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How to Work Smarter Not Harder: Lessons From Erwin McManus

A couple Sundays ago pastor Erwin McManus came to our church for our annual Vision conference. What he brought with him was not a feel good message to pat yourself on the back with, but instead an urgency to not let your life go by wondering if you will ever hit your mark. His message impacted me deeply as I have been praying about a clear direction in my own life and work as a freelancer — and if you are just starting out or regrouping then you will want to continue to read my notes on his message to all who would like to stop the wheels from endlessly spinning.

Erwin used to work as a lumberjack before he attended college and so his entire message relates to chopping down trees with focus and a sharp ax. He referenced this scripture of the Bible as a starting point:

“Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.”

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NLT

Maybe you’ve been asking yourself (and God) a lot of questions about exactly what you should be working on? If you’re like me you have written down a number of different ideas in your notepad and taking online webinars to find out what direction to go into. The problem sometimes comes when we have so many different ideas going on at once that we can’t get dialed in on just one. But there are other areas in our lives that can also be out of balance, which can cause us to miss the mark and become frustrated.

Here are a few main points that Erwin brought up during his sermon, and at the end of the post I’ve also included a full video to his teaching so that you can also take your own notes :-). Just as a side note I purchased his book, The Last Arrow, and can’t put it down! I highly recommend adding this one to your toolbox.

Sharpen your ax and know your strategy

The main issue with many of us is that we believe that working harder will getting us closer to our goal. Instead it’s burning us out. In order to overcome this we need to stay sharp and know our strategy, and purpose — if we’re not careful we will become what other people want us to be. Stop trying to meeting everyone else’s obligation, and live a life of intention — it’s never too late to focus on just one.

The one thing

Pick a tree. Pick one need. One project. Pick one thing that actually matters. You have a tree that God has given you. Celebrate the different calling and passion placed within you. My two cents here — if you are unsure of this volunteer and serve others in areas that you can use your skills. Over time you’ll discover where your gifts and talents are as you help people first.

Step out of the mundane

Make sure your ax is sharp through excellence instead of mediocrity. Whether you work for yourself or a company remember that you have made a covenant to be your best. Treat your job like an owner with excellence. Take the time to step back and refine. Our standard of comparison should be like Jesus – excellence. For example, if you want to be published become a better writer.

The effort is the payoff

You need to do the hard work of sharpening the edge of your axe. If it’s getting harder and harder for you then your axe is dull. Greatness is on the other side of hard work and struggle. Be determined, resilient, work hard (not harder), and don’t give up. Give it all you have. Keep chopping that tree!

Don’t be afraid of the pressure

Remember when you were in school and everyone got an award just for participating? Erwin pointed out that this actually creates mediocrity and stifles growth. He reminded us that competition and conflict are actually good for us. These compel us to work through the issues of life and be the best that we can be. Everyone getting a participation trophy is not excellence.

We need constructive criticism

Decide to keep getting better — in order to do this it’s important to have people in your life to tell you the truth. There’s a big difference between critics who don’t want what’s best for us and those who critique because they actually care about us moving forward.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17 NIV

Healthy criticism is necessary in order to grow. Underneath you have steel inside – you will not get stronger by being coddled. And God inside you is your source of strength. In a healthy community people are guiding you and sharpening you. Be open and surround yourself with people like this.

Think of success differently

Wisdom and skill together will bring you success. But when prosperity comes we can become focused on ourselves and that doesn’t come from God. Seek after the kingdom first and then you will be blessed:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Erwin got pretty real here — but it’s so true! Do the work of taking on your skills. Step up. Grow in wisdom and stop making the decisions of the fool. There are some things we do that are just plain stupid — not sin. Like smoking cigarettes or drinking too much alcohol.

Wisdom is the key — expand your skills and know your here to do the most good in the world. We can use success for ourselves versus God’s success, which is how we can help and serve people.

The following men joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who fought beside David in battle. 2 All of them were expert archers, and they could shoot arrows or sling stones with their left hand as well as their right. They were all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 12:1-2 (NLT)

God is speaking to us

What does God want you to learn right now? Take on right now? Have you spent time with Him and in His Word? Find out what His will is for your life. What is the sword, bow or axe? You have one — choose just that for now. Stop going in different directions and focus on just one thing.

We are here to accomplish the plans and purposes that God planned for us long ago. Be the best at the one thing God is showing you so that you make an impact on the world. Remember that the purpose of your gifts and talents is to serve others. Ask God today what do you need to give my life to right now.

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It’s not hard to become an online freelancer or start your own business while working in a full-time job. Just download my free eBook, and get started on your career today:

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Why Now Is The Best Time To Become A Freelancer

By Audrey Leave a Comment

Are you concerned how the new Tax Reform Bill will affect your career as a freelancer? The good news is that those who work in the gig economy are become more dominant in today’s workforce, and the latest changes actually turn out to be beneficial for people like us.

According to an article on CNN Money, an Intuit study projects growth of 4 million online freelance workers today to 7.7 million by 2020. This may be in part due to the previous lack of job growth over the last 8 years and the need to create income that is not dependent on one corporation. Now that the tax rate has been reduced to 20 percent those earning money under $157,500 a year individually or under $315,000 jointly, could really stand to benefit — this makes freelancing more appealing than ever.

If you are an independent contractor under the new tax law you are considered a “pass-through business” earning less than what a corporation does. And what about those great deductions we get to take this year? Mic reports that we can still write off our health premiums, home offices, ect. With the lower tax rate and continued deductions that would mean a considerable savings for freelance workers.

A large-scale shift toward freelance work could completely upend the labor market as we know it, and push both workers and employers into uncharted new territory. ~ Mic

Here’s a short breakdown of the lower tax rate and which items are the best to deduct directly from H&R Block:

State and local tax deductions are now a maximum of $10,000 such as state and local taxes, real estate, and property taxes.
Medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of an individual’s AGI can be deducted, which is now retroactive to January 1, 2017.
Charitable deductions have increased from 50% of the gross adjusted income to 60%.

While each situation is unique there will be a general benefit to jumping into the gig economy and launching out on your own without being tied to one company. If you’ve been on the fence about working from home or out in the field as an independent contractor this year may be a great time to start.

As we start to see the benefits of tax reform for our businesses and more jobs becoming available online this is quickly become a trend for not only large corporations to hire you, but also small businesses who would like to save on employment taxes due to the high cost of Obamacare.

The 5 top freelance jobs right now are as follows according to Business News Daily:

1 – Language services

If you know several languages such as Mandarin and English then there may be some great job opportunities for you. There are a growing number of companies that need interpreters, especially in the medical and legal fields.

2 – Market research

Consumer reporting and market trends are important to the growth and brand persona of a company. There are many different ways a business may need to hire someone for research whether it is for technology, marketing, sales, ect.

3 – Education

If you have a bachelor’s and/or a teaching degree you could take advantage of the rise of online education as a K12 teacher, tutor, college professor, ESL teacher, or teaching in an online education platform such as Coursera or Ed2Go.

4 – Business and marketing

Not only is this area of expertise a popular degree choice in college, it is also becoming more in demand as online marketing grows and evolves. There are several different avenues you could take such as social media measurement and management, search engine marketing, email marketing, and content writing.

5 – Web and app development

Technology is changing into a more AI and voice enabled world — our software and apps must be developed to keep up with the latest uses and trends. As a result, developers, coders, and technology professionals are in high demand with large corporations all the way down to the new startups.

There is no better time to start planning your transition now into freelance life. Even if you begin with a part-time side hustle you can still benefit from the latest Tax Reform Bill and start building toward your future. As your business grows keep in mind that the new structure may be better served by forming an LLC, which you should discuss with a trusted CPA.

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It’s not hard to become an online freelancer or start your own business while working in a full-time job. Just download my free eBook, and get started on your career today:

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48 of the Best Tools for Freelancers in 2018

By Audrey Leave a Comment

Do you need better tools to help manage your freelance business? Whether you are just starting out or moving into the next phase in your career you need resources that can help solve your problems, open the door to new clients, increase your sales, and make your time more efficient.

Many of these top tools are free while others are a very low cost alternative to expensive software.

There may be those times that you do need to outsource to someone else, but for the most part you can get a lot accomplished with these favorites. Here’s the full list below:

Productivity

1 – Google Drive

Store up to 15GB of files in the cloud including photos, videos, slideshows, ect. Google includes word processing apps that you can use to create a letterhead, spreadsheet, slide show, graphs, and more. Share anything with your team and customers who have a Gmail account. New apps are being added all fo the time — this is a great way to keep all of your documents and communication in one place.

2 – Trello

Use this website to work collaboratively with the use of boards, lists, and cards. Get better organized and prioritize projects with visuals. Add comments, attachments, and more — all in the cloud.

3 – Wunderlist

Keep your personal and business life in sync by creating to-do lists, reminders, and tasks. Share with others while accessing your information on the go. Features include folders, comments, notes, notifications, tags, email forwarding, calendars, and easy printing.

4 – Evernote

Using this tool is like having a second brain. Got an idea? Jot it down right away and even add it to your WordPress blog as a draft. Organize tasks, share your notes, add links, attachments, and even recordings from anywhere. Brainstorm with others on a project — all for free! Their premium services have even more features like image capture, file storage, email forwarding, and more.

5 – Dropbox

Store your work in the cloud for free with up to 1 GB of space or sign up for a premium account for more. Files are easy to organize and find with links that you can share with others. This is a huge time saver as you have access to your documents anywhere you go whether you’re using your smart phone or a computer.

6 – Remember the Milk

Set up reminders for you and/or your team. Easily create and share lists and sync your data on all of your devices. Never forget an important task again — you can even break these down into sub-tasks with drag and drop re-ordering if the priorities change.

7 – IFTTT

Combine all of your apps and devices into one place. Use this tool to do anything from turning on the lights in your home to setting up automatic posts from your blog to social media. You can also create an event in your Google calendar and connect to your Google Home device.

Communication

8 – Skype

Call anyone in the United States for free with Cortana by Microsoft. Use their professional features to set up your branding, communicate with customers, manage your time better, and more. The newly designed platform includes session notes and screen sharing with video so that you can provide a professional persona to your prospects.

9 – MailChimp

Set up smart email marketing campaigns with automated, professional emails. As you build your list you can nurture your subscribers with tips and ideas, announcements, helpful videos, special invitations, and more. The platform is integrated with e-commerce providers for personalized campaigns that make purchases easy for your customers.

10 – ConvertKit

As a blogger who is ready to move into a paid email management service you’ll want to check out this robust software. Features are tailored specifically for bloggers and include opt-in forms, automation, RSS feed broadcasts, e-commerce integration, text-based emails, and more.

11 – Aweber

Grow your audience and showcase your business’s products with this easy to use email marketing software. The platform includes ready-to-use templates for automation, broadcast emails, blog broadcasts, and more. All designs are mobile responsive and can be created with drag and drop.

12 – Zoom

Connect with others through video and web conferencing. This is a perfect tool for important meetings, webinars, and collaboration on projects. You can have up to 500 participants and up to 10,000 viewers at a time.

Social Media Management

13 – Hootsuite

Manage your social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. For premium users you can add Instagram and YouTube. Schedule your content, respond to your fans and followers, download reports, and more.

14 – Buffer

This is another great social media manager and scheduler in a simple and easy to use interface. There are less robust features here, but the look and feel of the dashboard is helpful in seeing when your content is being shared. The service has now also added Instagram to their features.

15 – Bundlepost

Find and curate the best content from top RSS feeds in your niche. Download a spreadsheet of customized scheduled tweets to schedule into Twitter. Add and delete what you want along with adding your own choice of hashtags according to what you are tweeting.

16 – Sprout Social

Get started on managing and scheduling your social media without having to provide a credit card number. Plan, organize, and manage content that engages your community with powerful built-in analytics.

Finances and Sales

17 – Prospero

Take the guesswork out of writing a freelance proposal with this simple tool. With just a few clicks you can create something that is professional and easy to understand. Choose from ready made content that can be easily viewed on any device.

18 – Zipbooks

Put the confusing days of accounting behind you by using this online software for both computers and mobile devices. The invoice and billing feature is integrated with PayPal or can be set up to accept all major credit cards for faster payments. Bookkeeping and reporting and expense management will help you keep your business finances on track.

19 – PayPal

This service has been out practically since the Internet began and one of the best websites to use for security and easy payments. Send invoices, pay for products without showing your bank account or credit card information, receive money as a gift, and more.

20 – Momenteo

Prepare a business quote or prepare an invoice — all for free. This simple service will keep track of your expenses, work done, travel, and other important accounting. Get started without having to provide a credit card number and start managing your finances better.

21 – Wave

If you have a small business with a few employees or contractors then you will enjoy using this software. Features include invoicing, accounting, credit card payments, payroll, recurring billing, receipts, and even lending options.

22 – Toggl

Boost your productivity and increase your revenue with tracking. Use their free built-in timer to measure time spent on projects. Log hours worked from anywhere on the web. Their visual reports help you stay on task and find out where time is being wasted.

23 – Just Tell Julie

Are you frustrated by clients who don’t pay their invoices? Just forward the relevant information to Julie and she will take care of helping you, the freelancer, get paid. A direct call is made on your behalf with a polite approach. There’s a fee to make the call, but if you have a large outstanding bill then the expense is worth it.

24 – FeeBee

Accurately set a price for your upcoming project. This smart tool helps you to discover what the competition is charging for the same services with data that is updated on a regular basis. Set a budget according to a specific skill with a real-time overview of what other freelancers are charging in your industry.

25 – FreeAgent

Online accounting — just for freelancers, small business owners and of course, accountants. This software brings together invoices, expense management, and sales tax under one place. Set up recurring invoices and nudge clients who are late payers.

26 – Expensify

Automate your expense reporting with receipt scanning and integration into financial software like Quickbooks, Xero, and Netsuite. This is a great tool for tracking your travel costs, business credit card, and direct deposits. Reports can be generated with just one tap, and automatically determines which items need managerial approval.

27 – Tick

Manage your time and stay on budget with a built-in timecard feature. Just select your project, the task, and enter your time. Once it’s complete you can add notes with budget feedback and timesheet reporting. Running timers can help you stay on task and not go over-time.

Legal

28 – TermsFeed

Create trusted legal agreements for your website, apps, and anywhere online where you need this in place. This is especially important for collecting email addresses, using geolocation (GPS), products or services, membership websites, ect.

29 – Shake by LegalShield

If you quickly need a legal agreement then this software will help you create, sign and send one online with the use of a mobile signature. If you are an independent contractor, for instance, you can access their non-disclosure agreement form or work for hire form.

30 – LegalZoom

Start a business such as an LLC, Corporation or DBA (Doing Business As) with low-cost legal help. If you need to go beyond the basics then a trusted attorney directory is available. Pricing and fees are displayed depending on which service you need.

31 – SBA

Get local support for your next business venture from a trust organization that connects you with resources and help such as business plans, market research, startup costs, funding, and much more. The best part is that all of the resources, meetings and online courses are free.

32 – Law Guru

Got a legal question? You can ask hundred of different lawyers for free. This resource will help point you in the right direction with a database of attorneys in case you need to take the next step. All areas are covered here including intellectual property, business legal matters, consumer laws, and more.

33 – Bonsai

Create a contract for your freelance business that can be digitally signed. Choose from a variety of templates that are vetted and verified whether you are a designer, writer, videographer, marketing expert, ect. Put together a proposal, track your time, send an invoice, track expenses, and more.

Design

34 – Canva

This free online graphic design tool is easy to use whether you are a novice or an expert. There are hundreds of free images, icons, and vector graphics to choose from. Create just about anything including social media images for each network, flyers, .pdf’s, infographics, posters, and more. Your work is always saved in the cloud for easy access on a tablet or computer.

35 – 99designs

You don’t need to have a big budget to have a professional logo and branding done for your brand. Choose the package that’s right for you and receive ideas from hundreds of different designers to choose from. If you are a freelance graphic designer then you can also make some great side income with this website.

36 – PicMonkey

Get creative with this tool and enhance your website and social media posts through photo editing, collage making, and graphic design. You can try it out for free and even print your projects from anywhere. If you’re on the go then editing is simple on their mobile app with touch up and design features.

37 – Google Charts

Readers love facts and figures. Potential clients want to see the numbers. Show them exactly what they are looking for with embedded interactive charts. Google offers a large variety of templates to choose from including pie charts, graphics, maps, timelines, and more.

38 – Vizualize

Make your skills stand out with visuals by creating a graphic-rich resume. Choose from a variety of beautiful themes and highlight the best that you have to offer with maps, experience timelines, bubble charts, treemaps, and language maps. Send as a high-quality electronic file or print out a high resolution version.

39 – Easel

Share your visual ideas quickly and easily through stunning infographics. With over 6,000,000 templates to choose from there are hundreds of creative possibilities to work with. Take a look at what others are doing in their community and share your graphics on your blog and on social media.

40 – Infogram

This powerful tool not only helps you design an eye-catching infographic, but also offers beautiful reports for your readers and customers. Put together charts, graphics, and dashboards in minutes as well as choosing from hundreds of different social media designs.

41 – Pablo

Buffer not only offers social media management, but they also help you design graphics well. They include over 600,000 stock images that are royalty free for you to use with different size options available. Easily add text and choose from their filters to make your content stand out from the rest.

42 – Adobe Spark

This is one of the premier brands for creating graphics — now they offer this amazing tool for your website, social media images, videos, and more. Use your mobile device to put a great visual together in minutes — all for free. Share your stuff online or with personal connections through email and SMS.

Content Marketing

43 – Contently

Reach a wider audience through your content. This tool helps you to create a smart marketing plan that speaks to your readers through storytelling with the help of hundreds of freelancers who will curate the articles for you. This service provides your customers with the information they need and a professional persona for your personal brand.

44 – Drumup

Engage with your social media followers with the right content for your niche. Strike up meaningful conversations and cut your marketing efforts in half through scheduling. Add targeted hashtags and find the best bloggers in your industry to share with your audience.

45 – Feedly

The best way to find out more about the target market you want to operate in is to conduct research — this tool will help you discover what is trending and the best articles to share. Use this information on your blog, on YouTube, and on your other social networks. Connect with other influencers and generate sales through great content.

46 – Tap Influence

Grab the attention of your readers or viewers though influencer-generated content. Make your videos and blog posts more engaging which can lead directly to more conversions and higher visibility online. The software helps you to find the top leaders in your niche who can become an advocate for your brand.

47 – Content Marketing Institute

If you’ve been curious about contenting marketing and how this can help your business then this leading website can help you find what you need through their free resources page. They even provide free templates, checklists, and eBooks to get you started.

48 – Problogger

Start making more money from your blog with a trusted blogging expert. Get valuable insights, tips, in-depth tutorials and more from this wining resource. This is like having a free classroom just for bloggers right at your fingertips at any time. Even if you just listen to their podcast you’ll gain a lot of wisdom on how to successfully launch and operate a blog and a business.

Now over to you — what freelance tools have you used the most? Are there any you would like to add here? I’m looking forward to how these have helped you. Let me know your feedback in the comments below!

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It’s not hard to become an online freelancer or start your own business while working in a full-time job. Just download my free eBook, and get started on your career today:

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This One Bad Habit Can Become a Business Killer

By Audrey Leave a Comment

You’ve just started your business work day and low and behold you quickly discover that the things you wanted to get done didn’t quite make the deadline. After putting in some extra hours you finally get caught up, but this could all be avoided by tackling one word: Procrastination.

Procrastination: To put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done. ~ Webster’s definition

According to an article on CNBC this one word is a hidden cost for businesses with the average employee spending around two hours a day doing non-job related activities. As the CEO of your own venture it can be even more tempting to fill your time with other things while putting off important tasks.

Before getting any further into the new year take an honest assessment of your daily activities and find out what this is actually costing you in wasted hours that could be used in building your business instead.

Procrastination has become a growing problem for both business owners and workers. Marketing expert, Brandon Gaille, outlines 19 statistics in this telling infographic (click on the image to view the full version):

So what is causing us to put things off until the last minute at the risk of hurting our own businesses? Here a are a few reasons to ponder:

A lifelong habit that hasn’t been addressed yet
Fear of failure
Overloading our schedule
Not setting personal deadlines and boundaries
No accountability
Loss of passion for your job or career
Lack of knowledge
No energy
Other distractions such as mobile devices and social media

The fallacy of being lazy as a result of procrastination is just simply untrue. As you can see from some of the issues listed above it is more of a battle within ourselves, and the best way to conquer this is to find the root of the problem and tackle it. Use these simple strategies to become more focused and productive so that you can get more done in less time (and make more money!):

1 – Jump right in

Many times we wait for just the right time or moment in order to get started on something, especially when it comes to writing. Decide to get started the moment you have a deadline, even if you think you may not get it all done. I often surprise myself by how much I’ve accomplished just by taking this approach.

2 – Find a schedule that works for you

Some of us are early risers while others prefer the late night shift. What is the best time of day where you do your best work? If you’re trying to place a strict 9 to 5 schedule on yourself this may not be working for how you are wired. While some businesses require this many who do freelance work can set their own schedules. Create deadlines for projects that fit well into your creative zone.

3 – Enlist of help of others and/or tools

A common cause of procrastination is simply due to the fact that you’ve taken on way too much by yourself. Maybe it’s time to allocate some of your tasks to a freelancer or invest in helpful software or tools that can help you manage your work better? Some of these can also help you be accountable to yourself by setting timers and monitoring your Internet time and usage.

4 – Adjust your environment

If your home office is not the best for you this could be another cause of losing your focus. Try different setups, designs, lighting, and sound control to make it a more productive experience. For example, I like to work next to my dog with classical music playing in the background. This breaks up the monotony and helps me to become more creative with my projects.

5 – Take a break from the action and reward yourself

It doesn’t take much time in your work day to get out of your environment — even if it’s for just 30 minutes. Talk a walk, go grab a cup of coffee, do some simple exercises, read scripture and pray, spend some prep time in the kitchen, ect. Once you return to work you’ll feel refreshed and able to take on what’s next.

You can break the procrastination cycle by focusing on the most important tasks first, and then moving into the easier ones. In order to thrive this year be aware of the areas in your business that are being affected negatively by putting things off then tackle these problems one at a time. Awareness is the biggest key to change followed by daily action to overcome the problem. Sometimes we need an accountability partner to help us along if things have become too out of hand — find someone you can trust who can come alongside you and help you become the leader you were meant to be.

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It’s not hard to become an online freelancer or start your own business while working in a full-time job. Just download my free eBook, and get started on your career today:

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How to Get Your Home Office Space Back in Shape

By Audrey Leave a Comment

*Note: This post contains affiliate links*

Are you ready for the big holiday break? After all of you hard work during the course of the year your desk might not even be recognizable any more. Now is a great time to get rid of unwanted papers and maybe even do a make-over for the new year.

Frankly this is the place where I’m at right now. Currently my space is taken up by a very large printer, which I only use three times a year. I’ve got a pile of papers stuffed inside a very small antique bulldog. It’s time to do something new.

By organizing your work space you can get back to being more productive and even inspired when adding a few fun things like colorful pictures or quote boards from Hobby Lobby. I found quite a few ideas just strolling around the the thrift store — you’re likely to find a lot of those types of things there.

Here are a few ideas you can use to help make your space a more inspiring and productive one:

1 – Move your desk near a window

Sometimes we just need to shed a bit of more light on our situation. Especially if your room tends to be on the dark side. If this is not possible consider adding some extra lighting to brighten things up a bit and help you to focus better. A room that’s too dark can be a hinderance to your creativity. A lighter and brighter office space can tone down your Melatonin levels — which is what you want of course not too late at night before heading off to bed.

2 – Out with the old and in with the new

Figure out which items you simply aren’t using much any more and start removing these from your desk. Find a friend who would love to take these off your hands or list them free or for sale on places like Craigslist, Ebay, and OfferUp. You can also donate these items to your local thrift store and use this as a tax deduction.

3 – Get a sound machine

If you’re like me you live in a condo or an apartment with all sorts of noises going on. This is where a sound box comes in handy in creating white noise when you need to concentrate on your work. There are usually a few different sounds to choose from and you can also use this for sleeping at night and for staying over at a hotel for your next business trip.

4 – Find a better office chair

How’s your back and neck feeling lately? You might need a new chair that’s more ergonomic and better suited for sitting longs hours. Exercising while working might be a good option for you as well such as a treadmill or using an exercise ball. Kneeling chairs can also be helpful in creating a more comfortable experience at your desk.

5- Create a mood wall

Add a cork board along with some creative images that can inspire you or photos of your family on stark, white walls. Who wants to stare at a blank space all day, right? You can create a theme that you change out each season using light, cheerful colors. Quotes and memes can also help keep you inspired — you can find a lot of these at discount home stores.

6 – Purchase an organizing cabinet

Keep your most current projects on your desk or in front of you and store the completed ones in a file cabinet. This doesn’t need to be large, and can also be in the form of under bed storage or decorative boxes that can be placed inside of a closet. Each time you’re finished archive your papers in files that you can label and come back to later if you need them.

7 – Install wall shelves

These can be found for a very low cost at your local hardware store or at Ikea and are easy to install. Use wall shelves for business mail, pencils, supplies, paper, ect. You can also add some nice plants or decor to these and make your space more creative as well as functional.

I hope you enjoyed these starter tips on how to revamp your home office and get ready for a more productive year. During this slower season many find that they are staying in the zone and overcoming the great lull when they start organizing, cleaning, and decorating.

Do you have a new office space to share from your blog or on social media? Tell me about it below! Have a Merry and blessed Christmas!

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It’s not hard to become an online freelancer or start your own business while working in a full-time job. Just download my free eBook, and get started on your career today:

Follow my blog with Bloglovin