Showing posts with label work/life balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work/life balance. Show all posts

Saturday 24 November 2018

12 Habits You Need to Become a Millionaire



Which of these twelve important habits do you have?
The key millionaire habit you should start today…
It might not sound sexy, but you’ll need to do THIS if you want to advance…

I’ve dedicated my life to understanding everything, the ins and outs of what it takes to actually become a millionaire and one of the most important lessons in your journey is that actions speak louder than words…

With that in mind, here’s a question: what habits and daily actions are ingrained in your everyday life?

And a follow-up: are they helping to move you forward or are they holding you back?

While there’s no exact science to determine how to be a millionaire, I have more millionaire students than anyone, and great financial successes like my students have accomplished is not random, but rather the result of hard work on my part and on the part of my students.

What I’ve found is that there are certain habits that many financially successful people have in common.

Read through this list and ask yourself: how many of these habits do I have? If these aren’t habits yet, how could you incorporate them into your life?

1: Be an Early Riser

You’ve heard the saying that time is money.

You’ve also heard the saying that the early bird gets the worm.

Mash these adages together and you can distill both down to the idea that the earlier you wake up, the more money-making time you can maximize.

There are countless benefits to waking up early.

Me, I like to wake up early so that I can answer emails, consider what will go on during the day and do reading and research for the day ahead.

Basically, I use this time to deal with things that might get in my way throughout the course of the day, so that by the time the market opens, I’m mentally prepared.

2: Know Where Your Money is Going

Do you track your expenses and know where your money is going?

If you do, then keep it up: it’s a key millionaire habit. If you don’t, cultivate this habit immediately.

If you want to get rich, you’ve got to learn how to handle your money now–not later.

Learning financial responsibility will mean that you’ll be able to enjoy the money when you make it, rather than just falling into irresponsible habits with increasingly larger sums.

3: Have Good Time Management

People love to talk about how little time they have.

They don’t have time to go to the gym.

They don’t have time to attend networking functions.

They don’t have time to study and learn how the stock market works.

They don’t have time to succeed!

These are limits that people put on themselves.

Watch a little less TV and take your focus away from Facebook for a while.

You’ll be amazed at how the time will open up for you to advance in business.

4: Save Responsibly

Longtime millionaires aren’t out there blowing every penny that they make.

They know that to continue advancing in their career, they need to save money.

Saving money might not sound sexy -- in fact, it might sound downright boring. But, the benefits that can come your way from saving are anything but boring.

Saving money means that you can improve your position in the market.

It also means that you can invest in a greater variety of stocks.

Over time, if you’re being responsible, this means that you will start making more and more money as you go. The bar will be raised, so to speak.

Additionally, on a practical level, saving also ensures that if you do have a business deal that doesn’t go as planned, you have a safety net.

5: Know What’s Going on in the World

It’s alarmingly easy to live a fishbowl existence.

Resist that temptation.

Make concerted efforts to know what is going on in the world.

The best way to do this? Be a voracious reader.

Read magazines, the paper, anything that you can get your hands on.

Know what is going on in your backyard and in the world at large. Not only can the news help inform your investments and keep you inspired, but it also keeps you current.

You will be better able to interact and network with others when you have an idea of what is going on in the world.

6: Keep Up on Your Education

A common habit among millionaires? Lifelong learning.

Just because someone has made a bunch of money doesn’t mean that they don’t have a thing or two (or ten) to learn.

To all my students, I keep on learning and growing right along with you.

Maintaining and increasing your level of knowledge is a millionaire habit that will serve you in business and in your personal life.


7: Revisit Your Goals Frequently

It’s extremely important to make goals.

But, simply making them isn’t enough.

To transform your goal-making into millionaire material, you need to revisit these goals frequently.

How frequently is up to you, but let me give you an example.

Say that you set an initial goal of making $50,000, so that you could pay off your student loan debt and that you reached that goal four months into your trading career.

Awesome!

But, at the same time, it’s time to adjust your goals, making them bigger and better, so that you still have something to work toward.

Goals are part of what keep us going and keep motivating us.

Revisit yours often, so that they remain a manageable “carrot” dangling in front of you.

8: Believe in Your Success

Don’t dream it; be it.

If you don’t believe that you are worthy and deserving of success, then any that comes your way will be pure luck.

By shifting your mindset to a place where you believe success is not only possible, but within your reach, you will be taking a huge step toward it.

This transforms success from a faraway dream to an attainable goal and allows you to set specific milestones to get where you want to go.

9: Connect with Others

Technically, you could become a millionaire alone.

But, quite frankly, it’s going to be a longer — and lengthier — journey without a little help from some friends.

First and foremost, seek out a great mentor.

Your mentor, who is further along in their career than you, can help guide you and help you through growing pains. It’s difficult to overstate the importance of a mentor!

Networking with peers is also invaluable.

Not only does it give you a sounding board with people who can totally understand, but it also creates relationships with people who can help raise you up (and vice versa).

Connecting with others, whether they are at your level, above your level or even below it (for now), has a huge impact on your career trajectory.

10: Evaluate What is Going Well (and What’s Not)

Millionaires aren’t characterized by being self-destructive.

They’re not running around in circles, agonizing about what they could have done differently.

However, they are imbued with a healthy amount of self reflection.

Millionaires are able to constructively look at the past and see how it can inform the future.

Things not going well with some investments?

Look at why and how you could change that going forward.

At the same time, if certain things are going well, they have the ability to look at that and try to take it push it even further forward.

11: Test Your Limits Constantly

A millionaire isn’t one to rest on his or her laurels. Never content to let the last accomplishment define them, millionaires are (in a good way) addicted to the game.

They constantly want to challenge their limits, so that they can go further and do more good.

What is your relationship with risk and trying new things?

If it is not so good, then it might be time to work on that.

Becoming more comfortable with risk and testing your limits is vital if you want to attain true financial success.

12: Give Back to Others

Maybe, right now, you’re coming from a place of scarcity.

If so, the idea of giving back might seem ludicrous.

But, trust me, the more you make, the more you should give.

Just like millionaires save quite a bit of what they make, they also give plenty. This is a habit that you can get into now.

Even if you don’t have money (yet), there are ways in which you can give back.

You can act as a mentor to someone less fortunate than you.

You can donate your time or a service as a volunteer.

Giving back actually makes the world (and your trading base) steadier and healthier.

Giving back is not just what is right, but something that can contribute to your bottom line in the long run.


Your habits are a huge part of what defines you.

So, by choosing to cultivate habits which millionaires share, you are taking a proactive step to joining that “tribe.” Making a concerted effort to make these millionaire habits yours will have a huge effect on your success and money-making potential!

Sunday 13 May 2018

Freelancers: We Are the Future


Presented here are relevant statistics and observations gleaned from the fourth annual "Freelancing in America" survey, conducted by the Freelancer's Union. According to the organization, "Freelancing in America" is the largest and most comprehensive measure of independent workers conducted in the U.S. The online survey queried 6002 U.S. adults who had engaged in full or part-time freelance work between August 2016 and July 2017. Freelancing was defined as temporary, project-based, or contract work performed at a for-profit or not-for-profit organization or government agency.

Who we are

In 2017, 57.3 million of our fellow citizens, representing 36% of the nation's workforce, participated in the freelance economy and contributed $1.4 trillion to the U.S. economy. The survey found that 63% freelance by choice, rather than by necessity, and enjoy this way of working. Freelancers reported feeling positive about our work and 79% preferred freelancing to traditional employment. We're more likely than traditionally employed workers to feel respected, empowered and engaged in our working environment. The survey designated the following freelance categories:

Independent contractors (35%, 19.1 million) -- Full-time freelance consultants whose only income is derived from client work
Diversified workers (28%, 15.2 million)-- Freelancers who regularly do client work, but also perform other part-time work
Moonlighters (25%, 13.5 million)-- Those who periodically take on freelance projects in addition to their traditional employment
Freelance business owners (7%, 3.6 million)-- Full-time freelancers who assemble ad hoc teams of freelancing specialists to form a consulting firm, so that more complex and lucrative client work can be performed
Temporary workers (7%, 3.6 million)

What we like

Time and money impact the decision to freelance. Flexibility is considered a significant benefit and is favored by 60% of freelancers. Additionally, more than 50% of workers who left full-time employment to freelance were able to earn more money within the first year of freelancing than was earned in traditional employment. Forty-six percent raised their project fees and hourly rates in 2017 and 54% said they planned to do so in 2018.

Serious challenges

Sill, money is an issue for freelancers. Survey respondents reported that adequate billable hours, negotiating fair project fees or hourly rates and receiving timely payment of invoices (or receiving full payment) could be problematic.

On average, full-time freelancers log 36 billable hours/week. When the billable hourly rate or project fee is considered inadequate, cash-flow is impacted and there can be a struggle to meet financial obligations. Not surprisingly, the survey found that debt is also a worrisome matter.

Access to health insurance and saving for retirement are a challenge. Full-time freelancers rank medical and dental insurance as primary concerns; 20% have no health insurance savings.

Shaping the future

As traditional full-time, middle class paying employment continues to disappear, the ranks of freelance consultants can only increase, making us a fast-growing segment of the American workforce. Sadly, our government leaders are not attentive to the freelance community's unique circumstances or our voting-bloc potential.

Eighty-five percent of survey respondents said they planned to vote in the 2018 mid-term elections. If that statistic is accurate, it would represent nearly 49 million freelancer voters, more than enough to influence congressional and gubernatorial elections. Seventy percent of survey respondents would prefer that candidates and political representatives would address the needs of freelance professionals, because no matter how lovely things may be for the chosen few who command lucrative project fees, we are nevertheless quite vulnerable.

Freelancers receive no paid sick, vacation, or holiday time. We do not receive co-sponsored health insurance or retirement benefits. Billable hours can have feast or famine fluctuations that wreak havoc on our cash-flow and ability to meet important financial obligations. The 57.3 million freelance consulting professionals in the U. S. desperately need political representation, advocates and activism.

Thanks for reading,
Kim

Kim L. Clark is an external strategy and marketing consultant who brings agile skills to the for-profit and not-for-profit organization leaders with whom she works. Ensure that your organization achieves its mission-critical goals when you contact Kim at http://polishedprofessionalsboston.com.

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Thursday 3 May 2018

6 Actionable Ways To Get More Done In Less Time


I came across this wonderful analogy on time while researching for one of my events:

"Think about the airline industry. Their target is to have a full cabin in every flight. They don't really like empty seats. So, the prices are high. And dynamic. As the day of the flight nears, the prices keep on increasing. Good luck to anyone with a tight budget - if they want a seat on a flight at the last moment! It becomes a mad house then, the same seat which would have initially cost you probably 30-40% less.

But once the plane takes off, an empty seat has no value. That's a loss for the airline. There is no way they can get any money for it. However expensive the seat had been, once it's gone, it becomes valueless.

The same can be said about 'time'. A very expensive commodity indeed. While the clock ticks away, it keeps becoming more and more precious. You would kill to save those precious moments right before something has to be done. Do anything to have little more time at your disposal! Unfortunately, you cannot stop the clock.

And once it is gone, it ceases to be expensive. It ceases to be anything!"

There is a very simple thing I like to say,

Time pass = Time Fail

Let me give you some stats. The average person gets 1 interruption every 8 minutes, or approximately 7 an hour, or 50-60 per day. The average interruption takes 5 minutes, totaling about 4 hours or 50% of the average workday. 80% of those interruptions are typically rated as "little value" or "no value" creating approximately 3 hours of wasted time per day.

By taking 1 hour per day for independent study, 7 hours per week, 365 hours in a year, one can learn at the rate of a full-time student. In 3-5 years, the average person can become an expert in the topic of their choice, by spending only one hour per day.

If only we had that one hour we could take out from our crucial time (kept aside to be wasted)

I know it is difficult. The habit of wasting time if hard to beat, especially the blissful joy of doing nothing. And then running around in mindless panic at the 11th hour - that's not much fun though. Here are a few things you could do that have proved to work well for me, if you are looking to managing your time better:

1. Put a price on your time

Yes, make a guesstimate of the cost of your time. You may not make it comparable to some industry stalwart but consider yourself as someone who is fairly successful when you do so.

Depending on how much you earn (or spend, if you are a student) each year, you can count the number of productive days in a year and number of working hours in a day. Get you own hourly rate;)... If you do not know the value of your time, who will? I do this exercise every time I revise my compensation rates for clients.

Once you have that estimate, next time you have the urge to splurge your time on something, you can compare whether it is worth your time or not. The concept of value in marketing is defined as benefits/cost. (Some even consider it as benefits minus cost). Find out your own version of benefits upon cost for your time i.e. time value.

Now, I am not saying that you do everything according to this method. But a lot of your trivial activities could go through this simple test before you decide to undertake them. This will simply give you an idea of how much valuable time you generally waste doing stuff that you need not do really.

2. SWOT Analysis

You must have heard of SWOT right? It's an analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Generally it is done on an organization level vis a vis competitors to understand the road that has been traveled so far and what lies ahead.

But whoever said you couldn't do it for your own self?

SWOT can be helpful in prioritizing your time and to-dos. Between all the elements of your SWOT, I would suggest that you focus on your strengths. Give more time to things you are good at and play to your strengths. This will ensure you enjoy your productive hours more. But it will also help you figure out which of your weaknesses can you spend how much time on, so that you could turn them into your opportunities and subsequently, into your strengths. It is very much doable, should you put your heart on to the pursuit of 'better-ness'.

If you cannot picture a long term situation, don't panic. Take one day at a time. I would say, devote some time each day to your SWOT elements. Some will of high priority and some will be of low. But ensure that you take some time out. As mentioned in the very beginning of the post, merely taking out 1hour everyday can get you to gain expertise in a particular field (condition applied - dedicated one hour). Just find out time first for your priorities.

You will be amazed at how much buffer time will remain each day for you to decide how much of it to spend or trivials and non-essentials. SWOT has always come to my rescue. It will do the same for you - I guarantee!

3. Wake up early

This does not seem like a time management tip but trust me it is. When I started waking up early and tried to get done with 50% of my To-dos even before the rest of the world woke up, it gave me a very beautiful delusion of having more than 24hrs in my day. I had more time for myself, my family, my work - everything. This habit just does wonders.

Most important things get done early on, leaving time for leisure and fun and most importantly - getting more important things done than you had planned! That's a welcome delusion I would say. Here are a few early morning activities that can prime your day.

4. Creating To-Do lists

Creating to-do lists is a classic time management tool. I keep a white board right above my workstation where all the to-dos go. It is the simplest way to tackle your list of never ending works. Keep striking off what got done and keep writing what needs to be done further.

Place it strategically at a position where your eyes keep going from time to time. If you are a more organized person, you can even color code your white board of to-dos. The essence is to make you feel ashamed if the list of struck out items is smaller.

And don't be ashamed of jotting down to-dos. Once you have an exhaustive list, you can do your SWOT and prioritizing too! Find out what's more important and what needs to be done right away.

5. Right here Right now

If it takes 2 minutes to do a thing, do it now. Don't procrastinate even for very small things. It is often the 2 minute tasks, that when piled up - look like an Everest that you have to conquer. It is this pile of 2minute noodles that gets perceived as crisis often. And believe me, a major part of crisis management is dealing with these simple things efficiently. It is not that big a deal. We just turn it into one.

It would also be advisable that you do the things you fear most first. Or abhor. That inertia of having put good effort gets carried forward to the rest of the day (or sitting). You may not succeed initially. But slowly, you will get into the habit of facing your fears and getting things done in time - that's two things nailed!

6. Kill your Distractors

Have you heard of Pareto's principle? The 80-20 rule by Pareto, when applied to time management, says - 80% of your half-hearted time generates only 20% of the results.

And it is no rocket science that your 80% unfocused time is a result of too much distraction. Kill those distractors. Free, high speed internet, YouTube streaming without buffer, endless social media networks and their apps, so many relationship issues to worry about, numerous trivial things to think about, useless people issues to get into - a lot of work, a modern living is!

It is possible to keep these distractions at bay. A little will power is all you need. And what starts as will power, soon becomes a habit. Progressively remove your distractions if you want to reach somewhere in life. Because what doesn't take you towards your goals, takes you away from them!

There are many more ways to manage your time better. But the first step to all of them is - your sheer, infallible determination to make use of these non-renewable, very important resource - in a better, more judicious way.

Remember,

The difference between a Steve Jobs and a normal job is - how one utilizes their 24hrs!

Akash Gautam a Motivational Speaker for Youth & Corporate Events in India. He has more than 16yrs of experience as a Public Speaker, Writer & Career Counsellor. He is known for his comic & sarcastic style as a speaker. He believes that he still is an ardent student of life and learning. He writes regularly on his blog answering questions that his audiences mostly ask. You may know more about him and his work at: http://akashgautam.com/motivational-speakers-in-india/

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Tuesday 1 May 2018

This Year, Transform Your Time With the Stories You Tell Yourself


When you pause and listen, you may be surprised at how much 'chatter' is going on in your head. You're actually conversing with yourself almost constantly. And this isn't just idle chatter.

Indeed, the stories you tell yourself, to a surprising extent, define your reality.

So, when it comes to meaningful conversations, the silent ones you have with yourself may be the most important ones to pay attention to.

And what better time than the start of a New Year to think about that? Maybe it's time to consider telling yourself some new stories.

What you tell yourself is your choice...
Here's a scenario that a client told me about not long ago:

Joan had invited a few of her friends to join her family for their holiday meal. She was really looking forward to it, had cooked up a storm, and had created a centerpiece that she was really proud of. Just before the guests started arriving, her cat jumped up on the table and started tearing the centerpiece apart.

Upset, Joan sprang into action to shoo the cat away. In the process, she knocked over a pitcher of water. It soaked the tablecloth and was starting to puddle on the floor as the doorbell rang.

Telling the story, Joan smiled proudly and said that in that moment she made a really important choice. She decided to laugh as she opened the door to her first guests. And that decision powerfully defined her present reality and had a ripple effect that changed the shape of her day.

What our stories tell us...
So Joan told herself quite a bit with her laughter. She indicated that there was no need to feel ashamed or to panic. Her laughter meant that what had just happened was something she accepted. It became part of the unfolding story of her day and was a source of humor, not horror.

And I'm sure you can imagine how differently this would all have felt had she chosen differently. Picture her face as she opens the door. How does it look if she is furious with the cat or self-critical about knocking over the pitcher?

Choose your stories well.
So, as we move into a new year, I invite you to consider the power of the choices you make. And especially, think about the stories you tell yourself about your life. You can make such a big difference for yourself.

You'll find expert guidance quickly with our free Finding Time Success Kit, so check out our video at http://thetimefinder.com/ and then sign up for your Kit!

You'll receive our Finding Time Boundary Template, our popular Weekly Tips, and our monthly, award-winning E-zine -- all free and all right to your in-box!

For even more time tips, tools and techniques, visit our blog at http://thetimefinder.com/blog/

Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D. The Time Finder Expert

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Saturday 21 April 2018

Being Financially Stable


If saving for retirement is a struggle, imagine yourself if you lost a job. More and more people really take care of their own retirement security. To avoid unnecessary financial constraints, create a plan to reduce debt as you approach retirement. Design your savings and spending plans.

Retirement planning is definitely difficult, especially if the implications of your choices tend to get magnified. You'll need to determine the amount of savings needed for your desired lifestyle. A spending strategy is equally important. However, rather than following a budget, many people spend more than what comes in.

Determine your annual base or mandatory expenses on food, clothing, shelter, utilities, medical, and transportation expenses. Also consider investing in long-term health care insurance which can typically cover the cost of home care, nursing-home care, and assisted living which is not usually covered by traditional health insurance.

Safeguarding your finances while you are still employed will help you become financially stable even after retirement. Many people are anxious when their retirement years are fast approaching. Imagine being at that point in your life and feeling you haven't achieved your goals yet. It could get especially worrisome if you don't have enough savings to be able to sustain your lifestyle after you retire. So, you need to enjoy spending within your means.

Securing a retirement fund is definitely needed if you want to live comfortably. The best time to start saving for your future is now. Not next year, not next week, not tomorrow, and not even later. Start planning for retirement at this very moment. It's better to start sooner than later. The earlier you plan, the more time you have to save money, pay off debt, and invest in the future. You also give yourself some leg room in case you make a bad decision and need to recover from a mistake. If you start investing late, then you lower the possibility of accomplishing your retirement plans.

Consistency is essential in saving money for your retirement. At first, it may be difficult, but you'll find it easier to save as you get along. One of the solutions for this is to set aside savings every month, even just a small amount. Save more as you go along-but never, never go below the initial savings amount.

Planning may be easy, but it's the willingness and determination to stick to your plans that could bend at times. It's important to have a clear vision ahead. No matter how far away your retirement years may seem, it is always a good idea to learn how to manage your personal finances. Those people who know how to manage their money succeed in allotting enough money not just for their savings but also for other financial matters.

It's important to create a budget. Separate your needs from your wants and try to track your spending on a monthly basis by listing down all your expenses. Seeing where you spend your money can help you sort out your priorities and plan how you can save more from your income and spend less on non-important expenses.


Retiring from work is a major leap in one's life. Prepare for the inevitable as early as now and assure a financially stable future for yourself and your family.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Rosemarie_Sumalinog_Gonzales/1972656
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Wednesday 4 April 2018

How Technology Has Altered Your Work/Life Balance


If you work 48 weeks in the year and spend a conservative 5 hours per week commuting to and from work, you are spending 240 hours per year driving. This takes time away from family, hobbies, friends, and much more. How can technology be leveraged to gain that time back?

Up until recent years, the only option for working was to physically go into an office to put in your 40-50 hours per week behind a stuffy desk surrounded by people you may or may not enjoy working with. As technology has evolved, so has the flexibility of whether you work at the office, at home, at the beach, or some other locale.

While technology does make it easier for employers to allow telecommuting, there is still a trust factor that comes into play. There are ways each employer can measure productivity differently, but some employers are simply more comfortable knowing for certain their employee is at their desk during a specified time every day. Another consideration for employers is the morale of employees that are not working from home while another is permitted that luxury. Should they have 1 happy employee and 10 disgruntled employees or 10 content employees and 1 disgruntled employee? Rather than examining the struggles for employers that are faced with this decision, lets examine the technologies that allow working from home to be a reality much more frequently than it was 20-30 years ago.

If an employer decides to allow telecommuting, there are several tools on the market that safeguard their investment.

· Worksnaps: This tool allows an employer to monitor how productive the work-at-home employee has been throughout the day. There are less detailed tools available but this one doesn't leave a lot of room for a work around by the employee. Beyond monitoring the time spent in productive programs (Facebook not being one of them) the tool takes screenshots of the worker's computer screen throughout the day to make sure the employee is productive while activity is showing on their computer. They will even count the number of mouse and keyboard clicks.

· Internet: This is rather obvious but probably the most important tool. The internet allows you to communicate with members of your team, your company, and any outside clients. Many companies have web-based products they use for housing databases or other tools that are essential to job duties of their employees.

· Google docs: This is free to anyone that has a Gmail account. It provides Microsoft based tools to people no matter where they are in the world. Google docs can be accessed to share documents whether for informational purposes or for each member of a team to edit the document. If you don't have Microsoft programs on your home computer, this is a great way to use them. They don't have the most current benefits of the current programs, but it will work in a pinch.

· Trello: This is a popular tool that allows for project management across your team no matter everyone's location. This can be used for individuals to organize to-do lists or monitor projects, so everyone knows where the team is at. The program permits you to break the project into segments that can be more closely observed as the project progresses.

· Zoho: This is another project management tool, but it looks to have an abundance of features including overlapping features I've already discussed. There is the ability to monitor time spent on projects, offers charts and written documentation of the progress of the specific projects the team is working on, a calendar that the entire team can contribute to and view, document sharing capabilities, notes area for recording specific hurdles or bugs that need to be resolved. This is just the tip of the ice burg in terms of the capabilities of this tool. The cost is relatively inexpensive as well ranging from $0 for limited access to $100/month/employee for all access.

· Yammer: This is described as a Facebook for work. This platform allows an employer to send only relevant information to employees. Then employees can communicate within their specific teams to accomplish goals.

· Skype: This is a free service that allows face-to-face communication between employees. The tool is internet based and allows you to bring several people into the conversation/collaboration.

· GoTo Meeting: This is a great tool for webinars as it will allow you to broadcast to hundreds of people that join. In addition, for those that cannot attend the meeting or want to watch the meeting for a second time the meetings can be recorded. You can share your screen with those that signed up for the meeting allowing for project collaboration or even training.

· Viewflux: There are several sites geared towards designers, viewflux being one of them. These sites allow you to share your designs with a group of people. Those people can specify changes they want made by marking up the page. Have you ever wanted someone to change something about a graphic and you try to describe in several words what just a few words and an arrow could describe? These sites make a world of difference for designers and their clients and team members.

· Dropbox: If you have files larger than what can fit on the Google drive, dropbox is an option for a place to share files with your team. According to Dropbox, this is a secure way to share files.

· Nimble: This is a great tool for sales people and people with large networks to stay organized. This tool combines your social media and email contacts into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. The tool even links conversations you've had with these contacts, so you can remember the contact in that specific context.

These are just a few of the tools that people can use when they work from home or even work in the office. The collaboration potential with the tools can simplify processes that are long overdue for change. In addition, the telecommuter can easily connect with and contribute to projects that are being working on in the office. Without these connections, the telecommuter could quickly be disregarded as part of the dynamic of the department they once worked with in person.

While some may argue that society is more disconnected from one another than ever before, consider that technology is not a hindrance to our efforts to communicate but rather an advantage. I would maintain that society is communicating more efficiently, more frequently, and more effectively than ever before because of technology.

Imagine being able to work from 7:00-4:00 and being able to start dinner at 4:05 rather than 5:05. Now you have time to patiently help the kids with their homework, easily pick up the kids from soccer practice, spend time focusing on your spouse. The pressure to get things done can decrease as the level of technology increases if we leverage the two. What would the ability to telecommute mean to your life? Do you do it currently? What have you found to be beneficial about it?

Read more about Remote Work Options.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Angela_Steward/2508409
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