« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Stable Careers That Give You More Flexibility

Posted November 4, 2021 By GuestSpot

There’s been a lot of upheaval in the world lately. It’s no wonder that some people are yearning for more certainty and stability in life these days, especially in terms of a career. Just having a stable career often isn’t enough, anymore. With all of the demands on your time and the way that life can interrupt even the best plans, careers that offer flexibility are more important than ever.

Data Scientist

If you’ve paid any attention to news, marketing, or the internet over the last few years, you’re sure to have heard noise being made about businesses collecting customer data. There are plenty of reasons for this, but the thing that matters here is that all that data being collected needs to be managed and analyzed by someone. The flexibility in the career of a data scientist comes from the potential for it to be done remotely, as all you need is a computer and wifi. It’s still very skilled work, however, which means you’ll have stable income while enjoying the flexibility.

Data Visualization

Data visualization is becoming more and more important in public health as well as corporate environments across the board. How many countless COVID-19 infographics have you looked at over the duration of the pandemic? Accurately sharing data that has been managed by a data scientist is its own career path and is in high demand. Marrying statistics and graphic design to create accessible audience-conscious infographics requires several niche skill sets. If you don’t already know Javascript, plan on familiarizing yourself with D3.js. Effectively and quickly communicating data to an audience is increasingly important in this age of information and algorithms.

Real Estate

The housing market has been pretty crazy lately. Can you imagine being in on all of that from a career perspective, however? Having a career in real estate has long-term potential for flexibility in terms of the hours you work while earning a fair amount of income. Plus, people are always going to be moving, so the work is pretty stable too. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s an easy career, of course. You should be prepared to read lots of text about real estate laws and regulations. It’s also important to understand what real estate niche you want to work in and that it makes sense for where you intend to operate from.

Online Education

Online education is a pretty hot topic right now, and there’s really no question as to why. By nature, online education is often done remotely, lending to greater flexibility. Then there’s also the fact that education is crucial to the fabric of our society, which means there will always be a demand for educators. Add in the fact that you could pursue a career in online education through formal education or tutor students virtually, and you have even greater flexibility in terms of the available options.

 

Having a career that is stable yet flexible is really the career equivalent of having your cake and eating it too. As it turns out, there are a few different career options out there that offer you just that. Move fast to take advantage of the current state of the job market, seeing what you qualify for or could reasonably learn. You might be surprised by how much of your current experience is applicable!

 

Read this next: How to Build Toward Financial Independence in Your Career

Filed in Engage! Post
          

Yes, men do need to have a facial skincare routine

Posted October 29, 2021 By Frank Strona

This year one of the major shifts I made, was to start paying more attention to my skin. Being over 50, meaning that as a now middle-aged man, my skin was changing, and should my skincare regime change.

How to start – Clean your face!

Get in the habit of washing your face both morning and night before bed with a facial cleanser that fits your skin type. I alternate between two different commercial brands one for regular days and one that helps with skin breakouts. I also like to use the Rodan and Field Facial Mask once a week or so.

Lube it up – Moisturize!

For most of us, as we age our face tends to need more moisture. Especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors or have other conditions. So for me, I had to work hard to remember to use a moisturizer both in the am and right before bed after washing my face. Something I always felt counter-intuitive was adding something to my face to keep in. especially if it felt greasy, but that’s the best time for your face ( and elbows and feet) to naturally replenish lost moisture. I had been using Rodan and Field am and pm products, but switched it up this August with the new Daily Moisturizer from Stryx.com. In fact, I like it so much I even Tiktoked about it and the great 15% discount they offer MentorSF followers.

@frank_mentorsfJust because it’s gotten cool out doesn’t mean you can skip on SPF or facial moisturizer. Check out my fav and use the discount code at the end.♬ Relaxing Japanese-style piano song inviting nostalgia – Akiko Akiyama

Cover up with Sunscreen – Summer, and Winter

Next, it was time to amp up my sunscreen game. That meant using a 30 SPF every day and up to a 65 SPF if I was planning for the long-term sun. Luckily for me when I turned 50, I had started the hunt for a serious facial sunscreen. I had been using a dermatologist-recommended product, but often found it felt slick when I sweat. Now I have pretty much switched over to Daily Moisturizer from Stryx.com which has a 30 SPF sunscreen in it as my daily go-to and use a higher 60+ SPF sunscreen for extra protection.

More soon!

I have some other skincare tips I was share soon, including my love of Stryx’s Energizing Eye Gel (I like this so much I have one at home, one at work, and one in my bag) and some of the new options for men over 50 from Neptune Grooming which I am also a big fan of this year, (Hint – check out the Neptunes Repair for sun-damaged skin and Neptune’s Boost for a quick 20 min mask, pick me up! Neptune Grooming is also offering MentorSF followers a discount of 10% using the MentorSF10 at check out.

 

@frank_mentorsf You dont have to use different ones. Pick the one you will use! @stryx_official @neptunegrooming #handsomeaf #mensfacecare ♬ original sound – @Frank_MentorSF

Filed in Engage! Post, Resources
          

How to Raise a Family While Running a Business

Posted October 29, 2021 By GuestSpot

Running a business is not easy, especially if you are trying to raise a family at the same time. Both responsibilities require a lot of time, attention, and sacrifice. But you can do both. Here are a few ways to help you balance raising a family well while keeping your business successful!

Set Time for Both 

Creating time for your family should be intentional. Take whatever time you spend at the office and focus on business-related items. The moment you leave, however, be invested in your family. Make it a point to spend quality time with your family when at home by not answering office calls or replying to work emails. Of course, emergencies do occur and as a business owner, some emergencies can’t wait. But when you have handled a work emergency, take a break, and spend time with your family. As you are there for your children’s and your work’s monumental moments, you will find satisfaction and pride in the work and sacrifices you are making.

Make Sure Their Financial Future is Secure 

In the case that you or your business encounter hard times, it is important you have already made your family’s financial future secure. Keep business and personal expenses entirely separate. Pay off your debts early so it is never an issue for your family. Invest in a college savings account and a rainy-day fund for each of your children, and start a life insurance policy for yourself. Life insurance will take care of your loved ones in the event you pass away. Financially taking care of your family ensures their future is well-taken care of no matter what happens to you or your business.

Create Routines 

Children look to you and your example. When you are consistent with them, they can better depend on you, which establishes trust and a healthy relationship. Running a business takes a lot of time, but creating routines will help you be efficient in both areas. A consistent wake up and bedtime, as well as a strict start and end of your workday, will help you accomplish important tasks and give you energy to be present. Prioritize the right activities and let your children know that they are a key part of your success.

Parenting and running a business is difficult. You basically have two full-time jobs that are constantly demanding your attention. As you try to take time for both, make sure your family’s financial future is secure, and create routines you’ll find that raising a family while running a business is not impossible.

Read this next: How to Build Toward Financial Independence in Your Career

Filed in Tips & Hints
          

How to Reduce Stress While Running Your Business

Posted October 23, 2021 By GuestSpot

Owning and running a business is a stressful endeavor to say the least—between balancing your profits and expenses, managing staff, marketing and more, you have more than enough on your plate that is sure to increase your stress levels significantly. Unfortunately, the higher your stress rates, the less effective you will perform! So, here are a few things that will help you reduce your stress levels and keep you functioning as well as you want (and need) to.

Keep to a Schedule

Your mind has a hard time organizing things that are chaotic, random, unstructured, and unplanned. Create a schedule for yourself! Allow your mind and your body a chance to get into a routine—this is proven to train your brain into self-prepping for certain functions. For example, you may find that after a while of waking up to an alarm, your body begins to naturally rouse around the time of your alarm. You can train your brain to increase in productivity and focus if you stick to a regimen of scheduled hours of certain tasks. Create a schedule that gives sufficient time for sleep, meal breaks, and sufficient (but not overbearing) number of hours dedicated to working.

Create a Healthy Work Environment

Surround yourself with good things and good people. An upbeat and positive work environment will foster energy as much as maintain it! Emphasize healthy avenues of communication between yourself and your employees or partners. Make the workplace a little more casual—whether through team building activities, dress code, office design, whatever—to promote a more relaxed feel to your everyday interactions. Provide positive feedback and encouragement, and create opportunities to highlight successes! “Positive energy” is a very real and very effective tool for motivating people to work hard and work at a high quality level.

Delegate to Employees

Don’t take on everything yourself! Truly, handling all the aspects of a business is an impossible task, and requires a wide variety of skill sets that you may not have enough experience in to complete well. Instead, trust your employees to handle things for you! You have hired people who (ideally) qualified for their position because of their impressive work experience and ability to handle difficult situations that you would not be able to handle yourself. Allow them to utilize their skills to benefit you, your company, their peers, and of course themselves. If handing over tasks is a bit uncomfortable or anxiety-inducing for you, divide up those big tasks into smaller elements that you feel comfortable entrusting to others, and allow yourself the means to keep a close eye on the task at hand!

Outsource Functions Outside Your Skillset

You can delegate outside of your employees as well. If you do not have an employee or company area that handles certain needed tasks, outsource! Rely on the professional grade help from trained people whose entire job is to perform those singular tasks with heightened focus (and therefore heightened success and reliability.) Furthermore, this leaves you to be able to handle the more business management-related tasks that you need as much time as possible for! For example, outsourcing IT services can help you focus on what you know how to do best at your business. From construction contracting to graphic design to computer systems and more, you can get quality trained help to take care of the intimidating parts of your business.

Plan Well (Including Consultation)

Just as planning your day well will help you personally, planning your business schedule as well will help your company remain diligent, productive, and driven. Create a timeline that gives you a little bit of a buffer around due dates and deadlines, so that any unexpected roadblocks can have some time to be overcome. Consider consulting with financial advisors, marketing managers, and more to determine the best timelines for your business’s moves and to help you balance them so that no one time period is overwhelmed by stressful deadlines. These advisors have insights into the ways your market and society may change so that you are always prepared to ride the waves right!

Simplify Goals

Another common stress-causing issue is the goals you set for your business. If there are too many or if they happen too rapidly and require too many smaller pieces to fall into place, you will likely find yourself in constant panic and incredibly discouraged over the slip ups and let downs that will happen. Trying to devote your attention to a hundred things is sure to decrease the quality and success rates of all of them. Conversely, devoting your attention to a handful of things at a time ensures a better awareness of their progress and a better hold on their completion. Try simplifying your goals: in number, in expectation, in time period.

Find Things About Your Work to Love

You wouldn’t be running a business if there weren’t elements of the job that you loved. Emphasize those parts! Dedicate a good amount of your time to doing the things that made you passionate about creating or running a business, in the first place. These tasks are another form of energy boosts for your brain. They will help you feel accomplished and remind you of your talents for doing what you do. Having a strong motivation for coming back to work every day will make it feel less like work and more like an exciting project that you will want to spend time on!

Do Things for You

Finally, do some things for you that will decrease your overall stress! Take time to enjoy a hobby, relax, socialize with good people… anything that rejuvenates and energizes you, or that gives you something to look forward to. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and give yourself a break! Self-care is actually an essential part of improving self-function. You’ll be doing yourself, your employees, and your business a favor by making sure you take care of yourself.

Running your business is sure to come with some anxieties or stresses over the desired success. However, implementing some of these strategies into your own life or the management of your business is sure to relieve a significant amount of that detrimental stress, and allow you to perform your best (and therefore allow your business to perform well, too!)

Read this next: How Burnout From Work Can Start Affecting Your Health

Filed in Tips & Hints
          

Strategies That Will Help Your Business Become Profitable Faster

Posted October 21, 2021 By GuestSpot

Ideally, your business’s profits start off high and only get higher. Realistically, making your business profitable is a fight that may feel exhausting and frustrating at times! While there is no easy way out of that struggle, there are a few strategies that are particularly helpful at helping your business become profitable, faster.

Reduce Debt

The first and biggest strategy is to reduce your debt. Put a halt to the things that are slowly leaking your income right out the back door! Make it a priority to pay off debts quickly. You have a variety of options that can help you get the money needed to reduce your debts—for example, you might consider refinancing or renegotiating your loans with current lenders to better fit your payoff capabilities. You can also find ways to consolidate and cut waste from your company, or look into grants that can alleviate some of your financial burdens. Do whatever is wisest for you to lift some of the weight that comes with harmful and draining debts in your business!

Continuous Improvement

Next, implement a business plan that you are confident will get you the continuous improvement that you need for a constant income. Do your best to never settle! Determination to push past hiccups and plateaus will make all the difference to maintaining a steady incline for your profits. Your initial or reevaluated business plan can present in a number of ways. If you are unsure where to start, consider a Gemba walk! This popular process for business evaluation involves walking step-by-step through the planning, processing, production and presentation of your goods or services, getting first-hand perspective and allowing time to ask questions of each step. A Gemba walk can help you identify areas of improvement in your business process. This is valuable information that can be quickly implemented into your business to ensure constant growth and development!

Target Marketing

Finally, get the most out of your customers and out of your marketing efforts by targeting the most effective audience possible. Target marketing involves a more direct, narrowed, tailored form of advertisement or consumer contact, with customers whose potential for successful transactions are better than a broad, blanket marketing plan. You get a more specific, successful group of consumers to your door, and those consumers get more of your commitment and attention! Rather than waste money on blanket strategies, spend on what will get you the best return on investment.

Slowing the flow of debt-payments, effectively planning for consistent improvement, and marketing specifically to consumers who will give back to you will get your business the profits it needs at a faster (more exciting and helpful) rate!

Read this next: How to Make Your Career Transition as Smooth as Possible

Filed in Tips & Hints
          

Jobs That Let You Pursue Life as a Digital Nomad

Posted October 19, 2021 By GuestSpot

Most people dream of traveling the world. The ability to do so while making a sustainable income, however, has only recently become reachable for the average person. If you’re looking into the digital nomad lifestyle, it’s a good idea to explore all the options for jobs that will allow for it. Here are the top three careers that facilitate this remote, location-independent living!

Writer

Now that everything is accessible via the internet, plenty of writers never need anything more than their laptop and wi-fi connection to work. This is why a writing job is so perfect for digital nomads—you can work in the nearest library or coffee shop or even a traveling van, and then go off on your adventure for the rest of the day! According to Become a Writer Today, there are lots of websites to find the kinds of writing jobs that work for digital nomads including freelance writing, social media content writing, editing, SEO blogging, and many more. Make sure to find one that allows you to set your own hours so you can schedule around traveling and any time you’ll be too remote to have wi-fi, and you’ll be set to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Travel Agent

If all you want is just to travel the world, consider making a career of it. Dream Vacations points out that being a travel agent lets you work from anywhere as long as you can keep yourself accountable, and gives you a lot of credibility if you travel a lot yourself. By being a travel agent, your digital nomad adventures will build you a unique portfolio of travel destinations to talk about on your website and talking with customers. You can also write travel articles for other clients, start up a YouTube channel documenting travel options more visually, or show off your credibility via photography on social media. Regardless—you won’t need to sit in a cubicle to do any of it.

E-commerce Business

Entrepreneurs do very well in the digital nomad lifestyle, because so much of their work is dependent on them. In the e-commerce business, there are lots of cases where location makes little difference. For people who make handmade items, there is some difficulty, but otherwise you can pay for the manufacturing of a product regardless of your location. If you discover a niche and, as Vision Systems Design recommends, make your product unique, this line of revenue can more than pay for the traveling you do.

You may just be starting to look into the digital nomad lifestyle, or you could be looking for avenues to keep funding it. Regardless, the possibilities are endless as the world grows more digital. Look online for jobs you could succeed in—and make sure they’re remote!

Read this next: What You Need to Make it as a Solo Entrepreneur

Filed in Engage! Post
          

How to Keep Yourself Safe in a High-Risk Job

Posted October 16, 2021 By GuestSpot

Whatever your career, it is obviously important to keep yourself safe and healthy. This is especially a concern of “high risk” jobs that expose you to potentially harmful or dangerous surroundings and materials! If you are employed in a high risk job, here are a few tips to ensure your safety so that you can perform well and live well!

Follow Your Training

Your workplace likely has some sort of required training that is meant to prepare you and make you aware of those potential dangers present in your everyday tasks. Take this training seriously! Do not disregard or ignore important routine steps, however menial or annoying they may seem. Be thorough in your training and ask questions of your supervisors to ensure a total understanding of your responsibilities. Pay attention to memos, follow up training, and any updates in meetings within your business, as they may draw attention to new regulations created from troubleshooting issues.

Pay Attention to Safety Labels

In addition to paying attention to rules and regulations, pay attention to safety labels everywhere. Whether you’re dealing with machinery, chemicals, tools or any other equipment, make note of what the labels tell you about the dangers and processes for using those things. For example, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) labels contain critical information about workplace risks that you need to be aware of. These simple labels are straightforward about the circumstances in which you should avoid use, as well as helpful tips for maintaining confidence and safety in your handling of these substances or tools.

Maintain Diligent Awareness

It is not uncommon for workers with monotonous tasks to become disillusioned, forgetful, or lazy with their usual routine movements… take breaks that will help your brain reset, and not be so lax with the safety precautions you have in your routines! This is an essential part to your safety and well-being. Keep your brain sharp! If possible, change up your activities regularly so that you are forced to move in different ways, keeping your body from also becoming lazy. You might also consider requesting that you work with a coworker to keep each other in check and alert—the ability to have conversations or at least knowing that someone is watching your back and checking your moves can make all the difference in your energy and alertness.

Be smart, be aware, and be safe. Protecting yourself against the dangers of your own workplace will ensure your healthy and happy living!

Read this next: How Burnout From Work Can Start Affecting Your Health

Filed in Engage! Post
          

How to Build Toward Financial Independence in Your Career

Posted October 15, 2021 By Frank Strona

Achieving financial independence means something different to everyone. For some, it can mean paying off debt. For others, it means realizing a goal for early retirement. For others already close to traditional retirement age, it can mean rearranging assets in preparation for stepping out of the workforce. Whatever financial independence you are currently seeking, here are four strategies to bear in mind as you prepare for the big day.

#1. Save a Portion of Your Paycheck

One of the most important steps to achieving financial independence is learning to save diligently and consistently. Learning to set aside a portion of your income and dedicating it to your future self is a hard exercise in self-control, but once you master it you’ll clear the way for further steps to independence. Plus, once you are financially independent, you’ll still need to have the self-discipline to continue in rationing out your finances. And how much should you be saving? Well, it will depend on your situation and your specific goals, but generally TIAA recommends saving at least 20% of your income.

#2. Start A Home-Based (or Remote) Business

Starting a business may not be something people think of as the best strategy to achieve financial independence. Generally speaking, however, starting a business can be a wealth-building strategy when you plan to run the business for a few years to succeed and then eventually step out of the driver’s seat. Especially when built on agile and mobile technology. You can actually be fully mobile, travel, and work your own hours if that is your goal.

Starting a business can actually be much simpler than many people think. And perhaps you don’t have any trouble coming up with ideas, but scratching your head when it comes to getting a loan? According to Franchise Gator, you can use some of your 401(k) money to finance your business when you go solo. 

If you decide to go this route, make sure to check your local rules and regulations and file all the necessary paperwork with the city or state. And talk to your accountant about how income and assets should be accounted for.

#3. Invest in Real Estate

You’ve probably heard the saying that land is the only thing they’re not making any more of. Regardless of the exact verbiage, investing in real estate is a safe and potentially lucrative bet for many people. Real estate investments can look different depending on where you are on the road to financial independence. For some, paying off and having full ownership of their home is a good goal. For those that do own their home, Investopedia says a reverse mortgage can become a good option for liquidating home assets. Owning rental properties can also be a great source of income.

Whatever your particular goals, the road to financial independence is paved with both obstacles to overcome and options for success. But the real prize is the peace of mind financial independence brings. Be proactive now so you can relax later!

Read this next: How to Make Your Career Transition as Smooth as Possible

Filed in Engage! Post
          

How Burnout From Work Can Start Affecting Your Health

Posted October 11, 2021 By GuestSpot

Burnout from work has become increasingly common. Burnout is a step beyond ordinary work stress, it can make you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted to the point where it is difficult to go to work or complete daily tasks. Beyond impacting your work life, burnout can also lead you to develop health problems.

Lack of Sleep

One effect of burnout is disruption to your sleep patterns. Work burnout can lead you to be more stressed about work, and that stress can make it hard to fall asleep. In addition, another symptom of burnout is that you begin working more to compensate for not feeling like you are doing enough at work. This can cause you to work late hours, making it harder to get all the sleep you need. This lack of sleep creates the vicious cycle of making it harder for you to do your job during the day because you are constantly tired.

Depression and Anxiety

Burnout can also cause depression and anxiety, and vice versa. Feeling burnt out at work can make you feel anxious, because you feel like you are not doing enough at work or you are not performing to your usual standard. Burnout can also lead to depression because it can cause you to lose interest in your work or feel like the work that you do no longer matters. Depression and anxiety are bad for your mental and physical health and can keep you from seeking the help you need. If you are looking for treatments for depression, TMS can treat depression without the side effects of medication.

Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Because of all the negative consequences of burnout, you may begin to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, instead of addressing the causes of burnout, or developing healthy coping strategies. In order to cope with burnout you may find yourself consuming more greasy or fried foods to feel better. You may also turn to other vices like excessive alcohol consumption or drug use. If you feel yourself falling into these patterns, you may want to consider seeking out healthier methods of dealing with your feelings.

Work burnout can be caused by a lot of different factors related to your work life. Know that if you are experiencing burnout from work, you are not alone. Burnout can have consequences on your health that you need to be aware of so you are able to address them.

Read this next: How to Create the Ideal Work From Home Environment

Filed in Tips & Hints
          

How to Create the Ideal Work From Home Environment

Posted October 3, 2021 By GuestSpot

Whether by necessity or by choice, remote work as well as working from home has become a popular choice for workers who seek a bit more flexibility and a bit less money spent on transportation. Working from home (or while mobile) comes with its own struggles, though. Many find it difficult to stay focused and motivated to get their tasks done while their families are running around them or their comfy couch entices them to nap instead of work. Here are a few tips for creating the ideal workspace to help you get things done while enjoying the benefits of working from home!

Dialogue With The People You Live With

Yes – I know you talk all the time with them. But this is the time to actually discuss what working at home means. This is a great place to discuss boundaries, chores, learning wor work styles, and setting up space that “needs to not be touched” versus flexible family space. Draw up some agreements and get buy-in from everyone. This includes breaks, meals, errands, and even laundry expectations.

Remember those folks who are used to being home will forget that you may still be in work mode while they are hungry or looking for a snack and forget to clean up. I prepared snacks that were super easy for folks here to grab. I even created a space in the kitchen as a reminder that we are all in this together.

Create a Designated Office Space

The first and most important thing to do is to set aside a designated space as your “office.” It can be a corner of a room or an entire room, but make it separate from the rest of your home. This is as much a mental strategy as it is a physical need: you can train your brain to focus better within certain surroundings. Plus, setting this space apart allows you a sort of barrier between work and home life so that one doesn’t become overrun by the other and thus cause a stressful association for both! If you can, spend some extra money on yourself and invest in a good chair. It makes all the difference.

Set Expectations

Establish your goals, generally and specifically for your workday. What tasks should be completed daily, and what tasks are subject to your work needs? How much time do you intend to allot to each of these tasks? How will you check your work to ensure a high standard of quality despite your less-professional surroundings? How will you plan and carry outbreaks throughout your day? As you set these expectations for yourself, write them down. Start your day with a checklist, or layout a detailed schedule. Commit to sticking to these tasks and this schedule strictly! Then, as you follow and complete these expectations, you can adjust or adapt your schedule as needed. You will also find that time management and routine come more naturally to you!

Figure Out Best Conditions

Part of finding a good space is checking off a list of requirements you have for effective work. For example, remote work will always (or almost always) require a strong internet connection. This means finding a spot in your home that is close to your network router with few to no blockages. You should also find somewhere quiet, where noises won’t pose as a distraction. The amount of space is an element you can work with—you do not need tons of space to fit you and your desk and computer, but a healthy amount of space to stretch out every once in a while is a helpful feature if available.

Get Fresh Air

Fresh air can help wake up your brain and body, and get you feeling more energized and rejuvenated to continue work. Nature also has a soothing and relaxing effect on your mind that can relieve the stress built up from work tasks. You might consider creating a small space in your backyard to escape for brief breaks or even to work for small chunks of your day! If you don’t already have a plausible space for working in your backyard, a deck might be your answer! A deck is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the fresh air as you work. On this topic, take breaks! I am the worse offender of this myself. Schedule them into your outlook or day planner if you have to.

Create Motivation

Keep up your motivation to work hard and work well! Incentivize completing your tasks by rewarding completion with a short break doing something you love, like going for a quick walk or making a snack. Make plans for when the workday is done to relax and unwind. Visualize the end product of your tasks, take a moment to talk to someone about what you do and why you do it. Write down something you’re saving up for or a trip you’re looking forward to, and put it somewhere easily visible! Anything that helps you feel more excited to get the job done will function as effective motivation. But even more so, finding a reason to enjoy your work as you do it will make the day fly by!

Design it Well

Design your space to help your mind stay clear, focused, and alert. Neutral colors like off-whites, grays, or soft blues are great for fostering creativity without being overwhelming. Lighter colors encourage more light, in general, to reflect within the space of your office! Add some décor like plants, mirrors, and paintings to further welcome in some color and visual interest to help your mind explore various ideas. Make your office feel professional through your furniture! Wooden desks come in a variety of colors and are as beautiful as they are functional. Filing cabinets and bookshelves offer clean and organized storage options that will make your office truly feel like an office.

Make Sure You Have What You Need

Make sure you are well prepared for whatever you need to do during the day! Frequent trips out of your designated office space create plenty of opportunities for distraction that you don’t want. Stock your space with whatever materials you need, and keep those materials organized. Remember the basics like paper, writing tools, cords, even personal items like tissues and water! As for the bigger items of your office: invest in a good chair! An uncomfortable chair is impossible to ignore and can actually cause major damage to your spine and neck. Prepare yourself for an effective workday by providing yourself with all the necessary tools to perform well!

Good Lighting

Poor lighting causes your eyes to strain, which thereby causes your body to become tired. If at all possible, pick a space that has access to windows to let in as much natural light as available! Find lamps that offer sufficient lighting for darker days or working into the evening. The amount of light around you has a huge impact on your productivity levels and positivity levels! The brighter your surroundings, the more likely you are to feel good during whatever task you are doing.

Your home office can be as good—if not significantly better—than an office building. Using the right design styles and professional strategies, you can create a home workspace that you love!

Read this next: How to Become a More Capable Entrepreneur

Filed in Engage! Post
          
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »