Summer Multitasking Tips for Parents: Go Minimalist

A friend and I were reminiscing about how much summer fun we had when kids were young. Lazy beach days, picnics, backyard BBQs, campfires, sleepovers-- having nothing more pressing to discuss than if those glowing insects were called lightning bugs or fireflies. Here are multitasking tips to enjoy summer, learned from the experts--kids.  Summer Multitasking Tips for Parents: Go Minimalist

Writer Burnout First Aid: Words of Prevention Equal Pages of Cure

 I've been writing since I was old enough to form letters. I've taught English and creative writing. I've blogged and freelanced professionally since 2005. Of all writing occupational hazards, writer's block is the most challenging. A word of prevention is worth a page of cure.

* Identify feelings. Writer's block, burnout, call it what you will, that stymied feeling is nebulous and deceptive. An apparent mental clog may spring from physical issues and vice-versa. It manifests like general burnout. Help Guide says dread, anxiety, depression, apathy, emptiness, despair and exhaustion characterize it. If you write for a living, burnout is frightening--will it end? Will I meet deadlines? Am I washed up as a writer? Do I need to get another job? The answers are yes, yes, no, no--IF you follow these tips. Read more Writer Burnout First Aid: Words of Prevention Equal Pages of Cure

Perk Up Work Space (and Job Mood) Easy and Cheap

The best and worst part of being a WAHM (work at home mom) is being home. As my second son quipped, "You don't work at home. You live at work." Wherever you work, environment impacts attitude about job. Here are easy, cheap, DIY ways to perk up your work space and mood!

* Take it seriously. Work-at-home folks don't succeed often because they discount their contributions. This is your work space, no less than if you left home for a job. It's where you make money. If you're a home business, you're claiming it on your taxes. Treat it like the professional office space it is. Make everyone else do likewise. Remind them it's your office first and anything else last. Ergo, arrange so it works best for you first, others if possible. Perk Up Your Work Space (and Mood) Easy and Cheap