As a work at home mom, do you find yourself managing your daily tasks from anywhere you can find a few inches of space? Being a work at home mom offers unique opportunities for work-life balance, but it can also mean logistical concerns. If you have a family you might already feel like every inch of your home is currently in use, but if you want to grow your career and be more successful in areas such as time management, it’s usually best to have a dedicated office space, even if it’s tiny.

Below are some tips that can help you find ways to creatively add an office into your home, even if you’re very limited on extra space.

Consider Your Dining Room

The dining room is often an area that goes relatively underused in many homes, particularly if you have a busy family life and don’t get a chance to have leisurely family meals every night. You may all eat your meals at a bar area or in the kitchen itself, so why not turn your dining room into an office? Even if you don’t dedicate the entire dining room into your office, you can set up a desk in the corner, or use your dining table as your office. If you want to host a dinner party, it’s easy to move your work things out of the way for the evening.

Bedroom Corner

You might not like the idea of working in your bedroom, but it can actually make a good office space. Choose a corner of your bedroom that’s away from your bed and other furnishings, and create your own little nook. The added benefit of working in your bedroom is that your kids may already see this space as somewhat off limits to them, so you won’t have to deal with them trying to make your office into their play space.

A Closet

If you don’t like the idea of your dining room or bedroom pulling double duty as an office, think about a closet that you could do without in terms of storage. If you have a hall closet that you don’t need to have for storage, you can take out the shelving and add a platform to serve as your desk and maybe some upper shelves for additional storage. You can even leave the door or add a curtain as a covering, so when you’re not working the closet will look inconspicuous.

Under the Stairs

Many of us have a space under our stairs that’s unused so why not turn that into your workspace? You can install a floating shelf to use as your desk, and you can even be creative and add corkboard or chalkboard paint to the wall behind it so you can make notes and add reminders for yourself.

When you’re a work at home mom, there’s a lot of creative thinking and juggling that goes into your life. If you’re in desperate need of a dedicated workspace but you don’t have an extra room in your home, any of the above ideas might work well for you.

We all know that more and more people around the world work from home. The number keeps growing very rapidly with each passing year and is predicted to keep growing at a fast rate. Unfortunately, many of those who work from home do it at the cost of their productivity. It is easy to get distracted at home with all the things going on there and many of us do not follow the same rules they would follow in their workplace.

One of the biggest mistakes those working from home do is avoiding to take breaks. It is so easy to fall into the routine of working all the time without any breaks without anybody out there to supervise you. Some of us sit in front their computers all day without taking any breaks at all while the truth is that in order to maximise productivity it is advisable to work for 52 minutes and then have a break for 15 minutes. How many of us do stick to that sort of routine.

As a person who works from home I found this work from home guide to be extremely useful to me. It clearly explains all I need to do in order to work efficiently at home such as blocking places such as Facebook or Twitter that are absolutely time wasters and places to stay away from especially during work. Another useful hint I got from them was the so-called productivity nap. We all known that coffee is proven to improve your concentration capabilities and most office workers drink plenty of coffee every day, but did you know that if you drink a cup of joe and then take a 20 minute nap you are actually going to feel even better and refreshed? I am planning to take such naps to ensure that thanks to such tips my productivity of working from home is going to be even greater than ever.

Acupressure, aromatherapy and acupuncture were once thought to be practices reserved for the spiritual. However, alternative medical practices such as these are now becoming more common place. In fact, a The National Health Statistics Report of 2007 showed that four in every 10 respondents in the survey made use of some sort of alternative medical therapy.

There are so many reasons as to why so many people are opting for alternative medicine as opposed to traditional medical treatment. Some seek out homeopaths because they have had bad experiences with mainstream medicine. Others opt for these forms of treatment because they offer a holistic approach to health.

The real cost of alternative medical therapy

Alternative medicine isn’t cheap. In fact, the NHS Report revealed that that more than $34 billion was spent out of pocket on complementary and alternative medicine costs. Unfortunately, many peoples’ personal injury protection policies don’t cover alternative medicine, despite its wide use. The popularity of alternative medicine is growing as more people seek natural remedies for their ailments. The costs for these therapies are also growing.

Does your insurance cover alternative medicine?

Insurance providers are mandated by the Affordable Care Act to avoid discrimination against different health care providers, as long as they are licensed. This means that acupuncturists, chiropractors, and other alternative medicine practitioners ought to be accepted by insurance companies as service providers.

Despite the legislation, insurance companies often limit their coverage. This allows them to eliminate any therapy they deem experimental or any treatment that they think is not necessarily medical. In many cases, this includes alternative medical therapies.

The best way to make sure you’re not unpleasantly surprised by your bill is to study your personal injury protection policy carefully and compare quotes from various insurance providers. Determine what other providers offer and decide if you should switch insurers.

Getting covered

Coverage for alternative medicine isn’t one size fits all; it varies from one insurance provider to another. While some policies will provide coverage, others won’t. It is therefore important to ask the right questions when seeking insurance.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure you have the right coverage for you:

1. Talk to insurance providers

As you compare quotes for different insurance companies online, be sure to talk to insurance providers directly too. This will allow you to get answers to some important questions regarding coverage for alternative medicine. Ask the insurance provider the following questions about their personal injury protection plans:

• Do they cover the alternative treatment that you’re interested in?
• Do you need to be referred or have the treatment prescribed to you by a general practitioner?
• Is there a limit to the number of visits covered by their policy?
• Do they have a local network of alternative medicine practitioners that are licensed in the area of treatment you’re seeking to be covered for?

2. Talk to local practitioners

You can also find out more about insurance and being covered by talking to local practitioners. They can tell you which insurance companies to approach and which type of insurance plans would be suitable.

Treatments such as chiropractic care tend to cost a lot more for the first few visits. Follow-up visits cost much less. Find out from the practitioner how many visits a patient would typically need to be on the road to recovery. This information will help you determine which policy to choose.

3. Inquire about additional expenses

Find out if you will need to add supplemental coverage in order for your policy to pay for any alternative treatments. Some insurance providers will require you to pay for an add-on in order to provide cover for alternative treatments.

4. Negotiate for coverage

If your insurance provider doesn’t offer coverage for alternative medicine, don’t throw in the towel. Negotiate with your provider to find out if they would be willing to include it in your plan and what it would take to make that happen. You may negotiate to pay slightly more for this or to have it included as a discount.

If you use alternative medical treatments often, you should be sure they’re covered under your insurance. This will ensure that you don’t drain your finances as you seek treatment.

The term “startup” seems to carry a certain connotation, one of young entrepreneurs in the tech sector who are looking for the next disruptive game-changer. Certainly, in the venture capital world, that is often an accurate description. However, there are plenty of other startups that are simply new businesses in the early stages of getting off the ground. There may be no investors involved and a workforce of just one person – you – but it is a startup nonetheless. If you’ve been considering an entrée into the world of business, you can use this helpful checklist to make it official.

Consider Your Interests

If you already have a business idea in mind, that’s great. However, it is important to think about the long-term viability of your plan. Is the company you want to form something that will maintain your interest for decades to come? Or is the main goal to eventually sell the business and move on to a different venture? You stand a better chance of success if you enter a field that you are passionate about. Otherwise, you risk losing interest or getting overwhelmed before you reach your first business anniversary.

Write a Business Plan

Nothing will help you wrap your mind around the intricacies of owning a company better than crafting a business plan. It may seem as though this is an outdated hurdle that is not really necessary, but in truth it is vital. The process of writing a business plan will force you to examine exactly what your procedures will be, both in the startup phase and in the long run. You will need to list your mission, goals and operational plan in a concrete way. The plan will be your guide when making future decisions, and it can help you get started in a more organized and focused manner.

Get Some Help

Depending on where you live, you may have several free or low-cost resources at your disposal for learning more about the ins and outs of running a business. Check to see if there is a small business development center in the area, or perhaps the local chamber of commerce offers classes for startup businesses. You can get someone to read and critique your business plan, suggest funding options if you need them, or explain the legal requirements for hiring employees.

Choose a Location

Many new businesses don’t have a physical location. Instead, the owners work from home or choose an online-only format for the company. But if you are in the market for some office space, a workshop, or a spot in a business incubator building, this is the time to start looking. You might want to take your business plan with you, as the building’s owner might want to judge the potential longevity of the lease.

Think About Financing

Will your startup require funding from outside sources? If so, you will have to do some research on potential options. You could get a bank loan, apply for a grant, or seek outside investors. Depending on what your business will entail, you may be able to finance its initial operation yourself. But if you have your sights set on a bricks-and-mortar location, you’ll likely need a loan.

Legal Obligations

There are many paperwork hoops you have to jump through in order to start a company. You’ll need to file a “doing business as” registration with your local government, usually your state’s Secretary of State Department. You must also decide what type of business structure you want to use: sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, or non-profit. Some of these structures require additional legal filings, such as an S corporation. Finally, you’ll likely be required to get a business license or permit of some sort. For example, if you want to follow in the footsteps of HamptonCreek and create a food-based company, you’ll need a commercial kitchen license from your state or local agency.

Register for Taxes

The income from your business, depending on the structure, will be eligible for taxation. You’ll need to register with state and federal agencies to obtain a tax identification number, and if you plan to hire employees, there are additional requirements for that process.

By following these steps, you should be well along the path toward a success business startup. All that’s left now is to start making your products or selling your service.