SavvySugar

Would You Take the Option to Work From Home Every Day?

SavvySugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 07:00:14 -0700

More employers are allowing employees to work from home on Fridays as a way to save on gas, a definite work perk if you ask me. Working from home can be better for some people because they claim to be more efficient without office distractions, but others claim the opposite - some workers need the office setting to be as productive as possible. Would you take the option to work from home every day if your boss were to offer it?

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Where to Find Freelance Work

SavvySugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:04:16 -0700

The need for a second income source is becoming so common that some primary employers are shifting workers' schedules around their outside obligations. Freelancing can be a good option for bringing in some extra money aside from your principal paycheck and for anyone who wants to keep their skills fresh while taking time off work or pursuing a job in a field unrelated to their training.

When I asked a Sugar employee that used to do freelance work where to find the best gigs, she said, "You gotta pitch. Just get out there and pitch stories." While writers should keep that advice in mind, there are some websites that dedicate their listings to freelancing and contract jobs catering to a number of jobs not limited to writing. Find out some recommended sites for a variety of freelance and contract work when you read more.

Searching the Internet for other sites like these will generate a number of results, but don't assume they are all honest sites. In other words, watch out for scams.

The Work and Family columnist for The Wall Street Journal recommends Elance.com and oDesk.com. She notes that "Information-technology workers, such as programmers and Web developers, are the sites' biggest market, but they're fast expanding into graphic design, writing, engineering, translation, marketing, accounting, administrative and legal services."
CareerBuilder points out that Sologig.com is a good place to start for freelancing and contract jobs.

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What You Need to Know For Working From Home

SavvySugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:58:57 -0700

There's a great feature in the May issue of Marie Claire called "Home Work" that's, surprise surprise, all about working from home. It profiles a day-in-the-life of four women in different careers who all work from home, and those women are only a very small fraction of the four million Americans who work from home full-time and the 20 million who telecommute part-time. Making the transition from office-work to home-work is tougher than most would think, and career coach and home-office worker Nicole Williams gives these seven tips for starting business from the same place you sleep.

Set boundaries: Even if you live in a studio, create a corner that's designated for work, and spend finite hours in it, based on industry standards and your own rhythms.
Don't undersell yourself: Don't undersell yourself: When setting rates, research your competitors and calculate what you need to live on. And know that just because you love something doesn't mean you shouldn't make real money at it.
Give it time: You have no team, no assistant. Things take longer now, so give yourself a couple of weeks to figure out your pace.

There are four more tips so just read more

Stagger pitches: Hearing "no" can be deflating, and the last thing you want to do afterward is start from scratch, so always have something in the hopper that you can turn to.
Hire yourself a boss: Find a career coach with solid credentials - or an accountability buddy - to help you meet goals.
Uninspired? Work through it: You know those days when you didn't feel like going to the office, but you shook off your funk by working? Do the same at home: Be disciplined, and a few hours in, you'll be out of the fog.
Don't quit: It's going to take time before you start making money. But if you're realistic and you persevere, there's nothing in the world like working for yourself.

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Brilliant or Baffling? Business Card Scanner

SavvySugar — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:09:03 -0800

If you're a busy networking bee then your wallet may soon become home to more than just cash and old receipts. You'd be surprised how quickly a business card collection can grow into a small stack that sits, unorganized, in your wallet. A solution may be to get a business card scanner ($150) that would easily organize all of your contacts. There's even a button that lets you send your contacts to your electronic address book once they've been scanned.

Brilliant or Baffling? Hawaii Chair

SavvySugar — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:02:00 -0800

Savvy says: Baffling

While the infomercial for the Hawaii Chair ($294) is hilarious, I think the product is really only good for entertainment purposes.

The chair is described on the company's website as combining the ancient art of Hula with a Hula motor that will take the "work out of your work." I'm sure it would take the work out of your work, because I sure couldn't get anything accomplished while sitting on this amusement park ride of a chair. Also, it kind of reminds me of Austin Powers' spinning bed! It's not something that wouldn't make its way into my apartment, even on sale from $420 to $294. What do you think?

Brilliant or Baffling? Wood Bed Desk

SavvySugar — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:56:07 -0800

Savvy says: Brilliant!
Because all of my work is computer based, I started looking around for something that would protect my legs from the heat of my laptop and allow me to work from my couch. My city apartment isn't very forgiving in terms of space, and I've been taking over my dining table to serve the role of a much needed desk. The bed desk ($45) is ergonomically constructed and has room for a laptop and more.

There are probably sleeker versions out there but I love the compartments on either side; they'll save your Blackberry from falling between the couch cushions and you can keep a bottle of water handy. And there you have it, all of your basic needs fit nicely into a space-saving, inexpensive mini-desk. You could even use it to serve breakfast in bed with the Sunday New York Times in one of the pockets!

Could you use something like the bed desk?

Wednesday Check-In: You May Need a Midweek Makeover

SavvySugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:30:17 -0700

We've hit the midweek mark - and while that may not be cause for celebration for everyone, it's certainly reason enough to stop and evaluate your weekly progress. Are you on task to complete assignments in time for the weekend or have you spent all of your time prepping your Halloween costume and readying your apartment for a slew of trick-or-treaters? If this is the case, you may be in need of a midweek makeover?

Today, take a few minutes to check in with yourself - finances, office assignments, personal errands, and any obligations. Since we're headed into a busy Halloween weekend and then, the beginning of a new month, it's unlikely that you'll find the time to tie up any loose ends over the weekend. So, get going now.

Take a moment to look over expenses, and put any saving reminders and good-spending practices into place. As far as errands go, make sure you're making time for your personal tasks as well as office work, and remember to work smart - focusing your energy and time on the tasks you find most challenging first to avoid being burned out later.

To continue your midweek makeover, read more.

Since November is often a busy time with the holiday and family, try to get ahead now - get your November calendar out and mark important dates and deadlines. This way, while you're out enjoying the Halloween festivities, you can rest easy, knowing you've already planned ahead at home.

If all else fails, take the time midweek to give your attitude a makeover. If you're finding that you're stressed out by the impending holiday and your workload at the office, do just one thing for yourself - actively tune into what's going on, and disregard the tendency to tune it all out. Prioritize what must be done, and set an ultimate goal to remain positive throughout the week.

Would You Ever Job Swap With Your Partner?

SavvySugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:10 -0700

In an admittedly gutsy career move, Susan Barton will be taking over her husband's job at Slate for two weeks. The experiment, a kind of real-world take on Freaky Friday - and aptly titled Freaky Fortnight - details the adventures of this 30-something mom and her husband switching roles - Susan taking to the office at Slate as an editor, and her husband taking the reigns at home to care for their two children.

It's a brave attempt at experiencing daily life in someone else's shoes. At a certain point, our own routines have become second nature, and it's impossible to know exactly where another career path would take us, how it would affect us, and how we would fare. So, despite the occasional wishful thinking to experience life as a movie star or dream job of your choice, tell me, would you ever seriously consider switching jobs with your partner?

Get a Glimpse of Other Workers' Cubicles

SavvySugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:33:25 -0700

We spend so much of our weeks at work that our offices can seem like a second home. And our cubicles and desks can develop a sense of style (or clutter) of their own. You see your co-workers' desks all the time, but here's an opportunity to glimpse into strangers cubes. When you're finished clicking through, pick up your camera and snap a pic of your own workspace - then join my Capture Your Cube group and share with the rest of us! Source: Flickr User Jeffrey Beall

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Airport Scales May Lie About Your Overweight Luggage

SavvySugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:06:33 -0700

You probably wouldn't demand a do-over on the scale at the doctor's office, but an inaccurate weigh-in there wouldn't cost you a dime. When it comes to weighing your luggage, however, an airport scale that's off can be costly. It's times like these when requesting a re-do makes sense for your bottom line.

Budget Travel comes right out and says that airport scales often lie. Scales at several major airports aren't properly calibrated, which means passengers are paying hefty fees for overweight luggage when their bags aren't actually too heavy. Brandon Macsata of the Association For Airline Passenger Rights recommends that passengers weigh their bags at home first; if the airport scale seems off, ask that your bags be weighed on a different scale.