Keeping tabs of everyday tasks is already a huge achievement. But what of annual must-dos? You know, those things that need attention at least once a year? I’m sure you have a lot of those, we all do. Here’s a checklist of 8 things you need to attend to at least once every trip around the sun.

• An annual physical – not sure where the saying ‘healthy as a horse’ came from, but they are known for their super vitality and stamina. You can be ‘as healthy as a horse’, but you still need to see a doctor for an annual check-up at least once a year. It’s a good way to gauge where you’re at in terms of physical health and fitness and to see if you have any health issues that need to be addressed immediately.
• Dental visits – your teeth need regular cleaning, too. Brushing for at least 2 minutes just won’t cut it – because, let’s be honest,  some of us rush through that. So, it’s best to get your teeth professionally cleaned and checked at least once a year. Dentists recommend professional cleaning every 6 months.
• Pet check-ups – your pets won’t be able to tell you what’s wrong with them or how they’re feeling. It’s best to take them to a vet for annual check-ups that include blood work. Being proactive means we get to enjoy our best friend’s company for longer.
• Carpet cleaning – when was the last time you cleaned your carpet? If you can’t remember, then it’s been too long. No. Running a vacuum cleaner over it doesn’t count. Your carpets need a deep clean to get rid of the bacteria and grime that has been hiding in it. Roll up your sleeves and purge your carpet with steamers or a soapy bucket. You can also hire a professional to do it, if that’s in your budget. While you’re in cleaning mode, have a go at your oven, gutters, and chimney as well.
• Spring cleaning – spring cleaning doesn’t have to be done in the spring. You can start anytime. So as not to get overwhelmed, choose a room or a section of a room and start there. I usually start with the lowest hanging fruit, my home office – which is easiest for me because I declutter it as a signal that the workday has ended. Then I move on to a bigger space – the living room, and work my way from there. Spring cleaning usually takes me 2 to 3 days or 1 weekend. But, a clean home makes me feel immensely better.
• Battery changing – change the batteries of your: 
  • smoke detector 
  • remote controls 
  • keyboard and mouse
  • Kitchen timer
  • Garage sensor
  • Car keys
  • Etc, you get the idea
• Digital decluttering – your digital life needs a decluttering, too. Take a look at your PC desktop and get rid of downloads you have already read or saved off, screen captured images that you can no longer recall what they were for, programs and apps that are old, outdated or have outlived their purpose. 
• Check your make-up stash – ladies, check your make-up stash and throw out anything that has already expired. Don’t risk putting on your lips, eyes, face, and skin anything that has been sticking around longer than they should lest you get an infection or a rash.

Do you have more to add to this list? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Being a ‘YES’ person isn’t always a virtue. Sure, the bosses love you, your colleagues love you – you never say ‘NO’. But if you’re neck deep in work and your manager suddenly pops her head in your office asking if you can take on some short-term, high priority task – is it really a good idea to say yes?

You say YES
This is yet another chance to prove to your manager that you are reliable and competent. It doesn’t matter that your manager does this pretty regularly to you. So you slog away at the task that is due today and put the rest of your work on the backburner. Meanwhile, your co-workers seem to have enough time to work on pet projects. A few of them shine and excel. All of those who get to choose their projects seem to be really enjoying themselves.

You say NO
You take a deep breath and muster up the courage to refuse the additional work. Your manager walks away surprised but impressed that you have set boundaries for yourself. You go back to working on your current projects and don’t feel rushed. As a matter of fact, you even feel ‘time affluent’ (the feeling of being time affluent significantly increases your happiness factor). Your projects get the attention and focus they deserve and you don’t feel so burnt out.

We say yes to everything for a number of reasons. The most common ones being:

• Having little to no set boundaries – new employees often say ‘yes’ to everything because they want to be seen as a team player. However, they underestimate the time and resources it takes to finish a task and could likely end up turning in subpar work. 
• Poor communication skills – ‘no’ is already a full sentence and shouldn’t need anything else. But pushy managers or co-workers need more information. So, some people just say ‘yes’ to avoid having to explain themselves. 
• You might be a people pleaser – saying ‘yes’ to everything is a people pleasing response that falls under the ‘fawn response’. This response is one of four stress responses adopted by our nervous system – the other three being: fight, flight, or freeze.

To address these points, you should:

1. Know your priorities.
What activities will bring the highest return on investment? Once you have identified those, keep track of your priorities so that you can determine if you legitimately are able to handle extra tasks. If you have multiple priorities – saying ‘yes’ to yet another task can easily overwhelm you.

2. Be authentic and straightforward
If you give wishy-washy reasons for refusing other tasks – your managers or colleagues might take that as a crawlspace for them to find a way to pawn off their work to you. Or worse, they could see it as being disingenuous. To avoid frustration, be candid about why you’re saying ‘no and if you’re challenged, stick to your decision and stay steady and clear about your message.

3. Learn to say ‘no’
Aim for a neutral ‘no’. This means being kind but firm – not mean, but not too nice. Be firm and watch your body language (don’t look reluctant). Don’t make the other person feel bad for asking for your help, but don’t give them false hopes either. Try saying:

• “Sorry, no. I’m really busy with my own tasks right now. If you still need help by the end of the week, please let me know. I can offer my help then.”
• “I can’t help you. I am swamped for the next few weeks.” 
• “No, I have no space for additional work at the moment.” 
• “No, I am on several deadlines.”
• “Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, my workload does not allow for this additional task within the proposed deadline. If the deadline can be extended to next week, I might be able to accommodate. Please let me know how to proceed.” 
• “I appreciate you thinking of me for this opportunity, but this is outside of my expertise.”

We hope this helps. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

We all get sleep deprived once in a while. BUT, if you are consistently getting sleep deprived (meaning you’re getting less than 6hrs of sleep each night) then you could be seriously impairing your memory, attention, judgment, and focus. 

The brain needs rest to recuperate. When we sleep, our body repairs itself and gets ready for another day. Sleep deprivation can result in omission errors, commission errors, and delayed reaction time. It could also lead you to be more irritable and short-fused.

Studies show that sleeping in on a weekend does not account for lack of sleep during the weekday. In fact, it can cause your sleep cycle to become dysregulated. So, what should you do to solve your sleep deprivation woes? Here are five solutions:

1. Consistent sleep – try to sleep at a consistent schedule to train your body to a.) be alert upon waking and b.) downshift into sleep mode during rest. Try to sleep at a set time and wake up at a specific time. It might take a couple of weeks of following a consistent sleep schedule before you can reset your body clock. But if you stick to a consistent schedule – you will soon learn what “well-rested” feels like.
2. Increase hours – sure, we all dream of getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day but that isn’t possible all the time. So, if you’re cutting it close at 6 hours of sleep per night, you should aim to increase your sleep hours. Even a half hour increase would do wonders for your cognitive functions. Aim to increase your sleep in increments of 30 minutes or even 15 mins.
3. Set bedtime – the one thing in common among the sleep deprived is that they set ‘vague’ bedtimes. “Oh, I go to bed at 9:00pm.” And then proceed to scroll on their phones for the rest of the night, or turn the TV on for a few episodes of their favorite show. Sounds familiar? If this is you, then you need to set better bedtimes. Be absolutely clear about  what bedtime is: lights out, no more activities, get ready to sleep. If you have trouble finding a time – set a gentle alarm. This works for waking up, so make it work for sleeping as well. Once you set an alarm for a specific time, say 10pm, follow through consistently.
4. Get rid of naps – sure, naps can recharge you for the rest of the day, but they can be part of your sleep deprivation problem. If you feel like you need those 15-20 minute afternoon naps – that’s a clear sign of sleep deprivation. Those afternoon naps can also affect how sleepy you are come nighttime. Break the cycle. Go through the day without a nap and go to bed at a consistent time. 
5. Identify obstacles – why do you stay up late? Identify your obstacles and triggers. Is it the show you’re watching? Is it the temperature of the room? Is it social media scrolling? Identify your obstacles and proceed to address them accordingly.

Keep on adjusting and finding your sleep sweet spot. It might be bad for tonight but if you stick to a schedule, increase your hours, get rid of naps and obstacles – it will get better. And it will keep getting better everyday. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

We’ve all done it, we’ve all procrastinated on an important task. And we’ve all read tips and tricks on how to stop procrastination. If the tips and tricks worked for you – then, good. Please share your tips with us in the comments. For the large number of us who still procrastinate on tasks from time to time, here are 5 keys to stop procrastinating (based on Brian Tracy’s book, Eat That Frog!).

1. Preparation – In Brian Tracy’s book, the frog is a metaphor for your most important task. The one task that you are the most likely to procrastinate upon if you don’t do something about it. And at the same time, the one task that can have the biggest impact. If you have a list of to-do’s for the day, how do you choose your frog? Ask yourself these questions:

• What are my highest value activities?
• What can I do that will make a big difference?
• What is the most valuable use of my time?

Once you have the answers to these questions, narrow them down to one major task – that’s your frog. Now, do everything you can to prepare yourself for doing that task. Have your papers in order, make a list of action items, clear your workspace, go to the bathroom, pick up a coffee, or just get into the mindset of doing the work. Every minute you spend on planning saves 10 minutes in execution. So plan and prepare.

2. Focus – once you start working, stay focused on the work until you get it done. Time block, time box, or do any of these 6 strategies in order to manage your time. Turn off distractions like emails and notifications so you can work uninterrupted. There are apps and browser extensions that can help you focus and manage your time. Use these little helpers to your advantage.

3. One thing at a time – If you have identified a couple of frogs, eat the ugliest (hardest task) one first. If you have one massive task, then this famous riddle might be familiar to you. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” You eat that massive frog the same way – one bite at a time. Delegate, outsource, or eliminate activities that don’t contribute to your success. Layout all your sub tasks in detail and do one thing at a time until you complete your goal.

4. Skills – prioritize learning or acquiring skills that will contribute to helping you reach your goals. Think about your hurdles. What is holding you back and keeping you from completing your task? Identify what that is and learn the skill needed to overcome your hurdle.

5. Attitude – become your own cheerleader. Don’t wait for others to make you eat that frog. Don’t wait for others to congratulate you after you’ve eaten that frog. Celebrate your wins. Celebrate yourself.

Share your procrastination mitigation tips with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Does your email get buried under newsletters and company FYIs. Are you tired of writing emails that never get read? Important messages need to get out – new policy information, company strategies, or even connecting remote teams. You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway, but your emails need to be engaging if you want to get a message across.

With all the other emails competing for your reader’s attention, your plain email will get drowned out in the noise. Here are some tips to actually get people to read and respond to your emails.

1. Be selective with your target audience:
We open emails that are relevant to us. Otherwise, they get archived or passed over. To make sure that your email gets read, be selective in who you send your email out to. For example, an update regarding a power outage at headquarters won’t affect remote workers so remove them from the distribution list. Target, segment, and select before sending out that email.

2. K.I.S.S. (Keep it short and sweet)
Marketing studies have determined the sweet spot when it comes to email length. The magic number is between 75 to 100 words. So don’t ramble on with unnecessary content. Get to the heart of what you’re saying in order to capture and hold your reader’s attention.

3. Keep the subject line catchy
The military has a very precise way of formatting their email and it starts with a very specific subject line. They use these keywords:
ACTION – Compulsory for the recipient to take some action
SIGN – Requires the signature of the recipient
INFO – For informational purposes only, and there is no response or action required
DECISION – Requires a decision by the recipient
REQUEST – Seeks permission or approval by the recipient
COORD – Coordination by or with the recipient is needed

The next time you compose an email, try the above out for size. It helps your reader know what action to take on your email (if required) and sets their expectations on the content.

4. Be interactive
As employees to share their comments, ideas, feedback, etc. Engage them by playing videos, adding links, posting infographics, or even throwing in a poll or survey.

5. Loop them back with a different subject line
Resend your email to those who did not open it the first time by simply changing the subject line. Be specific that they missed the first one. This will let them know that they missed an important announcement or action. It may even double your open rate. An example of a second loop email subject line is: ACTION: ICYMI (In Case You Missed It), town hall meeting at 1:30 today requires your rsvp.

If it is within your skills, you can use tools like Canva to create a well designed email. Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. It can be used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content.

Like spoken words, written words also need to be given some thought. Keep your open rates high and your teams engaged by writing well thought of emails. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp