Guest Post - 5 Must-Have Tech Additions to Your Office

Tech additions to your office may seem like a smart, yet, optional move, however, in the 21st century, reluctance to embrace them may end up costing more than heavily investing in them. Each of these gadgets, appliances and trends drives your company’s productivity forward, which provides your entire organization with some quite beneficial side-effects. With that in mind, here are five must have tech additions for your office.

Dual monitors

The first tech addition that you can make in your office is to provide everyone with a dual-screens option. Regardless of what they do in the office, they could probably benefit from having one more display. For coders and designers, the advantages are more than obvious, yet, even copywriters and content writers can benefit from this, too. Imagine not having to alt-tab every minute in order to take another glance at the resource that you’re using for an article in question. Sure, you may argue that, this way, you save but a several seconds at a time, however, try to consider how often you repeat this action. This alone should be more than enough to show you just how big of a time-save this can turn into.

High-end conference room

One statistic claims that an average person spends about 31 hours in various office meetings each month (62 meetings on average, 30 minutes each). While a lot of this may be seen as necessary, the bulk of these meetings could be replaced with standing meetings and circular emails. Also, more important announcements should be made as efficient as possible and one of the ways to do so is to make more efficient presentations. For this, what you need is a presentation-oriented conference room. This means that, for starters, you need a quality screen, as well as experts in mounting TV on wall. Also, if you aim to make video presentation, investing in a quality surround system might be a great idea.

Automated maintenance

Automating the maintenance of your office can make a huge difference in productivity. Think about it, watering a plant isn’t a time-consuming action, however, when is an average office worker supposed to perform this office chore. Should they arrive earlier to work or stay a tad later? In both cases they would feel as if they are not being paid for this extra time invested. If they were to do this chore during their work hours, they would have to take a break from their core tasks in order to do it. Sometimes, in case of creatives, this could even lead to a loss of inspiration. With self-watering planters, this can be avoided in a simple and elegant manner. Same goes for robot vacuum cleaners, smart thermostat and other similar devices.

External HDDs

Even though keeping confidential information in cloud is much simpler, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a couple of external 4TB HDDs laying around the office. You can use them to keep backups and copies of relevant data in a scenario where your office goes offline. Needless to say, this kind of anti-downtime measure of precaution can turn out to be a massive boost in productivity for your team. Due to the fact that you don’t need a HDD per employee, you can do so on a budget quite easily.

Arcade for a breakroom

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. In theory, having your staff work longer gives you a boost in productivity. After all, it’s only logical that one can do more in 4 hours than they can in 3 hours and 30 minutes. Still, working uninterrupted for several hours will cause one to undergo a productivity drop. This is why breaks are important. However, they’re not all that matters. Namely, the quality of break counts as well, so providing your team with a table soccer, pinball machine or an arcade for a breakroom may be quite efficient. These are just some of the break room ideas that you might want to try out.

Conclusion

The last thing you should consider is the fact that outright productivity isn’t all that you receive this way. Working in a high-tech office is an important thing for most millennials, which is why most of the above-listed trends might also boost your talent retention. This alone should be a reason to go for them.

Author Bio: Amelia Atkins is an author at Smooth Decorator and a fresh architecture student. The love for architecture and design runs in her family and she knew what she wanted to do from a very young age. You can often find her with a notepad in hand, just looking at the clouds, dreaming about the next skyscraper. Twitter / Facebook.

Guest Post - 4 Resale Value Boosting Tips for Your Next Home Remodeling Project

One of the greatest problems with doing a home remodeling project lies in the fact that not every investment necessarily pays off in terms of net value. For instance, fixing the roof boosts your home’s energy-efficiency and drastically boosts the quality of life within the given home, but if you intend to sell the place right away, you aren’t likely to see a great ROI. This is why you need to be aware of micro-projects that do give you a positive net value boost. Here are our top four choices.

Garage door replacement

The first thing you need to understand is the fact that a certain part of your home attracts the most attention doesn’t mean it’ll give the best ROI at the resale. For instance, a garage door is something that most visitors notice passively at first and inspect closely later on, and it can give you 98.3% of the initial value. For instance, the average cost of a garage door replacement is at about $3,470 and you’re likely to get as much as $3,411 of average resale value upon selling your home. Naturally, this replacement should be mentioned to the real-estate agent, so that they can point it out during the tour as one of the home’s selling points.

Entry door replacement

Anything that has to do with security is always a point of interest for a potential home buyer. Naturally, the best example of how this works can be seen in the example of entry door replacement. This is an investment that usually pays off about 91.3% of its initial value upon the resale. Due to the fact that it gives you the comfort of living in a safe home and may even become a strong selling proposition during the negotiations, it’s definitely an investment worth making.

Electrical grid and plumbing

Any seasoned buyer’s agent or even an experienced buyer is bound to check the state of the electric grid and the plumbing within your home. With so many homes on the market, why go for the one with leaky faucets and flickering lights? These are simply some problems that are immediately noticeable, so this will make any buyer think about all other systemic and infrastructural problems that they’re yet to uncover. Keep in mind that this problem is something that can occur at any time of night or day (even the night before the scheduled tour), which is why you need to have a reliable electrician nearby. For instance, those living in western Sydney should benefit from having the number of the Western Sydney electrician on speed-dial.

A kitchen remodel

In the first section, we’ve mentioned things that people are bound to notice first about your home. Naturally, any buyer heads to the kitchen and the bathroom first, seeing as how these are the two most functional rooms in your household. This is why doing a minor kitchen remodel tends to recover about 81.1 % of its total value upon resale. However, try not to be extravagant when picking fixtures and appliances. You aren’t preparing a family home but rather a project to increase the appeal of your home and boost its resale value.

Conclusion

In the end, some may question how smart it is to spend money on something that won’t return the investment in its entirety. After all, even the best of investments (return-wise) doesn’t bring back 100 % of the initial price. The answer to this is simple – these four simple improvements can make the difference between you being able to sell the place as soon as it appears on the market and you not being able to sell it at all. As you can see, it’s a world of a difference.

Author Bio: Amelia Atkins is an author at Smooth Decorator and a fresh architecture student. The love for architecture and design runs in her family and she knew what she wanted to do from a very young age. You can often find her with a notepad in hand, just looking at the clouds, dreaming about the next skyscraper. Twitter / Facebook.

Guest Post - How to Organize a Low-Maintenance Green Backyard

Saving and protecting the environment finally got its place in the spotlight. People are increasingly becoming more aware of the impact – both positive and negative – their actions have on the environment, which is why the majority has started to lean towards completely embracing the green mindset. And what better place to start embracing all things green than your backyard?

Now, some may argue that, while undoubtedly beautiful, lush backyards seem to be causing more harm than good – the wasteful irrigation, improper and excessive use of pesticides and herbicides, and the use of various fertilizers that contribute to the carbon footprint. While they might be right in some instances, do know that there are ways you can create a beautiful backyard that is eco-friendly, low-maintenance and, most importantly, green. Here’s how.

Always go with native plants

If you stop and think about it for a second, filling your backyard with only native plants does make the most sense. Unlike the exotic or tropical plants that require heavy maintenance, native plants are already accustomed to the climate conditions of the area you live in, which will make caring for them that much easier. Additionally, since they are living in the climate and soil they are used to, they won’t require any herbicides, pesticides or additional watering.

Use mulch

Organic mulch, such as wood chips, tree bark, fallen leaves and pine needles, regulates the temperature of the soil and retains moisture, which is very important for keeping your plants alive and well. That is why you should use it as much as you can. Since it is so good at trapping moisture, the use of mulch will cut your backyard’s watering needs by as much as 50%.

Rethink the landscape

A truly green backyard is not only pleasing to the eye, but it is also designed with utmost functionality in mind. That is why you should completely rethink your backyard’s landscape before you actually start planting. If you are not sure what a functional backyard design encompasses, you should seek expert advice. For example, landscape architects at Think Outside Gardens consider everything from purpose and size to colours and shapes used in backyard landscaping when optimizing any outdoor area.

Avoid covering your backyard with grass

Lawns and backyards covered with grass are always thirsty for more water. That’s why you should consider covering your backyard with organic ground covers instead. Plants, such as moss and clover, are super easy to maintain, but look beautiful and feel amazing under bare feet. What’s more, clover, in particular, makes for an excellent habitat for bees, so you should allow it to bloom in order to offer habitat to these amazing insects.

Collect rainwater

Finally, even if all of the plants in your backyard are low-maintenance and do not require a lot of artificial irrigation, sooner or later you will have to water them. Now, instead of wasting tap water, create a rainwater collection system and make use of everything the nature has to offer. Besides, rainwater is rich in various minerals and other particles that will only feed your soli, and thus your plants, further. These are very easy to make as well. Simply get a couple of rain barrels or chains and there you have it!

As you can see, putting together a truly green backyard is quite simple, once you know what you should aim for. Therefore, if you are considering updating your backyard, definitely think about putting together a green holistic environment, that will not only look beautiful but that will also work with nature instead of against it.

Lillian Connors can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Twitter.

Guest Post - Smart Storage Solutions for a Productive Home Office

Storage space is a crucial element of any productive, full-fledged home office. If you ask me, it is quite difficult to be organized while your work environment is in disarray. Ideally, you have a whole separate room set up as an office, but even then there are some practical challenges to tackle. The good news is that there is no shortage of smart and creative solutions that keep clutter and mess at bay. You do not even have to break the bank to make a difference. So, here is how to turn your office work-ready.

Box and file it

Storage boxes are a common unit that can hold basic office supplies like paper, cords and envelopes. They do the trick just fine, but you should make an effort to label them. That way, you will be able to find everything quickly. Another popular organizational tool comes in the form of file cabinets below the work surface. You cannot deny their utility, although some people deem them unsightly. Well, a bit of spray paint, color-coding and new handles work miracles in terms of visual appeal.

Divide and conquer small items

Next, focus on smaller items and knick-knacks. It is easy to lose sight of them or give up due to their peskiness, but solutions like DIY mail organizers or even old muffin tins are highly effective in dealing with this nuisance. Use them to store bills, keys, paper clips, pencils, business cards, etc. Also, before you invest in new storage, see if you have some old mugs and masonry jars lying around. They are a great tool to keep your desk space tidy and clean.

Commercial-grade greatness

You can always take your game to the next level by drawing inspiration from corporate environments. Do your research and find providers of versatile commercial storage solutions in your area. You can go for various environmentally-friendly contemporary units that will make working in your home base of operations a pure joy. From small wall hooks to large, multi-tier shelving, the commercial storage world is teeming with possibilities.

Wall-mounted storage

Furthermore, try to maximize the vertical dimension to save floor space (and keep it dust-free more easily while you are at it). Open shelving is an office staple that is easy to set up and can serve as storage for various items and supplies. As an added bonus, you can place potted plants and framed pictures for a splash of personality and style. And if you fancy DIY projects, feel free to create your custom box or dowel shelves. Another option is to hang a rod and clip system on the wall to store small devices, important notes and other items. The list goes on.

Built-in solutions

In case you are feeling pressed for space, do not fret. Take advantage of built-in and custom-made storage units like integrated shelves and purpose-built bookcases and chests of drawers. They make good use of every inch of available space, even those awkward and corner areas. What is more, you can keep things you do not need on a daily basis out of sight. The only thing is that it may cost you more to integrate these units. In my opinion, though, they pay dividends.

Plenty of storage sets a nice stage for good work habits and uninterrupted workflow. Namely, fostering a positive change in your immediate surroundings reflects on your work performance. Every piece counts and adds up, regardless of how small it is. So, it is time to set order to your zone of productivity and banish clutter for good. Feel free to get creative and explore DIY options— add a utilitarian feel and stylish touches. You will be able to keep the work mojo going and get more things done every day.

Lillian Connors can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Twitter