Working at Home on the Internet

Darren Rowse’s Next Writing Project

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For the Third year in a row, Darren Rowse is having a 31 Days to Building a Better Blog project for the Month of August. If you use your Blog as a business tool or just to keep a diary of your personal accomplishments, this project should help you become a better blogger.

Last year’s project was a great inspiration for me and led to my Blogging Tips Series to help the Home Business Owner use Blogging as a Business Tool.

This year promises to be more geared to finding readers, building a community, keeping readers and monitizing blogs. All of which I think should help the Work at Home Community at large (and of course, me too) make an income through our Blog(ging).

Head on over to Darren’s by clicking the icon above to get more info about this years Building a Better Blog Project.

July 31st, 2007 at 10:38am | Posted by Joe | Basics, Blogging, Fun | reader remarks | Print This Post

WAH Tip #3 Make Your Home Office Ideal for You

When creating your home office, you need to make sure that it is comfortable, well lit and a good place to work. Therefore, it is important that you purchase the furniture and accessories that fit your needs. After all, you will be working in your office for many hours, so it should be inviting, pleasant and appealing to you.

Ideas to Make Your Office Ideal for You:

• Good lighting… Having proper lighting in your office will help to reduce eyestrain and will make you feel more alert and motivated when working. It is a good idea to have your office in a room with a window. I have my desk facing my window because the best lighting is always natural light and the view doesn’t hurt either. However, even if you have a window there will be times when you will work late at night or early in the morning. Then having a desk lamp or an overhead light can make a difference and help you stay focused when working.
• Comfortable seating… Make sure the office chair you select is supportive and is comfortable to sit in. The best type of chair to purchase is one that is ergonomic, and adjustable. Again, you’ll be spending a lot of time in it.
• Pictures… Whether it is pictures of your family, pets or beautiful landscapes and scenery, pictures add atmosphere to the walls of your room, and are always pleasant and welcoming to look at.
• Color… Did you know that color has an effect on your mood? For this reason, the color of your office matters. Light, cheerful colors, particularly light blue, are calming and make your office space an ideal place to work. Painting or pasting wallpaper that is dark or full of wild designs can make you feel overwhelmed, depressed, stressed or distracted.
• Music… Having a stereo, mini radio or sound system on your computer may also be something you will find calming and pleasant. While some people work better in complete silence, others find silence to be uncomfortable and would prefer to have low, easy listening music on as background noise.
• Plants… One or more plants are great to keep in your office, as they help to clean the air and provide oxygen in your working space. Besides, plants and flowers are pleasant to look at and provide you with a sense of serenity.
• Knick-Knacks… It may sound silly, but keeping familiar little things around on your desk, on top of your computer or even on the window sill can help keep your mood light and bright. Keeping some of your favorite things nearby can make your day just a little bit better.

An ideal home office environment is one that you feel relaxed and content in. The object is to make your working area one that is free of distractions but is organized and a good place to be. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time there.

Can you add anything to the list? What helps make your Home Office Ideal for You?

July 30th, 2007 at 06:23am | Posted by Joe | Tips, Work at Home | reader remarks | Print This Post

This Weeks Helpful Reads… Week 66

 This is an ongoing series of interesting and helpful reads that I have come across on the Internet. I try to include the most helpful articles and links each week to provide the widest range of information for the home business entrepreneur.

Dipping your toes in the side of the pool will get you nowhere: dive in! by Pamela Slim… Pam tells a cute little story about her son’s first swimming lesson and how it relates to budding entrepreneurs.

Get Anyone to Read Every Word You Write With These 7 Steps by Brian Clark… Brian tells us how to “let the fire show through the smoke” with concise writing and making things easy to read.

2.3: How to Define Your Niche Market by Liz Strauss… Liz tells us how identifying your One Ideal Customer will help define your whole Niche Market.

What’s the other “R” in Reputation? by Valeria Maltoni (on the Blog Herald)… If you guessed Respect, you’re right. Valeria gives us some great insight on how to gain and keep the respect of people in writing and business.

I hope you find some of these articles informational and helpful. I think they will be enjoyable reading nonetheless.

~~~ All the above can be considered infected with the Link-Leak Virus ~~~

Access Links to Previous Helpful Reads

July 29th, 2007 at 06:03am | Posted by Joe | Weekly Helpful Reads | reader remarks | Print This Post