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4 Ultimate PC Productivity Tools

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:35:36 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Wendy Graham of online colleges.

If you work from home or attend online college, you know the importance of keeping productive; while working from the comfort of your house may seem like the best of all possible work environments, it can have its drawbacks. For one, you must have strong reserves of self-discipline and treat your work life as it were… a job. This can be difficult if one uses the same home computer for work and leisure. If this applies to you, consider the following programs.

Organize and color-code your notes and tasks with Notekeeper

I have tried many free and shareware PIMs (personal information managers) but I use Notekeeper the most. It is simple and is designed for maximum efficiency not only for documentation but for finding information quickly. You can organize your notes into groups, and the ability to add tags to each ensures the ability to cross-references anything from the fruits of online research to a simple to-do list. I find being able to add a color bar to each note particularly useful. You can track your information at a glance.

Watch your time with WatchMe

WatchMe is a simple, free program that sets a timer in the background and will alert you at a defined time. What makes this program so effective is its small footprint and how well it does what it is designed to do: no extra bells or whistles are included that you don’t want or need. You can define multiple tasks, each with its own timer, and set it up to add the total time. Timestamps can be exported into XML or CSV format or simply cut and paste into another program or document. I particularly like that it runs as a standalone .exe on the desktop with no installation required. If you are looking for a robust, but pared down time program, WatchMe is worth trying.

Manage your projects by task and time with Slimtimer

Slimtimer is an efficient and surprisingly feature-packed tool that will allow you to break your various projects into individual categories of tasks- both personal and business. You can set a timer for each task to see how long it takes you. You can also run reports to keep track of your projects and overall use of time when working. This tool is a godsend for collaborative projects or to keep track of billing.

Keep your eyes on the prize with k9webprotection

It happens to the best of us. We begin work with the best of intentions, but decide we will take ‘just a quick peek’ at our Twitter feed, etc. Before you know it, hours have passed, even if you feel like you have “worked.” If you can’t stay away from the social network sites during work hours, let k9webprotection.com be your ‘bad cop.’ Designed to filter web content, it can also be used to block access to certain sites during pre-defined times.

It took some time, but I am now more efficient working out of my home office than I ever was working in a cubicle!

This guest post was written by Wendy Graham, a stay at home mother and freelancer who often writes about education for Online College Guru, a directory of online colleges.

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* Jason over at Escape Adulthood wrote a cool piece about living in the present moment. Click here to read the whole article.

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7 Tips to Survive and Thrive When Working from a Home Office

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:56:16 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings. In our first part of this series we considered the benefits of allowing employees to work from home and in the second part we talked about how to optimize a tele-commuting situation. Today we follow up with 7 Tips to Survive and Thrive When Working from a Home Office.

Working from a home office, especially for yourself can either be looked upon as a big blessing or big curse. Which it will be completely depends on how successfully you set up your home environment, as well as yourself in it.

(Karl’s note: Below is 5 minute video of Evita giving a detailed tour of her home office and how the layout affects her work.)

I have personally been working for myself, and in my own home office for just over 9 months now. In those 9 months, I have definitely seen what works and what doesn’t, as well as shared stories with other people in similar situations.

Many people fear that working from home may make them lazy. However, if you love what you do, the opposite is more likely to happen. Working from home, may actually make you work more and harder.

Thus in this article, let’s consider how to not just survive, but also thrive in a home office. We will first look at the best potential set-up, and secondly at some practical tips to apply to make the most out of your work at home environment.

1. Your Environment

To begin with, you need to make sure that you can actually have a place for a proper home office. Your spouse and/or kids may be home at the same time as you, and so you need to make sure that you have your own space, which others in the home respect as your working environment. Some people use a spare bedroom, some a part of the basement, and others yet may have a designated study from which to work.

Anyone who is at home with you, as well as other family and friends need to also respect that there are certain hours during which you work, just as you would in a typical workplace, during which you should not be disturbed.

Once you have the right spot, having the right furniture and accessories is next. The most important investment in your home office should be your chair and the technology you need.

2. Your Work Chair

A proper chair is crucial when working in any “desk” type of environment. A high quality chair, should have proper arm rests, upper and lower back support. It should also not be too high off the ground, so that both feet can be firmly planted on the floor when sitting in it.

3. Simplicity

Make sure your work space is clean and not cluttered. Some studies claim that cluttered desks spark creativity, however most people know that clutter makes us anything but creative. Therefore I normally advise people to simplify their work space. Clean work spaces give us space, and a feeling of lightness, not messy piles of stuff reminding us of how much we have to get done or take care of.

And on that note, let’s move into the practical side of things – organize, organize, organize!

4. Organization

I cannot emphasize this enough. This is not only valuable for your physical work environment, but also for your mental state as well.

Whether you use, alarm clocks, phones, your computer or plain old paper agenda books, organize your time. This means you should have a general start time (you do not need to wake up to an alarm clock necessarily), scheduled breaks, and general end time. Keeping track of course of what a client or customer expects and when is also a key to success.

Some people do really well in working 12 hours one day and only say 5 hours the next day. Everyone is different, and in truth most people need a few weeks to figure out what really works well for them, especially when working for oneself.

5. Motivation and Inspiration

I have personally found that if you love and even like what you do, getting to things and getting them done will normally not be an issue.

However, there will be days, and you have to expect these, or perhaps moments throughout the day where your mind may wonder, or you just plain and simple won’t feel like doing a thing.

In such cases you have two options. One is to just let it be and take a break for that moment or even day. As long as you don’t have any deadlines, this should work just fine and can actually be very beneficial for your mind.

The second option is to have something that motivates or inspires you. Perhaps you have a book of motivational quotes, perhaps an audio series from someone like Tony Robbins that you can listen to for a half hour or so. Perhaps you can talk to a spouse or friend, who you know and trust to be a good source of inspiration/motivation for you. Whatever you do, take action. If your body or mind need a 15 minute brisk walk to feel better, so be it. If you have several things to do, neither of which are more important than another generally speaking, choose the one that you will enjoy most. This will normally get you back into the swing of things, and you will be back in your flow before you know it.

6. Focus

Finally, there is one other thing that you need to take seriously when working from a home office: focus. This two sided aspect can become your best friend or worst nightmare.

Some people get too focused working in a home environment, where they actually neglect proper eating, drinking and movement. The solution for this is simple: organize some alerts using your favorite technology to alert you at well spaced time intervals and follow through of course when the alerts come.

Other people may find themselves on the opposite end, where they lack focus and distractions seem to be everywhere. Minimizing distractions and following through with some self-discipline are key here. Useful tips include: make sure your television is off while working, pick instrumental music over music with lyrics or from radio stations, close all social media and have set times for when it is okay to use those. Even making sure that your email is not on any alerts could be important (unless your job depends on emails) as many of us quickly lose our focus just to check our inbox numerous times a day.

7. Adjusting and Patience

In the end, working from a home office does take some getting used to and everyone will carve our their preferences for what works best for them over a few days, weeks or even in some cases months. So be patient with yourself, but at the same time be conscious that you are improving your efficiency and are satisfied with your results.

In some cases, you must also respect that if you tried everything, and nothing seems to work for you, it is most likely that you are performing tasks or are in a field where you should not be. Find work that you love, and you will truly never feel like you worked a day in your life.

Your Turn

What do you do to thrive in your home office?

Want to catch up on Part 1 and 2 of the series?

> Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home

> 5 Important Rules to Follow When Tele-commuting

Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN – is the main author of EvolvingBeings.com where she writes about spiritual and personal development. She hopes to inspire people, to truly live out the life of their dreams and awaken the highest version of themselves. She is also the main author of EvolvingWellness.com where she writes about nutritional science and holistic health for optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.

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5 Important Rules to Follow When Tele-commuting

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:58:01 +0000

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings

In our first part of this series, we considered “Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home”. Today we follow up with 5 important rules to follow when working from home.

Having experience in working from home for a company (through my husband), and working from home for myself, I would like to explore the topic of working from home from both angles.

Let’s look at how to make the most of your work happiness when you telecommute for a company:

1. Take Accountability

Working from home is for the most part a big privilege, so make sure you are serious about it, should you decide to go this route with your company.

Remember that there are still tasks that need to be done, and people who depend on you. In this type of environment you do get more personal freedom, but that also means you need to take more accountability and initiative for your work.

Make sure therefore, that you know what your company expects of you, what hours you must be available between and what methods of communication you will be using.

(Karl’s note: I’ve seen friends set their careers back because they stopped being a go-getter. They went into cruise mode and stopped wowing their manager and co-workers. One friend told me he wished he would have taken more accountability for his own work. It took him a year and a half to gain his manager’s trust back.)

2. Organize Yourself

This is perhaps the most important tip to having a happy and productive work at home routine, that both you and your company can be satisfied with.

An obvious part of this is having the right technology. Today we have technology to stay so well connected, whether it is quick email, tele-conference or Skype call. We can easily hold meetings with people all over the world or share documents within seconds. Technology can schedule meetings for you, breaks, alerts and more. You just have to make sure it works for you, not against you in how you organize your day.

Therefore, just because you don’t have to wake up at 6 or 7 am any longer, making sure that you are conscious of time and how you spend it, is crucial. This is a huge make it or break it aspect of telecommuting and work from home happiness.

3. Schedule Breaks

One of the biggest things that I have seen happen personally, especially to people who really love their work, is once in a home environment, not only do they become more productive, they actually go overboard. Yes there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

As there are no co-workers around you calling you out for a break or official time to stop, it is very easy to get caught up in your work and suffer in various ways. In being a happy employee you need to be healthy and balanced one too. Therefore, it is very important to have scheduled breaks for proper eating, exercise, etc. Take time out to eat properly, take a stretch break or even a short walk.

You do not have to feel guilty about this either, as you would be taking breaks at your workplace anyway. The difference is that at home they will most likely be more structured and beneficial with what you can do in them.

4. Stay Connected

Working from home for a company usually means that you will still be in regular contact with your boss and co-workers. However, you may need to take more accountability here as well.

Communication really is the key to maintaining and fostering good relationships. Therefore, don’t make your boss wonder what you are doing, apply tip #1 and take accountability for filling them in on your progress perhaps even daily.

Concerned about missing out on office news or outings? Stay connected with your co-workers whether through the company intranet, or even getting in touch with them during a break using the social media that is most suitable.

5. Don’t Abuse the System

When we work from home for a company, everyone wins when we play by the rules. This does not mean that you need to work more or harder than you normally would, but it does mean not abusing the system.

While you may not lose your job, giving employers bad experiences with employees who telecommute ruins the opportunity for many others. If you really don’t want to do what you are doing, than perhaps it is best to re-examine if this is the right job for you altogether.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself and the added benefits that working from home can offer, while offering your company top quality work.

Conclusion

Naturally, working from home is not for everyone. Some people just need that pressure or structured environment of a workplace, while other jobs just simply cannot accommodate it.

(Karl’s note: People also need social interaction. Working from home can be lonely if a person doesn’t take time to reach out to others. That’s why you might want to consider working in a coffee shop or public library for a few hours each day.)

So should you be in this position of working from home or have the option, be sure that you do take it just as seriously as you would coming into the workplace. In the end nobody wins if we slack off and it can quickly cost you your job, not to mention give people the wrong impression about telecommuting. If you work for yourself from home, it can cause you to fail at bringing a needed income and being a successful entrepreneur.

Ultimately, remember that happiness is what you make of it, so whether in your home or the workplace, your level of satisfaction will still come from you and how you approach your work.

Evita next post in this series will enlighten us on how to survive and thrive when working for yourself in a home office.

What do you do to make yourself happy and productive when tele-commuting?

Check out Part 1 of this series: Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home

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Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:58:18 +0000

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings

It seems that as technology expands forward, it is allowing more and more people the freedom to not be tied to a desk at their office any longer.

More and more people are either being approached by their company with an option to work remotely, such as from home, or are themselves suggesting the option to their company.

4 Hour Work Week

“It’s amazing how someone’s IQ seems to double as soon as you give them responsibility and indicate that you trust them.”
- Tim Ferriss author of 4 Hour Work Week

Working from home definitely takes a certain kind of discipline, but I always had this theory that it would make one more productive. Well, after having read “The 4-Hour WorkWeek (Expanded and Updated)” by Timothy Ferriss, and seeing my husband do it, I am even more convinced. In the book Timothy explains how, just because you are at work, does not mean you are actually working and how much more productive one can actually be through telecommuting.

It is actually too bad that more companies are not open to embracing this approach because it could prove very beneficial for both the employers and the employees.

Cost Savings

For starters, it can greatly cut down on costs. Less employees in the office equals less desks, which equals less space needed. This in turn tremendously lowers rent costs.

Overall facility costs can also be significantly decreased. These take into account various bills for the company like electrical, heating, and air conditioning. Some companies also provide small treats or stationary items for their employees, and even those may be small expenses, in the end it all adds up.

As for benefiting from decreased costs, it is not just for the employers. Employees who work from home normally save on the transit they would be paying for, work attire and food on the go. These costs quickly accumulate for an employee, to the point that working from home can translate to an immediate pay raise, based on all the money the employee is saving. And of course a happier employee, results normally in a more productive employee.

Proof

On the topic of happiness, studies have also found that employees who work from home are actually happier, healthier and more productive.

A 2007 study by the American Psychological Association, found favorable effects on perceived autonomy, work–family conflict, job satisfaction, performance, turnover intent, and stress. Another study in 2008 by CompTIA Research found that 67% of companies polled said employees were more productive, just from cutting back on the commute to and from work.

Where health and happiness is concerned, not going into the office protects and benefits the employee in many ways. First off they most likely get to avoid a normally stressful morning routine, commute to and from work, and work environment. Secondly, working from home normally increases the amount of home cooked meals or just more balanced meals eaten. Most employees will be able to get more sleep as well. This all, as well as decreased exposure to others, decreases chances of infections and sick days, while increasing the general level of happiness. In the end, it results in a win-win situation for both employee and employer.

At a time where our awareness for being environmentally conscious is growing, our discussion would not be complete without also considering the environmental benefits from telecommuting. Less people traveling on the roads naturally decreases the greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation that would be used. On a national or global scale, this can quickly add up and make a huge difference where the state of our climate is concerned.

Why More Companies don’t Offer Tele-commuting

So by now you may be wondering – “if it is so good, why don’t more companies go that route?”

For starters, not all jobs can be done remotely. Some obviously require the employee to be physically present.

However for those who can work remotely, the biggest road block why more companies don’t take advantage of this type of work environment, seems to be the old stereotype that still hinders many companies. And that is, that their employees will slack off at home or need to be monitored. The truth is normally very different.

Most people who work from home actually feel more compelled to prove themselves in that they do not need to be monitored, and thus deliver better results, not to mention how much wasted time they avoid. This alongside the mentioned benefits above, can mean a very logical decision in the end for a company who wants to increase its own, and its employees happiness.

Evita’s next post will explain how to apply 5 important rules when telecommuting.

Do you work from home?

What are the advantages and disadvantages when telecommuting?

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