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WORK FROM HOME

REAL STORIES

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REAL OPPORTUNIES

by Mary Watson Visit a City Nearby Less than an hour from Atlanta Georgia is Callaway Gardens which has been a gem to the neighboring community of LaGrange Georgia. If you are looking for a get-away? It will provide a much-needed vacation, along with notice attractions such as a wildlife safari. The bus tour is about an hour to an hour and a half depending on the car traffic for the sessions. Do not worry as I mentioned the tour can be in your own vehicle, it is safe.

Welcomes Stay in Your Car

You can stay in your car after the safari is over enjoy spending time in the walk-through petting zoo.

Home of the baboon, black bear. Loins. Pick your favorite animal whatever you decide! “you will have a

fun time for both parents and kids.” If you want to feed the animals, you can…

Take advantage of the wide array of accommodation from cabins to the main hotel located in the resort area it is exceptionally clean. Remember to be safe and wear a mask and look out for others. Coming soon our next adventure will be to South Carolina in the city of Charleston. Home of the Gullah Geechee culture.

4 Essential Ergonomic Tips for Working from Home Millions of people are now taking up flexible employment options, like working from home. If you’re now set up in a home office, there are some ergonomic basics you need to remember to stay in top shape.

1. Set Up a Proper Home Office Having a separate room for your home office is the best option, but you can safely work at a desk in the corner of the living room too. Just make sure you can get a proper office desk and chair that are height adjustable to suit your body type.

You can still use a regular chair and table and customize them to make them more ergonomic. You can raise the height of a table with blocks, or even household bricks if that’s all you’ve got, and a cushion and rolled-up towel can make your chair more comfortable and better for your back.

2. Maintain A Good Working Posture Good posture is vital if you’re going to be productive and stay healthy. Using a laptop on the sofa or kitchen counter won’t cut it, and can lead to serious and painful neck and back problems.

There are lots of instructions online, but two basic ergonomic rules say that your forearms should be parallel to your work surface, and your screen should be high enough, so the web address bar is level with your eyes when you’re looking straight ahead.

3. Take Regular Breaks Even with the best posture and ergonomic furniture, your body still needs breaks. Get up and walk around every half hour, go for a walk or a run during your lunch break and or have a kitchen disco while your coffee is brewing!

Don’t forget to give your eyes a break too. Eyes can become tired and sore, and you can get headaches from too much looking at the computer screen.

Experts recommend the 20/20/20 rule: every twenty minutes, look at something that’s twenty feet away from you for twenty seconds. Try to embed this habit by looking up every time you finish a sentence or hit send on an email.

4. Eat Nutritious Food Make sure you take a proper lunch break. If you’re at home, it should be easier to make sure there are always healthy lunch and snack options available.

You’re just a few steps away from the household fruit bowl, after all.

Keep a pitcher or water bottle on your desk so you can stay well hydrated too.

4 Simple Ways to Avoid Procrastination When You Work from Home Working from home is every office worker’s dream, right? But how do you stay on track and not get caught up in those endless procrastination loops? When you don’t have to go into the office, it’s easy to get distracted by all the comforts and demands of home life. Whether it’s a sudden urge to do housework or the immediate need for snacks, before you know it, you’ve frittered away a couple of hours and not got any paid work done.

So how can you take back control and avoid procrastination when you’re working at home?

1. Make an Office Space Part of your procrastination problem is that your home is a relaxation space.

When you’re in an office, everything is geared towards work and getting the job done. Home is about chillaxing, housework, familial responsibilities. You need to carve out some space that is just for your work. A separate home office is a perfect solution, but having a proper desk setup also works. Set yourself up with a water bottle and a bowl of fruit for healthy snacking and to stop those regular trips to the kitchen!

2. Learn to Prioritize Be professional in organizing your time. Use a planner or a diary for deadlines and allot time in your day for particular tasks. If you’re a morning person, get your demanding or thought-heavy tasks done in the first half of the day.

Conversely, night owls can choose to work late or use morning time to sort emails or do admin. Make a daily task list and check things off as you achieve them. That last achievement will feel like a slam-dunk!

3. Stay Motivated Research has shown that lack of motivation is a crucial driver of procrastination. If your motivation is low, there’s little reason to get on with your work.

If you find it hard to stay focused on your work, consider using rewards to boost your motivation. It can be as simple as choosing to do a work task before

you check social media or have a movie night to celebrate hitting a milestone.

If you’re struggling, try reframing each piece of work as money in your pocket.

4. Use Apps Technology can be your friend in defeating procrastination. You can choose from several apps that will freeze distracting social media while you work. You can also choose to have a separate browser that is only used for work. Time tracking apps will help you see what you’re achieving, and as they generate reports, it will also help when it comes time for billing clients.

4 Simple Ways to Invigorate Your Work from Home Routine More and more people are choosing to work from home rather than an office.

Whether you're a freelancer, run a small business from your home, or work remotely for a company, there are ways to tweak your routine to keep you feeling motivated and stave off procrastination.

1. Adapt Your Commute Commuting is probably everyone's least favorite part of working. Crammed onto the subway or stuck in an endless traffic jam, commuting can be the bane of your working life. But it serves a very useful purpose in separating your home life from your office life. You can recreate that effect at home by developing a 'commute' routing before you start your work for the day.

Make it a habit to go for a brisk walk or go to the gym first thing. Make yourself a coffee before you sit at your desk. Do something that marks your entry into a new working day.

2. Use Your Senses to Get Focused Research has shown that the sensory experience of your environment influences how you feel about it. Your daily trip to the office provides a range of sensory experiences that are new and exciting and not like home. Think of what sounds, smells, and sights can help motivate you. Maybe some fresh flowers, scented candles, and soothing or uplifting music will make working from home more comfortable.

Make your home workspace a pleasant place to be.

3. Connect Through Video Isolation is a real risk for people working at home. Make the most of the video conferencing technology that's available and connect with colleagues and clients. Have a regular time slot where you're available for video meetings, so they don't intrude on your focused working time too much.

Video meetings also mean you have to look professional instead of slopping around unwashed, in sweat pants!

4. Prioritize Your Self-care It can be tempting to let your self-care slide when you're working at home.

Unless you have some discipline, one day can be much like another, and you can find your motivation lacking. Or you might find you're staying up later and later and not having enough energy to be productive during the day.

Try focusing on one aspect of self-care every week. Make a list of the self-care items that are important to you, starting with good sleep hygiene, fitness, healthy eating, and relaxing with friends and family. Be sure to include enough downtime so you can pursue your favorite hobbies and sports.

The better you take care of yourself, the more productive you will be at work.

4 Ways to Keep a Healthy Life/Work Balance When Working from Home The flexibility of working from home is a boon for more people than ever.

There are no stressful commutes, fewer interruptions, and often, less structured work hours. But if there is one pitfall with working from home, it is overworking and never truly switching off from thinking about work. There’s just not the same closure of walking out of the office every evening and segueing into your home life.

So how do you keep a balance between work and “you” time?

1. Have A Separate Work-Only Space Whether you are an entrepreneur, or your company allows you to work remotely, you need to have part of your home that is only used for business. A separate room for a home office is the best solution, but if you don’t have the space for that, a dedicated workstation will do just fine.

Make sure that this space is only used for business purposes (this can be important for tax reasons too). If you’re in your living room, make the boundaries clear by keeping the television and radio switched off and avoid the temptation of doing housework in between tasks. Keep work and home life as separate as possible.

2. Schedule Downtime Downtime is just as important as work time. You’ll soon suffer from burnout if you don’t ensure that you get some relaxation. Signal the priority you give to your downtime by scheduling it in your calendar. Be clear about your working hours and resist the temptation to peek at your work emails when you’re supposed to be relaxing.

3. Stick to A Working Week

Weekends are essential – you need time away from work to recharge. Keep to having specific days that are workdays and two days a week when it’s your weekend time. That doesn’t have to be Saturday and Sunday; you can choose which days work best for you and your business but do take a weekend’s worth of time off.

4. Prioritize Self-Care Self-care is vital when you work from home. You might feel tempted to work all hours, but just as you need time to chill, you also need time to exercise, get some pampering, and take care of yourself.

Working from home makes it easier to stick to a healthy, nutritious diet as you’re in control of what food comes into the house. Be sure to take lunch breaks, stay well-hydrated, and get a good night’s sleep.

5 Best Practices for Working from Home More and more people are deciding to embrace the flexibility of working from home. There are so many pluses, from cutting out the commute to being able to focus without the distractions of office life. But it can be a challenge to maintain motivation and productivity when it's just you and the cat.

So how do you organize your life to maximize the opportunities of working from home? Here are some expert tips to help you stay on track.

1. Have a Dedicated Office Space It's essential to keep the work and the living spaces of your home separate.

Having a dedicated home office is the best solution, but you can also have a desk and computer set-up that you only use for work. The important thing is to be able to separate your working area from your chillaxing, family, and sleeping areas.

Using your laptop on the sofa won't cut it when it comes to being productive and focused.

2. Stick to a Morning Routine Having a regular work morning routine will help you to get into work mode.

You need to feel professional and prepared before you sit down to check your emails.

Get up at the same time every day, have a proper breakfast, and go for a walk or to the gym. Think of your morning walk as a sort of mimic for a commute.

When you come home, grab and coffee and go straight to your desk, and you'll be ready to start your workday.

3. Stay in Touch When you're working remotely, it's even more important to touch base.

Isolation can be a real risk for home workers. There's no one to bounce ideas off or share good or bad news with. Set up regular video meetings with your colleagues and your boss. And don't forget to maintain the social connections

with your team. Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you have to miss out on coffee mornings, lunches, or dinners. You can meet up in person or have a virtual get-together.

4. Stick to a Schedule Using a planner or a diary will help you stay on top of deadlines and commitments. You can either use an old-fashioned but highly effective wall planner and hard copy diary or set up an online calendar system. Daily and weekly task lists will make you more efficient and productive.

5. Commit to Self-Care Self-care is super important when you're working from home. Make sure to take regular breaks and have a proper lunch away from your computer.

Schedule walks out of the house at least once during your working day. Drink plenty of water and keep healthy snacks in the house.