Working from home has its benefits, but there is no denying that staying motivated and in a hard working mindset can be tough when you are able to work from the comfort of your own house. Whether you work in real estate or do remote work for a medical clinic like ThriveMD, finding the motivation to stay productive, finish projects, and meet deadlines without working in the confines of a traditional office can be tough. Now that working remotely or in hybrid roles is fairly normalized in the workplace, here are a few ways to stay motivated while working from home.
Dress for Success
While this might sound simple, one of the best ways to motivate yourself to work is by dressing like you’re heading into the office. If you have a hard time putting yourself in the mindset to do work and find yourself wanting to lounge around in bed or on the couch while you are supposed to be doing office work, staying in your pajamas or comfiest sweatpants all day surely will not help. Getting dressed in the morning before heading into your home office can make all the difference when it comes to putting yourself in the right mindset to stay motivated and productive throughout a long day of work.
Limit Distractions
When you aren’t working in a traditional office and under in-person supervision from coworkers or managers, it can be easy to allow yourself to get distracted. Limit the chances of this happening by working in a room with no TV or access to other distractions in your household. Additionally, many people find it helpful to delete social media apps from their phones during the work hours, in order to limit your chances of getting distracted and caught up in scrolling through these apps for too long.
Check in With Others
Often, a lack of motivation comes as a result of working on your own and not having the opportunity to connect with coworkers who are working on similar projects. Fix this by taking the time to check in with 1-2 coworkers each week. Whether this is done in person by grabbing coffee or lunch or virtually by hopping on a Zoom call during the work day, seeing what other people are working on and tracking their progress on projects similar to those you are working on can help you stay motivated to actually work.
As a creative person, you likely feel a wonderful compulsion to create and appreciate art. However, there are likely times in your life when you feel like the creative juices just aren’t flowing. It’s easy to explain away these periods as a simple case of writers’ or artists’ block. However, as often as not, the real reason is more practical add less mysterious. Here are a few practical solutions to help you through creative slow periods.
Eliminate Pain and Discomfort
When dealing with chronic pain, you may hardly notice the constant ache much of the time. Artists can sometimes set aside their discomfort to embrace the creative process. However, persistent, grating pain may be distracting you more than you realize.
Chronic pain, especially foot pain like heel spurs, makes it hard to stand and move around as you create art. You may well find that addressing the discomfort also takes away your creative block.
If you’re worried about the treatment and surgery required to eliminate your discomfort, you’ll be happy to know it’s often a lot easier than you expect. For instance, the heel spur surgery recovery period isn’t long at all since the surgery is minimally-invasive.
Most artists spend the majority of their creative time in their studios. This makes sense, of course, since this is where your tools are and where you can make a mess without concern.
However, being cooped up inside all the time isn’t conducive to the artistic mind. Get outside, feel the sunshine, look closely at the nature around you, and feel your connection with nature fuel your connection with your artistic side. It’s incredible how a simple walk can bring out your creativity and inspire you.
Do Something New
It’s perfectly natural for artists to specialize in a particular style, medium, and subject matter. However, if you feel like your creativity isn’t flowing like it could be, consider mixing things up.
Do you typically work with paint, doing highly detailed work? Try doing some fast, rough sketches in charcoal. Are you a tattoo artist who works in ink, either on paper or skin? Try some watercolor painting to experience a new way of blending colors and creating spaces. Whatever it is you typically do to express yourself, push yourself to do something completely different.
Take Advantage of the Creativity in You
Creativity is a gift, but it can sometimes feel challenging to make the most of it. By making sure you’ve gotten rid of chronic pain and mixing things up in your art, and by going outside, you can unleash greater creativity.
Working from home has its benefits, but there are also challenges that come with it as well. This is especially true if you work in something complex like the medical industry, such as The Institute of Natural Health. But by being aware of these challenges, you can work to get around them and better prepare yourself.
Distractions
If you’re someone who is easily distracted, working from home might prove to be a challenge for you. Your office might have a few distractions in it, but at home, you’ve got to deal with things like the mail being delivered, housework that needs to be done, the television is only a few steps away, kids, noisy neighbors, and more.
There are ways to deal with these, such as noise-canceling headphones and setting yourself up in a room that prevents as many distractions as possible, but it’s still a very real obstacle to overcome.
Collaboration and Communication
Depending on your specific job, you might need to collaborate and communicate with another team of workers, regardless of if they’re at the office or also working from home. Communicating with your team can be a task in itself when you need to hop on video calls with multiple people and wait for them to respond to your messages throughout the day, but you will learn to cope with it.
Logging Off
While some people might have trouble staying focused and getting their work done while working remote, others might have the opposite problem: they just can’t seem to log off at the end of the day. Quitting time comes and you want to finish up what you’re working on so you continue working, only for dinner time to roll around and you’re still cooped up at your desk while the rest of the family talks about their day.
Make a mental note to shut down when it’s time.
Disconnect
Working remotely can get lonely after a while, especially if you are typically used to working in an office full of other employees. You’ve got to get used to being by yourself for long stretches of time, whether that means playing music while you work or listening to a podcast. If you have a pet that can rest next to you without being a distraction, that is another great way to bridge the connection gap.
The Pros
While there are certainly plenty of challenges that you may encounter while working remotely, there are just as many benefits. Having more freedom, no commute, and better hours are only a few of the perks of working remotely, so don’t be afraid to try it out.
As your e-commerce business grows, you may want to consider outsourcing your shipping needs to a third party. Here’s how it works.
Outsourced shipping is when your product distribution is fulfilled by another company.
There are many different solutions for outsourced shipping.
When choosing a shipping provider, you should consider the size of your product and your projected shipping volume.
This article is for small business owners who want to streamline their logistics process and move their current processes out of their garage.
When you run an e-commerce business, one of the most important details is how you ship your products to your customers. While shipping out of your garage works well when you first start a business, that model becomes unsustainable as your business grows.
There comes a point in every business owner’s life when they realize they need to streamline their logistics process, said Krishna Iyer, director of strategic alliances for ShipStation. If you’ve reached that point, you may wonder how to affordably outsource your shipping needs to third-party providers with the least disruption to your customers and business.
We spoke with industry experts to help small online retailers determine when it’s time to outsource shipping – and how to do it.
How does outsourced shipping work?
The outsourced shipping process starts when your company purchases products from your supplier. Your product will then be shipped to your third-party logistics center for storage.
When you make a sale, you’ll forward the order to the center, and they will fulfill the order by sending your product directly to the customer. The third-party logistics center will pack up and ship your products directly, so you’ll never need to handle items before they reach customers.
Once you have your process established, customers will be able to seamlessly buy a product, and your outsourced shipping provider will fulfill the order.
Should you outsource your shipping?
If you’ve been shipping products out of your home, trusting a third party can be difficult. Iyer said business owners need to look at their finances to decide if it’s time to use shipping software or hire another company to handle shipping.
“When looking to outsource shipping, business owners should consider where they are shipping products to most often, how intricate their fulfillment procedures are, what the returns experience looks like for their customers, and what markets they would like to expand to,” Iyer said.
Iyer listed some of the major pros of outsourcing your shipping.
A shift in focus: Outsourcing allows you to focus on your core competencies, such as product development, marketing and long-term growth strategy.
More professional shipping: Third-party shippers are often better suited to handle shipping, packing and fulfillment.
Time and money savings: You can decrease your business’s order-fulfillment time and potentially save your customers money.
Of course, there are also some cons of outsourced shipping.
Costs: If you sell large products, outsourcing your shipping may cost more in the long run, because of the extra warehouse space needed to store your products.
Complex pricing: Some shipping companies have complicated pricing structures that make it difficult to understand how much you’ll ultimately pay.
Issues with returns: Your returns process may suffer when you use a third-party shipping company, as some customer service functions are out of your hands.
How to outsource shipping
Online retailers have a few different options when outsourcing, including renting warehouses, dropshipping and using third-party logistics (3PL) companies.
“It really depends on your business and what you’re selling, and the materials you need to do business,” said Sam Ely, director of LTL operations at uShip.
Warehouse rentals
Renting warehouses is common among growing online retailers. Merchants rent warehouse space near high-population areas so goods can be delivered to consumers faster and cheaper than they could from the business owner’s or manufacturer’s location.
Dropshipping
If you don’t want the hassles that come with renting warehouse space, dropshipping bypasses warehousing and allows you to ship orders and track inventory directly from the dropshipper.
With dropshipping, when a customer buys a product, you (the merchant) buy the inventory from the dropshipping company, which then ships the products to the customer directly.
Third-party logistics
Third-party logistics, or 3PL, encompasses many different services. Essentially, it means hiring another business to optimize your supply chain. This company could handle shipping and warehousing, manage the inventory process, provide in-depth reports, and more.
A 3PL comes with a hefty price tag, which might be difficult for some small businesses to handle. As a business owner, you need to weigh the pros – not having to deal with the nightmarish web of shipping duties – with the cons, like the significant upfront investment these services require
How to choose a shipping provider
As you weigh your options, here are some tips from Iyer for finding an outsourcing partner:
Understand your business’s shipping needs. Envision the fulfillment and delivery experience you want your customers to have, and then communicate your business’s needs to the providers you’re considering. Involve your company’s various departments early on, mitigating potential issues later.
Shop around for shipping providers. “Understand the line-item costs for each item fulfilled,” Iyer said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample invoice breakdown and a projection of what a bill will look like.” He noted that most 3PLs are locally owned and operated, so they can be flexible with invoicing structures. If you go the 3PL route, find one that really fits your needs, and ask for references with companies in similar industries if possible. [Learn more about invoices and price quotes in our guide.]
Ask questions. As cliche as “open communication” and “asking lots of questions” may seem, these factors are crucial to finding the right provider, saving you a lot of headaches further down the road. “[Third-party shippers] should … have a lot of transparency in what they are doing, how they are doing it, and why they are doing it,” Iyer said. “After all, it is your product and why a customer is buying from you.”
Consider how a provider handles returns. An important area to consider is how a third-party vendor might handle customer returns. “How much do they put on the customer versus utilizing tools – i.e., printing a return label on the front end for a product, or having the capability to print and email a return label?” Iyer said. “How does the third party process the return when it comes in? Can they utilize low-cost return methods? These are critical questions [to ask] in keeping costs down and ensuring a better customer experience.”
Top outsourced shipping options for small businesses
There are many excellent shipping options for small businesses, some of which are household names. Each major carrier has its own small business solution with benefits and drawbacks.
USPS
The United States Postal Service is ideal for small businesses sending out a low volume of smaller items. It offers programs that make it easy to fulfill orders in-house, including allowing users to pay postage and print shipping labels online with an at-home pickup option.
USPS runs local routes daily, so it won’t have to go out of its way to deliver to your customers. However, USPS delays can affect small business operations and customer satisfaction.
FedEx
If you ship large items that need fast delivery, FedEx is a sound option. Its small business options include a rewards program and packaging dashboard that allows you to calculate the weight and size of your packages to determine your shipping needs.
UPS
UPS, or the United Parcel Service, can deliver large shipments in one to five business days. It also has many resources for small business owners, including the ability to schedule pickups and manage customer support, and a program that offers shipping discounts and consultations to small businesses.
Most businesses stand to benefit substantially from paperless payroll platforms, though electronic payroll might not perfectly fit all companies.
As evermore business needs go digital, payroll follows suit: Paper checks and manual payroll tabulation are largely on the way out in favor of paperless payroll. Below, learn everything you should know as you consider making the switch.
What is paperless payroll?
Paperless payroll is any entirely electronic payroll system. It typically includes fully electronic tools for delivering pay stubs and tax forms, tracking employee time, creating payroll reports, and paying employees. Typically, one payroll software platform is all you need to implement all these functions. That said, no two paperless payroll platforms look quite the same, but the best payroll software has all these features.
How does paperless payroll typically work?
Paperless payroll typically works through the following steps:
1. Install paperless payroll software.
Paperless payroll begins with the installation of payroll software or HR software that includes payroll. Initially installing these platforms is typically easy, but implementing them and training your team in them can present some challenges. (We’ll address these obstacles and their solutions later.)
2. Have your employees sign up for the payroll software.
Once you install your paperless payroll solution, your employees must create accounts within the program. From their accounts, they can receive pay stubs, tax forms and, most importantly, paychecks. For the latter purpose, your employees will need to add certain information.
3. Have your employees input banking information.
To enable direct deposit, your employees must add their banking information to your payroll software. Once employees add their bank account and routing numbers, all should be in place for direct deposit.
4. Integrate payroll software with your time-tracking system.
A key function of payroll software is to link your employees’ time worked with the amount of pay they should receive for that period. Many payroll platforms achieve this task more deftly when integrated with a scheduling or time-tracking tool. This integration means you and your employees don’t have to manually enter hours worked into two platforms. It also minimizes errors that could lead to overpayment or underpayment.
5. Train your employees on the system and seek consent.
Some training will likely be necessary to get your employees up to speed on the new payroll platform, and it’s on you to provide this training. Sometimes, your payroll provider will include guided training and onboarding, relieving you of this burden. If not, you should gather your team for a debrief on how to get started.
In some states, you may need employees’ consent to pay them electronically. Learn and follow your state’s laws on the matter before onboarding employees to your paperless payroll system. In all states, you must obtain your employees’ consent to provide their W-2 forms electronically. Employees who decline must receive paper forms.
6. Generate tax forms and payroll reports.
When it comes time to pay your yearly or quarterly taxes, you’ll need tax forms to do so compliantly. Paperless payroll software generates these forms for you and can send copies to your employees as needed. It can also generate payroll reports that further detail your tax liabilities. These reports also come in handy for other needs, such as verifying employee vacation time.
Types of paperless payroll solutions
Most paperless payroll platforms fall into one of three categories: electronic payroll records, employee self-service or electronic funds transfer.
Electronic payroll records: This is the most basic type of paperless payroll platform. It has only rudimentary electronic payroll tracking and calculation functions, which is all that some businesses need.
Employee self-service: Through ESS software, you can couple your electronic payroll records with tools for other HR needs, such as benefits and employee handbooks. ESS platforms also automate employee clock-in and clock-out and thus your calculations of hours worked.
Electronic funds transfer: This category encompasses electronic payroll records with direct deposit tools. EFT platforms both eliminate the paper clutter associated with payroll and set up rapid payments. However, as mentioned earlier, you may need employees’ consent to set up EFT in certain states.
Tip: Consider these