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8 Tips to Improve Time Management

Are you the person that can never get anything done? Do you feel like your work day is always moving faster than you can? Or are you the eternal procrastinator? Whatever the reason, there’s never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done. But, here’s the good thing. There’s tons of things you can do to improve your efficiency and gain back some of that lost time. Let’s take a look at eight solid things you can do today to improve your work and time efficiency.

Just like they say at AA, the first step is to acknowledge that you have a problem. So, knowing that you have a time management problem and accepting it is the first step to improving it. So stop denying it and accept it.

The second step is to decide. You need to decide that you’re going to do something about your time management. You can know you have a problem, and you can acknowledge that you have a problem, but until you decide that you’re going to do something about it nothing else matters. Once you decide that you have a time management problem, you can move forward. Save yourself some goals that you can achieve. And in the same way that someone tries to lose weight, make sure the goals are actually achievable. Create some success but you can build on.

Number three, stick to your goals. The reason that you create a goal is so that you have something to hold yourself accountable to. If you can’t secure goals, and you’re not going to achieve anything. That’s why it’s so important to create goals that are achievable. Once you achieve those initial goals, you can raise the bar again and continue to strive to get better, and better. You also have to have a stick to it might set, you have to make sure you don’t give up.

The fourth step is to create daily task lists. Creating a to do list for yourself is an easy way to properly manage your time. In fact, it is one of the easiest approaches that you can take. Outline what you need to do throughout the day. Be sure to list your tasks in order of importance. Every time you accomplish something, cross it off of the task list. Not only will this give you a sense of accomplishment, but you can see how you’re getting things done during the day. At the end of the day create the new list for the next day. At the end of the week, create the new list for the next week.

Use time management tools. Properly managing your time is important, but it can be hard for many individuals to get use to, especially right away. If you are one of those individuals, you will want to consider using time management tools to your advantage. But make sure that the time management tools don’t become time wasters. Your PDA, or your scheduler, should be used quickly and efficiently. Don’t spend minutes and hours just messing around and tooling with it.

Learn to say no. In all honesty, there are times where you may not be able to refuse a project at work or a task at home, but try to not take on more than you can accomplish. If you must, look into using outside help. In the home, this outside help can come from a housecleaner. At the workplace, this outside help can come from a coworker. Remember, there is a nice way and a rude way to say no. But at the end of the day if you are the one that says yes all the time, you never get anything done for yourself.

Get organized. Organization is key to being able to properly manage your time. If you are unorganized, you are likely to waste a large amount of time. For example, in the workplace you can waste time by searching for lost or misplaced documents. The same can be said for the home; if you are unorganized, you can spend hours searching for your glasses or car keys. Look at your desk, lift your computer, and ligature filing system. If things are all over the place, you will have a hard time finding them and you will waste time. Take a few minutes at the end of every day to put things back where they belong to you can start your next day fresh.

Get a coach. Or get help. If you have that much to do, and you’re super busy, it may make sense to hire someone to help keep you organized like an assistant, or if you’re just having a really hard time keeping to your plan, a coach can help keep you accountable.

Put all of these steps to work and you are sure to see success! Remember, you only have 24 hours in the day so make use of every single minute wisely.

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An Online Home Based Business Can Change Your Life

A home based business is just as much work as any other business and takes extreme amount of dedication and determination. Working hard each and everyday in the beginning is going to be something that you will need to do. You will need to invest time and money into your home business to keep it running.

After all of that hard work you put in you are going to have a business that you are in control of. This means that you will have more freedom then you ever experienced working for anyone else. Owning your own business means that you will have the freedom to spend time with family. Your daughter has a ballet recital, or your son has a baseball game? No problem for you, because you are free to take off and go when ever you need to. If your child gets sick you do not have to worry about calling in sick to work to stay home and take care of them. Doctor’s appointments for you and your family are no longer difficult to arrange, because you are free to go at any time that is available to you.

Many people would love the freedom to just go on vacation when they wanted to. When you own your own business you have that freedom. You can take a couple of days off to go on vacation any time of the year you want. Depending on the type of business you are running you may even have the freedom to take your business with you where ever you go.

An internet business can be run from anywhere in the world. If you have a laptop you can take your work with you anywhere. That soccer game of your son, daughter, cousin, niece, or nephew is now your office. Perhaps you would like to take an extended vacation but need to keep tabs on your business and how things are being run. Not a problem at all if your business is an internet based business and you have a laptop. Go on a cruise, or take a trip to another country all while still working and making the money to enjoy your life.

Running an internet business and taking it with you wherever you go also means that you can even work at the park or some other out door location. This is especially nice if you have little children who need the time to be out doors but you still need to do the work to keep your income level where it is.

Remember that the more work you put into your home based business the more money you are going to make. The more profitable your business is the more freedom you will have to do the things you really want to do. Having freedom to do the things that you want to do will lead to a more happy and fulfilled life. Obtaining your goals for your life is one of the reasons that many people enjoy having their own business.

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Can an Ergonomic Work Chair Help Your Back?

Working long hours can take it’s toll on your back. They say that it is important to get a good bed as you spend a large portion of time in that piece of furniture, but it is the same with a work chair. This is a common scenario for everyone–we are often too engrossed in doing our work that we oftentimes forget that it is very important for us to be seated comfortably as possible. Before you know it, neglecting your back can create future problems. While more costly, it is often worth the extra dollars for your health. If you are one of the million people who are in the same line of problem, then it is time to have an ergonomic task chair in your home office.

So what is an ergonomic task chair? The goal of an ergonomic chair is providing you with the maximum comfort that you need once you purchase it. In addition to comfort, the work chair is designed to work around and support your body for minimum stress on you. What manufacturers put into mind when coming up with this type of office necessity is that it should have the ability to coordinate the existing physical conditions felt by an individual who uses it coupled with the understanding of the health capacities of the user. There are some important aspects to consider when you plan to have an ergonomic chair to rest perfectly in your office space.

It is very important for a user to further evaluate the design of the ergonomic task chair that he wants to buy. Make sure you pick a chair that is snug and secure, but also gives you enough room to move freely. Make sure that the ergonomic chair that you decide to purchase is made up of quality materials, with its cushion providing the maximum comfort for the user. The cushion should allow the weight of the user to be evenly distributed in the bulk of the chair.

Other areas to look at are how your shoulder sit naturally when in the chair. Your shoulders should not feel hunched up. They should sit naturally. So, the arm rests should sit at at level to support the arms, without pushing up your shoulders.

When you sit in the chair, your legs should break evenly at the knee where the seat ends. If your knee line sits before the end of the chair, you run the risk of cutting off your circulation.

Make sure that your feet can sit evenly on the ground. If your feet hang, again, you are creating a cut off of circulation on your legs, and that can cause discomfort.

Choose one which employs an adjustable back feature coupled with a stretch seat. In this way, you would be sure that your back pains would further be alleviated once you take note of this aspect. If you want to have a full support for your mid-back, then a chair incorporating a lumbar support feature would be best for you.

With this type of ergonomic task chair, you would be assured that it would provide you a better comfort than the standard office chair that we oftentimes have. This type allows the user to adjust it to whichever height you desire so as you could bid goodbye to the toughest back pains in the world caused by stress and strain brought about by the standard office chair.

Matt loves his Herman Miller Aeron Chair. For more information on an Aeron Chairvisit http://getmychair.com

Burnout: The Effects Of Unavoidable Job Stress

Stress seems to be an inevitable part of any job. Even minor things can lead to feelings of stress. Petty arguments with supervisors and conflicts with co-workers are among the most common every day stressors. For some employees, however, the level of stress experienced goes far beyond job strain and the irritation of daily hassles. For some employees, the level of stress experienced on the job builds up until it is overwhelming and leads to a condition called burnout.

What is burnout? In general, burnout is described as emotional exhaustion. The most common symptoms associated with this emotional exhaustion include overwhelming fatigue, headaches, stomachaches, and impaired sleep. And, as burnout develops, it often leads to a deterioration in social skills. Individuals in the midst of burnout just do not interact with others as they did in the past. They often withdraw from others. They may lose patience more easily. They may become more abrupt and abrasive in their dealings with others. Their language on the job may become cruder. They may appear to be moody and depressed.

Over time, burnout has profound effects on job performance. Simply put, job performance suffers. Victims of burnout are likely to reduce the amount of work they do. They may avoid tasks that they find most stressful. Their absenteeism is likely to increase. In the worst case, they may suddenly quit their jobs with little notice to their employers. Supervisors may not be able to recognize burnout for what it is, but they certainly will notice the effects of burnout on job performance.

Burnout often occurs in those jobs we think of as the helping professions. Professions such as teaching, law enforcement, nursing, and social work are all potential breeding grounds for burnout. Interestingly, within these professions, burnout tends to strike the most dedicated and most idealistic individuals. While burnout has been observed for years in the so-called helping professions, it can occur in a wide range of jobs. The key seems to be the presence of inescapable, day-to-day frustrations which build up overtime.

The frustrations that lead to burnout can take many forms. Studies of professions such as teaching and nursing have suggested that burnout occurs when workers begin to believe that no one appreciates the work they do or the help they provide. Over time the difficulty of their task and the presence of ambitious, but ambiguous, goals may lead them to believe that their efforts have no real impact. When the feeling “it doesn’t matter what I do” sets in, burnout is not far behind. Of course, these feelings are not limited to the helping professions. Anytime workers feel overwhelmed by the demands of their job and think that there is little support for their efforts, burnout becomes a threat.

Fortunately, there are several things that can be done to eliminate or reduce the development of burnout. First of all, it is important for supervisors to actively support their subordinates, to treat them fairly, and to provide them with appropriate feedback. Second, it is important for employees to develop a realistic view of what they can accomplish on the job. Unrealistic goals are a recipe for frustration and stress. Third, employees need to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Individuals who blur the boundaries between work and home are good candidates for burnout. Finally, employees need to learn specific techniques for reducing and managing their own perceived levels of stress. These techniques may include exercise and various relaxation procedures. Meditation, tai chi, and qigong are all examples of holistic health practices that might prove helpful. Practitioners have long argued that these disciplines enhance relaxation and reduce stress in the individual.

Douglas Hardwick, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Hardwick has extensive interests in aging and holistic health issues. He developed the website:
www.holisticwebworks.com - a holistic health information hub

Where Do I Move?

For some the question of “Where do I move?” may seem a little bizarre, for others it may incur fear, stress, and restlessness of the unknown. It is assumed that every five years 17% of the population will move house. To some of those the likelihood of moving to a new city or perhaps country may be a bigger reality than expected. Your spouse may be offered that once in a lifetime career development opportunity or your elderly parents may need the comfort of family closer to home.

It doesn’t matter what your reason, the shear reality for some of us is we will make a move that is potentially out of our comfort zone. We live our life in an environment we have either grown up in or become accustomed to, having friends, family, shops & schools to name a few of the creature comforts. Regardless of the reasoning we do not realise what we have until we decide to relocate.

More importantly what do we consider when we are looking for a new home or area in which to live? If you do not have access to some good local knowledge at your new destination here are some ideas to help you make a more informed decision, certainly your criteria could be unlimited, so let’s highlight some key considerations for now rather than after moving.

A common question I enjoy the banter of is “Which side of town do I live, Northside, Southside etc?” The answer is obvious if you live on the Southside guess what the answer will be.

Here are some things to consider:

Future urban development. Can you expect a new industrial or commercial park development as your next door neighbour, or is the local council, county or municipality proactive in future growth of the area, and how they intend to cater for an increased population

Property Values growth or decline obviously in a fast growing area may be positioned favourably to local services, public transport, or ocean views for example. A decline may represent a saturation of new homes & not necessarily because a new highway is being built right through the middle.

A Population increase or if a decrease may be indicative of an area in decline of employment opportunities which may experience a reduction in available services in the future.

Community services be it health clinics, shopping centres, banks are normally a good sign of stable future development, as some of these service providers will not have a presence in an area if it is not viable.

Crime rate this can be sourced from either the government statistics reporting agency or consider contacting the local Police station.

Owner occupier versus investment owned homes. Whilst this is not always a benchmark of comparing those in the community, as people can be nice whether they rent or own a property. It is assumed that if the investment ownership exceeds the owner occupier then that may have some cause for further investigation. Also consider apartment versus housing ratio as one may impact on the others future capital growth. If you contact either the Real Estate Institute or governing body in the respective state they generally have this information readily available or can be asked for.

Schools in areas can be summarised in benefits if you visit the government education department web site from there look at the schools population their academic achievements. At this point you can drill down further on what each school has to offer by visiting their web site sourced from the education department listing. You may be able to condense your search to a region or post code.

P&C Parent & Citizens or Parent & Friends meetings at local schools is a good gauge for those wanting to place their child into a specific school, one can get a feel for how compassionate or proactive a school is by the support they receive from members of the community and the teaching staff.

Playgroups or early childhood learning centres is a great way to establish new friends in a community if you have a young family, & in both cases there is normally an association or governing body that can suggest a centre or gathering place in your local area.

Sporting & recreation clubs or Associations are a great way to meet new people; you may even find or easily establish an expatriates club for people from your region or get involved in the local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club.

Starting a new business, look at what is being offered in the area, do not be afraid of competitors you may be able to do it better & still win them over. Like any new business do your homework to determine if the market can support your new idea, demographic surveys are available from local municipalities or government reporting agencies.

Parks & gardens whilst not essential will provide an outlet or escape if your new surroundings appear daunting, not to mention if you have children they can be a form of energy release to make your new home more relaxed & comfortable.

Some people may be attracted to a pristine environment although cannot afford the lifestyle or may be limited by employment opportunities in their speciality. There are plenty of good internet resources when investigating Real Estate values be it for lease or to buy, along with online employment advertising. If you have a selected skill set yet the new location is saturated with people who perform the same role, consider your available options.

Before deciding on your new chosen location what is the traffic like or activity at selected times of the day, particularly if you are opposed to sitting in a traffic jam or are accustomed to regular reliable public transport. If getting from home to your place of work is a problem be mindful of how that will affect your attitude or work life balance. You may find it distressing travelling for long periods of time or it may give you the opportunity to unwind; either way if you are spending a lot of time travelling, consider the implications. There may be no benefit of living in that pristine environment if your work commitments do not allow you time to enjoy it.

The most important thing when moving to a new location is to have fun & enjoy it. You will get exactly what you want if you have the right attitude & a clear expectation of your desires, you have a greater chance of succeeding.

What ever you decide, make your new house home sooner naturally & easily.

Happy moving!

Whether you are moving,
relocating or shifting
place, we have free information that helps.

Taking Breaks at Work for Healthier Hearts

We’ve all been there.

Bombarded by work, email, phone calls or tedious tasks.

Some of us find time to relax on weekends, but the majority of us need a little R&R periodically throughout the week.

MSNBC did a little researching on the topic with an editorial called “Relax or Die: Lack of Weekend R&R puts Hearts at Risk”. This article suggests that those who are not able to (or just plain don’t try to) relax on the weekends are more likely to die from a cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease or stroke.

Researchers in Finland studied a group of nearly 800 workers for 28 years. Their study reveals that out of their subjects, those who failed to find time to recover from their workweek on weekends were more likely to eventually die of cardiovascular disease.

The theory, as related by Dr. Mika Kivimaki, the leader of the study, is as follows:

If people are not able to relax periodically or on weekends, plaques can build up in their arteries (major channels that blood is pumped through), leading to blockages (bad), which contribute to potential heart attacks and or strokes (dangerous and often fatal), a culmination of events known in the medical field as underlying atherosclerosis.

This may take years to build up, and there are many factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. However, this study did not take the usual suspects that lead to heart risk into account such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, inactivity, or mental and emotional strain such as stress or depression.

I’m not a doctor by any means, but I think that we could all take small steps each day to avoid stress or at least counteract it.

What can do you to relax when you are at work?

A brisk walk on a lunch break, deep breathing exercises, laughing, prayer, and surrounding yourself with calming elements, for example, family photos or ambient music, are excellent ideas.

Cut down on caffeine, think positive thoughts, and take a minute for yourself when you need one.

Something that I do every so often is visit a blog that is completely unrelated to the voice industry, the field that I work in.

My sister-in-law Lisa, a graphic designer, introduced me to a series of blogs from the design industry that she researches on a regular basis.

While she prefers to gather information and ideas, I just let the colors, patterns, images, domesticity, and design layouts entertain me and alleviate any minor stresses that crop up.

If you need to get away for a minute or two and can’t leave your desk, try visiting websites that cater to your hobbies or lifestyle.

Take a moment to unwind each day while on the job. Your heart and loved ones will thank you.

Stephanie Ciccarelli is the VP of Marketing with Voices.com, the voice over marketplace hosting more than 7,000 professional voice talents. Stephanie is also the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success.

7 Tips To Help You Maintain Your Discipline While Working at Home

The good news about working for yourself is that you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck. The bad news about working for yourself is that you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck.

Working for yourself can be great, but it can also be frustrating, especially if you don’t feel that your self-discipline is in good working order. Self-employment gives you more flexibility to decide when you will go to work, what your priorities are, and when you need to take a break. But running your own business generally requires more self-discipline than you would need if you worked as an employee.

Thing is, self-discipline is critical. It is easy to get distracted or procrastinate. Family interruptions and our own resistance-especially when it comes to tasks that we don’t like doing but that still need doing-can get in the way of making steady progress. Without a boss and coworkers around to help keep you focused, it will be easy to spend too much time eating, sleeping, watching television, golfing, or even working. You must be disciplined.

Here are some initial suggestions to help you increase your work discipline:

1. Treat the business as a business. Simply having this attitude can easily eliminate many problems. When you treat yourself like a real business, others will too.

2. Keep office hours. A realistic daily schedule fosters discipline. For many loan officers, discipline means getting to the office by 9 a.m. and putting in a full day of work. Decide what your standard office hours will be and stick to them. Break an hour or so for lunch as you normally would, but treat it like work.

3. Make a daily task plan. Plan what you are going to do in the course of the day, and when you will accomplish each task. Consider making a rule that when you are done with the tasks on that day’s schedule, you are done for the day. This will help avoid workaholism or burnout.

4. Know your rhythm. Some of us are morning people, some are best in the afternoon, while others thrive at 3 AM. It is important to use your most productive time wisely. Determine your best times of day, and arrange your schedule according to those times as well as to the demands of your work-if you rock and roll at 3 AM, for example, there will be some tasks you can do then, and others (like calling a client) that won’t be practical.

5. Set rules for yourself. Decide the circumstances under which you will take time off to play, read or watch television, what interruptions you are willing to allow, and when you will do household chores.

6. Dress for work, even at home. Similarly, some folks find that it helps to dress nice. No suit required, but the casual Friday look, for example, might be appropriate.

7. Create “company policies.” In addition to setting rules for yourself, it is equally important to set policies so that family, friends, and business associates know what to expect from you and how to behave. For instance, you may find that your spouse or a neighbor expects you to do chores while they are at work. You may want to do this, or you may not. Either way, having policies that include this kind of thing makes such decisions easier.

Ameen Kamadia, known as “The Millionaire Loan Officer” offers dozens of free articles about mortgage marketing. Get dozens of great cheap lead generation ideas at his free Mortgage Marketing website.

Eliminate Stress with Some Not So Common Sense

There are several things people can do to mitigate the stress and strain that can happen in the work place. One needs to remind their self of the purpose. On those days when you have several meetings and all the rest of it, remember what the larger purpose is, and recommit yourself to that larger purpose. That in itself is protective.

Another thing you can do is to develop new skills. What can you refine that would make you feel that you’re doing a better job everyday. Some of those skills can be computer skills, public speaking skills, management skills, things that would make you feel more of a master of some of the everyday challenges that you are feeling. One of the biggest sources of stress relief can be connection to other people. One of your greatest resources is allowing other people to help you and to reach out and help other people, as well just to get to know them and connect with them. Make work be a human experience as well as a task experience.

Thriving in Work and Life

Response to change and proactively managing your life and work is an inside and out job. How often have you noticed the energy level of people who know what they want and what they are willing to give up in order to get it? The world seems to clear a path just for them. We can clear our own paths by focusing on what is truly important in our lives. Bit by bit, we can make those lives as full as our calendars. But it does take resolve and dedication.

Some of the disciplines to place on our workout rotation would be the following 4 items:

1. Protect your time. Now, more than ever, we need superior time management skills and habits to maintain personal space and decrease stress.

2. Make learning a life habit. Learn a new skill at a regular interval. Not only does it expand your options both at work and in your home life, but it engages you in new ways with the world and with your own capabilities. And greater economy will result.

3. Be a great listener. Instead of reacting in debate mode when a disagreement arises, ask that person what experience has led them to their point of view. Learning how to really listen well will help us to re examine our own convictions, to be open to new ideas, and to relate better with our colleagues and family members.

4. Nurture positive relationships. With coworkers, leaders and family, our sense of connectedness can be our greatest source of strength. Finding common ground can be an uncommon asset.

Lastly, it is important to be in top condition, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Keeping ourselves toned will allow health and vitality to enhance every aspect of our lives with positive, energetic action.

Pj Germain
Stress Management
Psoriasis Treatment
Prostate Cancer

How to Avoid Work At Home Scams

The Internet has created an entirely new way of working and a global marketplace. Now, a person can earn a living or make some side profit right from their home with nothing but an Internet connection, a computer, and some basic software. Web designers, writers, linguists, graphic artists, artists, crafts manufacturers, product retailers, and software developers can all run a home-based business and make a living. However, while the Internet is a great forum for business, it is also a breeding ground and conduit for all kinds of scammers, frauds, and predators. It is a perfect venue for this sort of criminal activity because a person can remain relatively anonymous and never have to deal face to face with the person they are scamming. But for whatever reason you want to work at home. It could be because you were the victim of a job layoff or you want to stay home with your children. Whatever the reason is, you don’t want to start working from home only to realize in the end that you lost valuable time and money. This is an especially bad situation when you have bills to pay yourself and groceries to buy for your family but have realized no income because you were the victim of these scams.

One of the first indicators of a work at home scam is that it promises to make you rich and you will have all the leisure time you would ever want. This is nonsense and the first thing you need to do is stay completely away from any type of work at home proposal such as this. Rule number one in this world is that there are no free lunches. If you want to work at home you will have to work. Yes, you have the luxury of being able to schedule your time but you will probably put in more hours than you ever did at a fulltime job. No one can make promises or guarantees that you will be rich from working at home - especially if they know nothing about your situation.

You should never pay to find work. At least you should never pay much. There are some freelancer web sites that have job listings where you offer your services and quote your fee. The best freelancer web sites are those that both collect no fee or a small fee for your membership to that site and have an escrow payment system available so that you know the money has been set aside to pay you when the work is complete. These freelancer sites also take a reasonable percentage of the invoice amount for their fee. Reasonable percentages range from 8 to 15 percent. Some charge as much as 30 percent and should be avoided.

Some other work at home scams include Multilevel Marketing or MLM, envelope stuffing, assembling products at home, processing insurance claims, data entry, and those that offer to pay you to wire money from clients. The last one is not only a scam but it is illegal and you could actually end up in prison. No reputable company will ask you to forward money from their clients. This is money laundering.

A reputable business is one that moves a product or service for a fee. Any advertised business “opportunity”that tries to get you to recruit others prior to making any money whatsoever is a scam. In fact, you could also be in jeopardy of going to prison as the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that a product or service be moving in order for a business to be considered a real business. Otherwise it is a fraud.

For more information on work at home opportunities visit: http://www.greatestpaidsurveys.com/

More Tips For Fitting In At The Workplace

A lot of times, the amount of satisfaction that one receives in a job is in direct relation to the way they interact with their co-workers. There are McDonald’s employees that are happier then rocket scientists due to their attitude and demeanor while in the workplace. To that end, we’ve assembled some more tips on how to be happy on the job.

- When you first start a job, it can be hard to make the first new connections and friends. A great thing to do that many people tend to avoid is to take the opportunity to chat it up with some of your co-workers over lunch. While you may feel that you’d be less stressed out eating alone or with a friend from outside of work, it can really pay off to get to know your coworkers outside of the job. A lot of times you’ll find out some unique aspects of the person that you wouldn’t have normally seen!

- Keep your complaints about the job to a minimum. While it’s OK to joke about some sort of minor annoyance that occurs on the job, be sure to not have a negative attitude when it comes to the task that you were hired in to do. Coworkers may feel that you are taking your position for granted as well as undermining their happiness in the job, and that’s never a good thing. Keep your workplace criticisms to yourself when you’re getting to know everyone.

- When you get an opportunity to volunteer for some sort of additional task, do your best to take the opportunity. You don’t need to sign up for every task imaginable; co-workers may see you as being a goody two-shoes, but it’s definitely important to show a zest for your job.

- Be sure to keep a positive attitude while at work. Things may happen - not every workplace is jerk-free and you’re bound to make a few mistakes while you’re getting started. Keep your sense of humor about you and realize that the transition to a new job is tough.

Keeping the right mindset and being sure to interact with coworkers can be two great steps when it comes to workplace satisfaction. Let your bosses see that you’re a worker, a team player, and enthusiastic when it comes to taking on responsibilities. You may find yourself fitting in sooner than you think!

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business, Recreation, and Finance

Create Passive Income Working from Home

People seriously working from home are usually freelancers. Web designers, writers, computer programmers, and linguists are just some of the professions that are filled by freelancers. And these people typically work from home because the cost of office space cannot be justified. However, in order for a freelancer working from home to earn any sort of reasonable income, they must have multiple revenue sources. But just how much work can one person do? At some point, the law of diminishing returns will overtake a freelancer in terms of just how much work can be done in a reasonable timeframe. The law of diminishing returns basically says that by a freelancer taking on more work it does not necessarily mean that the same person will be able to complete that work. This is why a person working from home needs some passive income where direct labor on the freelancer’s part is not required but it provides a steady revenue stream. True residual income will allow you to make money 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It does not require constant monitoring by you. There may be a little work getting everything set up initially but after that it should run on its own requiring some periodic maintenance and of course oversight of the billing and invoicing.

If you know a little about computer and web technology, you can become a web hosting reseller. A web hosting reseller buys a block of web hosting space and then sells a portion of it to customers looking to host their websites. You, in a sense, become a web hosting company yourself. You can charge what you need to in order to make a profit and you handle the billing and invoicing to your clients. The hosting company you buy the space from is, in a sense, selling you the space at wholesale and you are retailing it. You’ll need to identify the level of customer support you will need to provide. Be careful because you may not have the resources to provide a good level of customer support if you are too busy. Some providers of reselling plans such as Godaddy.com will actually do the billing and customer support for you.

If you are good with software and have some products in your library, you can sell those from your web site. If you do this, you are going to need to have a way for your customers to pay for the software the download. If you offer trial software with a predetermined trial period then you will need to also have a web portal for customers to upgrade and pay for a fully-licensed copy. What you will need to do is get a credit card merchant account so that you can accept credit cards online in order to purchase software products.

Another way to make passive income is through affiliate programs. These programs offer you a commission for paid subscriptions to their services. These services can be web hosting services, website builder services, online support services, and freelancer services. One particularly interesting service is that of the build-your-own-website service. And there are companies who offer you a commission for each new member who signs up. That is passive income because you really do nothing but just point people in the direction they are looking for. Many small businesses want a web presence but could not even afford to hire a web developer.

So the internet has created many opportunities for passive income. Of course you need to follow the usual safety practices and not get linked up with companies who are not legitimate. And of course never pay money to someone to be in their affiliate program. Remember, you are doing a service for them.

For more information on work at home opportunities visit: http://www.greatestpaidsurveys.com/

The Advantages of Being a Work at Home Mom

Working from home is a modern day phenomenon! The sector of the population most impacted by this movement is, believe it or not, the children! That’s because working from home makes it possible for a mother to be a full time mother, but also earn needed income for the family. Being a work at home mom can be challenging, but there are many advantages to this form of employment.

As we look at the advantages of being a work at home mom, sometimes shorted to “wahm,” the first thing to think about is the family. Many child development studies have found that children who are able to stay home with their mothers are more secure and better behaved than children who spend hours every day in a daycare facility. Mothers are happier, too, when they don’t have to have a big separation scene every morning.

It’s true that work at home jobs sometimes don’t pay as much as those on the outside. But look how much money is saved by not having to go out to work. There is generally less wear and tear on the car, and less gas used. There is less demand for a good-looking wardrobe for mom, less make-up, and fewer trips to the beauty parlor. On top of all this is the absence of a big weekly daycare bill! Working outside the home carries a price tag.

Not only does working outside the home cost a mother in money, but it also costs in time. Working from home means the end of the time-consuming commute to work, especially if you get caught in traffic jams. The commute to work takes about 30 seconds for a work-at-home mom, and if she needs to do something at home, such as check on a child or stir the stew, she’s already there.

Mothers naturally want to be with their children when the little one reaches those important firsts, such as that first word or the first step. By working at home, Mom can be the one to rejoice with her little child, instead of a (possibly) indifferent babysitter. She can also be the one to keep an eye on the little one when he is sick. If a school-aged child needs something, she is right there were she can deliver it.

Working from home has other advantages. For one thing, the commute to work can be dangerous as well as exhausting. The more you’re on the road, the more likely you are to be involved in an auto accident. You’re not on the road much when you work from home.

Also, sometimes managers and bosses are not very nice people to work for! Sometimes coworkers are hard to take, too. Having a work at home situation keeps you away from the employers and the coworkers. True, you might still have a few clients or bosses who are hard to deal with. If that happens, you can just turn the computer off for a few hours! Through the wonders of the Internet, you can be working for someone on the other side of the world from you. It’s hard for them to breathe down your neck from another continent!

For more information on work at home opportunities visit: http://www.greatestpaidsurveys.com/

Coping With Your Stresses And Anxieties In The Business World

Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world, however sometimes our anxieties can get the best of us. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and/or in the business world.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” an easy to read book that presents a overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com

Facing Your Daily Stresses And Anxieties in the Business World

Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and/or in the business world.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.

Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” an easy to read book that presents a overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com

What’s Sleep Have To Do With Exuberant Productivity?

Top Ten Problems Resulting From Inadequate Sleep

1. High blood pressure
2. Negative mood
3. Decreased productivity
4. Drowsy driving
5. Depressed immune system
6. Poor memory
7. Slowed reaction time
8. Impaired concentration
9. Inability to tolerate others
10. Obesity

Tips For Getting A Better Night’s Sleep

Multi-Tasking or Mindfulness?

Are you a super multi-tasker?

You may even be proud of how many things you can do at once!

Unfortunately, there is a down side to all this “productivity”.

Studies are showing us that multi-tasking can have some very negative effects on us and mindfulness is a worthwhile habit to develop.

How much time do you spend not being mindful?

See if you recognize any of these statements from a questionnaire developed at the University of Rochester:

Are You Overwhelmed By Paperwork?

We’re constantly being overwhelmed by paperwork despite the fact that this is the electronic age and supposedly the need for paper disappeared with the introduction of the personal computer! Whether at home or work, in reality, we still like to read things in ‘hard copy’ so paper is never going to disappear.

Here are some ways to help you get the paperwork back under control:

The golden rule to dealing with paper is to do something with it the first time you touch it. I don’t quite hold with the ‘handle it only once’ statement, as that doesn’t really work in practice but trying to avoid shuffling it from one pile to another is definitely to be recommended.

First point - Go out and buy as many folder, trays, boxes and files as you need to organise your paperwork. You should have separate files or folders for action items, accounts, tax information, client information, invoices, reading etc.

When the post lands on your doormat or the paper comes into your office, decide what to do with it there and then. As you open the morning post, sort it into the appropriate folder/tray.

Action - pay a bill, make a call, make an appointment, fill in a form, sign a document etc. Deal with it immediately or as soon as possible.

If this needs further organisation, create additional files/folders/trays for bills, phone calls, clients and place the paper in the appropriate place. Then all you need to do is to go to this one place.

Read - magazines, reports etc. Put to one side to read later. Again, subdividing into files such as Urgent, Review, Business and Fun might help. Set aside time in your day/week to do the reading. Take a break at lunchtime to read through some paperwork or magazine.

Carry some reading material with you for those quiet moments when you’re sitting waiting. Don’t let things build up - if something’s remained in your unread pile for a period of time, chuck it out. Cancel any magazines that you don’t have time to read anymore.

File - statements, receipts, articles etc. Place them to one side in a tray for filing later. Receipts and accounts information should be filed separately so they can be easily dealt with when you’re working on your accounts. This is not something that needs to be dealt with immediately and it’s the one area that tends to build up and doesn’t get the intention it should, so don’t let it build up. Clear your filing tray on a weekly basis or perhaps at the end of each day.

Bin - junk mail, flyers etc. This can get thrown out as soon as you receive it. Recycle any paper you can, rather than just chuck it in the bin.

Of course your first task each day is ‘planning’. Schedule the time you need during the day for all your tasks - clear your ‘Action’ folder and make it a habit to clear this by the end of each day. When are you going to go through your ‘Reading’ file and when do you do your filing?

Tackling a BIG Filing Pile!

If you have a large pile of filing or several piles taking up space on your desk or in your office, set aside a couple of hours in your diary NOW and book in a time to tackle it. This is a useful task to do at the end of the day or if you need to clear a backlog, perhaps at a weekend or even one evening (OK, this should be an exception, I want to reduce your hours not extend them!).

Clear a large space to work in - the kitchen table or the living room floor. Go through it and sort each piece of paper as you go into appropriate folders, files or ’sub-piles’.

- Bin anything you no longer need.
- Action anything that’s lurking!
- Put to one side anything that needs to be read.

Depending on how old this pile is (!) you might want to ask yourself, if I haven’t read it by now, how relevant is it? … Bin it!

You may end up surrounded by several piles of bank statements, credit cards statements, client info, paid invoices etc. but at least now you can pick them up in one group and file them all away together.

It’s immensely satisfying to reduce a large pile of paperwork that’s been glaring at you, into a larger pile that ends up in the bin and a smaller pile that you now need to do something with i.e. file!

A couple of hours should be all that’s needed, even for a large pile and if you can’t file it all away in one hit, do what you can in the time you’ve got, then make an effort to clear a little bit each day or even 2-3 times throughout the day and you’ll be amazed how quickly it will soon be gone!

Reduce the incoming flood.

Get as much paperwork as you can electronically. Most bank statements and utility bills are now available online and can be stored electronically or printed off - but only if you need them.

Cancel subscriptions to any newspapers or magazines that you no longer need.

Read magazines and newspapers online or go to your local library. Most publications with a website will publish their most recent articles online. Newspaper sites have searchable archives.

Subscribe to the Mailing Preference Service to avoid unnecessary junk mail coming through your door. I significantly reduced the amount of junk mail I received once I’d signed up.

Always tick the box on any forms to stop promotional mail, offers or your address being sent to 3rd parties.

You can recycle old newspapers and magazines by either taking them to your local recycling point to local schools, hospitals, surgeries etc.

How could you streamline your office to reduce what comes in and how much you have to handle in the first place?

Take some time to think about all the paperwork that you have to deal with on a daily basis and come up with a solution to ensure that piece of paper ends up where it should first time round.

If you’d like to find out more about how you could put some systems and strategies in place to enable you to be more organised, then call or email me for a free consultation.

Copyright 2006: Clare Evans

Clare Evans works with busy, stressed individuals and small business owners to help them plan and organise their time more effectively. Contact her now for more details, newsletter or a consultation. http://www.clareevans.co.uk

How To Get Your Complementary Therapy Business Off To A Flying Start

Well done! You’ve passed the exams, received the certificate, taken out your insurance and you’re ready to open the doors in your new complementary therapy business. You are your own boss, possibly for the first time - and here’s where the learning starts all over again.

There are two common traps that newly qualified practitioners fall into - the first is neglecting the rest of your life. Family, your own health, finances, relaxation and leisure are the main ones, but other areas include personal development and contribution to society in general. And you will probably have your own specifics.

Coaching can help you through this transition period. A coach will work with you to define your own “Wheel of Life” and ensure that it’s in balance. You know what happens when your car (or cycle!) wheels are out of balance - you get a rough ride. It’s even rougher when your Wheel of Life is out of balance.

The second common trap is that, being passionate about your therapy, sometimes it’s easy to focus solely on the therapeutic skills you have learned, forgetting the business side of self-employment. If you are a sole-trader, this is even more likely.

An objective outsider, experienced in setting up a micro-business in the complementary therapy field will understand the problems you face and how others have overcome them. Typical challenges are:

* You are highly qualified in your therapy and love what you do, but didn’t expect it would be this hard to run your own business - beset by problems such as:
* Cash flow
* Lack of funding
* Lack of clients
* You don’t understand how to build or run a business
* Lacking solid procedures for making business decisions
* Difficulty in setting realistic goals and meeting them
* Do you prefer working alone or in a small team with other therapists?
* You have no natural aptitude or interest in marketing or sales and feel uncomfortable with the sales role
* You may even feel uncomfortable talking about fees to clients
* Need to expand your comfort zone
* How to keep focused on one main thing, without getting side-tracked by your many ideas
* Nervous about leaving the security of a full-time job
* Coming from a background of employment where you had lots of resources at your finger-tip (e.g. access to IT technical support) you may sub-consciously expect the same in their small business
* Time-management problems - What to “do”, “dump” or “delegate”
* Need to quickly recoup the costs of your training
* Starting in business after the camaraderie of college, you may feel isolated - fellow students have suddenly become competitors for your clients!

A coach can help you, not only in the above business areas, but also in the rest of your Wheel of Life. Complementary therapists are often sole-traders, new to running their own business. Caught up in the excitement of a new qualification it’s easy to lose sight of other areas of life that need nurturing. It’s typical for all small business proprietors to need help working on areas outside the business e.g.
* Lack of time and feeling overwhelmed with the number of jobs you have to do
* Work-life balance - there IS a life outside your business

How does coaching differ from mentoring? A mentor will generally guide someone and support them in a specific task, or in this case therapy. This is a very valuable service, but coaching can offer a more holistic approach.

A mentor knows the answers to specific problems, whereas a coach works with you to help you discover the questions AND their answers, not just in your business, but in the rest of your life.

Effective coaching doesn’t require that the coach has specific experience of a client’s occupation - often the very absence of this adds to the effectiveness of the coaching procedure, as the coach will stand apart and “see the wood from the trees”.

However, although a coach will take a holistic approach to working with you, it can be beneficial if the coach comes from a similar background to yourself, as they will more readily understand your problems.

With a background in nutritional therapy I originally studied coaching as an add-on, to support and motivate weight loss clients. My training required me to work with a wide variety of clients and I found that I particularly enjoyed working with recently qualified practitioners, as they were setting up their businesses. This is now a focal point in my client development programme.

Joy Healey is a qualified life-coach, conducting telephone or face-to-face sessions. To learn more about coaching visit her website for a free monthly newsletter to help you in various areas of your life.

Our Skating Trip Confirms My ‘WHY’

I have 2 young boys. The oldest is in Kindergarten. A couple of months ago my eldest had a field trip with his class to go skating at a rink.

Now, in his short life, he had never skated before ; )… but, as most young boys of 6 years believe, they can do anything and do it as well as someone who’s been doing it for years!

They have a ‘take on the world’ attitude that makes all possibilites possible!

The day arrived. With the entire kindergarten class, we arrived at the rink. We collected our skates, got them on and my Son quickly discovered that -first-
you have to learn how to *balance* on skates!

Then…, you have to learn how to *walk* in the tightly laced up boots with thin metal blades on the bottom of them!

Once we mastered that, the next part was stepping onto the ice…

Have you been back on the ice, after a long period of time of NOT being on the ice? The ice is a lot more slippery than you remembered, right!

My son saw some older kids get on the ice, and just start skating. So, he immediately concluded that he could do that too.

Down he went, from the first step onto the ice, and then every step thereafter.

One thing about my son - he’s not a quitter. When he wants to do something of his own free will, there’s no helping him… No one can help, not teachers, not other parents, not me, no one.

So, I had to be patient, love him and let him struggle at it for a few minutes. Countless times I asked him if he wanted to accept my help; to which I would get a very frustrated “no!”

Now this went on for about 25 minutes like this… Him trying to get his feet under him… him losing his footing and landing on his stomach on the ice…
Him finally getting some footing, and promptly falling down. On and on it went.

After 25 minutes of him “swimming” on the ice trying to get his footing, and then failing to stand up for more then 5 seconds on the ice, he finally accepted my help. But, just to help him to stand up.

He wanted to skate in the center of the ice rink and refused to hold on to any of the side boards - much too childish for him!

And, he certainly was not happy with the fact that his male counterparts from class were seeing his Mother teaching him how to skate, and helping
him to get up off the ice, time and time again.

Eventually, he learned that a little help goes a long way, and he let me help. With my knees and back bent, holding most of his weight, flailing arms and legs; I was able to coach him on how he needed to get his balance centered on the middle part of the skate blades [thank God, I used to Figure Skate!]

After about an hour of this, we managed to get a grip on the movements and strokes needed to perform the “art” of skating!

And, after that hour was up, he could skate on his own, get up from a fall, balance and carry on skating.

I was so proud of his perseverance, and his commitment to completion - as stubborn as he was during the whole thing!

I am so thankful that I was able to be there to give him the one-on-one coaching that none of the teachers had time to give him. And, none of the other kid’s parents would have been able to give him.

More importantly, experiencing the day with my son
re-confirmed that my decision to be a parent at home for my children was the right one. Because that is where my precious children need me to be.

I am thankful that I found a home based Program that
allows me the TIME-FREEDOM to raise my kids from home, while it works for me in the background making sales and providing what I need to support my family financially.

That’s my passionate “WHY” for being in an Automated Passive Income Program. What’s your “WHY”? And ‘WHY’ aren’t you using PAS’ automated, passive income Program to make your dreams YOUR reality?: Visit Here For More Details

How To Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule - Intro

Let me be the first to tell you, if I can fit exercise into my busy schedule of being on the road flying all around the US for 20 out of 30 days a month, YOU CAN TO!

Did I hear you say fitting exercise into your busy schedule? That’s as absurd as saying that there are eight days in a week right?!

First, you’ve never exercised before or engaged regularly in a sport; second, you’ve never been into the fitness crowd and have had meager time for such pursuits, and third, you’re far too busy to even think of exercise.

In other words, YOU’RE JUST NOT INTO IT.

Of course your friends talk about it and rave about the latest fitness craze, but you’ve seen it too often: some of them are on the “on-again-off-again” treadmill / stair master mania, and you wonder why they haven’t shred the fat that they’re desperately still trying to hide.

Seeing what your friends go through and not seeing any results, you cling to the notion that your total lack of interest is justified.

You’re not the least bit inclined to engage in these circus-like contortions or do those mindless freestyle strokes in the water. That would only encroach into your already busy schedule of juggling family, home and career. These three combined - husband/children/work are your exercise.

Yup, we’ve got a problem.

That mindset is like a seething volcano that’s about to erupt. If you stubbornly cling to the notion that the “fat to trim” concept is merely a myth and a figment of the imagination of a handful of oddballs, your health could be going into “eruption mode” soon, like a restless volcano.

Have you looked at your body lately? Have you taken stock of your overall physical well-being?

Before tackling the idea of fitting exercise into your busy schedule, it might be better if we start with the concepts of self-assessment and then familiarize ourselves with the disease-prevention aspect of exercise.

Once you’ve accepted the fact that your body needs overhauling, and that exercise is good for your health and business - then we can talk about some of the ways that you can include exercise into your roller-coaster existence.

This article is part of several articles that I will be posting and submitting over the next several days is your KEY to fitting exercise into your life. And rest assured, this article along with the rest that I will be submitting, already assumes that you’re a busy person with a life to lead; and that’s why the tips that I present to you are specifically designed to fit in with your busy lifestyle!

To keep things organized and simple, the articles will be broken down into five easy sections:

Section 1: Assessing Physical Damage And Accepting the Importance of Exercise

Section 2: No Matter How Busy you Are, there are Ways you can Exercise

Section 3: Busy Traveler? You can Fit Exercise into your Trips

Section 4: Exercise Aids To Go

Section 5: Information / Resources for the Hurried and Harried

Read them in order, or if you wish, focus on the section that is most relevant to you right now. Regardless of how you choose to read these articles, you can be confident of one thing: once you apply the advice within these pages, your busy life will include something new and important: exercise!

Dwayne Garrett is the author of several eBooks and popular software applications, he also offers a FREE Internet Blog that will help you to make sense of doing business on the Internet over at http://www.dwaynegarrett.com

Assessing Physical Damage and Accepting the Importance of Exercise - Part 1

Do you think of your body the way you think of your car? When a few lucky individuals acquire a sports car that boasts of the best automotive engineering available today, watch them read the maintenance manuals religiously.

They take their car for inspection even if it purrs like a kitten and take it for repairs as soon as something does not feel right. And they’re very concerned.

That car is their most prized possession, a symbol of all the long and hard hours they put on the job so they could finally acquire it. It cost an arm and a leg, so taking care of it is logically, their # 1 priority.

But how important is the person that drives that car? Shouldn’t that person - shouldn’t you - be the #1 priority?

Lifespan and Physical Appearance

The average life span of men and women is 80 years, give or take a few years. The painful truth is, a significant number of men and women look and feel 80 before they even make it to the first half of their life! You spot the tell-tale signs from their physical appearance:

sagging dry skin

unsightly posture

uneven and unsteady walk (they need to drag around those heavy pounds)

aching joints

sporting the “I’m not happy because I look terrible” look

Now, if their appearance is this bad, imagine what the inside machinery is like! Most likely, it’s even worse:

clogged vessels

inefficient heart

mounds of sugar and fat parked in or around vital organs

Conditions such as diabetes, nervous tension, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that are silently brewing.

If fitness authorities had it their way, they’d create legislation to make exercise mandatory as soon as a baby leaves the cradle, not during the teenage years when obesity is likely to strike.

But fitness shouldn’t be associated with any age limit. You can start at 10 or at 30 - even at 50 and 60 - the idea being that fitness should not be seen as the cure for a condition that’s already come about. As the saying goes, don’t wait for illness to strike.

Assessing How Fit You Are

Brad King and Dr. Michael Schmidt in “Bio Age, Ten Steps to a Younger You” (Macmillan, Canada, 2001) have devised a questionnaire for assessing physical damage to a body as a result of no exercise. We will borrow some of their guidelines, which we will summarize here:

Start with the question, “How do I look?” Do any of these answers apply to you?

Am I overweight, looking like an apple or pear?

Do I have a spare tire around my waist?

Has my skin become excessively dry, almost paper-thin?

Next, ask: “How do I feel?”

Do my joints hurt before or after any physical exertion?

Am I constantly worried and anxious?

Do I feel tired and sluggish most of the time?

Do I suffer from mood swings?

Last question, “How am I doing?”

Are simple walking and climbing stairs difficult?

Do I have problems concentrating?

Is running impossible for me now?

Am I unable to sit straight, preferring to slouch or stoop my shoulders?

You’ve completed your basic assessment. Note, however, that other exercise or fitness gurus will have their own parameters or indices for assessing your body’s overall state and one isn’t better than the other.

As long as they include all dimensions of the self - physical, psychological and mental - they are as valid as the next person’s assessment charts.

Turning You into a Fitness Buff!

After going through the assessment phase, you’re probably experiencing what some people fondly call a “rude awakening”.

If you’re not mentally prepared to accept exercise, please don’t force yourself. Just be familiar with its benefits and when you’re wholeheartedly disposed towards giving it a crack in the can, proceed slowly. “Slowly but surely” is the exercise cult’s favorite slogan.

Slowly but Surely…

In fact “slowly but surely” was probably what motivated Denise Austin to come up with her popular one-minute exercises (more on this in a later section). She had two types of people in mind when she designed the one-minute movements:

1. Uninitiated

2. People on the go.

It’s a quickie society we live in; we want everything quick - especially exercise! - and many converts would be willing to include it in their routine for the sake of health, if there were a quick way to get in, and certainly a quick to get out.

Benefits of Exercise

If you make exercise part of your day, Denise Austin believes you’ll already experience some noticeable benefits. These include:

Waking up in the morning feeling refreshed

Walking with a sprightly gait

Having energy left at the end of the day

Feeling more optimistic about recreation

Sleeping more soundly at night

MORE Benefits of Exercise!

The benefits above are general. Let’s examine the more specific benefits of exercise on specific parts of the human anatomy, as described by Goldberg and Elliot:

Exercise prevents heart disease!

The average ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) is about 4.5. If this ratio doubles or reaches 7, you double your chances of developing coronary heart disease. You reduce that risk by as much as 50% if your ratio is 3 or lower.

The lowdown on cholesterol: not all cholesterol is bad. You have the good one (HDL-1 and HDL-2), the not so bad one (VLDL) and the harmful one (LDL). To get your ratios, divide the total amount of your cholesterol by your amount of HDL. The lower the ratio you have, the better.

Exercise prevents osteoporosis!

Ponder the statistics: 28 million Americans have osteoporosis and of this number, 80% are women. Only 1/4 of this 80% know they have the condition and only half are being treated. The annual osteoporosis bill to the United States is $14 billion.

Studies have shown that sufficient amounts of calcium and regular exercise build strong bones. While genetics play a major role in developing the risks of osteoporosis, individuals can control some factors that will help prevent the problem.

Peak bone mass is attained in your 20’s. Starting an exercise program while still young, even if you live in the fast lane, will help you avoid this bone disease.

Exercise prevents diabetes!

People are still debating how much exercise an individual needs, but for people with type 2 diabetes, exercising three or more times a week improves fitness and blood sugar levels. If you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, exercise done with the following parameters would be of tremendous benefit: intensity of 60%-70% maximal heart rate, with duration of 30 or more minutes, 4-7 days each week.

The above benefits are only a few of the many advantages that an exercise/fitness regimen will provide.

There have been hundreds of documented reports that reveal how people’s lives have significantly improved and the remarkable transformation that their bodies experience after they made the decision to take ownership of their weight and fat problems.

In fact, Diane Rinehart (former Toronto magazine editor and writer) wrote in the Montreal Gazette on December 12, 2005:

“What we’re hearing about…is waiting times in emergency and operating rooms for ailments such as hip replacements, heart surgery and amputations. That’s a shame because the fact is, if we dealt with obesity, we wouldn’t be facing the epidemics of heart disease, stroke, arthritis and diabetes that clog our hospital waiting rooms and OR’s.”

This article along with several others that I will be posting over the next several days is YOUR key to fitting exercise into your life.

To keep things organized and simple, the articles will be broken down into five easy sections:

Section 1: Assessing Physical Damage And Accepting the Importance of Exercise (Which you are reading at this moment)

Section 2: No Matter How Busy you Are, there are Ways you can Exercise

Section 3: Busy Traveler? You can Fit Exercise into your Trips

Section 4: Exercise Aids To Go

Section 5: Information / Resources for the Hurried and Harried

Read them in order, or if you wish, focus on the section that is most relevant to you right now. Regardless of how you choose to read these articles, you can be confident of one thing: once you apply the advice within these pages, your busy life will include something new and important: exercise!

Dwayne Garrett is the author of several eBooks and popular software applications, he also offers a FREE Internet Blog that will help you to make sense of doing business on the Internet over at http://www.dwaynegarrett.com

Busy Traveler? You Can Fit Exercise into your Trips! - Part 3

Hopping in and out of planes is exercise enough, you say. But that’s not the kind of exercise that will condition your heart, make your reflexes and joints more fluid, keep the sugar levels or keep you from swinging from one mood to another!

Nor is it the kind of exercise that will make you euphoric after a good cardiovascular session. You need to counteract the effects of jet lag, artificial air in pressurized aircraft cabins and sky fatigue. Suzanne Schlosberg says,

“Sometimes your travels help you recognize how humdrum your workout routine has become. At home, it’s easy to fall into a rut - to use the same weight machines in the same order, week after week, month after month, simply out of habit. But a trip may take the routine out of your routine. You may have no choice but to try new strength exercises or jog in the pool instead of swim laps. And you might find these new pursuits so enjoyable that you add them to your fitness repertoire at home.”

Common Obstacles

What are some of the reasons why travelers do not incorporate exercise while they’re on the road?

They’re stressed or too tired

They don’t feel comfortable about working out in unfamiliar surroundings

They don’t have access to a hotel gym

But if they made just a tiny effort to change this thinking, they’d be on the road to fitness sooner.

Engaging in exercise allows you to get out of that bubble of meetings, seminars and tours.

Walk when on the Road

When traveling, have a pair of good walking shoes (trainers preferably) so that you won’t feel so daunted about getting from one side of the airport to another.

Having the right pair of walking shoes will encourage you to walk up the stairs instead of take the escalator, to walk instead of taking the conveyor belt, and to transfer from one concourse to another on foot instead of taking the shuttle service.

You may not know it, but walking these long distances with your luggage in tow serves as a combination/weight lifting exercise!

Fitness while Flying

Once settled comfortably on the plane, make sure you time your stretching and walking periods. If it’s just an hour’s flight, walk around the plane once and do your stretching at the back of the plane; if it’s a three hour to five hour flight (east to west in the North American continent), try to get up from your seat and walk around at least once every hour, doing leg extensions and trunk/neck movements.

If you’re crossing the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, those killer flights need not kill you. Increase the frequency of your stretches and walking.

Airlines such as Japan Air Lines show videos of how travelers can incorporate flexibility movements while seated or standing. Take full advantage of these videos. The exercises may help you ward off fatigue and jet lag.

A note about DVT

In the last five years, there have been reports about flight passengers, especially in economy class, suffering from DVT - deep vein thrombosis.

The link between confining airplane seats and deaths from DVT (formation of deadly blood clots) has been established by the United Nations World Health Organization. It has nothing to do with gender, risk factors or genetics. Everyone is at risk in economy class! This should constitute compelling reason to integrate exercise while high in the sky.

To make exercise possible while traveling, schedule your flights so that when you get to your destination, you don’t rush through dinner and then go to sleep.

Try to arrive during the late afternoon/early evening, to give you time to shake off the fatigue from the trip, and have at least an hour to do exercises either in your hotel room or in the hotel gym.

Important “to do” things when traveling

Be fully rested before a trip - have the usual “to pack” items ready well in advance so you’re not scampering for them at the last minute, depleting your energy levels.

Time your sleep correctly - as soon as you board, get the local time of your destination and set your watch accordingly. If it’s already night time in your destination, wear blindfolds and ask for a pillow and try to catch a few winks.

Drink plenty of water - wine and cocktails will only dehydrate you further; note that humidity levels inside aircraft is below 10%, so water is your best bet.

If your job requires you to travel at least four times a month, ask your company’s travel department to book you in hotels with gyms or a swimming pool.

Make time out of your travel schedule to insert a workout into your grinding schedule.

Here’s a friendly suggestion: get up earlier in the morning and before or after breakfast, head over to the gym and do a brisk walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, or do the rowing machine (great for the core muscles, back problem reliever) for 10 minutes.

This session is just to wake you up from your travel stupor. See if you can walk to your business appointment instead of taking a cab (that’s another 10 minutes).

At night before going to bed, go to the hotel gym again and lift weights for 10 minutes, to complete your workout for the day. This way you did your cardio and resistance training, two essential components of a fitness program.

Now, tell us, doesn’t a 10-20 minute session sound less intimidating than clocking 1.5 hours in the gym?

Working out with Friends

Another friendly suggestion: if you’re traveling in a group, ask a colleague if he or she would do a game of squash or tennis with you. The concierge can give you local addresses of sports or recreational centers in the vicinity.

When there’s no Gym!

If the hotel gym is crowded or “temporarily closed for maintenance,” you can still exercise - in the comfort of your room.

Here are some exercises that you can perform:

Turn on the TV or sound system and jog in place; or look up the TV guide and see if some old Jane Fonda or Denise Austin shows are on. Get on with the beat

Jog in place or jump rope (great cardiovascular workout)

Conduct floor exercises (described below)

Floor exercise 1: the Cobra (or back extension). Lying on your stomach as though getting ready for push-ups, keep your hands on your side with palms facing down and fingers pointed forward. With your hands, push to lift your torso off the floor (ensure you’re lifting head, shoulders and chest only).

Keep pelvis on the floor and your head looking ahead. Hold and then release. Repeat 3 times. You should feel your spine lengthen. Joe Decker recommends not just pressing back with your hands, but also pushing your upper body up and forward.
Do not tilt your head back to look at the ceiling (many people make this mistake). This puts a strain on your neck.

Floor exercise 2: Crunch (for lower abdominals). The lower abdominals are the weakest muscles in your torso because they are rarely worked, and they’re the first to sag after childbirth and after menopause.

This exercise will help:

Lying flat on your back with your knees bent, cross your arms over your chest. Squeeze your buttocks, tighten your abdomen and push your lower back into the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds, breathing normally. Relax, and then release. Repeat as often as you can, without overworking yourself

Floor exercise 3: Hurdler’s Stretch. Bend the knee towards the front, and then tuck your lower leg in toward the opposite thigh. Stretch gently toward the straight leg. Do not bounce. This movement is like the ballet movement when an arm goes above the head gracefully, which stretches the sides of the trunk to increase flexibility.

If you pick up any exercise book, there will be a rich inventory of exercises you can perform while on the go. Pack this in your bag so you can refer to it for correct form and posture.

Yoga

Yoga on the train? Yes! A news report was published in the Montreal Gazette recently saying how many overstressed Germans still hide behind their papers rather than exercise. We’re sure Americans and Canadians are no less guilty.

So these commuters are being taught yoga and relaxation techniques on their way to and from work. Instructors are now in what the German government calls “wellness trains” in southern Germany. This was an initiative taken by Deutsche Bahn - Germany’s state-owned railway. The organization decided to offer relaxation and yoga techniques to calm an anxious work force.

This article along with several others that I will be posting over the next several days is YOUR key to fitting exercise into your life.

To keep things organized and simple, the articles will be broken down into five easy sections:

Section 1: Assessing Physical Damage And Accepting the Importance of Exercise

Section 2: No Matter How Busy you Are, there are Ways you can Exercise

Section 3: Busy Traveler? You can Fit Exercise into your Trips (Which you are reading at this moment)

Section 4: Exercise Aids To Go

Section 5: Information / Resources for the Hurried and Harried

Read them in order, or if you wish, focus on the section that is most relevant to you right now. Regardless of how you choose to read these articles, you can be confident of one thing: once you apply the advice within these pages, your busy life will include something new and important: exercise!

Dwayne Garrett is the author of several eBooks and popular software applications, he also offers a FREE Internet Blog that will help
you to make sense of doing business on the Internet over at http://www.dwaynegarrett.com

Benefits of Working From Home

There are a huge number of benefits for people who have decided to work from home. In this article we will review some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with working out of your home vs. going into the office every day. In addition we will mention a few of the steps you can take to ensure you have a successful experience while working out of your house.

Some of the more significant advantages for people who work from home include: avoiding a commute to and from your employers work location; freedom to manage your own time around your work and that of your family; defining your working hours to match your personal work habits; dressing the way that want in a relaxed casual atmosphere; numerous tax advantages associated with claims for the space you use in your home; reduced wear and tear on your car; reduced expenses associated with getting to work; elimination of parking costs at work; reduction of expenses for lunches and coffee and numerous other advantages depending on the individual situation.

There are disadvantages associated with working from home and they may vary depending on the person. If you are someone who does not have the discipline to work on a regular basis, of you miss the interaction with your associates; if you need the personal feedback from your supervisor; or if you find it too distracting to work from home then you may not want to consider this approach to earning a living. Some people prefer the stability and the social aspects of working at a company and cannot adjust to working in an environment that does not provide these attributes.

There are various steps that people who do work from home can take to solve some of these issues. For example, developing a mentor group of like minded individuals is one way to build the social and business aspect were you can seek advice and also fill the social needs that you may have. Meeting colleagues or friends on a regular basis for coffee is another approach to filling that social gap. Setting goals and objectives to meet every day, obtaining feedback from customers, setting aside your personal office space were you can reduce interruptions in your home are additional steps to take to resolve some of the concerns you may have regarding work from home.

Many thousands of people run small businesses from out of their homes quite successfully and have developed coping mechanisms to help them deal with the negatives associated with working from home. Experiment, talk to colleagues and seek information to help you resolve any issues that you have regarding your business and working at home.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving home businesses. Elias offers proven work at home business opportunities and strategies.

The 5 Benefits Of Having a Home Based Business

Having a home based business can be a great lifestyle decision and is becoming more and more popular. Ebay has been credited for starting a new wave of home based businesses, many of which have grown to become quite established business enterprises. So what are the benefits of starting a home based business especially if you are currently in the workforce.

1. Flexibility. By having your own business at home you can be as flexible as you want. If you want to step out during the day to do your banking or errands before the peak hour rush you can. If you want to go and schedule your gym sessions in the quite parts of the day and instead work later during the day it becomes possible. Why many people are drawn to home businesses is the flexibility it gives for them to spend with their family. They are now in a position to spend time with the kids in the morning preparing them for school and to be available to pick them up from school at the end of the day.

2. Control. You have more control over your life and the direction it is going. An employee no matter how high up the ladder you progress, your career is always interconnected to the performance or appraisal of someone else. You don’t have as much control over your life as you would otherwise have by having a home business. How much you earn and how much you work is dependent on you and your expectations.

3. Time. You get back all the time you used to waste commuting every day to work. If you think about all the time you spent on traveling you need to realize that you can’t get those lost time back. Being able to work from home means that you can now choose to get up early and enjoy the morning. Maybe walk the dog or even sleep in later if you so desire. Either way you are able to get back 1 or 2 hours every day that you would have otherwise lost sitting in peak hour.

4. Being the boss. Having your home business means that you are now the boss. You get to make the decisions as to where the business is going to go. Your creativity and your ideas will no longer be lost through a bureaucratic mind field nor will they be ignored. You get to make crucial decisions and its success is now dependent on your ideas and direction you take it.

5. Lifestyle. Because you are based in home you can literally be doing anything you want. If you don’t want to dress in your power suit today then you don’t need to. You never need to worry about your wardrobe, you can spend the whole day in your daggy tracksuits and no one is going to notice. Thanks to technology you can have a laptop with a wireless connection and be sitting in your backyard sipping coffee while you work. Your lifestyle can be as serious or as comfortable as you desire, you no longer need to be stuffed like sardines in your office.

For more personal growth articles visit: http://www.personalgrowthunlimited.com