Organize Your Home Office

This is an article that I wrote in 2009. Since Yahoo will be deleting all of the content before long I wanted to share some of the articles with everyone here. Reading through this I find that all of the tips are still useful and I need to follow my own advice.

How to Organize a Successful Home Business

For all of us that are trying to run an at home or internet business it can be difficult. I have thrown together a few things that I have done that have helped me succeed. An at home business can be ran successfully, just keep working at it. 

Keep your work space completely separate from the rest of your home. Whether it be a separate room, or a corner of a room. Keep your work time and your home time apart. Schedule all of it, and go by your schedule. When you do this you tend to concentrate more on what you are doing at the time, not worrying about the other. 

The main thing I have learned is you have to be organized. The first thing you need is a organizer. Shop around and check out the different styles and designs. Find the one that works perfectly with your business. Organizers can offer a lot of different things, and can be very useful. 

Buy yourself 2 different filing cabinets, or designate 2 drawers if you have a large cabinet. Make sure you have a file for everything, and be sure that it gets filed ASAP. This way when you need it, it is there. This will also save you time when you need it. We all need the extra time. 

Clean your desk. Take everything off. Start putting things back in order of the most used to least used. If you don't use your tape or stapler all the time, why have then directly in front of you. Always keep you a notepad handy. I have found that I always have to jot things down.

If you sell merchandise from your home keep up with your inventory. Your inventory is what you make your money on, so make sure you keep up with what is coming in and out of your stock. If you have orders that you prepare, do it as soon as you find out about it. That way you are not trying to get everything together at the last moment, and it saves you a lot of time. 

We can all run a great business from home. Whether it is online, a service, or sales from home try to make your life as simple as it can be. Good luck with everything.

Have You Ever Lost Someone Close to you?

Have you ever lost anyone close to you. To name a few I have lost my brother, Granny, Grandpa, numerous close friends throughout the years, and most recently my boyfriend. Having someone die close to you can be very hard. Even with all of the losses I have had throughout the years, losing Justin was the hardest. In the last three months I have had a hard time grasping the loss and how to move on. I have good days and bad day, but in all I think I am holding up. I have always felt as if I had to be the strong one.
Emotions are not something that I show very well, but what keeps me going is my Faith. I do have Faith in God and Heaven, but I watched a movie today that gave me a new look on life. The movie "Heaven is For Real" was such an eye opener. I have to say I cried the entire way through the movie, but it gave me this feeling of calmness. I know Justin is in Heaven, and so many other I knew as well. If you have lost anyone close to you, watch this movie. Even if you do not believe in God or Heaven, I think you would enjoy the movie. It is the accounts of a 4 year old that went to Heaven, it is an amazing story. Heartfelt and sincere, and based on the true recollection from this little boy.

Stay Positive to Become Successful

It is so easy to say “stay positive”, but there can be times when it is not that easy. Since losing my boyfriend in April I have had a problem with staying positive. Now that I have had to reduce my hours at work, I am having an even bigger problem staying positive.  Justin would always tell me that he loved the optimism in me; I can see the light in everything. I actually can, even with his death I have made it a point to look at the positive. There are days that it is beyond difficult to do this, but I am finding my way through faith and my personal beliefs.

Since I have been having a lot of negative thoughts I have had to do some self-reflection on why I have always been so positive about life. I have had a very hard life at times but I know the hard times end, and I have received more blessings after the hard times are over.  Also, if we continue to focus on these negative things then our lives begin to rotate around them. We attract negative people, and negative actions, with our negative thoughts.

Today is the day I go back to being the optimistic person that he loved so much. I will plan my life in a positive way, and make positive choices. Always remember that the negative is what brings us down, and we cannot allow that to continue. There are always positive points in your life through loss of a loved one, loss of a job, being without certain things, and even in personal suffering. Find what keeps you focused on your goals. It may be your kids or even yourself. Do not let anyone hold you back. Stay positive and continue to work for what you want so you can become successful. Each of us can find success in our own way, and each of us will have a different opinion of what success is. My success is focusing on making sure my son it taken care of. Giving him everything he needs, not necessarily everything he wants.

Getting Paid with Inboxdollars.com

Join inboxdollars here

I have been a member of inboxdollars since 2009. In the beginning I did not earn a lot, but was able to reach payout about once a year. Since there is even more to offer on the site now payout is easier to reach. I just received a payout of $40 from inboxdollars, and am getting close to another payout.

The site offers to pay you for things such as searching, using coupons, simple offers, referring others and much more. It is one of the simplest ways that I have earned money online since I began. Also, this is one of two sites that I have actually stuck with since I started earning money online. If you are active on the site, then you can reach payout often, and it is all from most things you do online every day. Give it a shot, it is a nice way to earn extra money from home.

Myths about online college courses

I am a single mom, I work full time, and I have gone to school full time since August of 2012, and will graduate December 2014. I had heard so many things about taking online college courses prior to starting that I was under the influence that it would be different. These are a few myths about taking online college courses, and I know that these are myths from personal experiences.

Online College Courses are easier than Campus Courses:

This is not true at all. The course is under the same curriculum as the campus courses, but you do not have the professor in the class explaining things to you. If you can learn well on your own, you will do well. Never think that the online course will be easier.

You never have to go to Campus:

This may be true if you are using an exclusively online school, but local colleges do have you come to campus on occasions. Some of the classes will require you to go to the campus for tests. This will not happen often, but be prepared in case this is your circumstances. There may also be courses that have to be completed online, or even a hybrid course where you have to go online and to the school.

Online Courses are completely at your own pace:

This is one of the biggest misconceptions that I had, and quite a few other people do as well. Each course has a set syllabus, and deadlines for the work that needs to be finished. Since I have begun taking online college courses I have had projects that were due each week. The tests, papers, homework, and any other projects always have precise due dates. On some occasions you can move ahead a little in the online college course, but if you miss work you will receive a zero for that.

You do not need to have a lot of computer knowledge to take online college courses:

This is just wrong to tell people. I actually have quite a bit of computer knowledge, but when I first began taking online college courses I was confused. I still have moment that I am questioning what I am supposed to do. I am not confused about the work, but how to work some of the programs that I have to use. Do research into what you will be doing. If you are going to a local school they will usually be happy to help you navigate the sites.

You do not need a webcam for online college courses:

This is actually true, but you can experience more if you do have one. There are programs and meeting sites that some of the professors will use. If you have a webcam you will be able to have face to face meetings. For some people this may not be important, but it may be beneficial to a lot of students.

You only have to check in to your online college course once or twice a week:

NO, absolutely false. The first week I was taking my online college courses I was online 6-8 hours a day, every day. I take three courses online, but each one of them goes by completely different programs. After the first week I got organized and learned each class's standards. Now that I have learned, I am still online each day checking each class. There are things that change on courses or you may have forgotten something. Either way, checking each day helps to ensure you complete all of your work. I now spend an average of four hours a day working on my online college courses. I do take weekends off!

I just have to do my work; I do not have to participate in any discussions or forums:

The classes I take require you to post on the forums or watch the lectures online. Being active in their courses is the way they track the attendance. You have to show participation in each class. Some classes will even drop you if you do not participate in the first couple of weeks, and will fail you if you do not participate after that.

I can copy work from other students, or websites if I take online college courses:

If you do, you will get caught. Most professors use plagiarism software to catch this, and it is now required by the school for them to use on each assignment. If you want to do well, do your own work

These myths are things that I heard prior to starting taking online college courses. I have shared my experience about showing these myths not to be true. I love taking online college courses, but the first week scared me. The biggest tip I can give anyone who is interested in taking online courses would be to learn time management. Use a calendar to mark your deadlines, plan time each day to work on each course, and never get behind. If you are interested in furthering your career online, do it. If you have problems, ask for help.

Tip from a single mom

Do not let anything hold you back. Get your education. I have kept myself from making excuses because I can do it. This has been a great experience, and I would not change it for the world. If you want to be a successful single parent, then go for your dreams and do not hold back. A little struggle will come with great return!

Is Firehow a paying site for writers?

I have been writing online for about 5 years now and Firehow is a site that I have been a member of Firehow for 4 of those years. From my personal experience, Firehow is a fairly good site to write on. In the last year I have not submitted any articles, and have not been on the site until recently, but I have made payout twice. The payout threshold is $15, and I know most will not think $30 is a lot, but I did not work for it. Prior to the year of not working on the site, I made payout fairly regularly.

Who is Firehow for?

I think Firehow is great for anyone that can write "How to" articles, and wants to earn a little bit of money for their thoughts.

How much does Firehow pay?

Figuring with my recent earnings Firehow pays about $2 per 1000 views. This could vary depending on a variety of things, so I am not sure of the exact amount. If you can get good views on your articles, you can reach payout fairly quickly if you work on it.

How does Firehow pay?

Firehow pays through Paypal once a month as long as you reach the $15 minimum payout.

My personal opinion of Firehow?

I think Firehow could be a very good site if they had more contributors that submitted quality content. There are quite a few contributors that submit great content, but then there are some that do not care, and are just there to see what they can get. If there were better written articles on the site, page ranking would go up, and the site could be more profitable.

I enjoy writing for Firehow, and will be submitting more content more often now that I am trying to work from home more now.


Nona Weeks on Firehow

Goodbye to Yahoo Contributor Network, Formerly Associated Content

Goodbye to Yahoo Contributor Network, Formerly Associated Content. I have been a member of this site since it was Associated Content. To be more precise it will be 5 years on the 20th. This was one of the first sites I began writing for, and I have earned quite a bit of money from the sit. I think most of us that wrote on the site knew it would eventually shut down when Yahoo took over.

Even though Yahoo Contributor Network is shutting down I appreciate the site for what it has taught me. I have learned more about saving money, earning money, dealing with life, and so many other thing. I hope to find another site that I enjoy writing for as much as I did when the site was Associated Content.

Direct Sales Tax Deductions

I have worked in a variety of areas that are direct sales or work from home. Tax deductions are very important to those that are able to claim their income and deductions. There are a variety of laws pertaining to direct sales tax deductions and there are a lot of deductions that people do not use.

I put together a lens on Squidoo that lists things that you can use as deductions for your direct sales business. I suggest you look over these items to see what you may be missing each year.

Direct Sales Tax Deductions on Squidoo by Nona Weeks(Nonar21)

If you have any others that you think should be added please let me know. I put a great deal of work into this list, but there is always a possibility of changes and additions.

Reducing Hours at Work?

For the last year I have had to work a lot of hours each week, with the minimal being around 45 the most 60. It has become normal to me, and I depend on the paycheck now. Well I found out today that the overtime will be eliminated for the store. This is devastating me so much. I am trying to buy a home, I have to take care of my son, and I have to pay bills. If my overtime was temporary, or short term, I would not depend on it so much. This will be a reduction of on average $50-$100 a week. Not such a small amount. I am having questionable thoughts about what I should do., and I am also losing some of my passion for my job.

I have been with this company, with the exception of my time off for an injury, for close to three years.  I am an assistant manager, but make very little hourly compared to what I have in the past. The place I work is like a family, and I love going to work. It is the corporate that is cutting back on everything. We have more than doubled our sales each month compared to where we were 12 to 24 months ago, and I do not feel as though they appreciate the people that bring the customers in and pay their incomes.

So what does my future hold? I have two more classes this fall to complete my associated degree in business management. Should I work a second job to make ends meet? I live in a rural area so finding something comparable may be difficult, or I may have to commute. Another option is to work even harder from home, or find a company that will allow me to do customer service or business management from home. Wow I am just at a loss at the moment. I need to find a way  to make up at lease $100 a week to be sure I can cover everything and provide for my son.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.