the place for women to be

i-Work
Career, combining domestic engineering or work in a different context - ideas to give you energy and rest to restore and revive.

The best and worst of times can be spent at work - we all work, be that at home, at our place of employment, our own business - there's no getting away from it and some of us might be lost without it.

i-Work wants to look at the subject for women today and how the format of work will be in the future. As our network grows we feel this will become a very powerful and useful area of the i-Woman world.

We'll start by breaking the work subject matter into two areas:

1. Careers and Jobs

2. Work as a productive use of time

What does work do?

• Provides Money

• A good substitute for a social life

• Provides an environment for doing good

• Gives you something to do - basically that's why we need it

We don't buy into the discrimination and lesser opportunity angle - look at the contrasts:

Some women are succeeding in well respected and well-paid careers, and managing to combine work and family life, difficult though it may be at times.

Others find it difficult to enter work, perhaps because of their caring responsibilities or through facing multiple discrimination.

Did you know that on average, women in full-time employment earn 18% less than men, and part-time that gap grows to 40%.  i-Work wants to focus on how we can look differently at work other than just boring statistics.

Average Days ...... could that be most days
Just think if you harnessed that average feeling and worked on it ...... you'd feel better - your mind would be stimulated and time would pass faster.  So how can you set this up?

Here are some suggestions or even options - let us know if any of these strike a chord with you:

• Look at the hours you work - would a contract be possible to build in some flexibility?
   
• How much do you earn now and how much could you earn?  How do you get that increase?
   
• How much do you need or want to earn?  How do you bridge the gap?
   
• Do you want to achieve a higher more qualified position...if so, why? ......to earn more, more status or just the challenge and a greater sense of achievement?
   
• Maybe you'd like to work less?  If so, what is it that's really, REALLY, stopping you?
   
• Do you want to start your own business.  If so, what would it take to start ? What's stopping you?

If none of the above really apply to you let's have some fun - games to play at work without too much impact just something to lighten the moment - here goes :

Graded according to how average your day is:

Grade 1
Could include a fantasy setting - imagine yourself in character. I know this sounds nuts, but try it -
          Shakespearean character/Queen Elizabeth I/Boadicea - with a flat tyre on her chariot/Marie
          Antoinette bad day/Marg Simpson - admin dilemma or even a desperate housewife - yes doing
          your job in your office.

Grade 2
Look at what you are doing - routine task - if you were a world leader how would you do the job ?

If you were a Doctor, how would you treat the patient? Get the picture?

Mrs Angry Days
Calming down - whatever has made you angry lets focus on something else. Visuals are good here; cut out and save pictures that give you a calm feeling or make you smile - try it !

Blue is the colour ......of just about everything
Down but not out - we all have these days - apart from the chocolate repair centre - we need to add a positive in at this point - Something or someone that makes you feel better. Poetry is good a personal mantra - use them - keep them for times like this when you really do feel down - this will pass - don't fight it just go with it - Even work can be the right distraction at times.

Ok, so that's i-Work to date - simplistic and easy to relate to but thought provoking and fun as well. Keep working, keep laughing, it's need not be a living hell, it could be utopia .......