10 Car Hacks to Make Your Life Easier

As someone who drives a lot, you have probably noticed that there are all kinds of little problems that can crop up, from having a cluttered and messy vehicle to windows that fog up all the time to the need for toilet paper in an emergency.

So, with this in mind, we have compiled a list of 10 great car hacks that will make your life a lot easier when you are on the road, whether you are driving a junker or the best luxury SUV.

1. Keep Your Steering Wheel Cool

Instead of touching a hot steering wheel that has been in the sun, when exiting your vehicle, turn the wheel 180 degrees. That way, the part you normally touch will be shaded and not as hot when you want to start driving again.

2. Prevent Windows from Fogging

You need to have good visibility, and that doesn’t happen when the windows are fogged. To prevent this, cut a potato in half, and rub it on the inside of your vehicle windows.

3. Ask for Directions

When you are lost, the best places to ask for directions are at fast food restaurants. There will likely always be someone there who can tell you where you need to be, and how to get there. Gas stations and convenience stores are other great places to get directions, and they often sell road maps.

4. Use Dryer Sheets

Instead of spending money on car air fresheners, simply use dryer sheets that you already have. Just place an open box of dryer sheets in the car, and they will keep the air smelling fresh and clean. You can also stick dryer sheets into the vents for a few minutes to really get the scent throughout the vehicle.

5. Use Shower Organizers

Driving with kids can be an adventure, and often, a messy adventure for you to clean. One way to keep the back seat more organized is to hang shower organizers on the back of the front seats. Then, use the pockets for baby wipes, bottles, diapers, games, and more. Shoe organizers can also be used for this.

6. Make a Phone Holder

If your vehicle didn’t come with a built-in mobile phone holder, you can easily make one with an elastic band. Simply slip the elastic between the slats of one of the vents, and then wrap it around the phone. Now, you have a hands-free phone system without having to spend any extra money.

7. Carry an Air Pump and a Pool Mattress

You never know when you are going to end up sleeping in your vehicle (breakdowns, impromptu camping trips, etc.), so be prepared. Keep an air pump and an inflatable pool mattress in the trunk, and you will always have a bed to sleep on instead of the uncomfortable seats.

8. Have an Emergency Kit

Everyone should have an emergency kit in their vehicle, because you never know what can happen. The kit should include such things as water, snacks, a first-aid kit, blankets, toilet paper, and an inexpensive mobile phone. If you do a lot of winter driving, also include a bag of kitty litter (in case you get stuck and need traction), a candle, and a tin can (to create light and heat to melt snow around tires).

9. Use a Shower Caddy

It is important to keep oil, windshield washer fluid, brake fluid, etc. in your vehicle at all times. Keep all of the vehicle fluids organized by putting the smaller bottles inside a shower caddy. That way, nothing is going to roll around and end up leaking all over the trunk.

10. Use a Mesh Bungee

If you are traveling with clothing that you don’t want to pack because you don’t want wrinkles, hang them. All you need to do is hang a mesh bungee on the ceiling of the vehicle, and then hang the clothing from it. Make sure that you do this in the back seat, and that the rear-view window is not obstructed so you can see clearly.

Featured photo credit: jaymantri.com via pexels.com

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5 Simple Ways to Stop Procrastinating for Good

Procrastination is a dream killer. The goals, desires, and dreams we have can become reality once we overcome our procrastination. In this post, we’ll share 5 simple ways you can stop procrastinating for good.

1. Forgive yourself

As humans, we can’t expect ourselves to be perfect all the time. There will be times when we slip and fall, and instead of letting one moment bring us down, we should forgive ourselves and move on.

The language we use is often key here, and most of us are harder on ourselves than we think. While it’s important to have high expectations for ourselves, it can also be damaging.

Instead of saying “I’m so lazy…”, try saying “I’m just human, and even the most successful people have bad days.”

Instead of “I’m probably not going to succeed…”, try saying “I’m going to give it my best shot, and in the worst case scenario, I’ll still be fine.”

2. Prepare the night before

Studies have shown that humans have a finite amount of willpower, and procrastination usually comes from lack of motivation.

Preparing for our day the night before allows us to take action from the moment we wake up, instead of being in reaction mode. This is because planning can take up a significant amount of energy that should be used to get important tasks done instead.

The method of preparing will vary from person to person, but my personal favorite is to schedule my day using a digital calendar, like Google Calendar.

For others, it could be creating a to-do list or simply working on the most important task for the day. Whatever your method, it’s important that you have some level of structure to your day planning.

3. Say “No” more

What we say “No” to in our life will determine the quality of the work we do. It’s impossible to take on every opportunity that comes at us, and it’s critical that we have a framework for prioritizing our everyday decisions.

At Rype, we use a framework called the Eisenhower Matrix to make many of our decisions.

Here’s a plan of action for each quadrant:

1. Urgent & Important: Do it immediately.
2. Non-Urgent & Important: Decide when you’ll do it.
3. Urgent & Non-Important: Delegate to someone else.
4. Non-Urgent & Non-Important: Do it later.

4. Discover your “ONE Thing”

Most activities that we do during our day, week, or month, have little impact on our end result.

I’ve been personally guilty of this, trying to fill up my schedule with “busy” work instead of work that matters. The result was that I eventually burned out with very few results to show at the end of the day.

Then I discovered the “ONE Thing,” which was introduced by the bestselling author Gary Keller. The “ONE Thing” is described as the one activity or task that will make everything else easier or unnecessary.

If you want to get in shape, you can go for a run every morning instead of trying out every different diet system that is advertised on TV.

If you want to grow your business, you can increase your prices and focus your efforts on the 20% of clients bringing you 80% of sales instead of pleasing everyone.

If you want to learn a new language, you can find a professional teacher who can work with you one-on-one instead of learning from books, Youtube videos, mobile apps, etc.

5. Follow the 2-minute rule

Most of us have probably experienced a cliffhanger moment on TV. It’s that moment where something unexpected or exciting happens, and before you get to the conclusion, the episode ends.

It turns out that Hollywood has been leveraging what’s called the Zeigarnik Effect, which was named after the psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik.

The Zeigarnik Effect states that once we start something without finishing it, we have a natural tendency to finish what we started. Studies also show that our perception of the task changes after we start, and we often end up enjoying the task.

This is why the 2-minute rule is powerful. By simply starting a task, even for 2-minutes, it’s likely that we’ll continue what we started or end up finishing it at a later time.

If you want to read more books, read the first few pages and you’ll likely end up reading for hours.

If you want to get healthier, just get to the gym and you’ll probably work out for an hour.

If you want to learn Spanish, find a professional teacher online and you’ll be motivated to learn every week.

Over to you

What’s the one thing you’re procrastinating on? Which of these strategies will you use to take action?

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How to Get Over Family Feuds that lead to Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Have you ever had an argument with a family member so intense that you just start to boil inside? The only thing left is for steam to blow through your ears and nostrils profusely. I hate it when they do that!

The aggravation from family can really mess up your psyche. How can you feel so connected to someone but have them crush your dreams, hopes and aspirations in a split second?

It happens to the best of us.

I remember getting offered a placement for University abroad at the age of 16 and asking my grandmother with a thriving business for help. Now, 7 years later… I did NOT go to that University. Why? Take a wild guess. I bawled for days feeling crushed. I remember I wasn’t a religious person at that time but waited for everyone to leave the house and began screaming my throat out to God. All I wanted was for Him to hear me. I told myself I wouldn’t stop screaming until he heard me. Did God say anything to me in that time? Absolutely NOT.

Imagine you think you have this one shot to go get a better life. You ask the one person you think could help you and they say no. The rejection was real. I battled within to come to terms with this situation. Anxiety attacks came crashing in. I gave my mom an attitude on autopilot for weeks. The anger bubbled within me.

Flash forward to now.

Everyday I meditate to keep myself grounded and my energies pure. I’ve worked at this for years after I realized that it’s the only thing that helps because I’ve been aggressive all my life. Why am I telling you this? Because even with so much practice, you’d think I have mastered this. I have… I do manifest everything I absolutely want but just one simple thing from my mom, grandmother or my boyfriend can cut me off my game. It could possibly lead me to depression. That’s how bad it could get. Why? Because they’re the closest ones to me. Don’t get annoyed. The story comes together, I promise.

They say and do the sweetest stuff sometimes but the harshest as well. Sometimes it will kick you off your game so much that you wonder if they really do love you. They do… It’s just that what you find important, they won’t. What aggravates you is soothing to them..sometimes. Family can build you too. So don’t feel I’m against loving them because I’m not.

I don’t care who you are or where you live…I stick to this belief wholeheartedly: The people you love impact you the most to the point you can hurt for a lifetime over something they said or did.

Prevention is better than cure.

If you want me to sugarcoat this… Do me a favor and stop reading.
If you want the truth, here goes.

Sometimes you have to tune out the people you love. Just sometimes. Remember, balance is everything in life. Balance along with faith. You are more than enough with where you are and what you do. You have to figure out a way to start believing that. When someone doesn’t align that much with the desires you have, tune them out CONCERNING that specific subject. Seek the truth by becoming more aware. Become a little more open minded and try new things that may lead you to the answers you seek.

People you love will try to suppress the things you believe in just because they don’t believe it. You learn to tune people out by ignoring their ignorance and negativity through practice. Think about something you enjoy while they speak to you. Try remembering the lyrics to your favorite song. Picture that person you have a crush on, exercise, take a trip. Distract yourself from the fact that they’ve become a nuisance. Channel your energy somewhere else. Heck, I don’t care… Just make sure that you become immune to the foolishness. You know yourself better than I do. Find  a way!

Who are you to suppress someone’s dreams? Better yet, who are you to suppress the dreams you have? Pursuing things you love will give you life so why try to kill it before giving it a fair chance?

The story about not going to the University I got into is now a pain point leaning towards understanding. How so?

Values and Differences

Well, my grandmother didn’t help because she didn’t believe in education. She gained a great amount of wealth without being trained. Why would she spend hundreds of thousands of her profits on my education? It wasn’t necessary for her so she didn’t see it necessary for me. Never be that ignorant. I however don’t blame her looking back at it. I didn’t enjoy life at that moment because I thought God couldn’t hear me and my ONE chance got blown away. Boy, was I WRONG!

I now think of it as God having a bigger and better plan for me. I stayed in the country and struggled for a bit. Through struggling, you learn the most. What does someone learn from trying one simple thing and succeeding the first time? So, as hard as it was, I came to terms with the fact that I had gained a lot of experience and wisdom going through depression and heartache born from trying to find where I belonged. I found it though. Why? Because I persisted in finding the truth.

Opportunities are neverending

You don’t just get one chance in life. Chances come over and over and over. When you miss one, you don’t really miss it. You align yourself for something grander, something more exciting.
Stop walking around and saying your family didn’t give you the opportunity to do whatever they stopped you from doing. There’s always a loophole.

I did go to College but ended up dropping out. Why? On my own behalf I didn’t believe enough in the system. Imagine if I had gotten the money from my grandma, went overseas, dropped out and went back without a degree she would be investing in me. She would have been furious. Look at that… It worked out for me.

Don’t force it

Sometimes we try to force things that really aren’t for us too but that’s a whole other story by itself. Save yourself the hassle and trust your journey. The impact family has on you can either crush your spirit or build it. What do you decide?
Are you going to be depressed for the rest of your life because they don’t have the same vision as you? Or are you going to tune them out and seek the truth on who you really want to be? If you need help deciding, this should help you. You can download it here if you need it for your personal collection; it has highlights and is more relatable.

Have an open mind, be hungry for growth and expect new opportunities every day.

Don’t be scared to shoot me a message of what you’re going through with a loved one/family member.

Change is possible so just keep trying. Big hugs <3

Featured photo credit: pixabay via pixabay.com

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Why Smart Language Teachers Don’t Care Much About Students’ Grammar

Learning a language – especially a new one – can be daunting to people. Not only are they trying to comprehend how to communicate effectively, they are worried about doing it in the right way as well.

In a certain sense, understanding the grammar that underlies the language can be extremely important, because it makes an individual sound intelligent enough to be using the language, but focusing too much on the grammar aspect while learning can be arduous and disturbing. Grammar is important and teaches one to properly utilize the new language, but individuals learn differently and grammar can be done in moderation as the newer language is shaped in the brain.

Learning grammar as a side product

I’d argue that while I was younger and learning the English language of course grammar was taught. There were all of those videos that helped me learn it, but it was not all at once that I found out how to effectively use it. I never thought when I was young that I would be writing articles almost every day of my life that require putting together sentences with proper structure and flow that do not butcher the english language.

While I was diving through high school and college and my courses required more and more writing, I had an understanding of grammar. Did I ever take classes that just taught grammar? No. I did the usual course work where it was beaten into our heads how to talk and discuss and write.

Knowing only grammar won’t get you far

I dabbled in two foreign language classes before; Spanish and Arabic. I did not become a prolific user of both, but as I stepped away from the classes I mainly remember certain words that mean particular things. With Spanish, which I took four years of, I mainly remember verbs and the pronouns (that being said my last Spanish class was over six years ago) but it could be enough to help me walk through the country if I was ever in a rut.

If I were to pick back up the studies I think I could figure out the grammar as I go. There is a unique thought to how to teach grammar from a top-down approach, basically asserting the fact that if you only studied grammar you would be useless without knowing the words to fill in everything else.

Grammar won’t make you fall in love with a language

My first arabic class I had was strictly vocabulary, and my teacher only spoke in Arabic. It was a unique way of figuring out how to hear the language being used and dissecting what things meant while also learning how to use words (in second grade form) and form broken sentences. From that point on for six weeks in one of my classes I was only allowed to speak in that language for those two or three hour periods.

It was important to learn the basic state of grammar in the language while also focusing on the early words that help people function on a day to basis. Then came the simple expressions like how to order a coffee or beans or find the train station. From there on, the more words I knew the easier it would be to exchange them in the expressions and piece together how the grammar works.

In multiple studies done in different time spans, over teaching grammar was not seen as the best way to fall in love with a language. Instead, researchers believe that just letting people write is a better option.

As a language teacher, it’s important to focus on grammar, but it’s not essential when it is taught the wrong way or forced too hard upon students. While English has been my language for over two decades, I taught myself more about grammar as I started finding it more useful in my day to day life.

Language is only going to become more and more easy to use as time goes on, especially as my intelligence (hopefully) raises along with my knowledge of what words mean and how to use them to make an argument such as this. After writing this, I think I want to re-download that Duo Lingo app and work with Spanish again to see how much grammar is taught there. From what I remember it was a great combination of vocabulary and expressions that helped start formulating the rest of the content to become fluid, we will see.

Featured photo credit: sebastiansantanam8qnfs via cdn.morguefile.com

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How Satisfied Are You With Your Life? Check These Graphs Out

We only live once. Who doesn’t want to make the best out of it? Below are three graphs that illustrate the important things we should have in our lives in order to be more satisfied.

Note that these graphs are used to illustrate some key ideas but not based on science or aligning with strict maths rules.

How Motivated Are You?

You may think that the more motivated someone is, the happier he/she is and hence life satisfaction would be greater. However, note that motivation is just about enthusiasm, it doesn’t include planning or setting goals, which are the fundamentally important steps to achieve something. When we’re motivated, we can be encouraged to perform better, or blinded by the excitement brought by it. When one is motivated but lacks reasoning and a clear mindset, he can end up being overwhelmed and in a worse situation than having little motivation. This is why the life satisfaction curve fluctuates so much in the graph. Either you’re highly motivated or rarely motivated, it’s hard to decide your level of life satisfaction.

Then, what’s the gap between motivation and life satisfaction? When goals are set, performance usually would be better, hence making us more satisfied.

See the below graph about the relationship between number of goals and level of life satisfaction.

Number of Goals

Without clear goals, tremendous motivation wouldn’t be enough.

But does it mean we should have as many goals as possible? No, quantity isn’t always directly proportional to quality. There is an optimal number. Once that number is exceeded, we can be easily overwhelmed. We’ll lose focus and can only make small progress for each little goal. To fully untap your potential, focus is essential.

How many is the best? There is no absolute answer. It depends. Some people can only focus on one goal at a time, some can focus on five at a time.

Signs that you’re too few goals

• you don’t know your direction
• you can’t tell what you’re going to do next
• what you describe is very vague that you can’t remember well too
• you’re always thinking about the utopia and rarely take any actions

Signs that you’re taking too many goals

• you always feel that you have too little time
• you can’t remember how many goals you have
• you feel overwhelmed

Signs that you’re having the optimal number of goals

• you know what you’re working on and what you’ll work on next
• you can state and elaborate all your goals to someone very clearly
• you work hard and play hard

What’s even more important than the number of goals?

Before the “optimal number” line, the curve is still fluctuating, like the first graph. It is because there is one more important factor than the number. It is how well you stick to your goals, i.e. how you work towards them. Overall, the more goals we have (before reaching the optimal number), the more satisfied we would be with our life. But the level of satisfaction fluctuates a bit since goals being set does not mean goals being stuck with or achieved. Remember how many times you’ve written down a list of new year resolutions and forgotten them after a month? Don’t be frustrated though! That’s already a big step!

The Most Important Factor: How Well You Stick To Your Goals

The most important factor is the hardest to be fulfilled. At the same time, as you can see from the graph, the return is promising. The better we stick to our goals, the greater our life satisfaction is. Such growth is exponential as what we’ve achieved would help us advance more quickly and hence contributes to even larger increase in satisfaction.

Note that how you set your goals is also extremely important. When the goals are too vague, they’re not much different from motivation, which means it’ll lead you back to the situation illustrated in the first graph.

Maybe you would ask why it is “how well we stick to our goals” instead of “how many goals are achieved”. This is because goals mainly act as a roadmap/direction for us to follow through. As long as we make progress towards it, it is a kind of growth that will make us happier.

Setting goals

According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, concrete prosocial goals can boost our happiness better than non-social ones. You may take this into account when setting your own goals.

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The Top Five Tools to Help You Learn a Foreign Language

Learning a language is not always the easiest thing in the world to do. Maybe you are currently in school, and you are having difficulties with a language program you are taking. Or, maybe you graduated long ago, and still remember those horrible days of language classes when you just couldn’t get a full grasp on the material. No matter what the reason for your trouble with learning a new language, there is no reason to despair.

It is actually quite easy to pick up a new language, as long as you are using the right tools. Here are our top five picks for tools that will help you to learn a foreign language.

1. Podcasts

If you have ever tried to learn a language and you have used recorded lessons, you know just how difficult it can be to really learn that language. The recordings are rarely natural-sounding, and they can be difficult for beginners to understand. A great alternative is to listen to podcasts. These learning tools are fully accessible, and you can easily listen to a podcast while you are on your way to work. Look for podcasts that are directed towards language learners. Coffee Break Spanish and Talk to Me in Korean are popular podcasts that will help you to learn these languages.

2. Text to Speech

Sometimes, you need to have visual and audio cues to help you learn a foreign language. Text to speech software gives you just that. It lets you have written text, and hear it being read aloud. Panopreter has created this easy to use software for Windows users, and it uses natural voices so it doesn’t sound like a monotone robot. It will convert text to mp3 and wav audio files, so you can listen to the files at any time. Tools include toolbars for Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office Word, word highlighting, keyboard shortcut keys, and more.

3. Song Lyrics

One of the best ways to learn anything is to put it to music, and this includes languages. Find music you enjoy listening to, and really listen to the words and try to repeat them. You can easily find songs with lyrics on YouTube, so you can read and say the lyrics while you are listening to the music. You can also find lyric study guides that have been created by teachers, which will help you to advance your language learning. The really good songs will stick in your head, and you will remember them. If necessary, get yourself a language guide so you can learn what the words mean.

4. Learner Community Websites

There are loads of great sites that you can use as study resources, and they offer lessons in a number of foreign languages. These sites include Busuu, My Language Exchange, Italki, and RosettaStone, and they offer great learning resources. You can connect with people who speak the language you wish to learn, and there are community spaces for chatting, where you can even correct writing and speaking, and have yours corrected. Learning a language through natural conversation is one of the best, and easiest ways to really learn the nuances of that language.

5. Online Newspapers

If you really want to dive right into learning a foreign language, start reading foreign language newspapers. You can find newspapers online from all over the world, and in every language imaginable. Start out by reading shorter advertisements and photo cut lines (captions), and then move up to the longer articles as your language reading skills improve. As you advance, keep moving on to more difficult articles, and editorials which often contain local slang.

Featured photo credit: Foundry via pixabay.com

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Happiness -The key to abundance -10 happiness tips

It is often in our search for happiness that we find ourselves to be at our unhappiest. So many people equate happiness to material wealth, relationships and financial success. While many of us aspire to find love, success and abundance, if we are preoccupied with the search we may miss out on witnessing the many opportunities the universe presents us to fill ourselves and our lives with happiness.

If you think that the key to happiness lies in finding your soul mate or achieving fame and fortune, think again. The energy you waste, the enormous struggle that can accompany the waiting and the wanting, can often lead to great frustration and unhappiness. It is not how much you have, but how much you enjoy and celebrate the present that creates real happiness. If you let go of anxiety and uncertainty about the future and instead focus your attention on the now and all of the blessings that are currently in your life, you will discover enough happiness to fill your heart for a lifetime.

Happiness is good for your health and improves your quality of life. The energy associated with happiness raises your vibration, and when your energy is high, miracles can happen. Happiness creates a ripple effect. Positive energy is contagious; if you choose happiness, you will spread happiness.

These 10 tips will help to fill your heart with happiness instantly:

1. Count your blessings

If you are surrounded by loved ones and are warm, healthy, and not hungry, acknowledge your blessings and give thanks. The source of happiness is love and peace.

2. Simplify life

What do you really need? We come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. You can’t take your worldly possessions with you, so fill your life with experiences. Find joy in the simple things and let go of the things that weigh heavy on your heart.

3. Find what lifts you up

You might feel exhilarated when you run, dance, hike, paint, sing, meditate. Whatever is good for your soul, do more of that!

4. Connect with people who are happy

Both positive and negative energy is contagious, so choose to surround yourself with people who bring real happiness into your life. Spending too much time with people who drain you for all the wrong reasons will deplete your valuable energy. Make a concerted effort to share space with people who are happy and are willing to spread joy freely.

5. Let go of what your life should look like

Nothing good ever comes from comparing your life to anyone else’s. Whether we are comparing the size of our houses, our finances, physical features or any number of measurable and even unmeasurable things, so many of us are guilty of doing it. Your life is yours. It is your journey; focusing your energy on all that is wonderful in your world is a much better way to create a happy life. How your life measures up against others holds absolutely no importance.

6. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness improves our health; it reduces stress levels and helps us feel more relaxed. It involves us bringing our attention to the here and now. Mindfulness is about really connecting with ourselves and appreciating the sheer joy of every moment. It is a profound way to experience happiness.

7. Be yourself

Sometimes you just need to realize that you don’t have to become a different person to change your life. You actually just need to be yourself. You were born to be real. Believe in yourself. You are your own source of happiness.

8. A positive mindset

The power of a positive mindset can quite literally change your life. Make it a habit to practice positivity. Ask yourself “What kind of day am I going to have?” Are you going to have a good day or a great day? You create your mindset for the whole day by making a choice. By choosing to have an amazing day, you will flood your whole body, mind and spirit with happiness.

9. Happiness comes from giving

Invest some time and energy and give generously from your ability to be kind. Kindness and generosity of spirit will literally open up the floodgates to happiness. Don’t believe me? I promise you it will change your life and the lives of so many around you. Give from your heart. It will fill you up like nothing else you have ever experienced. The kind of energy associated with giving from the heart generates pure happiness.

10. Nourish your mind body and spirit

Invest in your own wellness and practice self-care daily. We all need to nurture ourselves emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. Feeling well and healthy naturally supports happiness.You have to take ownership of your journey, whether that be with your diet, your overall wellness, your fitness or just life in general. Self-care and making better choices in all areas of your wellness is empowering. If you want to feel real happiness, real joy, real energy, then take care of you.

It is your birth right to be happy. You deserve to be happy and, quite literally, you can choose to be happy. There is always something to be happy about, even in our darkest of moments. We can always choose to look for the light. Right now, find something to be happy about. This is the very first step in ensuring that you participate in the sheer joy of happiness.

Today, I choose happiness.

Featured photo credit: Eflon via flickr.com

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7 Career-Advancing Courses That You Can Take (And Actually Finish)

Have you ever thought that you would like to have a better career? Have you thought about taking courses, but figured that you don’t have time to go back to school? Well, whether you are an entrepreneur who is busy running a small business, a stay-at-home mom who is busy with kids, or a business person who wants to learn new skills and advance in your career, there are courses that you have plenty of time for. Here are seven great options to get you started.

1. Search Engine Optimization Training

This is a great course for small business owners. It will teach you how to do SEO through courses that are tailored specifically for you and your needs. It doesn’t matter if you are already an expert with SEO or if you are just getting started, this training is going to benefit you and your small business. Your new knowledge will mean your marketing will be much more effective and you will get more visitors to your website.

2. Communicating Strategically

If you are a professional who has trouble communicating with those who are not well-versed in your line of work, this is the course for you. You will learn how to communicate effectively with non-professionals who may not understand business or scientific terms as well as you do. You can take the class for free, and if you want a PurdueX Verified Certificate, it is just $50.

3. Speechwriting 101

Have you been asked to write a speech but you have no idea how to do it? If so, here is a great course with 10 lessons that have been created for beginners to help them write great speeches. Lessons include “How to Write for the Ear (Not the Eye)” and “One Speech Structure to Rule them All.” The course is 10 weeks in total, with one lesson per week.

4. Law for the Entrepreneur and Manager

Here is a course that will help you to understand the basics of legal issues that surround businesses. This intermediate-level course starts with the basics of business law and then moves into the second half, which includes various issues, including intellectual property, business disputes, bankruptcy law, reorganization, international trade, and more. There are 21 lessons for a total of 32 hours of study.

5. Learn Java

This is a free, comprehensive guide to Java, which is one of the most popular programming languages today. These lessons are fast and easy, and you will be able to complete your work in under three hours — with no need for previous experience in programming. Upon completion of the course, you will be able to write code quickly and easily. You will be guided step-by-step, and you can even compete with peers from other parts of the world.

6. Public Speaking

A lot of people know their stuff inside and out. But, if questioned about it, they freeze up and can’t speak. Or, they are not able to effectively relay the information. If this sounds like you, you need this course. Through lectures and the textbook, you will learn about every aspect of public speaking and what it takes to be an effective public speaker. There are also videos that show the various aspects of public speaking.

7. The Fundamentals of Adobe Illustrator

In order to take your designs to the next level, you need to be using Adobe Illustrator. If you have never worked with vectors, anchors, brushes, symbols, etc., this may seem a bit scary. However, once you take this course, which only takes a month to complete, you will be an expert. You will learn how to take a project from concept to completion, even if you are just a beginner.

Featured photo credit: unsplash.com via pexels.com

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How Focussing On Project Failure Can Lead To Success

Our first instinct when we look at a new project is to dream of its potential success. If you’re writing a book, you dream of Oprah one day calling and whisking you off to her show. You’ll be on the bestsellers lists for months, and it’s all about beaches and vintage typewriters, doing your craft in between swimming in warm waters.

While this is certainly an entertaining dream, it quite obviously bears no relation to reality and it harms your project more than it helps it succeed. Instead of dreaming about that fanciful day of success, start by digging into how the project could fail. Here’s how this mindset can help.

It resets your happiness level

The first thing that thinking about failure in your project does is to reset your level of happiness. It’s much too easy to fall into a spiral of doom and gloom. You think that if the project fails, it all ends with you on the street, living in a fridge box because everyone has seen you for the fraud you know you are.

This is a lie of course, and by planning out failure we inoculate ourselves against this doom-and-gloom mentality. You realize that if your book doesn’t launch as you dream, the worst that will happen is that only a few people will purchase it and you’ll have added to the endless amounts of unknown books out there. You’ll have to keep your current job, but that’s not so terrible, it’s just not the ideal dream. I’ve had products that no one bought, and I’ve had products since that many people have purchased. In both scenarios, I was totally fine and kept going.

It helps you build a good plan

The second big benefit of planning for failure is that it helps you plan for the things that could go wrong. Your product may not sell well because not enough people know about it. The solution to that is a good marketing strategy, not just something thrown together haphazardly after you’ve got the product finished.

Maybe no one will purchase it because it’s just a bad product. You can find that out if you do a bit of market research first.

Way too many people start a project with only optimism and then don’t have a plan for the things that might go wrong. By thinking about as many of these potential issues as you can up front, you’ll be much better prepared when thing start to go poorly. No, you won’t catch every bad thing that could happen, but even having 20% of them covered up front will go a long way to helping the project succeed.

It helps you find out where to learn more

Another benefit to planning for the failure of a project is that you figure out where you need to go to learn more. In our example above, as you start to plan out a proper marketing strategy, maybe you find out that you really don’t even know what that looks like.

With that knowledge in hand, you can either find someone that does know what a good marketing plan looks like to handle it for you or dig in and learn how to put together a good marketing plan yourself.

This is also true at the end of the project when you do a post-mortem. You can look back and see where the real trouble came from and then go back to your original failure planning to see why you missed these areas. Then, the next time you start a project and plan for failure, you’re going to have a better idea of what may fail and you’ll be able to plan for it accordingly.

The longer you keep up this cycle of planning for failure, the more likely it is that your projects will succeed. The longer you keep planning for the failure of projects, the less you’ll be affected when the odd project does fail — it won’t be the end of the world.

Take a look at what you’re working on right now and start planning how it could fail so that you have a higher chance of success.

Featured photo credit: aigle_dore via flickr.com

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The 16 Most Inspirational Songs from Animated Movies

I love movies. I love music. But I especially love both when I am moved by them. When they force me to feel something. Those are the ones we remember. The ones we hold onto when we don’t have anything else. The ones that give us comfort, help us remember, and connect us in ways we couldn’t otherwise describe. We can all pick the latest Disney and Pixar movies to grab with the songs that make the charts or just become something so iconic that we will either love it or hate it forever. (Think “Let it Go” from Frozen or “Happy” from Despicable Me.)

However, some of the best songs have either been long forgotten or dismissed because they didn’t sell millions of downloads on iTunes. My playlist is a wide array of songs — I don’t stick to a particular genre. I pick what I am feeling or needing at that particular time. If I am getting ready to run, I need something different than when I am out for a casual stroll in my neighborhood. If I need something to just sing to (not very well, I might add), then who knows what I might find.

Being an adult doesn’t mean we should miss out on the “G” rated movies. Most often, even the animated films reflect real life through portraying struggles, guilt, and uncertainty. Often the characters in these movies are faced with decisions they only wish they could undo after the outcome is known, just like we often experience. Just as in life, there are times when we fail miserably and we achieve greatness too. Maybe that is why I never miss a new animated film — there just might be a hidden treasure buried somewhere in the soundtrack that I might fall in love with and need.

Songs capture those moments for us and attach a melody to it so that we can sing along. These songs are not in any particular order, but life just kind of works that way sometimes, too.

“Somewhere out There” – from “American Tail” (by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram)

Sometimes, our lives takes us on journeys that keep us apart from the people we love the most and the best way to get through the days until we see them again is knowing that someone misses you. We feel them and the embrace of their love even though we are separated by miles. This song just comforts me when I am feeling a little lonely and even though our lives are busy and chaotic, I know I am loved. We can’t be everywhere, but our love can.

“The Trail We Blaze” – from “The Road to El Dorado” (by Elton John)

Life is an adventure and this song reminds us to travel the road less traveled. To seek what is on the other side. To be excited and not held back by fear. To be discoverers of life. We might not always know what is at the end of the road and it may not lead us to the lost City of Gold, but that is not what really matters in the end.

Being a trailblazer means stepping way from the crowd and chasing a dream only we can see…it means starting the conversation…it means standing up when everyone else is sitting down. Every great change in the world was made possible because of someone who wasn’t confined by conformity and we should follow their lead and maybe cause a little ruckus ourselves!

“Here comes the Sun” – from “The Bee Movie” (by Sheryl Crow)

This song just makes us sing. It fills out hearts with happiness and we smile. On a cloudy day, we yearn for that great big orange glow in the sky and we rely on it to not only warm the planet, but it gives us hope. Things in life don’t always go the way we would like and disappointment might be waiting just around the corner, but this song makes me believe, hold on and stay strong. It reminds us that life is always full of change.

“Someone’s Waiting for You” – from “The Rescuers (by Lea Salonga)

Through our travels, life and our wanderings, we sometimes find ourselves lost, unable to find our way back home. It’s easy to believe that we can be so easily forgotten — but who’s to say that no matter how long it takes, no matter the reason why you left, that you wouldn’t be greeted with open arms and loved even more? At times, we feel the need to see what else is out there and without realizing what we are doing, we walk away from the one thing we took for granted. In our lifetime, we meet very few people who will do anything and everything to be there for you…never take them for granted.

“Here I Am” – from “Spirit, the Stallion of the Cimarron” (by Bryan Adams)

There is no greater song about being true to ourselves and what we want than this ballad. In it, I find comfort in knowing that being vulnerable, chasing what seems just out of reach, and knowing who I am is more valuable than anything. We can lose possessions and fall on our faces, but if we don’t know who we are or what we believe in, then nothing else matters. If we don’t know who we are, what’s the point of being alive? This song reminds me to stop hiding behind everything that scares me and to trust in the freedom that comes with the truth found in our essence and soul.

“Hakuna Matata” – from “The Lion King (by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, & Joseph Williams)

With life full of chaotic and busy moments, sometimes the best thing we can do is to just stop worrying about everything. We exert a lot of energy and time holding onto scenarios that may never come to be. It doesn’t mean the craziness goes away, it just means we need to step away from it for a while. It’s our little mini vacation. Our escape. Sure, we know the “real” world is still out there, but sometimes our philosophy has to be “one day at a time” and that whatever we don’t know now we will figure out when we need to later. Make it your motto and get through each day.

“Around the Riverbend” – from “Pocahontas” (by Arielle Jacobs)

We have this sense of adventure that excites us and even if we don’t know what happens next, fear won’t keep us from doing what thrills us and what moves us. Staying in the same place is not an option and pushing the envelope is always where our agenda lies. Our endless curiosity to see what’s out there and how we can interact with it is how we cheat the staleness of an otherwise boring existence. We break a few rules along the way and see things from a different perspective, allowing our minds to grow in ways we might have missed otherwise. Go ahead…take a peak. It just might be everything you have ever desired.

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – from “Toy Story” (by Randy Newman)

No matter who we are, we all need friends. Not just the kind of friends who show up when they need something or when it’s convenient, but the ones who will do anything and everything for us. They are committed to your friendship and need you as much as you need them. You may not always see eye to eye and you may say things you might regret later, but when it comes down to it, you’ve got each other’s backs. No matter what. Through thick and thin. When it is all said and done, a man is no better than the friends he has and the friendship he gives.

“Why Should I Worry?” – from “Oliver & Company” (by Billy Joel)

No matter where we come from or how much we know, we cannot always plan out life. We will need to adapt to the ever changing landscape, the pitfalls and roadblocks that come our way and improvise when needed. No one has a “blueprint” of life and no book will teach us “what to expect”, but we somehow know that carrying worry and uncertainty is not how living our best life should be. Walking tall and confident through life will teach us to be strong and courageous when things don’t go our way. Even if we don’t have every answer for every question, we can still act like we do.

“You’ll be in My Heart” – from “Tarzan (by Phil Collins)

Having three sons of my own and sending the last one off to college last year, this song was one of many that made me happy and sad at the same time. A mother’s love never leaves and it is love that cannot be forgotten or misplaced — no matter how far a child travels. Sometimes, our family is not the one we were born into, but the people we connect with and love without boundaries. Our loved ones never go a day without feeling our love and when the moments you have together are short or never seem to be enough, let them know this…you are always in my heart, closer than you could ever imagine.

“Reflection” – from “Mulan (by Lea Salonga)

Who didn’t have parents direct us towards a career or college choice? Who thought they had to be someone they really weren’t, but followed the path that had been paved for them because it was easier? If our main goal in life is to be happy, then the ones who love us most should want that most for us too. Sometimes, we don’t know who we are yet and only in traveling through life do we truly find ourselves. Never be afraid to look yourself in the mirror and see what is within your heart and soul. Letting people see the “real” you may be a little scary, but it is something we never forget — in that moment, we can’t hold back any longer. We just are who we were born to be.

“When You Believe” – from “The Prince of Egypt (by Mariah Carey)

I didn’t know the power behind a single belief until it happened to me. I didn’t understand how one thought could change everything…how it convinces you that everything you cannot see or touch still matters. You may be pulled in a direction you almost cannot share, but being afraid isn’t an option. Miracles happen and show us all that no matter where we come from, what has happened to us, that sometimes, life gives us moments that change us forever. It is not about what we know or how far we went in school, but real power comes when you believe — because anything is possible. 

“Little Wonders” – from “Meet the Robinsons” (by Rob Thomas)

As we look back on life, we can pick out the really bad parts that we wish we’d never lived. Every day, we are exposed to tiny, seemingly insignificant moments that keep us grounded in ways the large ones won’t. Most of us are too busy to pay attention to anything other than what is directly in front of us. Every once in a while, what seems like a wrong turn actually leads us to exactly where we were meant to be all along. Never be so busy in life that you miss the little wonders that become really big memories.

“Feel the Light” – from “Home” (by Jennifer Lopez)

Sometimes, life grabs our hand and shoves us into circumstances we don’t want and falling down into a crumpled mess serves its purpose well. Every emotion we try so desperately to hide comes rushing to the surface and we stop caring about what matters most. We stumble. We lose our way. We give up. This song gives me hope in the places I never think to look and it confirms that love is the greatest of all things. We all make choices and then feel like we have to live with them forever. But that’s not true…we can make changes, even if it isn’t what others would do. A true friendship will make its rounds through the life, but in the end, it always finds itself back “home.” Sometimes, you just have to fight for it again.

“God help the Outcasts” – from “The Hunchback from Notre Dame” (by Bette Midler)

None of us really fit in. We are all different, yet we strive to confirm to the crowd and the norms that society has created for us. Some days, we don’t know where to go, we have no answers, and we feel alone. Maybe we believe that no one else will really understand what we are feeling or we are afraid to really be that vulnerable with someone. Honestly, we don’t even know what we need, but we seem to lose that sense of selfishness when we give unconditionally to others, knowing that the fight is a good one. We strive to be more passionate and generous to those who have less. We want to ease the suffering of those who are bullied, made fun of, and dismissed as insignificant. From time to time, we all need to be reminded of our differences and celebrate them together instead.

“The Rainbow Connection” – from “The Muppet Movie” (by Kermit the Frog)

OK, you caught me. This isn’t really an animated movie, but I grew up watching “The Muppets” every Sunday night at 7pm and needed to remind us all that rainbows only come after the rain. Life can bring its storms and although we don’t know how long it will last, we know that the sun will come out tomorrow (that might be from another movie..) and we can once again, see light. Not because we believe there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but because there is a little bit of magic held in the way the light reflects off those drops of water. This song reminds me to believe in the power of a dream and why each one means something to its owner. We still wish on stars, we still search the skies for answers, and we still love to sing this song.

Conclusion:

The best soundtracks come with a great score and receive many awards, but as much as achieving those accolades matter, sometimes, the best melodies and words strung together are hidden behind something a little less “human.” The basic principle of cartoons succeeding in expressing human emotion can be difficult to achieve without music. Some of these songs will collect dust and be forgotten and just be listed as a track on a CD. Just because a high profile actor or actress isn’t providing the voice for a main character doesn’t mean the film is worthless. Most often, the hidden gems are the ones we have to find for ourselves.

Life is about living and every challenge and opportunity that comes with it. Some days are easier than others. Some come with questions while others provide answers. We also find hope, curiosity, and love in the moments we capture in life as we chase our dreams and find great friends along the way, too. Let these songs become your new favorite playlist and when you get a chance, maybe watch the movie too.

Featured photo credit: Oscar Keys via unsplash.com

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These Gamification Productivity Apps Will Boost Your Success

Gamification of work can help you achieve a lot more than you usually would, as it turns regular tasks into games. The basics of gamification are simple: you apply the game mechanics to your work and then you enjoy the task at hand. This simple trick has been used to increase productivity since the Romans ruled the world, and now gamification productivity apps are taking over. Here are the top apps you can use to boost your daily life, both at home and at work.

To Round

To Round is a simple yet very useful app which helps you manage your work and stay on top of your tasks. As the name implies, this gamification productivity app offers a visual display of your tasks in the form of bubbles. As soon as you write a task, it turns into a color-coded bubble, sized according to the importance of the task. As you complete tasks, the bubbles drop off the screen, making room for more task bubbles. The colors help you organize tasks by tags so you can easily manage them.

Now the productivity part: the bubbles are addictive and will encourage you to tick off tasks, increasing your productivity throughout the day. You can get To Round for Android and for iOS.

Due Props

What about playing games at the office? Due Props lets you play at work, with your co-workers and your boss, all in the name of productivity. The process is simple: you get tokens for every task you’ve successfully finished. For example, you can get “Awesome Blogging” tokens from your co-workers or your boss. The benefit of this entry on the gamification productivity apps list is that you can spend the entire working day playing with your colleagues: the more you play and hunt for tokens, the more tasks you will complete. It’s truly a win-win situation!

Mint

Mint is a gamification productivity app that is directed towards your financial plans and can help you save on the go. The app is full of checklists and progress bars, which help you visualize your progress — this is a powerful motivational factor. Apart from this, Mint also awards you scores and titles, depending on how “financially fit” you are. If this won’t help you save for your next trip around the world, nothing else will.

Task Hammer

This app comes with a real game. You pick your avatar, which can be a rogue, witch, or barbarian, then you set different skills to the avatar and start completing tasks. As you complete your tasks, your avatar grows and gains experience points. Apart from actually being a game, Task Hammer comes with a special feature: it has an alarm clock. This way, you will always be reminded of your tasks. For busy people, this is a true life-saver, as it’s easy to forget about tasks, even if they come in the form of a game.

Quest

If you are a fan of Minecraft, Quest will definitely be your favorite gamification productivity app, since it has an 8-bit design which can trigger the sweet sense of nostalgia for anyone old enough to have played the game growing up. Then, there are the gaming factors. Again, like To Round, this is a simple app that’s easy to use for anyone. Your tasks become quests, which already makes them more appealing. As you clear your quests, accompanied by your avatar, you will have fun and increase your productivity. Compared to the other gamification apps on this list, this one is a relative new entry, which means it comes with some drawbacks: there are no predefined quests, so you will have to make them all on your own, and there are no stats.

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Stressing Over Final Exams? You Wont Be After Reading This

Ahh, finals, the doomsday of every student! Chances are you’re currently reading this while hoping for the best but preparing (hopefully by studying) for the worst. It doesn’t have to be that way. Finals aren’t the end of the world; they mark the end of the semester — the final push before a well-deserved vacation. It’s indeed a stressful time, as you must go through a lot of material. However, you may also feel anxious if you don’t have the right tools to tackle your exams. Here are three studying habits and techniques you must adopt to nail your final exams.

Study properly according to your class

There are two type of classes in university: technical classes and non-technical classes. You must recognize the category in which each of your classes fall and adopt the appropriate study methods.

Non-Technical Classes

Largely reading-based, these are classes that involve little or no mathematics. They’re heavy on essays and discussions about theories or concepts. English literature, psychology, and political science are few examples. If one of your classes falls in this category, here’s how you should prepare for your final:

• Create a bank of questions that are most likely on your exam and challenge yourself to answer them with flashcards.
• Make a quick summary of the readings that are on your exam and compare them with your class notes.
• Have a discussion about the various concepts and theories you need to know with classmates and people unfamiliar with the subject.

Technical Classes

Math-based, these classes involve the application of theories and concepts through exercises. On a weekly basis, you most likely get exercises from your professor, online, or through assignments. Economics, applied mathematics, and finance fall under this category. If this sounds like one of the classes you’ve had this semester, here’s how to study properly for the final:

• Ditch note-reading and focus on doing exercises.
• Collect every assignment and piece of homework given by your teacher that is relevant to your exam and complete them all. Make sure you can do them without your notes.
• Have conversations with friends to test if you understand the concepts and theories and can interpret the results you get in your exercises.

Choose the appropriate study location

The environment you’re studying in makes a big difference to how well you study and ultimately perform on your final. Chances are your main location is your school library or a coffee shop, but these might not be optimal spots for you. Here are a few pointers on how to choose the right study spot:

• Study in the library in the silent section if you’re sensitive to noise and if you’re easily distracted. This works well if you have a short attention span.
• Have your study sessions in the area of the library where talking is allowed if you can study well despite ambient noise. This allows you to work in teams and consult classmates if you need help. It works well if you have a long attention span and can control urges to procrastinate.
• Study in a coffee shop with a lot of natural light and beautiful scenery. This can positively affect your mood and increase your motivation to study. This works well if you’re sensitive to your environment and if the amount of lighting is important for you.
• Study outside! A beautiful landscape is a great motivation booster. This works well if you don’t mind the ambient noise, regardless of your attention span.

How to study efficiently for a long period of time

Finals mean crunch time. Whether you’ve been up-to-date or behind during the semester, you still have the feeling that you need to put in more hours in order to nail your finals — and you’re right. It is necessary to dedicate more time to reviewing your course materials and ensuring that you understand them completely.

If you’re a student, just like me, you know that there are two ways of doing this. You can either put in an insane amount of hours that are inefficient, or you can adopt smart studying techniques to make the best of your time. If you feel like the former applies to you and you’re about to step into the library with the goal of spending the next 12 hours studying, follow these few steps:

• For every 60 minutes of study, take a 15-minute break. This allows you to recover and increase your long-term concentration.
• Frequently change tasks; don’t study the same material for hours. Boredom is a killer, so make sure to stimulate your brain by covering various classes on the same day.
• Tag along with classmates to have some assistance when needed. They will also give you some extra motivation!
• Bring only the essential materials you need. Leave any electronic devices at home if you know they frequently distract you.

The end of the semester always requires more energy, and it’s not easy — no one said that it would be. But you can make it easier by adopting the right attitude, habits, and techniques. Allow yourself to make mistakes and always push yourself further. Like anything worth learning in this world, this is a process that you must go through to attain the grades that you deserve!

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8 Tools That Make You More Productive With Microsoft Office

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook: these are what make Microsoft Office the most used suite of tools on the market. But even Office has its limitations. There are issues that you run into on a daily basis that take time – time that could be better spent on other things. While you may have amazing apps that increase your productivity in other areas of your life, you may not be aware that there are also some great add-in tools for Office. Some of them are even free. Here are eight of the best, ready for quick download and immediate use.

1. ShapeChef

ShapeChef is a great tool recently published by Wulfsoft. It provides templates, diagrams, graphics, and a huge set of icons for PowerPoint, and the collection keeps growing. The ShapeChef site gives you an idea of all that it has to offer. There are packages from individual to large organization, and the licenses never expire.

ShapeChef adds a library pane to your PowerPoint window for quick access. The elements are organized into categories, or you can use the search feature to find what you want. Once you have found a suitable image or icon, drag and drop it from the library pane into your PowerPoint slide. It’s that easy.

There are other benefits too. You can add your own images to the library and, of course, share with others so that everyone benefits from your creations. This feature makes it easy to maintain consistency throughout your team or organization.

The best part? No more searching all over the web for an appropriate image and worrying about attributions.

2. FlowBreeze

If you are sick of trying to develop flowcharts with drawing tools and arrows that never quite end up in the right place, you can give up all of that hassle by using FlowBreeze. This incredible tool is an add-in for Excel that makes it easy to create flowcharts that look completely professional.

All you need to do is enter the text and the tool automatically generates the shapes for each step. Each shape and piece of text is formatted and the symbols are perfectly aligned with connecting arrows put in place automatically. Even better, there is a “text-to-flowchart” wizard that will convert an existing Word file into a chart. With FlowBreeze you can:

• Start creating quickly using the easy-to-follow startup guide;
• Use 84 built-in formats to style your own symbols;
• Choose from 21 formats for connectors: straight, elbow, or curved;
• Insert pictures right onto the symbols;
• Export finished flowcharts in your choice of five picture formats; and
• Save charts as Excel files so that others can view and edit them.

After a 30-day free trial period, you can purchase either a single-user or site license. It’s a one-time payment.

3. ASAP Utilities

Definitely not a new kid on the block, ASAP Utilities is an Excel add-in that fills the gaps and helps with those things you can’t do with plain Excel. It has been around for 17 years and was just updated to its latest version (5.6) in December 2015. You really have to visit the ASAP Utilities site and view some of the videos that demonstrate all of its features. Then hop on over to the customer reviews page and see what the pros currently using it are saying.

There are over 300 features – too many to name here – but suffice it to say that you will save bundles of time using them. For example, have you ever wanted to transpose a column into multiple rows so that you could create a table? ASAP Utilities makes it so easy.

While the number of features may seem overwhelming, you can just pick and choose those you need as you need them. Follow the simple instructions, and ASAP Utilities will save you both time and stress.

4. Wikipedia Add-In

So, you are writing along, composing maybe an essay or a piece of content for your blog, and you need some basic information about an artist, a city, or a book. You could stop what you’re doing, go online and access Wikipedia to get that information, and then copy what you need, go back to your Word document, paste it in, and then rephrase to put it into your own words. Talk about a lot of interruption to your flow of work. And so unnecessary.

With the Wikipedia Add-in app, you can access Wikipedia information right from your Word file, saving time and hassle. When you type in your search term, the app automatically searches the Wikipedia database and provides the results in a task pane. You can then choose to view text, images, or both. Even better, you can select a quote and it will be automatically inserted into your Word document.

There are a few system requirements for this free app: Internet Explorer, plus Word or Excel 2013, Word or Excel online, or Word or Excel for iPad. That’s it.

• The Wikipedia add-in is available in over 20 languages.
• If you are looking for the quickest way of accessing reference material, there is no better tool than this.
• To get started, just access the site and click “Add.” Done and done.

5. Office Tabs

Working with multiple documents at one time is a bit of a hassle in Microsoft Office. You have to go back and forth between different windows to gather and insert information into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

Office Tabs lets you open all the documents you need at once in a single window and view each document as a tabbed file. And it works with all editions of Microsoft Office from 2003 forward. There are three components to the tool: Tabs for Word, Tabs for Excel, and Tabs for PowerPoint, so you can pull up documents from any of those three sources to view together.

The tool allows you to work with all of the files and then close them all with one click (it’s still possible to close them individually, if needed). You can also save pending changes for all documents with a single click on “Save all.”

Just a few of the other features include:

• The ability to customize your tabs using any of the eleven styles provided;
• Whole file names (currently, if your file name is too long, it will be cut off; Office Tabs will display the full name);
• Small file size, so the performance of Office is not slowed down in any way; and
• Lots of shortcuts.

Access the site, take a look around and download either the free basic edition or the enterprise edition, which obviously offers additional features. With a permanent user license, you also get free updates and support for two years. You’ll find a tutorial on the site too.

6. Kutools for Outlook

This one offers a huge number of features to be used with Outlook designed to streamline your email-handling and save you so much time. Basically, Kutools for Microsoft Outlook provides features to simplify all the mundane tasks that you have to perform every day, such as:

• Creating automatic “out of office” replies;
• Creating automatic CC and BCC customizations for those forwards;
• Forwarding several emails at once; and
• Sorting through junk mail with better filters.

With a single click, you can also:

• Search for all emails from a sender, an email address, or a domain;
• Reply to or forward several emails all at once;
• Delete all emails from a sender or with a specific subject line;
• Delete duplicate emails, contact names or email addresses; and
• Block senders, subjects, or by body keywords.

A lifetime license will also give you free upgrades and support for two years. Multiple licenses come with discounted pricing.

If email takes up a large chunk of your work day, you need this tool.

7. E-Mail Follow-Up

This is another very simple add-in tool for Outlook. If email is an important part of your professional work, then you understand the frustration of sending an email, expecting a reply and then not getting one, or even forgetting that you sent that email and needed a reply. It’s an easy thing to forget when you’re busy. And failure to follow-up can affect productivity down the road, when you realize that you cannot move forward without that response.

E-Mail Follow-Up will make sure that you never forget about that needed reply. When you send your email, you can schedule a reminder to send a follow-up email. If you receive the reply, or even a phone call, before the calendar date you set, just delete the follow-up reminder from the calendar. It’s simple, streamlined, and will save you time checking and re-checking your sent emails to see when you sent messages and to whom those messages were sent.

This tool will add just two buttons to your Outlook message editor. For a single-user license ($24), you will get lifetime use, new versions, and support for one year. You can download a free trial version first to see if it works for you.

8. Onetastic for OneNote

Free is always good, and that is exactly what Onetastic for OneNote is. If you already have Microsoft’s digital note-taking app OneNote and love it, you will be thrilled with this add-in that gives you even more functions. Onetastic allows you to:

• Perform repeated tasks automatically,
• Download additional macros as needed,
• Set up calendar views for your OneNote pages,
• Crop or rotate printouts and images,
• Set up custom styles, just as Word does, and
• Set up menus and tables of contents.

Videos and tutorials are available on the website, along with an FAQ section.

We are all looking for ways to boost our productivity, especially at work, and we all use lots of different methods for getting more organized and less stressed. Now, however, there are tools that can streamline the work itself. That’s a big plus.

The post 8 Tools That Make You More Productive With Microsoft Office appeared first on Lifehack.

Becoming a #BossBabe: 5 reasons you should read more

We all dream about being successful….

We discuss it over wine with our homegirls, stating that “one day when I become the next Oprah….”

We hope, think, obsess, and wish for it, not to mention Googling the hell out of it. Even though we attempt all of these tactics the first time someone suggests a book recommendation to get there our reply is….

“No, I’m good girl you know I don’t read like that…..”

Most of the answers that we search for lie between the pages of a book. But because we are too cool for school or too busy searching for a quick fix, we pass by the very answer that we look for.

(And don’t you dare say that you don’t have enough time because if Ted sent you a text saying that he wants to see you….just watch as your busy schedule magically opens up….but that ain’t none of my business though.)

Here are 5 reasons you should pick up a book a little more often.

Ease your mind

As life comes at us ten million miles per hour, it can be tough to sit down and just relax. Seriously when I go to bed my mind is already half way through the next day with thoughts of what I need to do.  Don’t let me watch ratchet TV before bed; I’ll be up analyzing Mimi from Love and Hip Hop’s new relationship; is she really in love or is it just an attempt to extend her story line for another season?

A study conducted by the University of Sussex found that when you read it can reduce stress up to 68%; working faster than other relaxation methods such as listening to music or a drinking hot cup of tea (2009).

When I read I am no longer focused on the hustle and bustle of the day but in tune with whatever book I have opened up. If it is bedtime it never fails.

Boost creativity

You know that moment when you attempt to create a catchy slogan or the perfect end to a research paper but nothing and I mean NOTHING comes to mind. If drawing a blank was an art you would be Picasso. When you read it boosts your brain power; the scientists over at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported that just by reading it engages 17 regions of your brain, which makes sense when you think about how certain ideas have the ability to just come to you after you put down a book.  Let’s refer to it as a wake up call for your brain!

Enhance what you know

We all have that one friend who thinks they know everything.  That’s ya girl, but if you try to put her onto something new it is dismissed before you even can finish the sentence (and if this sounds foreign to you, you may just be that friend…) When we feel as if we know it all we close our mind to new information. By reading it allows us to build on the expertise that we already know for sure; to consider a different angle and insights that we never would have thought of before.

Because if I ran a mile with a time of 7:30 in high school and I never ran again since then; I bet the end result would look a lot different now because I didn’t try to be better, just banked on what I already did a looooooong time ago. Knowledge is no exception to this rule.

Carry an adult conversation

When I was in college I always heard a particular professor say that they could tell how much a person read by just having a conversation with them. To me, at the time, it sounded like when I was younger and my grandma would have all of these country sayings that didn’t make any sense. But as I grew up a light bulb went off: grandma wasn’t crazy, it actually makes perfect sense.

Yeah, that happened to me.

It’s almost as if readers think differently; conversations can be deep without even knowing the person. You are able to expand your vocabulary as you are always facing new words outside of your everyday life. The context of various topics can be discuss, because, face it, what you saw on BallerAlert can only take you so far in a professional setting.

LEVEL UP

One of the major characteristic to just about EVERY successful woman is……they READ….and they read A LOT.  How can you want to be successful but neglect the most important factor to get you there? Reading has the ability to take you to the next level. I remember when I was fresh out of undergrad and my networking skills weren’t the best….actually they were terrible. I was just the person who would follow around my classmates to say that I did something. One day I came across a book called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and thought I would give it a try. Ever since that day my networking skills have been on FLEEK! If you don’t know something read about it. It will stretch your thinking to take you to where you want to be. If you mind is never stretched you will most likely stay where you are.

Even though this list could go for days, it is very important that we pick up a book and cancel out all of the excuses about why we don’t.

Knowledge is power.  But you can’t gain the power if you never allow yourself access to the knowledge (Tweet This). 

If you read one book every year, challenge yourself to two. And if you’re an avid reader share this article with someone you know that doesn’t pick up a book (tell them you’re not being shady…just honest…)

Featured photo credit: Thinkpynk via thinkpynk.com

The post Becoming a #BossBabe: 5 reasons you should read more appeared first on Lifehack.

21 Ways We Complicate Life

These days, many people live stressful, complicated, hurried lives — going and going and going and sometimes getting nowhere. I’ve been there too, with so much to do with seemingly little time to do it. Trying to be in control and rushing from people to places to projects with good intentions to get it all done.

If you’re one of these many people, even if it’s just every now and then, you should know that there are a few ways we actually make life harder on ourselves. The reverse of this is also true. Undoing our stress can be the path to really living life right.

Perhaps the thing we need the most isn’t more things to do but a thorough cleaning of our mental, emotional, and physical to-do lists. When you’re doing so much in a day that you can’t remember anything you did and you don’t feel any better or more fulfilled having done it, then you are simply too busy and your life is too full and complicated.

Here are 21 ways we complicate life and how we can stop.

1. We procrastinate.

Projects pile up, certain tasks are constantly at the top of our to-do list, emails and text messages go unanswered, and people want our attention. Nothing can clutter our minds more than things that go undone. When we don’t do the things we should at the times we know we should do them, we get overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed often leads to projects never being completed because we feel like we will never catch up. Procrastination is complication. Our life will love us forever if we start doing things now.

2. We worry.

Worry is the mother of a complicated life. The more we worry, the more problems don’t get resolved. Many times, we aren’t even facing real problems, just issues we’ve concocted in our minds. Yet we still worry. Worrying robs us of our joy, steals our peace of mind, and ruins our lives. A problem is no greater than the power you give it. The energy we spend on our problems can be energy well-spent on finding solutions.

3. We wait.

The perfect time never seems to be now, so we wait for it. The dream seems unattainable now, so we wait for a better time. The work seems too hard now, so we wait for it to get lighter. We wait and wait and wait. We end up waiting all our lives for things we have the time, talent, money, and power to reach for right now. Waiting is fine when you are not in control, but waiting for opportunities when it is in your power to create them is not beneficial.

4. We do more than we should.

We say yes to everyone and everything. The idea of commitment means everything; overcommitment puts a smile on everyone else’s face but yours. It’s enticing to fill every minute of every day with meeting people, working on projects, and going places. But you have to ask yourself, is it necessary? Give yourself space — lots and lots of space. Think. Plan. Do what you should and leave the rest alone.

5. We accept too many interruptions.

When we are always busy, we have very little time for interruptions. When we get unfairly interrupted, we respond negatively. Interruptions should be kept to a minimum — if it isn’t an emergency, don’t give your time to it. You will always be crazy busy if you allow people to stick their heads in your door every ten minutes with meaningless objectives and projects they can handle themselves. Shift your focus from dealing with interruptions and being distracted to things that really need your attention.

6. We seek approval and affirmation from others.

This is often done unconsciously. But let’s be honest, most of what we do, we want people to like. The more people don’t like it, the busier we are refining and revamping it. This causes stress. One of the hardest things you will ever do is try to please people. It’s hard because you’ll never succeed. It’s a game — a futile, empty one at that. The goal is to like what you do, love what you do, think your own thoughts, create the life you want to live, and never mind if anyone approves or affirms you in it. Don’t be afraid to love the path you’re walking on and the life you’re living — every step, every minute.

7. We’re not really productive.

Busyness and productivity are on opposite ends of the spectrum — if you’re busy, more than likely you’re not as productive as you could be. If you’re productive, odds are you’re not so head-under-the-desk busy that you can’t see anything else. Busyness will exhaust you and complicate your life. Take a breather. Allow yourself to step back, analyze what you’re doing, and select the things that are most important and that will yield the most results.

8. We aim for control.

When we try to control more than we should, we don’t enjoy the journey or the destination. Control is not the goal in life, connection is. Connection with others and with yourself. You will quickly get tired, frustrated, and bored with life if you are intent on controlling everything in your life. Learn to let things go. Give your heart and mind a break from making all the decisions, being involved in every detail, and trying to steer in all directions at once. It’s not worth it. Take a break. Let go of some of your high expectations.

9. We hold on to birds that need to fly.

You can’t untangle your life if you’re unwilling to let go of some things and some people. What you had five years ago may not be what you need now. The people who walked your journey with you one year ago may not be the same people who need to walk with you today. Drop a load off of your life by not holding on too tightly. If you do, you’ll be disappointed and always wondering why? how? when? what? Accept differences. Embrace change. Give yourself permission to let go so you can have room to grab the next opportunity that comes your way.

10. We participate in drama.

Drama is one of the bedrocks to a complicated and unpleasant life. Indulging in the drama of other people and giving your own drama free rein will cause you to be more stressed out and depressed than you ever thought possible. There are people who feed off drama and don’t think they’ve had a good day until they’ve been involved in some trite situation that makes someone else look bad. Quit judging, start loving. Choose to see the good in others and help them bring it out.

11. We take one step forward and two steps back.

In other words, we hesitate. We wonder if we should, we start, and then we stop. We see possibilities, we move forward, we encounter a roadblock, and then we quit. Wouldn’t you rather take a risk and see that it didn’t work out than not take the risk at all? Life is full of opportunities and possibilities if we simply open our minds, eyes, and hearts to them. Persevere and believe that whatever you want, you will get. Keep your head up and don’t succumb to the voice of failure.

12. We complain.

We stress ourselves out when we find things to grumble about and nothing to be grateful for. Complaining almost always changes nothing. When we focus on the next thing — the next pay raise, the next promotion, the next degree, the bigger house, the better car, another spouse, another friend — we neglect all the things that are before us and the people that are around us. Stopping to breathe is part of the wonderful process of simplifying your life. We should be happy and thankful for who we are and for what we have right now. Always thinking of times in the past and in the future robs us of the joy of living in the present. Don’t waste your mental energy with ungrateful thoughts.

13. We don’t set boundaries.

No, everything is not a priority. No, everyone does not need your attention. Yes, the world will roll right on if you go on a vacation, take a nap, or watch the sun set. Boundaries influence who you are, what you believe, and where you stand in the grand scheme of everything else. Set, embrace, and respect boundaries. It’s not a sign of weakness if you can’t handle something; it’s an opportunity for your boundaries to show strength. When we set boundaries, we show respect to our health, our time, our energy, and our life. When we decide when to say yes and when to say no, we take control of our lives. If you respect your own boundaries, other people will respect them as well.

14. We compare ourselves to others.

Someone once said, don’t compare your movie to someone else’s script. Or don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20. You are entitled to embrace your life just the way it is, make the changes you know you can make, and walk your own path to success. Nobody is obligated to write your life for you. Comparing yourself to someone else will set you up for failure. You wonder why so many people don’t succeed? Because they are way too busy trying to be like someone else, get what someone else has, look like someone else, and act like someone else. Don’t worry about them; focus on you.

15. We aren’t honest.

Dishonesty is a fast-track route to depression and heartbreak. You have to tell the truth to yourself and to others. You have to assess your life and your priorities openly and straightforwardly. Choose to believe the truth and reject lies. Lies complicate life. If we truly love ourselves, we will tell ourselves the truth. If we love others, we will tell them the truth. Not only do we speak the truth, but we must be truthful in our actions and our attitudes.

16. We don’t forgive.

Holding on to hurt feelings, bitterness, pent-up frustration, and emotions of hate and anger only makes situations worse. You are actively hurting your own wellbeing and mindset. The freedom is when you release these emotions from your life and intentionally forgive yourself and those who’ve hurt you — even if they don’t ask for it, appreciate it, or deserve it. These feelings are as real to you throughout your life as you allow them to be. So let them go for your own sake.

17. We focus on ourselves instead of others.

We live in a very self-centered world. So many of us are only concerned about ourselves — what we want, what we like, what we can buy, how we can get ahead, how much money we can make, where we can go, what we can eat, and so on. However, when we focus on ourselves only, we miss out on greater joys and blessings. Involvement with yourself all of the time can only confuse your life. Learn to reach out. Give. Serve. Love.

18. We don’t nurture our relationships.

Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, a lone wolf or a people person, you can’t survive without relationships. We were created at our cores to be social beings (or social animals, if you prefer). The happiest people in the world have meaningful, honest, and deep relationships. I didn’t say you have to be close friends with everybody you meet. However, there are people in your life who know you, you know them, and you have a deep sense of connection and camaraderie — these are the relationships you need to spend time on, love, and nurture. When we’re around those we really care about and who really care about us, we experience an emotional high that involves honesty, interdependence, sacrifice, and commitment that is strong and abiding.

19. We live in the past.

What use is the past to you if not only to learn from it? We do things we shouldn’t, we don’t do things we should, and we do things we wish we hadn’t — it’s an unfortunate part of the process of growing up. We’ve got the growing up part, but we don’t have the moving on part. This is what we need to get a hold of — the past is the past, learn from it, leave it, and move on. Sure, some of the things we did, the decisions we made, and the attitudes we had, we wish we could go back and do over. But we can’t — that’s the reality. If we could change anything about the past, we wouldn’t be who we are today. So embrace your failures and mistakes, learn from them, laugh about them, and keep moving forward.

20. We try to cheat.

Skating through life and cutting corners has never helped anything or anybody. Doing what is right at all times should be your primary goal. When we seek to do right and make appropriate decisions that are supported by knowledge, wisdom, and accurate information, we may make mistakes, but we never have to look over our shoulders or bog down our minds with why we didn’t do something a certain way. Do the right thing at all times. Be honest. Be straightforward. If it’s bad, just say it. If it’s right, just do it. Nobody may ever know that you did the right thing, but you will know. You have a conscience and you are responsible for making sure that your conscience is free enough to speak to you.

21. We avoid the tough stuff.

So many people don’t like conflict. Any time an unfavorable situation arises, they immediately eject themselves from the conversation. Doing this is like the proverbial ostrich with its head stuck in the sand. The problem being avoided only gets bigger and bigger until it is confronted. Are you willing to have uncomfortable conversations? Are you willing to deal with the tough stuff so the rest of your life can be better? Conflict that goes unaddressed in the present will only cause bigger problems in the future. Your ability to successfully and sanely manage your life will depend on the number of things (and people) you are willing to confront and how much tough stuff you’re willing to deal with.

Featured photo credit: Andrea Contratto/Flickr via flickr.com

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