Productivity @ Home

iPhone Productivity App of the Day - Typepad for iPhone Application

I'm having fun playing around with all of the new applications offered on my iPhone through the App Store. Even though I haven't upgraded, my phone still feels like a new toy/tool for productivity. I thought I'd investigate a few of the apps in the Productivity category of the App Store and share my thoughts with you. I will only be reviewing the free apps, but if anyone wants to give me access to their tools with fees, I would love to check those out as well and share my thoughts here.

Since Productivity @ Home is a Typepad blog, it made sense to me that one of the first apps I should check out is the new Typepad application. The app downloaded quickly (despite my lack of 3G) and was immediately installed. Upon entering the app after installation and verification of my blog info, I now have three options for quickly posting on my blog from the iPhone. I can either create a post, take a photo, or add a photo - all are fairly self explanatory. Under "create a post", one cool option is the ability to immediately twitter the post. Since my posts tend to be fairly long, I likely will have limited use of this feature but it's nice to have the option of blogging on the go. I think the best feature of the Typepad app for me will be the ability to take a photo and then immediately blog it - I can determine the category, decide whether or not to "tweet" the photo, and include text all from one easy screen. Other components of the Typepad iPhone app include the ability to review and work with pending and draft posts and some basic settings for my account.

All in all, I would say that the Typepad iPhone app is one I will definitely implement immediately and one that will certainly enhance my productity. So be on the lookout for more mobile blogging soon from Productivity @ Home!

TypePad - Features - Blogging on the iPhone

Answering Services for Small Businesses

Does your small home business revolve around telephone customer service?  Today's guest columnist Nancy Hardey recommends considering an answering service for your small business.

Sometimes small businesses need an Answering Service in order to convey the image of a much larger corporation, cut costs, and manage phone call volume.

Following are samples of some 24/7 answering services that small businesses can take advantage of: Catalog Order, Entry Dealer Locator, Help Desk, Lead Qualification, Pre-Qualification, Live Internet Chat, Receptionist/Help Desk Overflow, Receptionist Message Center, Employee Time and Attendance Tracking, Medical Answering Service, Property Management Voicemail, Conference & Event Registration, Portray a Professional Image, Appointments/Reservations, Email Response, Other Service we offer: Survey/Polling, Brochure/Product Information, Requests Membership Renewals, Insurance Claims Reporting / Information.

With an answering service, callers will not realize they are not speaking to your direct employees. Calls can be transferred to your direct line or voicemail, messages taken when you are unavailable, forwarded to you via fax, email, or SMS Messaging. This is a great way to make sure callers always get a live voice on the line. Answering services, call overflow, vacation and sick-time coverage, after hours answering, etc. give small businesses complete tele-messaging coverage. Answer Service Customer Representatives are trained to effectively handle all calls in a professional manner with speed and accuracy, ensuring that each message contains the exact information needed.

In addition, the answering service is responsible for benefits, taxes, and insurance of their own employees. This allows greater flexibility and can lower expenses for the small business. The following reasons illustrate why small businesses should consider and answering service: • Customers never get a busy signal or go to automated voice mail.

• Save money and time and answer 24/7
• Filter your calls
• Avoid sales calls
• Get messages instantly via email or text message
• Present a professional image, and impression of a large company

The quality of customer service for a company can make or break it. An answering service guarantees quality, well trained customer service staff. No amount of technology will ever replace individual attention provided by a live person answering customer questions. An answering service is much more cost effective than hiring a secretary, or trying to handle all calls alone. Having a telephone answering service allows small businesses to focus on the job at hand and give customers undivided attention.

Having a telephone answering service is definitely something every small business owner should consider.

Nancy is the author of this article. GoACANow.com is a leading call center solution & answering servicesAnswer Center America, Inc. provider in USA. For more information about Answering Services please visit at

The Awesome Power of Yes!

Thanks to today's guest columnist, John Bishop of TeachingMoments.com for the following inspiration.  Many of John's comments are relevant for all of us, not just those special teens in our lives!

The Awesome Power of YES! ---- Help for Teenagers

Are you a Yes person?

The word YES speaks volumes about the type of person you want to be. It tells people that you are willing to make a commitment and be held accountable.

Yes says you will take responsibility for yourself and others. Many of us say No much more easily. The negative word allows us to remain in our comfort zone, but it also stops us from reaching our full potential.

No validates our fears. Yes vibrates us from them.

John Bishop the Executive Director of Accent On Success, a nonprofit dedicated to helping teenagers succeed, is introducing three YES! bracelets as a daily reminder of the awesome power of YES. Each teal colored silicone bracelet is embossed with a message. The choices are: YES! Count on Me; Yes! I Believe; and YES! I Can Make It Happen.

Yes people are solution oriented

Yes people seek out others who can help them succeed

Yes people minimize excuses

Yes people have a sense of urgency

Yes people do more than is expected

Yes people are results oriented

Yes people are determined

Yes people understand good decision lead to good results

Yes people are courageous

Yes people know the rewards of a job well done

Yes people are committed

Yes people are open to change

Yes people know how to set and achieve goals

Yes people have desire

Yes people have self-respect

Yes people are disciplined

Yes people help others

Yes people take responsibility

Yes people are dependable

Yes people are accountable for their actions

Yes people are problem solvers

Isn’t this what we want for your teenagers?

Mr. Bishop, the Executive Director states: “Let’s face it; today’s world can be scary. We want the YES! bracelet to be a daily reminder that this single word, when used correctly, can positively impact our teenager’s future. As parents we know our teenagers will face many new challenges and opportunities when we are not around. But, we still want them to make the good decisions.” The YES bracelet remind teenagers that good decisions lead to good results.

The Yes! bracelets can be used anywhere teenagers are being encouraged to succeed. For example in various school programs such as character education, sports, after school, school detention, alternative and at-risk. The members of youth development groups such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups and sports boosters can benefit from these effective daily reminders. The bracelets can be very helpful for those individuals going though difficult rehabilitation programs for drugs, alcohol or physical injury. They can be also be used for a Junior Achievement project or as a fund raising item. And, of course, by concerned parents wanting to remind their teenagers of the awesome positive power of YES.

Note: The YES! Bracelet is being offered as a fund raising item. Proceeds will go to fund other books and projects to help teenagers succeed. They can be purchased directly from the website. www.TeachingMoments.com Thank you!

Jump Starting Productivity after a Long Weekend

Coming off of the joy of a three day weekend, Monday seems to hit even harder with a lengthened "to do" list and a bit of let down from the passing of a holiday.  Our family will be on the road yet again later this week, so I need to be particularly productive today. 

I wanted to share with you the following thoughts I have on getting back on track after a long weekend:

1. Spend some quiet, meditative time first thing before diving in.
2. Make time for a workout.  It may feel like you're wasting time, but getting back on track in your fitness and nutritional goals well help your overall well-being, especially if holiday parties led you a bit astray!
3. Make a plan.  Sit down and pull together a comprehensive list of all that needs to be done, determine next actions and create a schedule for the day.
4. Don't worry if you don't get it all done.  You may feel overwhelmed, but if you have established your priorities, don't worry if a few items remain on your list.
5. Congratulate yourself for the things you do accomplish. 
6. Start looking forward to the next long weekend!

Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for post-Holiday-weekend syndrome?  I'd love to hear from you!

New Podcast Helps Families Learn about Home Based Businesses

If you work from home, have an interest in home based business, or just want to learn more about organizing your time, I would love to recommend a new podcast to you: the Home Biz MomCast. Becky and Cheryl are two mothers who have successfully built home based business, but more importantly who have a focus on keeping family first. Becky and Cheryl have just released the first episode of their podcast and I found it very entertaining and informative. I'm looking forward to future episodes and wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the great work these two awesome moms are doing.

Home Biz MomCast: Uniting Families Through Home Based Businesses

Twitter vs. Plurk Smackdown

For the past few months, I've enjoyed using Twitter.com to stay in touch with friends. A few times a day (ok, more than a few), I take a break from what I'm doing and pop over to Twitter to see what my online buddies are up to. Since I work from home, Twitter has made my workday feel a bit less isolated. But those of you who use Twitter know that, as of late, it's been down more than it's been up, with repeated service outages.

So today, I finally took the leap and followed a few of my friends over to Plurk.com to check it out. Since I'm a type A personality, Plurk's funky timeline approach is a bit chaotic for me. I've started posting, but will admit to feeling a bit more at home in the "mobile" view which replicates Twitter's more linear approach.

The big question for a Personal Productivity blogger is this - does use of either of these social networking applications contribute to or detract from getting things done? I think the answer lies in a person's self discipline - if you can master your ability to use these types of sites as tools to communicate and occasionally socialize, then sign up and get started using them. If, however, you find yourself distracted by the constant barrage of cross-chat to the extent that you can't get your work done, you're better off not venturing anywhere near them. The more "friends" you connect with in these sites, the more information there is to keep up with. Another important thing to note is that these communities flourish and do well as communication tools only if you play your part. Use them to share information that is helpful for your contacts and don't abuse their intent.

For me, the jury's still out on which quick update site will win my vote - for now, I'm going to try to update both a few times a day and watch what happens. More importantly, I'm going to see which site - Twitter or Plurk - ultimately adds to my ability to get things done.

Do you have a preference? Chime in - I'd love to hear from you! And if you're on either site, feel free to follow/friend me:

Twitter / LisaHendey
Lisa on Plurk

Get Your Paperwork Organized

Life has been full of adventures and very busy for the past three weeks, keeping me away from my home office quite a bit!  I'm looking forward to returning to my routine and to regular blogging this week.  A special thanks to Debbie Dragon, today's guest blogger, for sharing her wisdom!

Get Your Paperwork Organized

Paperwork at home can get out of control fairly easily.  If you consider the school papers your children bring home, the incoming mail including your credit card statements, utility bills, and other fun household documents, it's no wonder many of us have papers randomly stashed in drawers all over the house.

Organizing your paperwork seems overwhelming amidst all of your other daily tasks, but it's one of those things that if you just take the time to set it up right in the beginning, you can easily maintain it with very little effort or time.  It's well worth it- and you may never be late on a misplaced credit card bill again!  One popular method of organizing your household paperwork is to use three-ring binders.  They're inexpensive, and help keep things in order.

Step One: Put all of your paperwork into a pile.  Go through the house and gather all the mail that has been stuck in various places to “file” later; receipts, children's school related or activity related paperwork, menus, user manuals, directions, contracts, and whatever else you have to keep.  When you think you have all of your paperwork in one place, quickly sort it into categories (“children”, “home maintenance”, “hobbies”, “bills”, etc)

If you have a home of active children, it may be necessary for each child to have their own three-ring binder.  As you've made your piles of categorized paperwork, you'll be able to see how many binders you'll need.  You may be able to create a single binder for “household” paperwork, to contain appliance maintenance schedules, filter replacements, planned improvements, exterior maintenance; another for bills and credit card statements, utility statements and a schedule of due dates, another for each of the children, etc. 

Other ideas for binder organizational systems:

• menu planning, nutritional records

• hobby information, articles, topics you find interesting

• home reference materials, like how to manuals, product receipts, warranties, etc

• phone and address lists, internet log-in's and passwords, goals and deadlines, records of expenses

• home based business records

Step Two: Divide each binder into subcategories.  In the children's binders, you can use three ring binder dividers (inexpensive to purchase, or simply 3-hole punch colored cardstock and label it) to separate activities, school schedules, and other information pertaining to each child.

For binders that may contain receipts or small slips of paper, you can get the dividers that contain pocket folders as well, and simply slide them into the appropriate binder and category.  For documents that you need to keep for a long time, or things you don't want to put holes in, keep a supply of translucent page protectors on hand so you can slide the paper inside them to view once placed inside the binder.

Step Three: Stick to it.  Once you've set up your various binders, the hard part is done.  All you need to do to make this paperwork organizational system work for you is maintain your hard work!  When you get the mail, go directly from your mailbox to your binders and file the documents where they belong.  Promptly trash anything you don't need.  Whenever you refer to information in one of the binders, be sure to replace the paperwork when finished.

For a small investment of money (binders and supplies) and a reasonable time investment, the returns are tenfold.  You'll know at a glance when your credit card bills and other bills are due; know whether Johnny has soccer or baseball on Wednesday or Jenny has ballet or piano lessons; and best of all- you'll always have a place to keep the important paperwork around the house.

Debbie Dragon is a work-at-home mom of two boys and a full time freelance writer.  She provides content and articles for Creditorweb.com; where she writes about credit cards, rewards programs, and personal finance topics.

Keeping the Kids Busy This Summer

A List of Kid-Friendly Websites | BlogHer

Today is the last day of school for one of my sons, and the other finishes up tomorrow. The high schooler has a summer jam packed with activities, but the 13 year old won't have much going on. He and I will be homeschooling Algebra and Latin (I know, I'm a really mean mom!), but this list from BlogHer could provide some inspiration to pass a little time.

Please take time to plan now for your children's summer pursuits. This time is precious, and shouldn't be wasted with to much time in front of electronic devices. I'd love to hear your suggestions for great, inexpensive summer pastimes. I'll be sure to post any I come across here as well.

Loving ScribeFire

ScribeFire: Fire up your blogging

For the past few weeks, I've been experimenting with various blog plugins, including the Flock blog editor and ScribeFire. I have to say that after a week of using ScribeFire, I'm really enjoying it. I'm still learning to use it to it's full capacity to tweak images and categorize my posts, but it's been really great for blogging on the fly. Much more convenient than logging into Typepad and Blogger, and potentially losing my train of thought. I have yet to figure out how to post an entry to two blogs at the same time, and ScribeFire doesn't appear to recognize all of my blogger categories, but for the most part I'm lovin' it!

What's your favorite blog editor or blogging plugin?

Make Your House a Home

Make Your House A Home Challenge In June

If I weren't going to be out of town for two weeks in June, I'd be sorely tempted to participate in Suzanne's inspiring challenge. Her blog lists all of the details on how you can participate. Instead, I'll be making three hotels my home for June, but maybe I'll follow suit in July! If you join in, please let me know how it goes!