nose up at it? It seems Prince William and Duchess Kate are taking quarters in Kensington Palace where they will also be opening up an office from which to work sometime in January of next year. 

This will put the couple among the 5.4 million British households that are already working from home!

Of course, most aren't working from a plush palace and having the bill for their private office funded by Prince Charles himself but nonetheless, this will allow the wildly adored couple one of the greatest benefits of working from home: axing the commute. 

Most who work from home list long commutes-- whether by car, bus or train-- as one of their least missed aspects of working at an onsite job. Of course for Will and Kate , it's less about that and probably more about privacy and NOT having to leave 30 minutes early every day to wade through paparazzi just to get to the office. Either way, we all know what a royal hassle the commute to work can be....

Working from Home: Take Me Back to the Office!!

Sometimes, working from home just isn't for everybody. The following is a list of the most common complaints about working from home:

Missing human interaction. Don't forget—where you work is where you live and vice versa. For some people, it's just too much.

A need for more structure. Whether it's 9 to 5 or 5 to 9, some people simply need a fixed beginning and end to their workday.

Having inadequate office space or furniture in their home office. Since most homes are built for living, office space can sometimes end up being anything from a corner in the basement to the dining room table.  

Inadequate office supplies and costly equipment. When working remotely for a company, things such as internet, internet upgrades, copiers, headsets and other necessary equipment are typically afforded by the company. Sometimes… they're not.

People asking or expecting you to do favors just because you're home. Your job is still your job and that report is still due by the end of the day. But the kids want you to come pick them up from band practice, your neighbor wants to you to check on her dog and your spouse wants you to call the bank because the check card was denied at the gas pump. 

The thing about working from home is that some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it. There is no one-size-fits-all job situation that suits all people. But for those who have made it work, congratulations! You are on the leading edge of a new transition in the work force!

The Craptastic Things You Get to Ditch When Working from Home

The average office worker believes he or she would be more productive working from home and strongly wishes for the opportunity-- even if it were only once a week. And while each individual may have their own pro's that come with taking on home-based employment, there seems to be a consensus about certain office activities that workers would happily dump and never face again, such as:

• ·         office baby showers
• ·         staff photos
• ·         know-it-all coworkers
• ·         workplace whiners

Citrix, a Ft. Lauderdale company that creates technology that allows employees of companies to work remotely hired Wakefield Research to do the survey. But it's not just office workers that find office life "challenging". About one-third of executives/managers report they schedule their time off close to that of their superiors in order to maximize the time apart from each other and the office.

What else did the Wakefield survey find? 

Of the 1000 American office workers asked,

·         20% would like a boss like the character Gibbs on NCIS

·         15% would like Miranda Bailey from "Grey's Anatomy"

·         14% would like Buddy from the show "Cake Boss"

·         32% would give up lunch breaks to work from home

·         25% would forgo alcohol to work from home

·         20% would give up coffee

All in all, working from home is of great interest to the real-life American worker. Research has consistently shown that companies benefit greatly by becoming more flexible and allowing employees to work remotely. Not only does it boost productivity, it boosts morale as well. 

And not having to deal with that weird guy that licks the serving spoon at every office potluck or having your super-sub sandwich mysteriously disappear from the employee fridge every Friday is most definitely a bonus.