Mar30

Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

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Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

We’re surrounded by screens: laptops, desktop monitors, mobile phones, tablets. We’re a culture of almost constantly being on some kind of screen. Now, with a lot of people in quarantine and working remotely, there’s been a huge surge in screen time. Reports show that the average adult spends about 3½ hours a day using the Internet on their phones, according to a 2019 study from the analytics company Zenith. This report only mentions how much time is spent on a mobile phone and doesn’t include the time we spend staring at other screens. During the pandemic, a  study published in Cambridge Open Engage found that screen time had increased by 20-30% on average during the crisis. 

The point is, we spend so much screen time that we have to reclaim the time we’ve lost (we’re losing) and take control of our digital well-being and our productive time. Here’s how you can set better screen time boundaries:

Save interesting articles on a watch later/read later list 

It’s easy to get succeed into a blackhole of Youtube recommendations or reading recommendations. Once you’re hooked, you have to watch the next explainer video or the next article about murder hornets. While it’s fine to gain knowledge, it shouldn’t be a huge time suck! You can watch it later or read it later at your own leisure, so save it into a list for the meantime.

Do a cleanse

Cleanse your smartphone. Delete all apps that you rarely use. If there are apps on your phone that you haven’t used in the past 6 months, then you might want to start with those.

Turn OFF your notifications

Apps are designed to try to get your attention and keep you engaged for as long as they can. So, turn off your notifications. Most things can wait, and if it’s urgent or an emergency – you’re probably going to get a phone call. Otherwise, respond or check at your own pace.

Allot a quiet time for yourself

During this quiet time, don’t check your phone or other devices. What you do during this time is all up to you, as long as it doesn’t involve staring at a screen. You can cook, read, take a well-deserved nap, go for a run, etc. Reclaim your time.

Better yet, allot a time for checking social media and email

The need to stay connected all the time has a tendency to take over our lives. The news will still be there after an hour. Your friend’s lunch will still be up on Instagram even if you don’t check your phone right now. That email will still be in your inbox. The world won’t explode if you miss one post or one email. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Screens are not the enemy, but they could be if you let them run your life. Use them to incorporate more efficiency and productivity in your life. Do you have any tips for reducing screen time? 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

Mar22

Working From Home: 4 Tips On How To Maintain A Work/Life Balance

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Working From Home: 4 Tips On How To Maintain A Work/Life Balance

We’re past the one year mark when WHO declared the Coronavirus a global pandemic. In March last year, countries asked businesses to let their employees work from home. This is in order to encourage self-isolation and help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A year later, many of us are still working from home. For a lot of people, this arrangement means an abrupt and uncomfortable merge between work and home life.

Our home should be a place of relaxation – that means an escape from work and other social responsibilities. This is why a lot of people have more difficulty finding “work/life” balance in a work from home setting. It feels like losing respite from work related tasks. 

Are you starting to feel like your whole week has turned into one long Monday? You are not alone. Here are some tips to reclaim your personal space and restore a healthy “work/life balance”.

Carve out a physically separate working space for yourself

Not everyone can afford a home office. It’s even an issue of readiness for some who have just been abruptly asked to work from home and have been making do with a laptop and the dining table as a workstation. If this is your work arrangement, it could get tiresome to have to pack-up before each meal and set up after. If you have limited space, work with folding furniture. Get a small folding table and a chair that offers decent back support. Then carve out a small niche in your home to dedicate as a working area. Having a dedicated work space will get you in the “going to the office” mindset. 

Have standard work hours

Set up a time to start working and to close shop and follow that schedule STRICTLY. It helps if you have a routine. Just because you’ve slashed two hours off our commute doesn’t mean you can lounge around until 5 minutes before your first meeting of the day. Set an alarm to help you get up at the same time each day and do your routine. Don’t work in your pajamas. Take a shower and get dressed. Dressing up for work will affect your state of mind and help you signal to your body that it’s time to take care of business.

Never work from your bed

That’s it. That’s the tip. Never work from your bed. It’s unprofessional and will affect your mindset. 

Air and sunlight is good for all living things

Being cooped up indoors is enough to drive anyone insane. That’s the whole premise of The Shining. So go out and get some fresh air and natural light EVERYDAY. Unless, you want to end up like Jack Torrance, Jack Nicholson’s character in the movie. Open the windows and let some fresh air through. Go for a walk. Water your plants. Sip your coffee/tea out on the balcony. Get your daily dose of vit. D naturally by aiming for 10-30 mins of sunlight exposure. 

Do you have any tips on how to achieve a work/life balance while working from home? 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

Mar15

Is It Wise To Vent In The Workplace?

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Is It Wise To Vent In The Workplace?

Maybe today is the day when you’re about to join a Zoom meeting and the neighbors decide to practice their drumskills. Maybe today is the day when your internet connection decides to get persnickety. Maybe today is the day that a project deadline has been moved up by a few days. In short, maybe today is not your day. 

Most of us take a moment to vent. The instant release of emotion, afterall, is an acceptable way of coping with this particularly frustrating scenario, right? You take all of 5 minutes to vent, and then return to work and go about your day. 

We can all agree that venting is a healthier option than keeping all your feelings inside. It’s different from complaining because complaining tends to be chronic, while venting is temporary and situational.

We all have good and bad days in the workplace – be it in the office or working from home. Sometimes, you just want to scream into an empty office or ping a colleague to talk about your frustrations. However, is there a way to vent responsibly that won’t land you a visit to the HR department? These are the dos and don’ts of venting in the workplace.

Don’ts

Don’t use group chats or office communication. Many workplace horror stories have been told about sending messages to the wrong recipient. Imagine how awkward it would be to complain about the behavior of a colleague and accidentally send it to that colleague. Also, be careful about email communications. Your IT department has access to internal communications, so don’t send something that could result in serious implications for your role or work relations. 

Don’t vent to just about anybody who is within earshot. Choose who you talk to. Ven to someone you trust and not the intern or the gossip girl from that other department.

Do’s

Document your emotions. Journaling is scientifically proven to reduce stress. Writing down your feelings on paper makes them a bit more tangible and less abstract. It also makes them more actionable. 

Vent with a non-work friend. Video call a friend and ask if they have the time and mental space for a quick chat to vent. Always ask if they have the bandwidth to help you through. Venting with a non-work friend removes the possibility of accidentally sending an incriminating message to the wrong party. 

Get up and walk away from your desk. It’s time to take a breather. Take a few minutes to breathe and gather yourself. When people are stressed, their breathing quickens. Being mindful of your breathing will help you relax and think more clearly. Stepping away from your desk also helps you relax and less inclined to throw your coffee mug at a wall out of frustration.

How about you? How do you handle frustrations in the workplace? What are your venting techniques? 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

Mar8

Avoid These 3 Things That Make Your Business Look Unprofessional

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Avoid These 3 Things That Make Your Business Look Unprofessional

In any business, it is important to look professional. This guarantees that you attract the right kind of clients. If your business looks unprofessional, no one might take you seriously and clients might consider your work as a hobby. Looking professional is important for many reasons. Your clients might shortchange you with regard to paying for services. They might not trust your talents or they might have little respect for your time which could lead to a lot of requests to rework or requests to return products. If you want your business to be long-standing, you have to work on your image and reputation. Looking professional is a must. Here are 3 things you must avoid in order to look professional:

A Substandard Website

Your website is where your business will live. All your social media links should direct would-be clients to your website. There, they should be able to get all the information they need in order to make an informed decision if they should get your products/service or to go look somewhere else. Therefore, your website should be professional-looking. It should be coherent and clear, with legible fonts and an uncluttered homepage. It should be easy to navigate and must have clear images. Your site speed should be fast, otherwise, potential clients will lose interest.

No Clear Branding

Branding is the foundation of your brand. If you don’t have this down pat, you are susceptible to looking unprofessional. You must have a clear mission, target market, and products. You should be able to describe your purpose and goal or why you do what you do. You must also be prepared to describe your products/services to anyone interested, and what benefit would clients get for choosing your business. Your brand is made of 3 parts: look, sound, and feel. Look pertains to design, sound pertains to brand voice (or the tone in which you communicate), and feel pertains to the experience you create for your clients. Evaluate your branding against these three factors.

Bad Customer Service

Sure, you already have a beautiful website and a clear mission/vision statement. That’s only a part of a professional business. You must also have great customer service and audience engagement in order to grow your business ad make it profitable. Start by securing a professional email account. Yes, let go of the “myprofessionalbusiness@yahoo.com” email address and get a professional email address. Next, be attentive to customer needs and keep them engaged. Make sure to answer all queries and address all complaints. Complaints are a good opportunity to show your clients that you care about them and that you are on top of things.

How does your business fare against these three things? Do you have any more tips on how to look professional? 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

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Mar1

3 Hurdles That Can Ruin Your Productivity At Work

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3 Hurdles That Can Ruin Your Productivity At Work

With all the distractions available to us via the internet, it could be a monumental challenge for anyone to stay focused on work. One minute you can be slaying the emails in your inbox, the next minute you’re falling into a YouTube rabbit hole. You know you have to cross out a lot of things from your to-do list, but you just can’t seem to get back your focus. 

Hurdle #1: News

There’s no shortage of news these days. Whether you’re following the latest vaccine news or just keeping up with the latest celebrity gossip or newest artist album drop, there’s always something itching for your attention. 

How can you overcome this hurdle? 

We do, indeed, live in interesting times. So even if you ignore the news, you might not be successful for too long. So acknowledge your interest, park the item somewhere (make a mental note or an actual note – on Twitter, I “like” an article so that I can access it from my liked posts to read later), and focus on something more “in the now”, like your breathing.

Hurdle #2: Multi-tasking

By now you should know that multitasking hurts your productivity and reduces your efficiency. Yet, some people still believe they could get more done. I’ve written about the “Perils of Multitasking here and here. Need more proof that multitasking ruins your productivity? There’s this ‘study titled, “The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress,” where researchers found that while people worked faster in conditions where they were constantly interrupted (the way you are when you’re multitasking), they actually were less productive.’

How can you overcome this hurdle? 

Close the email tab in your browser. Close all the other tabs that are not related to what you’re working on. Invest in a nice pair of BT noise cancelling earphones and put on some ambient beats to drown out the background noise. You can also use the Pomodoro Technique (for example, you can do 25mins deep flow work and 5min break)

Hurdle #3: Lack of Sleep

Lack of sleep has a major detrimental effect on your ability to concentrate. Heck, sleep deprivation causes a lot of shenanigans to your body. It can destroy brain cells, weaken your immunity, affect your memory, cause you to gain weight, and increase your risk of a heart disease. Lack of sleep can destroy the neurons responsible for the brain’s alertness resulting in trouble thinking and concentration.

How can you overcome this hurdle? 

Don’t compound the problem by drowning yourself in caffeine. The secret is no secret at all. Prioritize getting enough sleep. However, if you’re already sleep deprived but in need of a quick pick-me-up in order to finish that very important project , here’s what you can do: get up from your desk and head-out for a quick walk. You need to get your blood pumping and be exposed to natural light. You’ll come back more alert and focused.

What are your productivity pitfalls and how do you overcome them? 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