work from home

10 healthy, brain-stimulating “at work”-outs you can do at your desk

I know, I know, you’re too busy to exercise. You’ve got obligations, family to attend to, and not to mention that full-time job (that you may be at right now!). You’re stuck behind a desk most of the day, so suiting up to go to the gym just ain’t happening. Okay then, why not get a little exercise right there at work? Here are seven exercises and three stretches that you can do right now at your desk.

On the other side of the door: What it’s like to be an apartment manager

I have been fortunate enough to work from home for the past two years. I currently work as an apartment manager for my apartment complex. While I love my job, and no matter how much insane shit I deal with every day, I would never trade it for the world. That being said, there are times when it sucks to be an apartment manager…

Why I consider “homemaker” one of my jobs

I’ve always heard the term “homemaker” applied to people who don’t do anything else, a PC term for “unemployed and not looking.” If you had another job, no matter what it was, that was how you identified yourself. But I’m an editor and a homemaker, and I’m proud of both of those jobs.

Productivity hack: The internet kill switch

As a writer, I’m at my laptop pretty much all the time. Sadly, that means the siren call of the internet is loud and constant. The urge to stop what I’m doing “just for a second” to check Facebook or news headlines or “research” something on Wikipedia for the next several hours is substantial. I figured the best way to combat this — other than developing a stronger will to not goof off — was to get rid of the internet when I didn’t need it. Thus, the internet kill switch was born.

Working from home: separating personal time from work time

When my husband and I get home from our day jobs, we don’t waste much time before jumping into our second jobs of operating an at-home business. Now that our careers take place both in and out of the home, the line between work and personal time has started to blur. Our house now doubles as a work place, and I often find that I can’t truly relax when I’m there because I feel guilty when I’m not working on business operations.

What steps can I take to separate personal time from work time when at home?

How can I minimize weirdness when hosting clients in my home office?

I run a business from my home, and I often have to meet with clients and collaborators. I’ve been meeting in coffee shops, but I want to make a change: some meetings require lots of materials or even room to spread out drawings and papers, and I hate lugging this stuff around and then splaying out my work in a cafe. However, I want to make sure I’m projecting a professional persona even when I greet a client at my front door and lead them through the living room to my office. My house is fine — it’s neat, though doesn’t have a ton of furniture. It just feels strange to invite people to see where I live AND work.

Am I silly to worry about this? Is there anything you can suggest to allay my twinge of weirdness about mixing business and personal worlds?