Are you as FRUSTRATED as me with Googles "completly redesigned compose and reply experience" for Gmail?      

The new format lets you compose messages right from your inbox, allowing you to keep an eye on incoming messages and reference other emails without ever having to close the draft on which you're working. When you hit the "Compose" button, the message template will pop up in a window on the lower right-hand size of the screen just like Gchat messages, only larger.

This way, you can view the messages in your inbox, and even do a search as you write an email. Since the new compose window works the same way as chats, you can work on multiple messages at once, and minimize a message if you want to finish it later.

"How many times have you been writing an email and had to reference something in another message?" Gmail product manager Phil Sharp, wrote in a blog post Tuesday. "Saving a draft, opening the old email, and then reopening your draft wastes valuable minutes."

Even better -- you'll see the same changes when you respond to a message as well. The new reply window will take up much less space on your screen, and expand to fit your content. It will always show the message recipients, no matter how long your message gets.

Google is rolling out a preview of the new compose and reply format today. You can test it out by clicking the link that says "new compose experience" next to the Labels button when composing an email. Google said it will launch the new format for everyone over the coming months. Until then, you can choose whether to use the new or current format.

For more information about the new compose and reply format, check out Google's GmailHelp page.

Google is also adding some other new features to the compose experience, like the ability to insert inline images in a message on which you're working. In addition, when you add recipients to your message, you'll see their profile photo next to their email address in autocomplete. This should help you find the intended recipient even faster.

The Web giant is also working to add a number of other familiar features to Gmail like emoticons, event invitations, read receipts, and canned responses. Google said those features should be available soon.

One of the biggest mistakes businesspeople make is assuming that working from home will automatically result in a higher level of productivity. Unless you carefully construct your home office environment, you may find that working from home is less productive than you anticipated.

Staples, the world's largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions, offers the following tips for setting up your home office to help maximize your productivity.

The ideal working environment

Home office setup is an exercise in knowing yourself. Before you make any decisions, make a list of the things you need to spur productivity. Some people can work at a desk in a common area of the house with the television running in the background. Others want a closed-door environment where distractions are minimized. For some people, a home office is a place to finish up work from a regular day job. For others, a home office is a primary workspace where they spend eight or more hours of the day. Before you start rearranging the furniture, decide what you need as an absolute minimum to encourage you to use the space as intended.

The right office furniture, equipment and supplies

Once you have decided whether you're going to segregate an area of the living room, convert a spare bedroom or set yourself up in the basement or garage, you should start thinking about home office furniture. The type of office furniture you pick and the way you organize your space will significantly impact your productivity.

Whatever your preferences are, investing money up front in the style of office furniture that makes you comfortable will naturally lead to greater productivity. At the very least, this ensures that you won't be tempted to relocate to the bedroom instead of working at your desk. Likewise, an upfront investment in office supplies and equipment will help you get your work done faster and avoid distractions.

The cost of outfitting a home office

A basic home office setup can cost you under $500 if you already have a computer that you can relocate to your new space. There are a number of functional office furniture options that look expensive but are actually quite affordable, especially if you are willing to put the furniture together yourself. A printer and a phone with voicemail can round out a basic home office setup.

A more advanced home office setup would include a fax machine and a photocopier. Fortunately, there are 3-in-1 office machines that combine a printer, fax and copier all in one piece of equipment for under $300, saving you money and space. Keep in mind, however, that a machine that does many things often offers fewer features for each specific function. For example, if your work at home requires more than the occasional photocopy, it can be more efficient to buy a dedicated copy machine that has special functionality to handle a heavier workload.

Don't forget to set aside money in your home office budget for office supplies. From paper to paper clips, you will have to buy all of the little things that you took for granted when you worked for an employer. A home office is sometimes considered the holy grail for people who work. Who wouldn't want a comfortable home oasis where commuting is a foreign concept and the work just gets done? To achieve home office nirvana, make a plan that is specifically designed to meet your individual needs and choose the right home office furniture, equipment and supplies to make your plan a reality.

With the weather warming up kids will start wanting to put down the play station to play on the playground and if you are thinking of creating your own playground oasis here is a great checklist to make sure your home playground is a safe place to play:

• Install and maintain a shock-absorbing surface around the play equipment. Use at least 9 inches of wood chips, mulch, or shredded rubber for play equipment up to 7 feet high.
• Install protective surfacing at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment.
• Never attach - or allow children to attach - ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes to play equipment; children can strangle on these.
• Check hardware for open "S" hooks or protruding bolt ends, which can be hazardous.
• Check for spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs; these spaces should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
• Make sure platforms and ramps have guardrails to prevent falls.
• Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.
• Remove tripping hazards, like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.
• Regularly check play equipment and surfacing to make sure both are in good condition.
• Carefully supervise children on play equipment to make sure they are safe.

This is a great blog about what Zig Zigler use to call "Stinken Thinken"! Are you in the habit of putting good thoughts in your mind on a daily basis or are you allowing that "Stinken Thinken" to seep into your subconscious mind?

Most of us were raised by parents who had depression era scarcity beliefs about money and working harder.

A generation that's about 90 million strong, Millennials (or Generation Y) form the largest demographic wave in the nation's history — even larger than the Baby Boomers. And now that the oldest are in their early 30s (the youngest are 12), they're coming of age for home ownership.

It's a momentous time for an industry still reeling from bad loans, foreclosures and price collapse. Now, builders, developers and agents are gearing up for the onslaught. Just this month, PulteGroup and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate each released a survey of what Millennials want — evidence of their impending influence.

They're not that different from their parents, except they're not as wowed by luxury and are more likely to demand technology and flexible space.

"This generation is coming at the right time," says Fred Ehle, vice president for PulteGroup. "It's the largest potential number of buyers coming in to the market."

They would've come sooner had the recession and high unemployment not deferred many Millennials' dreams. "We forget how tough it is right now for these young GenYs to have a down payment," says Greg Tsujimoto, manager at John Burns Real Estate Consulting in Irvine, Calif. "They have student debt. Another obstacle is finding and establishing their careers."

Slowing GenY's entry into the housing market: delaying moving out of Mom-and-Dad's house, delaying marriage and delaying kids.

"Right now, it's either GenXers or Boomers buying," Tsujimoto says. "It's no secret Millennials want to own a home. That hasn't changed. But there's at least a four-year delay."

The pent-up demand is starting to surface, and "that will more than offset a year or two we missed in the market," Ehle says. "As soon as we get these folks out of their parents' basement and into a job ... "

Unemployment for Millennials (born from 1982 through 2001) is just under 10%, more than two points higher than the U.S. rate of 7.7%, he says.

They will buy when they're ready, says Tommy Stephenson, broker/owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Executive Partners in Augusta, Ga. "Millennials are more well-versed and educated in regard to today's real estate industry and are prepared to buy when the time is right for them," he says.

One advantage: Most are first-time buyers not hampered by underwater mortgages or having to sell one house before buying another.

"Why waste money to rent?" says Cristin Morton, 30 and single, who bought a house late last year in North Phoenix through Better Homes and Gardens. "I'm paying less for my mortgage than I was renting."

What industry research shows:

More than half the Millennials who bought Pulte homes last year said the main reason was to invest and build equity.

Tiffany Troyer, 25, graduated in 2009 from Baylor University. She did what many of her peers did after college: moved back home. She stayed a year, got an apartment and has been renting ever since.

"My parents pressured me to look for a house the last two years," says Troyer, area director for Nitro Swimming, an Austin swimming school.

One day, she agreed to do a rent-vs.-buy spreadsheet. "Rent has increased three consecutive years," she says. "You'll never get that back. Just looking at those numbers, I could own for less than rent."

She qualified for a 3.25%, 30-year fixed mortgage with 20% down and bought a new 1,900-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style house in Leander, a northern Austin suburb. Her mortgage: less than $1,500 a month, compared with $1,600-a-month rent for a 1,000-square-foot apartment.

"I get double the space," Troyer says. "My goal was to buy something that, long-term, if I have a family and kids, it's a place I can stay in."

Pulte's January online survey of 521 adult renters ages 18-34 just released found that efficient use of space is an important feature to 84%. More than two-thirds want an open layout for entertaining. Most want ample storage, and 63% want outdoor space to extend living areas.

"What may be different about this buyer is that they may have more stuff," Ehle says. "It's different kind of stuff: technological gadgets, gaming. They also do work from home."

Better Homes and Gardens' online survey of 1,000 adults ages 18 to 35 finds that Millennials are not keen on traditional floor plans or traditional rooms. They're a "fix-it" generation who would rather do home improvements themselves than ask parents for money. They want their homes to be as unique as they are and each room to represent aspects of their lives, from hobbies to gaming, the survey shows.

One in five say "home office" is a more appropriate name for their dining room, and 43% want to turn their living room into a home theater.

Morton, a medical sales consultant, lives in a 2,300-square-foot, four-bedroom house. The dining room is not a dining room but an entertainment room. "I really want to utilize every room," Morton says. "My parents have a traditional living room. Nobody ever sits there."

Miguel Berger, president and broker of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Tech Valley in Albany, N.Y., was showing a house to a couple recently. Their reaction: "Who uses a dining room?"

The survey shows they would rather have extra space in their kitchen for a TV than a second oven, and that tech features are more important than curb appeal. Almost two-thirds say they would not buy a house without up-to-date tech capabilities.

Yet "they're more frugal because they have lived through a recession," Berger says. "They're very concerned about value. ... They like to know the per-square-foot value."

This is a great great blog post not only for my Real Estate friends but for anyone trying to grow a succesful business!!

Add a comment below of a tip or technique that you have done or experienced to help your business to success