Working from home can be both a blessing and a curse. This is especially the case when it comes to optimizing productivity in your home-based office.

Of course, there is a certain sense of freedom that comes when you escape from your old corporate cubicle. For a while, that sense of freedom can boost your creative mojo. However, familiar distractions can soon interfere with your intention to buckle down to uninterrupted hard work.

Therefore, whether you're a freelance SEO marketer or an interior design blogger, setting up your home-based office for success is one of the most crucial pieces of putting together a dynamic workspace. With that in mind, the following methods of priming your home-based office will transform your productivity level in a few easy steps.

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Go Minimalist

Going minimalist takes a great deal of decluttering. In order to do that, you’ll need to assess what you need and what you don't to an extreme. If you're the distractible type, for example, ridding your workspace of temptation in its many forms is the first step to going minimalist.

Any tech you don't need should be the first to go. For example, there's probably no need for a 65-inch TV or an iPad if you don't use either for work. Additionally, keep decorations to a minimum. For those who tend to let their minds wander, analyzing photos or intricate pieces of art will only result in wasting time. Therefore, pick a only couple of pictures or a couple of pieces of art on Etsy for aesthetic effect.

Declutter Your Desk

As we mentioned earlier, decluttering is part of the minimalist movement. What’s more, your desk is the easiest place to run wild. This is especially true given the amount of paperwork, bookkeeping, and note-taking you need to complete for an effective day's work.

However, swimming in an abyss of pens and papers gives more room for distraction and less room for focus. Therefore, equip your office space with a multi-drawer storage stack to give a home to those loose materials. Also, invest in a wall calendar to keep track of important timelines. Use sticky notes for reminders. The more available space, the better. Do yourself a favor and clean that desk up!

Pick a Productive Space

Select a room in your house that has plenty of natural light, an operable window, and enough space to foster your big ideas. That’s because tiny, cramped, closet-sized offices can feel claustrophobic after a few hours. Therefore, be sure to pick a room that you can stand to be in for long eight-hour days.

Additionally, if you're running a business out of your home and expect to have clients over from time to time, be sure the space is one you are proud to show.

Add a Splash of Greenery

Plants will brighten the space. What’s more, they will also improve the air quality in your office.

So consider buying a spider plant or a dracaena plant. Both are easy to care for and look gorgeous in any space. However, be wary of plants that may attract nasty insects. This can compromise the integrity and cleanliness of your office space. Though Housecall Pro's pest control software makes finding a solution simple, you're better off avoiding plants that attract pests in the first place.

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Light up Your Space with Warmer Tones

Use warm colors rather than cooler ones. This could put your brain in the mood for learning and creating.

It’s interesting to note that studies over the years have shown that extended exposure to fluorescent lights has a number of negative effects on stress and anxiety levels. So instead of fluorescent lighting, use lights with yellow tones. This can make your space feel warmer and more conducive to work production. You are, after all, looking to make your home-based office feel productive. You might as well invest in things that make it sustainable, too.

Use a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant could be the hands-free help you need for small tasks that would otherwise distract you. The Sonos One and Google Home Hub are both excellent options for voice-recognition commanding. If you need a reminder or simply want to know what traffic is like to the local print shop, your virtual assistant can let you know in seconds. All you have to do is ask! What’s more, their compact and sleek style fit into a minimalist setup without any extra clunk or distraction.

Apply These Tips to Make Your Home-Based Office More Productive

Having a career based out of your home is becoming more common. Further, telecommuting seems to be the next big move in the job world.

However, instead of falling into the trap of being too comfortable to work effectively from home, change up the pace of your workspace. Boost your productivity in your home-based office with these metamorphic changes.

The post How to Prime Your Home-Based Office Space for Productivity appeared first on Business Opportunities.

Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash

Experts warn that because of its easy availability, online gambling can be even more addictive than gambling in brick-and-mortar casinos.

However, if you do decide to indulge in online gambling, perhaps to take a quick break from the never-ending stress of running your business, remember that playing games in online casinos should be fun. And they are even more fun if you can improve your chances of winning. 

There are ways to make sure you don’t lose your bankroll within a few minutes of starting to play. Moreover, many online games players have become wise to these tips.

So if you want to take a break from the pressure cooker of running your business by playing games in online casinos, do so with caution, applying the wisdom you’ll find in this post.

Take Advantage of Incentives in Online Casinos

Most online casinos offer incentives both to new players and their existing customer base. This is one big advantage online platforms have over physical casinos. That’s because there is no way the latter are going to hand you some cash to play with as you walk in. On the other hand, online casinos offer free games. What’s more, they sometimes even offer a cash incentive. This is intended to encourage you to either join them or stay loyal to their site.

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There is such a huge variety of online casino games to choose from. Therefore, this very competitive market offers some great opportunities to enjoy some fun without spending a lot of your own dollars. Just be certain to check the rules attached to any bonuses. That’s because sometimes you will need to play a certain amount before you can withdraw your winnings. This is called a “playthrough” requirement. It is in place to keep players and operators safe from abuse.

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Blackjack – Thanks to Taxrebate.org.uk on Flickr for the image

Bet a Bit at a Time

If you have a budget of $50, don't bet $10 at a time. You are likely to run out of money if you do that. In order to be more likely to win some and have fun for longer, you would be better off with making wagers of $1 a time.

You could have a hand in blackjack, for example, that you are certain will win. However, you can never be sure what the dealer will have. Therefore, do not bet all your pot in one go. Any win is better than no win. And if your hand is as good as you think, you will be able to have more games with this strategy.

Learn the Rules

With such a large choice of games, you may be tempted to play something new. Before you do, however, learn the rules of whatever it is you have chosen to play for the first time.

Just as an example, craps is a really fun game. However, if you have never played it before you might not understand what is happening. This could mean you bet the wrong amounts at the wrong time. That could cost you money. If you want to play craps, learn the rules first. Also, take advantage of some of the free games that will allow you to practice.

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Craps – With thanks to Mark Hesseltine on Flickr for the image

Choose Games with a Lower House Advantage

Knowing the house advantage on your choice of game will let you know what the odds are of winning. The lower the house advantage the greater your chances are. So pick games with a low house advantage. This can make your betting pot stretch further.

Generally, blackjack is one of the best, followed by craps. But of course this can change from casino to casino. The good thing is that with none of the overheads that physical casinos have to stand, online casinos usually offer you a better chance of being a winner.

The post How Smart Is It to Play Your Money in Online Casinos? appeared first on Business Opportunities.

All businesses take a lot of work, and it’s no different for logistics businesses.

Moreover, it is necessary to have clear vision to keep the orders coming in and the shipments going out on time. What’s more, since logistics is one of the fastest-growing markets in terms of demand, one can only be certain that competition is not going to diminish anytime soon.

Therefore, here are a few ways in which you can make your logistics business more productive and profitable.

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1. Get a Great Fleet-Not Necessarily a New One

First, you need to decide which vehicles will help you rule the industry. Among transportation and logistics businesses, there are several niches. In other words, individual companies cater to various groups of customers according to their needs. For example, some customers will be shipping exhibition materials to international trade shows. Others could be moving product from warehouse to retail outlet.

Therefore, choosing the right vehicle will help you get the upper hand in your business. Take a look at these Renault trucks from France, for example. These are appropriate for bulky packages that need transportation over long distances.

2. Manage Your Back Office Responsibly

Your back office should be on point. That’s because this is the part of your organization where all the filing, packaging, and other crucial work gets done.

First off, you will need a good back office manager. This person must be able to work efficiently under stress. That’s because mistakes that logistics workers make in the back office can tarnish the company's image. Therefore, mistakes must be avoided at all costs.

3. Provide Exemplary Customer Service

Word-of-mouth marketing will take your company far. However, the only way this can be true is if you maintain an excellent record of on-time deliveries.

Additionally, ensure that you have the capacity to respond to customer requests. Even better, try to add those extra touches to your service. Other strategies you can employ include expanding your contacts by approaching vendors. Also, work to have lower rates than your competitors by focusing on gradually increasing your profits.

Moreover, when you receive feedback, use it appropriately to better your services.

Maintain Your Schedule Diligently and Avoid Delays

Delays are not good for logistics businesses. Therefore, to avoid the risk of running into them, set delivery times that allow for the latest possible delays.

This strategy will ensure that even if things go wrong, customers might not even know the difference. This is especially true if their order arrives by the time they’re expecting it.

Keeping things on schedule might seem like back office work. However, there are other factors involved as well. Even if things don’t go as planned on your end, attempt to expedite the process for a smooth and timely delivery to your customer.

5. Have a Small, Skilled Team on the Job

Having a lot of workers reduces efficiency in logistics businesses. Therefore, you need to handpick your team well.

Moreover, the people you hire should be able to serve the company even when the situation is stressful. They should be people who will attempt to complete the process with diligence.

Additionally, automate your system wherever possible. Also, boost workers’ skills by requiring training. Insist on refresher courses for the people who are already on the job.

What’s more, it can be very effective to introduce a system of incentives. Researches conducted in 2016 showed that it is the effect of gifts that make kids productive in their work. The case is the same with studies conducted with employees. A personal touch and a token of gratitude can come back to you in a surprisingly beneficial way.

Moreover, reduce the time it takes to process shipments and send them to their destinations quickly. This is crucial. It not only makes your entire system of product handling more efficient but increases the number of packages that your unit can work on. This can only result in higher revenue.

Logistics Businesses Need to Be Well-Run

Maintaining records properly, recruiting a skilled group of people, and keeping the team well-informed are all key to achieving success. Be innovative with your work and give it your best effort. Slowly but surely, your company will emerge as one of the successful logistics businesses.

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