Rocket Homes quoted me as saying ~ Although contemporary interior design may contain a similar range in styles, minimalism remains paramount. “A contemporary home has a less is more approach,” says Pamela Durkin, interior designer and owner of Pamela Durkin Designs. Click this link ▶ Rocket Homes to see the whole article.
The home office is going to be an increasingly popular area for people. So many are starting new businesses and I am a firm believer that your environment absolutely contributes your performance. If we are not our best, we don’t produce our best work, which could be disastrous, especially if you work for yourself. I think we should do everything in our power to create success and the home office environment is crucial to this. Check out this article I was quoted in on Realtor.com
Some products that I think can help entrepreneurs be their best every day are:
1) Lounge chair with a working tabletop.
It’s been determined that we spend way too much time in one place during the day as evidenced by the popularity of the stand up desk. I think we need to have more places to comfortably work and be inspired. A comfortable lounge chair with a small table top gives another place to work. Sometimes that block we are having will be removed just by changing spots!
2) FLOR Carpet tile.
A great way to add some warmth and even customize the size to your home office space. This company has been making commercial products for many years and now that durability can be used in the home office, too. Not all office chairs roll easily on carpet and the low pile makes that so much more doable. Also, it is super durable so if you drop coffee on it, no problem!
3) Subconsciously feed your mind with your environment.
I have a vision board and some of my favorite sayings directly in my sight. These are all reminders of why I am working so hard and also reminders to stay on track. An office that inspires you can be the single most important factor in staying focused – we spend a million hours a day in this space, it should be feeding our creative spirit!
Whether you work from home full time or part time, a home office is becoming a necessary part of the house for many of us. Click on the full article from Realtor.com to see what I had to say about that!
The First of the Year brings huge optimism and a ‘clean slate’ mindset of “It’s all good” but I wonder, is it all good?!?
Fast forward two weeks or a month and those lofty ideas are already out the window. They are replaced by the “busy” of doing: answering client emails, putting out contractor fires or hustling for the next great project.
I get it, we all need to keep the cash flow moving and a lot of us are doing it all, designing, marketing, accounting, networking, ordering and project management. It can get exhausting!
But, have you ever thought about what you really want your business to look like and what it should be providing you? What if your business provided you with the profits and peace of mind you’ve been craving?
I have two simple techniques to finally accomplish that and they are:
Focus
Boundaries
Seems too simple, right? I thought so, too but after committing to these skills on a daily basis, my world has changed. Here’s how you can bring some big changes about in your business this year.
Focus:
You cannot be everything to everybody, it’s time to draw a line in the sand.
1.Start to narrow down the type of person and project you want. I get that you won’t be able to change your focus overnight, BUT you have to start moving toward it, today!
2.All your communication (on-boarding, contract, website, social media, etc.) should be speaking to that person specifically. Changing this text will also help you get better at your message. Know that this is a process and will not happen overnight – you only receive clarity in the doing.
3.Choose a marketing technique that really works for your business. Focus your energies on that for a few months and I bet you will see some improvement. I personally am a fan of techniques that garner the most referral opportunities per year. What does that look like for you?
4.Commit, track and refine. You may not exactly know what works best for you but you do need to figure it out. Start tracking where your business comes from, what time and money is involved with that technique and then refine it to be better.
Boundaries:
If you want to take your business and yourself to the next level, you have got to be fiercely protective of your time.
1.Create a ‘Golden Hour’ Routine. This is that time of day when you are your best. THIS is the time to foster new ideas on marketing your business. For me, it’s the mornings when it is super quiet. I use this time to read, listen to podcasts and set up my day.
2.Determine 2-3 big ideas that have to get done in a day. We tend to overschedule ourselves and then feel bad when we don’t get through the massive ‘To Do’ List. Figure out what’s most important and get those items done first. I keep a list of my big goals for the year on my daily calendar to remind me of where I want to go.
3.Don’t forget to put time in your calendar for items other than client work. You cannot move forward by just completing task after task. Having time set aside for contacting referral sources, building relationships and planting the seeds for the future are super important to a continual stream of business.
4.Honor your word to yourself. Do not keep letting your time slide for other people. I set certain times for answering emails and days for client meetings. Then I know I have enough time for my other work which includes moving my business forward in a healthy way.
We all feel like there are so many “things” we should be doing in our businesses but I promise, if you pick just a few, you will feel more empowered and it will make a huge difference!
If you want to dive deeper into this subject, check out one of my all-time favorite books: Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. It’s a game changer!
