Seniors Site

Let’s face it, sometimes it gets really frustrating at work especially if your career has already become a routine for you. Or perhaps you lost interest and would rather do something else. However, we all know that is not easy to just drop everything, pack your bags and leave since most of us are bound by 101 financial reasons.
Nonetheless, not having enough motivation at work does not always mean you do not like your work anymore. Maybe you just need a quick break or you have been knee deep all along and it’s already stressing you out. Here are some tips on how to maintain a healthy career motivation for us, older adults, who are still in the workforce:
•    Try something new. There should be no such thing as monotonous career. If indeed you feel like you are having one, then it’s time to introduce challenge to your work. Try something new, just to help you get engaged again. Aside from that, you’ll be able to get your career to a whole new level.
•    Find new opportunities. New opportunities represent challenge and work. There’s no better way to get yourself motivated than finding new opportunities and ultimately be successful in making them work to your advantage.
•    Avoid complex situations. Sometimes, having too much complication at work will frustrate you enough to shut your whole brain down, affecting your work flow. To avoid this, try a more targeted approach and focus on the things that matters most. Trivial things can wait.
•    Step back and assess your problem. Is you career weighing you down or it lacks the “kick”? Knowing for certain what you want and how you want it done will help you get your motivation back.
•    Perhaps a change in scenery? As we age, it is only understandable that our body, mind and soul will crave change as well. Perhaps a change in pace or starting anew. While seniors may find it impossible to stop working altogether, you can always find ways to lessen the burden or make it more enjoyable for you to accomplish.
•    Set up goals. Having a definite purpose career-wise will help you stay motivated. It’s like walking toward one goal in which your path is well lit.
•    Remember where motivation comes from. It comes from within you, by the way. You can push yourself ‘til kingdom come but if motivation does not manifest by itself, then maybe it’s time for you to move on.

Oftentimes, although we fail to acknowledge, our workplace becomes the very source of stress. For seniors, this spells catastrophe since your workplace should be one of the few places where you seek solace and refuge. This should be the place where you get creative and put together ideas, not something that represents chaos and depression.
Mind you, it happens—even to the most workaholic person I know of. Ever heard of complaints such as “I need a change” or perhaps “I don’t feel like working today”? That’s because their workplace is starting to feel like it’s closing in on them and there’s nowhere to run anymore.
It was said that your workplace represents your psychological—even mental—state. But what if it drives you crazy, would that mean you can easily be distracted by your environment as well? With these handy tips on how to rebuild your workspace, you are sure to get what you want from it and ensure it serves its purpose well!
•    List the things that annoy you the most when working. This should be easy as you are most certainly be noticing these things beforehand. Will it be the noise down the street or perhaps that neighbor’s dog barking up everytime someone passes their door? Annoying thing can be irritating and it really breaks your momentum causing you to slow down or lose interest altogether. These are the things you need to give attention first when rebuilding your workspace.
•    Your workspace should imbibe feeling of privacy—where you can be left alone with your thoughts. If you are working at home, the most ideal set up would be a whole room for your workspace. In an office setting, however, where cubicles are most popular. Try to pick a spot wherein you own at least one wall on any side just to avoid feeling too exposed.
•    Set up your workspace closer to the window. This gives you a breathing space when things are getting heavy without the need to leave your seat, or your work, for that matter. Also it creates an illusion that your workspace is much larger than it really is.
•    Have someone nearby but do not get in the middle of it all. This applies to seniors who are still working in an office set-up. Yes, you need your time alone but you also need someone to remind you that you are still a human and you are part of the office, not someone who should be taken for granted. On the contrary, getting yourself in the middle of it all will make you feel you’re just one of the many faces easily forgotten.
•    Proper lighting is important. If you cannot get enough natural lighting then have someone install a bulb in your workspace to enable you to see your work properly.

I have always believed that one of the biggest factors contributing to a senior’s stressful life must come from work. Whether it’s working with difficult boss or maintaining a near-impossible time table and indeed, working with difficult coworkers, it can all affect a senior’s positive disposition one way or another. As fiercely suggested, seniors must try to slow down and enjoy life as it will certainly do them significant amount of good. Getting your nerves all frayed is never good for anyone, much less seniors who still have their health to consider. However, it seems that if you are working in a “team” work environment such as in an office, you are most likely to encounter a difficult coworker, whether you like it or not!
Seniors don’t have to put up with these behavioral problems your coworkers must be having, here are some tips on how to deal with them without sacrificing your own productivity at work:
•    Create a plan of action. Knowing where your options are creates a certain kind of feeling of being one step ahead of the situation. Like you have a control over things and not the other way around.
•    Assess where you stand. Difficult people almost always don’t realize they are being difficult to others, until the time someone tells them straight. If your coworker is being difficult not only to you, then it’s time to get others involved before “difficulty” turns into a problem. As much as possible, don’t take it as a personal attack unless it blatantly is.
•    Your contribution to the situation. You might be contributing to the situation without you knowing it. Try to assess yourself, your reactions to the person when he or she is trying to communicate with you.
•    As a senior, it is expected of you to have some maturity over things. With maturity comes understanding such that, you must understand how things work first and its outcome. Understanding where your coworker is coming from must be your best weapon in warding off stress.
•    It is okay to confront your coworker, but never attack the person! As much as possible, express your concerns being not so beneficial as far as your working relationship is concerned. Try to work out an agreeable flow of things to make the relationship work. Always keep your emotions in check when trying to talk to a difficult coworker.
•    When things get tougher then it’s time to involve the gods! Your supervisor, your boss or whoever is in charge for this kind of problem. Nobody wants a snitch but if it’s the only way to resolve the problem, then why not?

Don’t you just love being the guy who knows everyone by first name? Or if somebody just needs to talk to someone, you’ll be the first one they will ever contact to get this someone’s attention?.. Well, I say, that’s one of the perks that comes with living in this world for such a long time! Seniors who have been in the work force for so many years are indeed well-known in their chosen field. Even those stay-at-home wives must have filled at least 2 personal phone books when asked.
In line with this, let me just introduce to you a new word:  networking. You must have heard this word once or twice—many times if you are active in the “web” scene. Social networking for one is probably the most used term as of the moment but just to be fair, I won’t jump into conclusion that we all are aware of that. Networking, by definition, is the act of meeting new people and making new connections. For seniors, like I stated earlier, connections are never a problem since they already existed, unless of course if you are planning to make new connections in yet another field. Problem is, most of these connections just go to waste, instead of making the most out of them. Let me rephrase that, it’s not about using people you know but taking your business to the next level just by merely knowing these people.
In today’s world, knowing as many people as you can will definitely be an advantage for you. Take for example your resume. You name people there as your referral, and somehow it has to be someone who can vouch for you and at the same time, prove to the company that his or her words can be depended on. Just imagine if you wrote down a name of a president or CEO of a well-known company? Just imagine that! That’s networking at work!
I would like to think that everyday is an opportunity to make new connections. It was said that no man is an island, and I firmly believe that. There are billions of people out there and millions of ways to make connections, there is no good reason why you should not explore the possibilities of networking. Making yourself ready and presentable all the time are the next best things to do, to attract people. To make networking work to your advantage, you should know the golden rule:  that is offering your help whenever needed. This way, you are already paving the way to a good relationship which you can reap benefits from in the future. Also, word of honor is very important so always deliver your promises.
Networking is all about relationships—as much as possible, personal ones. It should be cherished and nurtured overtime to make it work.

Juggling work and family can be hard and indeed it can take toll even to the strongest of the human race. Unfortunately, it is a situation which you don’t have much of a choice. For someone younger, let say 30-something adults, work means career while family would mean spouse and kids. However, for older adults it would mean work as a means of existence and family, being his or her parent plus partner.  If I were to choose, I would definitely go for the former as there will be enough room to somehow make it work while the latter would mean getting stuck to the situation whether you like it or not. Good news is, thankfully, the words “working” and “job” are now taking a whole new different meaning, something that is remotely possible 10 years back. Telecommuting is fast gaining popularity as business owners are starting to recognize its benefits for both parties. So does outsourcing. These two made it possible for people who are having a hard time keeping up with the ever demanding work time and family life. Here are some types of job you can do at home or away from the office, and it pays really well too!
•    Medical Transcription. If you already have a background in medical and you are pretty much familiar with medical terms used by doctors then you won’t have much of a problem getting medical transcription jobs. Medical transcriptionists are in demand nowadays since doctors and medical practitioners are required to keep written records of their patients. However, they don’t have much time for it. A medical transcription job pays well and it can be done at home.
•    Website design. Let your creative juices flow while getting paid for it. What’s even greater is that you’ll be able to view and visit your work every day! if you want to go a little further, attend computer programming classes and boost up your pay even more!
•    Legal assistance. Legal assistants or paralegals play as the lawyers secretary or, the lawyer’s secretary’s assistant. They do research, prepare documents, secure signatures and more. In other words, they do the legwork for the lawyer. Usually paralegals are not required to come to the office on a regular basis, they just report when needed.
•    Tutorials. A retired teacher perhaps? Then just go post an advertisement and let the word spread about your newfound career. You don’t have to go to their houses either, you can have them come to yours after designating a conducive spot in your house, for example a spare room.

Considering the age we must be in right now and the experiences we have had so far, by common sense it is safe to assume that somehow seniors have already developed and honed their persuasion skills very well. We might even have developed our own tricky little ways to get the things we want in life. However, all things considered, some seniors prefer to just go with the flow and not put in good use their useful skills acquired all those years being a runner-up in life’s so-called rat race!
News flash for seniors! Now more than ever, you need to practice the art of persuasion. Whether you are starting your own business or hoping to land a job, or perhaps switching careers, seniors need to be persuasive enough to get things in order, and of course, be able to recognize it when applied to you as well. This, in a way, will help you assess if you are being scammed or not, if you get what I mean.
You would know you successfully persuaded a person if that person embraced your idea without any doubt at all. For those who are having a hard time applying persuasion, or feel guilty everytime they need to, here are simple ways to enhance your persuasion skills and further your influence as well:
·    Be generous. Consider this as an investment. By nature, people tend to loosen up when a person is kind or at the very least, appears to be kind. Generosity, indeed, is a sign you are willing to give whatever you have and you are kind enough to be trusted. It need not be material things, it can be in form of praises and such.
·    Personalized your moves. For example you are a client receiving an invitation though email from someone you bought something from few months back, would you like to receive a generic letter with “Dear Sir/Madam” on it or prefer to have your name emblazoned on top of it all? Of course, you would like to have the latter right? That’s the exact same thing the person you are talking to must be feeling.
·    Never confuse your audience. Seniors must focus on their thoughts when speaking to an audience. Never present too much choices and options to choose from instead, just give them only the ones they need.
·    Point out what they are missing instead of forcing your ideas in. By attacking an issue this way, your audience becomes more educated thus helping them arrive to a better understanding of the situation.
·    Express concern and move against self-interest. Yes, it may defeat your goal all together especially if you are trying to sell a product but by gaining your audience’s trust, it will be easier to have them accept and embrace your ideas.

When you talk about virtual offices, virtual assistants are never too far out of mind. In fact, it would be the next big thing you’ll ever do for your virtual office, especially as your business expands. Many seniors may frown with this idea as it is a fairly new way of conducting business and it requires certain level of techie “know-how”. However, hiring a virtual assistant has many, many benefits and it, like a virtual office would, can save you a lot in the long run!
Somewhere in this blog, I have discussed how out-of-work seniors can explore the many possibilities of freelance work, both online and offline. It includes virtual assistance which I find both flexible enough to handle and challenging enough to keep your aging brain in working order.  On the other hand, seniors need not to be on this side forever, as more and more retirees are starting out their small businesses and eventually will need services of an assistant.
I understand it can be doubtful at times as you will be working with someone remotely, and it is very possible to not meet your virtual assistant personally EVER. It can be scary especially scams infest the internet in overwhelming proportions but believe me, when you finally meet your match, you are most likely to tell yourself that the risk you have taken is all worth it.
FIND YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
There are many online marketplaces today which house different kinds of virtual assistants from all over the world. If you are comfortable working with someone through emails, chats and calls only, then you can hire someone from faraway countries such as India and the Philippines. These countries usually charge lower than other foreign countries which can definitely save you a lot of money. However, you can also hire someone local for a much cheaper rate than having them go to the office everyday! What’s more important is that the hiring senior knows exactly what he wants from a virtual assistant prior to the scouting process. Best stick with reputable marketplaces when posting for a VA job.
HIRING YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
After posting the job, you are sure to get bids. Depending on the job description you posted, you can receive at least 10 candidates up to a hundred within a minute. Now you can look at their profiles and assess if their skills are what you need. Their profiles are most likely to have their work history, time worked if the marketplace is an escrow service and feedbacks from their previous clients. These things will help you make the right decision in choosing a provider. Rates also vary depending on the extent of work and expertise the virtual assistant may have.  Like traditional office setup, you will have to set an appointment for interview so take note of the time differences. You, as the hiring party, should be able to set rules such as what you expect from your VA and what tasks are to be done.
LAST NOTES
Connection is very important as your virtual assistant will be working with you very closely. In fact, he or she may know way more about you and your business than your partner so make sure that both of you are on the same page. Give your VA a probation period of one to two weeks, and make sure she knows it. By that time, you’ll be able to determine if she’s good for you or if you need to go look for someone else all over again.

I never thought the day would come when seniors would have to brush up on their job interview skills! Back then, when you talk about senior workers, it would be the seniors doing the interview and the interviewee would be 20-something, nervous and perspiring guys. Now that the playing field got even and competition is now made stiffer than ever, it’s very common to see younger guys doing the interview with the senior on the hot seat. Even if roles have changed, some certain rules still apply. However, these are the things you need to avoid:
·    Sending an informal “thank you for your time” note. Your hiring manager won’t like it if you just drop him or her an informal email with letters too hard to understand or even a poke over Facebook. An extra effort goes a long way such as sending a written, formal letter expressing your gratitude for the time spent interviewing you.
·    Generalized resume. While it is convenient to just make a standard resume and cover letter for all your job interview needs, you still have to tweak it for every job you apply to. Bear in mind that most hiring managers go for targeted skills so it is important to consider what is needed for the job and adjust your resume and cover letters as such.
·    Showing up uninformed. Impress your hiring manager by knowing the facts you need to know about the company. You don’t go asking questions instead it should be the other way around since this is an interview. You only ask questions if there is something not clearly indicated on their job description.
·    Showing up distracted. Even if there are one hundred and one tasks waiting for you outside of an interview, you should turn off all distracting thoughts and focus on the interview now. It will only take a few minutes of your time anyway.
·    Trying to be someone else you’re not. Remember that interviews are meant to gauge if you are fit for the job they have in mind, not to mold you into someone they want to work with. Just give your best answers and try not to be too intimidated by what’s happening around you.
·    Too much stuff will bring you down. Just bring your resume, cover letter and yourself, nothing else. Unless of course, if requested by the company or the hiring manager. Take out coffee cups are not welcomed either.

RV travels are road trips of the next level! RV trips are always memorable and amazing and it sure does save you, the traveler, a lot of money. Also, it’s flexible enough for spur-of-the-moment trips and even for impromptu ones. The gypsy in me has always dreamed of living this way, only the boundaries of reality don’t permit such. So for me, every RV trip is special and I take it as my one-time token to wonderland where everything is forgotten and each day is spent living like it’s your last!
RV, motor home, trailer—whatever you call your mobile home, is certainly a must for seniors nowadays! According to statistics, there are about millions of RV owners in America alone, and half of it belongs to the senior group! Furthermore, as reported by RV sellers, about 3 out of 5 inquiries come from older adults–retired and near-retirement. When asked, a senior is most likely to tell you that the sense of freedom it gives and the adventurous nature of it compel them to acquire or rent one. RV trips are certainly gaining popularity these days amongst seniors!
What’s great with RV travel is that it provides much-needed bonding time for families and indeed for partners without breaking your wallet. It can be short trips, long distance ones and even just to enjoy outdoors.  Campgrounds for RVs are never a problem in the US as there are many of them out there, both public and private grounds. Plus, you can pick whatever rocks your boat too, from ocean view, nature trails to recreational sites. The only limit would be those “No Overnight RV Parking” signs!
For seniors who are interested with RV travel, here are some tips to get you by:
·    Travel plan, or even a rough draft of where you are supposed to go. While it’s so tempting to just hit the road and fly like a blind bee, it still pays to have even a rough plan of your trip just to have some semblance of organization. Most importantly, know the points within your trip where you can park safely overnight. Try a GPS system just to be sure.
·    Double check the things you need. First and foremost, your RV must provide comfort when the need be. While on the road, your trip must focus on the sights to see and places to visit, not on how and where you’ll get your necessities. Before you hit the road, make sure your RV is properly hooked up with systems like gas, water and electricity.
·    Pack in your emergency kit too! Emergency medical kit is a must.
·    Scour thousands of RV travel guides online. Since RV travels are popular nowadays, there are many websites offering travel guides for RV enthusiasts like you—made by, who else but professional RV travelers who have been hitting the road for quite sometime now. Print them if you like, for reference.
·    As much as possible, go for senior-friendly locations. They provide more security for travelling seniors and sometimes they come with discounts. Find them online.

Virtual offices, what are they? They function similar to a traditional office, only your staff is offsite which means, you don’t get to see your staff daily. It was said that virtual offices became popular with the advent of technology and information age, also called as, the internet age. This is the time when communicating globally is not only possible but also made very easy. With thousands of tools available for real-time collaboration and communication, it opened another door for small businesses the world over to run and maintain a virtual office with real people as staff therefore exuding a professional feel but only at a fraction of the cost of a traditional office. This is why virtual offices are the best choice, if not the best solution, for small and startup business.
Now, if you are familiar with virtual assistants, I must say they are the ones directly behind a virtual office. These folks work from home and do without all those hassles of going to and fro work, and indeed they earn well! What I like with virtual offices is that it really benefits seniors the most since it allows mobility and time-flexibility. For seniors who are looking for ways to cut costs on starting their own businesses, explore the possibilities of a virtual office. Here’s how:
·    In a virtual office, all you need is an internet connection and of course a computer—two of which I know you have now since you’re able to read this post! If you are the type of senior who travels a lot but still wants to get connected with your staff 24/7, you might need a smartphone like iPhone or BlackBerry.
·    Softwares for you and your staff’s use. This provides uniformity amongst the members of your virtual office. You can either have someone design one for you which can be as secured as ever but really expensive or just choose a good collaboration platform or management structure to manage the work flow of your virtual office. Those you can find online can be downloaded to several computers for a minimal fee—others can be accessed for free.
·    Your means of communication. Since your virtual office is mostly internet-based, your means of communication should also be the same. Skype is a great application for cheap phone calls and video conferencing—and reliable too! Rule of thumb, the application should be able to perform these things:  instant messaging, audio and video conferencing and file transfers.
·    A valid email address. If you have your own website, it’s just proper to use your own company email address and give your staff their own too since they are now a member of your team. If you haven’t gotten that far yet, a free webmail would do for now, for example Gmail.
·    A good escrow service. This will handle your payments online. It can also be used for your eCommerce business or simply for paying your staff.
·    Secure marketplace to get your staff. There are many out there such as Odesk, Guru and Elance where you can find virtual providers from all over the world. It can be global or just within your area, depending on your preferences.