May 1, 2008
So you’re finally following your dreams. You’re self-employed.
You set your own hours. You pick your paychecks up at the mail
box. No more long commutes for you. You even get to
“wheel-and-deal” in the quiet and solitude of your own home
office. You . . .
What’s that? You don’t have a home office?
You work, instead, on the kitchen table or the computer station
in the family room or–much to your spouse’s dismay–on the
cluttered desk in the corner of the bedroom (clickety-clackity,
clickety-clackity go the keys until the wee hours of the
morning).
Get a room already! Preferably one you can claim and make your
own. Concentration, focus and productivity will improve–and so
will your peace of mind.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Being a home office, by
definition, the space you choose as your own actually has to be
in your home–so right away you’re constrained to a certain,
fixed location. Your “home office” can’t be in the building down
the street.
That said, here are five items that mattered most to me when I
chose the location for my home office:
1. My office space needed to be physically practical while also
being good for my psyche–no stark four walls, cramped space, or
gloom for me.
2. I needed a space into which I could literally disappear for
hours–away from the hubbub of family activity, noisy children,
cooking smells, and errant pets.
3. The space needed to work for me in physical terms, with
adequate room for a desk, work area, reading nook, printer
stand, fax machine, storage of office supplies, etc.
4. I needed a room that afforded me a view of the outdoors–a
room that provided me something to look at other than my
computer screen.
5. The space could serve no dual purposes. This had to be my
office with my “stuff” in it, from pictures on the walls to
books on the shelves.
CREATING THE SPACE Fortunately when we built our home over a
decade ago, I imagined that I would someday want a home office.
During construction I had a spare 10-foot by 13-foot bedroom on
the top floor wired for an additional phone line and the
electrical outlets in the room equipped with surge protection. I
also placed sound deadening board in the walls, six inches of
fiberglass insulation in the floor, and topped it off with a
heavy six-panel solid wood door–complete with lock and
key–making for a very cozy and quiet setting.
Granted, not everyone has the opportunity to plan their home
office as I did, but you may be able to make some “after market”
changes to your space to make it more functional . . . and
desirable.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS: * When I converted the spare bedroom to
office space a few years ago, I placed industrial shelving in
the room’s large 3-foot by 6-foot closet, creating an efficient
storage area lined with office supplies, paper, envelopes,
client files, books, computer references, print cartridges, and
more–all easy to access, all readily available. No more down
time hunting for paper clips!
* On the walls, I hung non-work related items such as photos of
my wife and children, a painting of a doe and fawn lakeside,
photos I’ve taken of places I’ve visited (and often would rather
be)–all visual cues I can look to when I need to step back from
a project and remind myself of what’s really important.
* I recently added a semi-dry aquarium to the mix, full of
shells, sea glass, and mementos of various excursions to sea
shores both near and far. What’s unique about this mostly-dry
aquarium is that at its center in a traditional “gold fish” bowl
resides–you guessed it–a gold fish. As I watch the fish swim
about its watery home, “Flo” has become a companion of sorts,
providing me with occasional and necessary mental “breaks” from
lengthy stints at the computer or on the phone.
* I also have a doublewide window that overlooks my backyard and
a strategically located birdfeeder that affords occasional
glimpses of a flitting jay, chickadee or mourning dove–not to
mention the sometimes-comical antics of several resident red and
gray squirrels as they shinny up the steel post from which the
feeder hangs.
BE “AT WORK” WHEN YOU NEED TO BE By creating your own distinct
space, you can truly “be at work” when you need to be. No more
trying to mask the sounds of jovial children in the background
as you speak to a client; no more apologizing for being up late
with light on, rustling papers as you print the latest draft of
that important proposal.
Once you get a room for your home office and once you make it
your own, you will see a marked difference. With fewer
distractions and an increased ability focus, you’ll be more
productive, more attentive, and that much further along the way
to making your dreams of successful self-employment a reality.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright (c) 2004 by Matt McGovern–All rights reserved.
Comments Off
In the early stages of the nineteen hundreds F1 Racing got underway with rudimentary racing cars and older gentleman racing drivers, but the actual Formula 1 Motor Racing competition did not go ahead until the nineteen fifty’s. Whilst the many years passed & the title grew, it promptly became understandable that Formula 1 Racing was the high point in motorsport. The motor vehicles were the best, the expertise was the most highly developed & the racing drivers were at the tip of their fitness coming from nations all across the earth. At F1Tribute.com you will find amazing deals on F1 Merchandise. Check them Out Now!
With the new introduction of sponsorship participation, Formula 1 took on its more world wide structure & can without a doubt today be looked at of being big business ? with figures reaching millions and even billions with tremendous ease. With huge business comes politics & now & again it?s who you know and how much riches you are in possession of that gets you what you are after. Formula One Motor Racing is knotted with conspiracy stories ? I will admit to being one of them ? but depending on how engaged you wish to get in the Formula One Motor Racing world, that area of things is easily disregarded. What truly matters is what comes about on the grand prix race track.
Trekking from country to country all over the land for around eight months of the year, Formula 1 calls countries large and small, affluent & not-quite-so-rich, with wonderful backgrounds, beautiful people and masses of native culture to be soaked up. Covering Friday, Saturday & Sunday, a Formula 1 Racing weekend is a difficult ride, from early testing, to the dying laps of the F1 motor race.
The fundamental arrangement consists of a Formula 1 race every two weeks. From time to time the calendar is played with a little bit and there are Formula 1 races on back-to-back weekends, or every now and then you have to go a couple weeks before seeing the recognizable Formula One drivers again. Once it is time for another race, you can scan the news for your preferred constructor as they appear at their destination. Friday consists of practice sessions, Saturday is for qualifying and Sunday is for the racing event.
Comments Off
Those who aren’t experienced in investing could use a little lesson on it’s ins and outs from the experienced veterans. Curiously enough, that’s exactly what this article will try to do, focusing on four lessons that are the most beneficial for someone new to investing to consider.
Risk and Return
In any field you choose to enter the amount of success you have is going to be based on your balance of risk and return. Do you drive a little faster around the turn and risk spinning out with the reward of moving up a spot in the race? Do you take the 3-pointer to win when a simply lay-up will send you to overtime? The right balance of risk and reward can make you wealthy or penniless, based on your management. Generally, the younger in the game will play more high risk-high reward games than the older, who are nearing retirement and ready to begin hitting the golf course on a regular basis.
The Certainty of Diversification
Keeping yourself diversified makes you a little less prone to falling completely apart at the seams. The more diversified your portfolio is then the better your opportunity to be a success is, it is your cushion against failure. Don’t be afraid to be involved in several different stocks or funds because this is your safety net; be prepared for the downtimes because they will come!
Predicting the Future is Not Recommended
Just because it has happened before doesn’t mean that it will happen. Many get lost in the quote “history repeats itself”, but this is more of a warning to learn from our mistakes. If you continue to be ignorant and spread yourself too thin or put all your eggs in one basket then you aren’t learning from history. Picking dates and trends to predict the next market crash does not work, so don’t try it! “Hot” advice and “insider” tips are the same type of ridiculous guessing, not fact based predicting. Don’t try to predict what will happen, just make informed decisions with the information you have at hand.
The Standard Efficiency of the Financial Markets
There are plenty of buyers and sellers that are fair, orderly, and competitively designed to do one thing, earn people money. Be open to all markets of investment that are structured to make people money. You do not have to and should not trust every person you encounter in the business, this is dangerous. Try to weed out the honest advice from the not-so honest advice and be smart. This is an old field, financial markets didn’t just open yesterday, they have been making people money for a very long time.
And remember, please remember above all else, no matter what anyone else might say - there is certainly no such thing as easy money! I know - I’ve looked everywhere, even down the back of the chair! Nothing! But there is plenty of extra money you can get - by investing wisely and carefully!
Go to it!
Duncan Roberts has been walking, then jogging and now finally sprinting through the basics of investing and preparing for his retirement for, well, all of his working life, really. Being very interested in a life of relaxation, total laziness and financial security he’s learnt the right lessons at the right time so as to be really lazy later on. You can read more of his advice on investing at http://www.theadvicecentre.info/investing/investing-advice.htm
|
|
Comments Off
Regardless of the type of wedding reception you wish to have, taking the time to plan and work out all the details of what needs to be done is very important. This advice applies whether you are planning a small intimate gathering of a few close friends and family after the ceremony or if you want a lavish reception.
Couples are often surprised at the amount of time and effort involved in personalizing and organizing a perfect reception, which needs to be done several months in advance. The following tips are intended to guide you through some of the wedding reception details that you will need to address.
Begin By Pre-Planning and Organizing
Before you start any wedding reception planning make sure you know your exact budget. There is no point in organizing a lavish reception for 200 people if your budget only allows for a small toned-down gathering of 50 people. Your budget will not only include the cost of the reception venue, but also the food, favors, decorations, music, cake, table linens and tableware, any additional entertainment, etc. The reception will take the largest chunk of your budget.
I also strongly recommend that you purchase a good wedding planner book to walk you step-by-step through the wedding planning process. These books provide some great information on details that you might miss or not even think of. Plus, they provide you with a place to record and store all wedding information for quick retrieval.
One of the cheapest (since it’s free) ways to find out more about what’s involved in planning a wedding reception is to start by talking to friends and family about their wedding experiences. Write down any advice and tips they might give, as well as references to caterers, DJ’s, etc. Word of mouth is often the best way to locate exactly what you’re looking for.
Choosing a Location
Deciding on where to hold your wedding reception can often times make a key difference in how well it goes… and how fondly it’s remembered by you and your guests. Take your time with this. Get recommendations and check out all venues thoroughly.
Be aware that the number of available locations will be much more limited for weekends and certain times of the year… often popular spots are booked a year in advance. You may wish to consider having your wedding during an “off-wedding” month, such as January or during the week, rather than on a weekend. Cost wise, it will be much cheaper as well.
While at each reception location there are several details that you should pay attention to. Available nearby parking, adequate bathroom facilities, cleanliness of the location, and ample room for dinner and dancing… these are just some of the things you will need to look at.
Familiarize yourself with the location to learn what can and can not be done, especially in terms of decorating.
Keep a list of all locations and facilities that you visit and try to get a floor plan of the building. This will certainly help you out when you are deciding on the arrangement of tables, DJ or band stand, where to place the cake table, etc. Make sure you also get all prices quoted and contact details in writing.
The Nitty-Gritty Reception Details
There are many details that you need to attend to such as your seating arrangements, coordinating table linens to match your theme, finding a baker to make your wedding cake, whether to use a decorator or not, and who to use for entertainment.
Make a list of everything that needs to be taken care of then start delegating some of the tasks to your attendants and family members. Keep in mind that some flexibility is essential in the planning process too.
Decorating is an important part of your overall wedding plans. Make a list of the various types of decorations you’ll need such as table centerpieces, balloon bouquets, and specific theme items.
One of the other most significant aspects of planning your wedding reception is the meal that will be served. You will need to decide if it will be a full-course sit-down dinner or a buffet. If you’re planning a low-key, intimate reception with family and close friends, plan on food and drink that is less formal and more fun.
Once you think you have everything planned out on paper, take the time to walk through the event from start to finish. For example, what will everyone be doing when they first arrive at the reception? When will guests be seated for dinner? What will happen during the meal? When will you cut the cake? When does the dancing begin? By going through each aspect of what will happen at the reception, you will be assured that you’ve taken care of all the details.
A Few Other Reception Tips
Keep your guests updated in regards to any changes to wedding details throughout the planning process. A good way to do this is to register with a personal wedding website. New details can be added and quickly updated, which family members and guests can then quickly access online.
Delegate, delegate, delegate! Try to get other people to help out as much as possible. This will take a large load of errands off your back and all you need to do is supervise the process. Having fun and being relaxed is what you’re aiming for.
Hopefully, the above guidance and advice will give you some direction and inspiration as you plan your own special and personalized wedding reception.
About the Author:
(c)2006. Rose Smith is the owner of Wedding Themes and More, a website designed to help you plan your perfect theme wedding. Read more about how to personalize your wedding reception details at http://www.wedthemes.com/wedding-planning.shtml
Comments Off