Tag Archives: work from home

Mar11

2023 All About Me

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2023 All About Me

Hello!! Your favorite Lil Red blogger has had a very busy past few months. Between bunny parenthood, new jobs, and the kerfuffle of daily life, I am ready for a little break any time now! It has been a while since we have had an updated All About Me post and I figured no better time than the present to talk a bit more in depth about everything happening in Lil Red’s world. Let’s get to it:

Bunny Babies:

Johnny and I have had our Lionhead bunnies, Mel and Penelope, for over four months now and they are thriving! In fact, I would say that they are fully settled to their new lives with us. Melvin is as adventurous as ever and loves to evade his dad by getting under the couch and exploring the non bunny proofed area while he plays video games lol. He is never too quick for his dear old mom, though! Melvin is not quite a year old yet and he is also never too old for an evening cuddle with me. It’s so sweet! ❤

Penelope took a decent amount of time to get acclimated to her new setting and I think that we are finally there. Her favorite activities are eating leafy greens from my hand and chilling out in her go to spot behind the hutch. Pen and Mel both also really enjoy being brushed, which is great as they are long haired and shedding season has been nuts! I was very proud of Penelope because this past week, she explored a few stairs for the first time but was scared to go down. She let me know of her distress by making some noise and allowed me to pick her up and take her back to the floor. Pen still isn’t the biggest fan of Johnny, but she sure loves her mom! 😀

New Job, No Prob:

I have a very entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy both my work as a provider for people with special needs and a writer so much. In the new year, I was really hoping to take my writing work to the next level and that happened on January third. I am currently managing a plethora of social media pages and building websites and businesses with my new boss and it is awesome! Between three jobs, it can be a bit stressful during the work week but I make it work. I am learning so many new things and being able to work from home a lot and hang out with Mel and Pen is such a joy. Eventually, I will decrease my work out in the field but, for now, I am just loving the experience!

Accomplishing Goals:

One of my other goals for the new year was creating a lot more OOTD content for lifewithlilred and I have been very dedicated to it. My sweet blog husband is also most helpful in that regard too! During the work week, I am rarely in the general public and put minimal effort into outfits and makeup. Saturday, however, is a totally different story! On Saturday afternoons, Johnny and I go on an outing for a lunch date, errands, or a visit at his or my parents and end up taking OOTD pictures some time in between. Johnny is always so accommodating and Saturday has definitely become our designated picture day. This setup has worked wonderfully and I look forward to our date days every week. ❤

Birthday Extravaganza:

Starting on March 7th and ending on June 7th, Johnny and I have lots to celebrate. In three months, there are seven birthdays in my family and mine and Johnny’s second wedding anniversary. I love this time of the year because I LOVE shopping for birthday presents and taking part in someone’s special day. I am also very excited for mine and Johnny’s second birthaversary jubilee and cannot wait to put together another get together to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary in one mega event!

Nothing Too Exciting:

As I have been working three very involved jobs for the past three months and Johnny is in a constant state of tired from his demanding job, we haven’t been doing much of anything. Part of it is the weather and part of it is exhaustion! That’s okay, though, because we rally around this time of the year when the sun starts setting later. We might not do anything during the work week but we do end up staying up later than our normal seven PM bedtime and that’s good enough for me. We are thinking of doing a few weekend trips this summer and it will be so nice to have a getaway of our own considering we haven’t even had a honeymoon yet. All in good time!

As busy as these past few months have been, I will never be too busy to post daily on lifewithlilred or get my nails done. Peep those tomorrow and keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! ❤

What is new in your world? Is anything exciting coming up for you soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Apr27

Working From Home With Kids? Follow These Tips!

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Working From Home With Kids? Follow These Tips!

One of the biggest challenges any parent has is trying to work at home with kids in tow. You may struggle to keep them occupied over the summer vacation, but when you are working at home with kids around, there is no one size fits all approach. But here are a few ideas that you may want to get inspiration from:

Don’t Work From Your Couch:

The most important takeaway from Work From Home 101 is that if you really have to sit down on the couch while your kids are running around, you are not going to get anything done! You need to have a space that is purely for work and work alone. When you go there, you need to almost instantly click into work mode.

If you have a spare room, that’s great, but if you need to set up a space in the kitchen or carve out a corner in your bedroom, it has to feel like a working environment. If there’s room for an adjustable desk, set it up with work related paraphernalia so, at the very least, you’ve got the opportunity to focus. When you’ve got a working space you need to communicate this to your children, and when you really have to get things done, they need to know not to bother you. This is not always easy, but this is where the next rule might be worthwhile.

Relaxing Screen Time Rules:

You may be very strict when it comes to screen time but if you have a chunk of time where you know you’ve got to be focused, giving your kids the tablet will help you out here. The great thing is that now there are plenty of apps out there that will help you to keep track of what your kids can and cannot watch, as well as the time limits.

Get Up a Little Earlier:

This is something that many parents swear by, but in order to do this effectively, you’ve got to understand what you need to achieve by the end of the working day. Rather than defining your day based on how many hours you work, look at the tasks you need to complete and which can be broken down into tasks where you need supreme focus or lesser focus. For example, emails may require you to focus in bursts of five minutes or so, but more time intensive tasks may require you to get up before the kids and get this done.

Keep Your Stress Levels Down:

It’s so easy to get frustrated when your children are vying for your attention. But as many people have had to figure out how to do this during the pandemic, they couldn’t wait for kids to go back to school. But the reality is that there are so many more people working from home now, so you need to get the balance right when the kids are home during summer vacation or spring break. You need to remember that it will pass. Because there’s no point in getting hugely frustrated by it as it’s only going to intensify the situation and make it worse.

Working from home with kids can be a huge challenge but it is doable. Follow the tips above to help you get started!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan15

How To Stay Clear Minded And Focused Throughout The Day

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How To Stay Clear Minded And Focused Throughout The Day

If you’re someone who tends to get distracted and you find it harder to focus the longer the day drags on, there are many reasons why that might be the case. Today, we’re going to take a look at the things you can do to stay focused and be more clear minded throughout your working day. A combination of the ideas discussed below might deliver exactly what you’re looking for:

Go to Bed and Get Up Earlier:

First of all, you should take a look at your sleeping patterns and routines. If you’re going to bed late and then skipping the alarm five times before you get out of bed, your mornings are always going to be more chaotic and stressful than they should be. And that can lead to problems with focus due to a lack of sleep and a good morning routine throughout the day. So go to bed earlier and get up earlier too.

Take Regular Breaks:

It’s a good idea not to work yourself too hard if you can help it. By taking regular breaks away from your desk and the computer screen throughout the working day, you can make sure that you’re not becoming too tired and drained. If you don’t take breaks, by the time you reach the middle of the afternoon, you’ll probably be exhausted and your performance will decline.

Drink More Water:

Drinking more water and staying hydrated throughout the day is one of the best things that you can do to stay focused and keep your mind clear. You’ll become more distracted and irritable, finding it harder to stay focused when you’re not staying properly hydrated. If you don’t really enjoy drinking water, you can find a coffee or try the best bubble tea you can find; just stay away from drinks that contain too much sugar.

Stay Away from Excessive Multitasking:

Staying away from too much multitasking is definitely a good idea if you want to make sure that you don’t get bogged down in too much work. When you multitask, you also don’t work in a way that’s efficient. So try to focus on taking on one task at a time because that’s usually something that yields better results and better focus throughout the whole day.

Work on Building Willpower:

Finally, you should think about whether your willpower or a lack of it is negatively impacting your work performance. If you struggle to focus on the task at hand, it might be because you give in to distractions and other temptations too easily. By training your brain to focus on what you’re doing and building your willpower up, you should be able to stay focused for longer.

We all need to stay on our A game throughout the day, especially when we’re juggling our jobs with our family responsibilities and the like. If focus is something that you’ve been struggling with lately, be sure to give the ideas above a try and see if they help you out!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan14

Managing Working Remotely When You’re Feeling Ill

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Managing Working Remotely When You’re Feeling Ill

If one ‘good’ thing has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that people have been staying at home when they feel ill, rather than dragging their sick selves into the office. However, with working from home becoming more and more prevalent, and looking like it is going to be sticking around for the foreseeable future, more and more people will be logging in and working from home while feeling less than perfect. Of course, in an ideal world, we would all stay in bed and rest, but we are realistic enough to know that this is not always possible, particularly if you work for yourself.

In this blog post, we will look at how to manage your work when you are feeling ill:

Dress comfortably:

One of the benefits of working from home is that, unless you are forced to participate in a video call, you can get away with wearing whatever you want. Usually, to be productive and get in the right mindset for a working day, we would advise you to get up and get dressed into something work appropriate. However, if you are ill, take advantage. If a hoodie and sweats are comfortable and keep you at the right temperature, then wear them. If you want to stay in your PJs, stay in them. If you do have to attend a video call, throw a smart jumper or shirt on for the call – no one will notice if you are wearing your cat print PJ bottoms!

Eat well and stay hydrated:

While it can be tempting to load up on carbs or just eat junk food when you are unwell, it is even more important than ever to eat well, if you can manage it. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies for that vitamin C boost and do not forget the good old chicken soup – always a winner when you are sick! Have a look here to find out how to make chicken broth. Try to avoid drinking too much coffee, and stick to water to keep you hydrated and fresh fruit juice for extra vitamins.

Try to rearrange or delegate as much as possible:

Make every effort to postpone any meetings that you know you will not be able to attend over the next few days. Make sure that everyone is aware of the changes and reschedule things accordingly. You can also ask if someone can record the online meeting or take notes so that you can review them afterwards.

Look at breaking up your workday:

Breaking down your job into smaller, manageable components will help you as you begin to recover.  When you are sick, you will not be able to complete things as quickly as normal, so this is a great method to avoid a productivity slump. If you are supposed to work for eight hours, see if you can do four hours and then have a nap before completing the second half of the work. The last thing you need to do is overdo it and end up back where you started, or worse.

Prioritize important tasks:

A sick worker’s output is only about 60% of what it would be under normal circumstances. As a result, you will need to plan out exactly what tasks you will be able to complete while sick. Prioritize the things that must be performed during your sick day by examining your deadlines and schedule.

Be reasonable with your expectations:

Acknowledge that you will not be able to work as hard as usual when you are sick. Do not push yourself too hard and do not let yourself get exhausted. If you go overboard, you could put off your recovery or make yourself sicker. If you need to get things done, do so, but do not forget to take a break.

Reward yourself for small achievements:

Each day, give yourself a reward for accomplishing your goals. Sick days are the perfect time to indulge in some of your favorite comfort foods, hot beverages, naps, or your favorite movie. You should be proud of yourself for managing to get so much done despite your illness.

The important thing to remember is that if you feel too ill to work, you need to stop and rest. While it may be inconvenient, it will be even more so if you run yourself into the ground. Stop, rest, and you will recover and be back before you know it!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Jan14

Improving Your Staff’s Work From Home Experience

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Improving Your Staff’s Work From Home Experience

Working from home has become the new norm amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While some have taken to it like a fish to water, others are still struggling with not being at the office every day. If you are managing a staff that is working from home, it’s important to do what you can to keep their overall work experience a positive one. You could start with the following:

IT support:

Working from home can turn into a nightmare if one of the programs that you use crashes. Having the best IT support for your staff is a must so that your employee’s can get their tech problems solved quickly and stress free. It also might be a good idea to offer tutorial videos for new programs and updates for those who are not super tech savvy.

Checking in:

Remember the good old days when you could simply pop into an employee’s office to give them updates or shoot the breeze? It’s definitely not the same over email and instant messaging but it’s important to continue a rapport with each of your employees. They are looking to you for guidance during these unsettling times and it will be nice for them to know that they can still come to you for help or just a quick chat!

Offering for staff to continue to work from home:

So many of my friends would love to continue working from home post pandemic and I am sure that countless others feel the same way. A lot of employees have found that they are much more productive and comfortable when they are doing their job in their own space. If some of your staff is interested in continuing to work from home, giving them that option might be a good thing to consider.

A weekly just for fun meeting:

It is probably really difficult for some of your employees to not be around their coworkers when they are on break or have a spare minute. It’s a wonder what a little social time can do to improve your mood during a work day! Break up the day to day routine by offering a a fifteen or so minute Zoom meeting just for fun. Your employees will enjoy hearing updates from all of their work friends and will be in a much better mood for the rest of the day.

Hate it or love it, working from home is here to stay for a while longer. Use the tips above to continue to help your employees succeed and feel their best during these crazy times.

Jan7

Everything Going Wrong? Let’s Take Care Of It!

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Everything Going Wrong? Let’s Take Care Of It!

We are all under a lot of stress right now given the world’s current state and it is not a great place to be mentally. Especially when you are constantly having “straw that broke the camel’s back moments” when anything else goes wrong. I feel it one hundred million percent so let’s all take a deep breath (Did you do it?) and we’re going to address some common problems and feelings that might happen and how to deal with it with a level head:

Appliances Breaking:

In the words of Bender from The Breakfast Club, “Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place”. Unfortunately, this means that things are subject to break and when you notice that one of your home appliances is on the fritz, it’s important to deal with it quickly. We rely on appliances to make things easier for us and hand washing dishes or trips to the laundromat is the last thing you need. Seek out the best appliance repair services and get things back in working order so you can breathe easier.

Difficulty Working From Home:

Working from home is not for everyone and not even being able to leave the house to go to the office can make things very monotonous. If you are struggling with working from home, try doing all of the things that you would usually do if you were to go to the office in the morning. Take a shower, get dressed in something other than sweatpants, fix your hair, and eat a good breakfast. Also try having your lunch or breaks at their normally scheduled times. Sticking to a schedule and checking off everything on your morning to do list will help make you more motivated and add some normalcy to your day.

Feeling Lonely:

Sadly, feeling lonely is very common for people during the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s no wonder why. It’s hard not being able to see friends and family regularly as well as not having much to look forward to. If you are feeling alone it is important to reach out and talk to someone even if you don’t want to. I live for my scheduled FaceTime chats with my friends and it is the next best thing to seeing them in person. Send a text, make a call, or hop on Zoom to see some friendly faces or hear a familiar voice. It will do you a world of good.

Feeling Bored:

Also sadly, feeling bored is very common for people during the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s no wonder why! There is only so much Netflix you can watch, video games you can play, and books you can read until you are officially one with your couch. You need something new so now is the perfect time to begin that hobby you always wanted to try or work hard on your New Year’s resolutions. Take time out of your schedule each day to work on your new skill and you will be surprised at how far you’ve come when things are finally normal again.

These are overwhelming times, indeed, and it is important to know how to deal with problems even when you are so stressed. Think rationally about what you are experiencing or feeling and then make the best decision on what you can do to make the situation better. Let’s do this!

Sep29

Having Trouble Focusing While Working From Home?

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Having Trouble Focusing While Working From Home?

Many of us have had to get used to the prospect of working from home over the past few months. While there are undeniable benefits to being able to take care of business in your own space, a lot of people have trouble adjusting to it, as well. If you’re having trouble getting productive, here are a few solutions that might help you get back on top of things:

You’re not making time for it:

With the flexibility that comes with working from home, it might feel tempting to simply do work whenever it suits you and not have any solid plans. However, this tends to end up wrecking your work-life balance. It’s a good idea to find what time you’re more productive and create a daily schedule around that, complete with strict starting and finishing times. This way, your life and work-life don’t start to bleed together to the point that you feel like you have to be half “on” whenever you’re in the home.

You’re surrounded by clutter:

It might sound like the difference would be minimal, but a neat and organized desk actually has a big impact on your mental condition while you’re working. Clutter has been shown to be a more significant cause of stress than we otherwise give it credit for. Maximizing closet space and making use of things like desk trays in the home office can ensure that you’re not surrounded by bits and bobs all day long. You may find that your office space becomes cluttered quickly because you don’t have enough surfaces to work at. If that is the case, then it might be time to check out Office Monster to see if there is any furniture that you could add to your current set up to help better organize your space so you can complete your day’s work free of distractions.

Your office doesn’t give the right vibe:

This point might sound nebulous, but getting yourself in the right headspace to work is vitally important. As such, investing in decor that can help you create a quirky but professional vibe is important. You want to make sure that you’re surrounded by imagery and designs that inspire and energize you while also ensuring that the workplace is subtle enough that it doesn’t serve as an ongoing distraction. For some people, it might be as simple as hanging a few pieces of art to give the room some life.

You’re physically uncomfortable:

Of course, even if your office gives the vibe you need and is organized to perfection, you’re going to have a hard time enjoying it if you’re dealing with a sore back. You might not notice the impacts of poor posture immediately, but if you start to feel some aches and pains in your back and joints towards the end of the day, that means it’s time to look at your chair and desk setup. Ergonomic furniture design can help support these achy parts of you, leading to a more comfortable working day while decreasing the chances that you might actually injure yourself.

It isn’t always easy to create a home office that feels right for your working needs. However, it’s worth taking the time to implement fixes and find what works for you rather than letting yourself start to hate the prospect of working at home entirely.

Featured Image By: Pexels

May1

The Ultimate Guide To Help You Understand Telecommuting

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The Ultimate Guide To Help You Understand Telecommuting

We live in a digital world and the concepts of a daily commute or corporate cubicles can be a thing of the past for people who telecommute. What is telecommuting? It’s when an employee of a company can do their work from home.

This can be full-time at-home work or part-time, but the key is the ability to do almost all of one’s daily work activities from home. There is no need to visit the office or even have an office. While telecommuting is more popular than ever, it’s not as easy as it seems.

In today’s post, we’ll explain some of the best practices for telecommuting and how you can be more efficient:

What Is Telecommuting and Is it for Me?

There are some jobs that are more suited for telecommuting than others. Jobs that require the use of computers and online tools work best. If your job requires hands-on labor or to use assets only available at the office, then telecommuting would be difficult.

The digital world of today is suited for telecommuting because cloud storage, Internet use at home, and reasonably priced computers have made it possible for people to have everything they need without leaving their homes.

Telecommuters can connect with company assets and data via their Internet connection, password protected online servers, and company websites. Types of jobs that allow for telecommuting include sales and marketing, healthcare, education, customer service, and information technology.

If this sounds like your job or a type of living you want, then telecommuting might be right for you.

Reasons Businesses Offer Telecommuting:

With telecommuting jobs on the rise, companies understand the benefits of offering it to their employees, but not all companies. If you’re a business owner, then consider allowing your employees to work from home at least part-time.

How much money do you spend to rent or buy office space every year? Has your company grown, and you need to expand your office to accommodate new employees? Telecommuting decreases these costs substantially. You don’t need an office at all or you can have a small office to meet with clients, etc. and never worry about expanding. Since most of your employees work from home, you can hire new ones without expanding your office space.

Studies show employees will work for less money if telecommuting is an option for their job. You can also hire employees from anywhere in the world and not worry about them moving to the area. They can stay wherever they are, so your pool for potential employees grows.

Telecommuting and Efficiency:

If you’re planning on telecommuting, then you need to have a good work ethic and be efficient. One of the biggest motivators for in-office employment is the ability for the manager to make sure the work is done on time. You can’t procrastinate if there is a manager hanging over you that wants daily meetings. When you work from home, it’s more difficult to focus and work because you’re surrounded by the familiar.

Before telecommuting, the home was a place of leisure. It’s where you could forget about work and enjoy your family and the comforts of home. It can be difficult to shake that feeling when you need to work from home.

Don’t work in your pajamas or from your bed. Treat the telecommuting day as you would any other. Wake up, get dressed in work-appropriate clothes, and work from an at-home office area. This will help you focus on work time and not home time. If you can’t be efficient from home, then your company may not offer the option.

Working from home is great because it offers you flexibility, lower stress, and an atmosphere that you control. It also requires focus and discipline to get the necessary work done and not be distracted by the comforts of home.

Keeping Telecommuting Secure:

The biggest worry an employer has about their data is security. Your servers house everything about your company and customers and it needs to be secure, but how can you do that with telecommuting employees? We’ve seen countless stories about data breaches in the news and you don’t want that to happen to you. You can provide your employees with computers that have security programs or provide them access to the security programs for at-home computers.

Keeping data secure 2021 is so important because our whole lives tend to be on our devices. Whether working from home or on vacation, always do checks for viruses or unusual activity frequently to prevent from getting hacked and having sensitive information stolen.

Beating the Telecommuting Blues:

At first, telecommuting seems amazing for employees. They don’t have to commute and still get paid without dealing with an office. After a while, the employees begin to miss having coworkers and may get cabin fever because they never seem to leave the house. Work friends and human interaction are important, and telecommuting removes that.

If you want to beat the telecommuting blues, then you need to continue having work relationships despite working from home. Video chat meetings via Zoom or other programs allows people to see their co-workers and chat about not only work but life as well.

Schedule time to leave the house during the week for fun activities with your friends. Have a drink after work or go see a movie. It’s important to maintain relationships when telecommuting or else it can be lonely.

Keep Employees in the Loop:

When dealing with telecommuting employees, the manager must remember to keep them in the loop. In offices where the employees are a mix of in-office and at-home, managers may forget to loop virtual workers in on meetings or changes to projects.

This not only hurts the business but also makes the telecommuting employees feel less important than those working in the office. You must maintain communication with telecommuters and provide the same feedback for projects, success, etc. that you would for those working in the office.

If you are considering working from home or letting your employees telecommute, use the tips above for the best success!