Tag Archive for 'WAHM'

Work At Home Ergonomics

Published on May 29, 2010 in Writing/Publishing. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Part of working from home is knowing your limitations, and working to your best potential.

I discovered a long time ago that I work best in the afternoons.  However, due to my family situation (i.e. my grandchildren living with me), afternoons do not fit my lifestyle.

So I’ve had to work around it.

I suggest you work out your optimal working time from the onset, and if possible, work during those times.  The end result should be more production, and more enthusiasm on your part.  In addition to knowing your best working times, there are a few things you can do to help your energy levels, as well as assisting with your general well-being.

Sound strange?

Maybe, but as writers, we sit on our butts for most of the day.  That means exercise can be minimal.

Here are a few things I do daily to ensure my energy levels are high, and I don’t experience fatigue:

*Take regular breaks (i.e. lunch, morning and afternoon tea) – concentration wanes when you work for too long.  Regular breaks help your energy levels, as well as your concentration.

* Always break for lunch – eat healthy foods, and eat away from the computer.  I always leave my office to eat, and to take my breaks.  Sure, I will drink tea at my desk, but not when I’m on a break.

*Rest your eyes.  Eye damage is prevalent in people who work from home. You should look away from the computer at least every 30 minutes, and if possible, walk away.

* Stretches – Do regular stretches every 30 minutes or so.  I have software loaded onto my computer that reminds me to stretch.  I organized a free trial of the software, which you can download from the Writer2Writer site.  I’m not sure if it’s still available to buy as a full version, but this will at least get you started. Download the free trial software here

Looking After Your Eyes:

As mentioned above, eye damage is very high amongst those who look at computer screens for many hours each day. What I learned is anyone using a computer must ensure the screen is one arm’s length away from them.  However, you will need to consult your optometrist or other eye professional to confirm this.

My optometrist prescribed glasses that are made for this purpose.  It means those glasses are not suitable for close reading, but I prefer to have two pairs of glasses, than to damage my eyes further.  (I have very bad sight these days because my previous optometrist did not advise me about this issue.  The result is I can’t read anything without prescription glasses.)

Setting Up Your Desk:

Many writers and others who work at home have problems with their hands and arms. I’m no exception. I have ganglions on my right hand (my mouse hand), and suffer from pain in my arms and hands.

This is because I was unaware of the correct way to set up my chair and desk, and also didn’t take regular breaks.

Once aware of the problem, I did some research.

If you are in a financial position to do so, purchase an ergonomic chair to use in your office. You should be able to adjust the height, the angle of the back, and also the tilt of the part you sit on.

When adjusted, the chair should be set so your arms are even with the keyboard. (That is, at the same height as your keyboard.)

Often that means the chair height brings your feet up off the ground. This can affect your back, so you will need a foot rest An inexpensive alternative is a couple of telephone books – enough to have your feet sitting flat, and not dangling in the air. However, telephone books are flat, and ideally the footrest should be on an angle.

More on Energy Levels:

When I first started out I found my energy levels would decrease dramatically and suddenly. Instead of eating something that would last for an hour or more, I reached for chocolate or other sugary items.

Yes, it worked, and my energy levels increased. For a short period of time.

Then they dropped again, and I was back where I started.

What I learned was these sugar-filled items were giving me a quick energy boost, but that was all. As soon as the sugar hit wore off, my energy levels dropped again.

Because I want you to get the best possible result with your work at home venture, I have organized for you to receive (at no cost) a healthy eating sample pack

You will need to supply some details to the site in question, but this is because they need to know where to send your samples.

(Sorry, only for US residents are eligible for this. It’s out of my control, but if you visit
http://www.free-products-samples.com you may find some other samples that can be sent to you.)

I hope this information has been useful to you, and helps you to get your home-based business off the ground, or working more smoothly.

WAHM, Dad, Grandparent – Choosing Your Niche (Part 2)

Published on April 27, 2010 in Copywriting. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

As promised, here is part two of Choosing Your Niche. This article covers…

Copywriting

This is an extremely lucrative area of writing to work in, once you’re established.

I found it difficult to break into, but once I got established, it did become much easier. The unfortunate part is you will probably need to work for low pay in the beginning, but as soon as you have the necessary experience (and clips) you can go after higher paying jobs.

I started off charging an extremely low rate, but was able to demand higher fees as time went by.

Many writers erroneously believe if you’re a writer (of any sort), you can be a copywriter. Totally wrong. Like any other form of writing, you need to learn the concepts of copywriting before you can begin to sell your services.

Things I love about copywriting:

Pays very well once you are experienced.

You will often get repeat clients.

You don’t need to know technical aspects of a niche to write about it.

You can specialise in areas of copywriting and get more work as a result. (For instance, I specialise in rewriting non-converting sales pages.)

My policy is to ask for 50% – 100% deposit before work begins. If you charge 50% deposit, balance is due immediately the work is completed. One hundred percent up front is safest, especially when you’ve not worked with that client previously.

*Most of my clients prefer to pay the full amount in advance.

Things I dislike about copywriting:

A lot of potential clients think it’s extremely easy and therefore not worth much in monetary terms.

You can often get overloaded with work if you’re not extremely careful about your time-management. Always use a diary or booking sheets to ensure you don’t double up unintentionally.

Clients often want it yesterday and expect you to drop everything to fit them in. Including other client’s projects.

Payment:

Many writers starting out in copywriting will charge $1-$5 for a 500 word article. Please don’t do this – your time and expertise is worth a lot more money than that.

Plus it also hurts other writers trying to sell their services.

When I began, I was charging no less than $25 per 500 word articles. I now charge $50 per 500 word article, and have no issues getting that amount. That’s because I write high quality articles, and spend time researching the subject matter. And my clients know that’s the case.

I started off writing sales pages for $150, but now charge no less than $425 for a ‘short’ sales page. I know writers who have been doing this for years and still only charge around $100. It can take literally days to write a good sales page, so don’t skimp on your fee.

For some projects I charge by the hour. This can depend on the client – some want an hourly rate, some want a flat rate.

If I’m charging by the hour, which can also depend on the job I’m doing, I charge anywhere from $60 an hour (for proof-reading) up to $140 an hour for more complicated work.

For a simple ‘introductory letter’ for businesses, I charge $120 per two page letter.

This is a business – you must get a decent return on your time, otherwise it’s a hobby, not a business.

Recommended Resources:

“The Ultimate Copywriter” will show you how easy (and lucrative) copywriting can be, when you know how.

“The Wealthy Web Writer” is a fairly new resource, but has proven to be popular. If you want to earn money writing for the internet, definitely check this out.

For more suggestions visit “http://copy.writer2writer.com/resources.htm”

Work At Home: Getting Started

Published on April 10, 2010 in Home Office and Writing/Publishing. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Welcome back!

This is the first in a series for WAHM, dads, grandparents, or anyone else who works from home.

Posts will discuss a variety of ways to earn money as a writer working from home, and also show you the pro’s and cons of freelance writing.  However, this information will also be helpful for anyone working from home.

Freelance Writing Defined

When thinking of freelance writing, many people assume the term means writing for magazines.  That is not the case at all.

Freelance writing simply means you are writing as a contractor and not ‘employed’ by anyone.  The dictionary defines freelance as “a self-employed person” and that’s a great way to explain it.

Freelancers are required to keep their own tax/income records, then pay tax on that income at tax time.  That means you should always allow for this when working out your income requirements.

*Please note I am not a tax consultant and any information provided is generalized.  Please consult a tax consultant for professional advice.

Setting Up Your Home Office

Because it’s logical, I’m going to start with setting up a home office.  In the majority of cases, you won’t need anything more than you already have:

Desk
Chair
Computer

*If you’re buying new equipment, make sure your desk and chair are ergonomical.  I’ll discuss this in more depth in a later post.

Those are the basics of a home office, and you probably already have each of those.  There are extras you may need, but aren’t essential at this point:

Fax
Scanner
Printer

Let me discuss each of these –

Fax – I’ve never had a fax, and have rarely been asked to provide a fax number, but I know a lot of WAHM who use them all the time.  It really depends on what you’re doing.

Scanner – more than anything, I use my scanner for clips.  This makes it simple to send proof of past publication to potential markets.

They can be printed out for posting, or they can be saved as pdfs and then attached to an email.

Note:  I haven’t queried a market via snail-mail for over 5 years, so pdfs are the way I work.

Printer – not essential.  I have a printer next to my desk, and I use it more for printing out work for proof-reading than anything.

Getting Organised

I will go into this in more depth in a later post, but organisation is extremely important in a home office.

Every day should start with a plan.  Decide on your work priorities for the day and write them down.  Make sure you tackle those items before anything else, and mark them off as they’re completed.

Not only does this show you what you’ve achieved, it helps you to move onto the next priority project.

A word of warning:  Do not allocate more than five priority items per day, especially when starting out, as you’ll find it overwhelming.

Mindset

This was one of the most difficult things I faced when I began working from home.

Here I was sitting at my desk, working from home, and knowing I had a ton of washing to do, floors to sweep, dishes to put away, beds to make etc.

It took a few months, but finally I was able to get housework out of my head.  Your mind tells you to do those unfinished or not yet started household tasks, but your logical side tells you that work must come first.

And if you’re working for a client then it must.  Because more likely than not you’ll be on a deadline.

If you can’t get beyond that housework mindset, start your day by adding a load of washing to the machine, load the dishwasher, and get the kids to make the beds for extra pocket money.

Doing this will ease your mind, and get your focus back on your workday.

Most people working from home are doing it for a variety of reasons.  Here are a few of the most common reasons:  illness and unable to go out to work, recently had a baby and want to work from home, need extra money.

Your Needs

Okay, that’s it for today, but I am going to set a bit of homework.  I’d like you to think about what sort of work you want to do (if you haven’t already started).

My next post will discuss various forms of writing – what they are, what they pay, and the pros and cons.

Don’t forget to leave your comments about this post!

Are You a WAHM, Dad, or Grandparent?

Published on April 8, 2010 in Writing/Publishing. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I receive a lot of emails from people working from home.

They’re struggling to keep focused, to keep on schedule, and to keep work and family separate. And to make money.

I’ve been there and done all those things.

I’m not a WAHM, I’m a WAH grandparent.  I have three grandchildren living with me full-time, and we’ve done that for almost six years.  When the children arrived, they were 1, 2, and 5.  They’d been physically attacked and were in a pretty bad way.  Things are better now, but we still have a long way to go.

Counselling and other professional visits are an ongoing thing in our household.

Because I’ve been through all the dramas, trauma, and issues of working at home with young kids in tow, I feel ‘qualified’ to help others in this area.

You’ve probably noticed I’ve been AWOL for a few weeks – it’s school holidays over here in Australia.  The children have been home from school, and things have been rather frantic.   That makes for even more frantic work time.

Because of this, I got to thinking, what are the things that hold us back as WAHM’s? (WAHM’s covering all genders and ages!)

And that got me to thinking about the large variety of things that stop us from earning as much income from home as we’d like.   If you work from home and you’re a writer, VA, software creator, installer, consultant, blogger, or something else entirely, this is for you.

Over the next few months I’ll be posting information to help you monetize your WAH business.

Please leave a message to help me decide on the content that would help you.

Cheryl