So, You Think You Want to Be a Telecommuter?

Written by Debra A. Dinnocenzo


Do you yearn for a more balanced life and a more flexible approach to work? Do you dream about productive workdays that don’t includerepparttar drain of time and energy devoted to commuting? Do you spend time in traffic (onrepparttar 104621 highway or sitting in an airplane seat) and wonder if there might not be a better way?

More than 25 million Americans have discovered a better way! Teleworking has becomerepparttar 104622 work alternative of choice for ever-increasing millions of workers and managers. Andrepparttar 104623 trend is projected to continue at an accelerated rate. It’s estimated that by 2004, at least 25% of American workers will telework during some portion of their workweek.

What are keys to success and productivity forrepparttar 104624 growing legions of teleworkers? It’s clear that teleworking is not for everyone. For those who thrive on plenty of interaction with co-workers or who associaterepparttar 104625 traditional workplace withrepparttar 104626 motivation necessary to work, teleworking presents some challenges. Teleworking is also not a viable childcare solution since mixing work with childcare typically leads to diminished results in both areas.

Teleworking is ideally suited for workers who are relatively independent, effective time managers, skilled in planning and organizing, self-motivated, highly disciplined, technically proficient and who have a strong performance record. Those workers who telework effectively—and those who want to—are likely to benefit fromrepparttar 104627 following tips for teleworking success:

BE CERTAIN TELEWORKING IS RIGHT FOR YOU. Learn what’s required in terms of personal traits, work style, job requirements, organizational systems support, home office environment and family support. Address areas of concern through planning, training, negotiation and agreement-setting discussions.

DESIGN A PRODUCTIVE—AND SAFE—HOME OFFICE. Utilize an office layout that is conducive torepparttar 104628 type of work you do and your individual work style. Be certain that your home office provides sufficient light, ventilation, and work surfaces, as well as separation from noise and other distractions. Ensure that your electrical system supports your requirements, and avoid hazards such as excessive use of extension cords,repparttar 104629 absence of power-surge protection and stacks of boxes and other clutter that block walkways.

Why You Must Stop Setting Goals

Written by Maya Talisman Frost


My goal in life is to have no goals. They get inrepparttar way of true progress.

Plenty of successful people swear by goal setting. They're praisingrepparttar 104620 wrong behavior. Brain research tells us thatrepparttar 104621 goals don't matter--it'srepparttar 104622 intention that gets us where we want to go.

Intentions and goals are notrepparttar 104623 same. Goals tend to be arbitrary and number-oriented, such asrepparttar 104624 number of pounds lost, amount of money earned, number of hours spent inrepparttar 104625 gym, number of new clients introduced or new products developed. Intentions are big-picture statements about what fulfills you. It's a little harder to measure an intention, butrepparttar 104626 results are more meaningful.

Let's say you want to lose 20 pounds. How will you feel when you do that? What will your life be like if you are 20 pounds lighter? Establishing an intention requires recognizing what will satisfy you.

You want to lose weight so that you will feel healthy, strong, fit, confident, attractive, and sexy. The number onrepparttar 104627 scale isn't what matters most--it's how you feel each day.

Here's a weight loss goal: I will lose 20 pounds in five months.

Here's an intention: I feel strong, healthy, fit, confident, attractive and sexy.

The problem with typical goals is that we tend to get bogged down by our "even though" statements. We tell ourselves that we are going to lose 20 pounds EVEN THOUGH we failed last time, EVEN THOUGH we question our ability to do so, EVEN THOUGH we don't think we'll be able to maintain it. Our minds go directly torepparttar 104628 negative images and we sabotage our efforts before we even begin!

Here's a thought: Why not create an intention that will get your brain to work for you instead of against you?

Intentions allow us to picture ourselves--and how we'll feel--when we are successful. There's no room for failure inrepparttar 104629 picture. We focus onrepparttar 104630 positive and powerful feelings we'll have.

Intentions are always stated in present tense, as though you are already where you want to be. Instead of saying, "I will be strong, fit, healthy, etc.", you say, "I feel strong, fit, healthy, etc." What seems like a small semantic difference is a huge shift in our brains.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use