Thursday 30 April 2009

Yougov - only one pay out per person?

I used to do YouGov and in a way I still do, or at least I would do if they would send me some more surveys to do.

I finally got to my payout level of £50 after some lazy years of responding to about half the requests to complete surveys and received the cheque about 9 months ago. In that time, after resolving to do every one that came my way now that I had confirmed they do actually pay out, I have received 3 measly survey requests!

Now it might just be me, but I get the impression that once you've had £50, they're pretty reluctant to give you any more in a hurry. I suppose they need fresh blood, however, I don't seem to be earning anything more in referrals, despite knowing a few people who have signed up with my link.

Well at least I don't have to actively maintain anything so it's worth just doing them as they come in and who knows, in five years I may be getting my second £50 cheque!!

Friday 3 April 2009

Work Space Worries

If, like me, you live in a one bedroom apartment, you'll understand the difficulty that comes with working from home. But do not despair! It is possible to create an idyllic workspace in the smallest of places. All you need is a little creativity and a few bits and pieces.

Working from home has many plus points. You don't have to commute to work, you don't have to deal with office politics (especially if you just want to get on with the job) and often, you'll notice vastly increased productivity. But working from home also has drawbacks, the worst being the increasingly disappearing line between work time and play time.

If you find yourself sitting on the sofa updating your affiliate sites, or propped up in bed finishing your freelance assignments, then the line between working life and private life has been crossed. That is why we need a dedicated workspace, no matter how tiny our living space.

In my apartment, I have a desk in the corner of the living room, behind the actual living space and surrounded with bookshelves:

In this way, my books, files, PC and all other work related items are compartmentalised away from the actual living space, so I have a mini-office.

It doesn't matter how small your space (mine is very small). Of course you don't have to have it as cluttered as me. A simple laptop desk with maybe a flower, lamp and bookshelf should suffice for the minimalists out there.

The most important thing is to have a place you can think and get into the work mindset and a separate place for cooking, watching TV, sleeping and so on.

Of course, I often wind up on the dining room table just for the space, but then we very rarely ever eat on the dining room table anyway!

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