Working from home ...

Hi everyone!

First, I must apologise for not updating my blog on a more regular basis. I realise it’s four months now since my last blog but you see, as a freelance desktop publisher, my office is located in my home. I therefore am constantly grappling with the challenge of staying focused on my work with so many distractions surrounding me. There’s laundry to be done, the garden to mow, shopping to be done … and when you’re a procrastinator like me, all of these chores seem much more appealing than toiling away on a project.

And of course there are those distractions outside my control: the gardener at my neighbour’s house with his electric blower, the delivery truck rumbling by, the persistently cackling crow breaking my concentration. Those of you who work from home regularly or occasionally know what I’m talking about. A friend suggested that if it’s the little sounds that are bugging me, but a din doesn’t distract, then I should work in a coffee shop instead (with the added bonus of snacks and drinks on hand).

When I first started freelance, I created a schedule allocating my saved commute time for home-related tasks. I also considered installing a separate phone line for business, allowing me to ignore calls that come in on my home phone since I’ll know they’re not work-related. But that wont work either, as I rely on my friends for recommendations! So I’ve given in to some distractions in the name of taking breaks. When I eat lunch, I read a chapter or two in a novel, or watch a TV show I’ve videod. I’d take the same time off if I was in an office so think along the lines that the short pause refreshes and recharges me!

… if you’ve any tips and ideas to stay focused and productive when working from home, then I’d love to hear from you.

What is good is given back – the theory of gifts!

One of my many distractions, I have to admit, are good books! And the one I’m reading at present is called “The Gift”. Apparently when the Puritans first landed in Massachusetts, they discovered a thing so curious about the Indian’s feelings for property that they felt called upon to give if a name “An Indian gift”. It is a proverbial expression signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected. The Indian giver (or the original one at any rate), understood a cardinal property of the gift: whatever we have been given is supposed to be given away again, not kept and so it is, along similar lines, that I have become an avid member of BookCrossing.com.

BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. By re-cycling you’re books, BookCrossers give life to books. BookCrossing books are not stagnant dust collectors, but living entities travelling the world as true BookCrossing emissaries. Your books will find new readers and introduce them to the wonders of BookCrossing. So what are you waiting for? Help to make the world a library and recycle at the same time, through BookCrossing! Visit their website www.bookcrossing.com for more information.

Ebooks sell well online …

A customer of mine recently requested that I help him compile his first ever ebook. To be absolutely honest with you, ebooks are rather new to me as they may be to you. But, as my client pointed out, they can be particularly useful! Now I know he wont mind me telling you this, but it was with some trepidation that we set off on our new journey together … so what’s all this news about ebooks?

Offer a solution –

When you buy an ebook, it’s usually because you want a solution to a problem you have right now. For example, my client switched from a Windows computer to a Mac and wanted to know the basic information. He didn’t want to go out and buy a huge manual (at a considerable cost too), no, he wanted it there and then. He was nervous – the machine was sitting in front of him. So he got this idea of how an ebook would be a good thing! He then got to thinking, that as he already has an internet business with a quality website and a quality produce, an ebook might be one of the most powerful ways to promote his business. And so we set out on our journey together …

We’ve found out that ebooks not only promote your business, but help you brand your name online and give you expert status in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. The possibilities are endless.

Remember …ebooks can be long but should be short, usually less than 20 pages, sometimes fewer than 10 pages. Remember, your buyers want solutions. They don’t want to wade through 100 pages of waffle with a nugget of actionable information in the centre – they just want the steps they can use to solve their problem, right now. Just like my client!

So while I develop my clients ebook, not forgetting a sales page to advertise his ebook, he’s also going to advertise it on his business blog. Meantime, I shall shortly be adding a new webpage “ebook publishing” to my website www.thelittletyping.co.uk – yet one more string to my bow!

That’s all for now.

Linda