Just did a great interview with Peter Walsh on my podcast/radio show, The O Myth.  If you missed it, no worries because you can still listen to it…

Quote of the show: “The things you have in your home should be beautiful and useful.  What you have in your home should be honored and respected.”

Wanna take a listen?  Here ya go:

Peter Walsh on The O Myth

** You can also see the follow-up notes and enter our contest to win one of Peter’s books HERE.

I started feeling it other night: a heavy, nauseated pain growing in my stomach.  It was time to step away from the laptop and have some downtime.  It’s easy to do, and working from home makes it dead simple to overwork and overwhelm yourself.  Even when you love what you do. 

There’s a couple things I want to address.  The first, is how do you know you are nearing the brink or desperately need to take a break?  You may feel:

• Nauseated
• Fatigued
• Irritable
• Sore (back, legs, etc.)
• Headache
• Sleepy

So, how can you avoid getting to this point?  Here’s a few tips to help you out home office peeps: (more…)

What do you use for your accounting?  Paper?  Trashcan?  Shoebox?  Quicken?  “Uh….”

I started using Quicken Home & Business this year, however I’ve just had a look at QuickBooks 2009.  I have to say I’m intrigued!  QuickBooks is quite a step up from Quicken.  If you’re considering using QuickBooks 2009, here’s some highlights: (more…)

I had an opportunity sit down and chat with Peter Shankman of Help a Reporter Out.  The audio is below, but here are the highlights:

• “I don’t have time” is really a myth, because we make time for what we like and things we want to do
• Passion will take you a long way, so be sure you like what you do for a living
• Working offline can help tremendously with getting things done
• Use technology to help you get things done on the go
• Delete emails once you respond (I LOVE this one!)
• Filters (email, etc.) RULE
• Peter recommends Gmail, Blackberry and a GPS in every rental car (so you can get where you need to go)
• Biggest tip:  Get up 45 minutes earlier to get things done first thing in the morning.
• To find Peter: peter@shankman.com and helpareporter.com

Take a listen:

Peter Shankman on Productivity

Do you listen to music while working in your home office?  I sent out a Tweet today about this very subject.  Here’s my take and what I do:

I like to listen to music for general ambiance (it’s a bit quiet around my home office for this extroverted girl).  However, I do turn off the tunes when I’m engaging my brain a little more (like writing a blog post, article or brainstorming) or when I’m talking with someone on the phone or Skype.

Do you listen to music in your home office?  When, where and why?

* Psst…. Do we know each other on Twitter yet?  Don’t miss my next Twitter Poll, follow me @bkajino.  Tweet ya later!

The Butler Bag Hybrid

Ok ladies (and guys looking for a great gift) !  Ok, normally we talk about paper, time management and all that great stuff here on the Home Office Organizer Blog.  But, today I’m talking about this most fabulous bag.  Why?  Because a girl needs a good bag to keep it all together when she’s on the run, and and organized one that looks this great doesn’t hurt either!

Have you seen the Butler Bag? Ok, not only is it easy on the eyes, but here is what makes it really special.  Take a look inside: (more…)

Life and work are full of stuff we feel we “should” do. But, what would happen if we chose to do, say, live or work on what we felt was most important?

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I should…. “?  It gives a little twinge of guilt in your head and weighs on your shoulders.

Is your calendar or home office filled with things you “should” do?   A regular meeting you have been meaning to go to, a person you really would like to get to know, a party you really “should” go to, a project you “should” do or materials you feel you “should” hold onto.  Know what I mean?  A lot of times we feel an obligation to do or go to things that we’re really not that enthused about.  Many times those things don’t have a place and can be eliminated.  Sounds hard, but you’d be surprised how much better you’ll feel when you take those things out of your life!

Getting the “shoulds” out of your life. You might need to streamline your calendar or your, but where do you start?  Here’s a few questions to ask yourself about anything that falls into a sentence that begins with, “I should….”: (more…)

Even though winning the Epson printer and other prizes is out for yours truly (dang!), I thought I would share the best bit of marketing advice I’ve received thus far. Here it is…. wait for it….

Marketing = Relationships

Oh yeah.  It’s not paper, logos or collateral that turned my head. This simple little phrase completely changed how I feel about marketing.  (I’m kind of a marketing junkie now!)  Marketing is about building relationships with other people: clients, media, colleagues, referral partners or whatever.  It’s all about building that network around your business.  You can be disciplined about it and keep spreadsheets or you can organically let it happen.  Personally I like to be able to track things as they relate to the bottom line, but well, ya know.  (more…)

Image by bkajino via Flickr

Drowning in email?  Boy, I understand!  Today I decided to buckle down and tackle my inbox.  You know what else I did?  I created a label (I use Google Apps for email) that is for “calls to make”.  Why would I do such a thing?  Cuz email is out of control, and sometimes it’s easier to just make a call.

So, should you call or email?  Here’s a handful of reasons why I pick up the phone (or Skype) instead of perpetuating the email flood: (more…)

It’s a rainy day outside, and it made me think of the video below.  (How much do I LOVE Julie Andrews.)

So, I thought it fitting to tell you a few of my favorite things in the home office.  Share your favorites in the comments, or link to your blog post.

Here’s a few of my favorite things…

1. Russell Hazel binder
2. My old fashioned phone
3. “Lucy” (my side, comfy chair) (more…)