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How to successfully work from home

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | How to successfully work from homeThe transition from office to home is almost irresistible. According to Stanford News, the culture of working from home is going to continue even after the CoronaVirus pandemic.

As usual, the home space can be relatively small and the unforgiving environment of destruction. You need to have an ideal working space to increase your productivity. In this article, we have provided some tips on how you can successfully work from home.

Let’s have a look at them.

Create an official workspace

Having in mind that destruction is almost inevitable at home, it is wise to inform your friends and family members that you are at work. Treat it with the seriousness it deserves just like when in office.

However, it is healthy to give yourself a healthy break to prevent boredom and muscle inactivity. You can also empower yourself with office-like tools to facilitate your work.

To deviate from the norm, you can dedicate a working space within the house or a room to enable you to feel different from the typical house set up.

Set office hours

For you to be productive, you need to be disciplined with your time. Working remotely with no organization can cause you to underperform. Create a schedule with breaks like time to eat, rest and time for the family. This will help you get used to that schedule, and you will avoid boredom.

Use a sit-stand workstation

Sitting in one position for a very long time can be toxic to your health. Changing positions is helpful to your muscles and the trunk. With the spine being part of the central nervous system together with the brain, changing position is needed.

It’s important to have a special work space at home, and just the desk could make all the difference. You can use a desk from HADO to help you avoid sitting in one position. An adjustable standing desk allows you to raise it to a comfortable height.

Docking station

You could be having a laptop, and that’s what you have to work from home. Nevertheless, it’s usually hectic to stare on the tiny screen all day, no mouse with a keyboard that demands hunch over.

A docking station will be your best choice that will assist you in converting your laptop to a desktop. This will help you have a mouse, a keyboard and speakers in a separate way.

Chair

The chair plays a vital role in your locomotor nerves, especially with the current trend of working remotely. This, therefore, becomes an essential tool in your efficacy. The choice of your chair will determine your well being because of muscle mobility and blood supply.

A steady blood supply to your system makes your body feel great, and you become productive. A chair that allows you to change postures is usually the best.

Excellent communication skills

Communication is very vital in virtual work. Now that you are not in office to give a physical report, you need to brush over your communication skill to improve on efficacy. Conveying your message clearly and precisely makes the work smooth.

You need to save yourself embarrassment due to poor communicating by polishing your virtual communications skills.

Organizational tools

Averagely, your working space at home is likely to be smaller than the office working space. You could have a room but not big enough or a space at the corner of your living room. This will need a super organization to have your office tools at the right place.

It also entails the creation of enough space for an ambient working environment. If it is a room, you better make it private under lock and key to prevent a lot of destruction. On the other hand, if it’s at the corner of your living room, you will have to arrange it in a way that it doesn’t destroy the aesthetic appearance of the whole room.

Proper lighting

Are you having trouble with your sight or unending headaches? This is the proper time to consider redoing your lighting system. It is advisable to have layers of colours at the comfort of your eyes. This must also blend with the colour of the walls.

During the day, natural light is preferably the best, and so your room should be well lit. Consider all options from ceiling lighting to desk light stand to suit your preference. This must be comfortable for your eyesight and to allow you to get details to the core.

Keep the supplies you often use within reach

To avoid a lot of destruction and unnecessary movements, it is noble to put all you need at your reach. This will save you a lot of time and also keep you professional in all you do.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Weight gain is a common issue among most people working remotely. Having in mind that you are a reflection of what you eat, then it is a good and noble thing to have a healthy eating habit.

This will include having healthy snacks around you and most importantly taking enough water. Having regular exercise on your schedule is one part that most telecommuters don’t consider. Don’t be enslaved by work without exercise because it is toxic to your health.

There is so much in terms of working remotely. There are a lot of innovations about making working at home bearable and productive. It is good to put into consideration all these factors because they are so beneficial.

What else do you do to work from home successfully?

3 Types Of Listening Skills That You Can Adopt For Your Next Conversation

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 3 Types Of Listening Skills That You Can Adopt For Your Next ConversationHave you ever been a part of a conversation where the other person constantly shuts you out? And they just won’t let you speak! Don’t worry; you’re not the only one. We all have had to go through people dominating conversations through combative listening. It’s not a pretty picture!

But what are your options? What is the best way to react? Should you be competitive too? Probably not. An active listener would be more likely to grasp what the person is saying and defend his point of view. Makes sense, no? Although it is difficult to apply in heated debates, with a little bit of practice, you’ll know what type of listener you need to be and in which situation. Here are a few that you may already be practicing but didn’t know about! Keep reading.

#1 Competitive Listening – The One Who Shuts Someone Down

Don’t you hate how your boss interrupts conversations to emphasize his point of view? Well, it’s a type of listening skill. Instead of listening to the other person, this model involves pushing your opinion onto someone else. Whether arguing with your spouse or friend, you may have realized that you have been doing this as well. Sometimes, we jump in to say what our opinion is and make a point. This type of listening is predominant when someone wants to list the flaws or drawbacks of the other person’s argument.

One can but not necessarily should apply this to have the upper hand during a negotiation. You may have realized that when you are being a competitive listener, you may indulge yourself a little too much and have a closed mind about everything else. Which isn’t ideal – especially during conversations with important people.

#2 Reflective Listening – The One Who Is An Active Participant

The best kind of conversations are those when someone is actively listening and responding to you. This is known as active listening since a huge part of it includes listening to the other person’s side of the story. It’s necessary to be patient and reflective since hearing alone does not do the job.

Remember when your spouse told you that they would be late for dinner tonight? But you were glued to the television! You may have heard it, but did you listen? If you listened, you would have responded and asked questions or given an opinion. So, it’s necessary for both people to be interested and intrigued while this takes place. Interactive conversations can lead to discoveries about oneself and the people around you. Any conversation can become an intense one. Like an adventure ride. So push beyond your comfort zone and activate your ear lobes. This conversation is going to be a thrilling one!

#3 Passive Listening – One-Sided Conversations

Some people simply like to listen. They are attentive listeners and are absorbing all the information they get with every passing minute. However, this can get monotonous for the other person if it’s a long conversation. Although ideal when you want to pay attention to someone, you may use this while someone is giving a lecture, a talk, or narrating their experiences.

Rather than being reflective, you would want to listen with utmost curiosity and be 100 percent engrossed in the smooth-flowing conversation.

Here, unlike when you’re actively listening, even if you agree with the other individual, you’re not doing so vocally. This can be a good practice to understand what someone is saying, instead of trying to put your point across.

Conclusion

There you go, those were the three different types of listening skills that you probably didn’t know about. We all use these at different points in our conversations throughout the day. Sometimes you can be an active listener with your friend but a passive listener with your boss and a competitive listener with your partner!

6 Obvious Signs that it’s Time to Quit Your Current Job

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Have you ever questioned the reason why you joined your company? Sometimes your workplace may not turn out to be what you expected. While every job has its pros and cons, if you feel unhappy at work or feel like you do not fit, you should be ready to move on and do something else.

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 6 Obvious Signs that it's Time to Quit Your Current Job

But things are not always so clear cut. There is no fairy tale office where everything is always as you want them to be. You have to encounter both the negative and positive aspects of a job when working. In such a situation, making the wrong decision can lead to the loss of a good job promotion. You may also end up destroying the goodwill you have created since starting the job.

So how do you tell that it is time for you to move on?

When you lose the Thrill of Going to Work

Do you no longer feel excited getting up early to head to work? Do you feel like a machine when you start working on some of your daily tasks? That is a clear sign that you need to end your job and find something else to do.

The lack of excitement in doing your daily tasks can lead you to waste your time searching for other things that may excite you, such as playing online games or watching movies at work. Instead of wasting your valuable time, you should make use of it somewhere else.

When Your Ideas Are Not Being Considered

How long have you held out waiting to impress your boss? Sometimes you have to bear being left on the sidelines until you can prove your capabilities to your boss. But if you remain in the same position for a long time, you should consider working at a different place that identifies your value.

Moreover, if your workmates exclude you when making decisions or don’t appreciate your opinions, you should find somewhere else that is more welcoming. It is essential to work in an environment that appreciates your effort and work and makes you feel valued.

When You Are Smarter than the Boss

It is not a crime to be the smartest person in the room. But if you believe you have more skills than your boss, you may have to consider switching to another job. It can be very frustrating since you may have to downplay your thoughts as you conform to your boss’s even when you know they are disastrous.

Additionally, you will constantly be uncomfortable if you do not trust their decisions regarding the company. If you do not want to go down with a sinking ship due to poor leadership, you should seek a more challenging working environment.

When You are Underpaid

Does the work you do equate to the amount you receive as payment? You should not consider sticking around if your salary is too low. Aside from your monthly income, a good company should offer you work benefits, an employee health insurance, a 401k program, and a paid time off, among other monetary benefits. If you’re looking for a better job opportunity, you will find that there are plenty of advantages of Truck Driving for Barr-Nunn Transportation that you cannot find in other similar companies.

You Cannot See a Future

Does your company offer you opportunities to grow? A good company should create an opportunity for you to grow and rise in the hierarchy. Everyone is entitled to go after new opportunities and create a name for themselves. However, if your company does not provide you with such opportunities, you should find somewhere else to explore that.

When Your Work Environment is Toxic

Does your company tolerate bad behaviors, or does it hold perpetrators responsible? The culture of a company is depicted by how it responds to particular behaviors in the workplace. How does it deal with bullying, gender, and sexual harassment, or conflicts in general?

It would be best not to work in a company that does not protect you from such acts. Not only can they be demeaning, but some of them can hurt you mentally, physically, and emotionally.

It does not matter if you receive a good salary; if the environment is toxic, your productivity will be affected. You should instead find somewhere else that provides you with a safe working environment.

Summing up

Do not stick in a work environment that does not benefit you in any way; the grass is greener on the other side. Once you decide to leave, you should figure out what you want and find ways to get there. Take the step forward, fearlessly, and pursue a positive future.

How You Will Bounce Back From Job Loss

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | How You Will Bounce Back From Job LossLosing your job brings up a variety of unwanted thoughts and feelings. You’re flooded with worries about how you’ll cope without a regular income. How and if you’ll ever find a new job. And depending on the circumstances of losing your job, you may begin to doubt your capabilities at work.

Although things may seem difficult now, there are brighter days ahead.

Bouncing back from job loss isn’t a matter of if but when. To help you get back on your feet quickly, breaking down what you need to do into manageable chunks is crucial. And so, through this post, you’ll find four vital steps to follow, manage your job loss worries and bounce back.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Before moving onto the next step, it’s essential to take time out to grieve your job loss.

Investing in self-care, such as eating healthy, positive thinking, exercise, and taking time to do something you enjoy will ensure you maintain a healthy body and mind. Both of which are essential to keep your head high and focused on putting your life back together, following losing your job.

Contact A Lawyer

The moment you lose your job, everything can seem a bit of a blur. You may not have truly taken the time to understand or even question your ex-employer about why they’re letting you go.

Finding out your rights as an employee, from experienced labour lawyers, is an essential step to take. By sharing your situation with a lawyer, they can advise if your employment agreement stipulations have been violated. Or, for example, whether you may have been subject to wrongful dismissal. In turn, professing your case to your company to ensure you are treated fairly or receive adequate compensation.

Manage Your Finances

Although it may be painful to look at your bank balance and budget right now, it’s necessary to avoid missing payments and falling into debt.

For this step, you want to work out how much money you have to live on for the coming weeks while finding a new job. In doing so, you can establish the urgency of needing to get a new role.

If you’re drowning in debt, you need to contact the collectors urgently to explain your situation. They may be able to freeze your payments until you get a new job.

Other areas where you can make positive changes to ensure you can afford to live for a while if you find a new role is trimming your budget. Whether cutting down your food shopping budget or letting go of a few unused subscriptions.

If more drastic measures are needed, you could return a vehicle you’ve leased to the provider, to save yourself a monthly lump sum. Or downsize to a less expensive home.

Survey Income Options

Depending on the circumstances of your dismissal, you may be able to claim benefits. Contact your local government to see if you’re entitled to any financial support.

If you have a side business, you could use your free time to make the most of your entrepreneurial talents and expand it into a full-time gig.

Otherwise, you could seize this opportunity to take a new course and learn something that can either enhance or change your career path.

Taking time to take care of you. Alongside sourcing a lawyer for support, managing your finances and surveying new potential income options. Are the essential stages to follow to help you bounce back from losing your job.

3 Legal Pitfalls You Should Avoid on Social Media

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 3 Legal Pitfalls You Should Avoid on Social MediaMany people use social media for private and business communications without knowing that what they post online can have serious legal ramifications. John Branca, an attorney who has represented pop superstars like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, warns that even people who don’t have a media empire at stake should be aware of the pitfalls.

Revealing Others’ Personal Information

Be careful not to reveal personal information without permission, especially if you’re using your social media platforms for a business venture. For example, if you’re trying to promote your cosmetic dentistry practice, you shouldn’t post before and after photos of one of your patients without his or her consent. Be aware that the same privacy laws apply for your patients even when you’re trying to advertise your work on a satisfied client.

Committing Defamation

What you post on social media about others can be considered defamation if it is untrue and causes harm to their reputation. By sharing something negative about another person, you may be opening yourself up to legal action, even if you think it’s true but have no evidence.

Every entertainment lawyer can attest to times that major publications have paid dearly for posting rumors and falsehoods about famous clients. However, regular folks are at even greater risk for legal action because private citizens enjoy stricter protections against public calumny. Therefore, the best course of action is simply to keep any harmful information about others to yourself.

Using Copyrighted Material

Whenever you use a photo from someone else’s website or play music you don’t own the rights for in a post, the law considers it theft. Although you may not think about as you blare your favorite song in your latest dance video, it is illegal unless you have the artist’s consent. This can be a costly mistake if you’re forced to pay the artist.

Social media is a relatively new way to communicate, but the platforms require the same responsibility and knowledge of the law to shield you or your business from legal action.