A home office can be a great way to achieve a good work life balance as a mum. Yet the trade off of being in the comfort of your own home is too often a sleepy computer and cumbersome technology that takes up your precious time.
Getting technology right can not only improve how effective you are during the hours you spend at your desk, but also influence the perception you give to the outside world.
Whether working remotely for a current employer or setting up your own business from home a dynamic website and integrated email can give a small outfit a big presence.
Email with impact
Your email address is often the first thing colleagues and clients see when working from home, so it’s important to make the right first impression. There’s no need to rely on your personal yahoo or hotmail account. A corporate email address, known as the domain name e.g. ‘mynewcompany.co.uk’, can be registered for as little as £6.
Google have started a slick service called
Google Apps. It allows you to set up a number of email addresses for your domain name e.g ‘yourname’@mynewcompany.co.uk. You can access your email account remotely too, to help you keep on top of your inbox.
Website wonders
Services such as Google Apps can also enable you to design and host your company website for free. If you’re starting up a business from home, a basic holding page with your contact details is a must. The service enables you to enter the content that you’d like to feature on your website in an easy to use format, so you don’t need to worry about technical jargon or programming language. You can have fun designing the look feel and tone of your new space too!
Speeding up a sleepy computer
Spring clean a sleepy computer with a couple of quick and easy steps and you’ll be working at speed in no time:
-
Free up space on your hard disk
Free up disk space via a disk clean utility. There is usually a facility on your
computer via Windows or you can find resources on the web to help
-
Buy extra memory
You can purchase this from most computer stores, or visit Crucial Memory
website which will scan your computer for you and recommend the best
upgrades, and post it out to you (
www.crucial.com/uk)
- Disable unnecessary programmes from your start up
Photography, music and other programmes all take time your computer extra
time to recognise each time you log on, so make sure you remove old software
you are no longer using
- Invest in a speedy antivirus system
Good antivirus software can be downloaded for free from leading providers.
Try Avg Free available from http://www.grisoft.com/
- Defragment
When files are fragmented, the computer must search to piece them back
together slowing down your entire system. Click on your control panel or
settings to run a defragmentation program.
Wireless working
If your computer cables are a trip hazard for your children or you enjoy working from different rooms, wireless technology can lend a helping hand. Many laptops come with this built in facility now or you can buy a basic router from your local computer store. Your router will come with a name known as the SSID code which you can change to make it personal and obvious to you and enable you to log-on with ease. Password protect the system to avoid others using network to ensure your connection is safe and secure.
New number
If you’re thinking of setting up a separate business line consider internet phone lines such as
Skype. This allows you to dial and receive calls through your computer, without the setup costs of installing a new physical phone line.
On the go
Blackberries used to be the preserve of the big corporates, but now mobile operators offer an online setup service allowing you to run a Blackberry on private email accounts. A real timesaver if you can sort out emails on the go rather than dealing with a huge backlog every time you boot up your laptop. Blackberries are often free on an 18 month contract, and you can add the email functionality for a basic fee each month.
Fax fantastic
Receiving faxes feels very clunky in the age of email, but signed documents sometimes need to be sent this way. Use a virtual fax services such as
Yac Fax. You will be given your own 0870 fax number. When you receive a fax they email it to your inbox.
Have your own IT knight
Have a technician visit your home to ensure you have a slick set up in no time. Common times when home offices need a little hand include support when internet or wireless connections are proving difficult or when a computer is running slowly. Services such as London based
Scooter Computer can send their knights of the IT world round in a flash to fix, install programmes, demonstrate shortcuts and service your computer in no time.
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