Hi All!

Hope you had a good weekend! I've been working quite a lot on the members section of this site and have made some improvements. The Work @ Home club has now been launched and I'm really excited! Here is a summary about what it is!

Well, it's a place to mingle, interact, learn, grow and change your life!

So who can join this club?

Do you work at home part-time or full-time? Do you wish you worked at home? Then this is the club for you!

Over the last 15 or so years, the world wide web has evolved and websites have become much more interactive and easier to create. There are now many tools that can help you get your voice and business out there, in front of the world!

This means that the number of ways to make money online has also grown exponentially and it's our job to find and share those ways!

So who is this club intended for?

This club is intended for people with an interest in internet marketing, online advertising, network marketing, netweb marketing, multi-level marketing, blogging or anything else that may be related to working at home.

This club aims to bring people from all different backgrounds together to share effort and gain knowledge. It is a community where we can learn what works and what doesn't. It is a place to make friends with people in similar working situations. It can also be a place to expand your business!

-make connections with other members
-browse member profiles
-read and post in the forum
-submit your site to the topsite list for more exposure
-submit your site to the links section and track hits
-keep track of your forum posts and replies
-sign other members guestbook
-upload profile pictures
-share information and ideas
-network with other members
-private message center
and more being added each day!

So if gaining exposure and learning heaps is right for you, join the Work @ Home club today!

Hi All!

Pretty much every big corporation these days has an HR push towards the new 'Work/Life Balance'. This is all good in theory, but is it actually happening?

I have worked for some global corporations over the last few years all over the world (well, London UK & Melbourne OZ) and even though on their intranet pages, there is a lot of fuzz about this work/life balance, they were never able to offer me anything similar! The office hours are 9-5 (or 8:30-5:30) and I was hired on 40 hours a week. If I asked to get longer hours 4 days a week instead of 5 days a week, I was told no. Apparently 'if you stay after hours you don't get paid extra because the office is closed' and you need to be here whenever the office is open. This lead me to being extremely efficient so I did not have to stay behind and waste my own time.

I am a hard worker, but I am the exact opposite of a 'workaholic'. I know the difference between working hours and play hours. By 5:05 I'm in the car/train. There is way to much that I need to do in my own life that sticking around until 7pm in the office does not appeal to me.

So, in the end I decided to create my own work/life balance. I finished up in my full-time position in early November 2007. Since then I have had a great work/life balance! My Online Business Centre and this site are both doing great. I'm loving the balance I have created.

Unfortunately, I am not earning the $30,000/month I was aiming for yet! So, I've decided to get some temporary work part time. I have a position coming up next week where they want someone a few hours a day a few times a week. Now this is what I call work/life balance!

I am really looking forward to spending a few hours in a 'real' job and a few hours on my online businesses. This could be the start of a great partnership of work/life balance!

Have you managed to achieve a work/life balance in your life? Let me know how you do it.

-Bec

Hi All,

I have been adding my site to various free online directories recently. There have been good results so far, but definitely not exceptional! One of the most important (actually THE most important) thing for a website is traffic. Obviously it needs to be quality traffic as well. My buyrefs experience hasn't been that great, massive bounce rate and people only staying for 1-10 seconds. I need to have people stay longer! It seems to only be good for signups, not visitors.

One of the ways I used to generate traffic with other sites was through 'topsite lists' (and that's why I added one to my site). They can bring in a lot of traffic, but I haven't seen to many around these days. Mine is still new, but join if you want to add your site to it!

I have also been hearing a lot about the Best of the Web! directory, so I decided to sign up for their 90 day free trial which I noticed that I get with StartLogic. I am trying to keep my advertising and marketing spend down to a minimum at the moment. Apparently after 90 days it's $29.95/month to be listed in the directory! I signed up through paypal so I can cancel my subscription anytime before the free trial ends.

I'll keep you updated as to whether or not it is worth it to pay money to have your site listed somewhere or not! Does anyone actually go to that site to search and browse? The beauty of tracking statistics means I'll find out over the next 90 days!

One last thing for today! A very good free SEO tool to help you check on how your site is 'doing' which I have discovered today is websitegrader.com It has shown me a few interesting things that I will need to work on over the next few days.

Anyways, have a good day, keep working hard & speak soon!

-Bec

When working from home it is important not to overlook eating healthy and keeping fit! Is it too easy to forget these things when you are at home all day.

The working at home lifestyle is ideal, no more commuting to work, hours of free time to meet friends for lunch, days at the beach and lots of shopping! Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way (at least at the beginning). There is always something to be done to your blog, site or business. You need to keep a routine and part of that is to get some exercise!

Why?

When you work away from home, you have a set routine where you are away from home for 8 hours (or more) a day. You have lunch on your lunch break and dinner when you get home. It is a very structured day! You may then go to the gym, take a bike ride or walk your dog for exercise. You need to make sure that when changing careers to an Internet Marketer or any work from home career, that your fitness and health don't suffer.

For someone that is not used to sitting at the computer all day (and even if you are), it is not the best thing for you! Yes, the computer and internet can be addicting and fun, but you need to know when to stop and do something else. A bit of exercise is perfect, you will come back feeling energized and ready to go.

What should I do?

Everyone is different! I have some friends who are gym junkies! They couldn't imagine a life without the gym 5-6 times per week. I do go to the gym maybe 2 or 3 times a week because I should (but I won't be disappointed if I miss it - which is a bad thing I know!)

We've all heard this before - Find something you enjoy!

I enjoy swimming and I am lucky enough to live a 10 minute walk from the beach, so I like to head down there! Even if I don't go swimming, a nice walk on the soft sand can be a workout in itself! Just remember a health body leads to a healthy mind (and you need that in this business!)

I try to get out of the house at least once per day. If it is nice outside (which it usually is in my adopted home Australia), I try to eat my lunch outside as well to at least get some fresh air. It is great to go outside when you eyes are going buggy and you brain feels ready to explode!

If you start to notice that your health, hygiene or fitness are suffering, ACT NOW! Get up and at least take a walk around the block. Better yet, join a gym so you can have some personal interaction.

When should I exercise?

You need to find the best time for you! Are you a morning person? Do you enjoy exercising when you first wake up? If so, do it then. I personally am not a morning person and it takes me time to wake up. I just like to relax for the first 30 mins I am awake and have a cup of tea and watch the news. A 6:30am exercise session does not fit with me right now as it is the last thing I feel like doing when I wake up. I prefer to go to the gym around 11am. By that time I have woken up and had a good 3-4 hours of work.

I head out for a 30 - 45 minute workout and pick up any groceries or do any errands that may need to be done on the way home. Then I come back home and make lunch which I try to eat outside. I may do some chores that need to be done and then I'm back on the computer around 1pm. This type of schedule may or may not work for you, but it is important you do find something that works and that you enjoy!

The experts say you need at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Make sure you schedule it in everyday! Your business will thank you for it!

All the best.

-Bec