Drumroll Please! Announcing My Most Popular Posts of 2019!

I love sharing my most popular posts of the past year.  I am always excited to see what resonates with my audience.  What interests them the most.  It gives me a real peek into your needs and helps me create content that is actually USEFUL to you!

I look at what posts got the most traffic over the year.  And it always amazes me.  First, because it doesn't always correspond with the list published on my blog.  And second, because sometimes the post wasn't published that same year!  Those are the ones I love the most.  It lets me know that I shared something valuable and timeless.  And that is a dream come true for me!

I blog on all sorts of topics.  Mostly business.  Some would say others aren't strictly business related but I think there's an element of entrepreneurship in there somewhere.  I try to share interesting people I've met, valuable resources I've found, and everything I have learned over time.  And that diversity is almost always represented in the top 10 list.


Are you curious to see what caught everyone's attention this year?  Me too!  So without further ado, here are my Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2019!


1.  The number one post of 2019 was actually published in 2018 but continued to strike a chord with lots of people.  And I'm not surprised.  I introduced you to the woman who can help your children or grandchildren go to college for FREE!  If you haven't met her yet, you will definitely want to check out Free College? Yes, Says Elizabeth Wallace.  If you have a college-bound teen in your family, this is a must read.


2.  I Know What I Bring To The Table.  I really do!  And I laid it all out in this post from 2018 that still resonates with people today.  Your experiences in life can make you or break you.  I chose to use mine to help me grow.  What will you choose?


3.  If you want to know where I learned how to make money, look no further.  The third most popular post this year was What My Parents Taught Me About Money.  You might be surprised.  It's may not be what you think!


4.  You know how I feel about multiple streams of income.  Everybody needs them.  So I loved the interview I did with Terri Dennis.  She is the master of multiple streams of income.  Apparently many others liked it too because it was the fourth most popular post of 2019.  Check it out.  Terri Dennis Talks about Multiple Streams of Income. 


5.   One of the reasons you chose to work from home was to spend more time with your family, am I right?  But you also have to actually work from time to time!  My fifth most popular post helps with that dilemma by sharing how to Make Your Home Office Family Friendly.


6.  Just so you know...my book collection now rivals Kerry's!  Build a Better Business with This One Simple Habit.


7.  If you have a side hustle that you want to turn into a full-time gig, I have a suggestion for you.  Set up a referral or affiliate program.  If you're stuck on how to begin, #7 gives you some steps to help you Start an Affiliate Program.


8.  My tribute to my dad touched a lot of hearts, making it the eighth most popular post of for 2019.  Lessons from My Dad I still carry with me today.


9.  I love introducing everyone to the amazing people I meet and work with.  Apparently you like it too.  Three of my top most popular posts were profiles of really cool people.  You've met Elizabeth Wallace and Terri Dennis.  Now meet Al Glover.  You can read all about him here.  Sometimes It Pays to Step Outside the Norm! Meet Al Glover!


10.  Last but not least.  This post has made the list every year.  That tells me a lot about what is happening in the industry.  I wrote this back in 2013 and six years later it still hits people where they hurt...objections to our business model.  If you are struggling, check out Network Marketing Tip of the Week - Overcoming Objections. 


Which post on this list is your favorite?  I know which ones I had the most fun writing!  Or is there one you love that didn't make the list?  Share your faves in the comments. 

Make Your Home Office Family Friendly

One of the reasons you chose to work from home was to spend more time with your family, am I right?  Perhaps you were working outside the home and began to resent those lost hours to the point you were getting jealous and angry. You are not alone. Many people find a work-at-home situation soothes the stress they were feeling and is the ideal solution for their family life.

Creating a family friendly home office is one of the tasks you have in front of you. It is a delicate balance to try to achieve. On the one hand, you need to get your work done. On the other hand, you want to enjoy your family. Is there a way to do both? Let's take a look at some suggestions.

Cozy

Nothing says relax like a big comfy sofa. It also serves as a 'magnet' to draw the kids together in one cozy area away from your desk. Have blankets and pillows handy for short naps or cuddling. Invite the family in after school to relax and catch up on their day. For pre-school children, keep a box of toys and books handy to keep them busy while you wrap up loose ends. If your home office isn't large enough for a sofa, throw down a rug with a couple bean bag chairs or big pillows. The object here is to have an inviting place to welcome your family into your surroundings, but still separated from your work area.

Busy

Put a coffee table or small kitchen table and some good lighting in your office separate from your desk to make a homework spot for your school age kids. Use the same idea for your pre-school children and include lots of art supplies so your young children can 'work' while you do. If room isn't available for a table, get out those old TV tables you have stored and put them to good use, then fold them and store them away again until needed.

Food

Snacks and beverages are especially important when kids arrive home from school. Children are hungry after a long day, and hunger creates unhappiness. Rather than leave your office to fix them something in the kitchen, have a small supply of snacks and drinks ready in your office space. Consider having a small refrigerator in your office to complete the welcoming feeling, and for convenience. Serve snacks picnic style for fun and your kids will know they can relax and enjoy their food in your company.

Rules

Having a family friendly office does not mean there are no rules involved. There will be times when you will need your office to yourself, and this needs to be made clear from the beginning. If you have a set schedule, you can post your hours on the door for all to see. You may want to have a 'Welcome' mat to put outside the door when everyone can come in, relax and visit. Save work that doesn't need a lot of concentration for those 'family times.' Be clear about the rules and arrange your work time so you can enjoy your office and family both.

 

Isolating yourself in your office and making it totally off-limits to your family may not be what you had in mind when you decided to work at home. If that's the case, you will want to create a home office that is, at least at times, open for visiting. Take time to enjoy the reason you decided to work from home - your family!

Clean The Air With Houseplants For A Healthy Home Office

For many decades, we have been sealing up our homes as tight as a drum to conserve energy. As heating and cooling costs have risen, so has the effort to weather-proof our houses.

This is all fine and good when it comes to saving money. After all, who needs to let their warmed or cooled air leak out of the cracks and crevices around doors and windows? We spent good money to get our temperature inside to a comfortable level, so let's keep that air inside.

However, since we've started super-sealing and insulating our homes and businesses, we have found one drawback - the lack of fresh air. These tightly closed environments became associated with illnesses related to the pollution created in buildings that were sealed off from any source of air cleaning or filtering mechanism.

After years of study by NASA researchers and scientists around the world, the answer became evident. Man does not live on this planet alone. In fact, our existence depends on our close relationship with other living things; namely plants. Yes, one of the answers to indoor air pollution is the simple houseplant.

That brings us to our healthy home office.

Many of us work in a tightly closed environment. If you have a home office and a busy family, you probably spend most of your time with the doors and windows closed.

If that's the case, your air quality may not be as healthy as it should be. Air pollution can be causing you and your body stress. Perhaps you are getting headaches more often than you should, or you are battling a cold constantly. Itchy eyes, a nagging sore throat, or other ailments may be caused by what's in the air in your own home office.

According to a NASA study, if we are to close ourselves into these sealed environments, we must take along with us our own natural fresh air system - plants. In their research, NASA found plants, along with their eco system (roots, soil, etc.), reduced the air pollution created by man within these air-tight environments.

The houseplants found to be good air purifiers include:

English Ivy

Mother-in-Law's Tongue

Golden Pothos

Janet Craig Dracaena

Chinese Evergreen

Spider Plants

These plants are typically low-light loving and easy to grow with just a bit of care.

Of course, you'll want to have your home checked for radon and install a carbon monoxide detector. Once you have taken care of those issues, consider the air quality of your home office. Are you constantly feeling ill when you are in your home office? There could be reasons why your tightly closed office isn't feeling like a healthy haven.

Now we know that little houseplant does so much more than brighten up a room - it actually cleans the air. Isn't it time to add a bit of greenery to your home office?

De-Stress Your Home Office With Four Feng Shui Elements

The notion that clutter can distract us from our work and generally cause us to lose focus is not new. There are countless articles and books about how to de-clutter our surroundings to create a more productive work space. This is all very helpful. However, there are other elements to our environment that go beyond piles of clutter.

Feng Shui is a complicated system of spatial orientation used to create a favorable flow of energy. People who understand and arrange their homes and offices using these principles claim improvement in their overall well-being and productivity.

Now, I don't claim to be a Feng Shui expert. As mentioned, this is a complicated system, if one chooses to follow the ancient principles of Feng Shui to the letter. What I do know, I have learned from reading and research. However, there are elements that we can take from Feng Shui to easily and simply improve our surroundings.  Will these elements increase wealth and improve health? Maybe, maybe not. But, one thing is sure; implementing these four elements into your home and home office will make your working environment more pleasant!

Let's take a look at these four elements of Feng Shui and see how we can use them in our home office.

Wind

You may think of this element more easily as 'air.' As an essential element for life, we definitely want to incorporate air into our home office as much as possible.

Big windows open to a balmy breeze would be ideal, right?  An open window is certainly a wonderful way to bring in the element of fresh air. However, many of us don't have home offices in the most ideal location for this method.

Fresh air can be produced in other ways. An open door and/or a fan can be used to move air around in your office. If you have a small office that tends to get stuffy, consider installing an ionic air purifier. There are also small portable air conditioner units available to handle a larger office space.

Even the sound of wind can improve your mood and lower stress. There are many sound machines, either physical or computer programs, that produce soothing wind sounds. Make sure your office has fresh air to breathe and the sound of wind through the trees, real or recorded, and feel this Feng Shui element do its magic.

Water

Again, the trickle of a stream or the gentle ocean surf outside our office window would be ideal, but many of us are limited by our location to have these water sources available. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to duplicate this Feng Shui element.

There are many simple tabletop water features you can install in your office to create the sound and sight of water. Choose a bubbling fountain or tiny waterfall to add the water element to even the smallest office. Just make sure it is placed well away from your work surface and computer or other hardware.

Another option is to re-create the sound of water using a sound machine or computer program. Most will give several options from which to choose; a waterfall, surf, babbling brook, rain, etc. You can even combine several elements with most programs, allowing you to choose, for instance, wind and water together.

The sight and sound of water is only a part of this element, however. You should also include a water source in your office from which to drink. A pretty pitcher filled with fresh water is essential. Put the pitcher on a tray with sparkling clean glasses and you have a water element that would please the most ardent Feng Shui practitioner.

Light

If you are lucky enough to have a window in your office, take full advantage of all the light you can get from it. Pull back the drapes, pull up the blinds, and let the light pour in.

Of course, you will need to position your desk and computer so the light doesn't fall on the monitor. Facing the window or having your back to the window are not good solutions, since both cause glare on the monitor. Place your desk and computer monitor perpendicular to the window, keeping the light from the window on your left or right side. That way you can enjoy the light and the view while keeping your monitor out of the glare.

Unfortunately, home offices are often tucked away in a forgotten corner of the house, spare room, basement, or even a closet. When it comes to light in these situations, the choices may be limited.

If you have even one small window, make sure you utilize every bit of light coming from it by keeping the window clear of drapes and blinds. If you must hang something, choose a sheer panel. Even diffused light is better than none. Use mirrors throughout the space to reflect the light that comes in through the window, creating faux-windows on the other window-less walls. 

If you must use lamps for your only light source, be sure you light up all corners of your office. One lamp on the desk may be adequate, but those dark corners are not helping create a proper environment. You may also want to check into installing full-spectrum light bulbs which produce a light similar to natural sunlight. Again, installing mirrors to reflect any light you have will help lighten up your space, and your mood.

Beauty

This is an element that is open to interpretation. What is beautiful to you is not necessarily beautiful to others. You will need to decide how to introduce this element to your home office.

Many of the de-cluttering articles we read suggest the elimination of family pictures and other personal items from the home office. However, as an element of beauty, those personal items may be just the ticket. No, you don't want to have so much of this stuff that it becomes clutter, but a few family pictures and your child's artwork may be the beauty that is needed in your office.

Other people find beauty in fresh flowers and potted plants. Still others see classic sculpture, paintings, or photography as the element of beauty they seek. Perhaps the beauty of music is what your home office needs.

You will know what your particular element of beauty is when you feel it. Try placing a vase of flowers in your office, then place a picture of your family or friends over your desk, then hang a favorite painting, then play some music. The right combination will come to you in time. Add and subtract; subtract and add; until you feel the beauty.

Most of us have heard about Feng Shui and been intrigued by the principles. But, for many of us, studying and understanding the intricate details of this system is way beyond our needs. Using just these four elements is the simplest way to incorporate the Feng Shui method of spatial arrangement into our surroundings to help de-stress our home office environment - and ourselves!

Home Office How-To

When you run a small business from your home, you might find very little in the way of deductions to help save on your taxes. This is especially true if you work online, where it’s unlikely you’ll have the cost of physical goods, shipping costs, or employee wages to help offset your income.

There are a few things you can claim, though, to help minimize the money you pay to the IRS. One of the biggest is your home office.

It may seem a bit soon to be thinking about tax season.  But in reality, some planning now can reap benefits next April!  So let's take a look at how to get the most out of your home office deductions.

What is a Home Office?

As far as the IRS is concerned, a home office is a portion of your home set aside exclusively for business use. You must be able to show that your home office does not serve any other purpose, so you can’t claim the area around your kitchen table as a home office, even if that’s where you do the majority of your work.

You must also be able to show that your home office is the principle place of business. If you rent an office outside the home, and only use your home office occasionally, you may not qualify for a home office deduction. 

How a Home Office Deduction Works

Generally speaking, your home office deduction will be calculated as a percentage of all the expenses you incur in your home. For example, if you’re using a spare bedroom as your home office, you would measure the square footage of the bedroom and divide that by the square footage of the entire home to determine what percentage of space you are using for business.  

Using that figure, you calculate how much to deduct from your taxes for such things as:

• Mortgage interest
• Home repairs
• Utilities
• Depreciation

In addition, if you conduct business online, you may be able to deduct the entire cost of your Internet service.

More Deductions to Consider

In addition to your home office deduction and all it includes, don’t forget the things that actually make that room an office. Your desk and chair, filing cabinets, printer, computer, and everything else you need to operate your business are all deductible. Your accountant will be able to advise you about whether it makes sense to count these items as an expense or to depreciate them over a period of years, but do keep track of all money you spend on office equipment, as he or she will need to know.

When you’re self-employed, it can seem like you’re paying huge amounts of taxes. That’s because some of the tax burden used to fall to your employer, and now you’re responsible for all of it. Taking advantage of the home office deduction is one way to help offset those higher taxes, so be sure you’re claiming every square foot you’re entitled to.