Category Archives: Virtual Assistant

Sep4

Do the (side) Hustle!

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Do the (side) Hustle!

It’s September and as the weather starts to get cold, we start to heat up with excitement for the holidays. In the next few months, a plethora of holiday celebrations are about to arise – and expenses are expected to rise along with them. We’re looking at clothing and costumes, candy, decorations, trips, gifts, and food. And just about now, we’re gearing up for these expenses.

Even if we’re working a full-time job, everyone would welcome earning a little more money on the side. Some people are looking to augment their income, some people want to monetize and earn from their hobbies, and others are looking to build a business while working a full-time job. Whatever your reason is, there are a lot of professional careers and hobbies that can be a fun and lucrative way to earn more.

For the enterprising employee who needs ideas for side hustles that he/she can do while working a day job, this list is for you!

Tutoring:
Got a musical skill? Are you good at playing a musical instrument? There are a lot of parents who would like their child to learn a musical instrument – and with good reason. Learning a musical instrument at a young age builds character and has a lot of benefits. Teach a child to play the piano or the guitar. Or you can even give them voice lessons if you’ve got amazing vocal chops!

Are you good at math and science? You can probably work with older kids or teens on their maths. I know I needed help with algebra and geometry when I was younger. You can probably even help young adults who are at Uni with their calculus and statistics dilemma. Teach them your tips and tricks so that they can learn how to solve problems differently from textbook instruction.

Are you good at English or know another language? Why not be a remote language instructor? If you have ESL certification, you can teach to an older and more professional demographics. In countries like Japan, Korea, Hongkong, and UAE, people pay around $25 an hour for English lessons. Foreign languages (French, Spanish, Japanese, German, etc.) fetch a very good price, too. It’s a great way to make a solid income and “meet” friends from around the world.

Home Business:
Do you like cooking for other people? If you’ve got awesome baking skills, why not put that to good use? Even if you’re just a weekend warrior. You can sell your baked goodies for parties, weddings, and events. Most of them happen on a weekend anyway.

Got a hobby? If you’re good with needle and thread, you can accept alterations or create your own “clothing line” If you can only sew in a straight line, pajamas, pillowcases, and shopping bags are a great starting point.

Professional Online jobs:
If you have the skills and/or certifications for one of these, you can freelance your way into money making projects:
● Graphic Design
● Web development
● Accounting
● Virtual Assistance
● Writing
● Transcribing
● Consultancy (Design, Travel, Wellness, Career, etc.)

Hopefully, these ideas can help you side hustle your way into more moolah for the holidays. Got any more ideas? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Aug27

PC clean up

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PC clean up

The average shelf life of a desktop PC is 5 years. After that, bugs and kinks start to show up, and they show up earlier if you’re a heavy (and quite careless) user. If you want your desktop or laptop to run smoothly and prolong its life, you should set time aside to do annual checks. After all, we do it for our cars, our teeth, our cholesterol – why not do an annual “health check’ for the thing where you spend most of your work and social media life?

Digital clutter tends to accumulate when unchecked and create all kinds of havoc on our electronic devices: smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops. First, they slow down your devices, and then they turn it into an expensive paperweight.

So what can a non-techie person do? Fear not, you don’t have to be a computer expert to be able to clean up your gadgets. Here are some easy ways to control digital clutter. Be sure to do these every few months to make sure your electronic devices run smoothly

The easiest place to begin is the system desktop. The desktop (of your PC or laptop) is not a repository for documents or screenshots or downloads that you have not yet organized into its own folder. You should not just save things there because they don’t have a home. Either delete them or find a home for them.

Speaking of deleting items from your system desktop…empty out your recycle bin or trash. These files still take up space on your device, so clear them out. It’s the easiest way to free up some space on your device.

Photos also take up so much space and create clutter. Seriously, we take so many photos of the same thing at different angles hoping to chance upon the perfect picture. It’s amazing how much thought we put into getting the perfect shot. You’re not really thinking about posting all 10 selfies so might as well remove all selfies that do not do you justice. Choose your favorite pose (1 max!…ok, 2 then) and delete the rest where you’re just posing differently in the same place, wearing the same outfit.

Take a page from the minimalist book and meticulously delete or remove any app on your device that is neither useful nor brings you joy… Remove that game you’ve already beaten, that editing software you never use, the fifth iteration of a task tracking app (you need just one anyway). If you haven’t used it in a 6-month time frame, chances are you’re never gonna use it.

If you’re noticing a slow down in your startup time or if your device is getting buggy or glitchy – it’s time to take it to the experts for a tune-up. Yes, a device tune-up is a real thing. Unless you’re extremely tech-savvy, leave it to the experts to clean up your devices. Otherwise, you might risk getting some or all of your files deleted.

Always make sure your antivirus is updated. Every click leaves a digital footprint and those footprints can be muddy or can track bugs and other undesirables into your device. So make sure you have an antivirus installed to help protect you from attacks and keep your system running at its optimum performance.

What is your digital device clean up rituals? Share them with us! Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Aug21

Stretches

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Stretches

There is an epidemic that is slowly killing the working population. In 2013, a Minnesota based company called Ergotron conducted a survey about the effects of too much sitting. It comes as no surprise that the survey results show that we sit too much. We sit at work, while watching TV, during leisure time, and in social settings. In the US alone, Americans spend their time sitting for 13 hours a day!

Work is where we spend the most time sitting. On the average, office workers spend 7.5 hours sitting. Martha Grogan, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic suggests that “for people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.” I’ve written about the health problems that creep up when you sit for too long. You can read about it here.

If your work involves much sitting at a desk, it is important to take walking breaks and stretch breaks from time to time to cut down your sitting time. Here are a few tips to get you moving:

Stand up:
Stand up when you take a break, get some fresh air, go get a drink, go visit a co-worker in their office cubicle, take a brisk walk around the office. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from the entrance to get in more steps. Use any excuse to get up from your chair and move about.

Standing Desk, anyone?:
I’ve heard about the benefits of a standing desk. A standing desk is a table or desk setup that allows you to stand comfortably while working. There are standing desk for sale but if you’re just trying it out and don’t want to commit, try making your own. Elevate your workstation by placing an object underneath your desktop or laptop that will enable you to work standing up. You can find a lot of tutorials on the internet on how to hack a DIY standing desk.

Stretches:
Here are some stretches that you can do at the office to incorporate more movement into your routine.
● Neck Stretch: Bring your left ear toward your left shoulder and hold. Roll your head toward the ground and bring your chin to your chest. Hold and finally, roll your head to the right and bring that ear to your right shoulder. Inhale and exhale in a slow and controlled manner.
● Torso Stretch: Clasp hands together and slowly raise them above your head toward the ceiling. Reach as high as you can while inhaling deeply and hold for 20-30 seconds. Bring your hands down slowly while exhaling.
● Shoulder Stretch: Stand tall or sit upright (not pictured). Bring your left arm across your chest, holding it below the elbow with your opposite. Keep the shoulders relaxed away from the ears. Breathe deeply and hold. Repeat on opposite side.
● Triceps Stretch: Stand tall or sit upright. Place your left elbow in your right hand. Reach your left arm overhead, placing palm on the center of your back and supporting the elbow in your right hand. Reach your fingertips down your spine

What are your favorite ways to incorporate more movement into your day? Let us know in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Reference:
https://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1263

Aug14

Stay Focused

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Stay Focused

Some employers have an open time policy. They set a window of log in hours, say from 7 am to 10 am and then it’s up to the employees to come as they please provided that they finish 8 working hours.

Having a flexible schedule is one benefit that most employees look for in a company. In fact, in order to attract top talent, schedule flexibility is one benefit that potential employees look for. A flexible schedule affords employees autonomy and ownership over their own time and schedule, offering the choice to avoid traffic and toxic commutes during peak hours. It also imparts a sense of trust and confidence from the employer to the employee that they value.

But having no defined work hours might prove to be more challenging than having a set work schedule for some. It forces daily adjustments. Sometimes, consistency is just what employees need in order to be more productive. Autonomy is a mixed blessing.

If you are struggling to stay focused on a flexible work schedule, here are a few tips to keep you productive and consistent at work.

Routine:
You may have a different start and stop time every day but keep your activities consistent. Start your day the same way no matter what time you start or come in for work. A good routine would be: some personal time as soon as you get up (meditating, reading, exercise, making and/or checking your to-do list etc.), shower and get dressed, breakfast, coffee, and then get to work. Having a routine makes sure you have enough time to get personal prep and essential work things done and be able to anticipate having to slot in unexpected or ad hoc errands and task into your day.

Hard stop:
Set a hard stop for yourself – a time when all things involving work must come to an end. Some people find this hard, especially those who take work home. They log out of their terminals from work but essentially continue on their laptops when they get home. If you do step one (have a routine and set a schedule), then you should be able to accomplish all the items on your task list by the end of the day. Unfinished tasks can wait till the next day. Freelancers and people who work from home should have an end-of-work-day routine. It is a signal that the workday is finished and personal time has begun. Office workers can just log off or clock out but at home, workers may miss this and continue working till the wee hours. So a good end-of-day routine is in order. Cleaning up your desk and powering down the PC is one way to signal the end of the workday.

Communication:
Keep your boss and co-workers updated. Starting work at different times for teams that are working on the same project could be hard to coordinate, so keep communication lines open. This would be helpful for answering team questions, showing results, emergency team meetings, etc. Also, let your teammates know when you’ll be going offline. You might have an important doctor’s appointment, bank errands, or somewhere you need to run off to. Let them know you’ll be out of office for a while and how long you’ll be gone so they know when they can expect an answer or a report from you. Keep your phone lines open while you’re out.

How do you stay focused on a flexible schedule? Let us know your tips in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Aug6

Hidden Costs of Working from Home

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Hidden Costs of Working from Home

The freedom and flexibility of being able to work from home is something that many people are discovering. Having complete control over your workspace and (most times) your working hours is one of the many benefits of working from home. But while it is a joy to be earning money from the comforts of your home, you might also want to think about hidden costs and how to work that into your budget.

Tech
This is probably the most expensive hidden cost of all. A traditional workplace would have desktop PCs at every workstation. Some managers may even get a work laptop and a mobile phone (and line) assigned to them.

However, when you work from home, you need to have your own machine. If you’re a freelancer or you work from home exclusively, a desktop PC that is solely used for work purposes is a must. If you telecommute or work from home a few times a week, a laptop will help you with telecommuting.

These powerful machines (laptop and PC) generally have a 5-year lifespan, so practice good computer hygiene and get a good antivirus software. Sure, a good antivirus is another hidden cost, but it will help you keep your tech running for as long as possible AND also keep your all-important work files safe.

As for mobile phones, you can get a cheap phone that can be used exclusively for taking and making work calls and sending out work messages. Or you can get a phone that has a dual sim function if you want to keep your personal and business contacts separate

Internet
High-speed internet is not cheap BUT it gives you peace of mind. Upgrading to a high-speed internet will ensure that you can join those client video calls without worrying that you will drop out of the call.

A plan without a download cap is also worth considering, especially if you have large files being exchanged.

Office supplies
You can probably scrounge up the basics from around the house: a small desk to place your work items on, a trash bin to throw your rubbish into, some paper and pens. So those need not be additional costs.

At a traditional workplace you have access to a copier with unlimited copy paper as well as the little things like paper clips, markers, highlighters, post its, folders, and file boxes. While you can just buy these things on an as-needed basis, these are also hidden costs.

Overhead
When you work at a traditional workplace, the company pays for electricity and space. However, if you work from home, you have to shoulder those costs.

Telecommuters may opt to pay for membership at co-working spaces. This is an option for collaborative events or for ad-hoc teams and startups.

Holidays and sick leaves
Freelancers usually work on a per project basis or a no-work, no-pay arrangement. Therefore paid vacation leaves and sick leaves are not factored into your net pay. Vacations are usually out of pocket and illnesses and hospital visits are as well. You need to factor these into your budget as they are among hidden costs.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help