Working From Home

Just a quick one today. I had an email off a company earlier today, offering me an interview in the company for a lead website developer position… Weird.. I’ve not sent any CVs out lately…

I then looked at the date of the email i first sent them, June 2005 it was dated! I sent it while i was looking for work after my time at college!

So on a positive note, if you get a decline on your application and they say the famous “we will keep you on record for any other opportunity we might have” - Don’t take it so lightly.. it might become a positive… albeit 3 years later!

I think this is more of a sales pitch from my network sale days. But that aside, I feel that the blackberry device has to be my most important piece of kit I have on me. “What is so important about a blackberry? Its just another phone” – That statement has been said to me literally hundreds of times.

Yes, it is a phone. But as many of you know, the blackberry is famous for its ‘Push’ email support.

What is “Push” Email?

Wikipedia Describes says that:

Push e-mail is used to describe e-mail systems that provide an “always-on” capability, in which new e-mail is instantly and actively transferred (pushed) as it arrives by the mail delivery agent (MDA) (commonly called mail server) to the mail user agent (MUA), also called the e-mail client.

There we have it! As soon as someone send you an email, it will be sent strait to your blackberry as well as your mail Inbox at work or home. No having to wait about at home for that important email, you can get it on the go on your Blackberry!

This allows you to be more flexible if your a heavy email user, allowing you to respond to email etc while on the move. I am constantly on my blackberry, no matter where I am you will see me doing the blackberry prayer!

Joyoftech.com capture the average blackberry user and the prayer perfectly.

It also has this system in it called “Blackberry messenger” - a program that allows you to send instant messages and files to another blackberry user for free! Very much like a built in MSN messenger or AIM.

This is a useful feature to update colleagues and staff with the latest news and information you may need to get out while you are on the move.

Send a quick message on Blackberry Messenger

With this email and messenger function, you can receive files and attachments. The blackberry has support for documents such as Excel files.

Personally, I do find this an amazing product. There is so much more about this phone than meets the eye, many people are scared of them or put off by the fact that they are slightly larger than conventional phones.

Don’t be put off by that fact, give one a try next time you come to upgrade your contract. I will assure you it wont be a mistake!

Do you use a blackberry? Drop a comment and tell us how you feel about it!

Enjoy my article? Subscribe to our RSS Feed to get all the latest tips and information!

Are any of you like me? Easily distracted and unproductive! Well I’ve written my top 10 tips for being more productive working at home! Here we go!

1# Get rid of that TV
Daytime TV is mind numbing but distracting, when I first started my business I had the habit of turning the TV on (Albeit just background noise) and I noticed myself every so often turning to see whats the story in Balamory. I decided it had to go else I’m not going to get any work done!

2# Separate Room
I found it easier to work when I set my office up in a separate room to where I usually hang around. This kept me away from distractions such as Games consoles, personal distraction (Telephone, Pets etc)
If you don’t have the space to dedicate a separate room then why don’t you try dedicating a specific part of the house to your work. I used to use the corner of the front room before!

3# Make goals
This one I found really good! Set yourself specific goals to hit each day and week. Type them out and get it printed out. Stick them goals to the wall or PC monitor. This way your constantly reminded on what you need to do and gives you that motivation to go the extra mile!

#4 Have a regular break / Sleep
I learned this the hard way. Make sure you go to sleep at a regular time, I made the mistake of working till the wee hours of the night getting a specific project completed, finding myself exhausted in the morning.
Ok, so you do get pressure to complete different things in a specific time frame but is it really work the torture of having to get up exhausted in the morning?! Plus if you follow this guide I’m sure you will find that your work hours are more productive!

5# Set specific working hours
The mistake I made was I was ‘Too nice’ to clients. Always keep a good relationship with clients and possible custom, but be specific on what your work hours will be. Don’t give out your personal mobile number and email address. I did this once and I got calls from customers calling at stupid hours of the night.

6# Separate business and personal numbers
With the above in mind, try and get yourself a separate number for business and personal. I have two phones, a Nokia N95 and a Blackberry 8310. The Nokia being for personal use and the blackberry obviously for professional use (I will be writing a series of articles on how blackberries can make a huge difference in your day to day life). It is also useful to have a separate number so it can make it easier to keep track of Mobile business expenses when it comes to tax returns

Having two phones can help!

7# Get a regular routine
Do you have a regular routine when it comes to your day to day life? Routine is the cornerstone in keeping me productive and successful in life. Without routine, your unorganized not know what you are to do next!
Why don’t you write out your weekly plan and have that up on your wall (This goes hand in hand with your goals list)

8# Keep a tidy office
A tidy office space is a productive space. Keeping things organized and tidy helps you be more productive as you know where everything this. You dont have to panic when you need those important documents! (I recall loosing my Car TAX and MOT forms, the day before they was both due!)

9# Better Music
This is my Achilles heel, I love a bit of music! There is nothing wrong in having music played while working. But is it the best kind of music for you to keep focused and determined? When I started I had just brought a Double Live Metallica album and…well.. that was on 24/7.. I ended up playing the air guitar and drumming! My productivity went down the toilet that week!

10# Keep the pets out!
A hard one for me, how can you ignore that! (picture of suzie)

My dog suzie

Enjoy my article? Subscribe to our RSS Feed to get all the latest tips and information

Hi and welcome to my site. I decided to make this Blog as I have no idea how to be self employed! My idea is to try work along side other newly started business owners and find the ups and downs of working for yourself. Look forward to tips, guides and other helpful information along with a regular update on how I’m doing in the business world!

I’m aiming at getting atleast one post a day out, so if anyone has any intresting topics or ideas, feel free to email me at rich [at] workingfromhomeishard [dot] com