Whether you work from a home office or a conventional office, sometimes staying on task can be a challenge. But what about when you have a deadline? Or when you just keep putting off something that needs to be done?

Here are a few tricks to get the most out of your time.

1.    Get out of the office
Sometimes plunking down in the middle of a semi-busy coffee shop can help you get more done than sticking to the quiet of your desk. According to research, when we’re in public we want to look like we have a purpose. This little psychological need can help us stay focused on a task when we’re surrounded by strangers. To learn more about this, check out Lifehacker’s Why Some of Us Get More Done at Coffee Shops.

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So, it’s my first week here at CityMax.com, and as a dedicated web coach one of my first assignments was to dive right into the easy business website builder. After getting used to making my way around the application and understanding how to take advantage of all the tools available, I’ve found five helpful tips for the newbie CityMax.com user!

1. The “Edit Site” tab will always be your go-to button.

When you sign up for your free 10 day trial, or if you’ve just made your website active, the “Edit Site” tab when you login on the top left beside the “Dashboard” tab is the most important tab for navigating your website. This tab will have five helpful sub-tabs: View Site, My Pages, Add Page, Design, and Domain & E-mail. You will be able to access all your pages here (under “My Pages”), as well as change and customize your template (Under “Design”). This is the best place to keep your website organized.

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Image by Casey Serin

One of the things I was excited about when I started my own business was the ability to claim business expenses. In particular, I thought it was going to be great that I could now write off lunch, dinner, coffee, or whatever else.

What I didn’t know at the start is that you can’t just write off whatever you want. Before you get out of hand with restaurant expenses, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here’s a quick list for you.

1.    Business must be a part of it
For any entertainment costs to be written off, you need to be actively conducting business before, during, or afterwards. If you’re not talking about numbers, opportunities, or strategies - it probably doesn’t count as a business expense.

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We have some pretty cool customers at CityMax.com, and we love hearing their stories. Recently we came across one that really takes the cake! Shane Harding (pictured here with his daughter) is a NASCAR driver based out of Langley, British Columbia (just outside Vancouver). His crew chief Joe reached out to us about getting involved with the team and we jumped at the chance to be a part of it!

Check out the new car below:

With over 20 years of racing experience and countless wins under his belt, Shane recently had an amazing outing at the 45th annual Apple Cup race in Yakima, Washington. Joe emailed us the story behind the race and we thought you might like to hear it too (it’s a bit of a read, but well worth it!).

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Is there a steep learning curve?

As an entrepreneur, you wear many hats and juggle many different roles: so the last thing you need is to figure out how to use a tool. If you can’t get set up within minutes and understand intuitively it’s features on offer, then it is not the right tool for you.

A great example of a tool that is `oh so easy’ to set up and use: Rescue Time, a personal productivity tool that tracks the way you spend time online, showing you where you’re wasting time and how you can be more effective.

Simply download their software, and it installs within minutes on your computer. During the first 24 hours, it asks you a series of questions via pop up prompts to gauge how you work, then quietly works in the background to discover what you’re wasting time on.

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Image by Arria Belli

Inspiration comes from a lot of places, and one of the best sources is from the words of experts. At CityMax.com, we’ve got a library of books on all sorts of topics, including design, programming, money management, sales, and marketing. More often than not, I’ve walked away from these books with at least one great idea.

If you’re looking for a little insight, here are some of the books our team has found helpful!

The Dream Manager – Matthew Kelly
If you have employees and want to avoid high turnover and low morale, this book will help you create a workplace that fosters teamwork and loyalty.

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This week CityMax.com had the great honor of being named a runner-up finalist for Best Employer at Small Business BC’s Successful You Awards. While we’re not one to toot our own horn (really!), the best part of the process was finding out what really makes a great workplace.

As I was putting together our presentation, I thought about all the cool stuff we have in the office and all the fun things we do, but then it came to me. It all begins with the people I work with every day.

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