Productivity Archive

The Perfect Tool For Online Storage

When it comes to being a digital nomad, the most important thing of all is finding a way to keep everything available on the road. That’s why it is crucial to have a way to access your files, even when you don’t have your own computer along.

I have been searching for a tool to manage my online data storage for awhile now and have been disappointed with a few of the ones I have tried.

Luckily, I found Dropbox and have been more than happy with its features.

Overview:…

Bookkeeping And Tax Tips For Bloggers/Freelancers

This weeks episode of Digital Nomad Radio is all about bookkeeping and taxes. I agree, it’s the most boring part of having a business. Unfortunately, it’s something we all have to do at some point.

The reason I chose this topic this week is because I spent about 8 hours (at least it felt that long) last night printing and scanning receipts, entering invoices, and catching up on all the books. It took me a lot of researching before I had any idea what I was doing. I have a feeling some of you are in the same boat as I was and are clueless about what to do.

Teaser:

Some of the topics I will cover include:

• Accounts Receivable - How to keep track of all your income.
• Accounts Payable – What you should be keeping track of for business expenses.
• Tax Deductions For Bloggers/Freelancers – I’ll share some of the tax deductions that you might be able to take if you are a blogger or freelancer.
• Invoicing Software - I’ll share a really useful tool I use for invoicing.

That pretty much wraps it up for this weeks episode. Click the continue reading link below (or the post title above) to listen to this weeks show.

10 Ways To Stay Productive While Working From Home

This weeks episode of Digital Nomad Radio is all about staying productive while working from home. It can be very difficult to work from home, especially if you are used to working in an office. So I thought I would share my 10 favorite tips on how to stay productive.

Teaser:

Here’s a quick look at a few of the tips to stay productive while working from home:

• Create A Work Area – It’s simple. Create an office in your home.
• Set Some Hours – It is really important to create a work schedule. Otherwise you will end up working a TON of hours.
• Close Your Email And Turn Off Your Phone – Trying to get a project done? Don’t be afraid to shut down your communication methods for awhile.
• Don’t Forget To Eat – Your body will thank you.
• Take Breaks – Just like every other job, it is important to take breaks from working. Otherwise you will go insane.

Click the read more button below or the post title above to listen to the episode.

Is Email Killing Your Productivity?

It’s 10:13 AM and you haven’t checked your email in at least 3 minutes. You’re already anxious that you might have missed something important. So you open your email client back up and frantically hit the send/receive button.

Nothing…

Does this sound like you? It sure sounds like me a few months back. I constantly checked my email every minute I was awake looking for that super important message. It became a habit that was very difficult to break.

Luckily, I decided to cut back on my email usage. Why? Because it’s not a good thing to spend your time doing. Here’s a few good reasons to cut back on your email usage:

Are You A Night Owl?

It’s midnight and your brain is more fired up than ever. Should you go to bed?

I’ve been trying to answer this question for at least 10 years. As far back as I can remember I have stayed up late, often past 1 AM. I even moved to Hawaii, which is 5 or 6 hours behind. What happened? My sleep schedule caught up with me and I still slept during the day. Weird…

I can still remember when I had an early morning shift at a factory. I would often stay up until 1 and then sleep for a few hours before having to go to work all day. It was brutal…

It seems like all my life I have been in a constant struggle against society. Just about everything we do is setup on a typical 8 – 5 schedule. In college my classes often started at 8 and every job I ever had started before 9. Heck, even some stores open early and close before 7 PM. It makes it pretty difficult for night owls like myself.

The Power Of A Notebook

If I were to tell you about a cutting edge tool that will make your blog (and life) better, you would probably want to learn more about it. Am I right? I thought so. However, if I told you that this cutting edge tool was a notebook, you would probably call me crazy. That’s right, a plain ol’ spiral notebook with real paper in it.

It’s true that of all the tools I have utilized in my life, nothing has been more beneficial than a notebook. It’s the once place I can write down whatever I want, whenever I want. I constantly write down thoughts and ideas that I want to remember later on.

Carrying around a notebook started as an experiment but I have now made it a habit to take a notebook with me everywhere I go. Especially when traveling.

Search Craigslist Like A Madman

I’ll admit it, I spend a TON of time on Craigslist. Just yesterday, I managed to sell my old iPhone and a computer desk. However, the most time consuming part is searching for gigs and temporary jobs. Since location doesn’t really matter when dealing with freelance web work, I usually search all of the big cities since they are more likely to have new posts.

The thing that sucks is manually going between all the cities and searching. Half the time I forget which city I am in and do the same searches over and over again. It can take a lot of time, especially if you are looking for a lot of jobs and gigs.

Introducing Crazedlist.org

I managed to find Crazedlist.org a few weeks ago and have been using it ever since. It lets you do a search in multiple cities and then returns the results in separate frames. It definitely cuts back on the time I spend.

Here is a quick screen capture of what it looks like when I search Phoenix and Tuscon at the same time:

The Key To Being Productive

Calling In Sick For Work

Now that I have given my resignation notice at work, I feel the need to use up some sick time. So I called in today so I could get some things done. It really is amazing what I can accomplish in one day if I stay home from work.

Seriously, so far today I have:

• Cleaned the apartment
• Finished doing laundry
• Took out the garbage
• Signed up for internet service (more to come tomorrow)
• Bought a wireless router
• Finished my banner image so it now rotates again
• Finished tweaking my template (homepage stuff)
• Read all of the updates in my feed reader
• Installed software on my MacBook
• Signed up for a few new websites

It sure feels more productive than a typical day at work, where all I do is sit there and pretend to be busy when really I am not.

The Benefits of Dual Monitors

Every once in awhile, something happens at work that gives me a little joy.A little hope that maybe some better and more exciting days will come. It does not happen very often, but it does happen on occasion. And today just happens to be one of those days.

What Happened You Say?

Well, I was given another monitor to use at my desk by my boss. I have been using one since I started this job, which can be a real pain when you have 100 different windows open all the time. So I am writing this post with two displays, woo hoo!

Apparently, having dual displays can gelp me get “more work done.” Or at least that is what I was told. Honestly, I would rather just hire another employee to help me instead of getting another monitor. But it isn’t my call so I will take what I can get. I have quickly adapted to this dual monitor thing and have already increased my productivity. Check out a screen shot of me working on two projects at the same time:

Introducing the Four Day Work Week

I was reading around today and came across an article about Utah state jobs. It appears that they are moving to a 4 day work week for many state workers to save money on energy costs. By shutting down the buildings on Friday, they can reduce the costs by 1/5th but still be just as effective.This got me thinking, why can’t I work a 4 day week? I decided to come up with a proposal on why this would be better.

My Proposal

I could easily get all my work …