Go Green, Go Big: 3 Big Ways to Create an Eco-friendly Workplace

Green offices are more than just a trend today. Apart from building a positive brand image for being eco-friendly, sustainability initiatives also reduce the energy consumption of your workplace. This leads to lower utility bills, allowing you to reallocate funds to other investments.

Many offices have been practicing small ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Recycling documents, maximizing natural light, and using the energy-saving features of devices are some of the standard practices in most workplaces.

However, if you want more significant savings on your energy consumption, it's time to go big on your green initiatives. But don't worry, because these advanced solutions don't require expensive investments. And they'll offer big returns in terms of cutting your utility bills.

Practice these three initiatives for a greener, more sustainable workplace:

Install a Living Wall

Plants improve indoor air quality and the health and performance of your employees. Instead of settling for beautiful desk plants, go big with a living green wall. A green wall is a panel of soilless plants mounted on a wall.

Apart from bringing fresh air to your office, the wall acts as insulation, reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the building. It helps keep your indoor temperature at a comfortable level, which decreases your reliance on your cooling and heating system and lowers your energy bills.

Plus, the pleasant indoor temperature keeps your workers motivated and comfortable. Living green walls add an aesthetic appeal to your workplace as well, which can help make your days less stressful.

By keeping your employees happy and your energy bills low, green walls help you achieve a higher bottom line.

Opt for a custom-made living moss wall as moss requires less maintenance than plants.

Go Paperless

Instead of recycling your documents, take it one step further by going paperless. Start digitizing your files, projects, and paperwork. This reduces your office waste and frees up storage space for more essential items.

Keep things digital as much as possible, including revisions, corrections, and even contracts with vendors and clients. Paper production is a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Going paperless lets you reduce your carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

Not only does digitization lower your environmental impact, but it also makes collaboration easier and faster. Digital channels let you handover files with just a few clicks instead of waiting for physical documents to be delivered to you.

Encourage Green Commuting 

Finally, encourage your employees to take part in your sustainable initiatives through green commuting methods, such as biking and taking public transport. If these two methods are inconvenient for your workers, you can also arrange a carpooling scheme for the entire office. This reduces your company's carbon footprint while encouraging camaraderie among your employees.

Work-from-home policies can also help make your workplace more sustainable. If your staff can perform their duties remotely, they can reduce their environmental impact by not traveling. Plus, the fewer people you have in your office, the less energy you'll need to run it.

Continue to actively learn about sustainability and how you can apply it to your workplace. Hold regular sessions about sustainable practices to encourage eco-friendly habits among your employees. This will help you more easily embrace sustainable workplace practices, boosting the long-term success of your business.

4 Reasons You Should Work In Healthcare

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Healthcare contains a broad set of career options that could provide you with a great sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and purpose in your life. Finding a reputable educational provider is one of the elements that can ensure you gain the knowledge and experience you need to take care of others in your chosen field. But to begin with, motivation and inspiration are necessary to help you make the first step towards a career in healthcare. Below are four of many reasons why a career in healthcare is for you.

You’ll Make A Difference

Amongst police officers and firefighters, you'll be a part of the fight that preserves, protects, and treats patients from all backgrounds. With a job in healthcare, you will consistently make positive changes to people's lives for the better. If you're a people person and like to help and care for others, while diagnosing and providing solutions to health problems from homoeopathic medicine to pharmaceutical ailments, the health sector could provide you with a fulfilling career.

Respected and Appreciated

Now, more than ever, the world is appreciating the service healthcare professionals provide, particularly those in need of testing, care, and support because of COVID-19. 

Indeed, people will often remember and respect you more because of the dedication and commitment you've made to your studies whether as a doctor of nursing DNP, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) or a doctor in physical therapy. Each role plays its part in improving the lives of others, and others will appreciate you for this.

Variety of Career Options

With limitless opportunities to work in healthcare, there's bound to be something that piques your interest. The title of a doctor encompasses the opportunity to specialize in a variety of fields, for example, dentistry, psychiatry, or dermatology. The same goes for nurses who may want to angle their career towards specializing in the mental healths sector, midwifery, or qualify to become an anaesthesia nurse.

On the other hand, if you like the idea of travelling, working for the armed forces could be an option. Or, rather than working directly with patients, perhaps you'd prefer a lab-based role, such as testing blood samples for infection. 

With a variety of careers in medicine and healthcare available, it's not usually a concern of whether it's the right field for you, it's more of a case of researching and selecting a specific role within healthcare that suits your personality and career aspirations.

You’ll be in Demand

Healthcare is a necessity for all to thrive and live healthy lives free from pain and physical complications, which is why roles in healthcare will always be in demand. Furthermore, providing you have the willingness to continue learning, by accepting new training opportunities and furthering your education in the healthcare sector, you'll increase your scope for promotions too.

The healthcare sector is teeming with exciting and essential roles for you to work towards and give yourself a bigger purpose in the world. From improving lives to saving them, you can be sure you'll go home each night fulfilled and proud.

8 Tips on How to Transform Your Home Workplace

Working from home can be an indicator of freedom or formula for interference. If you work from home regularly or just occasionally, you should know that it is essential to design your home workplace. The right workplace should not be too comfortable and should encourage productivity. A lot of research has shown that your workplace can significantly impact your mood and productivity. Research has also shown that the type of light you choose to use in your workplace can either make you drowsier or more alert. Working from home is a fantastic benefit; however, you have to create a workplace that will increase your productivity.

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Tips to Help You Create the Perfect Home Workplace

Get rid of distractions

Even if you are ready to have a home office, decide whether it is the best place to create one. If you are a family person, it can be effortless to get your table all piled up with your kid’s homework, or get them playing around your computer. Such distractions make it hard to create a professional atmosphere. You are lucky if your home is big enough to get an entire room devoted just for your office. To avoid distractions of sleep, steer clear of the bedroom, and also make sure that there is nothing that can compete for your attention, for instance, laundry baskets, kitchen sinks, among others. The best way to get rid of distractions is by first acknowledging their presence. Ignoring any non-work distractions will not do you any good. Instead, the opposite happens; you will just become more aware of their existence and spend more time trying to get rid of them. Keep in mind that distractions like kids are there to stay; therefore, it would be best if you choose more than one designated home workspace, and make sure that your family members are aware whenever you are working.

Embrace natural light

In order to really make the most of your home workplace, you need to focus on having as much natural light as possible. There are many ways to achieve that, but one of the easiest is to simply ensure you have the right custom home windows. You ideally want windows which are going to allow plenty of natural light to the area where you work, so you can be sure that you are going to get enough each day. The right windows will often make all the difference here. But there is more to think about too when it comes to light.

It is not a new thing for people to put their desks into a home workplace and automatically put it against the wall in the shadiest part of the room. True, your desk and chair set-up in your office is essential, but you have to take care of your eyes too. You can achieve this by choosing the right lighting for your home office. Choosing the perfect lighting for your home office is an important task that is often ignored. Regardless of the time you use your office, an ideal lighting plan makes all the difference. Start by taking a look at how natural light affects the room at various times of the day and note where the shades fall and think about how you plan to use the workspace. Remember that the direction of light can produce a shine on your computer screen. So what is the best way to arrange your office furniture with the guidance of light in your mind? Just below your window.

Overhead lighting

Overhead lighting cannot be the best office lighting source but is a sure way to help fill in places that other sources of light seem to miss. Switch your overhead lighting with something distinctive and cool. If you work in a compartment, it might seem like your overhead lighting woes will never leave. However, don’t be afraid, there are some tips to lighten up your day and keep your eyes healthy and attentive, for instance, getting out and incorporating your own task and ambient light.

Keep the home office cool

Being too cold or too hot is the perfect recipe for disruptions. Air conditioning keeps your home office cool in the warm summer months. With a little planning and creativeness, you will be able to keep your office cool during summer. During the winter, try using thermal backed curtains to help keep the cold out. These curtains can also be used during the hot summer months to help block the sun’s rays. If your home office air conditioner is not properly functioning, consider looking for a dependable air conditioning repair to fix the problem.

Additionally, if you don’t have one, you can create your own. Start by getting a basin of ice and a desk fan. Blowing the air from the fan over the bowl of ice will give you the cool breeze that you want.

Green up the office space

The best way to green up your office is to add green plants. Besides, incorporating live plants in your workspace is a sure way to have a hygienic office. Plants refresh oxygen and suck up the common toxins like carbon dioxide. Additionally, plants increase efficiency and lower anxiety. The main downside of bringing live plants into your workspace is that you will have to water them daily. 

However, many plants require less care and irregular watering. Get yourself one, besides, caring and watering the plant is a good break from the computer screen and is an excellent way to help you focus more when you get back to work.

Invest in a good chair

Various reports have shown that slouching and similar seating positions can result in headaches, backaches, poor concentration, and fatigue. A healthy posture promotes general comfort, including improved concentration, and stamina through long working hours. If you want to invest in the right office chair, make sure that you look for one that has modifiable features.

Paint the wall

Consider surrounding yourself with colors that motivate you. You will need a color that gets your work engine humming. Some people will prefer a bright, crimson color, for instance, orange or emerald green, and others will prefer a soothing color like sea form blue or green.

Get everyone involved

When working from home, you can get distracted very easily. In that case, you will need the support and cooperation of the whole family. Call a family meeting and explain to the little ones that you need to concentrate during your working hours. Ask your partner to keep the kids occupied and entertained to keep them busy. By asking every member of the family to do their part to help you stay productive, you are showing them the importance of teamwork.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, creating a home office is a good way to use your empty nest. When creating a home office, make sure to avoid visual clutter. Try to keep your desk as clear as possible and put all the needless things in an ornamental object. Your home office should be a place that you would like to go to every day. So, put in more energy to create one that meets all your precise needs and encourages you to get everything done.

Finding Success In Your Professional Life

Most of us want to be successful in some way or another. Of course, everyone has their own specific idea of just what success actually is, and understanding that is a part of the journey, as we will see shortly. But whatever your own idea of success is, if you are seeking it in your professional life then there are a range of things that you might want to consider, to ensure that it goes to plan as well as possible. In this article, we will discuss just what you need to do to make sure that you have found success in your professional life before too long.

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Identifying It

First up, you have to make sure that you are able to actually identify success when you see it. This is entirely personal, so you don’t need to look elsewhere. But the point is: what does success look like to you? For some people, it might mean finally being able to buy their dream dream, be it a Lexus extended warranty or something else. For others, it might be more like achieving a certain specific career goal, or even helping people in a certain way. Then there is the other way of looking at things - Bob Dylan’s suggestion that if someone does what they want during the day, they are to be considered successful. Whatever it means to you, get really close to it so you can understand it fully. This is the first essential step in finding it in your life.

Building Your Energy

Whatever it is that you want to find in order to consider yourself successful, you need to have the kind of personal energy necessary to make it happen. There are a lot of ways in which you can go about building and generating this energy. For some, it’s enough to simply be inspired by a certain kind of success that they are going after. For others, it might take an improvement in diet, or a change in sleeping habits. Whatever you need to do in order to feel yourself brimming with energy and purpose, find it and do it. This alone is often a huge part of the journey for most people, but it is also the most important and you can’t overlook it, so make sure you work towards it.

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Working Hard

No matter what the nature of your personal success is, you won’t be able to get there by chance alone. Luck often plays a role, but you need to make yourself available to fortune, and in a very basic sense that just means showing up. If you want success as an artist, show up at the canvas or the desk. If you want success in business, show up at the office. You need to work hard and diligently in order to be successful. But here’s the thing: if it is really what you want to do, it won’t feel too much like hard work anyway. That’s a sign that you are probably moving in the right direction.

Want To Work Where The Cogs Really Turn?

In every business in the world, the cogs only really turn in one department. No, it's not the research and development department, although that’s a good guess. No, it's not even the legal department where some of the most important people in industries work. It's also not the risk department which is full of sharp minds. By the art of deduction, you’ve probably guessed by now that it's the financial department. In this part of a company, professionals of different yet similar kinds allow a business to function or to fail. Everything a CEO does has to be in line with that his or her financial confines deem to be. If you have a knack for money management and working with different characters and personalities in this realm, what kinds of roles should you aim for?

Tracking expenses and expenditures

The most important part of the day to day management of a business is expenses and expenditures. Expenses are smaller purchases such as inventory, transportation payment and even things like lunch for employees. Expenditures are larger more permanent purchases such as delivery trucks, stacking rails for a warehouse or office furniture. The bookkeeper is tasked with keeping things such as these within the constraints of the budget. Working together with professionals in the business administration department, you will be keeping the train firmly on the rails. It's one of the more basic financial functions of a business, but not done correctly, can see immense waste occur which will ultimately damage the business’ ability to conduct normal affairs.

Holding employees responsible

Every business fears auditors on some level. Business owners especially are somewhat wary of outside auditors such as those from regulatory bodies, coming into their business to inspect the financial honesty. However, many business owners will have their own accountants perform auditing missions so that internal corruption and or mismanagement is countered before it spirals out of control. You can learn more about this at the University of Alabama Birmingham where the role and responsibilities of auditing managers are explored. Taking their MAc program will get you well on your way to becoming qualified to perform such a role in any business. The financial importance of this profession is so important that the average salary is around $88,000. Senior or more experienced financial auditors will be earning above six-figures.

Sourcing long-term finance

Businesses large and small all need some kind of outside investment. This is why many companies go public. The cost of research is simply too high to do it alone and not take a big chunk out of company profits. Therefore, as a financial advisor, it will be your job to not only make long-term financial plans but to source long-term finance. Speaking directly with investors, other businesses and even governments will be one of your more important responsibilities. You’ll be working directly with the CEO and advising him or her on the best strategies that will secure the business for many years into the future. 

Many people don’t think too much about the financial department. It's a niche part of any business but ultimately if you’re lucky enough to be a part of one, you’ll be working where the cogs really turn. 

Should You Relocate For A Job?

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You’ve been offered a job - but it requires you to move to another city or state. Should you take the job or not? There’s no easy answer to this question and it can depend a lot on the job in question and your current circumstances. Here are just a few of the biggest considerations that could help you to decide whether you should relocate for a job.

Make sure it’s definitely the perfect job

Firstly, you need to consider the job itself. Is it really worth uprooting your life for? Or are you not really that passionate about it? If the latter is true, you may not want to relocate across the country for a job that may not be for you.

The salary is a big factor to consider. Ideally, you want to be earning the same amount of money or more than you are now in order to justify relocating. A drop in income could mean a drop in quality of living (although,cost of living is an important factor to consider – which is covered later).

You also need to be excited about the role and the duties that it will hold. You may have a few nerves if some of the duties seem unfamiliar, but ultimately you should be raring for the challenge.

Finally, you should research into the company, the team and the workplace. If you can, talk to people there and take a guided tour (you could travel there in person or you could organize a virtual tour). Read reviews online left by former employees to check that it’s a good company to work for. It’s possible you may be moving to a branch within the same company, but even so the running of this branch could be very different and is worth delving into.

Research into the location

Next, you need to consider the location you will be moving to. Make sure that there are neighbourhoods local to your workplace that are suitable for you and your family to live.

There should be enough things to do in the area and a good range of local facilities such as stores and transport links. It’s important that there are also schools in the area that are suitable for your kids – this is something you’ll likely want to do a lot of research into and it could involve touring schools in person.

The local people also need to be friendly. Factors such as the crime rate are worth looking into. Also try checking out community social media pages and local news websites to see what’s going on. You could even try visiting the area and talking to locals in person.

The climate and terrain could also be an important factor. What are the temperatures like in summer and winter? Are there any threats of natural disasters such as floods, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes or sinkholes? Is there any natural beauty on your doorstep that could be worth moving for such as the sea, lakes or mountains? All of this could be worth looking into.

Compare living costs

The cost of living is another important factor to consider. While your new job may come with a bigger salary, this could all be for nothing if the local cost of living is much higher.

Property prices are the most important cost worth comparing. Many major cities are renowned for having very expensive property prices – both to buy and rent. Make sure that you’re earning enough to cover these costs.

Groceries and other day-to-day items could also be cheaper or more expensive depending on the area. For instance, a pint of milk can cost twice as much in New York as it does in Texas.

There could also be driving costs to consider. Auto insurance can sometimes be higher if you live in a certain area due to a greater rate of accidents of theft. You may even need to use your car more in a certain location, which could mean more money in fuel or even more money spent in road tolls. Alternatively, some locations may not require you to drive as much, saving you money.

View some of the local properties

It’s worth looking at the types of properties that are available in the area that you plan to move to. What you get for your money in your current hometown could be very different in another city or state – there could be less space and no backyard. You need to be sure that this is suitable for you and your family.

When it comes to viewings of properties, you can either view these properties in person or plan a virtual viewing with a local realtor via video call. Try to view a selection so that you can get a more thorough idea what homes are like in your new location.

Talk to your family

If you’re planning on taking your family with you, you’ll need to certain that it’s what they want too. Uprooting your family could have lots of consequences – your kids will have to find a new school, your partner may have to get a new job and everyone will have to make new friends. Your family may not want to make all these changes and it could interfere with their own individual goals.

If you haven’t already discussed relocating in the past, you could find that family members are firmly reluctant to move. Try to convince them to do some research with you so that they can thoroughly consider the possibility of relocating before coming to a decision. View properties together, look up facts about the location and talk about the move. List all the pros and cons and when you feel you have an idea of the full picture, cast a vote. Ideally, it should be a unanimous decision by you and all your family members to relocate.

Young kids are usually able to adjust to relocating quite easily and many not need to be consulted on what they want. However, kids over the age of 7 are likely to be impacted by the change and should be involved when deciding whether to move. When it comes to teenagers, you should be particularly careful of uprooting them without their full backing and you should also consider the impact it could have on their education.

Work out how you will move

Relocating to a new area takes a bit more planning than simply moving a few blocks down. You may have to hire a long distance moving company to help handle the move. There may even be specialized moving services required for vehicle transport or for fragile items. This will all cost you extra money that you will need to find the funds for.

Moving could get particularly complex and expensive if you to ship or fly over possessions (for instance, if you’re moving to Hawaii). Planning to buy items like furniture when you reach your new home could be more sensible in some cases.  

Remember, you can turn back

Uprooting your entire life doesn’t have to be a permanent decision. If it turns out that you and your family aren’t enjoying yourself, you may be able to quit your job and move back.

Of course, you may find that you settle comfortably into your new life and don’t ever want to return. Sometimes you never know unless you take the plunge.  

3 Ways To Make Everyday Car Commutes To Work Bearable

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We sleep for 8 hours, we work for 8 hours, so whatever time we have left should be ours and ours only right? Wrong, there’s this little thing called the commute that eats into our personal time. You never know how much it's going to take each day and you don’t know if it's going to be smooth. It can make you drowsy, angry or just plain sad. Stuck in traffic, in a hot stuffy car surrounded by people that are becoming more and more frantic as time goes on. Surely there’s a better way to get to work and back? Well, yes and no because cars are the best way to get to work for most of us but you can plan your commute better and use modern technology to help you.

Don’t dawdle around

Do not make your lunch in the morning. It's one of the biggest time wasters for commuters. Before you’ve even left the house, you’re already behind the clock. You have to make your packed lunch the night before, preferably at the same time you’re making dinner. This has to become a routine. Be strict about this policy, so if you forgot the night before you have to leave without a lunch and just buy one at work. Do not dawdle around the house doing things you should have done before you went to bed, just get going so you can miss the traffic.

Eyes wide open

In the morning we’re all groggy. Our eyes are trying not to obey our commands of fully opening. We’re just waking up our senses and concentrating can be hard. However, if you paid more attention to what’s going on, on the roads you can drastically speed up your commute. When you’re not ‘with it’ in the mornings you can miss simple openings that will help you get ahead. Things like gaps between cars that are moving slow as the drivers in those cars are still waking up too. Get into those gaps so you can inch forward and potentially, miss a red light or two. If you can see ahead of you there is an accident and the road has been cordoned off, you can quickly change course and take a different route without missing a beat.

Traffic watch

Modern technology must become a part of your daily commute and connecticut travel is one of the best examples why. It shows you everything that’s going on way down the line, such as roadworks, traffic jams, incidents, construction, delays and weather alerts too. This is extremely helpful in so many ways. You’re kept up-to-date with moving situations, by receiving information about things going on many miles all around you, being taken by surprise is not something you’ll fall victim to.

The everyday work commute is never fun and pretty nothing will ever make it so. But the least you can do is not lose time before you’ve even left the house. Make a lunch the night before and don’t do so in the morning when you could be on your way.

3 Ways To Appear Professional

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There are many good reasons in your professional life why you might want to look as professional as possible, and clearly it is something that is worth looking into and trying to perfect. The truth is that anyone can spend some time looking more professional, and the kinds of results that you are going to get from doing so are well worth the effort it might take. It will help you to feel better in your work, more confident with how you relate to people, and many more things in between, so in the meantime you will definitely want to try and make this a reality. In this post, we’ll take a look at just some of the best ways in which you can hope to appear more professional, so that you can absolutely expect that to happen.

Your Appearance

The first thing that most people will probably feel they need to work on here is their physical appearance. You want to make sure that you look the part, and that means knowing how to dress in the right way for the occasion and make yourself appear presentable in a way which people would appreciate, and which they would think of as being professional. That can take some practice, but it is the kind of thing that you will certainly get better at over time. It can help to look at what other people are wearing and how they present themselves and taking some clues from that - but then it is always worth going your own direction a little if you can. All in all, as long as you look the part, you will seem and feel much more professional, in a way that will really make a difference.

Your Car

Because the manner of your arrival at any meeting is likely to be noticed, and because people will take it as an indicator of who you are and your level of professionalism, this too is something that you will probably want to think about to some degree. That doesn’t mean that you have to have a top of the range vehicle to be taken seriously. But it does mean you should make a point of keeping your car well-kept and ensuring that it does not look dirty or untidy. If you are to have people in your vehicle between meetings, then you will need to focus on the interior too, which could mean installing some of the latest gadgets to look the part - find out more info on that here. As long as it is professional above all else, that is all that matters.

Your Behavior

Finally, it’s always important that you focus well on the way in which you behave, so that you can make sure that you are doing so as professionally as possible. It might be that you need to work on some key elements to your behaviour, or you might just need a general confidence boost before you go into any professional setting. Whatever you think is necessary, make sure that you do whatever you can to bring it about in yourself.

Equipment Every Modern Police Department Needs

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In today’s ever-evolving world of policing, departments constantly have to upgrade their procedures and equipment. Providing your department’s officers with up-to-date equipment allows them to feel more secure on an already stressful job.

Police Shields

Ballistic shields protect officers during riots and SWAT raids. As these scenarios unfortunately become more frequent, departments across the globe have adopted police shields to better outfit personnel. Even civilian members of the public can find a reliable ballistic shield for sale to provide personal protection.

Protective Vests

Weapons pose a direct threat to the lives of officers if in the wrong hands, making protective vests a must for any department. Vests primarily come in two forms. Ballistic-resistant vests protect vital organs of the torso against firearm ammunition. Stab-resistant vests, utilized primarily by correctional officers, protect against knives and other types of melee weapons. Some protective vests can combine both features to safeguard officers from a variety of threats.

Body Cameras

More and more departments nationwide are adopting officer-worn body cameras to not only convey transparency and accountability to the public but also to document evidence easier than relying on testimony alone. Body cameras can also allow department heads to provide better feedback on officer actions.

Equipment To Aid in Arrests

A wide range of equipment exists to protect officers as they make arrests — all without drawing a firearm. Tasers, stun guns and pepper spray can safely immobilize suspects without violent force. For car chases, placing physical barriers or road spikes on pavement can slow down or stop a pursued vehicle before it endangers the lives of pedestrians and other drivers.

As threats to officers continue to increase each year, police departments must adapt to evolving ideas of fighting crime. By investing wisely in equipment upgrades, you can ensure your men and women in blue continue to serve their communities to the highest of standards in safety and ethics.

What Will Take Your Earning Potential To The Next Level?

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When you first start to work for yourself, you’ll often be grateful for the opportunity. Plus, there’s just so much to do, that you’ll want to get stuck into the work - and this leaves little time for anything else. But, when you’re running a business, or you’re building your career, there is more to do than just the work. And when you want to focus on making more money, you need to get a lot smarter about those ‘extra’ things. From sales to streamlining your processes, you need to be driving this forward. You cannot work on autopilot or just do things the way in which you’ve always done them. You have to proactively aim to take your earning potential to the next level. So let’s look at how.

Delegating

To start with, one of the best things you can do to grow your business, is to not do everything yourself. When you start to delegate, hire help, and outsource tasks to specialists - especially these extra tasks that take you away from the real money earning work, you free up your time. This then allows you to work on earning more and growing your career.

Expanding

From here, you then might want to expand. The idea is for you to be able to do what you’re doing now, but on a much larger scale. So do you want to aim to double your sales? If so, you need to look at your marketing plan to see HOW you’re going to do that.

Working On Your Skills

Another thing that might work in your favor here, is increasing your skill set. They say if you’re not growing, you’re stagnating. So it’s in your interest to always be learning. So look to your field and find the next level up. Whether it’s a masters in special education or a PhD in communications, take a look at your options. It may even be that you choose to grow your skills by moving into a new field that has more earning potential for you.

Working On Your Pitching

However, you may need to do more that just hone in on your skills. If there’s one thing that will push you to the next level here, it’s pitching. And having the confidence to pitch. And making sure that you consistently pitch and put your name out there. So make sure that you have an elevator pitch that you can turn to in an instant. Remember, practice makes perfect. Sure, pitching and selling yourself is daunting, but the more you do it, the successful you will become.

Networking

Finally, you should find that networking is going to help you to grow your earning potential too. So put yourself out there. Connect with other professionals. Attend events. The more people you meet and can connect with, the more people that you can help. So keep this in mind. And then, you should find that you’re able to drive more sales on a month on month basis, or get more commissions. And this will always allow you to grow your income.

Wellness Advice For People Who Work From Home

For many people, the concept of working from home seems like a dream. There’s no worry that your boss will pop up behind you and demand to see what you are working on. There’s no one to interrupt you to share the latest gossip. No commute to worry about. But even so, working from home - complete with all of its perks - does have some downsides, one of which is taking care of your wellness. 

When you work from home, you are technically ever away from your desk, which can make getting that work-life balance right, a little difficult at times. And it’s this struggle to balance your private time and work time that can make putting your health and wellness before your career, so difficult. However, if you take note of the wellness advice below and implement it, you can ensure that working from home doesn’t hinder your health. 

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Take regular breaks

In a corporate environment, usually you are reminded to take breaks by your colleagues or even your boss, but when you work from home, there is no one to remind you. This can often mean that you end up working through your break times, and have very little time to rest and recharge throughout the day. The issue with this is that when you don’t take regular breaks from work, the stress that comes with your job can get on top of you and can impact your mental health and wellbeing. To remind yourself to take breaks, set a reminder on your phone, that way you shouldn’t end up working through your breaks. 

Look after your eyes

One common complaint that many people who work on computers - not just people that work from home - is that they have bad eyesight. There are various studies that have shown that spending longer than a couple of hours on a computer each day can be bad for our eyes, and can make conditions like nearsightedness worse. So if you are going to be working on a computer day in, day out, it is important to take care of your eyes by going for regular check-ups with your optometrist, to make sure that your eyes are healthy. Ideally, you want to get your eyes checked at least once a year. However, if you notice any strange symptoms such as blurriness, headaches, or eye pain between your annual checkups, it’s always worth going to get them checked. 

Get out of the house every day

When you work from home, it’s far too easy to end up trapped in your home day in, day out. However, it is important that for both your physical and mental health, that you make an effort to spend some time out of the house each day. Whether that means going for a walk somewhere local, popping out to meet with some friends, or spending a few hours working out of the house at your local library, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you make times to get out of the house. 

When you work from home, it’s far too easy to put your health on the back burner and focus purely on your work. However, it is important that you put your health first, and make an effort to ensure that you are taking your wellness seriously. 

Suffer No More: A Surefire Guide To Staying Safe When Living Alone

More people than ever are now opting to live alone. It makes sense when you consider that starting a family happens much later in life than it used to. Single twenty-somethings now flock to solo apartments as they lead busy professional lives. And, as can be seen on articles like the one found at https://lonerwolf.com/living-alone/, living alone can actually improve your quality of life. It’s a fantastic way to discover who you are. It’s also much better for unwinding after busy workdays. Plus, you can watch whatever you want on television!

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But, living alone isn’t without its pitfalls. And, no; we’re not talking about loneliness. In fact, if you have an active social life, living alone shouldn’t leave you lonely at all. Instead, we’re talking about safety. There’s no getting around the fact that you find safety in numbers. Thus, when you live alone, that security may feel harder to come by. While you’re not at any more risk for living alone, you may feel unsafe. After all, there’s something spooky about returning to an empty apartment. And, there’s no one beside you when you hear a bump in the night.

To ensure this doesn’t ruin the haven of your home, all you need to do is take the necessary precautions. With these in place, you won’t have any reason to worry. 

Install a security system

The best thing you can do to improve your safety is install a security system like the ones found at https://homesecuritysystem.co/. By opting for a design which contacts the police when triggered, you can rest easy that you aren’t in this alone. Systems like these also protect your apartment when you aren’t in it. And, with many systems now hooking up to our phones, you can keep an eye on things when you’re out and about. 

Get to know your neighbors

Few of us get to know our neighbors these days. Community spirit simply isn’t what it once was. Now, we lock our doors and do nothing more than nod to our neighbors when we see them. But, when you’re living alone, it’s worth developing friendships with those around you. All it takes is a knock on the door and an invite round for coffee. They’re sure to react kindly to your efforts. And, you’re sure to feel much safer knowing you’re on talking terms with those around you. If you’re ever worried about something, you can go around to your neighbor’s instead of suffering alone. 

Keep in regular contact with loved ones

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It’s also worth developing a regular contact routine with loved ones. In the modern age, this doesn’t mean an hour-long phone call of an evening. Who has time for that? Instead, nightly chats through text, or even on Facebook, are all it takes. This is an easy way to check in with everyone. It’ll help put you at ease because you’ll feel more connected to the outside world. It also ensures that your loved ones will notice if you stop posting!

Watch Out For These Productivity Pitfalls If You Want To Make It As A Blogger

In the 21st century, what can be more noble than eschewing the daily drudgery of the rat race by taking your future in your own hands and attempting to make a living as a blogger? It sounds like an unattainable dream, right? But that hasn’t stopped ordinary people from all sorts of backgrounds from doing it all over the world. However, monetizing your blog is relatively easy but making a living from it can be hard. If you’re to make a decent living making money from home as a blogger, it’s important to avoid the common pitfalls that can seriously compromise your productivity.

Distractions

The digital age provides creatives with more outlets than ever to share their talents with the world and make a living doing what they love. However, it also provides them with more distractions than you can shake a cursor at. Even if you manage to avoid the allure of your social media feed or funny cat videos on YouTube, there are still myriad distractions in the home that can derail your productivity.  

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Inappropriate space

Nascent bloggers make the mistake of believing that they can blog anywhere from their sofa to their favorite coffee shop. Sure, they can… But they absolutely should not. Your first task as a professional blogger should be to create a space that’s entirely dedicated to working. This is especially important when working from home where you’ll have to contend with the distractions of the household. Your work space should be comfortable, and if possible have access to a view of nature even if it’s just your garden. At the very least you should have some access to natural light. 

Whatever space you choose you should have, as a bare minimum:

• A desk
• A comfortable office chair.
• Appropriate decor (houseplants and wall art are fine, but avoid anything that may prove a distraction).
• Access to a power outlet. You don’t want to find yourself creatively on a roll, only to have to change rooms because your laptop ran out of juice.
• Post-it notes to aid memory.
• Quiet. 

Not having set working hours

In the name of productivity, and for the sake of your sanity, you can’t be at work 24 hours a day. Even those who’ve shrugged off the nine-to-five still keep set working hours. Establish 8-10 hours a day, every day which are dedicated solely to work and outside of those hours stop working. Unless a looming deadline or unexpected rush of work necessitates ‘overtime’, it’s important to stick to your prescribed hours.

Not taking a break

It can be tempting to plough through your work sans intermission when you have a lot to get through, but it’s important to recognize your brain’s limitations. Your brain needs rest to function at its best so make sure you allow yourself a 15-20 minute break every few hours. During these rest breaks it’s important to get away from your laptop (and any other electronic device if you can help it). Find a room that’s comfortable and visually soothing with rocking chair cushion sets and neutrally painted walls. Listen to some music, close your eyes and dedicate a few moments to just enjoying the rest. You’re much more likely to return to your laptop rested and productive than if you were to slave on regardless of your fatigue.

With just a little self-discipline and awareness, you too can turn the dream of professional blogging into a lucrative reality.

6 Survival Questions When Considering Relocating

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We all get itchy feet sometimes. We all wonder sometimes whether we are where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing. It can be, at times, an unnerving thought process. However it can also be an inspiring moment in your life that can lead to great and brave decisions.

If you are considering making big changes in your life and moving to a new city, or even a new country, to start afresh, then kudos to you. Anyone that has been in your position would no doubt pat you on the back and wish you all the best. Not, however, without first giving you some pearls of wisdom to send you on your way. So here are our top six things that anyone considering moving to a new place, must consider before biting the bullet and heading off into the exciting unknown.

Your Bank Balance

One of the most crucial places to start, when thinking of upping sticks and moving to somewhere new is to consider ‘can I really afford it?’ This sounds rather like common sense doesn’t it. But there is a lot to be taken into consideration when thinking about setting yourself up in a completely new city. It is all very well factoring in moving costs, deposits for a new flat and a few months of no income whilst you look for a new job. However there will inevitably be last minute expenses and unexpected costs that will crop up throughout this process, which means that your budget may not be quite as healthy as you think.

Therefore the more you think ahead financially and the more you plan for every eventually the smoother your transition into your new life will be. The general rule of thumb is that whatever you have budgeted for your move, then double it. If this is a figure that you are able to afford, then it looks like you are in fine shape to move forwards.

Contacts, Acquaintances & Friends

Sometimes complete anonymity and a fresh start is what is most appealing to moving to a new place. However moving somewhere where you don’t know anyone can be tough on people for many different reasons. So think about the place that you’re moving to and the contacts, acquaintances and any existing friends that you have already living there. Having people around you in your new city will not only offer comfort and support, but we all know that in many situations regarding finding new work, ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know’. Of course everyone and every situation is different, but choosing a place where you already know a couple of people is generally preferable to starting from scratch in your new life.

The Cost of Living

The cost of living varies greatly from city to city, from country to country. So you are certainly going to need to put some research into the cost of living in your new city. There are many ways to do this. A good place to start is by looking at the hdb rental price of the kind of flats you would be interested in and research the type of property your budget will be able to accommodate. From there, look into the details of local prices from the cost of grocery shopping, to public transportation to local taxes. The more detailed your research, before you arrive, the better idea of what lifestyle you can expect when there according to your budget and also the stronger your negotiating power when negotiating on salaries for your new job.

Neighbourhoods

This is a really important part of filling in the details about your move. You will not just need to research the city but also the individual and surrounding neighbourhoods in order to understand the types of areas that best suit you and your budget. Luckily nowadays we have the world at our fingertips so it has never been easier to research cities, from a distance, in order to plan where to live in advance. Look into the types of neighbourhoods that you’d be interested in moving into and then hone your search down. If you don’t know anyone living in that city then contact a property firm over there who will be able to help answer your questions and will maybe even be able to help you find your first flat in your new city.

The Job Market

This is up there as one of the most important things that need to be established before any decisions are made. So you will need to look into the job market in the place that you are heading to. Is it a healthy and expanding job market? Do the wages match the cost of living in the city? Are there lots of opportunities for your line of work? Work cultures can differ from one place to another, so make sure that you know what type of culture you are heading into to make sure that it is one that will suit you and your individual objectives.

Timing is Everything

The last piece of advice is to really think about the timing of this move. Sometimes the timing of a move just might not be right. It is not that the new city is not right for you, maybe just that the timing of perhaps a new job, young family or increasing opportunities in your existing area may just mean that it might not be wise to up sticks at this precise moment and waiting for a better time in the future maybe be a better idea.

However if you are confident that the timing is great then you will simply need to plan a few basic logistics before heading off. Contacting your utility suppliers, organising removal companies, ending employment contracts and planning ahead for when you arrive in your new city is all crucial. All the little details in good forward planning will all go a long way in ensuring your transition into your new life will be as seamless and stress free as possible.

Taking Care Of Your Health Doesn't Have To Hurt

Everybody wants to be healthy, of course. It’d be a little strange to say you didn’t care about the health of your body. Nonetheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean the majority of us want to put in the work it takes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Therein lies the problem, however. We see healthy living as “work” in modern society. It’s a “chore” to try and find time to keep your body active and eat the right kinds of food because you’re a busy person and you spend most of the day sitting at your desk, sitting in your car, or sitting in front of the TV at home.

We live sedentary lifestyles. That’s the real reason so many of us feel glum about the thought of exercise. It sounds tiring, painful, and a boring way to spend your time. Of course, staying physically active is only one part of being healthy. There are so many aspects of your lifestyle which can be marginally altered to massively improve your health and we’re going to look at just a few of them so you can start to see that living healthily isn’t as much of a “chore” as you’d like to believe.

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Physical health.

Let’s start off with the fun stuff then. You’re wincing at the thought of hitting the gym several hours a day and living on a diet of broccoli and celery but that just means you’ve misinterpreted what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle. Maintaining a stable state of physical health is all about maintaining a stable diet and exercise routine. What that means is you need to be thinking about moderation and balance. It’d be unhealthy for you to live on a diet consisting solely of fruit and vegetables, so don’t mourn the loss of meat, pasta, or even chocolate just yet.

The key to a good diet is to find a healthy balance; a little of everything is the best way to go. You need potassium, fiber, carbohydrates, and iron from foods such as pasta and vegetables. However, you also need a little bit of salt and sugar, so the occasional burger with salty chips or the odd slice of chocolate cake won’t do you any harm. What you must remember, of course, is that such treats should remain “occasional”. Once you start eating better in this way, you’ll find that your body and mind both improve; exercise might become far easier as a result. You’ll have more energy because you’ll be eating the right kinds of food. You don’t need to run a marathon but aim to do 10,000 steps a day or, at the very least, go on a nice walk around your local area for 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

Hearing.

Whilst this point may apply more to people who are getting on in terms of age, it’s an aspect of health that everybody should take on board. Your senses are very precious and you shouldn’t ignore the warning signs if your hearing starts to fade. Many people make matters worse by dealing with poor hearing by turning up the volume on devices, for example. You may not be able to hear things as well but that doesn’t mean loud noises aren’t doing just as much damage to your eardrums, so rather than filling your ears with more noises, you should work on fixing them. You could do some research into hearing aid features if you think that might be a good solution for you. The point is that leaving your ears or any damaged senses unintended can cause them more damage.

Quit bad habits.

Another way to improve your health is to curb bad habits. We all have ways of getting ourselves through the day and improving our mood. Some of us like to watch TV, some of us like to eat chocolate, and some of us might like the occasional drink or cigarette. The problem is that these treats can turn into addictions very quickly. If you want to think about your health in the long term then you should work on reducing the amount you might smoke or drink so as to prevent health issues such as heart problems, liver damage, and even cancer in the future.

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In the office.

I think it’s important to talk about your health when you’re outside the house too. Whilst at work, you probably have a little less freedom with your time. That might have been the source of your inactive and unhealthy lifestyle. Of course, becoming too absorbed in your work can lead to stress and anxiety, which are very unhealthy for your brain as well as your body. That’s why it’s crucial to find a way to look after yourself at work. Take the occasional break to walk around your office (or even the company car park). You should also make sure you have an ergonomic chair and keyboard to keep your joints healthy and reduce aches or pains.