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Home Office

5 Ways to Help Your Home Office Keep the Ideas Flowing

February 13, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I love working at home. I get to set my own rhythm.  I take a break when I need one, go for a walk or read a bit whenever I need a change.  It’s my call.  And it’s also my call about how well I arrange for my office space to support my creativity, my concentration, and my effectiveness.

1 – Organize your clutter

It is way too easy to put off putting something away.  I even have a basket that I put things in that I want for reference as I write.  It would probably be a good idea for me to put that in some order and maybe next time I go searching for something in it I will, but it is in one place – a basket.  Order is good.  I have a great shelf to put things on at my desk but my cats Sebastian and Sabrina like to lie there, so I’ve made another plan.  Their company is supportive and nurturing and they are an integral part of my home office.  I have labeled folders within reach to place the paid bills.  I bank on line and set up my bill payments the minute I receive a bill.  I have the papers I use during the day handy – all my passwords, a calendar, phone numbers I use a lot.  They are in a pretty napkin holder on my desk and don’t take up much space while staying within easy reach.

But here’s a trick I learned a long time ago when I worked in a regular business office.  Each day before you leave spend the last five minutes organizing yourself for the next day, putting things away, making a short list of what you need to do next. That way when you come in you know exactly where to start and you have a tidy space to get started right away.

2 – Acknowledge your successes

I created an acknowledgement/tracking system for myself in which I write the things I feel good about accomplishing.  I don’t necessarily do it every day but I like to do it at the end of the week and if something really great gets done I’ll write in it at the time.  This Magnetic Momentum Builder is my version of the 5:15 report  also lets me track and acknowledge my forward progress

3 – Bless your work

I used to do temp work so I’d go into a company where I knew no one.  And I would bless the pieces of paper I was preparing. It was fun to wonder how many people would handle that piece of paper and unknowingly receive the positive energy I sent along.

When I am waiting for my radio show Passionately On Purpose to begin, I look out my window and the great nature view I have and bless the words I am about to speak and the intention behind what I am about to present.  I fill my thoughts with loving energy to go with what I offer.

I hadn’t thought to do that with these posts, but I will starting right now.  As you post an article or a blog post or begin to give a telecourse, center yourself and align your thoughts with the people you hope are touched by what you offer.  And they will be.

4 – Listen to your inner wisdom

The beautiful thing about working at home is that when a creative idea shows up you can simply make it happen.  I was thinking up ideas for my radio show when I realized that particular topic would make a good post so I started writing and here it is in post format.  And elements of it will be a future radio show.  Now that I’ve begun to do interviews on my show all sorts of related ideas are showing up and I’m hard pressed to keep track of them all. But the trick is to put your ideas all in one place. I now have a folder called “Idea Bank” in which I keep all those things I think up to do or create. Those ideas you get – they may or may not be  yours to do but if you choose to act on them then you definitely are the chosen one for that idea.

Watch for signs.  Whether it’s an email from a friend with something in that sparks an idea, or you read a phrase in a book that would be translated into what you do, or you’re just sitting there and the idea comes in – those are yours to at least capture and think about doing.

5 – Create meaningful scenarios

Can you look up from your computer and see something you like?  I can look up and see a plant I love doing it’s thing in a corner or a lithograph of an old typewriter I’ve had in my office for years as a symbol of my being a writer, a Treasure Map I made of my intentions years ago that still holds true, and my cats curled up in a nearby chair. Surround yourself with things you like to look at and be with. That’s another reason to keep your working space organized so you have space for your treasures.  Stop and admire the small scenarios of meaningful items you have created.

They don’t call it “home” office for nothing – you spend a lot of time there.  Honor yourself by making it visually pleasing and organized in support of what you do.  Periodically schedule a put-away morning and tidy up every corner of your space.  Love your office.  It reflects who you are and what you are thinking.  It should be nourishing and welcoming.  Fill your home office with inspiration and it will support your creativity, your concentration, and your effectiveness

© 2010 Cara Lumen

Filed Under: Positive Change Tagged With: Creativity, Home Office, Planning, positve change

10 Ways for You to Start Earning More Income

February 11, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I think a lot of us are looking around to see how we might increase our income, including me, so I’ll share with you some of the ways I am looking at new ways to be in service. What we have to do is start creating more opportunities – opportunities for us to make new products, offer new services, and reach new people.

1- What is needed now?

What has changed for your Target Audience?  I’ll bet for everyone there is more caution around how they spend their money.  So that’s a major consideration in how you can rearrange your services and products for their current needs.  Let’s simply start with that premise and see where it takes it.  Define the problem of your Target Audience.  The problem is: people are being more conservative and selective with their spending.

2 – Chunk down what you have

So what does that mean to you?  Well, it may mean that you have to create smaller purchasing opportunities so they can still interact with you but for a lower price.  I just created a new coaching program for  Magnetic Signature Product Development  Program  Rather than teach this information in a class, which I have done, I decided to individualize a series of three or four coaching session that are meant to produce a specific and individualized information product like an ebook or teleclass, book proposal or a powerful opt in offer.

How can you chunk down what you offer into shorter, results oriented offerings?

3 – What do you have you can leverage?

I had a great time teaching my “How to Create a Magnetic Marketing Plan” course and I realized the valuable exercises in there needed to be a standalone workbook.  So I created a new Magnetic Marketing Plan Workbook.  People can interact with me on a more economical scale and still get great results.

As I continue to do my Passionately On Purpose Radio  show I am beginning  to collect an interesting audio series that I could bundle as a series on a specific topic.

And speaking of series, as part of my blog post planning I’m going to start writing in series so there are automatic links to the next or previous post on the topic.  It’s a great way to keep people interested as you give greater value than you can with a single piece.

What parts and pieces can you lift from something that exists and turn it into a valuable and less expensive offering so you can keep supplying your client base with great value.

4 – What talent can you develop more?

I bet there are some things you have wanted to do and that people keep asking you for that you could put into service.  It may be as simple as emphasizing one facet of your business more. For instance, I can start promoting my curriculum development and copy writing more.  That may mean different, stronger landing pages, or more blog posts and articles about curriculum development with a strong resource box that indicates that’s what I do.  Look at what people ask you for that you are not giving and see if it’s something you want to do.

5 – Learn something new

I’m really expanding my use of blogging and keep learning new things.  For instance, I’m taking my knowledge of SEO to another level and consciously applying what I have learned.  I’m reading more about writing posts and articles. Even though I know a lot, there is always more to learn.

I would like to learn more about video so I can help my coaching clients know when/how to use it as well as see what it will do for me.  Perhaps it is time for me to learn at least the rudiments of that. And there is a new WordPress membership site plugin that I want to master and use. I joined the Third Tribe  to go hang out with people who are really working their business well.

What do you need to learn that will make you more valuable?

6 -What can you create that’s new?

Again, I’m looking at less expensive items that bring value and keep you connected.  I realized I have a lot of really good templates for ebooks and teleclasses as well as systems for tracking ideas, and brainstorming new ones.  I’m going to put them into one workbook offering.  Great value, easy-to-handle price.

Look around and see what you have organically collected while serving your clients and customers and see what new product you can offer by combining and repurposing them.

7-New Outreach

I now make enough from my affiliate marketing of products I recommend all the time, to cover my cost of doing business. It’s taken some years, but there it is.  If you have not thought about becoming an affiliate of a product or service you use that your Target Audience would also use, it’s certainly worth some exploration.  For me it’s not about selling anything it’s about having an affiliate link to what I organically recommend to my coaching clients particularly in the area of web site development.

8-New Collaborative Partnerships

Who can you join up with to create something bigger than what either of you do together?  I’m planning to teach again with Sharon Sayler, the Communication Coach.  We do a “How to Develop and Deliver a Magnetic Teleclass” course.  I teach about the curriculum development and she teaches delivery techniques.  If it’s a course you give together you can make a home study course from it and you both have a new product to offer.

9-Adjust Your Prices

I’d rather add more bonuses than lower my prices but you might want to look at both possibilities.  Have a promotion and lower your prices for a specific period and see what happens.  You might find people who have been waiting to come to you suddenly decide they will.

Be sure your sales cycle has a variety of price points.  Fill in the blanks.  Combine and bundle two or three ebooks into one value package.  Make a series of coaching packages that make it more valuable to sign up for longer periods of time.

10– Make a 25 ways list

Now sit down and start a “25 Ways for Me to Start Earning More Income” list.  Think of some of the things we’ve talked about in this post.  Let your mind go exploring.  Write down everything, don’t censor, just let the ideas come.  Then make your choices and put yourself in a position to make more money today.

c 2010 Cara Lumen

Filed Under: Content Development Tagged With: business growth, change, content development, goal setting, Home Office, Product Development

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