Jul2

Happy World Chocolate Day!

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Happy World Chocolate Day!

Are there any more reasons to celebrate chocolate aside from the fact that it makes everyone happy? Well, then we better have a holiday to celebrate this glorious thing! Oh, wait…

We already have reserved a day to celebrate our love for all things chocolate. If you ask me, we should be doing this everyday. July 7 is globally known as World Chocolate Day in honour of this beloved concoction. That’s when all the world celebrates chocolate in all its glory. In our household, everyday is World Chocolate Day!

We know you love it, too. Did you know that the Mayans thought so highly of chocolate that it was used as money? They used it as currency and restricted its cultivation so that its value won’t go down. They considered it to be worth more than gold dust! Here are some other interesting tidbits about chocolate:

The Top 5 Chocolate Consuming Countries: based on a 2015 survey
● UK – Brits purchase 14.6 pounds of chocolate per person per year!
● Ireland – The Irish purchase 15.1 pounds of chocolate per person.
● Austria – Austrians purchase 15.7 pounds of chocolate per person.
● Germany – Germans purchase 16.3 pounds of chocolate per person.
● Switzerland – It comes as no surprise, the Swiss top this list as they purchase 18.1 pounds of chocolate per person.

Evergreen company
Chocolate comes from the the beans of the Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). It is from the evergreen family, Malvaceae. Other members of this family include Mallows, Okra, Cotton, Cola Nuts, and Flame tree.

Gods eat chocolate
The Cacao tree from which chocolate comes from has a scientific name of Theobroma cacao. This roughly translates to “food of the gods”. Very apt, isn’t it?

Don’t feed the animals
We should not share chocolate with our favorite furry friends. While some people might think that they’re giving their pets a treat, chocolate can be potentially lethal for dogs and cats. The substance called Theobromine present in all kinds of chocolate (even white chocolate, but more on that later) is toxic to our furry friends.

Death by chocolate
Humans can actually die of chocolate overdose, too! But you have to eat 22 pounds of chocolate in order for the Theobromine to be fatal. Imagine eating 40 bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk, that’s how much chocolate it will take.

Real chocolate
Speaking of white chocolate… white chocolate doesn’t contain cocoa solids or cocoa liquor – products that a chocolate bar should contain in order to be classified as chocolate. Instead, it contains cocoa butter. Still…yum!

Chocolate high
Chocolate can give you a longer and more intense “buzz” than kissing does. It can give you 4x more of an intense high than a passionate kiss. “Chocolate contains phenylethylamine which can raise levels of endorphins, the pleasure-giving substances, in the brain. It also contains caffeine which has a stimulatory effect on the brain. [1]” Imagine if it were chocolate kisses…

How do you plan to celebrate World Chocolate Day? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6558775.stm
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/top-10-countries-that-eat-the-most-chocolate

Jun25

How to be more productive by taking up a hobby

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How to be more productive by taking up a hobby

Working while on vacation has become the norm. But it is still wise to use your vacation leaves in order to recharge and make sure you increase your productivity when you get back to work. According to this survey from Wrike, 40% of men and 30% of women plan to work while on vacation.

So you’re back from break for a while but still feel that you aren’t achieving as much as you like at work. At this point, you can’t go on another 2 week vacation – but you really need to get your work mojo back. It might be time to try a different strategy. It’s time to pick up a new hobby.

Why pick up a hobby?
A study by Kevin Eschleman, lead author and assistant Psychology professor at San Francisco State University says that “the more you’re engaged people in an extracurricular hobby, the better you’ll do at work. Eschleman’s research concluded that you won’t do just a little bit better, your performance will improve from between 15% and 30% better!” Studies also reinforce the idea that we’ve known all along – the most productive and successful people we know often have a hobby that they enjoy outside of the workplace.

Having an interest in things outside of work can motivate employees to work on their interests making them more engaged and more positive when they’re at work. Having a hobby also makes for great conversation around water coolers. Hobbies also greatly reduce stress – which automatically improves the well being of an employee.

The science behind getting a hobby.
The thing about hobbies is that they help you relax and take your mind of some of the most pressing issues in your life. Just like meditation, immersing yourself into a hobby takes you to a place where your mind is still somewhat active but not actively thinking about stressful concerns. Now let’s break down your hobbies into 2 categories. There is such a thing as “active relaxation” and “passive relaxation”.

Active relaxation involves doing activities that you find enjoyable. Most exercises fall under this category. So if your hobby is running, doing yoga, hiking or going on nature walks – that falls under the active relaxation category.

Passive relaxation involves a less strenuous activity list. Reading, watching movies, gardening, going out for coffee, are all hobbies that fall under the passive relaxation category. They require less energy but are just as enjoyable.

Both forms of relaxation ease tension and put you in a more peaceful mental state. All of them are hobbies that you can enjoy outside of work and require a bit of time investment.

Make a list.
Here’s an assignment for you. Come up with 5 ideas for hobbies that involve passive relaxation. Some examples are: cooking, gardening, coloring (yes, those adult coloring books that were the rave sometime ago), painting, creating playlists. You get the idea.

Now, do the same for hobbies that involve active relaxation. Some examples are: biking, swimming, rock climbing, surfing, or diving.

Keep this list handy and refer to it from time to time. Pick one that you want to try out – or if you’ve already started – pick one to master and get really good at it!

What hobbies are you into? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Jun18

The Office Worker’s Infinite Playlist

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The Office Worker’s Infinite Playlist

Do you feel stuck today? Sitting in front of your computer, you look at your workload and scan a small notepad where you’ve written your to-do list that’s tacked off to the side of your monitor. The notepad says “send out event invitations”, “meeting at 1 pm”, and “create style guide” as your priority tasks for the day. You hunker down and start to get to work. You stare at the screen. You have a spill proof mug full of coffee and your tools open on your PC or laptop, but inspiration does not come.

You seem stuck and unable to start work. If only you had something that could jump-start you and get your brain running. How do you get into a productive mindset? Try putting on a playlist.

Music can help supercharge your productivity. But you can’t just listen to any kind of music – you have to listen to a playlist with productivity in mind. The right kind of playlist will help you get out of that slump. Here’s how:

Playlist: Pop Hits and Chart Toppers
First, take a look at your task list. For repetitive or mundane tasks, like sending out event invites, you could probably get away with listening to your favorite pop hits that you know the lyrics to. Repetitive tasks tend to be boring and monotonous, therefore, a challenge to finish. Music with lyrics can help by providing a relief from doing the same old work.

Listening to music while doing a repetitive task relieves stress, improves focus, and enhances performance resulting in faster performance and fewer errors.

Playlist: Classical or Ambient Music
So, for the first part of your day, you’ve been listening to your favorite hits while you do admin work. After lunch, you should switch to a different playlist for the next 2 tasks on your list. For tasks that require concentration or creativity, like a meeting or creating a style guide, it is best to listen to ambient music or classical music. Classical music increases mood and concentration on work while ambient music can enhance cognitive function and concentration.

Try playing a classical music playlist or an ambient music playlist in the background for your next team meeting. Keep the volume low enough to be slightly interesting and be able to accommodate different levels of listening attention but easily ignorable so that it doesn’t steal everyone’s concentration.

Playlist: Nature sounds or White noise
Bonus playlist: So you’re home and trying to relax. You’re now ready to get some shut-eye but your brain is still running a list of things to do for tomorrow. Try a playlist with nature sounds or instrumental music to calm you down and get yourself into a relaxed state of mind.

What kind of music do you listen to at work? Share them with us in the comments. Or better yet, share a link to your Spotify playlists. We’d love to listen to your jam. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Jun11

Time Management Hacks

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Time Management Hacks

No matter how intent we are at trying to manage our productive time, there will always be a cause for a delay that is due to forces beyond our control. The possibility of delay can stem from various reasons, some of them are due to lack of foresight, some are due to bad time management, and some…just terrible luck.

Time management is one of the major challenges of freelancers, contractors, and entrepreneurs. Without a regimented clock in – clock out system to keep them accountable for their productive work hours, it’s very easy to get derailed off of important work tasks. Even office workers who have regular 9 to 5 schedules lose productive time on distractions and ad hoc tasks that seemingly need urgent attention.

The trick is to understand your most effective work schedule. If you are a freelancer or entrepreneur, you have more flexibility over your schedule. This means you can tailor your time to optimize your calendar into your most productive days. That could mean shifting your work schedule from a “standard” Monday to Friday, to a more practical Tuesday to Saturday. Let’s face it, it can be more practical for freelancers or entrepreneurs to shift workday schedules as there can be more business during the weekend – especially those who work events. For office workers who work set hours, carve out a time when you can hunker down and do your most productive work.

Here are other tips to create your most effective work schedule:
1. Carve Out Specific “Focus Time” – Avoid distractions and get into the mindset of focusing on your work. Have a target of when you’ll finish the task. You can use the Pomodoro technique to maximize your productivity.
2. Figure out When Your Brain Is at Its Best – When do you do your best work? Is it in the morning, afternoon, or late at night? I’ve written about Chronotypes here. It explains why some people are morning Larks and some people are Night Owls. So if you work early hours and your chronotype is not exactly that of a morning person, you might want to shift your best productive work to later in the day.
3. Experiment with Prioritization – Try listing just a few priority tasks on your to-do list. I find 3 to be the magic number. More and you risk getting distracted and not being able to complete the task.
4. Stop Going to Meetings – I’ve written about the biggest time waster at the office here. Unproductive meetings cost US big businesses $37 Billion. It’s not only big businesses that are affected. In the UK, SMEs lose an average of £63,700 per annum on meetings. Chew on those stats for a while.
5. Create a Routine – Figure out a system that works for you. Start by clearing your workspace and clearing your mind. Reduce clutter to a minimum

You can read more about these excellent tips here: How to Build the Most Effective Work Schedule

Got any time management hacks for us? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Reference:
https://www.clicktime.com/blog/how-to-build-the-most-effective-work-schedule/

Jun4

Stress and the Workplace

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Stress and the Workplace

Our bodies have a pre-programmed response to stress. It has a built-in safety system that, in the olden days, was meant to protect us against predators and life-threatening situations, such as bushfires and tornadoes. This is our fight or flight response, and it is a natural and healthy response to any perceived threat.

Under stress, our bodies produce the hormone adrenaline to increase our heart rate and elevate our blood pressure. This makes sure we have enough energy supply. Cortisol is also produced to increase blood sugar and shut down deemed non-essential bodily functions that will hinder our reaction time, such as suppressing our immune system, reproductive system, and digestive system.

Times are different now. We don’t have to worry about bushfires or wolves trying to eat us. What we have now is a different kind of stress altogether. And it is just as dangerous.

Our stress response usually shuts down and returns to normal after the perceived stress is over. So, bodily functions go back to normal once that small kitchen fire is put out, or when you finally find that phone you thought you lost.

However, when you are constantly being bombarded by stressors your fight or flight response is always turned on, stress hormones are constantly being produced, and your bodily processes become disrupted. Your body thinks it is under attack and puts you in a prolonged fight or flight mode.

An example of constant stress is stress in the workplace. We spend ⅓ of our adult lives at work. That, (for most people) is 8 hours of each day at the office. It is like a second home, and so it would make much sense to try to keep the workplace a safe zone for everyone.

Situations happen when the workplace no longer feels like a safe zone for an employee. Some situations that can be deemed stressful and can be considered a cause excessive stress are: an employee being “exposed to a traumatic event in the workplace if the employee experiences violence, harassment, or bullying while at work, and unreasonable expectations from the employee.”

Excessive workplace stress is one major culprit of anxiety and depression. It can have serious repercussions on an employees health and wellbeing. If you are experiencing serious excessive workplace stress, talk to your HR or a trusted manager. If you feel like you have to explore other alternatives, you can read about other options here.

I’ve written about how to manage stress, here, and here. Stress is always present but it need not be chronic. Otherwise, your health will suffer. Prolonged stress compromises your immune system and makes you prone to a host of problems like anxiety, headaches, obesity, heart disease, and memory impairment, among others. It is always best to keep stress to a minimum and learn how to manage it.

How do you handle stress at the workplace? Share your best tips with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

References:
https://www.hoganinjury.com/excessive-workplace-stress/
https://thehelpbyastrids.com/stress-be-gone/
https://thehelpbyastrids.com/a-mind-full-of-light/

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help