Aside from being a highly entertaining (and educational) program, this particular episode caught my attention because it hit close to home in an ironic kind of way.

They put Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman in separate cabins for days on end, largely isolated from the rest of the world except for the cameras that were tracking their every move. The show was aiming to see the symptoms of cabin fever and whether they would manifest in the simulated environment. As it turns out, for the most part, they did.

Where it hit a little closer to home for me was the fact that the symptomatology of cabin fever seemed to mimic some of the possible effects of working from home. Let’s go through them one at a time.

Are You Sleeping a Lot?

Given the social isolation that someone would experience by living alone in a wood cabin in the middle of the forest, it’s easy to see that the person can get bored. With this situation, the person may start to feel tired and be drawn over to the bed for a nap or three. Working from home, I’m still connected to the outside world via the Internet, but it is still an isolating experience nonetheless.

Furthermore, not enough sleep can cause a headache, but it’s also true that sleeping too much can bring on the brain pain too. I can attest that I enjoy my sleep and I likely get more hours with my head on the pillow than the average nine-to-five office worker. On the flip side, I tend to be working for most of my waking hours, so I probably put in more work hours too than the average employee too.

Do You Suffer from Forgetfulness?

They say that one of the symptoms of cabin fever is forgetfulness. Jamie and Adam started to perform more poorly on memory tests as their little experiment wore on, possibly because the social isolation scattered their brains. Humans are naturally social animals; it seems like interacting with other people helps to improve many of our skills and abilities.

For the work-at-home entrepreneur, I’m not sure if a similar effect can be observed. I’ve always had a somewhat contradictory memory, being able to memorize credit card and library card numbers without too much trouble, but not being able to remember to complete a menial task upon occasion. That’s why I tend to use redundant to-do lists, writing everything down for future reference.

Are You More Irritable?

Going back to the fact that humans are naturally social animals, irritability may be another common symptom of cabin fever. It may be more difficult to put on a happy face, because you would have been alone with your thoughts for far too long. Working from home, irritability can rear its ugly head into your personal relationships. It’s important not to lash out on loved ones as a result; instead, channel your anger into something more productive.

Do You Have the Angry Eyes?

This is perhaps one of the strangest symptoms of cabin fever. A little difficult to explain in words, “angry eyes” are when the person seems to stare blankly into space but with a mild scowl. They’ll furrow their brow and express a mild anger toward nothing in particular. I don’t think I suffer from this condition, but I have been told that I tend to look “too serious” at times. Perhaps I have a milder version?

So, all you work-from-home people out there, do you find that you display these four symptoms of cabin fever? Is working at home the urban (or even surburban or rural as the case may be) version of cabin fever?

A common error that I see a lot of people make is mistaking maybe (one word) with may be (two words). Naturally, they sound exactly the same, use exactly the same letters, and come from the same kind of word origin. However, their meanings are not interchangeable, so you need to know which to use and when.

Maybe is an Adverb

The word “maybe” has basically the same meaning as the word “perhaps.” It can be placed at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence effectively to indicate that something is neither for certain nor definitely not going to happen.

If you’re unsure whether “maybe” (one word) is what you should be using, try substituting it in the sentence with “perhaps.” If the resulting sentence still makes sense, you should have it right.

Maybe, I’ll go to the mall later. >> Perhaps, I’ll go the mall later.

May Be is a Verb

The differentiation between “maybe” (one word) and “may be” (two words) is not a matter of writing style. There is a distinct difference between the two, because they are different parts of speech.

“May be” (two words) takes on a similar function in sentences as “could be” or “would be.” Alternatively, you can think of “may be” as working the same way as “may go” or “may live.” You have to realize that the construction of this term is much the same. If you’re unsure, as before, try substituting “may be” with “perhaps.” If it doesn’t make sense, then “may be” is the way to go.

Jay may be stronger than Jim. >> Jay perhaps stronger than Jim.
Another test: Jay could be stronger than Jim.

By doing simple checks like these along the way, your grammar can be greatly improved. With a little practice, these checkpoints won’t even impede on your ability to write more quickly, because maybe you’ll start doing these little tests subconsciously. You may be better than you thought.

You don’t need the DeLorean or “Doc” Brown to navigate further into today’s speedlink session, though both would probably come in handy under other circumstances. For this edition of What’s Up Wednesdays, we take a look at some blog posts that look to the past, acknowledge the present, or pave the way to the future. Do you know which way you’re going? Do you know where you came from?

Lori Deschene usually blogs about how we can shift our perceptions and “almost shape reality if we choose to see the good in situations and work with that.” However, she decided to take a different direction on a recent post, talking about the time that she was interviewed by Jay Leno. Sort of. Gain some new perspective by digging into Lori’s past.

Buzz Bishop has been a Vancouver mainstay for a number of years, entertaining us on the FM dial. After being “let go” by Virgin Radio earlier this year, he has been on the hunt for some new digs and now he’s found it; Buzz is moving to Calgary to host the 90.3 AMP Radio morning show. He plans to continue with his DadCamp endeavors, but the radio gig will probably do a better job at paying the bills. Good luck in Cowtown, Buzz!

Ray Ebersole isn’t moving to a new city, but he’s in a similar boat as Buzz because he is starting a new job. Instead of working on the IT needs of a single school, Ray will be responsible for a variety of technological needs for a number of different schools in the district. This “lateral promotion” will surely bring new and interesting challenges. Variety is the spice of life.

Neil Patel may look like a young guy, but he’s a veteran in the art of making money online. You may not want to take the exact same path, but you might want to read how he got started with blogging. Neil describes some problems he encountered as a newbie, as well as some major lessons that he learned along the way. He even managed to prove Jason Calacanis wrong at one point.

Darren Barefoot is already a well-established authority on the Internet, but there is no better way to get mainstream credibility than to be a published author. As such, Darren wrote his social media marketing book. The physical copies have arrived and he’s ready for the official Friends with Benefits launch party. I’ve lined up a copy, so expect a review on BTR at some point.

It might be a difficult decision and a bold move to make, but it is ultimately in your best interest to step outside of your comfort zone. Many of us lull ourselves into a state of complacency, falling into a routine that remains largely unchanged. You may look for situations that present the least amount of anxiety or stress, because these situations are so much easier to handle.

Seeking a Broader Horizon

They give you a place that feels safe, because you have a very good idea of what to expect and, as such, you already have canned responses ready to go. However, this “comfort zone” does nothing to stretch your limits. This comfort zone does nothing to expand what is possible. If Einstein stuck with comfort, we would have never learned the theory of relativity. If Darwin stuck with comfort, he would have never seen the Galapagos.

Yes, by definition, stepping outside of your comfort zone could very easily result in some major discomfort. Say, for example, that you have a mortal fear of public speaking. If this is the case, it’s likely that you would not take on a position where you would be expected to make several sales presentations and speeches in front of large audiences. I don’t expect you to suddenly become the keynote speaker at every major conference, but it may be worthwhile to give a small speaking engagement a shot.

The Fear of Public Speaking

Speaking for myself, I never liked making group presentations in school. I was confident in what I knew, but I didn’t like making that presentation in front of the class. When I got a job at a movie theatre a couple years later, I was asked to go into the auditorium to give the “Front of House” announcement. This is when a staff member heads to the front and informs moviegoers of the emergency exit locations, any current concession specials, and the house rule of turning off their cell phones.

It was a scary experience, to be sure, but it helped to build up my confidence. It wasn’t long before I was very comfortable with the “Front of House” experience. When you take that chance, you have the opportunity to learn what is possible. You may even be surprised by what you can do. I drew upon my newfound skills and confidence in future speaking engagements that I had.

One Giant Leap for Mankind

It doesn’t matter nearly as much if you choose to take baby steps or giant leaps. What matters is that you are willing to take that first step and to keep moving forward. Take a chance. Jump off that pier.

While I am sure that people like Tom Clancy and Stephen King have the luxury of time when it comes to producing their novels, the rest of us generally are not so lucky. In order for a freelance writer to make a decent income, he or she must be reasonably proficient at writing good articles at an expedient pace. After all, writing more is one of the easiest ways to maximize your freelance income. All else held constant, the more you write, the more you get paid.

Even when it comes to maintaining your own blogs, you don’t want to be sitting in front of the computer for hours on end just to produce a short blog post. There are only so many hours in the day and you want to make use of these hours in the best way possible. So, how can you go about writing more quickly? Here are a few quick tips to help put you in the fast lane. Meep-meep!

Eliminate as Many Distractions as Possible

It may feel like you are getting more done, but the reverse is actually true. Multitasking doesn’t help you; multitasking stunts your productivity. If you want to write as quickly as possible, you have to make your best effort to shut out all other distractions.

In general, this means that you’ll want your home office to be a separate room with the door closed. While working, the only application you should have open is your word processor of choice. Turn off the Twitter, stop checking your Facebook, and cast your email inbox aside. The fewer distractions you have, the easier time you’ll have focusing on the task at hand.

Keep the Outline Time to a Minimum

Depending on the type of article, you may or may not want to start with some sort of outline. Just as you did back in school, it could be worthwhile to lay out your main points before you get down to the actual task of writing itself. For instance, I wrote the section headers for this post before I started writing the body text.

This may be useful, but don’t get too caught up in the details. Spending too much time with your outline is not a good idea, since you could be spending that time writing. Just get down to it.

Do It All in Just One Go

Following up on that same note, I highly recommend that you complete your first draft in a single sitting. This is true whether you are writing an editorial, ad copy, a product review or anything that is reasonably short in length. Obviously, you won’t be finishing a complete book in one sitting, but you may aim to finish a whole chapter or a whole section in one sitting.

The benefits of this tip are two-fold. First, you can generally achieve a better “flow” when the text is all written at once. By breaking it up into separate sittings, your writing could end up sounding disjointed. Second, it is much more effective to get a first draft completed and then to go back to edit as needed. With separate sittings, you could end up spending more time re-reading what you wrote the last time you sat down.

Practice Every Chance You Get

As simple as it may sound, this is the single best way for you to write good articles more quickly. The more practice you get, generally speaking, the more proficient you’ll become. It will become easier for you to write, because the words will “come to you” more quickly.

Remember not to confuse efficient with effective though. You still want your writing to be good, but you will soon be producing articles at a faster pace than you ever thought possible.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

On the other one hand, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross told us that the true character of a man is only revealed when circumstances are at their darkest. On the other hand, “Honest” Abraham Lincoln tells us that a man’s character is only truly tested when he is provided with great power. That’s an interesting contrast, wouldn’t you say?

While it certainly would be interesting to contemplate some superhuman abilities, I’m thinking that’s not the point of reference for Lincoln. Most people will tell you that they will stay humble if they happen to come across a large sum of money (like winning the lottery) or a great deal of power (like winning a federal election). However, these tunes can quickly change when the “what if” part of the equation comes true. Would you still be thrifty if you were $50 million richer? Would you still care for the “little people” when you have great influence over major multinational corporations?

What is with our natural thirst for power? Many of us would like to have greater control over the world around us, adjusting it to best suit our personal interests. It is from this notion that we learn about how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I need not remind you of people like Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Saddam Hussein. They were all able to enjoy a great deal of power, but were they all able to handle this power?

Going into a more modern context, how is Barack Obama handling his duties after nearly a year on the job? How have his character and his promise of “hope” been able to hold up with his newfound power?

While I agree that the true character of a man can easily be revealed when you give him power, I disagree with Lincoln when he says that almost everyone can handle adversity. If you take a look around today, with the recession and the overseas war being what they are, I think it’s quite clear that many people don’t know how to tackle hardship.

Instead, I think more people are able to manage mediocrity and normalcy. It is when they approach the extremes, both positive and negative, that you can see who they really are.

When it first started out, Twitter was the realm for Internet geeks and social media fanatics, but it has since grown to include Hollywood celebrities, Washington politicians, and even major international corporations. As this demographic continued to grow, more and more people started to look for ways to make money on Twitter. It took a while for people to figure out how to make money on their blogs, so Twitter monetization is still in its relative infancy.

Before we proceed, it might be useful to brush up on your Twitter terminology and the rules of Twitter etiquette. With that out of the way, let’s see how we can make some money on the popular microblogging platform.

Sharing Links with Amazon Associates

A couple of years ago, I wrote about how the Amazon Associates (Canada) program expanded beyond regular links and banners to include in-text advertising. This is where Amazon would automatically replace phrases on your site with links to Amazon products.

Well, it seems that Amazon.ca is expanding again. As you can see from this screenshot, the Amazon Associates toolbar recently added a button to “Share on Twitter.” The toolbar used to only provide ad creatives to be placed on websites, so it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to promote books, DVDs, and video games on Twitter. Now you can. The Amazon Associates program is CPA-based, so you only make a commission when someone buys something.

Invading Twitter with Sponsored Tweets

Just as there are sponsored posts and paid reviews on blogs, it’s not surprising that Sponsored Tweets came along to capitalize on the Twitter market with sponsored messages on Twitter. The integration is actually very good, since the sponsored tweets go straight out from their website. You don’t need to copy-and-paste into your favorite Twitter client.

With Sponsored Tweets, advertisers can choose to either pre-write the tweet that they would like you to send out or they can ask you to write your own tweet including their link and name. The sponsored nature of the tweet must be disclosed and the easiest way to do this is by including the #ad hashtag. If you feel like sponsoring one of my tweets, check out my profile and follow the on-screen instructions.

Making Money with Affiliate Links

Affiliate marketing is hugely popular, so it’s not surprising that people are trying to push products on Twitter as well. When you log into your account at a CPA network like MarketLeverage, you can search for offers that are fair game for “social media.” From there, you can grab the offer link and share it on Twitter.

Just as with the Amazon Associates program described above, these affiliate links are based on a cost-per-action (CPA) model. In order for you to make money, the person clicking on the link will need to complete an action of some kind. He or she may need to submit an email address, fill out a registration form, or make a purchase.

Taking the Passive Income Route

The above three methods are much more direct ways to make money with Twitter, but the social networking aspect of Twitter lends itself to passive income too. More specifically, you can use your Twitter account for branding and networking purposes.

From time to time, I’ll make mention of my freelance writing business on Twitter or I’ll link to one of my blog posts here on Beyond the Rhetoric. These links may not make any money directly, but they can help you make money in the long run.

Have you started monetizing your Twitter stream? Why or why not?

There is a definite initial appeal to burning the candle at both ends. You may find yourself in a dark place and by lighting both ends, you can be filled with more light and be able to get more done. In the context of working from home or just working in general, it means that you may have found a way to be more productive in the short run.

However, it is ultimately not in your favor to continue burning the candle at both ends. This is how you can lead yourself to burnout and this can come with all sorts of other issues. For instance, when the candle is lit at both ends, it means that you may run out of wax before you reach your destination.

By only lighting one end and letting it illuminate your path for a longer period of time, you have a greater chance of achieving your long-term goals. Certainly reward yourself along the way, but keep the end prize in mind too. You have to make sure that you have enough reserve wax to get you to the finish line.

Another issue with burning the candle on both ends? There’s a good chance that you’re going to get burned.

It’s easy to get claustrophobic, so to speak, since the fire will encompass you from both directions, giving you very little space to escape their heat. By only lighting one end, you have a way out and you have an easier way to get away from the fire when you need to take a break. We all deserve some reprieve sometimes.

I will admit that I have burned the candle at both ends in the past, but I’ve started to realize the difference between having a strong work ethic and overworking. There is a fine distinction between the two, because you want to complete you tasks, but you don’t want your health and relationships to suffer as a result. Every once in a while, you need to stop and listen to the music, smell the flowers, and sip the coffee. Life is too short to miss out on these little treasures.

Do you find yourself burning the candle at both ends? Or do you have the opposite problem of struggling to find a match in the first place?

Lest we forget. If it were not for the brave men and women who serve their country on our behalf, we would not be able to enjoy the freedoms that we do. In today’s society, it’s far too easy to get overwhelmed by little things, so we should all take a moment to consider the big picture.

We call it Remembrance Day here in Canada, they call it Veterans Day in the United States. The first couple of posts in today’s speedlink approach this subject, talking about great wars and why we wear poppies on our lapels. The other three discuss different subjects, giving us a more comprehensive view of the world at large. Enjoy.

Ray Ebersole works in the education field, so he sees each and every day what happens in our schools. In a post from two years ago, he’s noticed that standardized tests like the FCAT have focused too much on math and English, and not enough on social studies and civics. Where is the lesson on Pearl Harbor? Why is history taking a back seat?

Sean Rasmussen offers a terrific summary of Remembrance Day. In the post, we are given some background information on Armistice Day, the significance of the Flanders Poppy, and how they really “didn’t want to fight.” A good read.

Leo Babauta reminds us that we should not confuse motion with action. Sometimes, it can difficult to remember how to keep moving forward, so Leo offers us 13 little rules of action. Don’t overthink it, forget about perfection, and take small steps.

Joseph Planta has had the opportunity to interview many great people in his day, but very few are quite as great as the legendary Dal Richards. The 91-year-old big band leader is as healthy as he has ever been and he just released his new memoir, One More Time. Did you know that Dal gave Michael Buble his first paying singing engagement?

Bernie Yee is reaching that time in his life when everyone asks him what he wants to be when he grows up. It’s time to take some action, either through training or education, and Bernie thinks that he wants to be teacher. He enjoys the company of children and he’s been told that he has the patience to pull it off. Good luck!

One of the major perks to having a home-based business is the relative level of convenience that it can offer. You don’t have to deal with hour-long commutes to the office and you have greater flexibility with your schedule should any unforeseen circumstances arise. At the same time, staring at the same four walls for 24 hours in a day can wreak havoc on your sanity.

As nice as it may be to have just a 30-second commute to the home office each morning, there will be times when both your sanity and your productivity can benefit from working outside of the home. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go back to the cubicles of old, but it is valuable to step outside of your door from time to time.

Thanks to the lower price of technology and the greater prevalence of free Wi-Fi hotspots, you can walk into just about any coffee shop in a major city and be blanketed in free Internet access. Just pack up your laptop, head over to the local Starbucks (or other similar coffee bar), and get in a few hours outside of the home.

If your home-based business doesn’t require access to the Internet, your options are even greater. Try going to the public library for some peace and quiet. Head out to the beach or the park for some fresh air. It may even be valuable to work from your back porch every once in a while.

A suitable alternative that you may also consider is the shared office space that you can get from a place like The Network Hub. This shared workspace gives you in-office camaraderie, as well as full mail and phone service, without the pressures of office politics. If you spend most of your time working from home, you can also use The Network Hub for meeting room rentals so you don’t have to invite clients into your cramped (and possibly cluttered) apartment.

Whatever your situation and no matter how much you like working out of your home office, it is of paramount importance that you get away from those same four walls from time to time. This can boost your confidence, improve your productivity, and save your sanity.