Welcome to the world blogging! It certainly is a growing interest for people to dip their feet in to see if they like it. And, I can understand the fear that might be behind taking a full plunge in going full time. However, if you go about it the right way, you could get to full time status much quicker than you hoped, and working a little less than you have feared.

I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’ before you read it in my headline. Hearing and applying it are two different things though. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of not realizing what is available for working smarter that makes you work harder.

It could be tools that are in the background that we forget are there. However, if they weren’t there, we would know it eventually.

But, let’s talk about getting organized first. Until you are organized, your work days will always be longer than they need to be.

Work smarter, not harder

Organizing for Success

I am a big believer in not wasting time. And, spending time looking for something that I should be able to find is a big, and frustrating, waste of time. I use cabinet files, with alphabetically labeled files to keep everything within quick reach.

My computer is organized with certain programs and files. I know where it is, if I need it. I also have an online and desk calendar that I can write down all deadlines, schedules, phone numbers, and milestones that I need to keep track of for my work.

And finally, I keep my days organized by waking in the morning and writing out my schedule for the day. I like to start with the worst projects first. By worst, I mean the hardest, or the one I least want to do, for whatever reason. If I don’t get that out of the way, it weighs heavily on my mind all day, dragging me down. That allows me to be more productive the rest of the day with a lighter frame of mind.

Protecting Your Work

Another waste of time would be the need to do your work all over again, or waiting for equipment to start running again. There are 3 main areas that I believe are important in protecting equipment and work.

1. Generators

Working from home, whether it’s your own business, or you are telecommuting for a company, you could experience power outages differently than you would in a traditional brick and mortar office. Commercially zones buildings often have back up options such as generators. So, the power going out is often brief.

However, I live in an area that the power goes out frequently, and for extended periods of time. So much so that I’m sure portable generator sales may have shot up for my neighborhood alone. Having a generator is a great idea, so you don’t find yourself sitting around unable to work. If you have a laptop, you could always go elsewhere. But, it would be difficult to pack up the entire home office.

2. Online Back up

Have you ever worked really hard on an article, only to have your computer crash and lose it all? I have. I’m sure many of us who write from home have experienced it where we completely lose projects, or work for hours to retrieve it. Either way, it adds significant unnecessary work to our schedule, and our deadlines.

One way to protect our work is have an online backup program, such as Carbonite. This program is inexpensive and will automatically backup your work when you create or modify files on your computer. When you have your computer running again and are ready to get your files, you can get them back, just as you remembered them.

3. Surge Protectors

These are useful tools that have been around for years. Unfortunately, not everyone takes advantage of them. They will help to protect all your electronics if you have a sudden surge of power, such as a power outage, or a storm. However, they are not all the same. So, do some research on which will be best for the equipment you have.

The following quote by Steven Covey addresses what I believe to be important, which is taking care of the problem before it even becomes a problem:

“Effective people are not problem-minded; they’re opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems.” 

The problems of losing your work can easily be avoided by ‘starving’ them with taking the above steps. That is a great example of working smarter, not harder…because it’s not work at all.

Don’t Ignore Unexpected Inspiration

The last thing I want to discuss is inspiration. As a writer, I have added significant amounts of time to my work schedule trying to get inspiration for my work. Until, I learned to accept inspiration when it comes to me. It can be found in the strangest, least expected areas and times.

For example, when looking for generators a couple years ago, I drew inspiration from a few Duromax generator reviews that I read, and what the users were saying about their experiences in power outages.

Inspiration doesn’t always come from rainbows and butterflies, or beautiful surroundings and sounds. Sometimes it’s rather random, like a generator review. The key is to never brush it off.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jason Monroe is a freelance writer, Internet marketer, an avid reader and researcher, as well as dabbling in search engine and social media marketing since 2003. Because he works from home, Jason looked at Yamaha portable generators as a backup solution to the power outages in his area.

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