Tag Archives: work

The Future Of Employment

by on 03 Feb 2013 in Employment

4 Part Series

The Future Of Employment. business, deglobalisation, employees, employment, flexi-work, job market, job sharing, recruitment, telecommute, telework, Virtual Assistant, work, work from home

Photo credit: Garry Knight

In this 4 part series we take a look at the Future of Employment.

  1. What’s Changing?
  2. Why Now?
  3. What Does It Mean For Employers?
  4. What Does It Mean For Employees?

Find out about changing concepts and what it means for you.

 

a weighty issue

by on 13 Jun 2012 in VA Diary

Healthy body, fit mind.

A Weighty Issue. balance, business owner, exercise, fitness, fun, healthy, meal plan, routine, scheduling, sleep, stress, time-poor, Virtual Assistant, weight, work

Photo by VividBreeze

On the whole we should all be doing more exercise, right? Being fit and healthy reduces stress, boosts your immune system and helps you sleep better. So the importance of keeping fit as a business owner is huge. But fitting exercise in, especially when working from home, is easier said than done.

It’s not so simple to go to the gym before or after work when you are already at home. And snacking is a real threat – being your own boss basically means that you can eat as much chocolate as you like (and let’s face it, that’s sometimes a lot).

Luckily there is an easy answer to stepping away from the computer, getting in shape and retaining that all-important balance: routine. Without a doubt, scheduling is key.

As a home-based business owner I know just how difficult it can be trying to fit in fitness. So here are a few tips on how I make it work for me.

Weekly exercise classes are in the calendar and are non-negotiable. Also, belonging to a sports team means that I am always committed to turning up rather than letting my teammates down. Besides, keeping fit then becomes secondary to having fun!

When it comes to eating well, I simply don’t keep items in the house that I know I shouldn’t be grazing on. I also can’t get through the week without a meal plan. They not only help you to eat healthier, but are also perfect for time-poor business owners.

It’s sometimes hard to give importance to anything other than your business. Though it’s also worth remembering that you are no good to anybody when you aren’t in top form.

I’d love to know your suggestions on keeping healthy as a business owner. And in the mean time, go easy on the biscuits.

fighting fatigue

by on 30 May 2012 in VA Diary

Have I accidentally become a part-time business owner?

Fighting Fatigue. balance, business owner, downtime, fatigue, relax, self-discipline, sleep, social life, theadminassistant, time management, Virtual Assistant, wellbeing, work

Photo by CharlesM.Schulz

Tomorrow night will be my 22nd night out this month. That’s just 9 nights at home over the last four weeks. …zzzZZZ

I don’t mean to be so busy – it just kind of happened. Well ok, perhaps I’m just not that good at saying ‘no’. But before you jump to conclusions, I haven’t been down at the pub every night.

In any case, the bags under my eyes are starting to give away the double life I am leading. Blending my new life as an expat with my new life as a business owner is not quite going to plan.

Keeping the work/life scales balanced is quite a trick, especially when both require extra attention. Anyone who has moved overseas before knows that your social life takes a little bit of work. And anyone who has started a business before knows that it takes even more.

Now, I’m not immune to hard graft and my time management skills certainly aren’t rubbish. My self-discipline means that I manage to fit everything in. But dividing my time evenly between the two is not as balanced as it sounds. I think I’m missing an important ingredient here: downtime. Should I be scheduling blocks of time to relax? And can it be forced?

In an effort to improve my wellbeing I went for a Chinese massage the other day. Turns out it was more like a form of physiotherapy (read: torture). So when I fell asleep during the gouging and kneading it’s probably no surprise that the ‘masseuse’ had to check my pulse…

Perhaps I’m being too hard on myself. Starting a business is tough, and if lack of sleep is a side effect, then so be it. As they say, you can sleep when you’re dead!

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