Posts filed under 'Work from Home'
Working at home is both a blessing, and a curse, depending on what time of day you talk to me. It’s great that I can get up before dawn and begin pounding away at the keyboard. It’s not so great when the rest of the house gets up as well. Working in the middle of the kitchen makes it even more hectic.
It has now been 5 months of full-time WAHM status for me. Every thing is still not balanced. I need to mop the floor, but I need to meet several deadlines even worse. It seems that every time I get caught up, something happens and I’m racing to catch up once again.
The schedule is getting better. I didn’t have to stay up all night during this past week. I went to my son’s basketball games with out worrying about the stories I was leaving behind. But I haven’t been shopping in two weeks, and the pantry is starting to show wear.
There are a few things I’ve learned over the last few months that will help me in my struggle to balance the life of a work at home mom – writing, cleaning, cooking, errands, and kids . . . and at some point the hubby as well 
.
1. Delegate responsibility. Even though my husband doesn’t do the laundry the way I do, I have to trust him to do it. The same goes for the kids. They may not clean the bathroom as well as I would, but it is clean (or cleaner than it was when they started anyway).
2. Work as a team. If you see something needs to be done then just do it then. It will probably only take a couple of minutes and any complaining you would do about it to the responsible party is going to take that much time anyway.
3. Take time for family. No matter how many deadlines are looming ahead, take time to eat as a family and even time to play as a family. One of the main benefits for working at home is that you do get to be with family, so take advantage of it.
4. Spread out the deadlines. Even if everyone wants things done on the first of the month, spread out the deadlines on your work sheet. There is a little procrastinator in us all, and if everything is due at the same time you will never be able to get done every thing that you have been putting off.
5. Learn how to say no. As your jobs continue to increase, learn to say no to the ones that aren’t the best pay, the best fit for you abilities, or the ones that you actually want to do.
6. Do a little of each job each day. Spending one or two hours on each upcoming project will lay the foundation for meeting (or beating) all of your deadlines.
7. Work when you can. If you have to go sit at practice with the kids, then take your laptop along. Get in a few minutes of work while you are there.
8. Enlist your spouse. Let your partner know what kind of time you need – not just the number of hours, but whether the house needs to be completely quite or just sort of peaceful.
9. Set some rules. Make a sign that says “Working – Do not Disturb,” one that says “Please Wait Your Turn” and one that says “My Door is Open.” Use the signs, along with some basic rules and guidelines, to help your family understand your work mode and your mommy mode.
10. Be flexible. Working at home usually requires much more flexibility in when, where and how you work than just going into the office. Learn to go with the flow, but always stay focused on the goals ahead.
Learning how to work from home is a trail and error process, at least where I’m living. Fortunately, most of the people I have worked with to date have understood the process and been flexible themselves. As I close in on the half year mark, I know that I am beginning to get a grip. I look forward to the day when I have my schedule all worked out – including the house, the family, the work, AND the personal writings.
February 23rd, 2008
The Dr. Phil show recently had a couple on that didn’t have “jobs.” Dr. Phil was insistent that in order for people to live productive lives (particularly when children are involved) they have to have a real (i.e. regular) pay check.
I don’t regularly watch Dr. Phil, but the subject caught my attention. I walked away from the show realizing that society and I have very different ideas of what success is and what the “right” lifestyle is as well. We have lived several times in our married life without “real” jobs. This time around it was completely by choice and we are loving every minute of the new lifestyle that allows us to be together as a family, travel, and relax without having to ask for time off from the boss.
Most people think about their skills and talents as the things accomplished during the “real” job. If you want to break through society’s pattern about what is work, when you can work, and where you can work, you will have to think outside the box that society has built.
1. What do you enjoy? Gardening is a passion of mine. I recently found out that if I produce just $1000 worth of property on my land each year I can qualify as a small farm (which can mean huge benefits come tax time). I am in the process of determining which of my plants need to be divided and how many of the divisions can be sold (or given away). It may not make me rich by the end of the summer, but it will definitely qualify our land as a farm.
2. What are you good at? Do you have a talent for drama or music? Can you build anything if you can picture it in your head? Why not sell your services to friends and family. Word of mouth will do the rest.
3. Get rid of the stuff. All the things in your home that you aren’t using and that are just taking up space are making your life less enjoyable. Clear out your home (one room at a time) and get rid of everything that you don’t use or love. Forget who gave it to you and look at the item for what it is not who it’s from. Take the more valuable stuff to auction and sale the rest at a yard sale or flea market. What you get from the sale isn’t as important as the freedom you get from releasing it.
4. What do you want to do? If money were not an issue in your life, what would you be doing right now? Think outside the box and find ways to make that dream a reality AND get paid for it. If traveling is your desire then hone your writing skills, build up some clips and become a professional travel writer. In most cases, what you want to do is only a few steps away from being a reality.
Making money doesn’t have to be about clocking in and clocking out. You can make all the money you need by being a little creative, a lot daring, and extremely frugal. Look to your gifts and talents and likes to create income in places you never though income existed. Leave the “normal” world behind and walk the peculiar walk of free earners that are beginning to populate the world.
February 16th, 2008
Procrastination has been a word used to describe me for most of my life - mainly by my parents and teachers. After years of putting it off, I finally decided to look up the exact definition. According to thefreedictionary.com, “procrastinate” means to postpone or delay NEEDLESSLY or to put off doing something out of habitual carelessness or laziness. Can I just inject here and say “ouch!”
For the most part, I have been working hard to break the habit of procrastination. Now that I have children, I don’t want them to learn from my example. Kids are followers more than listeners. “Do as I say and not as I do” just won’t cut it.
1. Make a to-do list for the week, and mark off as much as you can. It’s amazing how one little line (through an item) can make you feel empowered.
2. Get a support system together. Have some friends meet for coffee once a week and start a buddy system (where you call and encourage each other through out the week). It helps to know that you aren’t alone.
3. Turn off the television – or at least limit yourself to a small amount per day. If the recent writer’s strike has taught my nothing else, it has taught me that I can survive without television.
4. Read a book about motivation, organization, or attitudes to help you stay focused on your goal. Many of the writers have been where you are and want to help you break free by showing you their own path to freedom.
5. Do one more thing. Before you stop for a break, before you turn on the television or before you go to bed at night, do just one more thing.
6. Start right now. It doesn’t matter when you read this. You can start working on defeating procrastination in your life. If you wait until tomorrow, it has already won the first battle.
Procrastination is a strong force. It will eat up your time, your energy, and your focus – if you let it. But procrastination can be defeated with just one singe phrase. “Do it now.” Now is the time to break the habit of procrastination that has been running your life.
For the record, I’m getting much better about procrastination. Every now and then I slip back into my old pattern, but I am quick to jump back on the wagon. It’s hard to do it now when your mind tells you that you can just do it tomorrow. But when that twitch starts to occur, I just try to do one more thing to get the ball rolling back to consistency.
February 11th, 2008
Writing has always been a dream that I have had. Even in grammar school, I wanted to write. My first story, “Snoopy and the Pineapples,” was a fruited retailing of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and a huge hit with my sixth grade teacher.
In high school I even worked up the nerve to send a story into a teen magazine, but since there was no cover letter, no query letter, and no information about the author (other than the byline on the story) I got a rejection. The sad part was that I didn’t know WHY I got the rejection. There was no one to help me understand the industry.
Flash forward in my life to just five years ago. I attended my first writer’s conference EVER! I went to the event fully expecting someone to tell me how great my writing was and to give me the steps to making a successful career out of writing. I didn’t get either. After lots of study, research, and interviews with other writers, I have come up with some steps to help anyone become a full time writer.
1. You have to write. It may seem silly, but there are people out there that want to write one article or novel and make a million dollars or land a full-time gig. It might be possible, but it is highly unlikely. The more you write, the better your writing will get.
2. Show your writing. This doesn’t mean you should ask mom and dad to read it. Give it to someone who will be honest about what you should do. Having a writing mentor online is great. There is a certain anonymity to the internet that makes honesty easier.
3. Submit your writing. Start local and work your way up. Or find your niche and bombard publications with your work until the acceptances out number the rejections.
4. Go job hunting. Decide what you will and will not write and then find the jobs you are willing to do. Value your work, though. Many people are taking jobs for one or two dollars just to have their name in print (online anyway). In the end, it’s not worth it – to you or to any other writer out there.
5. Stretch yourself. All the veteran writers that I have spoken with say that writing outside your genre is critical. If you write novels then submit some article ideas. I would expand that and recommend that you write outside your knowledge zone. If you write about family issues then write some animal articles. The internet provides you with the ability to research any subject at anytime. If you can find the information then there is no reason you can’t write the article.
6. Make it a business. Treat your writing like any other job. Set aside a certain number of hours to write and put in your hours. Make a schedule of what you need to do and when it needs to be done and then get it done ahead of time.
7. Always, always, always keep learning. It doesn’t matter where you are in the industry (or what industry that is for that matter). There is always something else you can learn or a technique you can perfect. Keep pushing yourself to get better. Take classes and courses. Join groups. Attend seminars and conferences. Make yourself a better you than you were yesterday.
Becoming a professional (i.e. paid) writer is just like anything else out there. It takes time, effort, practice and patience. Find your niche in the industry and then go for it.
February 9th, 2008
My husband often complains that I spent $40,000 (probably much more once you figure in interest and misc. expenses) getting a degree and all I have to show for it is a diploma on the wall. Try as I might, I never seem to get him to see how my BS in Leisure Services (yes it’s a real degree) helped me run the house, teach the kids, and do all of my extras stuff (like garden clubs and women’s groups).
Even though I don’t have a “real” job, I still find plenty of ways to put my degree to work and now I’m even making some nice money along the way.
1. Birthday parties – I spent my internship and many of my college years planning social activities. It just naturally rolled over into the children.
2. Grants – Part of my education involved learning about grants (how to research and write them). Today I am using that knowledge to help others (for a small fee ).
3. Fund raising – During my college years, there were many times I had to call companies to ask for discounts, donations or contributions. Asking for help is more comfortable because of my past experience.
4. Internet content writing – Leisure Services (yes it’s a real degree) requires a wide variety of information. Now I have a lot of bits and pieces that wander around my brain. It’s perfect for short, quick articles that I can use or sale online.
5. Making connections – Meeting with the Dean of Students, leaders of companies and officers in the military made me comfortable talking with people of position and people I did not know. Today I use that to get new clients for my grants or writing and to make connections for other needs as well.
My husband was deluded into believing that if you go to college and get a degree you will get a good job. That’s one of the main reasons he complains about me not “using” my degree – or I should say he DID complain. Over the last few months he has been around to see how my degree is put to use daily and how it is adding income to our bank account.
When you are stepping out in life (or pushing your children in that direction) make sure you encourage them to go to college for the educational opportunity and not for the degree. With education under your belt you will be able to do anything you set your mind to do. With a degree you will just have another picture on the wall.
February 9th, 2008
The more I procrastinate, the more I have to do. You would think that it would all pan out, but instead the chores and need to’s dam up (usually at the end of the week). In the end, you either have to give up all your free time or else give up some of the tasks.
I have always been an expert procrastinator (just ask some of my teachers). There was just something about waiting until the last minute to do a project or report. There are people I know today that say they work better if they wait until the last minute. That was my feelings at one time. Now I know the truth.
Sitting for ten hours staring at or thinking about the same project does not mean the work will be better. It doesn’t even mean the work will be faster. It just means that you will have to sit for ten hours in the same spot.
Waiting until the last minute doesn’t mean that you had free time up until then. It just means that you have no room for error (in what you are doing or in the estimation of the time you will need) or else you will be giving up free time, sleep, and possibly even food until you can get the project done.
I have learned my lesson. Although I had been getting much better over the last several years (especially since children happened into the scene), I wasn’t quite there yet. Now I’m there. The projects I have due at the end of the month I will start on today. A little of this and a little of that will keep me from getting burned out (or having to burn the midnight oil) in the long run.
1. Work in increments. If you have a large project then do just a little here and there until it gets done.
2. No more excuses. Set specific times to work and actually work during those times.
3. Be realistic. Ask for deadlines that you can actually meet without straining something.
4. Stay on task. If IM’s or emails get you distracted then turn them off until you are through.
Staying on track is easier and much less painful in the long run. The more you procrastinate, the more the tasks build up and the more you end up having to do. Spread it out and make it easier to tackle in the end.
February 8th, 2008
There are many websites that promise if you will just spend your time writing free for them then you will get money in the long run. You know the sites I mean, you register, post, and then sit around and wait for your numbers to add up so that you can get paid.
These are some of the sites that I started out on when I first began writing online. It offered me at least the hope of some cash sometime down the line. Besides, my writing got posted on someone’s site and that’s what was really important, right?
Here are a few of the sites that I would recommend IF you want to try your hand at pay per click postings:
• eHow.com – It’s rather a simple lay out and you can write about any thing that requires steps (like How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich). Just make sure you sign up for the Writer Compensation program.
• Associatedcontent.com – Write what you will and then see if they will buy it. You can sell all your rights, or retain the rights to print the article elsewhere (which means they won’t pay you in advance). I’ve known a few people personally who have made some money off this site, but not enough to pay the phone bill much less the mortgage.
• Helium.com – Click on a subject, write and post a response and then spend some time rating other people’s articles (the more you read the better you’ll do).
There are probably plenty more sites that let you post your hard work and get paid pennies for it. These three sites are ones that I am personally registered on and have made money using (eHow has been the most lucrative thus far). I don’t recommend you rely on it for your main income, but one of these sites could be a fun way to make a few extra dollars here and there.
February 7th, 2008
Working online is a great way to control your own employment destiny. The hours are up to you. The work load is up to you. The price is up to you – sort of.
Online writing is notorious for low pay. Many “writers” are accepting jobs for $2 an article (around ½ of 1 cent). I assume it is because they either want to write so bad they don’t care how much they make or else the buyer doesn’t care about the quality of work received.
I was a cheap writer for the first few months online. As a matter of fact, I made all of my money writing posts on forums for a whopping 15 cents per post. It didn’t make me feel like a writer, but I was learning about the internet, making a few connections, AND getting some money along the way.
As I began to understand the online world of writing and I started getting more regular work, I determined that I am worth more than I was charging. Now when I bid for work, or a potential client asks for a fee, I have a genuine idea of what to charge (I start at 6 cents a word, which I know is still cheap). There are some things you have to do to be able to ask for more.
1. Start writing online. If you have a personal blog, be sure to make each post quality content that you would be proud for an editor to view. Other wise, visit some other sites and inquire about doing a guest post for them. Even if you don’t get paid, you are building up clips for editors (and potential employers) to see.
2. Evaluate your pay before accepting a job. Set a per hour limit that you are willing to accept and don’t go below that. Instead of accepting $2 jobs, use that time to build up clips on other sites and to tweak your own site as well.
3. Meet your deadlines. The internet lends itself to an extremely casual work environment, but meeting deadlines is not where you should be lax. Do what you say you are going to do, on time, and with quality.
4. Ask for an increase. As you continue to work for the same person repeatedly, as for an increase in pay. If you are doing a good job, consistently, then you just might get what you ask for.
5. Be willing to learn. You may have little (or no) knowledge about parrots, but don’t turn down a job because of that. Put a little time into research. You’ll learn something AND make money along the way.
6. Overlap jobs. If you can do the same research for several jobs, you will end up making more money per hour. Use your time wisely.
7. Look to print. Use some of the articles and ideas from your online work to query print publications. DO NOT submit the same material you sold to someone else (unless you have a contract saying you retain control). Create new material from the information that you now have stuck in your head.
Working online is a great way to make extra income or start a new career. Remember to charge what your worth. Selling yourself short cuts into your ability to make an income but don’t over price yourself out of the market. Look for some solid opportunities to stretch you gifts and talents and then ask for compensation that you and the site owner can both live with.
February 6th, 2008
It’s that season. It’s time for you to hate and love numbers all at the same time. Tax Season has descended upon you. You gather receipts, statements, and any other scraps of paper that can help you hold on to YOUR money. But have you thought of everything?
1. Claim your home expenses. If you have a business in your home, you can deduct home expenses (like mortgage payments, utilities, even garbage or household repairs). The catch is that it can only be what ever percentage your office space is compared to your home. So if your home is 1700 sq ft and your office space is an 8 x 8 space (64 sq ft) then you can deduct 3.7% if your household expenses.
2. Keep up with mileage accumulated for work related errands or meetings. The government has upped the allowance to 48.5¢ per mile which can quickly add up.
3. Membership fees are deductible as long as they are work related. That means signing up for online market research and job announcements can be deducted from your income.
4. Subscriptions can also be written off. Anything that is worked related (like domain name subscriptions) is another deduction you need to include on your return.
If you are using an accountant remember to take any expenses that you use for your home business (including cable if you do research through television programs) and ask if you can use a portion of them on your return. When it comes to filing taxes, a penny saved really can end up being a penny earned.
February 2nd, 2008
If you could plant subliminal messages in your mind that would help you achieve success, would you do it? The power of suggestion is an incredible tool that most of us never utilize on our own minds. Even more of us use it without even knowing it.
Take the athlete (casual or professional). The coach will constantly tell them to push their talents. “You can do it.” And the athlete will tell himself “I can do it.” Before long, the athlete is doing it. Granted, he did put in hours of work to get there, but the mind helped.
Look at the business tycoon. She tells herself she is going to be successful. “I will have my own company.” She has people around her to encourage her and support her goals, “You will make it.” Eventually, she makes it. There may have been some stumbles along the way, but she pushed through in the end.
The power of words is beyond belief. The Bible mentions the tongue (and the power it holds) almost as often as all other subjects. What you say can deeply impact your ability to accomplish your life goals. It has a way of burying in your subconscious and dictating your path.
Make your mind work for you. After all, a mind is a terrible thing to waste .
1. Set your goal – whether it is weight loss, literary success, or just home organization.
2. See your goal – picture the finished product in your mind until you can SEE it.
3. Say your goal – repeat your goal first thing in the morning and last thing at night three times – with gusto!
Don’t sit around and wait for the magic to happen. Get out there and put action behind your words. Not only will success be close behind, but you may just find yourself enjoying life a little more than before.
January 11th, 2008
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