Archive for the ‘Office’ Category
It used to be that working from home was reserved only for the self-employed, those who have their own businesses and are classified as those who live in the upper class of society. These days, working from home has become a growing trend – thanks to technology, businessmen can outsource their employees, save on overhead costs of keeping an office and offer higher compensation for their employees.
Working from home sure does have many advantages. The value of home-workers is their high productivity and low absenteeism. They enjoy a no-commute job, which is results-based, and the adaptability of flexi-time hours: perfect for improving the health of workers who have adverse difficulty moving around. However, it can also be a disadvantage if one doesn’t know how to balance their working hours from their leisure hours. You can either end up lagging behind at work or not knowing how to relax because you get stressed all the time thinking of the work you go to do.
This is where the benefits of having your own garden office comes in. Most people think that having a garden office built is an expensive thing to consider. But if you plan well enough and meet with the right builders, this modular garden office can be a reality. (This is one of the portfolios from Atelier).
Look at how amazing it looks in the inside as well. Wouldn’t you want to work in this kind of office? You face wall windows so natural light floods your office. You can relax your eyes by starting the green surroundings if you need to rest a bit from using the computer too much. It also will allow you to separate work from home, in a way. The garden office is a part of your home but is still apart from it in a way that when you go there, you and everyone in the household know you are in there to work.
This place allows you to detach yourself from personal issues and to focus exclusively on your job. Due to modern technology, the building is designed to help you in different activities.
For work and play, this beautiful extra space from your back garden will fulfill all of your needs. Whether you build this place alone, or with an expert’s help, in a matter of days you will be able to start enjoying your new room. The natural beauty of wood combined with the traditional materials which are adapted to the contemporary design, all these will create efficient and beautiful garden offices designed to accommodate your work or entertain guests.
The growing trend for women these days is to work from home. Thanks to technology, women can now report to work from home. It allows them to be able to save on day care center fees and take care of the children themselves. It is also a great set up for women who are pregnant and need to be on limited bed rest.
When you work from home, especially if you run a business, it would be best to convert a room or allocate a space in your house solely for work. It will help you be organized and separate “work” and “leisure” even when you are at home. It will also help you stay on schedule.
If you have a work area already, it is advisable to build up your office supply slowly. The basic things like office paper you can get at a cheaper rate if you buy from an office supply store.
Here are some of the essential office equipment you would need:
A computer. This goes without saying in this day and age. Even if your business is done locally and not online, you need to have a computer to keep your business in order. From managing your own website to running bookkeeping software, your computer is an essential tool of your home office. Almost anything can be done from your computer – even calling business clients/contacts, managing meetings and appointments and filing paperwork (if it’s digital)
A fax machine/copier/printer. This three in one tool is perfect for small businesses. You’ll be able to send and receive faxes, copy paperwork and print off documents from your computer. Make sure you get a quality machine because it will be doing so much in your office.
A filing cabinet (or several). Even if you do business online there is going to be a lot of paperwork involved in running your business. You will thank yourself in the future if you take the time to get organized when you start your business.
Planner calendar. This is essential for meeting client deadlines and keeping your business running smoothly. Make sure to calibrate your office calendar with any that you may keep online or on your computer.
It’s funny how printers mess up exactly when you need them the most. I’ve had several printers already and almost all of them gave up when the work load became tough, just like the one I have now. It almost makes me consider switching to laser printers if not for the cost of the laser printer cartridge.
The truth is I’ve tried different printer models before with printer cartridges being the main consideration for choosing the units that I chose. That’s because I print a lot of materials – some for my work, some for my husband’s, and the rest for my kids. The thing is replacement cartridges don’t exactly come cheap. In fact, there was even a point when my total expenses for the ink were already greater than the cost of buying a new printer.
This made me try other printer units. I thought perhaps switching printers might just help lessen the cost for ink so I got one that used a toner refill, and then another one with a continuous ink system. They all seemed to work fine at the beginning. However, after a few months, they too started bugging down.
To this point, I still have no idea where the problem lies – whether it’s in the printer, the ink, or the printing jobs. I really hope I find a more lasting solution soon.
Melissa’s consulting firm grew bigger in the last couple of years. She has been in the business for almost ten years but she considers the past few years her best in the business. Clients came pouring in that she felt the need to hire new officers and additional staff members. With the expansion in human resources, Melissa saw the need to move to a bigger office space. They have become crowded in the existing one. There is also the need to provide conference rooms for when clients, partners and other stakeholders come for meetings.
Just last week, she met with a broker who showed her prime locations to move her office into. One place, right smack in the center of the business district, caught her fancy and she immediately made an offer. She knows in her heart that she will win the bidding that her mind started to think of what to do with the Hardwood flooring. She can either install Shaw carpet wall to wall or change the existing one to Bruce hardwood floors. She also noticed that the lighting fixtures need updating. She kept these notes in mind to remind her later when she meets with the contractor. The broker called this morning. It seems like the move to that space is imminent and Melissa is pleased.
A friend recently had a problem with her current web hosting provider that she needed to switch providers immediately as her work is in the line. It was a good thing that we have a very close-knit of friends who are bloggers as well. She was referred to two providers she can choose from who have great feedbacks: HostMonster and BlueHost.
Here are some of the points about each company so you can compare too, just in case you need to switch hosting providers as well:
BLUEHOST:
Host Unlimited Sites
Unlimited Web Space
Unlimited Data Transfer
Free Domain Name
Starting from $6.95/mo
HOSTMONSTER:
Host Unlimited Sites
Unlimited Web Space
Unlimited Data Transfer
Free Domain Name
Starting from $5.95/mo
I have been getting a lot of questions about starting a blog and how to maintain it. It is basically easy. You would not need web hosting if you start with the free blogging platform services around like Blogger. You can redirect or forward your domain name to your blogspot blog. However, I also would want to recommend using WordPress as your blogging platform so you might want to consider getting webhosting services for that – it is easier. You can find a lot of website hosting options online, my domains are hosted by a friend who is a reseller of web site hosting packages so I can get it cheaper and she maintains and installs everything for me so consider me lucky.
Make sure you are updated with web hosting news as well, like when to upgrade your WordPress every now and then. You can find webhosting news on your host’s blog or news online.
You can always register the domain name with your host, but make sure that the registration is in your name. If you will be managing a business (an online store for example), you can get dedicated hosting.
It could work to your advantage if you are multi-lingual. It seems almost everybody is bilingual these days, learning their primary native language and English, the universally accepted language in the whole world. These days, most Asians like Koreans and Japanese flock to the country to learn English. You can always get translation services but it would still be better if you knew the language a little bit.
There is a translation service called Translia for their translation projects. Your assigned translator guarantees to meet deadlines and if it isn’t met, they give amazing discounts. The work is never stopped until the client is satisfied.
It pays to be multi-lingual so it is advisable to learn a third or fourth language.
Whenever there will be presentations at work, one needs three things to be able to pull it off and finish with flying colors: a drop dead gorgeous wardrobe, confidence and well-prepared and presented documents.
That is the reason why adobe pdf files are preferred over word documents. It can be read on either computer platforms (MAC or PC), and they are independent from computer and display resolution. Not to mention it can support links (internal and external), forms, javascript. and have different levels of encryption.
Your presentation documents are needed in MS Word f? Relax. You can convert word to pdf files with the help of a pdf maker !