3 Tips for Handling Distractions while Telecommuting
The Telecommuterer has put together three simple tips for handling distractions while you are trying to get things done. We all know that there are a million little things that can go wrong from 3 year olds with their underwear on their heads to snappy husbands. These tips are useful, and they should help you get through the day without having to work out of your car in the garage, which I have done on occasion.
“The common theme among these distractions is that they are things that are commonly found at home that you would not normally encounter in your place of work. There are good things and bad things about the average workplace - one positive thing is that the normal distractions you would face at home are not there, enabling you to (at least in theory) be more productive. Thus, in order to telecommute productively, one must find a way to achieve some level of concentration in an environment that is at first glance not so conducive to it.”
20 Hour Workweek for Telecommuters
Web Worker Daily is covering a fantastic piece of research indicating that telecommuters may only need to work 20 hours a week in the future. That is definitely some research I can get behind.
“As the need to employ skilled staff from demographics unable or unwilling to work 40 hours a week increases, Prentice believes the “20-hour-per-week job description” will emerge, describing roles that can be successfully accomplished in half the normal time. Catering to this crowd will help organizations attract and retain the workers they want.”
Interview with Tim Ferris about the 4 Hour Workweek
Lifehack has a great little interview with Tim Ferris about his new book, the 4 Hour Workweek which is a blazing best seller. For those who do not know, Tim Ferris is a hyper-successful young man that makes millions, surfs constantly, speaks 6 languages and travels around the world. Some would see that he is taking telecommuting to the next level.
“If you heard of a new book called The 4-Hour Workweek, you know who is Timothy Ferriss. Tim speaks six languages, runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, a national champion in Chinese kickboxing, and has been a popular guest lecturer at Princeton University since 2003. Recently his book caught my attention. The title itself is very attractive to me who work at least 40 hours per week (if not more). There are positive reviews about the book around blogosphere, and it is currently on #9 of the Amazon best-seller list. So I sent him a quick email to setup this interview and just get to know him more.”
Using Doodle to Increase Productivity
43 Folders has a great piece on using Doodle with the GTD system to revive projects that are not completed. Here is an excerpt:
“Maybe this is the GTD-er in me, but I have to admit a frustration with projects that peter off because there’s no one person near the helm who’s dedicated to defining and managing the group’s actions. It’s a Project Manager role, and if a group doesn’t choose and empower one person to take care of it, stuff simply won’t get done. Whether it’s deciding on a good night for dinner with friends or organizing the next board meeting, we all need a little help turning generic good ideas into real-world coordinates for action.”
Scheduling Around Your Telecommuting Job
Whether you are coding or telemarketing, you will often find that there is not enough time in the day to do everything you hope to do. It is very counter-intuitive because it seems like being at home would free you completely but, in reality, you have to be very vigilant about how you work. eMoms at Home has a great post about scheduling your day.
” The key to balancing a work at home job and your family is to establish a clear schedule, delineating between personal and professional time. First, consider your business, individual, and family needs. Decide how many hours you would like to realistically devote to each every day.”
Second Life - The Ultimate Work at Home Job
If you have not heard of Second Life, then you should read up on it because it becoming more and more important. Essentially, Second Life is one very big virtual world within which people interact through avatars. It has the look and feel of a video game but there are no goals, points, or competition. It models a real world with its own economy, real estate and, some would say, culture. Increasingly, real world companies are beginning to engage in Second Life to woo customers through complex advertisements and other companies are even holding virtual business meetings. Real world real estate firms have taken their skills into Second Life to sell virtual estate. Some people do incredibly good too. Web Worker Daily has an article about a jewelry creator who made $36,000 last month. The reason it is possible to even make real money, is because Linden Labs, the company who created Second Life, generously allowed the virtual world to be owned and sold. There is even an exchange rate of lindens to the US dollar.
Free Productivity Applications
LifeHack.org is featuring a wonderful list of 20 Free Applications to enhance your productivity. I found a few things on the list that I did not know about, and I am sure you will as well. According to them:
“The Internet is loaded with free software, making it hard to know which one’s you really need. This article will act as your guide to the top 20 free applications (Web and Windows) for increased productivity.
These programs will make your PC faster, stronger, and more productive.”
A Few More Jobs for Writers
Here are a few more jobs for writers. This was posted on InternetMarketingReview and the jobs listed seem to be top notch. Please remember that when you see these job lists, I am not the one hiring so it would not help to contact me about this job. If you find that helpful, here is the post from yesterday as well.
Collaborative Work Tools
We are all doing different types of work with some of us transcribing while others are doing web design. However, all types of online work revolve around collaboration from a remote location. As a result, we are constantly searching for new tools to use and better ways to collaborate. Some companies require AIM and others use more complex tools. In this article, I would like to cover the basic tools that you will need and other tools that you may not realize you need.
Nice List of Work at Home Jobs
Pajama Mama has put together a weekly list of work at home jobs done in categories. It is a very useful list and the site is a good resource for telecommuters. There is nothing quite like working from home in ze pajamas. As always, please let me know if you find any resources that we do not reference here.
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