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By Pamela Robbins McCarty
I was going to write an article about writing emails. But, then I thought, “that isn’t very tech related.” There are lots of stories about that subject! So, I have chosen something that is interesting and relevant in our trying-to-save-money times.
Telecommuting – and actually getting work done.
I was a work at home freelancer for over 5 years. So, this is something I definitely have some experience in. And now that I have gone back to a ‘full-time’ job (that I can also telecommute to once a week) I really understand!
I would suggest having a dedicated workspace. For me, my office is in my room. It is a bummer that I can’t have a separate space. But, it is a dedicated area that is for working. I recently got a laptop (using it now…I am sitting in my bed using it.) But, mainly I use my standalone machine.
When you are at home working – you need to be working: Don’t do the laundry, wash the dishes, polish the silver, weed the yard, or clean the house. Just do work. If you feel you need to do other things, do those on your lunch break. Or have a dedicated time that you do non-work related projects.
I found that if I left the house to run an errand, that errand would take at least an hour – even if I was just dropping off mail. If I took my daughter to school in the morning, on the way home I would get coffee and get some exercise walking around Marshall’s. I would get home by 11:00.
I digress…
The most challenging part about telecommuting on days when you are normally in the office is using VPN and Remote Desktop. Getting your home computer and office/work computer talking to each other can be a huge challenge. Fortunately, it is not always necessary. But, it is helpful if you are trying to keep duplicate files from running around free on thumb drives, or sending files back and forth in emails.
To make VPN work well for you, make sure you do these things first:
- Test it out at the office first
- Make sure you know all the passwords you need
- Get the IP address of your machine at the other office (for Remote Desktop)
- Talk to your IT director/manager or help desk to get everything you need
- Get the phone number of the Help desk –just in case!
- If you have a laptop, bring it into your office and get it set up there so it is easier to get help if you need it (or have IT set it up)
I had a nightmare freelance project where I was strictly using VPN to telecommute into the office. I was only working 2 days a week. The first 2 days: I couldn’t connect – wrong password, wrong IP something, couldn’t connect, can’t use remote Desktop, and on and on. So, then I had to wait until the next week. Then, the same thing happened again. It took me to the 3rd week to get everything working. What a pain! There could have been some user error. But, this company did this all the time and things were not set up right on their end. Glad that project is over!!
To continue…
Email can also be a challenge. If your office has web mail, all you need is the URL from the office along with your password, and you should be good to go. Sometimes there are mild glitches, but just keep that help desk phone number handy (or you can use your own email to send someone a distress call…). If web mail is not available, you can often get access to your email by setting up an additional account on your personal machine’s email program. But, talk to your friends in IT first, and I am sure they have some definite opinions on how you should proceed.
Another important ingredient to successful telecommuting bliss is an Internet connection. Wireless is helpful if you want to work at the Coffee Shop Office, but not a requirement if you just work out of your home and have a direct Internet connection. The connection needs to be fast (especially if you are using VPN) and it needs to reliable. If you don’t have a connection, often you are dead in the water. If your work is on your laptop, you should be fine. But, if you VPN to your office machine, you may just have to go in that day.
Working from the Coffee Shop Office. Here in Seattle, this is very common. When I was freelancing, I did not have a laptop (cobblers family never has any shoes syndrome here…). So, I did not have the opportunity to join the new revolution. But, I would have done it if I could. Often, when you work at home alone everyday, you need to just talk to someone. So, the coffee shop office fills that need very well. (Thus my daily trips to my Coffee-shop-choice-of-the day and place-to-buy-stuff-of-the-day…) You need to do what ever you can to not go crazy. The goal to telecommuting is to relax, save on gas and get work done. Not get frustrated.
Get all your ducks in a row and do a little bit of prep work, and soon you to can be working from home.
Pamela lives in Seattle, WA, with her husband and daughter. Pamela is a Freelance Website/UI Designer and Co-Owner of Nico & Zoe Toys (http://www.nicoandzoe.com/)
By Ruthie Palmatier
They say that knowledge is power. I like to think that knowledge is not only power, but great big life raft. This weekend I had the opportunity to actually BE the meet director for the first time at our first time achievement swim meet of the season. I will be fully taking over after our big invitational meet in November, but for now, they are throwing the baton for me to run the smaller, 100-ish swimmer participation meets.
Being Meet Director is a big job and I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to know what is expected of me as a director, what each and every tasks is that needs to be done, and then actually know either how to either perform these tasks, or where to go to for help. Sometimes knowledge doesn’t come in a nice neat little package. There aren’t always training manuals, and even if there are, they may not be updated or accurate. So, when I didn’t know or wasn’t sure, I asked people. I probably irritated a few, but I made sure that I had gone through all of the steps and “what if” scenarios before this meet. And it went great! I had my lists, and supplies, and volunteers in place and the meet was a success.
Because this was our first meet of the new swim year, it meant this may very well have been the first swim meet for our new swimmers. The coaches had several meetings with parents and swimmers to discuss goals, expectations and the basic life of a swim family. Making sure these kids and their parents are educated on what to expect at a swim meet, proper nutrition, rest and recovery just to name a few, is key to overall success of the swimmer. I know when we started two and a half years ago; we missed a few key details. For example, one thing that was never mentioned to us was the fact that many new swimmers get disqualified in their first few races and swim meets. Boy was my son thrown for a loop when he was disqualified in 4 out of 5 events his first swim meet. And who says boys don’t cry? The upside to kids being disqualified is that the swimmers and coaches really get a better understanding of what the swimmer needs to work on, or in some cases what they need to learn. When you have over 200 swimmers on a team, things can be overlooked or missed and it takes these kinds of incidents to fix those gaps in the knowledge base. Kids need to understand what can happen so that they are better prepared, physically and mentally. Power up your team and your kids by providing them the education and knowledge they need both in and out of the pool.
Swim On!
Ruthie Palmatier
ruthie@swimmama.com
Amy Lang, MA, Birds + Bees + Kids®
October is Advocates for Youth’s “Let’s talk about sex” month, so here are some tips to get you started. Take your time to write down your answers and discuss them with whomever you are parenting with.
1) Explore your roots! How did you learn about sex as a kid? Did you talk to your parents? Did you learn on the playground? When you look back, did the way that you learned serve you well in the long run? Think about when you chose to have sex for the first time. If you could do it over again, would you? Why? Why not?
2) Explore your fears! What worries you about talking to your kids about sex? What are your concerns about their (eventual) sexual exploration? What do you know about child sexual abuse? What do you know about how to keep your kids safe?
3) Explore your values! What do you believe about sex? What do you believe about when it’s okay to become sexually active? What does a healthy relationship look like? How will your kid know if their partner is trustworthy and respects them? What do you want your kids to know about the first time they have sex? What does your religion say about sex?
4) Explore your hopes! What do you hope for your kids as a result of having these conversations? What do you hope for yourself?
5) Know what they need to know! They really should know exactly how babies are made by kindergarten. Why? They’re starting school and get lots of information from their peers. They’re a blank slate – they don’t know what we know about sex, so they don’t think it’s bad, shameful, naughty, or scary. Often, this is our experience, so we imagine the impact of this getting this information on our kids is will be negative.
6) Buy a book! Now you are truly ready to start the conversations! This is the best first step to starting the conversations with your kids – but read the books before you hand them off to your kids.
If your kid is under six or so, buy a book, toss it in with the regular reading, and read it. The whole thing or at least the most important parts (which includes the penis and the vagina stuff).
If your kid is over six, buy a book and say “We probably should have talked about this sooner. I have this great book about sex and how babies are made, but I’m wondering, what do you already know?”
7) Keep the conversations rolling! Remember to initiate short one or two minute conversations with your kids. Grab those teachable moments – like when you see a pregnant person or are watching TV with some sexual or romantic content.
The car is the best place to have these chats – you can’t see them, they can’t see you. Or find other times when you are involved in a task together or tucking in at bed time, in the dark.
Good luck! Take your time and don’t be hard on yourself. As you get used to initiating the conversations it’ll get easier and easier.
birdsandbeesandkids.com ©2008 Birds + Bees + Kids® LLC 206-661-2245
About the Author: Through her business, Birds + Bees + Kids, Amy Lang teaches parents how to talk to their children of any age about sex, love and relationships. She has a 16-year history as a Sexual Health Educator, a Masters in Applied Behavioral Science and loves to help people learn about this vital part of parenting.
By Kim Estes
As I write this, it is raining. It is a reminder that summer is over and fall is actually here. In our house, the official kick off of fall seems arrive with pumpkins and the celebration of Halloween. This truly scares most parents as it is also the reminder that the beginning of the holiday season will be staring us down shortly.
Another thing that seems to truly scare parents is the topic of personal safety. The thought of having to talk to their kids about predators or preventing sexual abuse can be too much for many parents.
When I have asked parents why they do not talk to their kids about sexual abuse and abduction prevention the reasons vary greatly. Here are a few of them:
- I am afraid talking about it will ruin their innocence
- I am afraid of scaring them
- I don’t know how or when to begin the conversation
- We live in a safe neighborhood so I do not think they are really at risk
- Our daycare/school does back ground checks on all staff and volunteers
- My child is too young
- I have been meaning to take a safety workshop but I have been so busy!
- We already talked about strangers
- The policemen came to the school already to talk to the kids
- I want to talk to them but the timing has not been right
If you have held off on talking to your kids about personal safety for any of the reasons listed above, you are not alone. However, now is time to stop being scared and start being proactive!!
Did you know you can significantly reduce your child’s risk of abduction or sexual abuse just by talking to them about how to stay safe? Even kids as young as 2 can start learning little safety tips.
You can start with these easy Halloween tips to help you get the conversation going!
- Always use the buddy system when trick or treating.
- Young kids need to be accompanied by a TRUSTED adult.
- Know the homes of where your child will receive treats.
- Demonstrate safety by approaching only well lit homes (inside and out).
- Remind children to NEVER enter someone’s home without permission from their parents.
- Stress to children they should never approach a vehicle (occupied or not).
- Remind children and adults to stay alert and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
- Teach (and practice!) how your child can “go bananas” if someone tries to grab them.
- Review (and practice) your name address and phone number with your kids.
Looking for an alternative to handing our candy? Try something new like safety tattoos! You can order them online from www.tattooswithapurpose.com. Promote the message of safety, avoid the sugar and the kids will love them!
Most of all…. Stop being scared, start talking and have a safe October!
Feel free to contact us with your questions or concerns. We are here to help! Have a topic you want us to cover? Let us know!
About the Author: Kim Estes is the co-founder of the non-profit organization: Parent Education And Child Empowerment (P.E.A.C.E of Mind) www.pomwa.org . Kim has worked with parents for over 12 years, educating them on various parenting topics. Kim and her cohort in crime prevention, Sabrina, help liberate parents from fearful parenting! Through non fearful techniques and easy to apply parenting strategies they help empower families to be safe.
By Helen Graves
Having lived my whole life in the United States, I can’t presume to speak for our Canadian, Latin American and European readers, but for us US Americans, one of the biggest obstacles to our business success is the idea that “If I can do it, I should do it.”
In other words, the belief that I’m a weenie if I don’t master every aspect of developing, managing and growing my business. And, God forbid I should ask for help.
How’s that working for you so far?
Here’s a different approach: If you don’t love it, you shouldn’t be doing it.
Why? Because you won’t be doing the task as well as someone who does love it. And it’s my belief that learning how to ask for help is part of spiritual growth (not to mention a boon to your business growth).
You’re the one who knows your business best, it’s true, so it won’t be useful to turn everything over to sub-contractors. But knowing when to bring in the right support so you can accomplish a large (possibly overwhelming or outside-your-expertise) project is very different than assuming you have to prove your worth by tackling each and every activity yourself.
To give an example, I see this phenomenon a lot with colleagues and clients taking on their own product and program launches (a marketing campaign). And it’s what they don’t know that they don’t know that’s hurting them.
I can’t stress this enough but having a fabulous product, event or program does not mean you’re going to get the sales you want (or, quite frankly, deserve). Your audience is so inundated with offers that unless you position your product prominently –with just the right message- in front of them over and over, your terrific solution will be sadly wandering up and down Lonely Street.
There are a million elements (well, that may be a slight exaggeration) that go into the preparation and delivery of a successful launch. It’s not for the faint of heart – or for the uninitiated.
Here’s just some of what you need to understand and become skilled at:
- Recognizing exactly what problems your audience wants solved (and it’s rarely the ones you think they need solved)
- Creating a strong relationship and rapport before you start to sell
- Seeding without selling (sort of like dropping hints, but more sophisticated)
- Choosing the right promotional “angle” (and it’s NOT “I’ve created this great product”)
- Timing of what communication to send when
- Writing “gotta have it” headlines and sales copy
- Strategizing the whole shebang so it has a synergistic effect on your results
It’s impractical and inefficient to become a generalist in your own business. You’ve heard the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Well, that applies here too.
Just as real men eat quiche, real entrepreneurs outsource. It’s the business weenies, those who insist on playing small, who try to do it all.
In fact, that useful little rhyme captures my message – Do it all, stay small.
©2008 Helen Graves
Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Online Marketing Strategy, is an expert at showing soul-inspired entrepreneurs how to attract eager clients with simple, effective internet marketing strategies.
Visit www.Product-Campaign.com to get a hold of her online marketing campaign strategy resource, “The 5 Crucial Keys to Creating Desire So Your Products and Programs Sell Like Hotcakes.”