However, working from home isn’t always roses and butterflies. While some employers are hesitant about letting their employers work from home because they fear that they will “slack off,” the truth is, employees tend to overwork than underwork when working from home. Why?

Well, people are generally honest. True, some folks may have trouble staying on task and get easily distracted by the cute puppy or Matt Lauer. But for the most part, when given the opportunity to work from home, people tend to overwork for fear of criticism that they are just hanging out in their PJs all day, eating ice cream (although, there is nothing wrong with wearing your PJs when working from home…sometimes). It is easy to fall into a pattern where your work “day” bleeds into your personal life (or vice versa). At home, there isn’t that time of day when the custodial staff start to empty the garbage bins, letting you know it’s about time to turn off the computer. You have to shut your own computer off, and to throw your own garbage bins out. Freelancers and self-employed folks deal with the same issues.

It is therefore critical to find balance between your work life and personal life when working from home. It is important to make that separation, or you can find yourself doing more work than you bargained for (and getting mad about it), or getting so distracted by your personal life that you put your work aside (and getting in trouble for it). The key is to find balance by separating and dedicating time and space so that your work life and your personal life coexist harmoniously.

1. Separate your work space from your home office space.
These two spaces are not the same thing. Many people conduct their office work from the same desk and space as where they do their personal emailing and surfing on Amazon. This can be a slippery slope, however, if you build the bad habit of  surfing YouTube for hours when you should be finishing an expensive report or wordsmithing a presentation when you should be giving yourself 30 minutes to Skype with your sister.

Of course, space constrains is an issue if you don’t have enough physical space for two offices (most people don’t). But you can be creative with how you use different parts of your home. For example, if you have a home office that is separate from your living space, dedicate that space for work. When it comes time to relax and surf the web for a couple hours, take your computer to the dining room or kitchen nook – where life happens – and Google away.

2. Sign in, sign out.
While working from home means no one is necessarily watching you clock in and out, it helps if you to designate a regular time when you “sign on” and “sign off” for the day. This way, you hold yourself accountable to when you are present, and allow your colleagues to know when they can reach you. It will also force you to stop working at the end of the day and not work overtime when you don’t need to be.

Treat your home office like your work office. If you know you want to go to that 10AM yoga class, you can. Just schedule it as a meeting, but make sure you get back to work by 11:30 AM and make up that hour somewhere else.

3. Turn off the distractions.
YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix makes watching TV and movies so much easier…but they also create a distracting temptation. It can be so easy to simply click on that show while on your computer in your home office. Before you know it, 30 minutes have passed. If you really want – and can take – a 30-minute break, take your computer to your living space, watch your show, and go back to the office. Keep un-work distractions outside your work space.

On the other hand, keep your work distractions away from your living space. If you know you have to work late, stay late in your office, but avoid bringing your computer into where you eat and live and relax.

4. Get an office line.
It is a good idea to get a dedicated line just for work. Having a dedicated line also helps you to separate your work conversations. Besides, it isn’t always the greatest idea to give your private cell phone number out to everyone. When your day is over, you know you don’t have pick up the phone and instead, let it go to voicemail.

As many of us no longer have landlines, there are multiple options for getting a separate phone line. You can up your cell phone plan and add a family/friends plan for yourself. You can also get a separate number through services, such as Google talk or Talkatone.

5. Avoid the munchies and don’t clip your toenails.
If you think snacking in the office can get bad, snacking at home can be even worse, especially when the refrigerator is 10 feet away from you. Treat your meals as you would in the office, and avoid eating too often at your desk. If you wouldn’t take out a steak at the office, don’t do it at home. There is no reason to treat your office space as your dining table. Keep the spaces and the occasions separate.

Same thing goes for other things you wouldn’t do at the office: clip your toenails, darn your socks. Do these things during a break time and not in your office space. (Sneaking in a game of Hanging with Friends is forgivable).

After the initial euphoria of freedom from countless distant family members who have taken over the house for the last two weeks, many people dread heading back to the same ole commute to the same job they disliked in 2011. Well, I hate to break it to you, but a two-week break typically doesn’t change anything. What you disliked about your job December 23, 2011 is probably going to be what you dislike about it January 3, 2012.

But just as your diet is directly linked to your physical, mental, and emotional health, so is your work. With Americans logging in an average of 70+ hours a week, it shouldn’t be a surprise that time spent at work is also directly related to our physical, mental, and emotional health (I have friends in their mid-30s who have had chest tightness and pain due to work-related stress. I’m sure you have too. Not good.).

Whether you love the work, but hate the hours, or love the people, but hate the work, here are 5 steps to help you jumpstart your career (and your health) in 2012:

1. Prioritize your goals

Don’t just prioritize your task list. Step back for a minute (or two, or five), and re-evaluate what your 2012 goals are. Do not compartmentalize your goals. Your life goals include your work, family, health, etc., and are all interconnected. Is it to get that corner office? Learn a new technical skill? Spend more time with your kids? Run a triathlon?

All of these goals are directly related to your current modus operandi at work. If your goal is to lose 20 pounds, but you don’t change the way you work (i.e., sitting at the office for 100+ hours a week and eating fast food lunches), you likely won’t lose the weight in any healthy, sustainable way.

2. Update your resume

It doesn’t matter if you are not looking for a new job. It’s always a good idea to have an updated resume. Not only does it make you ready at all times to seize unexpected opportunities, but it also allows you to evaluate your current skill-set and achievements. Identifying strengths and weaknesses can help you to ask for that deserved raise or to identify the professional development needs you need to get you to wherever you want to be a year from now.

3. Get some exercise

Sounds silly, right? What does exercise have to do with jumpstarting a career? A lot. Studies have shown that physical exercise releases endorphins that make you happier. When you are happier, you feel more energized and optimistic. When you feel more energized and optimistic, you feel more empowered and “awake.” When you feel more empowered and awake, you are ready to achieve more.

Get it?

By awakening your body and de-toxing your mind, you will be more ready to deal with the issues that made you cringe in 2011 at work. If it’s a micro-managing boss or an overly-demanding client, your refreshed spirit can help you to handle and negotiate these relationships with greater aplomb and perspective. If it’s a horrific hours, your strengthened outlook can help you to manage the work-personal life balance better (after all, you are forcing yourself to take a hour for yourself).

4. Stop commiserating and gossiping

One of the most dangerous pastimes is getting commiserating with your colleagues or friends about your job. While some sharing/venting is necessary and great to unload , getting caught up in office politics and gossip often traps you in the same cycle of dysfunction that made you unhappy at work in the first place. By continuously complaining to colleagues, you get absorbed into a world where your perspective becomes skewed. There is a whole world outside the office waiting for you to explore and take advantage of. But you may miss opportunities if you remain myopically caught in the drama in front of you.

5. Take risks

This is the year to stop fearing success and to stop fearing failure. Both are necessary twins to moving forward – however, you define moving forward. But progress is necessary for growth, and fear often prevents us from doing so. Many of us get stuck, whether because of our golden handcuffs or our uncertainty, and as a result, we never try that thing we’ve always wanted to do.

I’m not suggesting that you walk into your boss’ office and triumphantly say you quit. But take small steps and try something new. Take your boss to lunch for a one-on-one. Volunteer to be a project lead. Learn how to swing dance. Risk-taking doesn’t require you to jump off a cliff (you could, though…), but requires you to take one step at a time towards your goals. Only then can you move forward, and only you can propel yourself forward.

Well, not all these folks are freelancers or writers or students. Many of them hold jobs with traditional companies, companies like Sun Microsystem or Cisco. Increasingly, companies are offereing their employees telecommuting opportunities. Allowing staff to work from home some or all of the time can not only increase staff morale (and hence, staff productivity), but it can also have a positive environmental impact. Treehugger estimated back in 2008 that if white-collared employees worked at home twice a week, the U.S. would save 9.7 billion gallons of gasoline a year. That doesn’t include carbon emissions nor stress from driver rage.

But if helping the environment or increasing staff morale doesn’t convince you that the benefits of telecommuting can outweigh the risks, how about saving your marriage?

This past Saturday, TedX Raleigh brought together some interesting ideas and speakers. One speaker was Douglas Hanna, CEO of A Small Orange, who spoke earnestly about the new, non-traditional office space, namely, working at home. One fascinating fact he offered was that people with a commute of 45 minutes or longer have a 40% greater chance of getting divorced.

Imagine that.

So what to do if you’re stuck in a cubicle and want to have more location freedom? Of course, not every job allows for telecommuting, but you may be surprised how many could. Before you talk to your boss, here are some suggestions to lay out a compelling case for location freedom.

1. Demonstrate work ethic, integrity, and dependability.

Establish a track record of hard work and ability to not only meet, but to also beat deadlines. Be the person your boss knows s/he can count on, the person that gets things done – and done well. Earn yourself the reputation as someone who is honest and will go above and beyond. If you are someone who leaves promptly at 5 (or 4:59), takes an extra 10 minutes at lunch, or shows up 15 minutes every day, your case for being someone who can be trusted to work independently may be compromised.

2. Prove that you are self-disciplined and self-motivated.

Show that you are someone who can manage your own time and can multitask. Working from home often poses unique challenges. Whether it is the temptation of sleeping late or playing with the dog, there are many distractions that seem more pleasurable than work. Demonstrate to your boss that you are able to focus, juggle multiple things, and can set and follow your own schedule despite these distractions.

Working from home doesn’t mean a free-for-all. Set up your schedule as you would at home (i.e. 8AM-9AM: respond to emails and phone calls, 9AM-10AM: review budget information). You will be surprised how more efficiently you can get work if you stay focused because you won’t be distracted by officemates popping in and chatting (just don’t get distracted by the puppy wanting you to play fetch for 15 more minutes).

3. Prove that you will stay connected.

Make sure that your home (or whatever chosen space) is equipped with what you need to stay connected with your colleagues: a fast internet connection, telephone, Skype or other teleconferencing capability. Make the case that even though you won’t be physically in the office, you are still present. Perhaps most of your communication is already done via intranet or telephone. Show your boss that your home office is equipped with all the things you need to stay connected and that you will have set office hours during which you are readily available – just like in the office. Set up a dedicated workspace – not one that is shared with the kid’s craft table or the corner of your kitchen counter.

4. Determine which responsibilities can be handled outside of the office.

Lay out your roles and responsibilities. Identify which ones may not require you to be in the office. Place them into categories and see if you can group responsibilities by day (i.e., Mondays through Wednesdays you focus on meetings and other responsibilities that require your presence in the office, Thursdays through Fridays you focus on the paper work you can do out of office).

5. Analyze how much time/money you and your boss would save.

Perhaps your company subsidizes you for parking. Well, working from home will save the company that money. Perhaps your commute is 45 minutes each way, and you can show that saving 1.5 hours a day means you can add an extra hour of productive work every day rather than commuting. Perhaps freeing your cubicle will allow for another available workspace or much-needed conference space, saving your company the expense of build extra rooms.

Make a chart of the different ways that your working out of the office can save the company money, increase your productivity, and renew your commitment to your organization.

Location freedom can be a wonderful boost to your work life (though it is important to keep in mind that working from home can be dangerous if you don’t put boundaries between work and personal life…more on that at a later date).

Consider whether location freedom is right for you, and make the case – it may save your marriage.

College can prepare you by teaching you important skills, such as communication and tolerance, and it also can expand your social horizons. By meeting new people from all backgrounds and experiences, you develop a network of contacts that can help you throughout your entire life, both personally and professionally. Of course, a college degree will qualify you for more opportunities and improves your salary. The U.S. Census Bureau has shown that a high school graduate makes an average $33,609 a year, but a college graduate makes $59,635. That’s $1.3 million more over the course a lifetime!

So how to prepare?

• Plan early: you don’t have to know what you want to do or where you want to go. That is more than OK! Find a mentor. It could be a teacher or a neighbor. It could be the owner of the store where you buy your snacks every week. Ask about what they do and what kind of training or education they needed.
• Be responsible for your education: pay attention to your grades (GPA) and the type of courses you take to be as ready and competitive for colleges as possible. Does your school offer honors or AP courses? Take them and challenge yourself! Don’t forget to stay on top of deadlines to submit applications.
• Get informed: go online and take a look at different college websites. Think about what you are looking for. Are you looking for a large school? A smaller community college? A particular major? A vocational training program? Flexibility that allows you to work part-time? Diversity of the student body? Do you want to stay in North Carolina? Call the college admissions office to speak with a current student or administrator to find out more. Visit if you can. The more you know, the more empowered you will be.
• Take those exams: Not many people like taking the standardized tests, so you’re not alone. But colleges often require them. Find out from the schools in which you are interested what their testing requirements are. State and private colleges often require the SAT or ACT, but many community and technical colleges require placement exams instead. Don’t be nervous about them – there are plenty of books you can take out of the library that can help you practice to get comfortable with test. Don’t forget that the College Board (which administers these exams) offers fee waivers. Don’t forget the deadline to apply to take them.
• What’s your story?: Not every school requires this, but many require a personal statement or other essay. This is your chance to tell YOUR story that goes beyond your grades and your test scores. Many colleges are looking to build a community and aren’t interested in just numbers. Be honest, be yourself. Answer the question. Spell check. Make sure you give yourself enough to time to have a teacher or someone else read it and offer you comments for feedback.
• Money, money, money: It’s no secret: college can be expensive. But there are a lot of scholarships out there for college students. Apply for those that you think “fits.” There are many scholarships for minority, underrepresented, and female applicants. There are scholarships for students from certain regions of the state, for first-generation college students, or for students interested in majoring in a particular subject. There are even scholarships for left-handed students! Also, don’t forget that there are lot of federal grants and loan programs for students. To be considered for these, you have to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Read the deadlines so you are sure to get your information in time to be considered.
• Good resources:
• College Foundation of North Carolina has wonderful guides and resources to help you along, from a high school planner exploring careers to writing your essay: www.cfnc.org; 1-866-866-CFNC
• Explore careers:  Occupational Outlook Handbook Online: www.bls.gov/oco/; America’s Career InfoNet: www.acinet.org
• Financial support: FastWeb: www.fastweb.com; FAFSA: www.fafsa.ed.gov; Scholarships.com: www.scholarships.com

Remember to talk to your school counselor, principal, or teacher. Talk to your family, pastor or other trusted mentor. Talk to them about your plans – they can be incredible resources for you. They can also be wonderful advocates for you as you continue on your journey to reach your fullest potential. Your future is in your hands!

Western Carolina University

I collaborated with the current president of NAAAP-NC, Margaux Escutin and board member Chuan Tsay (president & founder of Young Intelligence, targeted for young entrepreneurs and founder of the Asian American Journal) to address this group. It was wonderful to see young people so hungry for information and guidance to negotiate a world in which they have to balance how to stand out in a social media age while maintaining their identities as people of color with strong connections to their heritage.

A few key themes that emerged from the discussion:

• Join organizations. Professional organizations such as NAAAP-NC are key not only to network for jobs & opportunities, but to develop “soft” and necessary skills such as leadership and communication, as well as to develop friendships
• Step outside comfort zone. Don’t just join groups of like-minded people. Reach out to groups that look and think and act differently than year. Building coalitions and collaboration will not only be professionally strategic, but also personally fulfilling.
• Be consistent. Social media has altered the landscape of how one communicates and reaches out to world. This also means consistency in the messaging is important. Whether you are “selling” a product, a program, or yourself, it is important to watch how your image is portrayed on paper, online, and in person.
• Understand perceptions. Race, physical appearance, and even names have an impact on perceived leadership, intelligence and ability. You can’t control what others think, but you can control how you present yourself and react.
• Leverage multiple identities. Being a person with multiple identities, it can seem that you have to choose one cultural set of values over another if they seem to conflict. This is not the case. View your multiple identities as an additive model – it is not “either/or” but “and.” Leverage and honor your heritage and values to your advantage in standing out as a leader.

Knowing that this group of young, mostly “hyphenated” Americans will be the next generation of culturally-aware leaders speak well to the promise of the future.

Addendum: great New Yorker article on “Paper Tigers” by Wesley Yang to read.

“in a groundbreaking study, researchers found that “race trumps other salient characteristics, such as one’s occupation, regarding perceptions of who is a good leader.”

This doesn’t seem particularly groundbreaking to many Asian American leaders. Folks like Jane Hyun of “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling” and David Lum of Motorola have spoken about hidden biases that affect Asian American’s rate of promotions to senior or executive level positions for years. Asian Americans are often viewed as technically able and a model minority group that is overrepresented and “okay.” Yet when it comes to leadership, they are seen as less competent, socially inept, and weak leaders.

Maybe this study will get even more people to take note of their own assumptions, including the notion of the “model minority.” I highly recommend Hyun’s book as a place to start:

Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling

Check out the summary of the study here, which will be published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Women in the Making: Desi K. Robinson interviews Chelsea

The hostess of the show, Desi K. Robinson is a journalist and educator, having produced and co-authored children’s musicals and story-book play adaptation. She also created What’s Cookin’ in the World, Miss Desi? © a kid-friendly cooking program with an international flair that incorporates music, maps, dance and language to address the bevy of health issues plaguing today’s youth, including childhood obesity. Desi sits on the board of award-winning Children’s Theatre Company in NYC and is a reporter for WBAI Radio in NYC.

Check out the interview here (MP3 weblink) or here (Quicktime):

WomeninMaking_011311

Source: Edible Manhattan

I first met Dr. Gussow as a doctoral student when I decided to take her class in Nutritional Ecology class she and another audacious leader in the school food movement, Toni Liquori of Liquori & Associates. This was the class that finally made everything *click* for me. Six months after her class, I found myself on an organic farm, writing my dissertation in the evenings after my chores were finished. Some people thought I was crazy.

But then again, lots of people thought Dr. Gussow was a little crazy when she decided at the age of 40 to learn as much as she could about our food system and to shake things up. Shake them a lot.

Check out these great articles about this “dangerous woman.”

I am not the only inspired by Dr. Gussow. Folks, like Michael Pollan, credit her for paving the way when there was no way. She wrote about issues (i.e. energy crisis and food) thirty years ago, issues that still ring true today. She spoke out before it was trendy to talk about organic food, local farmer’s market, and CSAs. She still grows all her food in a small plot in her New York home, which I had the privilege of visiting.

To hear this fantastic interview of this audacious pioneer, gardener, professor, educator, writer, click on the photo below. It will be well worth your time.

Source: Edible Radio

Dr. Gussow has and continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of people and has helped to drive a whole movement. Let’s honor her boldness.

Can confidence to learned?

If we watch young children, their confidence seems limitless. They will jump off tall couches, sing at the top of their lungs in grocery stores, and wave to strangers. They seem to have no fear. Yet as we get older, we tend to be more cautious and somewhere along the line, we are taught – and we learn – to be Unconfident. So if we can learn Unconfidence, why can’t we learn Confidence?

This may sound like one of the cheesiest, silliest tricks, but it does work: look at yourself in the mirror and affirm yourself.

I’m not suggesting muttering to yourself or becoming Snow White’s step-mother. But it may surprise you to know many adults cannot look themselves in the mirror as they give themselves positive affirmations. They tend to avert their eyes before they can finish.

Do you?

If you can’t look yourself in the eye and be confident, others won’t believe it either. Even if you don’t quite believe what you’re saying yet, as they say, fake it til you make it.

So if have a job interview, a big presentation, if you’re in a funk, need a quick boost-me-up, or just not feeling as confident as you want to be, try this for two weeks. As you are doing your morning routine, look yourself in the eye and give yourself the affirmation(s) you want to hear…”You are capable. You are talented. You were hired to take this job because others believe you can do it.”

With practice and time, you will not avert your eyes and you will begin to believe it…and others will believe it too.

Here’s a perfect example of who we are before we learn Unconfidence:

When a job is not all what it’s “cracked” up to be, it takes most of us a while to know when it’s time to say goodbye. For many of us, we never really do and end up in jobs or positions that isn’t a good fit, boring, or even toxic. But when it IS time to say goodbye, what is the best way of tendering that resignation?

Of course, there are many reasons to resign from a job – new city, new job opportunity, new baby. Sometimes, however, the reasons are less joyous. Sometimes, it’s because you’ve just had enough and the thought of staying another day makes you want to tear your eyelashes out.

So how and what do you write in that resignation letter? Well, unless there were some serious illegal or unethical issues at hand (at which point, you should be contacting an attorney and HR), it is important to keep it positive.

Sure, you may hate your boss or co-workers, still angry when overlooked for a promotion, or given horrible projects without receiving credit. But tendering your resignation does not mean it’s time to vent.

Especially if you plan on ever working again.

A positive, cordial, respectful parting of the ways is important for your professional and personal reputation. Not only may you need to rely on your former colleagues for future references, but the world is a teeny, tiny place and you never know who from your former company may know or where a former colleague or boss may end up down the line.

The resignation letter goes in your file and it becomes part of your permanent record:

• Keep it simple and professional
• Keep it relatively short (no five page letters)
• Keep it positive (no venting here)
• Thank your boss for the opportunity (yes, even if you didn’t get along)
• Brief reason for resignation (can keep this general, i.e. “other opportunities)
• Final date (see company policy, but depending on role and responsibility, two to four weeks)
• Outline a few key accomplishments during your tenure
• Outline a few areas where you will wrap up/set foundation for your successor (assures boss you are not just up and leaving)
• If you want to leave the door open for future opportunities, offer your interest
• Cordial and professional closing with appreciation

While this is often one of the hardest things in a professional’s life, it can also be one of the best things.