Most people are morning risers by nature. We are programmed to wake up with the sun. Some very lucky people are up and cracking at the break of dawn. By the time the rest of the world wakes up, they have already accomplished so much.

Most of us dream of becoming early risers. The people who wake up at 5 am or 6 am have at least a 2 to 3 hours head start from the rest of us. What this might mean for you could be a leisurely breakfast, some time for exercise, a jump start on your task for the day, preparing things before your family wakes up, or unhurriedly getting ready for work. Whatever an early morning start means to you, it gives you more time to accomplish your to-do list with some peace and quiet before the sun is fully up.

Now, if you are happy with your “wake-up” schedule, then by all means, stay with your routine. If you want to be an early riser, here are a few tips to get you started: (Please take note that it will take trial and error for you to find your rhythm).

Set your alarm a little earlier each day.

Let’s say you wake up at 8 am each morning and would like to start getting up earlier, for this example, we’ll set a 6 am wake up time. Set your alarm back incrementally. 15 minutes is the recommended time. Set your alarm back a little by 15 minutes each day until you get to your desired wake up time of 6 am. In 8 days, you should be able to get up at 6 am. Don’t hit the snooze button. That defeats the purpose of this exercise. You set an alarm to wake up earlier, not to have the allowance to hit snooze. If you hit a snag, then just keep trying but DO NOT force it. Work with your body, not against it.

With that said…

Go to bed at the same time each night.

This will ensure that you get the recommended hours of sleep, which is 7 to 8 hours for most adults. We are all different, some need more, and some can function on less.

Have a night time routine to help prepare your body for sleep. Mine is taking a shower, brushing my teeth, doing some sort of skin care routine (moisturizer, hand cream, eye cream, etc.), and reading. I try to stay away from my gadgets because the blue light emitted by screens can affect our sleep cycles ^[1]. Form your own night time routine and keep doing that regularly. This will help signal your body to wind down for the day.

In line with creating a night time routine…

Create a morning routine.

Create a morning routine that you can look forward to. Be really excited about it. Think of preparing a great breakfast. Or you can use that time to meditate or exercise. A quick run or hike (if you’re in an area with beautiful hiking grounds) would be something great to look forward to.

My morning routine involves making an event out of preparing French pressed coffee. It starts with boiling water. As I wait for that to boil, I play with my dog. Once the water has boiled, I carefully measure out 2 scoops of freshly ground coffee beans, pour that into a French press, and pour the water in. While I wait for the beans to infuse, I set out a breakfast for my pet. Then we sit together as she eats her breakfast and I sip my coffee. The quiet time is something I look forward to every morning.

How about you? What are your nighttime and morning rituals? Got any tips on how to be an early riser? Let us know in the comments. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by: Jaie O. – The Help

References:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had to hire a freelancer to do some writing work for me. It was something I couldn’t write myself because it involved hard science and a strong background in astrophysics. Yes, astrophysics. So, instead of making sh*t up and trying to make a fool out of myself, I called in the big guns.

As soon as I read through the first draft of the article, I knew that it wasn’t the style and tone I was going for. A major overhaul was needed and there was some miscommunication on both sides.

After a few back and forth exchanges of ideas and some redirection (and with the help of amazing collaboration tools!), I finally got the article I wanted. It took a while for us to achieve those results but I was thankful that we had a good co-working relationship to get us through the hurdles.

When you are working with freelancers, contractors, consultants, and just about anybody who is not an actual employee and who you don’t get to see around the office on a daily basis, there are bound to be some challenges. It takes a different approach to manage them and there were quite a few lessons that I had learned along the way.

Clear instructions:

Since you don’t see these guys around the office, the best way to give instructions is to send a detailed one via email. Send them clear instructions from the get-go so that they don’t feel like a headless chicken trying to figure out what to do with the information you sent. Send them a brief about the project that includes a background and what the purpose of the project is. Send them useful samples or links. Then, include specifics like what you want to see, specific colours and logos to use (for design work), text to include (for most marketing or ad copies), calls to action, list of suppliers to credit, etc. For chrissake, don’t just send them a link and send them off with a pat on the back and a “good luck!”

Clear expectations:

Set your expectations early. Ask if the project is doable and let them know that if they need help or clarification, you are available. The trick is to share your vision and let them piggyback off of that. Also, ask them when should you expect them to start working on the project. Alternatively, set a deadline or a timeframe and impose that. But don’t be too rigid that you end up being too inflexible. Be aware that setbacks happen – even inside the office. So be prepared to encounter a few setbacks when hiring freelancers as well.

Clear closure:

Give feedback to your freelancer. Don’t just take the finished project and run away with it. It is very good practice to let them know what happened to the project after they handed it over to you. If it was successful, let them know that it couldn’t have been possible without their talent and that you would like to work with them again on similar projects in the future. If it didn’t go right, thank them anyway and let them know how much you appreciate their work.

Please do not forget to please pay on time – acceptable work or not. You are responsible for people you hire so when someone isn’t a right fit, it’s not their fault. Provide constructive feedback and keep working relationships intact. Do not burn bridges. Your freelancer might not be right for this project but could be a perfect fit for future ones.

Have you tried hiring a freelancer, contractor, or consultant? What management tips have worked for you? Let us know in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by: Jaie O. – The Help

One of the most controversial topics in the workplace is if employees should be allowed to work from home. Many employers think that unsupervised and left to their own devices, employees would have a hard time resisting their beds, their tv, and their fridge. These things can present very real threats to an employee’s productivity.

However, we are no longer in the age of the Industrial Revolution where people are required to go to the factory to make actual products or machine parts. Many companies offer services, and that does not even require going to an office at all, if you think about it. All you need is a dedicated workspace, complete with tools and some peace and quiet. Still, the point of contention will always be productivity.

According to a study by WMS.org, the number of employees in the US who telecommute has tripled over the past 30 years, although it’s still only 2.4 percent. But to put that into perspective, “Out of the 150 million Americans who work, that means roughly 3.6 million Americans work from home.” In other parts of the world where the digital connectivity is steadily improving, between 10% to 20% of employees work remotely, at least part-time ^[1].

Many companies are now adopting the work from home model for parts of the week. For example, some companies allow their senior managers to work from home for 2 days a week, as part of their promotion. The work-from-home option can also be given as a perk, as a raise or bonus, or as a contingency plan for severe weather conditions.

While, of course, it is still up to the employer to decide whether to allow their employees to work from home some days of the week, here are some other great points to consider when contemplating working from home.

It takes advantage of mobile technology – many employees have mobile gadgets that can allow them to telecommute. Major cities are now wi-fi enabled and most homes have advanced digital connectivity that allows employees to stay connected to their teams at the office, while working from home or any place that offers a wi-fi connection like a co-working space, a business center, or a coffee shop.

Company issued laptops now have cloud-based programs and software that mirror the programs and tools most commonly used on-premise, at the office. Not only that, they are equipped with Data Encryption and Data Protection Software that can wipe company data in case a laptop gets compromised. Examples of these products are TrueCrypt, Symantec, CheckPoint, and BitLocker.

It solves logistics problems – A lot of companies have headquarters in and around major city hubs where the traffic is most concentrated. Working from home helps keep a number of these would be commuters or drivers off of the streets. They help ease the congestion and they are also spared from the hassles of a long and tiring commute., which, coincidentally, is one of the major causes of attrition. Understandably so, because no one would want to travel for 1 to 3 hours to and from the office. So, employees quit their job in the city and move to a job that’s closer to home. For some, employers, this also solves the problem of availability of seats. An office expansion would entail acquiring more office space to be able to house the growing workforce. If some of them can work from home, some of the time, employers can manage the very expensive cost of having to rent out or acquire a larger office space.

How about you, what are your thoughts on allowing employees to work from home? Please let us know in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by: Jaie O. – The Help

References:

1. https://ideas.ted.com/why-working-from-home-should-be-standard-practice/amp/

As responsible adults, we all have a whole gamut of responsibilities to attend to every single day. It could be the stress of taking care of everyone in the household every single day, work, relationships, financial obligations, social obligations, etc. Stress can come from anything we worry about, and it can come at any time.

Being everything to everyone all the time can be a huge cause of stress. And that is especially true for working parents. They have the stress of work and the responsibilities of raising a family to attend to. On top of that, they have to find a work-life balance that enables them to have enough time for self-care.

Stress is ever-present in everybody’s lives and there’s no way we can ever be ready to stop it. However, there are a few ways that we can learn to manage stress so that it doesn’t run our lives.

Here are a few ways we can manage stress according to WebMD^[1].

1. Accept that there are events that you cannot control. – Let’s face it, sh*t happens, and when it does, the best thing we can do is face the challenge head-on and hope that next time it happens, we will be more prepared. So, when life surprises you with a stressful situation, do your best to remain calm and keep a clear head. Take the lessons you can learn and leave everything else.
2. Keep a positive attitude; rather than defaulting to negatives (”Nothing goes right for me,” or ”Bad things always happen to me”), give yourself positive messages (”I’m doing my best,” or ”I’ll ask for help”). – Nothing good will ever come out of negative thinking, so stop beating yourself up and start working on how to make the best out of your situation.
3. Halt stress in its tracks; if you feel overwhelmed, take a walk or drive in the slow lane to avoid getting angry at other drivers. – learn to spot your stressors and avoid or address them accordingly.
4. Manage your time. Give yourself time to get things done; set your watch so you have more time to prepare for an event. – most of the time, stress is what happens when we are unprepared. So do your best to be as prepared as you can to reduce stress. Set your clothes out and prepare your work things. Plan your breakfast so you don’t have to stare at inside the fridge for 5 mins. Do as much prepping as you can to avoid being frazzled.
5. Do things that are pleasurable, like reading or gardening. – take up a relaxing hobby, one that will take your mind off of all your worries even for a short while.
6. Take 15-20 minutes every day to sit quietly and reflect. Learn and practice relaxation techniques like yoga or deep breathing. – For anyone who wants to try meditation, here’s an article on how to get started ^[2].
7. Exercise regularly by bicycling, walking, hiking, jogging, or working out at the gym. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit. – Because of its repetitive nature, exercise can be a good form of meditation. Concentrate on your breathing, your stride, your form and it will clear your mind.
8. Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. And don’t smoke. – enough said.
9. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals. – and don’t forget to take multivitamin supplements, vitamin c is a huge stress buster.
10. Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events. – Our bodies heal while we sleep, so get enough of it. 6-8 hours is the recommended amount for adults.
11. Seek out social support. – Build a strong tribe or support system and take care of your relationships. Healthy and balanced relationships are the key to a less stressful life.

Do you have other stress-busting tips? Please share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by: Jaie O. – The Help

References:

1. http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/reducing-stress-tips
2. https://thehelpbyastrids.com/a-mind-full-of-light/

Admit it! You silently judge the person who eats lunch by himself or herself at the desk, while working. Doesn’t he have friends to have lunch with? Can’t she cook a better lunch than that sad sandwich?

Judge all you want but there might be justifiably viable reasons for eating lunch at the work desk. It could be that she’s trying to be more frugal and so chose to pack her own lunch. Or maybe he has to finish that report by the end of business day today. Or she’s trying to make healthier food choices.

I’m sure you also do it. Yes, you! The days when eating lunch at your workstation was seen as something unusual are loooong gone. Nowadays, a working lunch at your desk is the norm or an unavoidable inconvenience at the very least (because…the pantry is right there!).

But if you find yourself one day with a massive workload and zero time to finish all of it – you just might ascribe to eating lunch at your desk.

Be careful though, there is a list of do’s and don’ts. NO, I didn’t make it up. So, if you must know, here’s a list of desk lunch-ing do’s and don’ts.

Office desk lunch etiquette 101 states that:

Do’s

● Do ask – please ask first if you are even allowed to eat at your desk in the first place. Some offices have no food at the work area policies in order to keep spills and other food accidents at bay. Most offices are ok with you eating your lunch at your desk though – we’re all adults anyway. Just don’t be a slob. Which brings me to…

● Do tidy up – don’t make a mess in the first place. Pick up pieces of food (looking at that sushi you dropped because you can’t use chopsticks) that you dropped on the floor. Wipe off the crumbs from the table, into your hand, and straight to the trash bin. Wipe those sauce drips or soda/coffee rings.

● Do be mindful – be mindful that you are sharing the workspace with other people who use the space for its original purpose (i.e. WORK). So stop making loud chewing noises or obscene slurping noises (too, bad for those handy cup noodles – eat them somewhere else if you can’t slurp quietly).

● Do prepare for interruptions – you are eating at your desk…while working I presume. So people will register that you are working first and that you are eating next. So they will treat your “lunch break” as working. Simple as that. So be prepared for questions, appeals, and clarifications.

Don’t

● Don’t bring smelly food – We all have food that reminds us of home. More often than not, they’re fermented or smelly, or weird. I know I should say something culturally sensitive but we all can eat our favorite local food at home and just keep eating it there. If I want my co-workers to try regional cuisine, I would just invite them out to the best place that makes them.

● Don’t just eat whenever – It’s generally considered ore considerate to people around you if you try to eat on the designated lunch break time.

Can you think of anything else to add to this list? Let me know in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by: Jaie O. – The Help