Watch this then tell me Bobby Bowden hasn’t been the best thing to ever happen to Florida State football. He’s the best, and he deserves to be treated like it.

Stop trash talking my coach.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have had many people ask me if working from home is easier than working in an office. Some imagine a world of slippers, coffee, and simplicity. Others view it as a way to escape the mundane flow of a formal office. But while some people would like to believe it’s easier to work from home, I wouldn’t agree. I don’t think it’s easier…just different. Here are a few of my thoughts on the pros and cons of working from home:

Pros

• Schedule – I get to set my own schedule. I can determine if I want to do my work in the morning, afternoon, or at night. The whole day is mine in which to work.
• Dress – I’m sure you guessed this one – I get to wear whatever I want. No more nylons, suit coat, and high heels. I’ve resorted to shorts, t-shirt, and slippers. Lovely image, I know.
• Breaks – A friend recently pointed out to me that working from home means better/more frequent breaks. Ten minutes to catch a news clip? No problem. 30 minutes to go take a run? Why not. Two hour lunch? Fine by me.
• QUIET - Working at home is perfect if only for the fact that the house is silent with no one else around. I can put on some music if I want, or I can simply work in silence. No ringing phones (my cell phone is always silenced when I’m working), no loud coworkers, and no interruptions. Peace.

Cons

• Schedule – In contrast to being able to work at whatever time of the day, I still have to wake up early. When I first started working from home, I tried sleeping in until 10, watching the Price is Right while eating breakfast, then cramming my work into the small time slot between 11-12. It didn’t work. So now I’m back at waking up at 7 to start my day.
• Distractions – There may not be any noisy coworkers around, but there are still distractions at home. Mainly: Social Media. If I’m not careful, I can get so caught up in looking at Sally’s weekend adventure pics on Facebook, following the latest breaking story on Twitter, or dropping/adding players on my fantasy football team via Yahoo! that I waste half my day.
• Limited Activity – Anyone who works at home knows how hard it is to stay active. You can become so caught up with work that you think nothing of sitting on the couch, behind a desk, or at a table for 5-8 hours each day. And afterward, just like someone who works in an office, you feel drained of energy and want to avoid any exercise. I found this out the hard way. I’d say for a good two weeks I had little to no exercise. I stayed cooped up in the house for days on end and saw little interaction with the outside world. People would comment on the weather, and I honestly had no idea what the seasons were doing. But now I’ve gotten into a routine of getting up early, and getting out for a morning walk/run. I’ve found it not only helps me get some exercise, but helps stimulate my creativity, boosts my productivity, and helps me feel better overall.
• End of the Day – At the end of the day, most office workers leave the paperwork, shut down the computer, and head home for a relaxing evening (I say most, because some of you are too obsessed with work). But as someone who works from home, that isn’t so. I don’t work 8-5. Many times I’ve found myself working 8-8 or even 9-11. Yes, there are long breaks in between, but my working doesn’t have a definitive end time.

Those are a just a few thoughts I had as I pondered the situation of working from home. Don’t get me wrong, I love it; but it’s not as wonderful as some people would like to believe. I still have to sit in front of a computer and actually work.

To dispel the rumors: No, I don’t sit in the couch and watch TV all day. No, I don’t feast on junk food to my heart’s content. And no, I haven’t turned into an alien. But I will admit I have found myself more caught up on world news, more on top of keeping the house clean, and more ready to take on extra work.

Like I said, there are pros and cons to this working from home thing, and I’m just starting out in the business.

Despite the title, this post isn’t going to teach you how to avoid work. That would be unethical. Plus I think we all know how to do that without a blog post telling us how. But what this post will be is an update on things going on in my life now that fall has come. So why the title? Because I am trying to avoid work. So here we go…

• I have started graduate school online with Liberty University, and am enrolled in Introduction to Graduate Writing right now (I start my Effective Executive Communications class in a few weeks). I am enjoying the personal learning program LU has set up. I’ve also enjoyed communicating directly with my professor. I think I’m going to like this.
• I still work as a freelance editor/writer for different authors/publication companies. I enjoy it, although writing isn’t the easiest work. I’ve always said that you can’t force creativity. I’m learning that I was wrong. Creativity can be forced by listening to a good song, reading some other good writings, or by exercising.
• Exercising – I’ve begun waking early to get out of the house and get some movement into my routine. Working from home really put a damper on my physical activity, so I’ve found myself more determined than ever to keep moving.
• Many people have asked if working from home is easier than working in an office. Well, there are some pros and cons. (Actually, this might better fit into another blog post. More to come…)
• Last week at our monthly Antelope Valley Republican Assembly meeting, I was elected to be the newest Director on the Board of Directors. I believe I’m the youngest person to ever assume that position (I am the youngest member of the group).
• While we’re on the topic of politics, I’m also busy starting the Antelope Valley Young Republicans with a handful of conservative young people in our valley. While it does take much time to start a group, I know it’ll pay dividends for our local elected Republicans.
• And last, a friend and I are looking to go into the world of business ownership. By “looking” I mean that we already have a business plan and already have one contract for a job. Without revealing too much before the final project is revealed, we will operate a bipartisan political think-tank targeted at helping cities transform into communities through utilizing new media.

There’s so much more going on that I could tell you, but I really do have to get to work. But I’ll end with this: It’s football season, the weather has turned cold, and I cannot wait to enjoy the first bowl of my mom’s homemade vegetable soup soon. Happy Fall!

As most of you know, I’ve done quite a bit of ghost writing over the past 4 years of my life. It has its advantages (gaining experience under a more well-known name) and its disadvantages (not getting credit for hard work you do), yet I find myself stepping back and looking at ghost writing as a whole. Is it in someone’s best interest to have a ghost writer?

Most people write/blog themselves, and this is a good thing. There needs to be a sense of transparency and connectivity with your readers. But if spending thirty minutes a week writing is too much for you to handle, a ghost writer is the way to go. Here are a few tips to connecting with your ghost writer.

Spending Virtual Time Together

A good ghost writer is someone who has spent time with their “boss” and knows them well. In a day of the virtual workplace, getting to know your ghost writer might be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Send them some books you’ve written, lessons you’ve taught, conferences you’ve spoken at, articles you penned, etc. Flood them with YOU. Make sure they know who you are, what you believe, how you communicate it, and what you expect from them. Make sure you get to know that person intimately.

I can’t tell you how many times when I first started, my writings were sent back to me to change (even sometimes to completely re-do). It got to be extremely frustrating. But the more I got to know my “boss” and the more I listened to him speak and learned his style of communication, the better I was able to communicate his message on paper. If your goal is to really put your best foot forward in an article, blog post, or printed material, spend time with your ghost writer.

The Little Things Make the Difference

Know this: sending your writer a bunch of material isn’t going to make them become a carbon copy of you—communicating the exact same way. But it will clue them in to the subtleties that make up you. For example, before I got to know my boss, I wrote his ideas in my formatting and in my own words. It was everything he believed and everything he would have said, but it was obvious it wasn’t him writing it. That brought the frustration of multiple revisions and editing. I felt like I just didn’t “get it.” What was I doing wrong? How could I do better? Then I noticed the little things—rather than talking to the audience, he talked with them; rather than pointing out faults, he included himself in the faults. It was getting to know the little things about him and the way he communicated that really helped me “become him” when writing. The little things made the difference.

Keeping an Open Line of Communication

One of the most important things I could tell you is to keep an open line of communication with your ghost writer. Set up a weekly time of contact. Call them on the way home from work on Friday. Shoot them an email each Monday. Let them know that you are connected with them and want them to stay connected with you.

One of the greatest frustrations I had was not being able to connect with my boss. Whether he was away, busy, or just uninterested, I found times when I needed questions answered but couldn’t even get a reply to an email. That shouldn’t happen! Does this mean you have to drop everything to help them when they need it? No, but also let them know that if they have an urgent question, they can contact you or even a secretary for help. Remember, your ghost writer represents you and is either building up your name or tearing it down. Make sure they want to help your image by keeping an open line of communication with them.

In the end, ghost writing is definitely an advantage for the non-stop businessperson. Someone once said, “Delegating is always a good thing, but only when you’re surrounded by people you trust.” If you do decide to hire a ghost writer, make sure it’s someone you’ve spent “time” with, someone who understands the idiosyncrasies about you, and someone with whom you keep in constant contact.

Hurray, I’ve graduated! Now what? Well, like most recent college grads, I have entered the professional world. Meetings, deadlines, bosses, routine tasks each day…life. But not so much for me. Here’s a little look into my unique job situation.

I graduated from college with an education degree, with concentrations in English and History. Interesting enough, yes? While in college I worked as an editor/writer for a local publications company. I still work there part time (for the next few months) but I also work as a freelance editor. I have worked with several authors and helped them get out some amazing books with a range of topics—everything from self-help, leadership, understanding social media, organizational advice, and personal finance. The greatest thing about working with these authors is the chance I get to 1) Meet new people and 2) Learn new information. Just a tip: If your editor is learning loads about your subject while proofreading your book, you’ve probably got a big seller on your hands.

So I work part time at the publications company, work as a freelance editor, and now for the past 2 months I’ve begun working part time at our local state Assemblyman’s office. (With all these part time jobs, I feel as if I’m still in college.) I do all your basic office stuff—answer mail, reply to constituent inquiries, scan the local papers for interesting articles, make honorary certificates, and handle constituent casework. Despite what you just read, it’s actually quite exciting. See, this is the work I want to do, the work I want to spend the rest of my life doing. So, it’s interesting to me.

As if that wasn’t enough, lately I’ve been involved in some community organizations. I’m an active member of a local political group, am starting another political group, and am heavily involved in the politics of my city. Once again, this is fun work for me. So, I don’t mind the hectic schedule so much.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, I’m still a student. Yep, I couldn’t get away for long. I have enrolled in the online learning program of a University from back East. I am getting my MBA degree with a concentration in Leadership. Classes begin in 3 1/2 weeks. That reminds me, I need to go fill out my FAFSA form so I can pay for this schooling. Joy.

So now you know what my life’s been like post-graduation. Exciting stuff. Oh, just wait. Because in 38 days, college football starts. And we all know how Lauren L-O-V-E-S college football. Go Noles!

One week and three days from now, I will be walking across a platform to receive my college diploma. I have waited for this day for a while. Now, it is here. But now that it is here, I realize that it is not the end to learning as I thought. No, it is merely the beginning.

After college comes graduate school, work, career, marriage, children, and so on. After college is when true learning takes place for the greatest knowledge ever gained was not learned in a classroom but was acquired through experience.

So here I am closing another chapter of my life by opening a new chapter—a chapter that holds far greater burdens and blessings. So farewell to college life and here’s to a great rest of life!

Yes, another year of my life has passed. I’m to the point that birthdays don’t mean that much anymore. But no matter my age, birthday gifts will always mean something.

This year’s big gift was an Aurora pen from Montgomery Pens. It is an Aurora Style Rollerball Pen with a black barrel and chrome cap. It may have been a bit pricey for a pen, but I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. I’ve never been a big pen person, but I think I just morphed into one. It is beautiful.

And to all of you wondering, yes I will cry if I ever lose it. But I don’t intend on letting that happen. Ever.