Is Now a Good Time to be a Contract Worker?

A recent Business Week article (“Now Hiring: Contract Workers?”) seems to indicate that more firms are hiring contract workers instead of permanent employees, which can be great news for those of us who work from home. May employment data shows that businesses are keeping or hiring contract employees while staying wary of hiring full-time workers.

Something to think about if you’re looking for ideas to work from home. I’ll discuss specific ideas relating to contract work in the upcoming July “At Home News” e-newsletter, which you can sign up for free by clicking on the newsletter button at the top of the page.

Until next time,

Sarah

On the Air, part 3

I'm on Woman to Woman radio this week and you can listen to my interview with Phyllis Wallace at http://www.womantowomanradio.com/default.asp.

Phyllis and I chatted back in February about the joys and challenges to working from home. I'd love to hear what you think!

Until next time,

Sarah

Pain and Misery Love Company

I had a scare last week when the left side of my jaw partially dislocated with a horrendous popping sound! I moved my jaw and another popping sound indicated the jaw was back in place. Both movements causing much pain and when I went to the emergency room (of course, this occurred on a Sunday!), I discovered that I had most likely stretched the ligaments around the jawbone and socket (TMJ). In layman’s terms, that means I had to eat soft foods and pray that the internal swelling would dissipate and my jaw would realign itself.

As I’ve had a week’s worth of soups and other soft foods (let’s just say my 11-month-old is eating crunchier foods than I am—and he has no teeth!), I’ve been reflecting on how the best-laid plans can go to pieces. Now, I should add that on top of my jaw discomfort, my kids have been sick and cranky, so my household hasn’t had the best week.

But what’s even more serious than that is how quickly my attitude goes downhill along with my physical discomfort and with the increasing whininess of my children. I couldn’t accomplish hardly anything on my lengthy to-do list.

It took me a few days to slow down enough to realize that perhaps this was my work this week—the cranky kids and my sore jaw. That I needed to focus not on what I wasn’t accomplishing from my to-do list but on what I could accomplish in relation to my children and myself.

So I tried being grateful for my aching jaw and for my children’s less-than-sunny dispositions. And I did just what needed to be done in regard to my freelance work, not what I wanted to be done.

I’m happy to report that just over a week later, my jaw is doing much better, my kids are finally over their illnesses and life in our home is nearly back to normal. That is, until school gets out next week.

Until next time,

Sarah

Jumping Into Summer

Our neighborhood pool opens tomorrow, and boy, are my kids excited! No matter that the water will be freezing, they can go swimming.

Summer might officially start June 21, but for many of us, Memorial Day heralds the beginning of summer. Summer is a wonderful time to take time to relax and let ourselves play hooky from work more often.

One of my summer goals is to plan some adventures with my children on a regular basis, remembering the adage that no one ever said they wished they had worked more. With careful planning, you can have a delightful summer and still accomplish all that you need to with your at-home business.

Until next time,

Sarah

Spring (Mind) Cleaning

Ah, spring is finally coming to Virginia. The birds have returned, the flowers are blooming, the trees are regaining their foilage. And my thoughts naturally turn to attacking those dust bunnies under my bed and other furniture.

When you think about spring cleaning, do not neglect to clear your mind. It might sound silly, but we all store junk in the far corners of our minds that need to get cleaned out every once in a while. Thoughts that need to be realigned, old habits that need to be rewired, those types of things.

By thinking of what's going on in our mind, we can kind of restart ourselves on a new path, a path that can lead to better relationships, better business practices and a better us.

So as you're cleaning your house and closets this spring, take a few minutes each day to think about cleaning out your mind, too.

Until next time,

Sarah