To make things easier for the rest of you, I then created an OPML file of About.com’s educational feeds and have made it available to anyone. It has all the current About.com Education RSS feeds, plus a few other About.com feeds I was interested in. Trust me, If you’re interested in more than three of these feeds, it’s easier to add the OPML file and then delete the feeds you’re not interested in than it is to add them individually.

All feed readers are different, but for most feed readers all you need to do is save this file, then navigate to “Import feeds” (in your reader) and choose the OPML file you just saved.

So, If you’re keen to become a well-rounded individual, I’d suggest you start by reading these educational RSS feeds and see how it goes. Easy!

I could rant and rave about how good remember the milk is. But I won’t. I have compared it to many task managers and project management systems and found it far superior to all of them. Just go check it out, okay?

I read a fantastic book called “Your Home Business – Helen Chryssides”. I was a little sceptical about this book when I picked it up. I thought it may be one of those wishy-washy books and I was very pleased to find that it had some useful advice for small business in it.

Sections of the book are anecdotal evidence of how you might make your home business work. Helen has asked many successful home business owners to contribute tips and ideas which she then also utilises effectively when giving advice. Apparently, Peter Goldsworthy (South Australian author) also has problems with his fridge being a major distraction.. so I don’t have to feel like a failure for doing the same. *phew*

Helen has a very realistic view of the advantages and disadvantages of working from home. She really thinks about the disadvantages and how you might overcome them.

The main disadvantages of working from home are:

• isolation from peers
• friends and relatives not taking your business seriously
• people perceiving you as unemployed
• people thinking you are available for social calls
• loneliness
• lack of professional image
• distractions (Like the fridge and TV)
• not being able to stop working/turn yourself off
• lack of work or irregular income
• lack of capital to pull you through
• insufficient planning
• not separating work environment from home environment

Now, I’m not going to tell you all the secrets of avoiding or overcoming the down side of running your own business. You’d never buy the book and that’d be cheating. However, I will offer some of her more general tips for working effectively in a home business.

Things to help your business:

• Take regular breaks
• Keep a professional image
• Always be prompt and reliable
• Get good advice – see a local business centre
• Separate work from non-work (Perhaps by setting work hours)
• Get out and see people
• Deal with your stress
• Prioritise tasks in order of financial viability – keep the money coming in!
• Evaluate your progress
• Stay motivated
• Don’t procrastinate! Get on with it!

Remember, just because you work from home doesn’t mean you are to be taken any less seriously.

Don’t become a statistic. Make your business work. And enjoy doing it!

You might even zone out for a while in front of the teev, but it’s still going to bombard you with ads for things you don’t need (but now strangely remember when you’re out shopping). And worse still, if your kids see the ads they’re going to bug you for stuff you can’t afford. Why choose to do that to yourself?

If you come home stressed out and in need of relaxation then actively make time to relax. Take a bath with some candles and a cup of tea or glass of wine. Or curl up in a quiet place and read or take a nap. Take the time to wind down. Put on some quiet music. Maybe a classical radio station. Something peaceful, anyway. An hour like this and you’ll feel much better than you would after an hour in front of the TV. Honestly. Do yourself the favour.

Make mealtimes a sociable thing. Get the whole household motivated and cook together. Get everyone chatting during the meal. You’d be surprised how many families and share houses don’t do this. And it makes such a difference to communication within the household. Well worth the effort.

Building good relationships is far more worthwhile than watching an hour or so of TV. And it’s actually fun. If you live alone you could invite people round for dinner a few times a week. They might even return the favour. Either way, it’s a pleasant way to spend an evening. Much more fun that the teev.

How about going for a walk after dinner with everyone? Nice and healthy. Also nice to see the neighbourhood and pay attention to it a little. Or do some study. Play a board game. Something pleasant and/or self improving. It’s very fulfilling to do something wholesome. Or go and meet friends for coffee or cocktails. Not as wholesome, but definitely fun!

Personally, I spend a lot of time going to concerts, theatre, gigs and movies etc. That can be quite costly, but you can sign up for cheap subscriptions or watch amateur performances to keep the costs down.

Another cheap and fulfilling form of entertainment is to take dance classes or join an amateur theatre group or choir. Have fun meeting people and perfecting your talents for very little cost. These things can often let you explore another side of yourself and take time out from the normal schedule.

If that’s not your thing then why not consider a short course in something you’re somewhat interested in? New cooking style? Something historical? Learn a language? Maybe something more important like a night course for your upcoming change of career.

But if you really are looking forward to an evening of pretty pixels in your own lounge room there are still ways in which you can improve the quality of what you watch. While you’re out and about doing interesting things you can still record your favourite shows for watching later. That way you can fast forward the ads. If you don’t know how to programme your VCR or DVD recorder then take the time to learn! That way you can watch your favourite stuff when it suits you.

The biggest positive to recording shows for later is to avoid the adverts. But the next best reason is that you are only watching the shows you value and not getting sidetracked watching things just because you’re sitting in front of the box. Another way to only watch shows you value is to buy or rent the dvds of that show or movie. Most libraries have a good selection of DVDs to hire FOR FREE (Wow! Books too!). Local and online DVD stores can supply you with hours of entertainment for very little cost.

The point is to be discerning with your viewing. Don’t just watch any old show. Surely you have better things to do. You have a life. Don’t you?