working from home Archives -

#Digiblogchat July 5, 2022 How to Set Boundaries While WFH with @maricarjagger

June 30, 2022 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/marandap-7632346/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5261062">Mario Aranda</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=5261062">Pixabay</a>

#Digiblogchat July 5, 2022 How to Set Boundaries While WFH with @maricarjagger| Image by Mario Aranda from Pixabay

The topic for Tuesday, July 5, 2022 is How to set boundaries while working from home ~ with special guest @maricarjagger! Join us on Twitter each Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. PDT for #DigiBlogChat. My partner for these chats is @LazBlazter. If you need to know how to participate, click here: How to Join #DigiBlogChat.

Here are the questions:

Q1. Do you think you have a good work life balance right now?

Q2. Have you ever experienced burnout?

Q3. What are the signs of burnout?

Q4. What are the advantages of having work boundaries?

Q5. How do you set your priorities?

Q6. Why is it good to say no?

Q7. Can you delegate some of your tasks to someone else?

Q8. Do you have dedicated office hours?

Q9. Do you skip meals to meet your target?

Q10. Do you have enough sleep?

#Digiblogchat Questions March 31, 2020

March 30, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

The topic for March 31st is Working from Home with @VivianLKelly of Interprose! (@interprosepr)

An #Entrepreneur, CEO, and #remotework pioneer, Vivian L Kelly founded #Interprose in 1998. She leads the team in designing #PR, #socialmedia, and #marketing campaigns for global tech leaders like @Cisco and@IEEEorg.

Q1. What’s the biggest challenge to expect / overcome when transitioning from an office to a remote work environment?

Q2. How can organizations best support their employees during the transition to working from home?

Q3. How do leaders help maintain company culture in a remote work scenario?

Q4. What tools and platforms are available to help teams stay connected and collaborative even when separated geographically?

Q5. What are your tips for managers as they transition to the work from home model for both the near- and long term?

Q6. How do you motivate your team and keep them focused to get their jobs done?

Q7. How do you know your team members are actually working?

Q8. What is the human side of managing remotely like?

Q9. How do you manage difficult interpersonal or performance-related situations when unable to speak with employees face-to-face?

Q10. Beyond social distancing, what are some of the tangible benefits that the work-from-home model provides?

Bonus question: How is the work-from-home model evolving?

Filed Under: Digiblogchat questions Tagged With: Interprose, Vivian L Kelly, working from home

This Is What Happens When You Work from Home for the First Time

March 19, 2020 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Think about when you did anything the first time. And this time (that is–right now!) you were probably forced into working from home, too. Am I right about that? Nobody who works in an office (especially the extroverts!) suddenly wants to work from home. Beyond the usual stuff of needing your technology to be set up, here’s what it’s like to work from home.

You Might Get Lonely

Yep. I said it. To prevent loneliness when you work from home, you’ll need human contact, even if it’s virtual. Luckily, we have Zoom and telephones. You can have a virtual conference, a meeting, or just a talkathon with friends. You can even use it as an extension of a hobby. My knitting group will be having a Zoom Knitathon this week. For more about hobbies, see this: A Good Hobby Will Make You Feel Delighted. Another way to be around people is to join Twitter chats! My chat #DigiBlogChat is on Tuesdays at 1:00 pm PDT. We have a different topic every week, and it’s free! Here you go: How to Join #DigiBlogChat.

You Could Overeat

If you’re bored because you’re not used to working from home, you might eat all those frozen Girl Scout cookies you’ve been saving for a special occasion. After all, it’s Armageddon now, right? So what the heck! And that wine? You’re not supposed to hang out with groups, so you might as well drink it yourself. If you’re one of those people hoarding, how about hoarding some halfway-healthy stuff? “When I recognize that I want to eat something more out of boredom versus actual physical hunger, I brew myself a cup of hot tea.” says Alissa Rumsey, R.D., C.S.C.S. Read more things nutritionists do when they might eat out of boredom. Turns out that nutritionists are a lot like you and I.

You Might Get Less Exercise

If you’re not getting up to hit the water cooler or grab a coffee from the breakroom, you’ll probably need to make a conscious effort to get exercise. It’s easy to sit in one spot all day long sulking or not moving. And since you might not be able to go to the gym right now, you’ll have to figure out something else. How about hiking? Or walking around a lake? There are lots of ways to get exercise without going to the gym. Cycling is another way.

More Time with Pets

And by pets, I mean cats. And dogs, too. My cats love to get on my desk while I’m trying to work. They cover up the calendar and sprawl across the desk. Sometimes they try to take my glasses and knock stuff onto the floor. Having a cat is usually so much fun!

Zero Commute

Another plus of working from home is not having a commute. Of course, you might wear the same pajamas all day, too. (I’ve been guilty of that.) That could be a plus…but also a minus, depending upon how you feel about it. What are some of the plusses and minuses of your working-from-home routine?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: work from home, working from home

How to: Best Upgrades You Need When You Work from Home, Part Two

July 6, 2017 By Carol Stephen 4 Comments

How to: Best Upgrades You Need When You Work from Home

How’s your home office looking these days? A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the best home office upgrades, but couldn’t finish it because of no light. Ok, it was a couple of months ago, but who’s counting? Here, then, are some real upgrades.

Ergonomics

So my office isn’t perfect, but it is ergonomically in the Pretty Good arena. There are lots of 90 degree angles, although I’ve had to use a book to keep my legs at the correct angle. I found this article about how to set up an ergonomic workstation helpful.

Printer and Shredder

Now a shredder is something I have had since my days as a professional organizer. At the time, Staples still had a lot of shredders sitting around, and I tested all of them to get the quietest one. Yes, really. Spend a little more to get a quiet one, preferably a cross-cut one.

The printer is nothing fancy: a four-in-one HP printer. Occasionally, I’ll have to stop everything and run to the store to get printer ink. Us entrepreneurs are so lucky that way.

Giant Calendar

If you do a lot of speaking or have lots of different events for your business, a giant calendar helps remind you of what you’re doing when, and whether you have too much or too little down time. Don’t forget to schedule vacations, too!

Lighting Backdrop for Chats and Video

Yes, I’ve got special lights for Google Hangouts, especially if they’re recorded! You might as well do the best job you can and try to look as good as possible while doing it. Unless it’s a podcast with no video, that is. In that case, you can hang out in your bathrobe and nobody will care.

Music – Spotify

Having some white noise or quiet music is so important for stress reduction. As an introvert, absolute quiet is good, too. By the way, if you missed this article about introverts, here you go: Six Facts About Introverts and Social Media That Will Impress Your Friends.

What Helps You Work From Home?

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something! Does your dog sleep on your desk, for instance? Do your kids help you with office chores? Let me know in the comments! And thank you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: calendar, ergonomics, introverts, lighting backdrop, music, printers, shredders, white noise, work from home, working from home

Eight Things I Miss About Working in an Office (and Their Replacements)

August 28, 2014 By Carol Stephen 15 Comments

Eight Things I Miss About Working in an Office

Maybe you love working in an office. The long commute, the jostling with fellow worker bees in the elevators, and the lunches at your desk all contribute to your feeling of being a productive and upstanding citizen. There are so many things about working in an office that are fabulously fun, aren’t there? But since you’re working from home, like the other 10 gajillion people in the U.S. of A, here are some things you can replace those missing items with. And if working from home makes you feel distracted, here are some tips for time management for baby boomers (but they could apply to anyone). By the way, thank you to my blogging buddy Bridget Willard for this topic idea.

Ye Olde Water Cooler

The water cooler is a place to vent, to hear a quick joke, and to see who’s wearing what. You might get lonely if you don’t have something to replace your water cooler. For me, I’ve used Facebook secret groups as a place to connect with fellow social media managers. Gather a few of your friends there and you can leave your Facebook open and run back to the water cooler whenever you like. Or, if you get too distracted while answering email, close it for awhile.

The Commute

A few of the people I know put on clothes–remember those?–and drive a few blocks and come back home. Others like to have an office outside in the yard so they can take their coffee outside. Even the few steps to cross the yard and get to the “office,” helps set the business tone for the day. I like to go outside, have breakfast when the weather is nice, and come back inside and work. Even a few minutes is pretty nice.

Long Lunches

Homemade Grilled Cheese Sandwich

For me, having lunch is more about the quality of the food. So I buy really good bread, salami, cheese, etc., and make my own. Having the best ingredients is pretty satisfying. Here is a real toasted cheese sandwich (my boyfriend made for me).

Companionship

Since I’m on social media a lot, I like Google Hangouts (these can be private or public). You can see your friends, and sometimes their kids, spouses, or pets walk through. You can also send notes or links, put on funny hats and mustaches, take photos of your friends for blackmail purposes, and more.

Brainstorm Meetings

A tweetchat is a way to set a topic and hear from a lot of different folks. You can set the topic and the questions, and everybody goes crazy chatting. It’s usually for a limited time, and is different than a Facebook group. It’s a terrific way to get a lot of ideas in a short amount of time.

The Elevators

I don’t really miss elevators, but I really miss the elevator music! Not really. Having white noise (Relax Melodies is my favorite) helps me stay focused on my work. Some people can work with loud music, but for me that’s not possible.

The IT Department

Having someone come by when you call them to fix your computer, check your connections, or repair the phone system is valuable. So you’ll need someone to make sure your system is running smoothly. And did I mention it’s a lot easier to find someone before you need them?

Structure

Sometimes having structure enforced upon you can make you feel secure. I don’t know. I really like to set my own hours. If I want to take a long break in the middle of the day, go to the gym, or for a walk, the work is still there. As long as it gets done, you can generally do most chores any time, especially since some things can be scheduled ahead of time.

Do You Miss Working in An Office?

Why? Is that a constant feeling? Or just something that bothers you every once in a while?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: commute, commuting, elevators, IT department, meetings, Social Media Managers, structure, water cooler, white noise, working from home