Making Space For a Spouse While Working From Home

I admire couples who can work from home together and not strangle each other by the end of the day. It's not that I'm unreasonable, bitchy or territorial (at least not all of the time), but there's no way I could stand to share an office with a spouse. Period.

Part of the reason is that I'm from a family of five kids which makes me want my own space, my own supplies and as much privacy as possible. My site is called Working Naked, after all.

The other part is that too much of a good thing can be bad. You may adore your spouse but if you spend every day and night with him or her, you may drain the fun out of your business and your relationship.

If you're still willing to work with your spouse, there are a few ways to keep the peace so no one considers hiring a hit man by closing time.

Buy duplicate supplies. No one likes to reach for a stapler and realize it's on someone else's desk or in another room. Get creative and buy two sets of office supplies in different colors.
Use separate equipment. There's nothing wrong with cutting costs, but sharing a computer to save money will cost you in the long run. Whether you use a desktop and your spouse uses a laptop, each of you should have your own equipment. If neither one of you needs to print often, share a printer.
Leave the room when you need to take a call. Unless you can talk quietly and not bother your spouse while he or she is in the office, leave the room. Anyway, it's good to get away from your desk throughout the day.
Use separate desks. Whether you install a long counter with two workspaces or use two desks, keep them away from each other.
Stay in your own territory. If you and your spouse have different working styles, a neat freak spouse doesn't want to find stacks of paper on his or her desk. Keep your piles to yourself. If you're the pack rat spouse and like to work with papers piled everywhere, your picky spouse may drive you nuts when he or she tries to straighten the piles or convince you to toss everything.
Compromise on the temperature. You may like the office to be as cold as a meat locker, but not everyone likes to wear three sweaters, a hat and gloves to work. Consider using a fan for your side of the room and keep the thermostat at a reasonable temperature.I'm a firm believer in everyone working together, but not always in the same space.

Lisa Kanarek is one of the nation's leading home office experts and the author of several books, including Working Naked: A guide to the bare essentials of home office life, Home Office Solutions, Organizing Your Home Office For Success and 101 Home Office Success Secrets. She is the founder of [http://WorkingNaked.com]WorkingNaked.com, a blog dedicated to helping anyone working from home either part time, full time, or even to occupy time.

Kanarek has been a guest on several national programs including Good Morning America, CNN and TBS. She has also been featured - as an author and in interviews - in hundreds of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Entrepreneur.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Making-Space-For-a-Spouse-While-Working-From-Home&i...] Making Space For a Spouse While Working From Home

Filed under  //   The Wall   Wall Street Journal   cnn   newsweek   office   part time   tbs   time  

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How a Home Business Can Handle Disaster

If you work from home, you likely already have a plan in place for you, your family, and your home in case there's a natural disaster. But you also need to consider what precautions and steps you need to take in order to protect your business. Some losses may be covered with your basic insurance (and you'll want to explore those options with your insurance company too) but there are additional steps.

- Develop A Plan -As mentioned, you likely have a plan for your family, home, and pets, but what about your business? You're going to want to be able to get back to work as soon as possible - for both financial and emotional reasons - so take the time to plan what you will do if and when there's a disaster.

- Backup Your Files -You'll want to make copies of all your important files and, if possible, keep them in an off-site location. Saving your files in different formats and different locations, helps make sure at least one copy is protected.

- Keep Good Records -One of the biggest things that will allow you to bounce back quickly from a disaster is keeping good records. Yes, you should backup your files, but if those files are disorganized and confusing, you'll be practically starting from scratch anyway.

- Power/Internet -If the power goes out, your Internet is likely out too. Have an extra battery for your laptop or a backup power source for your desktop. Consider having a cell phone plan that allows tethering if, in an emergency, you'll need to get online.

- Have Some Savings -Even if you have insurance, you're going to want to put away some money regularly to cover a disaster. This will especially help you get back on your feet quickly, as filing and resolving claims can be a long process.

- General Home Precautions -Have a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, and other supplies in your home. Keep tabs on possible storms (tornados, hurricanes, etc.) that are coming your way. This will help you respond quickly if things escalate.

- Temporarily Relocate -Once everyone is safe and secure, it will be important to get back to work. In an especially bad disaster, this could take days or weeks, which could mean lots of lost revenue. Consider what your options could be to temporarily relocate so you can keep your business afloat.

Scott Spjut is a writer and editor who has been featured in various magazines, newspapers and websites, including Newsweek, the Washington Post, CBS News and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With a B.A. in Communications, he continues to write on a wealth of topics - politics, health and fitness, business, marketing and more. Scott currently works with [http://professionalmarketinginternational.org]Professional Marketing International helping people change their lives.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-a-Home-Business-Can-Handle-Disaster&id=4913087] How a Home Business Can Handle Disaster

Filed under  //   anyway   business   cbs   insurance   keep   newsweek   possible   power   scott  

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Creative Commons Explained

The prevalence of the Internet - especially sites like YouTube, Flickr, and other sharing sites - has brought the issue of copyright front and center for a lot of people. Some feel that traditional copyright laws don't blend well with the current media channels, or should at least be adapted accordingly.

Creative Commons, founded in 2001, is a non-profit organization located in San Francisco striving to make it easier for people to share and promote their own work and the work of others. They have developed a set of free copyright licenses to show how a work can be altered or distributed, if at all.

There are four licenses offered by Creative Commons -

Attribution: which allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and any derivative works, but only if properly attributed,

Non-Commercial: which allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and any derivative works, but only for non-commercial purposes,

No Derivative Works: which allows others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the original work, but not any works derived from it,

and Share Alike: which allows others distribute derivative works as long as the licenses associated with the original work stay intact.

While these four licenses technically provide 16 different potential combinations, only six combinations are used with any regularity -

Attribution: which allows people to share and make money off your work as long as you are properly attributed,

Attribution Share Alike: which adds to Attribution that all new works must keep the original licenses,

Attribution No Derivates: which adds to Attribution that the work must remain unchanged,

Attribution Non-Commercial: which allows people to share - but not make money off of - your work as long as you are properly attributed,

Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike: which adds to Attribution Non-Commercial that all new works will keep the original licenses,

and Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives: which adds to Attribution Non-Commercial that the work must remain unchanged.

There are various applications for this in music, software, art, and more. A creator just needs to decide if they want credit, if they want people to be able to make money off their original work, if they want people to be able to change the work, and if someone does change it, whether or not that person can change the licensing.

Anyone interested in apply for a free license can search online to apply and find out more about the organization.

Scott Spjut is a writer and editor who has been featured in various magazines, newspapers and websites, including Newsweek, the Washington Post, CBS News and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With a B.A. in Communications, he continues to write on a wealth of topics - politics, health and fitness, business, marketing and more. Scott currently works with [http://pmicoachingblog.com/blog]Professional Marketing International helping people change their lives.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Creative-Commons-Explained&id=4886993] Creative Commons Explained

Filed under  //   cbs   change   commercial   creative   flickr   must   newsweek   people   work   youtube  

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Why Fill Out a Toys R Us Application? There Are So Many Lucrative Home Based Businesses to Consider

Have a look online at all the Multilevel Marketing companies that offer great opportunities. Consider something like ContractXchange where you represent quality big name companies and simply take orders for them through their online system. Have a look at Big Ticket To Wealth and see the dozens of online mentoring programs they offer and the success stories that they showcase on their website and through their daily webinars.

You can simply start your own home based business with something that you are passionate about. For example you can design jewelery, you can offer business plans and resumes, you can start a dog walking business, you can offer consultation in something that you are an expert in. So many to choose from however you will have to do some research and find out what would be appealing to you.

You should also consider home base business statistics before you venture into it. The one statistic that you should look at is what type of business is doing well and the pros and cons of that particular business. Consider the following statistics:

approximately 36.6 million home based businesses in the U.S.
Newsweek magazine predicts that in the near future, almost half of the households of America will be involved in one form of home based business or other.
The Home Based Business Institute is of the opinion that 70% of the home based businesses in the U.S last for a period of at least 3 years or more.
This form of business generates an annual revenue of $427 billion.
70% of the total home based business is run by women.
48% of the home based business owners are graduates while 22% are involved in white collar jobs.
This form of business generates 8500 job opportunities on a daily basis.
The Small Business Administration states that 53% of the small businesses located in America are home based.
Such business concerns have an average annual income of $63000 per year.

This is just some information that you can consider before filling out your toys r us application or waiting for your phone call for you interview while they sort out the thousands of applications I can only assume they receive.

Mike Zareski is a Top Internet Marketer and an accomplished Entrepreneur who assists others in helping them create success in their lives with the use of the internet. Whether you are a total beginner or seasoned pro, learn how to use Top Internet Marketing tools to build a very Successful and Lucrative Online Business by simply visiting http://www.checkitout2010.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Fill-Out-a-Toys-R-Us-Application?-There-Are-So-Many-Lucrative-Home-Based-Businesses-to-Consider&id=3982935] Why Fill Out a Toys R Us Application? There Are So Many Lucrative Home Based Businesses to Consider

Filed under  //   business   newsweek  

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Opportunity

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