Displaying All Posts by Susan Johnston

What Are Your Office Etiquette Pet Peeves?

What Are Your Office Etiquette Pet Peeves?

Office etiquette issues are mostly behind me, but before I fled cubicle hell for coffee shops and other freelance hangouts, I shared workspace just like (almost) everyone else, so I’ve dealt with the quirks of toxic coworkers — and they’ve had to cope with mine. One cubemate was deeply disturbed by the sound a plastic water bottle makes when you try to squeeze out the last bit of water. Another couldn’t stand the sound of an office chair swiveling back and forth as one coworker twirled absentmindedly.

My biggest workplace etiquette peeve? I’m annoyed by loud phone talkers. You know the type: people who make personal phones during work hours and then act as if their acid reflux or marital problems are the most fascinating and important topic on the planet. That’s why I always made a point of slipping away from my desk when I needed to make a non-work call (let’s face it: we all occasionally need to make calls between 9 and 5) and scheduling time in the conference room when I had a lengthy work call scheduled.

What about you? Are there habits you’d prefer to do without? Click Here to Read Article …



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Awesome Links #8: Personal Productivity Tools, iPad Apps and More

Awesome Links #8: Personal Productivity Tools, iPad Apps and More

Are Multiple Twitter Accounts Good or Bad?
This post draws on a variety of sources and weighs the pros and cons of having multiple Twitter accounts, particularly for business purposes.

100 Ways to Increase Your Website Traffic
Quite possibly the most comprehensive list of website-boosting strategies we’ve ever seen, ranging from the obvious (“network, network, network”) to the off-beat (“fake a hacker attack”).

The best goal is no goal
The author discusses how not having goals can actually be liberating.

7 iPad Apps That Help You Budget and Improve Your Lifestyle
Sure, you want to kick butt at work, but these apps will help improve your lifestyle and stick to a budget so your hard-earned dollars will go further.

The 10 People You Need in Your Professional Network
Mentors are great, but you’ll need more than that achieve professional success. This Forbes article explores other people (including the mentor) you should have in your network.

6 Personal Productivity Tools Guaranteed to Up Your Game
From our sister site, FreelanceSwitch, comes this collection of web tools designed to help you be more productive. Freelancer or office worker, we think you’ll find this useful. Click Here to Read Article …


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Relocating Your Home Office

Relocating Your Home Office

Moving into a new house or apartment is stressful enough. But when you work from home, and you’re moving both your household and your home office, things get a whole lot hairier, as I discovered during my own move earlier this summer. It’s been a few weeks, and things are finally (!) starting to settle down and I’m getting settled in my new home.

Here are some of the strategies I picked up during my recent move: Click Here to Read Article …



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Is Office Dating Appropriate?

Is Office Dating Appropriate?

According to a recent article on CBS MoneyWatch, office romances are becoming increasingly common. In a way, it makes sense, because if you’re working crazy hours trying to keep your boss happy, it’s tough to find time to meet people outside the office.

Of course, dating a coworker can seriously backfire because if you break up, you’ll still have to see them every single day. And if you’re dating a superior (or your company has a strict anti-fraternization policy), that introduces a whole other can of worms!

I’ve never dated someone in my office, and it’s unlikely that I will in the future; I now work from home at an office of one (even when I reported to an office, I didn’t have much exposure to potential boyfriends, my coworkers were predominantly female). But I’d be interested in your take on this topic.

Have you had an office romance? Or are you strictly against it? Click Here to Read Article …



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Awesome Links #7: Defeating Distractions, Blog Boosting, Freelancing Fees

Awesome Links #7: Defeating Distractions, Blog Boosting, Freelancing Fees

The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog
A top direct marketing copywriter shares his tips on using personality and likeability to build your blog’s popularity.

20 Strategies to Defeat the Urge to Do Useless Tasks
Ever find yourself refreshing Facebook or cleaning out your desk instead of doing what’s really important? Read this post!

Three Reasons You’re Not Charging What You’re Worth
Many freelancers and other self-employed folks sell themselves short, but this post shows them how to break this habit and start charging more.

5 Ways To Boost Your Best Business Relationship
These days, finding a job or getting promoted is all about relationships, and this post shows you simple ways to strengthen those contacts.

Freelance Decor: 6 Motivational Posters from the Movies
Lastly, we bring you a fun, light-hearted post from our sister site, FreelanceSwitch, with humorous motivational posters. Click Here to Read Article …



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Have You Hired a Business Coach?

Have You Hired a Business Coach?
Though I’ve been freelancing full-time for two years, and I’m happy with where I am in my business, I’m a big fan of personal development. I read books, follow blogs, take classes, and attend conferences in my field. After all, everyone has areas where they could improve. Recently, I had the idea that I should hire a business coach to help me rethink some of the strategies I use and help my business climb to the next level.

A colleague suggested several business coaching candidates, so I contacted a smaller subset of that group and discussed my needs over the phone. The first coach seemed friendly, yet professional, and we clicked almost immediately. As our conversation concluded, she agreed to send me a proposal of what our coaching relationship would look like.

The second coach seemed equally friendly and professional, but after we chatted for awhile, she did something that few self-employed professionals do: discouraged me from becoming a client. “It sounds like you have solid strategies in place, and the few issues you’ve had were unusual circumstances,” she said. “I hate to turn away business, but I’m just not sure you need this right now.” I told her appreciated her honesty and that I’d get in touch if I really did need her in the future. When the first coach got back to me with her proposal, I responded similarly. I’d also been thinking about hiring a personal assistant and that seemed like a better use of resources anyway.

Though I didn’t end up using a business coach, there are others who went the other way.

Have you hired a business coach or a life coach? What did you look for? How did they help you? Click Here to Read Article …



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Are Work Friends Counterproductive?

Are Work Friends Counterproductive?
A few years ago when I began working at a startup company, I made friends with several of my colleagues in the marketing and creative departments. We’d grab lunch together and occasionally meet up on the weekends or after work. I’d never been super-close with any of my coworkers before, so it was exciting to form such friendly bonds!

Having work buddies can make the workday pass more quickly and take the sting out of working late, but it can sometimes be a distraction. Plus, hanging out with coworkers after hours blurs the lines between your personal and professional life. In the case of my work posse, we got chastised a few times for taking longer lunches than we should (we were having so much fun chatting we lost track of time!).

Some career experts warn that being too chummy with friends at work also makes it less likely that you’ll be tapped for a promotion, because you may be seen as someone who’s serious about advancing their career (or you may subconsciously avoid any changes that would split up you and your work clique). Now that I’m working from home, I actually have the opposite of this problem: too few opportunities to interact with colleagues.

What’s your take on work friendships? Are work friends bad for your career? Click Here to Read Article …



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What’s Your Summertime Work Strategy?

What’s Your Summertime Work Strategy?

Traditionally, summertime means kicking back with a cool drink and escaping to the beach. But some people actually use this time to get ahead, taking advantage of a lighter workload to plan for the rest of the year or tackle long-neglected projects.

Both approaches have their merits.

Obviously, it’s nice to slow down and smell the cool ocean breezes so you can return to work relaxed and rejuvenated. That said, beaches and other vacation destinations are crowded this time of year, so it may make sense to save vacation time and forge ahead at work to show your boss how committed you are. As a self-employed writer, I’m planning to do a little of both this summer.  I may be taking a few half days to catch up on reading –  but otherwise it’ll be business as usual.

What do you plan to do this summer? Will you be observing half-day Fridays, as they do in many companies? Maybe taking a week off for some fun in the sun? Or will you keep things at the status quo? Click Here to Read Article …



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Using Spare Time: What Can You Do in 10 Minutes?

Using Spare Time: What Can You Do in 10 Minutes?

Imagine you have a scheduled appointment or phone call in 10 minutes (let’s assume that you’re fully prepped for the appointment – or it’s not the type of thing that requires advanced work). 10 minutes is not enough time to tackle a major project, but still enough time to accomplish some small task. The question is: what will that task be?

When I have a window of spare time, I typically pull up Google Reader and scan through a couple of posts. It’s productive, because I’d want to read those posts at some point later.  However, sometimes I’ll keep longer posts marked as unread if I don’t want to get sucked in to a “think” piece.

What about you? Will you click over to Facebook or Twitter and see what your friends are up to? Open a desk drawer and give it a quick refresh? Or start that big project and return to it later? Click Here to Read Article …



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Are Modern Conveniences Really a Time Saver?

Are Modern Conveniences Really a Time Saver?

Real Simple recently discussed modern time savers that aren’t all the supposed “improvements” that we twenty-first century folk take for granted. You know…things like microwaves, iPhones and the DVR.

The author makes a very valid point. Many of these innovations are a good idea in theory but actually end up requiring more time, not less. Take interstate highways – they’re fabulous until you’re mired in endless miles of traffic when you could be doing something (anything!) else.

One of the so-called “conveniences” that comes to mind for me is NetFlix (the poor man’s DVR). It’s a great way to avoid the video rental store, but then you end up spending the time you saved rearranging your queue or obsessively reading other people’s movie reviews. And if I didn’t have it, I’d probably spend less time watching movies and more time reading books (all right…or surfing the web).  While trying to end up with more hours in the day, you end up with the same – or less.  That’s pretty much the opposite of what you really want in a time saver.

What about you? Can you think of other “time-saving” innovations that actually take up more of our time? Click Here to Read Article …



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The “Upgrade iPhone” Dilemma: Will You Be Getting an iPhone 4?

The “Upgrade iPhone” Dilemma: Will You Be Getting an iPhone 4?

As the iPhone 4 prepared to hit stores today, I recall my Apple-obsessed boyfriend is trying to get me to camp out with him at the Apple store last night. I’m quite content with my Blackberry, thank you very much.

And after reading these tips from Geek Juice on Smartening Up a “Dumb Phone”, I’m starting to wonder whether I need a BlackBerry at all. Still, it seems like it would be simpler to use my smartphone’s browser than “googling” things via text message (Google and I are BFFs – I probably do several dozen searches per day).

What about you current or prospective iPhone users? Are you on the yearly “Upgrade iPhone” cycle? Will you be jumping on the faster, shinier, newer bandwagon or sticking with your current phone? Click Here to Read Article …



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Productive Working Hours: What Are Your Best Work Times?

Productive Working Hours: What Are Your Best Work Times?

Although most offices operate on 9 to 5 (or 8 to 6) working hours, not all workers work best on this timetable. Night owl workers prefer to burn the midnight oil, working late into the night when there are no distracting coworkers and their brain is at its sharpest.

I, on the other hand, prefer to follow regular business hours (roughly 9-6), so I’m available for dinner or drinks when my cubicle-dwelling friends get out of work. Plus, I like that feeling of accomplishment when the clock strikes noon and I can strike a bunch of items from my to-do list and break for lunch. When I’m still tethered to my computer at 7 or 8 at night, I feel antsy and unproductive (though I’ll do it if that’s what it takes to meet a deadline).

What about your working hours? What are your best work times? Why? Click Here to Read Article …



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