Designing a Calming and Stress-Free Workspace

By designing a calming, stress-free workspace, you’ll be able to concentrate easier when it’s time to get to work. Doing this raises your productivity level and makes it a healthier space for you to be in.

Check your office. If you have clutter there, even just a little bit, you need to either get it out or organize it. Messy spaces cause stress that you file away in the back of your mind, even when you don’t address it.

Place plants in some of the areas of your office space. You can get decorative pots and use colorful flowers if you like. These bring a little bit of nature indoors. Plus, plants clean the air by removing what’s bad - while at the same time, their photosynthesis process creates oxygen.

This also helps with the air purity in your home. The green color of plants is known to be a natural relaxant and can work to lower anxiety and stress. If you’re not someone with a green thumb, be sure to buy plants that don’t require a lot of effort or attention in order to thrive.

The light matters for more than just eye strain. Dark home office spaces tend to affect one’s mood. Focus on the lighting in your office to make it stress-free. When you choose good lighting, it makes it easier for you to be able to work.

While plenty of lighting is best, you want to be able to have soft lights with adjustable levels of brightness. If you have a window in your office, make use of the natural lighting by using sheer curtains when you want the light and shades for when you don’t want as much light.

Make sure you incorporate artwork as part of your office décor. You can hang photos that are meaningful to you or that make you feel happy. Look for positive designs in colors that are known to boost moods...

Keeping the Air Quality Clean in Your Home Office

The type of air quality in your home office can impact your health. It can lead to things like allergies as well as make you more tired throughout the work day. But there are ways that you can keep the air quality clean.

You may have air vents in your office or work space that are in need of a good cleaning. It’s easy for dust and debris to collect inside as well as outside the vent. When that happens, you don’t get proper air circulation.

Plus, dust can cause sinus problems and make allergies worse. Make sure all vents in the room or space are clean and free of any clutter if you have vents in the floor. The filters in your air unit need to be changed on a regular basis.

This should be scheduled on your calendar as a reminder. The filter works to trap dust and debris and once it’s full, it can negatively impact your air quality. Many people think that an expensive air filter that you change every three months is the best kind to use.

But it’s actually healthier and gives you better air quality when you use the cheaper filter and change them more often. For the best air quality, change the filter once a month. If you have a lot of humidity in your home, this can cause a problem with air quality because it can lead to mildew or mold.

Buy a dehumidifier and use it in your office. The more natural that you can allow your office to be, the better. If you can allow natural sunlight in and the brightness doesn’t affect your work, then do that...

Home Office Lighting That Protects You from Eye Strain

While it’s great to have natural light flooding your office so you can work comfortably, that’s not always an option. The sun doesn’t shine every day and, in the winter, when the days are shorter, you don’t get as much natural light.

That’s why you need home office lighting. But you want to get the type that can prevent you from getting eye strain. Close light is good for your time spent working at a computer.

This means that you should get a sturdy desk lamp. There are specific desk lamps that can be purchased that are designed to alleviate common problems with the eyes when working from home.

Look for a desk lamp that doesn’t use blue light. Some of them do. There are many models that use natural light, which can mimic sunlight. These come with options to change the brightness level as the day goes on.

So you can have natural lighting from the time your work day begins until it’s finished. You can get these lamps as fixed based ones, swinging or swivel lamps. If you have to
toggle between computer monitors or swivel from one desk to another work platform, you’re better off getting the swivel kind because you can adjust the direction of the light.

There are also computer monitor lamps that are anti-glare and can prevent blue light, which causes eye strain. These lamps attach to the top of your monitor and can cause a 45 degree angle path of light that doesn’t focus on the screen - which is what you want... 

Computers, Monitors, Keyboards and Mouse Options

Every tool that you use in your office should be beneficial to your body. If you’re using something that’s causing you pain or isn’t best for your physical needs, then you should get rid of it and replace it with something that does help.

You might not realize it, but the type of computer that you have can make a difference. Computers such as laptops that have large screens are better for you than ones with smaller screens.

That’s because the smaller the screen, the worse it can affect your posture. If you’re straining to work using the computer monitor, then it’s not good for you. Computers that have an all-in-one keyboard that’s too flat can often cause wrist fatigue.

You want to use computers that have a high definition display and offer the option of blocking blue light, which can cause fatigue as well as chronic dry eyes. The type of monitor that you use also matters.

The ones that are curved are made by design to help alleviate eye strain. That’s because the monitor curves like the eye does. These kinds of monitors also have a better refresh rate and quicker response, which can reduce eye strain.

In addition to that, curved monitors boost productivity while helping ease work strain.
Besides eye strain or fatigue, another notable issue with office equipment is that the wrong kinds can cause injuries.

A keyboard is an important office tool and having the right one can help prevent injuries that are caused by repetitive motion. When you use an ergonomic keyboard, this can alleviate the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.

It can also ease the strain that’s caused by overuse of the wrists, such as what happens with frequent typing. Not only that, but the right kind of keyboard can also remove strain from both the neck and shoulders...

Office Furniture That’s Kind to Your Body

Working from home means you probably do a lot of sitting. That’s why having the right chair is one of the most important pieces of office furniture for your body. If you have to move between your computer and filing cabinets that are located nearby, you need to have a good swivel chair.

Having this type of chair can help keep strain off your back as you turn. Many office chairs have an ergonomic design. These types of chairs can do more than keep you from straining your back and developing aches in that region.

Because this kind of chair offers the best core body support, you won’t feel as tired physically - even after the end of a hectic or long day at work. You’ll find that these kinds of chairs aren’t just comfortable to sit in, but they also give you the support that you need.

Look for ones that have well-padded arm rests as well as offer full lower back support.
Desks are important, too. Most people don’t realize that just as there are supportive office chairs, there are also ergonomic desks.

These types of desks help keep your posture aligned, but don’t place tension across the shoulders because you’re not working hunched over. They allow for comfortable positioning of your hands as you type on the keyboard, plus they offer the space that you need for your legs to be comfortable.

While you can use a desk that you need to sit at in order to work, there are also standing ones that are kind to your body. Studies have shown that people who spend too much time sitting while working are more prone to developing health issues...

Here's an excerpt of a great article on Entrepreneur.com which I highly recommend you take a look at!

Some day you won't have to worry about rent money and credit card debt. In the meantime, you have to take control of your financial situation.

In a bind? Need some fast cash? We're talking here about small bursts of capital, not millions of dollars -- enough to satisfy your monthly obligations or get that nagging creditor to stop calling you.

None of the 32 strategies listed here to get some money quickly will break the proverbial bank. Some are easier than others, but nearly all require very little to no capital. They are meant to get you through the difficult times.

Related: 2 Ways to Make Money Online This Month

Some of these strategies to make extra money will require you to be in certain locales, while others are location-independent, but it all boils down to being resourceful. We've all found ourselves in a tight spot at one point in our lives or another, but to the person who's committed, anything is possible. 

Much of this has to do with mindset. When you lack money, scarcity thinking sets in. The scarcity mindset is negative and thinks that there's never enough of whatever it is to go around. When you find yourself thinking like that, do everything in your power to move into an abundant mindset. 

Our thoughts are incredibly powerful. We have upwards of 60,000 thoughts per day, many deep within our subconscious mind, much of which are repeated. We have to be stewards of our thoughts. Once you find yourself thinking negatively, you need to jar yourself out of that...

Read on by clicking here

Book review:

How to Work from Home and Make Money

Like thousands of other people, you probably end up with more month left over than money. No matter how many pennies you pinch or how good you are at “making do,” you’re just not making it.

Or maybe you were doing great financially and then you lost your job. The good news is that you can turn things around. In the book, How to Work from Home and Make Money, you’ll learn how to say goodbye to the struggle and hello to being your own boss.

The book can teach you what you need to do so set up your business. You’ll have the freedom to decide what days you work and what hours you’ll work. You’ll be in control of your own career path.

You’ll discover that you can forget the myths you might have learned about working from home and embrace the reality that by working at home, you can choose the kind of money  you want to make doing whatever it is you choose to do.

You’ll gain flexibility and freedom when you work for yourself and not others. The book begins by explaining to readers the most common lies about working from home. It then goes into the different kinds of online home-based business ideas and teaches the number one key for your business success.

Solve problems for customers or do something that helps them. When you can meet a need, there’s the market for your business. If you’ve like to have your own store, you can do this without it being a brick and mortar one and the book can show you how.

Even if you don’t have a website right now, you can still get started without one. The author presents opportunities in the field of writing and you don’t have to be a writer to get involved in this type of home business.

You can break into Kindle publishing as well as other types of writing. You’ll learn how you can go offline to work from home if that’s what you prefer. You can start a food-based business.

The author also shares the importance of learning about passive income and teaches readers why this is an important step to create recurring income. There are plenty of opportunities that are available to you through things such as earning an income by teaching online courses.

Once you decide to work from home and choose the job that suits your needs, you’ll be able to live the kind of life that you’ve always hoped for. You’ll be able to take off on vacation whenever the urge strikes.

As the book explains, that doesn’t mean that you won’t work hard at your business. You will - especially in the beginning - but you’ll find the tools that you need in the book to help you get started building your business and making money...

Click below to purchase this excellent book (at a ridiculous price right now!)

Capital Needed For Home Business

Whether it is a small business or a large one, the amount of capital required for any home business will vary. How much money is needed to start a home business does not have a simple answer? The average amount may be as low as a $1000 to as high as millions depending on the investments, the market you're trying to reach and the type of business you want to start.

The more competition you face and the more the demand for your services is what sets the tone for the capital required to run your home business.

How to know how much Capital is required for your Home Business:

If you're beginning, being able to calculate the amount of capital needed will not be an easy task. If you're new at this, taking some time, in the beginning, to do some research will set you off on the right foot. Only a few businesses can excel without research or prior experience; thus, consulting someone with experience beforehand is advisable before you set off trying to start your home business.

Research:

• Contact people in the same line of work as you intend to be to know what the starting costs and running costs would be of a similar business.
• Use a cost calculator designed specifically for startups to know what initial amount of money you will be requiring.
• Get in touch with retired business people who have worked in the same industry as you and can give you knowledge about it.
• Contact the suppliers you want to pursue to give you insight on retail prices.
• Hire a business or accounting expert to help you before you start your business.

Read on by claiming your free copy of the eBook!

Investment Options When You Work From Home

Though many people willingly choose to work from home or are self-employed, a lot of them don’t plan for the future and end up saving close to nothing for their retirements. Financial issues may at the time seem too overpowering, but having some retirement plan is essential for everyone. There any many investment options that are designed specifically for those working from or running small businesses from home to minimize tax burden and growing a fund for retirement.

• SIMPLE IRA

The SIMPLE in SIMPLE IRA stands for ‘Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees’, while IRA means ‘Individual Retirement Arrangement.' If you have up to 100 employees, you can invest in a plan through this IRA. As an employee, you can contribute up to$13,500 per year, while as an employer, you can match up to 3%of your net earnings from self-employment.A 25% penalty fee is applied if you withdraw from SIMPLE IRA within two years of opening it, so putting money in it ensures that it will be there for the long run.

• Traditional or Roth IRA

Traditional or Roth IRA is considered to be a good start for those looking to invest. Anyone having some form of earnings or income can contribute to this IRA. However, you can only contribute $6,000 per year or $1,000 more if you’re 50 or older. Roth IRAs have a limit, though, so if you earn too much money per year, you cannot contribute to Roth IRAs. As for taxes, with Roth IRA, you cannot avoid taxes before, but you can avoid them after you take it out in retirement. For traditional IRA, you avoid paying taxes on the money you put into it before as well....

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Steps To Setting Up An Effective Work From Home Policy

Working from home is not uncommon any more, and more and more people are widely accepting remote working over on-site working. While though it has become quite the norm for many companies and businesses, formal policies to manage and monitor the process are not as commonly made by employers as one would hope.

Most companies hiring remote workers don't have policies regarding it, which can ultimately lead to confusion. Here are a few steps to setting up an effective work from the home policy:

• Outline Roles Eligible for Working from Home:

Though remote working may seem like a good option and prove to be more effective in the long run, not every employee is cut out to be a remote worker. Some employees require supervision and cannot work independently. Remote workers need to be disciplined, self-reliant and self-motivated.

Thus the remote workers you choose to work from home should be suitable and fit the category. They would not require being physically present at the office and must be well equipped and well-versed with technology to be able to carry out the job efficiently from home.

• Define the Purpose:

The policy you are setting up should have a definite purpose, which must be clearly stated to your employees. It should be defined in terms of a document and what the opportunity of working from home will benefit in the future. The policy should improve the experience for your employees at the company and should be in touch with what you believe in. Convey to them properly what role the policy will be playing in the company and how it will be put to use....

​Read on by claiming your free copy of the eBook!