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Helpful Tips

1o tips to avoid burnout

10 Tips To Avoid Burnout

Helpful Tips, Self Care
1o tips to avoid burnout

10 Tips To Avoid Burnout

task virtual assistant
Burnout often happens when we end up disillusioned by something we are doing. Even if you love what you do, burnout can still happen. Most of the time, burnout is related to a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion and being unable to do all that you need to do to get to a place of rest.
Taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually is vital to being a healthy person that can avoid problems with burnout. Eat right, exercise, see your doctor on schedule. Talk to a mental health professional or your religious leader if you need help dealing with something.
Follow these 10 tips to avoid burnout. Even if you think you’re already there, these tips can still help you because you can identify what you’re doing to cause it and stop doing it.

 

Sleep more
Sleeping enough each night is an essential component of ensuring that you live a life that will help you avoid burnout. If you are well-rested, you are going to perform at a higher level every single day, thus making you more productive. If you are tired due to a lack of sleep, problems will seem more prominent and less surmountable. P.S - Exercising every day is a big key to sleeping better every night.

 

Exercise
Aim for 30 minutes of cardio daily. Studies show most people get the most benefit exercising this way within a couple of hours of waking, but a walk in the evening will help your body prepare for sleep. Try not to exert yourself two hours before bedtime.

 

Meditation
Having downtime can help you avoid burnout. Meditation is a type of downtime that is very productive for most people. If you fear you are already experiencing burnout, starting a meditation practice today will help you recover. The good thing about meditation is that you don’t need anything special to do it.

 

Practice Positive Self-Talk
When you’re mindful, you’ll start to notice your internal monologue more often. If it’s negative, it can be a sign of impending burnout. Try to turn those thoughts around to positive thoughts. At the very least, try to make the thoughts more neutral.

 

Find Joy in Your Day
The best way to avoid burnout is to help yourself feel happier and more satisfied. One way to accomplish that is to keep a gratitude journal so that you can remember that sunrise you saw or your grandchild’s laughter on any given day.

 

Understand Your Limitations
It’s easy to compare yourself to others. If you see that other successful people are working 100 hours a week, it’s tempting to think you must. However, you really don’t need to do that, nor should you. There are 24 hours in a day, and you need to sleep at least 7 of those hours, exercise about an hour, and eat for about three hours a day and spend time with your family, friends, and yourself learning and exploring.
One of the keys to success in life and avoiding burnout is to learn how to make a reasonable and realistic schedule. Try various methods until something clicks for you. One of the best methods to help you avoid burnout is the block schedule. Another is using the Pomodoro Technique to get your tasks completed.

 

Know Your Priorities
When you look at your overall life plan and goals, what are your actual priorities? You have priorities for all the different areas of your life, including spiritually, personal development, health, romantically, socially, family, business, career, and so forth. Create one or two S.M.A.R.T. goals for each area.

 

Reassess Your Goals
The only way you can be sure that anything you do works is to test it and look at the data. Once you do that, you may discover that a goal you made was the wrong goal for you to be shooting for in the first place. After all, as you learn, grow, and change throughout your life, it’s normal for your priorities also to change.

 

Unplug Every Day Early
It might get old for night owls to hear this but turning off your technology a few hours before bed is essential for a better night’s sleep. Sleeping well improves your health in every way, especially mentally, giving you the strength to avoid burnout.

 

Let Yourself Get Bored Sometimes
One problem with today’s always-on society besides rampant burnout is that no one is bored. Being bored is a significant catalyst for invention. Spend an hour in a hammock without your phone, go on a walk with your five-year-old. Spend a day fishing. It’s okay to do nothing.

10 Tips To Avoid Burnout Read More »

avoid burnout

3 Tips to Avoid Small Team Burnout

Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips
avoid burnout

3 Tips to Avoid Small Team Burnout

task virtual assistant
A recent study found that staff members in small firms, with fewer than 10 employees, are less likely to take vacation days. One reason for this is that these employees are not sure if there is anyone who can cover for them during their absence. However, these small teams actually lose productivity and the quality of their work diminishes when they do not take time off.

If you own or manage a small team, create a workflow to accommodate for time off. Here are a few tips for filling in when a key player is on vacation or is suddenly away:

1. Set up a clear process for decision-making and hand over responsibilities while they are away

Create a workflow that includes assigning roles as well as delegating decisions to individuals who feel most comfortable with them. Then, set up a time with the delegates to review the goals for each position and any other pertinent information.

 2. Keep Everyone Updated and in the Loop

When a planned vacation is on the horizon, it's easy enough to schedule some time with the delegate and get them up to speed. But what if someone has to leave for an emergency, such as medical or a death in the family? Obviously, there isn't time to brief whoever will be filling in. Add some extra time in your weekly staff meetings to highlight updates and keep everyone in the loop.

3. Create an easy way for team members to track what's getting done in their absence

Sometimes it's critical we stay in touch or be aware of what's happening in the office while out. Email is certainly one way, but not the most efficient. Using project management software like ClickUp or Asana will allow staff members to check in and track what's getting done, or decide if they need to put out any fire that suddenly pops up. Most project management programs today have chat functionality as well as a desktop version and mobile apps to help team members stay connected. You can find project management links and other helpful software tools on our Resource page.
Everyone needs downtime to maintain a work-life balance, but their time off should not bring your business to a halt. Developing your workflow to allow for planned, and unplanned, time off for your staff will help keep the team motivated and more engaged with their tasks at hand.

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working from home (still)

Working From Home (still)

Helpful Tips, Working From Home
working from home (still)

Working From Home (still)

task virtual assistant

Last year I gave you tips for working at home, something many were not accustomed to and definitely not prepared for. It was a temporary situation, or so we thought, and we can accept short-term change. However, many are still working remotely, some started their own work-from-home business, and others, like Julia K. have been placed in a permanent remote location as many businesses have found the true benefits of virtual offices, but many of the employees don't share the same optimism.

I mentioned Julia because she wrote to our Ask the CEO earlier this month. After speaking with her, and giving her some tips, she agreed to let me use parts of our conversation to reach others out there who are struggling with remote life. Julia told me, in the beginning, it was a bit fun and relaxing. She loved being home with her kids and four dogs, and she felt like she was more productive without the distraction of the office. She soon realized that could not be farther from the truth.

She quickly set up her temporary home office in the kitchen, where she could also monitor her kids' online schooling. The problem with setting her office up in a central hub of her home opened her up to distractions. The kids would shout out questions to her from their computers, her husband would walk by and ask what was for lunch, or could she make a quick trip to town and pick something up, and her dogs were non-stop demanding of her attention. She told me that after six months of this, she started to lock herself in the bathroom, turn on the shower, and just cry. So why is she writing to me now, with most of the world opening back up?

Early June, her company sent out an email informing everyone they have decided to remain virtual; back to the bathroom for a good cry. Then she saw our newsletter, and asked our CEO, "How do I manage my family and work, and make them [family] understand that I'm not on vacation, I am working?" She is also struggling with her own time management. I recommended she read our 4-part Time Management series and download the workbook. I also gave her some suggestions to implement immediately and separate her professional at-home life from her personal life. These tips can be used by anyone whether you are a remote worker, entrepreneur, student, or homemaker, and I am very happy to share my five tips for those maneuvering the remote office jungle.

1. Don't set your office up in a central hub

Home offices should be separate from where all the personal activity takes place. If you place yourself in the center of it all, expect to be disturbed. Think of an office receptionist. The receptionist is located in a central spot, usually the very first point of contact. They are the resource center, the one where everyone goes with questions or other needs. If you require a quiet space, distraction-free, then choose a space, preferably with a door. If that is not possible, set up a privacy screen and let everyone know, when the screen is up you are not to be disturbed. I use these sliding panels, available on Amazon. We installed the track on the ceiling, and I just slide them all the way out when I'm working. They're also a great backdrop for Zoom meetings.

2. Post your office hours

I know many of you might have snickered at this, but when you were working outside the home you left at a designated time and arrived back home pretty much the same time every day. Why should your home office be any different? Posting up the hours acts as a visual reminder and will help keep the distractions to a minimum

3. Don't forget about you.

This past year has been a hectic year for many all over the world. People have been coping with all that life brings in many ways. One way is working on self-care practices. There are many reasons why introducing practices of self-care into your life can make a pivotal difference in your life. Making space for self-care in your life provides great benefits to physical and mental health. Some aspects of self-care are personally enriching and fun. It's important to remember that self-care is not selfish; it is vital to being a well healthy and balanced person. This lets you face whatever life throws at you without breaking your stride.

4. Run your house like the office, everyone has a job.

Set schedules, daily tasks, and downtime for everyone. Give the kids a job to do after school such as emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, or walking the dog. Schedule their homework and tasks and post the schedule in a prominent location. This not only helps them to build great time management skills early on but helps to keep them out of your space.

5. Keep an eye on the time

You have your space, you have your privacy, the family is respecting the boundaries and you're finally able to focus on your projects. Congratulations! The final step is to set up a way to track time to remind you when to break for lunch and to end the day. Don't laugh, and don't think this isn't a necessary step. As you have already figured out, working from home is a lot different than going to an office. It's really easy to lose track of time when you're running solo without any co-workers around. Continue the healthy work-life balance by sticking to a routine. Use reminders on your computer and/or cell phone. If you have an AI device such as Alexa or Google Home, set up a routine with the device and let it act as your "quittin' time" whistle.

Working From Home (still) Read More »

workaholic

Could You Be A Workaholic?

Business, Helpful Tips, Time Management
workaholic

Could You Be A Workaholic?

task virtual assistant

I always knew I was a workaholic. Both my parents are Type-A personalities and I suspect, workaholics, so I come by it honestly. Today is National Workaholics day, so I thought I would dig into the phenomenon a little more, and was surprised to see it is a treatable condition!
Work addiction, often called workaholism, is a real mental health condition. Like any other addiction, work addiction is the inability to stop the behavior.
Some signs of a workaholic may include:
  • Working late and/or taking work home often and unnecessarily.
  • Checking messages at home, or at inappropriate times such as during family dinners, holidays.
  • Consistently canceling plans.
  • Your relationships are suffering because you are always working.
  • Lack of sleep or poor sleep.
  • You're defined by your work
Do not confuse workaholism with long hours, however, as there may be times you will need to work longer hours or cancel some plans, that doesn't necessarily mean you're a workaholic. The same goes if you just love your work so much you work more than an average "40-hour week", which means you're probably engaged, not a workaholic.
So then what is a workaholic? The dictionary defines a workaholic as a person who compulsively works hard and long hours. They might as well put my picture in the definition! It is not uncommon for me to put 18-hour days in, or to get up in the middle of the night and check email, or jot down notes for my blog. I've even been known to forget to eat! But this isn't something new for me. I've worked like this for as long as I can remember. I was always finding extra work to do, taking work home, and working long hours. I thought I was just a hard worker, trying to show my worth. Turns out I'm a bonafide workaholic (ok, tell me something I didn't know!)
Workaholism can become a serious condition, and if left untreated can lead to impaired cognitive functions stemming from sleep deprivation, affect mental and physical health, and even create conflict and discontent in your personal relationships. Ladders.com published indicators of workaholism to look out for. Take a look at these 5 signs of workaholism and see where you land:
1. Workaholics have anxiety

Do you gain a sense of comfort when working? Do you feel guilty or restless if you are not busy doing something? I personally can not, not, be doing something. I always have 10-15 or more computer windows and Chrome tabs open so I can easily and quickly switch between tasks rather than take any downtime.

2. Work is priority #1

Workaholics will put the job before and above all else. Holidays, family time, it doesn't matter. A workaholic spends little-to-no time connecting with others and will always arrange their schedules so work comes first.

3. No social life

As I mentioned above, a workaholic has very little time for socializing. Some may even stress out from the guilt of doing something for themselves. A workaholic must make themselves completely available and indispensable to their job and have oftentimes been accused of being a martyr.

4. Won't admit the problem

A workaholic cannot admit they have a problem, or they might not even realize it. Working long hours, "to the bone", is acceptable in our society and quite often expected.

5. They're unhappy

Oftentimes a workaholic doesn't even like their job, but they have a need to remain busy rather than have nothing to do.

If you find yourself in any of these signs there are some ways you can address the unhealthy behavior. Plan activities for the end of the workday, and don't cancel them. Other ways you can balance your work and home life are by reading books, listening to music, or doing something that prompts inspiration.

Could You Be A Workaholic? Read More »

prepare for disaster

If Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Prepared?

Disaster Preparedness, Helpful Tips
prepare for disaster

If Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Prepared?

task virtual assistant
Chances are that sooner or later you’ll face some sort of a disaster that will leave you without power, and hinder your access to purchase necessary supplies. It could be a natural disaster like a hurricane, snowstorm, flood, tornado, or earthquake. It could be a manmade disaster that has the power grid failing or requires you to stay put in your home such as the COVID-19 pandemic. No matter what strikes, we can lessen the personal impact by preparing for disasters most likely to occur in our area.
Your first step in disaster preparedness is to find out what types of emergency situations happen in your area. Take a few minutes to research and know what types of disasters your area is most susceptible to. I've listed a few natural and man-made disasters below to give you a place to start.

Natural Disasters:

Hurricanes originate in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the eastern North Pacific Ocean, and, less frequently, the central North Pacific Ocean. If you live in any of these areas you should prepare for hurricane season which is most active from June 1st to November 30th.
The only difference between a hurricane and a typhoon is the location where the storm occurs.
Typhoons most frequently occur on the western Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Asia near Japan. Typhoons, like hurricanes, have a long, active season running from May 15th to November 30th. The only real difference between the two storms is the location where they occur.
Tornadoes are more common along the Great Plains of the central United States, known as Tornado Alley, and are caused when dry cold air moving south from Canada meets warm moist air traveling north from the Gulf of Mexico. However, don't be fooled into thinking they only happen in “tornado alley". The U.S. tornado threat shifts from the Southeast in the cooler months of the year, toward the southern and central Plains in May and June, and the northern Plains and Midwest during early summer. Tornadoes can occur and have been reported in all fifty states as well as in many parts of the world, including Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Two of the highest concentrations of tornadoes outside the U.S. are Argentina and Bangladesh.
Violent tornadoes do happen outside “Tornado Alley” every year.
If you live in the North East or south of the Great Lakes, you should get ready for big snowstorms and blizzards. But, like tornadoes, these storms can occur anywhere, albeit not as likely. If you're on the East Coast of North America, you will have Nor'easters to consider, and along the Pacific coast - earthquakes. Mother Nature does believe in being fair and gives everyone a little something!

Man-Made Disasters:

Man-made disasters are not confined to one specific area, hence the term "man-made", and can happen anywhere. However, you may live in an area that is more prone than others. For example, if you live near a dam, you may need a plan of action for flooding. Do you live near a wooded area or large forest? Then you need to consider wildfires. If you live near a nuclear plant, you should think about a way to get out quickly if something were to happen at the plant. You get the idea. What disasters we prepare for will be different for a lot of us and what sort of emergency plan you have will depend on those variables.

Get Prepared

Should I stay or should I go?
The first question you need to ask yourself is where you will go when an emergency arises. Will you stay at home and shelter in place? Will you head out of town and evacuate? How long are you prepared to stay at home, and at what point do you decide to evacuate?
Obviously, those decisions may be outside of your control, such as in the event of a mandatory evacuation, but there will also be plenty of times when the decision is up to you.
Where Will You Go?
If you are heading out, where will you go and where will you stay? These are important questions and you don’t want to make those decisions when you are in the middle of a disaster. Those are stressful times and it can be hard to make smart decisions quickly.
A big part of your emergency preparedness plan should be to think through possible scenarios and then get the information you need ahead of time. For example, figure out what routes you can take to get out of the area, determine where you want to go if possible, and then get the contact information for a hotel or the people you’ll be staying with.  If you have pets, keep a list of pet-friendly hotels in your go-bag.
How Will You Stay In Touch?
There is nothing scarier than not being able to get in touch with loved ones during a disaster or emergency event. Just as important is being able to get news and emergency alerts or announcements. Think about how you will accomplish this both while you’re on the road and when you’re staying in your home or emergency shelter.
Making sure everyone has a mobile phone is a great start. Keeping your devices charged on a regular basis will help make sure you have a full battery in case of an emergency. Put extra chargers, including car chargers, in your go-bag. Having an additional battery or a backup power supply will come in very handy as well.
Be conservative with your device usage to make the battery power last as long as possible. Turning off data when you're not listening to news reports is an ideal way to conserve battery. It’s important to talk to your kids about this ahead of a disaster and remind them regularly.
Just as important, don't rely on just your smartphone for news and communication. A backup plan will come in handy when you can’t get a good connection or run out of power on your device. Designate a meeting point or a person that everyone contacts when you can’t get a hold of each other. Have a backup solution for finding out what’s going on like a weather radio.
What Supplies Do You Need?
Start with the basics you need for survival including food, water, shelter, flashlights, candles, and matches (keep them in a waterproof bag), prescribed medication, and a first aid kit. Don’t forget about your pets.
From there, start thinking about creature comforts like light, entertainment, and the likes. Having a headlamp and a good book can make waiting out a power outage a lot more pleasant.
Be Prepared
Think about what makes the most sense to you and your family. If you are able to stay put, you can take care of issues as they pop up and prevent further damage. If a storm blows out a window, you can board it up and prevent water from coming in for example. At other times, it may be safer and more convenient to get out of the disaster’s way.
For all cases, you will want to prepare in advance and have a go-bag for every member of the family, including your pets. Things move fast when a storm hits, especially when evacuations are ordered. You don’t want to waste time trying to make decisions and gathering supplies.

The more prepared you are, the safer and more comfortable you’ll be when disaster strikes. Download our free Emergency Supplies Checklist to help you along the way.

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Emergency Go Bag

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If Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Prepared? Read More »

Automate Your Business Finances

Organizational Efficiency: Automate Your Business Finances

Bookkeeping, Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Time Management
Automate Your Business Finances

Organizational Efficiency: Automate Your Business Finances

task virtual assistant

Every business must figure out how they plan to keep track of income and expenses and set up benchmarks for planning purposes. In Organizational Efficiency: The Anatomy of your Business, I showed you how automating your business helps free up your valuable time to do more money-making activities. The poster child for automation is business finances. Think about it, most of your business finance tasks are recurring and rarely change, making it perfect for automation! The tools that exist today, such as Quickbooks and Xero, are easy to use, inexpensive, and work great. Today, most bookkeeping software, even Go Daddy’s version, will automatically book your purchases and income for you and categorize the expense, saving you hours! It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Below are some finance tasks you can easily automate:

Invoicing and Reminders

Send recurring invoices automatically based on the criteria you set up. You can also set up auto-reminders for invoices that might need a little tweaking before they go out.

What’s more, when your client clicks the invoice to pay, the software automatically records the payment.

Payroll

If you have employees, then you know how timely payroll can be! Investing in payroll software can save you time and money.

Depending on the size of your staff or how many contractors you have, having an automated system will help ensure your people are paid on time, and letting them self-manage their pay helps save you time. Look at your bookkeeping software to determine if there are add-ons to help automate this or try using SurePayRoll.

Bill Paying

Set up automatic payments through your bank or credit card company, so you don’t have to think about them every month. Another plus, automatic payments prevent late fees!

Storing Records and Receipts

Use receipt scanning apps like Wave to take a picture of your records and receipts so that it’s always there when you need it. Your accountant will thank you!!

Expense Management

Managing expenses, especially when you’re away from your office, is easy today with software like Zoho Expense and fylehq.com that help you collect receipts, appropriately book the expense, and so forth. Even your existing bookkeeping software may have an option.

Investing and Saving

The truth is, if you don’t invest and save on a regular basis, you won’t do it. Set up automatic transfers with your bank to send money to your investments and savings accounts, whether personal or business finances.

Automating your finances helps you avoid making the same steps over and over again. There is no reason to repeat tasks today when there is software available to do it for you. You can save hours each day by implementing these financial automation tips and tools.

Download our free Organizational Efficiency Workbook and start taking control of your time!

Organizational Efficiency: Automate Your Business Finances Read More »

five fast ways to make quicker and better decisions

Five Fast Ways to Make Quicker and Better Decisions

Business, Goals and Business Planning, Helpful Tips, Strategic Thinking
five fast ways to make quicker and better decisions

Five Fast Ways to Make Quicker and Better Decisions

task virtual assistant

Being an efficient decision-maker can often make a difference in missed opportunities.  You have to be decisive, and often you have to make quick decisions, but you want to be sure you are making the best choice.  So how do you make quicker and better decisions? How do you become more accurate and effective at making decisions when it counts?

You have to be decisive. Making important decisions in less time means more power and control over your life. It also means that you will have the opportunity to gain the trust of others. Being able to make important decisions will enhance your business and personal life.

Start with making small decisions in a timely fashion to help train your brain to think through questions more quickly. You will be surprised at how quickly our brains can be conditioned. Follow these five tips to help put your decision-making process in the fast lane.

What is the Objective?

Your S.M.A.R.T. goals will play a vital part in your decision-making process. Knowing the objectives of the decision and knowing your mission will help make the decision-making process simple.

Ask Yourself: "What are we really trying to do here?"

Write it out, brainstorm, and discuss. Is it your role to solve this problem? Do you have the tools needed? It is vital that your decision, any decision, is within your mission.

Seek Out Wisdom and Knowledge

Seek out wise counsel. Really. If you are surrounded by more experienced professionals who have done what you are about to do, ask questions and inform yourself. Do needed research. Don’t let pride or proving that you have it “all under control” blind you to great resources all around you.

It Does NOT Have to be Perfect

Don’t overthink - just start. Make a plan. An imperfect, real plan. Start doing the work that is deciding and solving. Take note of the effects and response to your action. This way, you can adjust if needed.

Adjust Early...

…it’s ok to fail, but fail fast and move on.

Be humble - adjust early if needed. Don’t run the train off the track because you are unwilling to admit that you made a mistake. If your choice was wrong, own up to it in a professional way and make things right to the best of your ability. It’s better to win the fight after a change of tactics than to get knocked out by your own ego and pride.

Decision-making does not have to be tedious and stressful. An important part of the process is to know what you truly have power over, to control only what YOU can control.  If it’s not your decision to make, stay out of the control room.  Zero in only on what you have the ability to decide on. This means staying focused and being able to take action without becoming overwhelmed by the details.

With the right attitude, planning, and strategy, you can become a faster, more efficient, and competent decision-maker. This is a great tool for the corporate world and everyday life.

Five Fast Ways to Make Quicker and Better Decisions Read More »

vacation tips

Prepare Now for a Stress-Free Return

Helpful Tips, Uncategorized, Virtual Assistant News
vacation tips

Prepare Now for a Stress-Free Return

task virtual assistant

Modified from original post, published December 19, 2019

Taking some time off during the Holidays? Looking forward to enjoying some festivities, but dread the mountain of work you know will be waiting when you return? Make a few preparations now before you leave, and follow some tips when you return, to help ease you back into a routine and maybe even stretch your relaxed and festive mood well into the first week or two of the new year!

Taking care of a few things now before you leave, will have you thanking yourself when you come back!!

Notifications: Set up your Out-Of-Office and Voicemail messages now. These are probably the two most overlooked yet simplest tasks to quickly take care of. Many email programs such as Outlook and Gmail will let you schedule the OOO in advance. If your phone system doesn’t allow for advance messaging, write the message out, and have it ready to record quickly. Don’t stress yourself by waiting until 5 minutes before you’re trying to get out the door!

Schedule Meetings: That New Year staff meeting can wait until Tuesday afternoon – 2:30 PM to be exact – after you return. A study by YouCanBookMe shows this to be the very best time to schedule a meeting. Also, don’t forget to schedule a reminder, preferably with a scheduled email, in addition to the popup reminder notification.

While you’re adding meetings to your calendar, I want you to schedule 3 lunches your first week back. As you ease your way back into the routine, time away becomes paramount. Schedule alternate days (I recommend this!) or consecutively, but do it in “ink” and do not allow yourself to cancel.

This becomes all too important, especially with our new work-from-home routines. It can become easy to forget about ourselves because, in our minds, we are already at home and feel guilty if we take any "me" time.

Whether you are returning to the office or multiple zoom meetings, you need to add a 30-minute “catch up” time to your schedule. The purpose is to socialize and catch up with your office pals. Scheduling this time will help avoid unnecessary interruptions.

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Task List: You know I’m all about these lists! Make a complete list of all the projects you are working on, including the ones you’ve been putting on the back burner. Take a few minutes to prioritize everything – use the Eisenhower Matrix found in my 5 Essentials Tips blog to help organize these projects. Your “vacation brain” will thank you when it’s time to jump back into things!

Clean Up Your Desk: Put all tasks away and take the last 20 minutes before you leave to clean up your desk. Put away the files you’ve been working on, put books back where they belong, straighten up the supplies. Take one last look at your returning Task list. Make sure you have only the most urgent and important tasks scheduled your first week back.

holiday email return

Tips for Your Return: Returning to the office has been sometimes compared to getting a root canal! Just the volume of emails alone is enough to make even the bravest quiver!!! Three good rules for returning:

  • Try to stay in a selective stealth mode the first few days back, giving those that “need to know” a heads up about your return.
  • Break the first few days into little chunks. For example, take care of emails and phone calls on the first day, and review reports on day two.
  • Do Not Stay Late! As tempting as it might be, slowly easing back into that full “work late” schedule will help you be more focused and productive.

These are just a few things you can do to help relieve the stress of returning to work after an extended Holiday, with an emphasis on getting out of the office or away from your desk - have lunch with a friend, take a walk – get away for at least 30 minutes.

I’d like to close with one final list, it’s my "To-Don't List":

  • Don’t schedule multiple meetings your first day/week back
  • Don’t set unrealistic deadlines for your first day back
  • Don’t try to do everything the first day back

This will only leave you overwhelmed, underproductive, and put you behind in your work.

Prepare Now for a Stress-Free Return Read More »

source-checking isolation tips

3 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Questionable Links

Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security, Tech and Security
source-checking isolation tips

Don't Get Bamboozled By Bogus Links!

3 Ways to Protect Yourself Against Questionable Links

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Unsolicited emails from unknown senders are sometimes the onset of cyberattacks. They may entice you to click on a link or open an attachment that may contain malware. Clicking on the links can also direct you to some compromising websites, so be cautious. If a link looks suspicious, look it up on the web and do a quick research. The rule of thumb is to ignore seemingly malicious emails. But if you're really curious, or just not sure it's evil, there are several ways to protect yourself and your environment from unknown and questionable web links. Read on for a few tips you can use to protect yourself while investigating that link or attachment.

The main key is isolation. Below outlines a small list of isolations that you can utilize.

Isolate Yourself

Use a completely different platform. If possible, utilize a “Burner” computer. A burner computer could be an old laptop that you don’t care about if it gets compromised. There is zero personal information, no passwords stored, or any other sensitive information.

Also, protect your network by connecting the burner computer to a different network, such as an Internet Café, free WI-FI, or even your guest WI-FI if it's enabled.

iOS and Android

Use a more secure, but less robust operating system. These operating systems are considered secure because, most of the time, if an operation/application requires interaction with system resources or the operating system, it will ask the user to “Allow / Deny” it. Examples would be:

  • iOS (iPhone, iPad)
  • Android (Phones, Chrome books, Tablets)

Go Virtual

Use Virtual Isolation. If any of the above is not available or practical, then virtual isolation is your next best bet. Virtual Isolation means exactly that. Create a virtual machine within your computer (be it iOS or Windows) by utilizing specialized software. Below lists some of the more popular options. They all have pretty much the same features. The only difference these days are support, ease of use, and price.

If you rely on the Internet for anything or you rely on your computer for anything, it is a must that you fully understand what threats are out there and how you can better protect yourself. Taking a few precautions will help keep your computer safe from hijackers and becoming a zombie machine.

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cybersecurity for kids

Cybersecurity For Kids

COVID-19, Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security, Tech and Security, Working From Home
cybersecurity for kids

Cybersecurity For Kids

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Your children need protection from the lurkers and hackers in cyberspace. With more schools shifting to online learning, almost all kids now have access to the internet. Parents should be actively involved in teaching their children safe cybersecurity habits.

Most kids who access the internet are not careful enough when giving out personal information online. They don't realize the risks and dangers of having their confidential and personal information online. From viruses to hackers to identity thieves, these people are lurking in cyberspace, waiting for that opportunity. I can only stress the importance of cybersecurity for kids.

There are several ways to help teach your children the proper methods of accessing, behaving, and protecting themselves online. The most common areas your children go on the web are social network sites where they have online profiles, photos, and keep online journals. Explain the dangers of accepting online friend invites, especially if they don't know the person.

cybersecurity for kids

It's important to remember that you are not just adding that one person; you get the "friends of friends" spiral. When you add someone as a friend, their friends will also have viewing access, and, if the settings are not locked down, they will also be able to comment. Most of the time, your kids won't even know these people, and now, if they choose, these individuals can gain access to your kid's personal information. Use the privacy and/or parental controls on the social media apps your kid's access. Many are interactive and easy to set up.

Put their computer in a high-profile area, such as a kitchen, where one or more people are always there. Setting them up in the main traffic area allows you to monitor their browsing activities more easily or encourage them to ask questions. They can call your attention to their monitor if they want to ask questions or show you something. It also discourages them from visiting lewd and otherwise undesirable websites.

cybersecurity for kids

These websites are not only inappropriate but are also a breeding ground of malware, spyware, and virus applications that can destroy files, the computer, and even other devices on your network. It's best to be proactive and use controlling mechanisms like content blockers that prohibits them from accessing certain websites and a monitoring application, so you can review what sites they are visiting.

Talk to your children about what they can do online. Get them to engage in a healthy conversation about what they do online, and to let you know if anything seems off. Help them to develop good online habits to ensure their safety online. Teach them the pros and cons of social networking, online file sharing, and even software piracy and illegal downloads. Increasing their knowledge and understanding of the technology of computers and the internet and cybersecurity is arming them with the best protective gear.

cybersecurity for kids

Keep in mind that children are naturally curious. Their innocence, and their desire to be independent, can cause them to be careless. Ordinary safeguards are not enough when it comes to protecting your kids in cyberspace. You need to know what your kid's computer habits are so you can better protect them.

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cybersecurity myths

Exposing Myths in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity, Helpful Tips, Online Security, Tech and Security
cybersecurity myths

Exposing Myths in Cybersecurity

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We all know that cybersecurity is essential. Having a strong password is vital to keep confidential information protected. We know that having anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware applications keep you safe on a network or the Internet. We also know that having a correct firewall setting is quite important as well.

We are led to believe that having these precautionary measures are enough. Well, they are not. It is time to expose some of the myths of cybersecurity.

MYTH: MY ANTI-VIRUS AND FIREWALL SOFTWARE WILL SAVE ME

FACT: Despite what manufacturers say, despite what the advertisements say, despite what some of your friends tell you, no anti-virus or firewall software is 100% effective. Virus creators make malicious codes that are so advanced that an anti-virus application is not yet capable of handling an attack from it.

Despite the regular updates released by anti-virus software companies, they cannot foresee what kinds of viruses will come out next month or the month after that. They can only provide their customers with protection based on the virus that they know and the potential virus that could come out.

HABIT: The best way to have a degree of protection is to combine the technologies together. Have separate anti-virus software installed and keep a strong firewall active.

It is also important to know that you cannot install an application and forget about it. You will need to get the patches or updates that manufacturers release. These patches or updates are fixes on some little or sometimes big inconsistencies or bugs in the application. For anti-virus software, this update is essential as it may contain the latest virus signature.

Turn on automatic updates to receive updates whenever manufacturers release a new version or an upgrade of the system.

Additionally, look at your security settings. Your emails, web browsers, and other applications all have specific settings that increase the security allowing them to block malware attacks.

MYTH: IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME or I'M NOT IMPORTANT TO HACKERS

FACT: Hackers and identity thieves will grab any opportunity that they come across. If they can get your personal information easily, they will do so and think about how they can use it for their personal gain.

Don't believe that just because you have mainly personal and insignificant information in your computer that it’s not worth protecting at all. Please bear in mind that what you think is not important can turn out to be quite useful for hackers. Every bit of information you have on your computer, email, or any other system can be manipulated and used by hackers to access more of your confidential information or use it to gain some profit. Even if you keep your files in a computer not connected to any network, the one that a hacker gains access to can be used to attack other computers or cause problems with other systems.

HABIT: Part of building a good habit is to identify how your information can be accessed and who would be the most likely people who can gain from accessing your confidential files. It’s like identifying the usual suspects in a criminal line-up. I’m not saying that the people you know cannot be trusted but it helps to be extra cautious. Your brother might not do something untrustworthy but his friends' might and if they have physical access to your computer then your files are at risk of being hacked.

Lock your computer with a good password. Use combinations of letters and numbers, upper case and lower case, and even use codes. Avoid using the usual birthdays, social security numbers, bank PINs, account numbers, favorite superheroes, favorite food, etc. Use unique passwords and make one up for every system that requires authentication. Do not use the same password in all your confidential files.

MYTH: MY FILES ARE SAFE

FACT: Do not forget about power surges and other technological problems. Even though the virus and hacker threats are real and sometimes the priority, people forget that sometimes power surges or breakdown of computer hardware can cause loss of data or have files corrupted and rendered unusable. It may not seem as critical as having your personal information exposed to the world, but the loss could be just as devastating to you personally.

HABIT: Use surge protectors to protect you from power surges and invest in a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to allow you to back up or shut down your computer properly preventing possible corruption of files and applications.

And speaking of backing up, make it a habit to regularly back up your files just in case the unthinkable happens.

Cybersecurity is not at all that difficult. Once you have incorporated it into your system then it can be as normal as walking. All you need is to learn how you can make it work well and build a good habit to make cybersecurity consistent.

By doing this you have a better chance of keeping your confidential information protected from attacks, and keep your personal information safe.

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self-sabotaging behaviors

SELF-SABOTAGING BEHAVIORS THAT KEEP YOUR BUSINESS FROM SOARING

Business, Helpful Tips
self-sabotaging behaviors

Self-Sabotaging Behaviors That Keep Your Business From Soaring

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No matter how successful you are, at one time or another you’ll fall into the self-sabotage trap, we all do, and the price is high.

  • Your income will suffer.
  • Your self-esteem will plummet.
  • Your confidence will find new lows.

The result? Frustration. Burnout. Resentment of your clients, or your business, or both! Self-sabotaging behaviors lead to more self-sabotaging behaviors. Think of it as getting stuck in a revolving door. You keep pushing the door past the opening that lets you out, but never jump off.

Does this sound like you? Maybe you started a downward spiral due to all the changes with the pandemic. With all the negative reporting from the media, it wasn't difficult to do. Perhaps you are not sure. Maybe you have some sparks of recognition, but it's not that bad? No matter what level your may be, I have good news! Stopping this descent is easy when you learn to recognize the symptoms.

Procrastination

Were you going to send a proposal to a potential new client, but waited too long? Or maybe you were going to get your books in order, or make an appointment with your tax preparer, and now they’re booked solid and taxes are due in two days!

These, and other missed opportunities, can often be blamed on simple procrastination, one of the most destructive habits we fall victim to. Procrastination is what keeps us working late at night to make a deadline, costs us money in late fees, and even costs us business.

If you are prone to procrastination, here are a few techniques you can try to put an end to it:

  • Recognize your fear. What often keeps us stuck is simple fear. We are afraid of failing, afraid we’ll look bad when compared to other proposals, so we just don’t send one. But if you want to be successful in business, you must learn to recognize and face your fears, then do the work anyway.  What if it doesn't work out? Learn from it, dust yourself off, and get back on that horse!

It's ok to fail, but fail fast."  - Leonard Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc

  • Visualize the life and business you desire. Imagine what it will be like to have that amazing business you’ve been dreaming about. Picture your ideal workday, daydream about that fabulous vacation you’ll take, and imagine your ideal client. Put together a vision board and look at it, really look at it, once a week. Always keep your goals top of mind.
  • Reward yourself. It’s okay to give yourself a little incentive for getting things done. It’s even number six of the Eight-Stage Change Process John Kotter talks about in Leading Change. He suggests generating short-term wins and “visibly recognizing and rewarding people who made the wins possible”, that includes you! Take yourself out to lunch; buy a new pair of shoes; take an afternoon off. Do what’s most likely to motivate you to power through your fears and take the next step.

Failing To Complete Your Projects

Be honest. How many partially planned programs, and unfinished projects are on your task list right now?

If you’re like a lot of entrepreneurs, the answer is probably several.

You started all of them with great enthusiasm. You planned out the project, created the workflow, and maybe even outlined the marketing strategy. And then…you just stopped working on it.

Maybe you tell yourself that you’re too busy. Maybe you “need to do some more research.” Or maybe you simply lost interest. But the truth is, none of those are the real reason. For many, this self-sabotaging habit is a symptom of a lack of confidence, and it is keeping you from the success you deserve.

Consider this: You cannot know the actual success rate of a program you have never finished, and you cannot improve upon something you have never completed. So rather than filling your task list with half-finished projects, power through and start getting them done.

“Make a commitment to focus on the priority task now, not later, not even tomorrow.” -  How To Finish Everything Your Start, Jan Yager

Negative Self-Talk

       “I’ve never been good with money.”

“I hate budgets.”

             “I’ll never be a 6-figure earner.”

“My market won’t pay premium prices.”

If you have ever heard these statements come out of your mouth—or even in your head—then you are engaging in a damaging habit known as negative self-talk. By telling yourself these lies (and yes, they are lies) you are reinforcing the beliefs that go along with them.

“Thoughts become things!” -  Mike Dooley; excerpt from The Secret, Rhonda Byrne

Tell yourself you are not good with money, and you won’t be. Believe that budgets are horrible chores to be disparaged, and you’ll resist creating one. Convince yourself that you can’t earn a 6-figure income, and you won’t.

It’s not “the secret.” It’s a scientific fact known as a self-fulfilling prophecy, this kind of self-talk results in poor performance simply because we act as if it’s already true.

The first step toward changing your negative self-talk is to simply acknowledge that you do it. Tick a mental checkbox every time you catch yourself making negative statements, whether out loud or in your head.

The next time you catch yourself saying “I’m no good with money,” take a minute to recall 5 instances where you were good with money. Maybe you paid off your credit cards or saved for a house or built an emergency fund. Rephrase your self-talk to, “I used to be bad with money, but now I make smart choices to achieve my goals.”

Just as negative self-talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, so does positive self-talk. Re-frame your thinking, and your business finances will certainly improve.

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