Take a break - for the sake of your health and your profits

I'm grateful to LearnStuff for sending me this infographic.

Although it turns the stats into an easy read, there's a lot to think about here, and I feel that us home workers may be even more prone to these problems.

A five-minute break can improve your accuracy and reduce wrist and eye problems and fatigue. Taking a walk at lunchtime can improve your sleep, energy and mood.

This is just an extract, visit http://www.learnstuff.com/take-a-break/  to see loads more important stats and advice.

Don't feel bad about taking a break

When you're busy, it's difficult to take a break and spend a little time doing something apparently unproductive, but I've just read this report which justifies it.

I've often said that I do my best thinking when I go out walking. I've treated a break for knitting or a little surfing as a treat or a rest, but maybe these things also have real productive value.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/how-do-we-identifiy-good-ideas/

Glass half-full thinking

Hurray! my local council have taken the trouble to write to me to tell me that I need do nothing to continue to enjoy the benefits of their service. Happy days.

Only a council could call collecting money from me a 'service'. Not just any old service, it's an 'increasingly efficient service'.

The letter is an amazing exercise in glass half full thinking. As well as 'increasingly efficient service', it includes phrases such as 'continue to receive the benefits', 'the good news is' and 'enjoy the full benefits'.

The full benefits that I will continue to enjoy by taking no action [through paying by direct debit] seem to be that if they take more than they should from my bank, I'm entitled to a full refund, and that if they want to take more than I expect from my bank account, they will write to tell me beforehand.

I would actually call these 'things that I would take for granted' or 'things that wouldn't even be in question if I were paying by other means' rather than 'benefits'.

I'm only kidding and I don't have a problem with paying my local tax, and DD makes things really easy.

My point is that there's probably a lesson to be learned here in making something bad sound like a favour...

creating more time

Finding enough time has become a real problem.

One remedy has come, as discoveries often do, by accident.

For a completely different reason, I found myself noting details of my tasks with times. The exercise has been a real eye opener.

Certain activities which I suspected were eating up my time disproportionately were actually taking even more time than I'd thought. Dropping that part of the business has removed an unprofitable activity as well as saving perhaps an hour every day.

There has been another benefit too. Noting what you're working on keeps you focussed. When you finish one task it makes you decide on the next job and start it, rather than turning to Facebook. when you're working on a task, knowing that it's being timed curbs the tendency to get up and make a cup of tea. This has also created a noticeable amount of time in the day.

Being able to see a list of completed tasks at the end of the day also makes for a satisfying day.

I can't recommend this simple exercise highly enough.

Prioritising tasks

For the first time in a couple of days I'm on top of my orders and enquiries and on days like this I realise that the way I prioritise my work isn't ideal.

The sink full of washing up has been waiting for me to get on top of my orders, as have the accounts. I'm looking at them both and not wondering which needs doing most urgently, but which I'd least hate to be doing.

It seems that the way I prioritise my tasks is to decide which I like doing best. But hey, why not, it's my business!

I really don't want to do either, which is probably why writing this suddenly seemed very important.

#inmypants

Loved this tweet from a fellow home-worker today: "It's a big day, I'm getting a little dressed up." "Me too, I'm putting on pants."

In case you're in any doubt, that's not me in the photo. I do sometimes work without bothering to dress properly, for keeping cool or for comfort, but you wouldn't thank me for posting a photo, I'm sure.

I simply don't do face to face calls anyway, and I've learned to keep jeans and top near the door in case the postman or delivery men call.

No one knows (except you now) and no-one cares - I can't see the down side :)