Ready to Take the Leap into Self-Employment? Here’s How to Set up an Awesome Home Office

Published on: 20 December 2018 Last Updated on: 06 May 2021

Working from a home office can be amazing. A study showed that 3.9 million Americans have gone the way of a home office. It can help you have a work-life balance, and you don’t have to commute anywhere. Dress codes are flexible too.

To maximize your efficiency, you need an awesome home office. Here are some helpful tips to make sure you create a space that inspires you to work.

Where Will You Have Your Office?

Decide what part of your home you will work in. For some, there aren’t many options, so it’s off to the sofa or kitchen table for work. For others, there is that perfect space that will minimize outside distractions, and let you move around freely.

Plan Your Awesome Home Office:

Now you need to plan how to make your space comfortable. If you live in an area where it gets cold, you want to be able to work without shivering. This is where you should consider your options for window coverings and flooring.

Painting, flooring, and the structures in your space are the canvas for a home office that will serve you best. Before you move anything in, see what you want to change first.

Prepare Your Seat:

It goes without saying that you need to be able to sit comfortably while you do your best work. A quality office chair with multiple adjustments, like the ones at winc.com.au, will allow you to find that sweet spot where you can focus for hours without any aches.

Have Good Lighting:

Set up your work area close to a window. You want to get your daily share of vitamin D from natural light. It will help your mood, and will also look great.

Don’t stop there. You need a few more lamps so that you can read and use other parts of your workspace when the sun isn’t shining.

Plan Against Clutter:

How much time do you spend per year searching for papers? You can plan to prevent that. Having stacks of books and paper around your desk will hamper your productivity.

Your things have to go somewhere, so decide how you will store them. Perhaps you have another room for that. What will you use for storage? A file cabinet or some modern looking boxes on a shelf?

If you have a lot of wires in your office, add cord holder under your desk and minimize how many extension cords you need.

Walking into a tidy home office setup feels great. It’s only one of the secrets of a productive home office.

Add Some Comfort:

You don’t need to do all work at a desk. Sometimes you need a space where you move, stretch, and have some time to think. A sitting area is great to have if your space allows for it.

Thinking about adding in a soft chair, leather ottoman, coffee table, rugs, and lamps. With a space like this, you will be happy to take a thinking break or invite clients over.

Personalize Your Space:

Now you can put your own special touch on your home office. Designer posters, personal photos, or one differently painted focus wall are only a few ways you can start to achieve this.

Do you have a style you love, but it’s not right for your entire home? Your home office could be the place for that. Remember to cater to you first. If you like your space, you’ll work better in it.

The Perfect Office Setup:

There is no one solution, but by knowing yourself and how you work, you can fit these tips into an awesome home office that suits your style.

If you’re starting to work from home this year, check out our small business section for more helpful posts.

Read Also:

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

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How Can Thrift Stores Encourage People To Donate?

Regardless of the type of items a thrift store offers, donations are essential for reaching objectives. Not only are donations needed for thrift stores to remain functional, but they’re also necessary for stores to help the local community. Owners must find ways to encourage donations positively, without leaving a negative impression in the minds of potential donors or clients. This guide can help. Simplify the Donation Process In a perfect world, people would be motivated by the kindness of their hearts to drive to a thrift store and unload all their donations personally. Unfortunately, this isn’t reasonable to expect from the majority of people these days. Put simply, today’s families are busy, with barely any time for rest, let alone time for social causes that go above and beyond. There are many things that thrift stores can do to make donating easier for everyone involved. For example, many thrift stores schedule pickups, either at nearby locations or at individual homes. These options are more convenient for donors, which makes it more likely for them to support local efforts. Don’t pickups represent a significant expense and hassle for thrift stores? Not with the help of modern technology. Modern thrift store POS system features often include convenient pickup scheduling. Donors may even be able to self-schedule pickup times or see the closest drop-offs online. Other features include self-service kiosks and online receipts for tax purposes that speed things up for donors. Provide Many Dropoff Options What if thrift stores aren’t able to handle pickups at individual homes because of personnel issues? They can still make donations as convenient as possible by providing a range of ways people can donate items: Secure donation boxes at partnering business parking lots Driver-attended box trucks 24/7 thrift-store donation boxes Even seemingly simple changes can have a large effect. For example, if a store normally accepts donations at the rear entrance, is it possible to implement a drive-through option instead? Even though donors probably only save five or 10 minutes, the convenience factor can make them more likely to contribute. Instead of viewing donation as a hassle, they’re more likely to see it as something they can take care of quickly on the way to work or while running errands. Understand the Donor Mindset A common misconception is that people are strongly motivated to donate because of charitable feelings. This is the case for some people, but not that many. In today’s hectic climate, people who donate often do so because it’s convenient and beneficial for them. In other words, they probably have a secondary motive in addition to helping out the community. This motive can be wanting to get rid of clutter, showing respect for a loved one’s final wishes, or simply hoping to avoid the hassle of a garage sale. A large number of people donate because they view it as preferable to simply throwing items away. Moms who are cleaning out their child’s closet often have this habit. Thrift stores shouldn’t criticize this attitude. Instead, they should welcome (high-quality) donations from any source, regardless of whether the person cares about the mission or not. What matters is the donation itself, not what motivates it. For this reason, attempting to increase donations by appealing to feelings of guilt or compassion toward less-fortunate individuals isn’t generally very effective. It’s good to have a mission statement, believe in it, and promote it in marketing, but this mission isn’t going to be a major driving force in prompting donations. Show Gratitude Once thrift stores understand that many potential donors have a quid pro quo mindset, it’s possible to find ways to encourage donations by appealing to this attitude. Some stores provide vouchers that donors can redeem for free items. For example, for $50 worth of items, donors could receive a voucher for a free $10 item. Doesn’t this cut into the already tight profit margins for thrift stores? Not necessarily. Few donors redeem the vouchers, and those that do are more likely to return to donate other items in the future. The benefits of being generous to donors generally outweigh the costs. The idea is to produce a feeling of satisfaction, a “reward” for donating. This feeling makes people more likely to tell friends and family members about the store, which is good for both donations and sales. At the very least, gratitude means saying thank you. Even an automatic email can do wonders for online donations. Read Also: Do You Really Want to Live on Mars? 3 Sustainability Tips for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle 8 High-Need Animal Shelter Donations How to Collect Vintage Items

Principles for Leading Your Company through COVID-19 Crisis

Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak in the UAE, the government and other institutions have been fighting to curb its spread. The virus spreads when a healthy person inhales droplets from a person who is infected. It also spreads when you touch surfaces that are contaminated then touch your eyes, mouth, or nose. It is necessary to adhere to the recommended health guidelines like washing your hands or using an alcohol-based sanitizer, maintaining social distance, avoiding crowds, etc. Employers should ensure that the workplace is safe and can accommodate employees without compromising their health. Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 at the Workplace Keeping your workplace COVID-19 free does not have to cost much; maintain hygiene and cleanliness. Ensure that surfaces like tables and desks, keyboards, and telephones are wiped and disinfected regularly. Encourage regular hand washing by workers and customers. Provide sanitizers and hand wash soap at entrances, exits, washrooms, etc. Ensure that sanitizer dispensers never run out. You can also hang informative posters on the importance of washing hands to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Promote the use of face masks at all times and practice good respiratory hygiene. Make sure your employees are well aware of Coronavirus Health Insurance. How to Lead Your Company during the Coronavirus Leading a team during the COVID-19 can be tough; there is uncertainty, and employees are constantly worried about their families and health. Here are principles you can use to lead your team during this time of crisis. Preach Hope Your employees will mirror your behavior, so as you talk to them about the present and unclear future, it is necessary to remain optimistic. Be truthful and assure them that the company will withstand the hard times, and things will be back to normal. You need to give them hope, act like a leader. Taking leadership training Dubai lessons teaches you how to handle overwhelming situations in the workplace. Although preaching hope is necessary, avoid giving false assurances as this can break their trust in you and the company. People-Centered Approach You need to be in tune with how the staff feels and thinks during this crisis; watch for changes and respond to any concerns. Employees are going to be worried and anxious about job security and health. Executives who take leadership training in Abu Dhabi classes know how to act even in a crisis. Show genuine concern for your workers; some risk their health to be at the office while others work from home juggling family and workload. Effective Communication Communicating is not enough; you need to ensure that the message is understood and not blown out of context or misinterpreted. Try to maintain personal but professional communication with each member. Be transparent, and keep the employees informed, but don’t bombard them with too much information. Communication is a two-way-street; listen to your team and receive feedback without judgment. When employees are free to issue their concerns and opinions, they feel appreciated and valued which leads to job satisfaction and improved productivity. Collaboration Don’t pretend to know everything; nobody expects you to. This is the ideal time to rely on your resources, employees, and all team members. Create taskforces, sub-taskforces, and explain each person’s role; this makes them feel that they are contributing positively to the workplace during this crisis. Collaboration fosters cohesion and builds trust within the team. When people work together they can come up with better solutions to problems. It also helps employees to adapt to the new norm. Change is inevitable, and organizations need to adapt accordingly. Establish a Common Vision Focus on setting out a simple, shared vision; this fosters a sense of purpose. As the crisis escalates, a shared vision reminds the team to work on what is needed at every stage and to focus on important issues. It also helps employees to focus on the organization’s goals without getting distracted by the outside world. It steers employees in the right direction. Having a clear vision ensures that every member is on the same page. A good vision is not enough; you need to communicate correctly to let everyone know their responsibilities and expectations. Be Present It’s crucial to be present at the workplace to interact and support your team. It is also necessary to do the same if you have a virtual team. Most organizations have all or some of their employees work from home. It is necessary to schedule regular meetings through video conferencing. This makes remote working employees feel seen and included in everyday routine and decision-making processes. You don’t have to be physically present to lead your team. If you lead managers, you need to keep a tab of their daily routine and continue with your coaching conversation. The COVID-19 crisis has changed the workplace; some people work from home while others continue with their normal routines while observing health recommendations. It can be overwhelming to lead a team during a crisis; some workers are confused while others are worried and frustrated. As a leader, you need to develop strategies to keep your team focused during these times. Read also: 5 Ways Technology Will Change the Hospitality Industry Post Covid-19 Pandemic

Employee Monitoring Linked To Business Growth

The name “Spy App” itself sounds awfully notorious like something out of a James Bond movie, but according to the state law, its use is quite legal. As long as employers follow a few basic rules regarding spy apps, they are perfectly authorized to monitor employees by using the said apps. Spy apps like; TheOneSpy is quite helpful in keeping track of employees’ various activities, online and offline. They indirectly can also serve as a great medium of business growth strategy. According to various surveys, companies lose millions of dollars every year due to non-work related internet surfing as well as idle employees who slack off during work hours. This is where turning to spy applications can serve greatly in terms of business growth strategy in the following ways: Read Also: What Does Business Law State about Monitoring Employees? You Can Increase Employee Productivity Most businesses use video surveillance to keep an eye on their employees. Video surveillance was enough at a time when if the boss saw that the employee was in his cubicle, it meant that he was working. But now, with unlimited access to the internet, employees can browse through various blogs and videos at their leisure while they pretend to be working. Such a coupe can seriously damage the productivity of such an employee since their work vs. time ratio doesn’t add up. If such employees learn that their employer has his eye on every single keystroke they make on the company sanctioned computer, it greatly reduces the chances of them slacking off during work hours. Additionally, this way you can easily work out the slackers and identify the hard workers they have in their business firm. Keep Confidential Information From Being Leaked Humans are fickle beings by nature. They can be the best people you have ever met and yet at the same time, they can turn out to be the worst people you can have the misfortune of ever coming across. We meet thousands of people every day. When we meet them, we can never know at a glance whether they are worthy of our trust or not. The same goes for employers when they hire an employee. At first, even the most notorious people seem fine but when given the time, such people show their true colors. Spy apps can serve as a brilliant medium to catch such people early on since spy apps allow you to: Take a look at their browsing history. Keep an eye on the emails being sent or received. Get detailed logs about every single keystroke being made by the employee. This way, if you keep a close eye on a certain suspicious employee by using the spy app, you can not only prevent confidential data from being leaked but also catch such a thing from transpiring early on. Keep Internet Abuse At Bay Since most companies conduct most of their business interactions and other things using the internet. They use high-speed internet connections to make sure that an important business deal is not hindered by bad internet connection. Such high-speed internet bandwidth is equivalent to a shot of cocaine to an internet junkie, who’d rather watch funny and cute cat videos all day long instead of actually doing work assigned to them. Such slackers do not only abuse the unlimited internet access companies allow their employees, but it also reflects badly on the company if they are not on top of all the work assigned to them. Spy apps help company owners out with this problem as well. Since spy apps allow employees to block certain websites from being accessed by the target device, they can easily block the websites their employees are obsessed about to get them back to work. Keep Employers From Stalking Co- Workers One of the biggest setbacks being faced by business owners is employees manipulating the use of office hardware and bandwidth to stalk co-workers. Since almost all the official data is accessible by certain employees, they can use this data to harass their co-workers which may not reflect nicely on such a business if the local authorities are informed of such occurrences. Therefore, it is in the best interest of business owners to use spy apps to discover such obsessive behavior and immediately nip it in the bud before it can become much worse. The Bottom Line A business and its success completely rely on the people working for it. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, humans are fickle by nature and such fickle nature is bad for business. Therefore, investing in a good spy app is in the best interest of business owners since they can serve as a great pair of eyes and ears on troublesome employees. Read More: 5 Major Tips To Increase Employee Engagement In A Call Centre Industry How To Get What You Want At Work By Strategic Negotiation

Ready to Take the Leap into Self-Employment? Here’s How to Set up an Awesome Home Office

Where Will You Have Your Office?

Plan Your Awesome Home Office:

Prepare Your Seat:

Have Good Lighting:

Plan Against Clutter:

Add Some Comfort:

Personalize Your Space:

The Perfect Office Setup:

The Need to Settle End of Tenancy Issues Before Leaving

Custom Standup Pouches for Small Businesses

Content Rally

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

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Related

How Can Thrift Stores Encourage People To Donate?

Principles for Leading Your Company through COVID-19 Crisis

Employee Monitoring Linked To Business Growth

Ready to Take the Leap into Self-Employment? Here’s How to Set up an Awesome Home Office

Where Will You Have Your Office?

Plan Your Awesome Home Office:

Prepare Your Seat:

Have Good Lighting:

Plan Against Clutter:

Add Some Comfort:

Personalize Your Space:

The Perfect Office Setup:

Share this Article

The Need to Settle End of Tenancy Issues Before Leaving

Custom Standup Pouches for Small Businesses

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

Leave a Reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related