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Setting up a home office can be a difficult task. Things that at first seem like they may not be a big deal, like avoiding a morning shower, getting properly dressed, or working from your couch, quickly become a big deal once you realize that your back will not agree with all your couch “potato-ing”.

It’s of the utmost importance then to set up your home office to be as comfortable, and productive as possible.

Office Chair

The proper office chair is the main thing you’ll need for a comfortable and productive home office. It’s common for those who are designing a home office to attempt to save money by selecting a lower quality chair, forgetting that the majority of their time spent will be in this important piece of furniture. This is “penny wise dollar foolish”, meaning you may save more up front, but the long term effects can be detrimental. There is a reason why ergonomically-correct office chairs can be very expensive. It’s because they’re high quality, and will pay off dividends in terms of gained productivity, and avoiding long term back issues. There is nothing worse than trying to work, while being distracted by back pain, and constantly having to adjust your seat. This is the most important investment you can make when it comes to your home office.

Desk Space

While somewhat less important than a good office chair, a proper desk is less about the quality of the item, and more about it being present. One may think working from a couch may be productive; however, working on your laptop from a sitting position at a desk has proven to be a more productive setting. Those who have migrated from their lazy boy to a proper desk quickly found that their thrived with the extra desk space. It proved beneficial, not only to place their working materials down, but also to organize documents, and to give themselves a place to get in a “working” mood. The home office may seem like an ideal solution to sit away from your cubicle at work, but you’ll still need the desk.

Home and Office separation

The third ingredient in the equation is less about a physical item, but just as necessary as the previous items. When working from a home office, there is a tendency to let the mind wander. And while common remote working arrangements allow for extra time to go do errands around the house or go pick up the kids from school, the wandering mind can destroy productivity. Unless you have excellent discipline, you may slowly find yourself slipping more into pleasure, and less work.

That’s why the distinction between “home” and “office” is so important. Getting into a routine to start the work day just as you would if travelling to work is essential. Take a shower, get dressed in professional clothes, and grab a coffee. Then you’ll be ready to start your workday.

If you’re ready to start a new business take a look at our packages and start your Virtual Office today! 

Even having your own meeting space, booking an offsite meeting for your and your team can prove to be beneficial in ways beyond your expectation. These are the top 3 benefits of an offsite meeting:

Offsite Meeting Benefit 1 – Increased Attention

Booking a meeting in your own internal space can be seen as just “another meeting”. The usual groaning will come from your employees as they gather and spend time stressing and lamenting about all the other work they have to complete, and the time spent in more meetings. This isn’t to say that your employees won’t think it’s important to be there, they just wish they could be using their time in other ways.

An offsite meeting provides both a change of pace, and is a signifier that this meeting is of increased importance. It’s not just a usual meeting, you’ve expended the time and effort to find a great venue and you’ve spent the money to book it.

The simple fact that this meeting is being held offsite will inherently peak the interest of your employees. They’ll be more aware and chances are they’ll pay more attention to the matters discussed.

Offsite Meeting Benefit 2 – Available Technology

Your internal meeting space – if you have one – may be very well set up for you and your team to meet. But if you want to meet with external clients, or need to connect via video to someone else around the globe, then it may not be the best fit.

An offsite meeting room will have all the latest technology, to make sure that all your attendees, both those meeting locally and all others that dial in to a conference, will have the best experience.

Offsite Meeting Benefit 3 – Inspiration

The same change of pace that allows your employees to pay more attention to an offsite meeting, might just help their minds come up with new ideas. A new surrounding may help spark ideas that didn’t come to mind before, which is just what a meeting should be for.

Whether you are gathering your team for a brainstorming session to take advantage of your new surroundings, or just need a place for a few of you to dial in to clients from around the world, Toronto Meetings is the place for you. Experience all of the above benefits and more by booking an offsite meeting today! 

I have worked from home off and on. You know when you don’t feel well enough to go into work but well enough to actually do your work? That sort of thing. But for the last few weeks I’ve been working from home every day and I’ve got to say, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be.

There are definite benefits – no commute, no distractions and actually eating dinner at dinner time! You can also throw a load of laundry in – I mean, it’s not like you’re sitting there watching it spin. You just toss it in, back to work then take it out. And, of course, being available to the cat for pets on demand!

I have found that I’m more focused and getting more done than ever, which is fantastic, but, aside from a very happy pussycat, there is a definite downside to rolling out of bed and rolling up to your desk.

My work day is infinitely longer. Normally it hits around 5:15 or 5:30 and it’s time to pack up and head home (though my boss would argue that point – “must be 5:00 as Pam’s heading out” which is SO not true!). And unless I’m working a special project or under a time crunch, I make dinner, watch Netflix and just keep an eye on my emails in case something urgent comes in. But, essentially, the work day is over. (And yes, obviously no children – I don’t know you folks do it but that’s a whole other blog right there!)

A clear transition from workday to home time doesn’t really seem to occur when you work from home. My workday never seems to end. As soon as I wake up I’m rushing to fire up the old laptop and thinking about what I need to get done. When I “leave” work, I’m still compulsively checking emails and doing “just one more little thing” before I settle in for the evening.

I’m sure if you work from home on a regular basis you create a routine and stick with it to separate work from home as much as possible. But, I think it takes a lot of discipline and some people are probably far more successful at this than others.

Then there’s the social aspect that cannot not be ignored. We’re social beings. Even those of us who are a bit more introverted still need some interaction with other people. I’m on the phone most of the day but it is not the same as being with people. I know we’re at work to work but there is social interaction between colleagues and peers. Whether you’re working with a team towards a shared goal or bouncing ideas off other people, it prevents you from feeling isolated and out of the loop.

Being honest, I think working from home a couple of days a week would be my ideal as it probably is for most people. So what can you do if you work from home but need to have some time around actual human beings? Well, now that you’ve asked, The Rostie Group definitely has the answer and, in my somewhat biased opinion, I think it’s a good one!

Coworking really could be the ideal solution for you. It allows you the opportunity to get dressed up in your big person clothes, meet people and perhaps even develop partnerships with other

Coworkers. I can tell you from experience that the Coworkers and tenants at The Rostie Group have built their own ecosystem, collaborating and working together to expand their businesses or learn new skills.

So, if you’re sitting at your desk in your home office – or the corner of the living room where you’ve squeezed in a desk and computer – and you haven’t spoken face to face with colleagues or peers in weeks, then why not take the time to discover the solutions that The Rostie Group can offer to get you out of the house and into a corporate environment?

The cat will miss you, but trust me, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner!

Whatever your philosophy is on making presentations in the Meeting Room there are some basic tenets that prevail. Here are Five critical points to observe when preparing a presentation.

1. Research – Conduct the necessary research so that your presentation ideas are well adapted to your audience’s technical level and needs. Connect your presentation objective/message/idea to the interests of your audience. If possible, when preparing your presentation, gather info on the needs, age, educational background, language, and culture of the target audience. Even on the day of the presentation the audience’s body language will give cues that may require the you to adapt your presentation style.
2. Compact – A good presentation should be focused and in iterative. There should be a preview, an ‘in-view’ (the actual presentation) and a review so that ‘the BIG idea’ of the presentation is communicated effectively.
3. Engage – Use eye contact with your audience, face them squarely and smile. Your facial expression and posture will affect your tone of voice and the tone of the presentation. Avoid letting your voice trail off as you transition from slide to slide or segment to segment of your presentation.
4. Rehearse – Practice the presentation to make sure it flows and to ensure you have allocated time for introductions, questions and answers. This is a good time to make sure that all tools and equipments are working well.
5. Have Fun – Doable? Yes. Present in a way that communicates your passion for the topic. Energy and enthusiasm is contagious!! See?