Workaholic and the New Year

Well we are just about done with 2009 and boy am I glad it is almost over! I would rather make 2009 a faded memory quickly so I can get on mentally “starting anew” with a fresh mindset. There is nothing wrong with writing a year off when the new year is so close!

I have had the priviliage of speaking to many of my business associcates as of late and they all agree that 2010 should be a better year mindset wise. I couldn’t agree more.

I think the thing that did us in was how negative the world wide media was. You know the story, “if it bleeds, it leads,” in the news media industry. We’ve ceratinly had our share of this kind of mind numbing, negative vibe, type of news, day in and day out. It put pressure on all of us to think positive on our own. There were some inspiring stories in 2009 but not enough to over power the “downer” news.”

What we all have to realize is that it sucks energy out of us working productively. How can we put in the best work we can when the doom and gloom are constantly pushing us down further in the depths of negativity.

This is the last of the “downer” and “rant” posts I will be putting in here for some time. I have too much to look forward to in 2010. One thing I have to say, I am so happy that 2009 felt like it went like “greased lightning.” I mean did you feel how fast this year went? I know we think that when we have a great time, that it passes by quickly. I felt just the opposite this year. With all the crisis we went through all at once, you would think “time” as we know it would feel so slow. This year, I did not feel that way.

As I close this post, I want to wish every one who visits here that there is hope for a better future and the time to think about it and plan is NOW!

Work on….

Peace and Love,

Bruce

Workaholics – Set Yourself Boundaries

When I do my daily work schedule, being a workaholic, sometimes you are not aware of when to stop and start your family or social life. It is very important to make boundaries in your life that when your work day is over, it is over and you “change” directions to the “non-working part of your day.

Here is an interesting video from a counselor that talks about the boundaries of work and “other than work” life.

Profiting From Being a Workaholic

Believe it or not, there is a benefit to being a workholic when making more spare time money. Since we workaholics can often multi-task, be ready to take on more than more than one job to supplement your current income.

Now most reports on workaholics state that we work just to be “busy,” there are so many of us that work and can churn out a lot of productive work. I speak to the productive workaholics out there! I admit to being one of the productive workaholics who enjoys short deadlines, working on more than one project at a time, and still getting my breaks throughout the day!

As I mentioned in previous posts about working effiiciently, as long as you keep on track to finish what you intended on doing for that day, you are managing your time in the most productive way possible. I still use the scratch pad and pen system with a short “to-do” list on my desk to make sure I got done what I had intended.

The workplace has changed forever since the recession of 2008-2009.  Our country lost millions of jobs and most likely will not be replaced. Latest reports have stated that since corporations of all sizes have dramatically cut their labor forces, productivity and profitibility have soared. The current workforce is  wearing more “hats” and doing more duties than ever before. Quite few number of them fear for their job security so they do not grumble and resign to the fact that they have to take on those extra duties that in years past, meant a raise in pay because of taking on those extra duties. No more!

So, workaholics, be strong and be aware that you will have to take on more than one job if you are to survive monetarily through this very tough economy.

Peace and Love,

Bruce

Workaholic defined

Wikipedia has a definition of a workaholic – see below:

Colloquially, a workaholic, is a person who is addicted to work (the correct medico-legal term is “ergomania”).

The phrase does not always imply that the person actually enjoys their work, but rather simply feels compelled to do it. There is no generally accepted medical definition of such a condition, although some forms of stress, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be work-related.

I can believe that a workholic is an obsessive compulsive but disagree that it is an addiction. Yes, someone can be an obsessive compulsive worker. That would mean that they would not be productive in their endeavours. It would be working for the sake of working. That does not get anything done. You heard of “busy work?” That describes this condition.

I, for one, would be defined as a workaholic because I love to work and be productive at the same time. It is the wanton of achieving things worthwhile without sacrificing balance in life. I manage to go out with my family and read a book or play basketball in the park this weekend. Although people may disagree that I am even a bonified “workaholic,” I know I am!

Just remember that this blog concerns itself with all types of working class people. Whether you are tied to a desk for 80 hours a week, putting in more than those hours as a self employed person, or even less hours than that but can achieve many more projects that a 40 hour a week employee could ever do.

Workaholics need to unite and encourage each other. We live in very challenging times and the world of work is changing dramatically. More people are getting laid off, and they have to find their purpose and job into the future. It will not be anything like they could ever imagine. What jobs existed up until last year will not exist at all from next year on. The sooner we get to acknowledge this fact, the sooner we can think about how we are going to change and adapt to the next “economy.” We truly live in the 21st Century, where the is no turning back!

Peace and Love,

Bruce

FTC and It’s Affect on Blogging

I have to take a little “detour” here regarding the blogosphere. It seems that millions of bloggers are in an uproar about the latest FTC ruling that has to deal with full disclosure regarding testimonials, earnings claims, and other “truth in advertising” practices.

If I understand this correctly, it really does not affect us honest bloggers. But if we endorse a product or service, we have to reveal if we are being paid or not to endorse the product or service. If there is a claims of a definite result, i.e. “gauranteed weight loss,” or ” you can make a million dollars,” then you have to add a disclosure if everyone who purchases that product or service will have the same results. Of course, the reality of it is that there is NO gaurantee for any stated results. Consequently, there should be a disclaimer added on to advertising accordingly that there are no gaurantees.

Sensible bloggers are starting to add disclosure and disclaimers where there once was none to start getting used to this before the December 1, 2009 “enforcement” of this goes into effect. With over 25 million bloggers out there, I really don’t see how the US Government is going to enforce this. They state there could be up to a $11,000.00 fine with possible jail time if us bloggers do not comply. Now don’t get me wrong, this not only applies to bloggers but all businesses engaged in selling a product or service. So with that said, I can understand why this law was enacted. It protects the consumer from fraud. Many bloggers are worried that it could spell the beginning of our US government controlling the internet.  I, for one, would not worry much about that….for now!

For a full view of the FTC report, click here.

Peace and Love,

Bruce

A Different View of Workaholics

There is a dark side to being a workaholic according to doctors and familes of workaholics. I previously mentioned workaholics as a productive bunch in the past, but I also want to warn those of you who are “work addicted.” That is, working to work and don’t see any end to it or a productive end to the project at hand. When we work, normally, we have a goal or a project to fulfill. That is ok and actually desired. But when you complete the project at hand, can you break away and give youself a break or down time so you can recharge your batteries? Can you participate in different activities such as taking a vacation, or going to the movies or spending time with family and friends?

If you can honestly say that you have a “varied” life besides work, then there is nothing to worry about. But if you work even when you really don’t have to, there is a good chance you are addicted and have tendencies of developing anxiety, stress and even depression. You may be transformed into becoming a chronic complainer that you have to work all the time and have nothing to show for it. It could distance you from friends and family. Divorce, anti-social behavior and even violence can be the extreme results of this condition. Now I do not claim to be a doctor but it is common sense that you should work in scheduled times and not be working every waking hour.

Go out and get some sun, laugh with friends, make a call to a long lost relative and have lunch with them. Call some classmates from your alma mater and have dinner with them. Play golf, go bowling, see a movie….do something else every once in a while that proves you are “balancing” your life!!

Peace and Love,

Bruce

Working with a Blog to Generate Income

I just had a comment here asking about how to bring in some income from a blog. As with many people already blogging, they often do not see the obvious opportunity to make money. Blogs are not the get rich quick answer, but are interestingly enough a great foundation in which to build a profitable business.

I started a blog called blogmarketingexperts.com in the summer of 2008 and did not think anything about it. It was originally supposed to be a blog to help offline businesses to get online customers to their “brick and mortar” location.  It was an enjoyable “hobbie.” I didn’t start seriously with this blog until January of 2009. I started posting at least twice a week and slowly started building a following. Funny thing, I did not mean to start people emailing me and calling, but I felt that, if I continued to “blog” that I would have enough people on my list to sell products to.  Currently, I am on the way to generate over 1,500 unique visitors a month. If promoted properly, I could easily bring in revenue by selling banner ads on my front page. Figure, at least one dollar per unique visitor, and you can see that I could charge a base of $1,500 per month. I am waiting until I get more unique views, say over 2,500 before I can feel comfortable to gaurantee that 1,500 minimum just to “over deliver” to the advertiser.

Other ways to make money with a blog is to build the following with an opt in box, preferably in the upper right corner of your blog to capture names and email addresses of potential customers. The most common way to entice people to “opt in” is to offer a free digitally downloaded report on the topic of your blog. For instance, if your blog is about food, make a free report about how to prepare and cook simple, but delicious meals for people on  the “go.” Find a creative twist of the report and that would have widespread interest. If you are patient with promoting you blog to your friends and family and continue to write good blog posts that interests your visitors, you will have success with building your list. From that, you can send emails to your list on a regular or semi-regular basis to sell your own products or services or represent other products as an affiliate.

Just remember, if any of you have a blog out there, as a hobbie, or the casual business related blog, continue to post and make that effort to build customers. Work on your blog and it will work for you. If you are a workaholic, then work on your blog like a madman/madwoman!

Peace and Love,

Bruce

Start Working for Yourself and Live again

I was approached last week from a good friend who just got let go from a very good job. He is another casualty of the “downsizing” trend that companies are doing in answer to their panic from the down economy. I say, take a look at this situation from a positive direction and make your own way to success into the future. Sometimes we need a swift kick in the butt to see the great opportunity that is before us.

After talking a little bit more with my good friend, I convinced him to start a blog and concentrate on a topic which he is so “jazzed” about. Instead of working for the “man” work for yourself. After all, he has nothing to lose now. It seems the the stars have aligned for most of us. What have we got to lose starting our own enterprise in this down economy? In previous posts, I gave you many job categories of which jobs are in demand. Now is the time to seriously think about your immediate future. It could look great if you set your mindset to get your own business going. Seriously!

From this day forward, comb the internet for business opportunties…..just for ideas! Don’t get taken in by most of the business opportunity websites because they are just pushing a product or service that you would either have to put out more money than you can afford, or just information that is a waste of your time. Combine this with ideas that personally interest you. You will be surprised by how many different ideas you come up with.

When you find something of a great idea for your new business, take a deep breath and research your market. In the next post, we will go into detail of how you can work for yourself. Become the workaholic for yourself!

Peace and Love,

Bruce

Work Yourself for the New Economy

As we see signs of the economic recovery here in the USA, we better start working smart right now to prepare for the next prosperity cycle. Did you know that? It is a fact that what goes down must come up. There are many reasons to keep working as you are but making more efficient choices regarding what to work on and what to set aside. Priorities are going to be more important in the long run. How often do you find yourself still stressing on the job? It is time to take a big breath and a break from your desk and get used to the change.

Yes, our lives have changed forever since this last recession. It will be a long time before we see the millions of people that got laid off secure their next job. As stated in a previous post about the jobs now in demand, those are the ones who are going to have early success.

For the rest of us, we should think of working more than on job. The best way to handle the economic recovery is through starting your own business. I started an internet business and it has dramatically added to my monthly income. Any way you can find ways to improve your cash flow….go for it!

Peace and Love

Bruce

Workaholic and the new economy

For the coming years of our economy, the workaholic is going to continue to work hard and hopefully smart and make even more money for years to come. The word is out that the world has changed forever and the economic bubble is getting smaller and smaller. We need to accept the reality of that and plan based on having less but making more. The people who are working and adapting towards a tighter economy will profit.

Some ideas for the workaholic to succeed in this “new economy” are:

• seeking out connections with other people for mutual benefit
• cutting down on current costs at work
• keeping a positive attitude approach that our economic situation will get better
• planning out your work at least into the next 6 months for productivity

If we learn to change with the times and do something, anything different, we will be far ahead of most people. You have to understand that most people out there at a loss and do not think positively for the future. Now is the time to work smarter and know you had to change your work methods. Working last year won’t get you ahead than with planning how you are going to stratigize your work for the future. Think positive!!!

Peace and Love,

Bruce