The Office Gal

Time is everything when you work independently from a corporate office or as a freelancer. Home offices can be scrutinized tremendously for being lax, having more free time, and just not being under the same regiment that a corporate office is. Entrepreneurs may also find it difficult to keep documentation on hours worked for a client by logging manually.

What is the best way to squash the rumors? Track the time to better serve your company, or for entrepreneurs, serve yourself. Tracking is as simple as downloading software onto your computer that will automatically log your work and associated time. In turn, logged information will benefit personnel for payroll and attendance; for freelancers, it will help with billing clients correct hours spent on projects.

There are several companies that offer tracking software. Two that I found are TimeClock Plus and Time Sprite. Both are very easy to install and use, and will offer a great reporting system for attendance, payroll, project time, taxes; just a variety of tasks that will keep both the corporate office or freelancer on track and on time.

The following screenshots will give you an idea of what each application will look like during use.

TimeClock Plus

Time Sprite

Other suggestions to stay organized and on track - The BusyBodyBook®

Popularity: 27% [?]

It is hard to determine what will get you recognized within your office as the person to go to. So many people are worried about how to get ahead that they may not focus on how to succeed.  Recognizing that succeeding in the position you have now will set the pace for your promotion tomorrow.

What is the Superstar? Being a superstar within your office does not mean flaunting or gloating that you are the go-to-person with the positive outlook, it is basically a strategic role that puts you in the right place for the right people to see.

Cord Cooper, Investor’s Business Daily, does a great snapshot of the eight ways that you can be the superstar of your office. Taking a queue from author Cathie Black’s book “Basic Black, he gives you a quick notice of the eight steps and what you can do to achieve Superstardom.

Eight Tips to Superstardom:

• Decline the Oscar
• Handle it
• Go Deep
• Know what counts
• Don’t stop at no
• Know whom to call
• Do it later
• Scope the big picture

Cord Cooper’s Eight Ways to Be a Superstar at Work

Popularity: 25% [?]

The one bad part about having a great job that you love is the décor of your office your cubicle; basically the cubicle itself. A boring shade of gray or blue, a cubicle is a company’s cheapest route when it comes to making sure everyone has some privacy without having to rebuild the already formatted office. Cubicles are also a god-send for those offices lacking in space, but needing room for many more.

Past experience working in cubicles has left a sour taste in my mouth. A 3 foot by 3 foot area to call my own, with a depressing shade of blue or gray, sometimes both, that can leave you very depressed about going into work. The hardest part about working in a cubicle setting, everyone knows your business, leaving you with a feeling of your personal space being violated.

Well, over the past few years cubicles have taken the high road. Designers are giving the old cubicle a face lift, coming out with energetic looks that will give you reason to wake up and sprint off to work. OK, maybe not that great, but still awesome none the less.

I could definitely work in this cubicle setting, could you? Designed by Douglas Ball the cubicle offers a workspace worth working in; privacy, but still able to communicate with your team, and an added feature, a closing door for added privacy or a notice that you are busy at work.

I like the look of this cubicle because it has a very clean appealing look. Plus, an easy to clean feel so that you can easily clean the cubicle walls, something a bit difficult to do if you were ever lucky enough to spend time inside a blue or gray carpeted cubicle. You know what I’m talking about – shredding fabric that everything clung to.

Another cubicle that I found a bit interesting and that you have to see is by Knoll A3 Office. A design of what many think looks like the “furniture of the future”, takes on a whole new concept in workstations.

Really not seeing much privacy offered by this creation, but I find it to be a stylish way to go for a cubicle. A smart idea! Do you live in a loft setting? Use this cubicle to separate your office from the rest of your home.

Popularity: 47% [?]

Well over ten years ago I was given the best piece of advice for getting my day organized – Take 15. When I heard it I of course asked the inevitable question on everyone’s minds at the time, “Take fifteen? Can you explain?” The explanation made perfect sense and the advice is something I still use today in both my business and family life.

Take 15 gives me the piece of mind that my day is in order and on track and chaos will not reign. Well, there still is a bit of chaos, we all know there will be fires to put out, but overall my day runs smoothly.

The Concept

The whole point of taking 15 is giving yourself the first 15 minutes of your work day to think, plan and process your day. Clear your head and focus on your work. Focus on what needs to be accomplished; projects that need to be finished, and of course listing the normal to-dos that are a must as your day progresses.

If you are one of the many people that enter their office, sit down, look overwhelmed fidgeting through the growing pile of paperwork, and then jump right in, feeling you have accomplished nothing at the end of your day – then Take 15.

Going about your work day without an explanation of what needs to take place can leave a project forgotten, or possibly another deadline missed. Reign back in your work day by giving yourself a few minutes to simply review and plan.

Make it a Habit

It can be difficult to get rid of a bad habit, equally as hard to create a good one. It will be difficult at first to find your pace, remembering to take the 15 minutes to plan. I trained myself by sticky note. I placed a sticky note on my monitor to remind me to do my 15 minutes every morning. Eventually planning became habit and the sticky note went into to recycle bin.

I’m not saying I didn’t have my issues with forming my habit. Many times I just wanted to take my 15 minutes and get to work, forget about the planning. Now, the few times I did purposefully not plan, I was a mess. No tracking, no notes, no information about what was going on. I quickly realized giving myself the first 15 minutes, gave me back much more – an organized day that was on track and successful.

Popularity: 19% [?]