By Katie Elizabeth

Do you crave perfection while you’re working on projects? Does this determination waste your time and force you to miss deadlines?

If you answered “yes,” you’re probably just like me. I recently discovered that my inner perfectionist had won the battle against efficiency and productivity. And as a woman working at home, accountable for my own time and results, I knew I had to find a way to outsmart this crippling inner voice.

Since I first realized my perfectionist problem, I spent quite a bit of time (probably too much – cue the perfectionist tendencies!) researching time management and perfectionist-fighting tips that I could implement in my daily life. (more…)

By Allison Rice

Since the popularization of the Internet, one of the fastest-growing trends in the professional world is telecommuting – and working from home has never been easier.

Meanwhile, corporate mega moguls (like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly) are instituting company-wide telecommuting bans and changes to the work-at-home policies.

Why?

According to Marissa Mayer, telecommuting kills the “communication and collaboration” required for innovation to flourish. That may very well be true for careers that require team-work; however, for solitary positions, face-to-face meetings may actually stifle the flow of creativity and efficiency.

At the same time, there are some very real concerns related to the accountability and productivity issues inherent in a work-at-home environment. (more…)

By Lewis Humphries

To those who experience the daily monotony of a 9-5 job role, working from home is the embodiment of professional success and achievement. From the outside looking in, independent contractors and self-employed individuals have achieved a semblance of professional independence and been afforded the opportunity to create an ideal work-life balance.

Recent research suggests that this perception is not wholly accurate, however, as it is estimated that home-based workers in the U.S. toil for an average of seven hours a week longer than those in regular office jobs. While there are many assumptions that can be made from these findings, it would appear there are a growing number of independent contractors who are struggling to either work productively from home or earn the requisite amount of money within a standard day.

Managing Time and Finances: 3 Tips to Succeed as a Home-Based Worker

With this in mind, what practical steps can home-based workers take to maximize their productivity while maintaining a reasonable work-life balance? Consider the following: (more…)

By Carole Bennett

Balancing Creativity and Momentum

It’s in the nature of most entrepreneurs to be creative and imaginative, to seize on new ideas and possibilities and bring them to reality. However, it’s also possible to have so many ideas and projects going at one time that none of them get to reach optimum momentum.

Here’s a checklist of things to consider before jumping into your next project, and suggestions on how to address them.

1. Do you have the time?

It’s one thing to dream of new possibilities, and how to make the world a better place; however, if you have a hard time saying “no”, you may find your “new baby” has taken over your life, to the detriment of your other goals and commitments. (more…)

By Louise Blake

Whether you’re juggling work with childcare, household chores or attempting to enjoy some semblance of a social life, you no doubt go to bed each night exhausted, wishing that there were more hours in the day, or days in the week, to get everything you need to do done.

However there are actually plenty of tasks you can tick off your list simply by multitasking effectively. Follow these simple tips and you could gain up to two extra hours a day by making a few small changes to your routine.

Gain 5 minutes

While you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, why not tackle any outstanding washing up or give your kitchen a quick clean? Little things like this will help the running of your home go more smoothly, and tackling it now, when you might otherwise be daydreaming out of the window, means you don’t have to worry about it later at night when the kids have gone to bed and you just want to relax. (more…)