There it sits. The very full, nearly over-flowing garbage can. You see it there. You know your partner has seen it there, so now the stand-off begins. Will you take it out, or will your partner? You ask yourself, “why am I the only one who does this?” “Doesn’t he/she notice it?”

Inequity in household duties can cause stress and resentment in an otherwise happy relationship. While each of you are perfectly capable of handling all the many things that need to be done, the bulk of the daily duties often falls on the shoulders of one partner more than the other.

So how do you combat a lopsided division of responsibilities? Below are 5 strategies to assist in dividing up household chores.

Begin by making a master list of all chores. You can include things like grocery shopping and dog-walking or any other dreaded duties. To ensure that nothing is overlooked, the list should have the input of both partners.

Consider Timing

Do your work schedules differ? Maybe one of you is an early riser and the other a night owl. Look at your list of the regular chores and see when things typically need to happen. Which day does the garbage go to the curb and who is home earliest to do that? Some things can be done more easily in the morning than in the evening.

Laundry, for instance, can be started in the morning before work and finished in the evening when the first person is home. So perhaps one of you can collect and put clothes in, and the other can take out and deliver to the appropriate rooms.

Particulars

Do you like the towels folded a certain way? Will your partner get frustrated when you load the dishwasher wrong? If so, then divide out chores by the ones that you each have opinions about.

If you can’t stand the way he/she handles a particular chore then you really should do it yourself. If you would like to see the vacuum marks go diagonally then you should be the one to do the vacuuming. Same principal applies to your partner.

If/Then Method

Balance it all out by using the if/then method. If I cook, then you clean. If I wash, then you dry. If I clean the bathroom, then you clean the kitchen, etc.

This can work wonderfully for many couples because it also plays into each other’s strengths. Often one partner likes to cook, so it’s only fair that the other cleans. It also creates an atmosphere of fairness and collaboration. You are working as a team in a yin and yang manner.

Old Fashioned Calendar

Do you each hate cleaning the bathroom? Is taking out the trash a stumbling block? Then, much like the chore charts of youth, set a calendar with the days or weeks that you each take turns for those responsibilities.

Perhaps you can take the trash to the curb on the week the recycle goes out and your partner takes it down on the green waste weeks. Or, bathroom duty falls to each of you every other week (or day depending upon your level of tidiness).

Keeping a calendar also ensures things get done. It is very easy to forget that the top of the refrigerator needs cleaning, or that the air conditioning filters should be changed. Writing these things down will help make sure they happen.

Division by Room

If none of the other strategies are working well, consider each of you taking responsibility for a room. For instance, if you have more than one bathroom, you can each take one. One of you can take kitchen duty and the other laundry room and laundry. Then, like it or not, those spaces and all that goes with them are the responsibility of one person. This method, however, should probably be kept track of on a calendar to ensure that who is responsible for what is clear.

Having a system to get household items handled can take stress off of each of you. Most of the day-to-day responsibilities are mundane and therefore easy to avoid. But avoiding the garbage does not mean it doesn’t need to be emptied. By working together, you are likely to find these things get done more quickly and without much additional thought. And, you will no longer have to play chicken with the garbage.

See Also: The Six Best All-Natural Cleaners for Your House

 

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Just as there are so many types of houses, there are also just as many types of roof. Materials, design and quality vary from one roof to another. In fact, roofs can differ from one country to another.

Japanese people like edgy and pointed tiled roofs that elicit an elite vibe. There are straw roofs in the Philippines as well that can help regulate room temperature in spite of the scorching heat in the country.

In some areas of South America, some houses use the old roofing method with clay tiles. Meanwhile, Great Britain and Ireland have so many gabled roofs that look elegant.

Each roof requires different materials and these materials have distinct maintenance needs.

Roofs may be difficult to maintain because, for one, you need to climb the top of your house just to fix it. On the other hand, for some types, you have to call for a roof repairing shop and pay them just to get your roof done.

Maintaining a roof may be quite a bane but, as homeowners, we should know how to find out when it is damaged and what we need to do to keep it in good shape. If you think asphalt shingle and tiled-roof are easy to maintain, think again.

Metal roofing is currently a name to remember in the roofing industry, and this article is proof that it is much better than Asphalt Shingles and Tiles. Below, we break down the advantages of metal roof.

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are very common to single houses and other small residential properties. It is almost one of the standard roof materials in all of America. Shingles may vary in color, texture and type, depending on the customer request and the manufacturer.

There are namely two kinds of Asphalt Shingles: organic and fiberglass.

Papers coated with asphalt are the basic composition of the organic shingles. Because of the asphalt, it becomes waterproof. Fiberglass shingles, on the other hand, can provide better protection, being fireproof and waterproof at the same time.

Just like the organic shingle, asphalt also coats the fiberglass shingle, which makes it waterproof, while its fiberglass nature made it fireproof.

Asphalts are very budget-friendly at $90 per square meter. In maintaining the roof, just check the roof flashings, shingle and the gutters and watch out for the decayed parts. Asphalt shingles are not that sturdy to withstand changing climates.

Tile

Tile is another competitive material in the field of roof materializing. It is one of the oldest materials for roofing. It is so old that archaeologists found out that Greek people in the third Millennium BC first used it.

One of its most famous kinds is the traditional clay tile that is still in the market. Nevertheless, the traditional clay tile evolved which caused the birth of other types of tiles for roofing. The list includes metal, slate, concrete and other synthetic creations.

It is undeniable that tile roofs are attractive and have many aesthetics. Traditional houses in Japan, for example, use tile flooring which makes the structure of the house appealing to the public. However, despite the aesthetic, its durability against the storms and other natural calamities may be questionable.

High winds, cyclones and tornadoes can most probably blow the tiles away if they are not as heavy as they need to be. Needless to say, tiles are weighty. With this heaviness, the foundation supporting the weight must be sturdy enough to support them. A strong base sufficient to support a tiled-roof might be costly.

The maintenance of a tiled-roof is also just as expensive as the makeup of it. You cannot clean the roof on your own since it is very fragile and you cannot walk over it. To be able to clean a tiled-roof, you may need to seek the help of experts that can do the job efficiently.

Metal

 

One of the rising names in the roofing industry is Metal. Houses exposed to harsh climates should have metal roofing to help them stand against calamities.

Metal is one of the safest materials to use for roofing purposes. Metal, unlike the asphalt shingle, can stand stronger against cyclones and tornadoes. Experts call the metal roof weatherproof, knowing that it can stand against almost all odds.

Metal roofing is also highly customizable. There are varieties of metal roofing designs that can fit the uniqueness of your house. Aside from these advantages of metal roof, it is also energy-efficient and affordable.

Metal roofing’s life expectancy is around 30 to 50 years, that is more than thrice the durability of asphalt shingles. As for maintenance, you have to check the roof and clean it annually. You have to make sure that the gutters are clean and there are no clusters on it. If there are some troubles, call someone who does metal roof repair so you can get satisfying services.

Takeaway

Highly consider the type of materials you’re going to use for the roof of your house. The roof is more than just a shade for your home. It serves as the ozone layer of your humble abode.

Asphalt shingles are cheap roofing materials with a life expectancy of around 16 years or less. This type of roof is also not very advisable in places with unstable climates. Tiles, on the other hand, can add some aesthetic to your house and can last to at least 50 years. However, this roof cannot assure the life expectancy of your wallet since it is very hard and expensive to maintain.

Metal roofing is the best choice among the three materials presented. Most residents should consider it, knowing that the life expectancy of metal roofing is also enough to witness your kids transcend from infancy to the adulthood, at least. Other than that, it is weatherproof, energy-efficient and affordable.

Cities that experience cyclones, most often, must consider metal roofing. Therefore, it is safe to say that metal roofing is the best choice to protect your home from the savage of nature.

See Also: Simple Guide To A Green Roof

 

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Almost everything in our daily life revolves around money. We go to work to earn money and we use that money to pay for food, gas, our homes and all our necessities. It can seem like a never-ending cycle, especially if you are still trying to establish yourself.

However, there are some smart financial choices that you can make that will allow you to make money from your money without having to do much at all. Investing your money carefully can help you increase your income substantially with only a little oversight on your part.

There are a variety of methods that you can utilize to see a good return on your money. You should make sure that you consider what is best for you and your finances before making any major decisions.

Here are a few things that you should consider before looking for the best investment ideas.

Pay Off Your Debt

If you want your investments to succeed, you need to be making smart choices in all of your financial affairs. No matter how well you invest your money, if you are spending more than you can pay back, you are going to lose money.

Debt has a nasty way of catching up to us when we least expect it, and it is never forgiving. It would be very difficult to finally start seeing a return on your investment and then have to use all of that and more to pay off debts that you have incurred.

Additionally, no matter how well you invest, there is no guarantee that your investment will be successful. You might get a lot of money, you might only get a little or you could lose your money. Spending more than you have in anticipation of receiving money from your investments could come back to haunt you.

You could also lose your investments if you have to declare bankruptcy before you see returns. If you do end up in this position, talk to a legal professional about filing for bankruptcy to see if there is a way to protect your investments.

See Also: Staying Out Of Debt: 3 Money Habits You Should Be Doing

Keep Track of Your Money

While it might not take a lot of work, taking the time to keep track of your money is one of the most important things that you can do. Knowing where you are spending and how that money is doing will help you understand how to best manage your investments.

Gone are the days when you can keep track of everything in a notebook or on a piece of paper unless you are a financial wizard. Find a software program or spreadsheet that fits your needs and use that to keep track of your income, your expenses and your investments.

It is important that you keep your records up to date and that you regularly review how your investments are performing. Find a schedule that works for you, but make sure that you are reviewing this information at least once a month.

Buy Low

This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but it is repeated often for a reason. If you are investing in a company, it doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money on stock in a moderately successful company when you could spend a little money on a company that is growing.

If you manage to find and invest in a company that is newer but growing strong, then you have a pretty decent chance of making a lot of money off of your investment. It may be helpful to look at companies that have had financial troubles recently but are doing well again. Their growth reassures you that your investment is sound.

Consider Mutual Funds

Mutual funds are probably one of the best and easiest investments for new investors. When investing, the more diverse your portfolio is (or the more variety you have in types of investments), the better chance you have of getting a good return on your money.

Mutual funds can provide you with a diverse portfolio with professional management. There are also many variations of mutual funds to best meet your particular needs. Make sure that you choose someone that you trust to manage your mutual fund.

See Also: 7 Common Money Mistakes to Avoid (And their easy Solution)

Wrap Up

Every investor wants to earn high returns, but that always isn’t possible. Immerse yourself in financial markets and literature well before you decide to invest or before you put all your money in your best investment ideas. Talk to a financial adviser to make sure that you are aware of what you are getting into.

It’s easy to get taken advantage of if you don’t know much about investing, not to mention fail to gain money on your investments.

 

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Each day, 2.5 million TB of data are generated. This huge quantity of data needs to be stored so that they can be easily accessed later. They are data measured in zettabytes, petabytes and exabytes, which are lesser known terms.

As companies gather rising amounts of data, requirements on infrastructure and technology have become larger. The following 3 Vs describes what Big Data is all about.

Volume

This feature represents the absolute amount of data produced by companies. It includes data from transaction information, social media created information, sensor and machine to machine data. Without technologies to accumulate such large amounts of data, storing it easily would be a problem.

Velocity

Latest technologies allow faster data processing through sensors, RFID tags and other technologies. However, structuring and storing them in real time is a big challenge.

Variety

Data come in a wide variety of formats. It can range from regular databases, unstructured video, audio and email to transaction data.

These three features of Big Data offer a challenge for the companies that need to store data in an integrated, structured, affordable and accessible way.

Facebook And Big Data

Social media assure the growth and development of innovation through mass collaboration. Across various industries, companies use social media platforms to promote products and services. They also use it to observe how people respond to brands.

See Also: 4 Good Reasons For Marketing With Facebook

One of the largest Big Data experts is Facebook. It  deals with petabytes of data on a regular basis. As the world connects through this platform, it generates algorithms to track those connections.

Whether it’s a wall post or your favorite movies and books, Facebook surveys each and every bit of your data. It does this to provide you superior services each time you log in.

Some Of The Contributors Behind Facebook’s Big Data

There is a variety of technology working behind this platform. Below are the most significant ones:

Hadoop

Facebook manages the biggest Hadoop cluster. It has beyond 4,000 machines and stores millions of gigabytes. This large-scale cluster provides some crucial skills to developers.

The developers can openly write MapReduce programs in any language.
SQL has been combined to process large data sets, as the majority of data in the Hadoop’s file system are in table format. Because of this, it becomes easier for developers to access smaller SQL subsets.

Beginning with searching, recommendation system, log processing and data warehousing, Hadoop is enabling Facebook in any way possible. In fact, its first user-facing app, Facebook Messenger, is based on Hadoop database.

Scuba

Encountering a large amount of disorganized data each day, Facebook realized that it requires a platform to speed up its analysis. It developed Scuba to help the Hadoop developers plunge into the massive data set. It also allows them to carry on an ad-hoc analysis in real-time.

Facebook wasn’t meant to run across different data centers. A single malfunction could cause the whole platform to fail.

Scuba enables the developers to store in-memory data in bulk. It’s supposed to help speed up the informational analysis. It executes small software agents to collect data from data centers and compress them into log data pattern. The compressed data are further compressed by Scuba into smaller memory systems which can be promptly assessed.

Hive

After the launch of Hadoop by Yahoo for its search engine, Facebook also decided to empower its data scientists. It needed help in storing huge amount of data in the Oracle data warehouse. Thus, Hive came into existence.

This tool enhanced the query capability of Hadoop by using a part of SQL. Eventually, it became popular in the unstructured world. Nearly thousands of jobs are running using this system today.

Prism

As Facebook doesn’t run on multiple data centers, it needed the help of Prism. It’s a platform that brings out several namespaces. It helps in developing many logical clusters, too.

Corona

It was getting difficult to manage the task trackers and cluster resources. As pull-based scheduling model was causing a delay in handling small jobs, MapReduce came to existence. Hadoop was restricted by its slot-based resource management model. It wasted the slot every time the cluster size was unable to fit the configuration.

Developing and executing Corona helped in establishing a new scheduling framework. It helped distinguish resource management from job coordination.

Today, Facebook has become one of the substantial corporations in the world. It’s all thanks to its considerable data on over 1.5 Billion people on earth. However, security and privacy concerns remain as it isn’t sure whether Facebook will just save its big data on its server or use them in order to make money.

But, one thing is for sure. It’s the Big Data that pushed Facebook, a small-time startup in Harvard, into becoming one of the large corporations of all times.

See Also: The Facebook Organic Growth Tactic that Everybody Forgets

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Music has been with us since prehistoric times in one form or another, growing with human society and culture, and taking new shapes one century after another. Humans have become so accustomed to it that listening to music has become second nature. We take music in our lives so much for granted that we rarely stop to think how it influences our mood or daily actions.

For example, did you know that listening to music at the office can make you more productive?

Here’s how.

Music and business – an unexpected match

Listening to music is not an activity reserved for free time and parties only. In fact, according to the latest surveys, more than half of employees listen to music at work.

Compared to people who do not listen to music, those who do are 90% more productive and, more than that, they provide more accurate work. The habit of listening to music at the office isn’t looked down upon by managers either. Around 77% of them agree that music gives employees a morale boost and almost half believe that it improves their performance in sectors such as sales.

The science behind it all

Scientific studies back up what people already instinctively know: music influences the human brain. When listening to music, multiple areas of our brains are activated. This includes the motor cortex (responsible for movement), the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and cerebellum (responsible for stimulating emotion). The hippocampus (stimulates memories), Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas (language processing) also get stimulated.

When listening to music, the brain releases dopamine, the same chemical released when we eat our favorite food. Apart from making us feel pleasure, dopamine also improves focus. Which leads us to…

Music and productivity

Listening to music is a powerful productivity tool. Whether you have an office station or you just put on your headphones, once you hit play, you are bound to work better, faster and make less mistakes. Music helps you focus, blocking external distractions and allowing you to tackle difficult tasks with more motivation. In addition, your favorite tunes can also reduce stress and anxiety. So, for example, if you are coping with personal issues, music could protect your work performance.

Those who work in a challenging, stressful office environment can keep things under control by listening to music. Music produces the same amount of relaxation as a massage, so this is the simplest way to reduce anxiety and overcome negative emotions.

Aside from using music to increase productivity, scientists also say that this activity can increase memory. It’s one of the main reasons why students are constantly recommended to study for exams while listening to music.

The benefits of listening to music at work don’t just apply to the office environment. Workers in just about any field can benefit from these effects.

Other benefits of listening to music

Apart from boosting performance and productivity, listening to music has been scientifically proven to offer additional health benefits, including:

• decreasing pain
• improving insomnia
• increasing physical endurance
• speeding up recovery
• relieving symptoms of depression and other mental health issues

See Also: 4 Ways To Overcome Depression Naturally

Apart from these, several studies have also suggested that listening to music while eating could make people consume smaller food portions and have increased blood flow. However, more research is needed.

What genre of music should you listen to for a productivity boost?

Not all music influences you in the same way. Some genres are recommended for certain office activities:

• Ambient music seems to be the most effective. According to research, it improves focus, so it’s perfect for tasks that require attention to details, such as data entry. Ambient music is quite neutral, so it doesn’t distract you.

• Pop music is happy and upbeat, so it makes you work faster. One study showed that people who were listening to pop music while doing data entry were 58% faster. Pop music also reduces mistakes by 14%.

• Dance music also helps you work faster, but not just in data entry. For example, if you have a proofreading task, you can complete it 20% faster by listening to dance beats.

• Classical music has a great impact on work accuracy. Pick a classical radio station and your work will be 12% more accurate!

Of course, these are just general studies about the influence of music genres on productivity and results may vary depending on what kind of music you normally listen to. Broadly speaking, scientists recommend workers to listen to music without lyrics if they are doing something that involves linguistic processing. Otherwise, lyrics will become a distraction.

Also, while discovering new music is always fun, the workplace is probably not the best place to explore songs. Discovering new music interferes with your ability to process new information. For improved performance and focus, scientists recommend that we stick to familiar songs we know and love.

See Also: Get “In the Zone” on Command with a Focus Song

Check out this infographic to know more about how music can increase your productivity.

 

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There was a time when having a website was the new thing in marketing. In 2010, there were just 255 million websites worldwide. That number nearly quadrupled to 966 million in just six years.

As a marketing professional, this trend tells me two things: websites are a major factor in strategy planning and websites have to deliver more in order to rise above the crowd.

At first glance, you might say that I have only to worry about the first and leave the second to website designers. However, website designers tend to focus more on how a website looks than how it works and that can be problematic for marketers when the website design has a negative impact on the user experience or UX.

As Steve Jobs said, “Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But, of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” That is exactly what it means to have a website with good user experience or UX.

A Marketing Approach to Your Site’s UX design

The UX was not always a big issue, which is why there is a divide between marketing and website design. People, back in the day, were more patient and willing to overlook a cumbersome website if they could get otherwise inaccessible information.

That is no longer the case today.

Now, users have higher expectations when it comes to website performance. Since they have a wider option of obtaining what they want from other sources, they are more likely to leave a site if it has a negative UX design.

The factors that influence website UX include accessibility (loading speed, working links), usability (navigation), findability (SEO), value (content relevance and credibility) and desirability (design and layout). When a website lacks one or more feature, it results in a negative UX.

How does this impact on marketing?

Well, consider that the average user in 2017 will wait only a few seconds for a page to load and about 80% of users are less likely to use a website with poor UX. This means fewer conversions and that’s not good from a marketing perspective.

Marketing and UX Pairing

The question then is how marketing can improve the UX. The answer is simple: the two sides have to work as a team.

Sales and marketing professionals routinely deal directly with people, unlike website designers. As such, they have an in-depth knowledge of what people want and need when they visit a particular site.

For example, if you sell clothes online, the people that go to your site need to buy clothes. How can you provide them with a solution to their problem? The answer is to make it easy for them to find what they want.

Marketing professionals can provide valuable insight into buying behavior and psychology, which may not make much sense to web designers. On the other hand, marketers have no idea of the principles behind website design. They may know how to sell but not how to present it to the user effectively.

In other words, marketing and UX design have to forge a working relationship. Below are some brilliant ways marketing and UX design can boost your site’s conversion rate together.

Coordinate marketing efforts

One of the biggest challenges for many companies today is coordinating different marketing campaigns to benefit the company as a whole. One study shows that nearly two-thirds of companies identify marketing silos as a barrier to communications, productive and effective execution of a cohesive marketing strategy.

Collaboration with the UX design team can break down these silos and improve communications because it establishes a common ground to work on. Working with the UX design team makes any breakdown in communications among marketing glaringly apparent, so it necessitates agreement among them on major goals. When there is a cohesive message and approach, the UX design team can produce a better website. It’s a win-win situation.

Carry out user testing

Marketers may know people but, ultimately, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. UX design teams have access to information that reveals how users actually interact with the website through user testing tools. These provide valuable insights to marketers about what the users want so they can refine their marketing campaigns and maximize conversion.

This, in turn, will guide marketers on what they need the UX design team to fix on the website so that they can improve and create the ideal UX. This entails a certain measure of trial and error but it is a very effective method of designing the perfect website in the long term.

Unify campaigns across different channels

Websites often serve as the anchor for campaigns and the average company uses about eight different channels for their marketing efforts. While marketing strategies for each channel optimize user response, they don’t necessarily dovetail neatly into your conversion funnel.

You need to make sure your email campaign is in line with your mobile app so that they end up generating leads or sales for your company. The best way to do this is to design your website to be the pivot or hub for different channels so most of your leads can conveniently navigate across channels.

Actionable plans

Now that you know how marketing and UX can work and complement each other, your next step is to take action. Here’s how to do that:

• Do initial research

Designing a site for a kick-ass UX all begins with gathering information about your user. You need to find out who they are, what they care about and where they come from. You also need to know how they spend their time before you can even think about your site design. Learning about your target audience is essential for success in developing your website UX. After all, it is the user experience.

• Monitor users

Your initial user research will give you a good idea of how to design your website. However, until you take it out for a test drive, it is just an idea. Once your site goes up, you should monitor how users are actually interacting with your site and use tools to monitor and analyze their behavior.

Before you do that, take note of your own expectations on user behavior to serve as a benchmark for future observations. This will prevent you from “hindsight bias” and help you figure out gaps in your user research.

• Do a survey

According to TermLife2Go, after you have observed your users and identified certain behaviors you want to understand, do a survey to get the answers from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Most of e-commerce websites are doing actionable plans to enhance users shopping experience. They send specific questions to ask why users bought an item or why they clicked on a certain option. Your intention is not to be nosy, but to increase your understanding of how your users think. That way, you can improve the website UX as well as your marketing campaigns.

Conclusion

A marketing approach to website UX is simply about integrating two important elements of your conversion funnel. If you can manage to do this successfully, it will maximize your marketing efforts to an incredible degree.

See Also: The 5 Internet Marketing Trends That Will Dominate in 2017

 

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As communications become more convenient, it also becomes easier to immerse yourself in work and never look up from it.

If you are like me, you find yourself checking e-mail at all hours and addressing mid-level professional concerns via email or on the phone when on vacation, out with friends or even playing with the kids. This is not just a bad habit but it is detrimental professionally, psychologically and physically, too.

Who is to blame for this condition?

Is it your superiors who need your council at all hours of day and night? Is it your own sense of inflated worth? Are you really needed every moment? Or is it your needless guilt in saying no to projects that you should really decline?

At this point, you are probably cursing under your breath at an article like this, thinking that as part of the gig economy. You can’t just stop and unplug because you might jeopardize your livelihood. Perhaps, you are working several jobs and need that financial support to survive.

Though that may be true, overwork is actually setting you up for failure. Creating positive and selective work habits, however, will allow you to reduce stress and be more successful.

Overworking is Bad for Business

Ultimately, it has been shown that those that claim to work huge volumes of overtime are less productive than those that work less hours but with more sustained and focused time.

The 40-hour work week was originally put in place because it allowed for the best possible work to get done without jeopardizing products. Studies showed that workers who toiled for ten hours a day compared with eight had the same level of output. Basically, that means that employers were paying overtime for no return.

The same is true of any job. We only have so much ability to get things done before losing focus or being dazed by overwork and lack of sleep.

What To Do

To make sure that your work time will be productive, take the hours off that you are supposed to.

• Lunch away

Be sure to take your lunch away from your computer and plan to leave work on time. Setting that deadline for yourself will force you to stay on task rather than procrastinate.

• Take vacation

You are more productive if you have time to unwind and return to work fresh. Do not leave your vacation time on the table.

• Keep personal time personal

To keep professional resentment at bay, make sure that you have the time you need for your family.

• Ask about a revised schedule

In the digital age, more people are working on a flexible schedule. See if this is something your employer would consider for you. After all, who cares when your work gets done as long as it’s done?

Overworking is Bad for Your Brain

Psychologically, working without a break can lead to depression, sleep deprivation and even cause memory loss. These things can surely affect your effectiveness at work. Research into this phenomenon have revealed even more unsettling results.

For example, a Norwegian study from 2014 looked deeply at the relationship between psychological disorders and overwork in over 16 thousand workers . It found out that those that were classified as workaholics were about three times as likely to show symptoms of ADHD, OCD and clinical anxiety and four times as likely to show signs of depression.

What to do

If you find yourself feeling off because of overwork, take some immediate steps.

• Catch more sleep

Want to be more useful at work? Sleep is key. Though this may cut into your “leisure time” a bit, more sleep will allow you to process effectively, help your memory and keep you focused. Think you are just one of those people who don’t need as much sleep and can go on 4-5 hours or so and be productive? Think again!

See Also: Get Strong, Sleep, Repeat: The Importance Of Sleeping

• Get deep

Deep work is a strategy that actively cuts down on distractions in favor of a protracted amount of focused time. If you feel like your multi-tasking is out of control, it might be time to detox on distractions and see if deep work concepts are right for you.

• Ask yourself if there may be a larger problem

If you find yourself increasing your workload, make sure you ask the question: Is this because of drive or a more deep-seated psychological issue?

Overworking is Bad for Your Health

There are many studies that show that overwork is bad for you physically. It can increase your likelihood of causing conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and increased fatality. Like a watch, we need to be wound down or our springs will start popping out.

Working more than 55 hours a week, says one study, gives you a 30% higher risk of stroke and 13% higher risk of heart disease as well as increased dangers for diabetes.

What to do

To protect your health, consider the following actions.

• Find time for exercise

Obviously, this is easier said than done. Make sure you take time, even if it’s just a walk at lunchtime or getting up to talk to someone on another floor rather than sending an email. And when you go there, take the stairs.

• Stand up for yourself

Prolonged sitting is pretty bad for your cardiovascular health – make sure you take a couple of minutes every hour or so to move your joints and get your blood flowing.

• Eat right

Overwork can lead to some strange eating habits (ever heard of Soylent, for example?). By planning your meals and investing in bringing healthy snacks, like fruits and veggies, to work, you’ll be able to lower your cholesterol.

Perhaps the best way to start balancing life and work is to be honest with yourself about what is possible to accomplish in the time you have allotted for work.

Most of those who end up being overworked do so because they have said “Yes” to too many projects. However, there are ways to say no to your boss or peers that will make you look both smart and sensitive, rather than a basket case or a slacker.

See Also: 7 Signs Of Overworking (And What To Do About Them)

Check out this infographic from GetVoIP to learn more about how to respectfully say no at work and avoid overworking yourself.

SOURCE

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Do you get annoyed when people keep writing “there” instead of “their,” “its” instead of “it’s” or “ affect” instead of “effect”? Do your friends sometimes call you a “grammar Nazi” (in the sweetest way)?

If so, then you are probably the right person to start a proofreading business at home.

Before you entertain this thought, it should be something that you really want to do. This is because this business is only for those who truly enjoy looking into little details, bugging people about word order or reading the same text over and over just to make sure that “it flows.”

Otherwise, you won’t survive there for too long!

Now, you might be wondering about one thing: How can you start a proofreading business at home?

We know the answer and we will show it to you in a second. But, before that, make sure you know these things about the market:

1. Getting into the market will take some time as there are many people like you trying to top the list of successful business owners in this niche.

2. You will need much patience when trying to build your own network and get your first orders.

3. People in this niche need to take courses and do research on their own to make sure their knowledge is still relevant.

4. You will have to start at a lower rate, so don’t expect high revenue at first.

5. All business people need to be good marketers (or hire the latter to work for them), as that’s the only way, besides networking, to land new orders.

6. This market changes a lot and you will have to catch up with it all the time.

7. Select your specialization as an “I will proofread anything” approach does not sound professional enough to attract new customers.

We hope we painted quite a picture for you here. Now, let’s move to the actual steps on how to start a proofreading business at home.

See Also: 9 Ways How To Earn Money Online

How to start up your own business in proofreading niche

Develop a proper mindset

When you start a business, remember that it is YOUR business. You do not have a boss to blame for a weak marketing strategy, a supervisor to delegate all tasks to, or a director who will cover any financial loss.

You are in charge of all these things. So, before you start acting, think twice. Choose targets carefully, research every step before even making it and search for solutions only after seeking the assistance of experienced business people.

And also, start with a professional business plan, license, checking account, email and a phone number. Be professional on all stages!

Evaluate your financial situation

You need to make sure that you have the funds to start your own business. You will need to support yourself for some time, purchase professional tools and pay salaries if you want to hire more employees to work for you.

So, be realistic when it comes to your financial state and calculate all the possible outcomes before even starting.

Polish your skills

As a proofreader and an editor, you will have to work hard not to lose your skills in the midst of all the marketing campaigns, networking and other business issues that are not particularly related to the actual proofreading.

Besides, there are so many freelancers out there so you will have to work hard to strengthen your presence in the market.

Analyze your target audience

Who are the people you want to deliver your services to? What are they genuinely interested in? What are their core values?

It is important to have a clear customer’s portrait from the start. It is a huge help both to your marketing strategies and customer satisfaction.

Know who you are aiming to reach out to and adapt your strategies exactly to their needs. For instance, students might need an additional plagiarism checker and if you offer this service for free, they will be very grateful. Your success is only one market research away.

Build your portfolio

People want to see results. Therefore, getting testimonials from your former employers, clients or the people you helped before can be a huge step forward.

Boast.io states that “Customer testimonials and case studies are considered the most effective content marketing tactics, identified by 89% and 88%, respectively, of B2B marketers.”

Besides, remember that competition is huge and to have new customers come and tell you to just take their money, you need to go over and beyond with your business ideas.

Establish your rate

Yes, you need to establish your rate. There is no one common formula to help you calculate a perfect rate. However, you need to remember that as your reputation and skills grow, your rate will grow, too.

Research the pricing of your business rivals in the same services and make your rate somehow close to theirs. Remember that you should also have a loyalty program and bonuses to those who leave their testimonials, bring friends, or recommend your services.

Have a set of essential tools to use

Before you launch your business or start your first marketing campaign, you need to ensure that you have all the necessary tools you need to run the business. Thus, you might want to buy some grammar checkers to save your time or your own domain to run the business on.

All this has to be established and tuned up before the first clients fly in, as managing organizational things on the go is not easy if you are a newbie to this area.

Start the advertising campaign

Finally, the time has come to launch those marketing campaigns. Start with Facebook ads as that is where most people spend time daily. Besides, they are easy to set up and analyze so not using them is almost a crime!

Then, consider running special campaigns on Google or elsewhere. You will probably need help with writing all the texts right and pushing the right triggers there so be ready to pay for the services of real professionals here.

See Also: The 5 Internet Marketing Trends That Will Dominate in 2017

Network

Networking is powerful. People find jobs with the help of their friends’ recommendations and you can easily find new customers in the same way. Simply ask your friends if they know anyone looking for proofreading services. It never hurts to ask and you might get new clients in no time.

And also, leave your business cards wherever you go. They might do the job for you, too.

Work on your people skills

Every business is all about relationship. Unless you know how to find a key to every individual person out there, you are at a risk to fail.

So, master the art of being a friendly business as that is your key to success. People like businesses with a soul behind it. Be that kind of business!

Learn how to deliver the best client service

Finally, you need to be ready to deal with the complaints of any frustrated customers. Make sure that they will be left with nothing but a good impression of your business in the end. You can either hire a professional to deal with frustrated customers or learn how to be the perfect fit yourself.

In summary

Running a personal business is a dream come true for many. However, to make sure that your home-based proofreading business will last and prosper after years of struggles in the market, follow our simple tips.

 

 

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A healthy marriage comprises of many different roles. On any given day, you may be the sexy lover, the secret keeper, the playmate or the best friend. This plethora of roles you play contributes to the quality of your marriage.

Being friends with your spouse is guaranteed to make your marriage more fun for both of you. It will help deepen your bond as well. Being friends with your mate means more shared activities, free and open communication and a marriage that is the envy of all your friends.

Wondering why friendship in marriage is important? Here are 10 good reasons:

You get to enjoy similar hobbies

Many couples get together because they like each other’s company and there’s physical attraction. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean they enjoy each other’s hobbies. When you have already established friendship, you likely have a hobby in common with your partner.

This opens the way for more interesting date nights as a married couple. Instead of going out to dinner, you can head out for a Sunday morning surf, try golfing, play video games all afternoon or go on a photography hike. Having similar hobbies means more bonding time for you as a couple.

See Also: 6 Hobbies For Couples That Can Strengthen Your Relationship

You’re over each other’s past relationships

By being friends with your partner, you have probably already heard dozens of stories about his ex-girlfriends. You may even have been friends with some of them! Not only does this give you full disclosure about your mate’s romantic past, it can also make you feel less jealous and more secure in your relationship.

Your marriage is enviable

Doesn’t it tickle you on some level when your friends watch you and your spouse interact and then wistfully exclaim: “I wish I had that!” Not that you’re concerned with what other people think of your marriage, right?

There will be less damaging fights

As friends, you’ve had your share of ups and downs. This also means that you’ve probably had your fair share of arguments, too.

By establishing friendship in your marriage, you’ll know how to communicate in a disagreement with your partner and you won’t be afraid to apologize when you are wrong. You know how to consider your partner’s feelings and put yourself in his shoes.

This is friendship at its best. This makes marriage more fun since there’s no pride getting in the way of doing the right thing, particularly when it comes to apologizing, admitting wrongdoing and making up with your lover.

Furthermore, there isn’t that looming fear of this ‘D’ word when you already have a long history of friendship together. This allows you to be open with one another without worrying what effect your honesty will have on your relationship.

You set an excellent example

Your children will depend on you for many things, like food, emotional support and someone to entertain them. They’ll look up to you as an example of how to behave and what standards to expect from life and love. This bodes well for those who have made friendship an important part of their marriage.

Your children will consider your marriage as the basis for what they can expect from their marriage in the future. Your friendship and fun-loving attitude towards one another will set an excellent example for your little ones.

There’s transparency

Does transparency in your marriage make it much more fun?

Since you are already friends, you have already heard the best and the worst experiences the other has gone through. From crazy exes to not-so-dignified behavior, you know your partner’s dirty history in and out. This takes a lot of the guess work out of your relationship and leaves more time for you to enjoy each other’s company. You’ll be able to share your problems without fearing what the other person will think.

It keeps things interesting

Friendship makes a marriage more fun by keeping things interesting. When you are friends on top of being lovers, it will keep the relationship from feeling stale or routine. Having fun and laughing together bonds you as a couple and heightens your desire to spend time together. What could be more interesting than taking up new hobbies with your best friend in the world?

See Also: 3 Ways To Inject More Humor Into Your Relationship

You have a comfortable silence

Is there anything worse than that clunky, uncomfortable silence that comes from not knowing a new friend well enough? Never fear! This will never happen when you have friendship in your marriage.

You can feel completely comfortable with any silent gaps that appear in conversation with your partner. You won’t feel the need to search for old, embarrassing instances from your past to fill the void. Instead, you’ll simply bask in the glow of one another and enjoy those extra moments of silence that you have together.

Your partner knows how to be happy for you

When you’re good friends with your spouse, you and your partner both know how to be excited for each other. There is no secret jealousy or looming resentment. When you achieve something great, your partner will be right there celebrating with you. They can show you full support and make you feel special.

You’re less stressed out

Being in a close relationship means there is more oxytocin flowing through your body. This “love drug” makes you feel accomplished and appreciated. It raises your trust and lowers stress and anxiety. The happier you are, the happier your marriage will be.

Conclusion

Friendship makes marriage more loving, more comfortable and more fun to be in. It is an aspect of marriage that needs nurturing to stay fiery and alive.

So, make time for your mate every day so you can nurture your relationship and make your marriage as fun as it can be.

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Are you planning to go on a vacation soon? Do you have an urgent business trip coming up shortly?

Leaving your home and going for a vacation can sound fun. But, without proper preparation, it can easily burn holes in your wallet.

If you’re like me, you want to save money whenever you can. Unfortunately, things always cost more than you plan for them to, especially when you are on vacation. This is why it helps to research first where you’re going before you make your hotel reservations and start packing.

In this post, we’ll take a look at seven ways to save money while traveling so that you can come back with money in your pocket!

7 Tips for Saving Money When Traveling

Below are seven ways to save money while traveling. See which ones you might benefit from when planning your next trip.

Start with saving at home

One of the things that can help you have more money for your vacation is to start saving money at home. Set aside a little money every month and set a goal you want to meet. In setting your goal, make sure it will meet the total expected cost of your trip.

One thing I sometimes do is to put spare change in an automatic ATM coin bank. You may think it’s just “pocket change” but it adds up quick! If you deposit a few quarters every week from the change you get back from small transactions, you’ll get a lot of money over time which you can use for your vacation.

Some online banks offer a way to put aside money specifically for various purposes. I’ve often used my mobile banking “goals” option to save for a vacation automatically.

Join a discount membership service

You know the offers I’m talking about. You probably see them in magazines or newspapers. You may even get calls about some of them. Some are scams, but some are true values that you should look into.

Discount travel booking sites, such as NextVacay.com, can save you hundreds of dollars on vacation costs, airfares and more. If you are planning on flying somewhere in the near future, take a moment to visit their site and select your flight location from their quick pull down menu and instantly see which travel deals match up best with your local and final destination. If you are short on ideas for where you might like to travel next, be sure to check out the bottom section of their site to see where the latest deals were purchased from other customers.

Unlike other “discounted travel sites”, NextVacay was actually created based on the needs and experiences of real-life travelers. The story of the site was recently shared on The Ringer, where it went on to say “Naveen Dittakavi and his wife started Next Vacay after catching the flight-hunting bug. They’d seen a friend’s Facebook post about a $300 round trip from D.C. to India and they were sold. Friends noticed the couple’s frequent travels and asked how they were managing this. From that, Next Vacay became a subscription service that costs $25 a year and is personalized to members’ origin airports.”

Find a debit card without foreign fees

If you are traveling abroad, you will want to find a debit or credit card that doesn’t charge you extra fees for foreign transactions. These fees can add up to large amounts of money that can cost you far more than you bargained for.

One card that allows you to avoid these fees is the Charles Schwab card. There are actually a lot of credit cards with no international fees if you just do your homework.

NerdWallet has a great article on the best credit cards without foreign fees attached to them. The last thing you want to do is to travel while feeling limited by every purchase you make.

Get a job!

We go on a vacation to get away from work, right? But, there are many foreign countries that love to hire travelers from other countries to improve their perspective on things or get ideas from other cultures. Look into this and see if this is something you might want to do to increase the money you have available for your vacation.

If you have the time to spend working on something while you are on vacation and don’t mind trying something new, look into working abroad for a day or two per week to earn more money for your trip. Just make sure you understand the foreign exchange rate and how you’ll be paid before you take on such an opportunity.

Visit discount websites for airfare and taxi service

One way to save money while traveling is to watch your transportation budget. Paying for transportation, such as taxis and airfare, can get expensive when you are on a vacation.

It pays to hunt for transportation discounts on the Internet that can save you money. If you can save money on your travel fares, you’ll cut down your expenses substantially. In essence, you’ll have more money to spend on things you want to enjoy.

Use mobile apps to find deals

Many vacation and travel-related companies are creating mobile apps that allow you to find great deals to help you save money on food, shopping and recreation. Google can help, too. It can help you find great deals according to your location.

Apple users can use Safari to locate similar opportunities as they travel. These are onboard programs on the Google and Apple platforms.

In addition to those two, there are plenty of other apps available for travelers who want to save money while on the road. Gate Guru by Apple is one good example. It’s a mobile app that can help you locate restaurants, local hot spots and other shopping opportunities near your area when you’re traveling.

See Also: 21 Top Travel Apps and Tools 

Use the hotel extras to save on little things

Hotels leave toothpaste, soap, shampoos and body wash bottle in your hotel room. Many even leave free mouthwash and other items. There’s no need to buy toiletries like those if you’ll have them in the hotel. So, check to see what your hotel offers and leave some things at home and pack lighter.

In addition to the extra bathroom and toiletry items, some hotels offer free breakfasts that are better than some of the local restaurants. If you get up in time to enjoy it, you can save $20 or $30 per meal by eating in your hotel. Ask your desk clerk when you make reservations to see what the policies are for dining and free food.

How to Make the Most Out of Your Next Big Trip

Planning ahead is really what we’re talking about. When you look around for saving and budgeting opportunities all of the time, you’ll find lots of ways to save money. So, when you are ready to go on vacation, you’ll be ready.

Read our other travel articles to learn more about great tips on saving money when planning your next vacation. You can also run through these travel checklists for helpful tips on ways to save money while traveling abroad as well as domestic traveling tips.

Remember, when you save on airfare and travel expenses, you’ll enjoy your vacation a whole lot more. You may even have enough money left for a cool souvenir, too!

See Also: 7 Ways To Save Money When Traveling In South Africa

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