I believe working from home is the way of the day, age and future. With the world so well connected through wireless, laptops, phones, iPhones, BlackBerrys, BlackBerry Messenger, Instant Messaging, GChat, video chat, Skype and Internet cafes, connecting with a colleague or client has never been more convenient.

Additionally, with the closing of larger corporations, we are now entering an era of the niche service. People are slowly starting to realize how to customize their services to a specific niche. It is less costly, the relationships are stronger and there is less red tape and digging through large company directories to try to find the right human to speak with.

Of course, there are some downsides to not working in an office. Passing Joe by the coffee machines might remind you to follow up with that client you both met with last week. Seeing Amy at reception might remind you to put up an auto-reply on your email while you are in meetings all afternoon.

Here are some useful home office tips I have found very helpful in keeping myself organized in Brooklyn:

• Have a landline in addition to your cell phone. BlackBerrys and iPhones make life pretty easy, but a call through a landline will never drop on you or create static. I am used to using a BlackBerry for work and personal, but I also like having a landline, with a light that blinks for voicemails and a speakerphone. A landline can even change your presence over the phone.
• Have a large calendar over your desk. In addition to keeping track of things on your computer’s calendar and your phone’s calendar and, maybe even, a small planner you carry with you, have something large and visible over your desk as well. It’s an extra thing to write on, but writing something down three times will also keep you from forgetting.
• Keep a dry erase board for weekly and monthly goals. Dry erase boards save paper and they are a great way to keep your goals organized and color-coordinated.
• Purchase cabinets and shelves with closing doors. In a home office, it’s easy to get trapped between being home and being in the office. Having closing cabinets will help you close down on nights and weekends.
• Pick a spot in your home with good natural light. Plants and sunlight will also keep your mood chipper and your oxygen flow higher.

These tips can also apply to your workspace in your away-from-home office as well. I wonder how many global travelers work from home offices?

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

I have covered this subject before, but it has happened again. We received a request to cancel complimentary subscriptions (sending comp magazines is a normal practice for advertisers and potential advertisers) and the company claims they are “going green.” What is even more funny is that the request was from Club Med, who has developed properties in pristine locations all over the world. One can claim they have disturbed sensitive environments around the world with the development of their resorts. I really don’t have a problem with that, but pretending you are green by suggesting we should not send our magazine is ridiculous.

First of all, paper is very recyclable and probably not as recyclable as the detergents and cleaning solvents the Club Med and other hoteliers use to run their operations. Let’s not forget about the waste these resorts create, often in countries and places where they can hardly deal with the volume.

Again, there has to be a balance. On the Club Med website, one can clearly receive a paper brochure, and I am sure they have solicited some of their clientele with wood pulp-based products.

Green is great, but let’s not use it as an excuse for everything we do (or have done), but for truly green reasons. At GT we do recycle old magazines, papers and whatever we can. Also, we may fly all around the world (and planes have the least effect on the environment than nearly any other form of travel), but all of us at WHQ and in New York drive very little. I put about 10,000 miles a year on my car, far less than the national average.

Pushing the idea of the green initiative further, my favorite, and I have also written about this before, are the magazines that put “Please recycle this magazine” in the masthead. They use the recycle symbol, fooling people to think the magazine is printed on recycled paper — what a scam! Why don’t they use recycled paper? Because it is considerably more expensive.

Green means not wasting, and I think I am a champ at that!

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

I have been to Chicago twice this year. I enjoyed a long weekend in the city in March with my mom, and just a few weeks ago the GT staff traveled to Chicago for The Motivation Show. One thought pervades my mind whenever I visit Chi-Town — I could definitely live there! If I was ever brave enough to pack up my stuff and hit the road, I think Chicago would be my first choice.

I can’t quite pinpoint the exact reason I am overwhelmed with the urge to move whenever I visit Chicago, but I think it definitely has something to do with the friendly people, the yummy cuisine and the feel of the city. When you go to Chicago, you definitely feel like you are in a city, but it doesn’t have that overwhelming crowded, dirty city feeling that lingers in the air of some cities. It feels urban, yet suburban at the same time. I feel the same way in Boston. And I really like the deep-dish pizza . . . haha!

On the last trip to the city, I stayed at The Avenue. The hotel has a great location, just blocks from the Magnificent Mile. Most of us GT‘ers were centrally located around Michigan Ave. Lisa Matte stayed at the Park Hyatt. Fran Gallagher and Dick Evans were at the Conrad Chicago, while Alex Young checked out the Sutton Place. Courtney Centeno hit the jackpot — staying at both the Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton. Chris Salem was out a bit farther at the Hilton ,and Fernando Palacios enjoyed The Burnham.

We spent most of our time in the city at McCormick Place for the convention and in meetings, but we also enjoyed some of Chicago’s great restaurants. Alex, Courtney, Chris and I enjoyed a great Italian meal at Prosecco, a hidden gem we had to pry out of a concierge. The next night, the staff ventured out to one of Chicago’s famous steakhouses, Rosebud Prime. Even with our busy schedule, I was able to enjoy the essence of Chicago.

Alas, I had to leave, but I look forward to my next visit to the great city.

Of course, I cannot end this blog without congratulating the Philadelphia Phillies! For the second year in a row, the Phils have defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to secure a spot in the World Series. Will the Phillies be the first National League to win back-to-back World Series since the Cardinals in the 1970s? I sure think so. We are the first National League team to make it to the World Series two times in a row since the Atlanta Braves in the mid-1990s. It remains unclear if we will face the Yankees or the Angels, but all I know is, my anxiety will go through the roof watching another nailbiting series. Maybe my deep love of the Phillies is what is preventing me from moving to Chicago. After all, I could never be a Cubs or White Sox fan. I could never be anything but a Phillies phan!

– Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

Back in June I was treated to a wonderful afternoon with my daughter Sarah at the Morton Arboretum, located in Lisle, Ill., one of Chicago’s western suburb villages. In exchange for enduring having both daughters living far from our home in Oregon, my husband and I have enjoyed at least a couple of trips to Chicago each of the last few years. Each time we get to explore new places and try out new restaurants; and Sarah, knowing my love of the outdoors and gardening, made an excellent choice in introducing me to this 1,700-acre treasure. We drove to it easily on a very warm and humid afternoon, located as it is just north of Interstate 88 and straddling Illinois 53.

The arboretum was founded by Joy Morton, who founded the Morton Salt company in Chicago in 1885. His father had been Grover Cleveland’s secretary of agriculture and originator of Arbor Day, so Morton’s interest in trees and such came naturally. Starting from his family’s Thornhill Estate in 1922 when he was 65, Joy oversaw its development until his death in 1934, when the arboretum encompassed just over 700 acres. After that his family and a board of directors continued to grow the area to its present size.

It is an impressive complex of roads, trails, special gardens and groves. A fairly recent renovation has added an attractive visitors center with restaurant, gift shop and meeting and educational facilities. We weren’t too surprised to see that there were at least two wedding parties on the grounds that day, for one couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding, with lakes and formal plantings backed by gentle hills covered with mostly hardwood forests. 

Because of the heat, we decided to hop the tram for a half-hour guided tour of the highlights of the place, and then afterwards we picked a few short trails to wander on our own. There seems to be something for everybody here: a 5-acre Children’s Garden which lets the kids climb, splash and play while adults find their way through the formal boxwood maze, get gardening advice from experts at the plant clinic or just enjoy the grounds. A glance at the events schedule showed that all through the summer months there are outdoor concerts to suit any taste, theatrical performances and “flicks in the forest,” seminars and exhibits, in addition to guided hikes and nature walks and all kinds of flora- and fauna-related activities.

Our brief visit to the arboretum made me wish for more time there and a chance to come back in other seasons. By late June we had missed the exuberant blossoms of the spring, and we were of course too early for the vibrant colors of fall. I was also curious to see the 100-acre tall-grass prairie and a few more of the specialty gardens. Guess that just means I’ll have to plan future trips to Chicago to coincide with the seasons and schedule time to get out to the Arboretum again!

If you have a chance to visit Chicago (or are lucky enough to live in the area), I could easily recommend time spent here, especially if you are ready for a little time outside of the city and in the open.

–Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

This summer in the city has been hot! As I deal with the summer heat, outdoor beer gardens are the last thing on my mind. I consider myself an outdoors type. During the summer, I think about beaches and bike rides, kayaking and fishing. I’ve had to make one big adjustment since moving to the city — learning to deal with spending time indoors in the summer.

A short trip to Massachusetts, Connecticut or upstate New York is sometimes enough for me. I get my outdoor fix over the long weekend away. On the weekdays, however, I feel a strong desire to move to an apartment with central air. I love the outdoor beer gardens scattered throughout Brooklyn, but with the extremely high August temperatures, my favorite city commodity has quickly become useless.

Museums, movies, shopping, dining out and Broadway musicals are some of the best ways to beat the heat during the city summers. Broadway offers great discount prices, and museums offer discounts and, in some cases, free admission! The Museum of Modern Art hosts Target Free Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. After reading Alex’s blog on Tuesday, I think I may have to look up some more great shows on Broadway.

–Courtney Centeno, account executive