Working From Home

One of my favorite things about using WordPress as my blogging platform is the ability to quickly and easily customize my site with the thousands of free plugins available.

In a matter of seconds I can search for a specific plugin, read about it, check the ratings, install it, activate it, etc. Then if I decide I don’t need it, want it, or like it anymore — it takes another 2 seconds to delete the plugin.

I do know some bloggers who have 40-60 different plugins installed… and while there are a lot of good plugins available these days, I would caution against that, simply because it will slow down your blog.

I usually have around 15 plugins activated at any given time, and I love them all… here’s why!

TIME SAVERS:

And The Winner Is — Since I run a Weekend Giveaway every Friday, I use this plugin to automatically pick the winner(s) every Monday. It saves me tons of time and assures that all the giveaways are done fairly

Article Templates — this plugin allows me to create templates for different blog posts. For example, I have a recipe template, a giveaway template, etc. So every time I post a recipe or giveaway, I just insert that template and fill in the new information. Yes, this saves lots of time!

Broken Link Checker — When I first installed this plugin, it found over 80 broken links — YIKES! I took an afternoon to fix them all… and now, any time I have a broken link, it alerts me on my WordPress dashboard and I can fix it ASAP.

This plugin saves me tons of time because I don’t have to constantly monitor and check all my links. It also give me peace of mind knowing that my links won’t bring readers to a dead-end page.

Lijit Search — This plugin creates the little search box at the top of my right side bar. I know this benefits readers who are trying to search for specific content on my site — but it also saves me a ton of time because I use it when I’m searching for a specific post, or need to remember what I wrote about something!

COMMENTS:

Akimet — This plugin protects my blog from lots of SPAM comments. It usually catches a few hundred SPAM comments each week — which means I don’t have to monitor my comments as closely.

Comment Reply Notification — I absolutely love this plugin — and I think many of my readers do to! Basically, this plugin allows me to respond to someone’s comment and makes my response visible to anyone who reads the blog… but it ALSO sends that person an email with my response.

So if someone asks me a question about a recipe or a DIY project, I can answer it “publicly” on the blog, but the person who asked the question will get an email with my reply. So convenient!

Facebook Comments for WordPress — This plugin actually connects my blog comments with reader’s Facebook walls. So any time someone leaves a comment via the Facebook comment box, it puts a link to my blog post directly on their Facebook wall — which then show up to their “friends” who can then click on over to my blog! Yay for more traffic!

I actually don’t have this plugin activated on my blog right now, simply because I was running into issues with my Weekend Giveaways. Too many people were leaving Facebook comments instead of WordPress comments, and then they wouldn’t be entered in the giveaway. But it’s still one of my favorite plugins!

Subscribe to Comments — This plugin is pretty self-explanatory… it simply allows readers to subscribe to the comments of any post on my blog. If they choose to “subscribe” they will then be notified of any additional comments on that same post.

So if it’s a topic you’re interested in learning more about, subscribe to the comment section and you’ll get a bunch more information from other readers!

WordPress Thread Comments — Since comments are the best way to communicate with others on my blog, I activated this plugin to allow readers to reply and respond to other comments on my blog. So instead of just leaving a comment way at the bottom of the comment list, you can respond to specific comment right below, just by clicking “reply”.

Also, if that person happened to subscribe to the comments, your “reply” will be emailed to them — which is really helpful when people leave questions and then other readers respond to their questions. It saves me a bunch of time and I love reading your advice!!

PROMOTION:

AdRotate — This plugin allows me to create ad blocks in my sidebar and fill them with different advertising campaigns. It also allows me to easily track statistics {like impressions and click-throughs} for the different advertisers. LOVE this one!

LinkWithin — This plugin puts thumbnail links to relative/related posts at the bottom of every single post I write. It helps to bring readers to other posts I’ve written in previous months, it increases my pageviews, and it increases the amount of time readers spend on my site — all of which are very good things! It also helps to provide readers with additional information about topics they are interested in.

Really Simple Share Buttons — I actually just installed this plugin last week… and am already a huge fan. I’ve been looking for a social media share button that includes Pinterest… and this is the one I liked the best. It’s really simple to set up and offers a good number of customizable options… so far, I’m loving it!

WordPress Popular Post — As the name suggests, this plugin automatically generates a list of the most popular posts on my blog {the ones with the most views}. It displays this list in my right sidebar… making those posts easily available to anyone who visits my site. It’s also nice for me to be able to see what posts my readers are reading and sharing.

So these are a handful of my most favorite WordPress plugins. There are hundreds of fabulous plugins out there… and I’m always searching for new ones, better one, etc.

What are your favorite plugins?

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5 comments →

Dave and I recently renewed our 2-year cell phone contracts… and we both got iPhones!

Yes, it was totally against our ultra-frugal nature, but I have to say, the iPhone completely saved any shred of productivity I had left after Nora arrived!

Before we got our iPhones, we still had the old flip phones. We didn’t have any sort of data package, and we didn’t even have texting {told you we are frugal!}

It was actually a bit of an internal struggle for both of us, but especially for me, because we really didn’t NEED iPhones. Yes, we could afford to pay cash for the phones, yes we could get a great deal since we were going to renew our contract anyway, and yes, we could afford to pay the monthly data plans… but we still didn’t NEED them!

Another reason I was a bit unsure about getting iPhones was because I always hear how people “waste” so much time with their smart phones, iPads, Kindles, etc… and frankly, I do NOT have time to waste right now.

Well, it’s been 2 months, and I honestly think these iPhones are one of our best purchases. I can’t believe how much MORE productive I’ve been… or how we lived without them for so long!

Here are just a few ways the iPhone helps me be more productive:

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1. Email:

I get loads of emails every single day and it used to be overwhelming for me… but now I have instant access to all of my emails and can quickly check, delete, file, and reply to most of my emails from my phone… even when I don’t have access to my computer — or when my other arm is tied up

Obviously, there are still some emails I can’t/won’t do from my phone — especially if they require attachments or lengthy responses, but I’ve saved SO much time by tackling many of my emails from my iPhone.

2. Social Media:

Since I’ve been a little short on time lately {OK, a lot short on time} I’ve basically “banned” myself from spending any time on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. unless it’s on my phone.

I figure if we’re just driving, waiting, sitting around, etc. I’ll allow myself to play around on social media sites. Then when I’m sitting down to work, I keep those tabs closed, and am way more productive because of it!

3. Blog Comments:

I love reading all my blog comments, and I try really hard to respond to any questions or comments that require a response, but that had been getting more and more difficult to do… until I got the iPhone! Now I can keep tabs on my comments, stay caught up on responses, and I feel more connected to my readers.

4. Shopping:

As you know, I’m a big Craigslist shopper {and I’m semi-addicted to Amazon.com too!}… but I really can’t afford to “waste” my time searching for deals on the internet right now. So instead, I’ll use my phone to brows the web, inquire about sales, and even make purchases when I otherwise wouldn’t have access to my computer for one reason or another.

5. Shared Calendars:

Dave and I have a shared calendar on iCloud so we both know what the other person is doing… yes, this has been extremely helpful and I’m not really sure why I didn’t think of doing this before!

6. Productivity/Time Management Apps:

I still haven’t paid for any Apps yet, but I have found a handful of very helpful FREE productivity and time management apps that I’m having lot of fun with!

7. Photos:

I don’t naturally take many photos because I hate carrying my camera around with me all the time. But now that I have a really fantastic camera right in my iPhone, I’m taking pictures ALL the time! I can quickly edit the pictures and upload them to my blog or to any social media site with just a few taps of my finger… then I’m done.

No more lugging my camera around, plugging my camera card into the computer, waiting for it to load, then opening the photo editing program, etc. etc. I’m saving lots of time AND taking more pictures — win-win!

8. Navigation:

We don’t have any type of GPS in our cars so I’ve always just printed off Mapquest directions anytime I have to go somewhere. Seriously! Now, I can simply use a navigation app and don’t have to waste the time {or paper} printing off my Mapquest maps anymore!

Since Dave and I were still living in the ‘dark ages’ with our flip phones, we are simply amazed at how much more we can do with our iPhones — and how much time we save doing it!

I can do all these things while I’m riding in the car, waiting in line, or even when I’m feeding Nora. And obviously, I don’t spend every spare moment on my phone, but it is nice to have the option to “get stuff done” even when I’m not by my computer.

And yes, we do use our phones for playing games, listening to music, and even watching video clips every now an then

Do you have an iPhone — or any other type of smart phone?

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If so, do find that you SAVE more time or WASTE more time on fun games, etc.? Also, what are your favorite apps?

30 comments →

Working in an organized space will not only help you to be more efficient and more productive — it will also help you to enjoy the time you spend in your office area!

And whether you work in a big corner office, the back bedroom of your house, your car, or even a tray table in your living room, there are plenty of creative ways you can better organize your office space.

If you are looking for a bunch of creative office organizing ideas — many of which are free — check out the guest post I wrote over here! 

What are your favorite office organizing ideas?

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Since I work from home (and since I work for a handful of other companies, blogs, websites, etc.) it’s important for me to track my time.

Obviously, I need to accurately track all my “billable hours” so I know how much to invoice the people I work for; but I also like to track the time I spend on my own website so I know where all the hours in my day are going… and if it’s all worth it.

How I Track My Time:

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Over the years, I’ve tried a few different methods of tracking my time but I always come back to the simplest way — paper and a pen. I simply list each day of the week/month on a piece of paper and then use hash marks to indicate what areas I’m spending my time {and how many hours I’m working for different companies}.

Then at the end of the week or the end of the pay period, I simply look back at my paper and bill for the appropriate hours.

This method also works well for my own website — even though I can’t always bill “by the hour”.  Tracking my time helps me to visually see where my time is going. If I see that I’m spending tons and tons of time responding to emails and comments, then I try to figure out a better system for dealing with the many emails and comments I get each day. If I see that I’m not spending as much time writing quality posts {and then my ad revenue goes down as a result} I might choose to spend more time coming up with better ideas and more quality posts.

Even before I had a baby I was very protective of my time. In my opinion, time is one thing I can NEVER get back, so I’ve always been careful not to “waste time” — and hat doesn’t mean I never do anything fun, or that I’m always working. It simply means that I work when I’m supposed to work, and I “play” when I’m done working.

If I have a job to do, I’ll do it — but I also don’t want that job to take me any longer than it has to. Tracking my time helps me be as efficient as I can be, which is probably one of the reasons I’m so good at what I do

Have you ever physically tracked your time?

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7 comments →

Each month, I write a few posts for other blogs… and for the month of January, my guest posts were all about setting, managing, and reaching your goals {fitting for the first month of a new year!}

So if you are still searching for the motivation you need to set and achieve your goals this year, I’ve got some helpful tips that just might help!

1. A Fresh Start for the New Year

It’s still January which means we practically have the entire year ahead of us… a clean slate, just waiting for another long list of goals and to-do’s. If you haven’t taken the time to think about what your goals are for this new year, there’s no better time to start than right now!

Head on over to the Turnstone blog for a few ideas to get you thinking…

2. Do You Know When You Are MOST Productive? 

Ever since Nora was born, I’ve been working hard to be the best mom I can be, while still being productive and accomplishing my to-do list each day. One of the ways I’m able to do this is by working when I’m MOST productive.

I can almost guarantee there are certain hours each day when you are always very productive and other hours when you consistently struggle to stay focused and get anything accomplished.

If you’ve never thought about when you are the most productive, click here to read more!

3. The Importance of Reachable Goals

I don’t like to fail (no one does!) so while goals are supposed to challenge us and push us to be better, do better, work harder, etc. I still want my goals to be reachable.

Setting goals that are too lofty, too ambitious, or not realistic is a pretty good way to fail. And if you fail to reach your goals, you probably won’t be extremely motivated to set new goals for yourself (believe me, I’ve been there before!)

Need some help setting reachable goals? I have a few tips that just might help.

4. How to Reach Your Huge Goals

As I mentioned above, I always try to set reachable goals for myself… however, there are still situations when facing a huge goal is inevitable.

Those huge goals can seem overwhelming, unattainable, and even impossible… unless you have a plan!

If you have a huge goal that you absolutely have to reach, the key to achieving it is to break it down into several smaller, more-manageable {and reachable} goals. I’ll show you how to do that over here.

What goals have you made this year?

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photo credit

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source

Ever since we brought Nora home from the hospital {7 weeks ago today!}, I’ve been diligently trying to figure out the best way to schedule my day around the intense needs of a newborn.

It has been a bumpy road so far, and we most definitely do not have it all worked out yet; but I recently got an email from a reader who sensed my frustration and told me about how she implemented a “block schedule” to help her better manage her time with small children.

She explained that instead of making one long to-do list every day, she would instead have a few smaller to-do lists for the different blocks of time when her children were napping or otherwise occupied.

The idea sounded relatively simple to me, however I was a bit skeptical that it would actually work for me. But as I mentioned before… I was getting pretty frustrated by my new schedule {or lack of} so I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

And guess what… it’s working! 

Obviously, we still have a ways to go, and I’m sure once we finally get a schedule down, Nora will go ahead and change things on us again. But for the past week or so, I’ve been using a block schedule and feeling much, much more productive!

Block #1: Before Nora wakes up

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This block is one of the hardest ones for me because I’m usually REALLY tired and just want to stay sleeping. However I know that if I don’t get a few things done before she wakes up, the rest of the day won’t go as smoothly.

• Get dressed/get ready
• Make the bed
• Eat breakfast
• Check emails — respond to anything “urgent”
• Wipe down the kitchen counters/sink/etc.

This might sound like a long list for a tired new mom, but it usually only takes me about 20-30 minutes to do it all. However, if she goes to bed at 1:30am and wakes up at 6:30am like she did the other day, I definitely don’t get it all done!

Block #2: During her morning nap

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Much to my dismay, Nora still isn’t on a great sleeping schedule. However, the one pretty “constant” thing she’s done since she was only about a week old is take a good morning nap. She will usually sleep for at least 3 hours so this is MY TIME to “get stuff done”!

• Start a load of laundry and/or clean out the dishwasher
• Make sure I have what I need for dinner and defrost anything that’s frozen
• Do one household chore {vacuum, sweep, dust, bathrooms, shake rugs, more laundry
• Finish checking and responding to all emails
• Make phone calls or schedule meetings {if applicable}
• Write/edit blog posts
• Work on Virtual Assistant stuff
• Eat lunch

Of course every day is different, but this is by far my most productive time of the day.

Block #3: During her afternoon nap:

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The afternoon nap is never a “for sure” thing, so I can’t necessarily plan on getting much done in the afternoon — especially if she’s being fussy! So during this time block, I try to schedule things that don’t HAVE to get done, but that I would still like to do.

• Run errands {if she doesn’t take a nap or after she wakes up}
• Work ahead on blogging stuff
• Edit photos and work on digital photo album
• House projects and other mics. things around the house
• More emails {I also get email on my phone so I can stay on-top of my email throughout the day}

Nora is getting better at entertaining herself too, so sometimes she will be content to simply sit next to me in her swing or lay on the floor with me sitting next to her. So even if she is awake, I can sometimes get a few things done.

Block #4: When Dave gets home:

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Dave and the girls usually get home around 4:00 or 4:30 and then he takes Nora for a while and watches TV or reads the paper. This is the time I usually get dinner started and/or do any baking. Then after dinner and after we clean up the kitchen, Dave and I take turns with Nora so the other person can be productive.

• Grading and lesson planning {Dave}
• Virtual Assistant and blogging work {Andrea}
• Shower and get ready for bed {both}
• Make to-do lists, pack lunches, and get ready for tomorrow {both}

We do TRY to take some time in the evening to just relax… however, this is also the time when Nora is the most fussy {and hungry} so one of us is almost always needed to hold, rock, feed, change, entertain, etc.

Block #5: After she goes to bed:

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When we first brought Nora home, I was so frustrated when she wouldn’t go to bed at 8:00pm {All our friends have toddlers who went bed around 8:00… so we figured an infant would also go to bed early}. I knew she would wake up frequently to eat, but I seriously thought she would go to bed at a reasonable hour, which would then allow Dave and I to get a bunch of stuff done in the evening.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! {yes, you can all join me in laughter!}

Boy was I wrong! I learned very quickly that newborn babies don’t have a bed time. They sleep when they are tired and they don’t sleep when they aren’t tired… and there isn’t really anything we can do about it. So need-less-to-say, by the time we FINALLY get her sleeping at night, we go right to bed!

Sometimes she doesn’t fall asleep until 1:00 or 2:00am, and then Dave goes to bed and I stay up with her. Those are long nights! Fortunately, Dave gives me a break on the weekends and stays up with her while I go to bed early!

So even though Nora is kind of a stinker about going to bed at night, the block schedule thing has most definitely helped me to get more done and feel SO much more productive each day.

Oh, and I know I’m bias… but isn’t she just so cute when she’s sleeping

Do you have more tips for being productive with a newborn?

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58 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to:

Agnes (fivemammals@…) — winner of the ListPlanIt Print Membership

Sara (sarameengs@…) — winner of the List PlanIt ePlanner

I will email you to get your information!

I talk about lists A LOT — but that’s because I’ve made a list for myself almost every single day since high school {nope, that’s not an exaggeration!}

Every night, before I go to bed, I make a to-do list for the next day. I also have long-term project lists, grocery lists, lists of my goals, a bucket list, etc. etc. I have lots and lots of lists!

Up until now, I’ve mostly been a “pen and paper” kind of list maker, but over Christmas break, Dave and I bought iPhones and I’ve had so much fun downloading a bunch of different list-making apps. I’m still partial to pen and paper, but I definitely see a use for digital lists too.

So as you can probably imagine, I’m super excited to share today’s giveaway from ListPlanIt.com – a website that offers over 700 different printable and downloadable lists for people like me who simply love lists, and for people who don’t necessary love lists but NEED them anyway!

The ListPlanIt lists are great for anyone who wants to get more organized, better manage their time, simplify their lives, etc… so pretty much everyone I know!

The Giveaway:

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Today, one lucky Simple Organized Living reader will win a ONE YEAR ListPlanIt Download Membership! This includes unlimited access to hundreds of helpful lists — and the ability to print off as many copies as you need OR download the lists and type in your own information directly from your computer!

Another reader will win their choice of a ListPlanIt ePlanner — which is essentially a really cool electronic version of a planner and your favorite lists! They have 16 different ePlanners to choose from and you’ll have the ability to type in all your own information. Oh, and you can even download a FREE ePlanner trial offer right now!

How to Enter:

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1. Leave a comment. What is one list you couldn’t live without? {mine is my daily to-do list!}

2. Like Simple Organized Living and/or ListPlanIt on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(1) ListPlanIt Print Membership as described above

(1) List PlanIt ePlanner as described above

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 1/9/2012 and is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

149 comments →