Search results for

tech

Effective Ways to Manage a Team

Photo Source 

Whether you are managing a restaurant staff, an office staff, or something in between, managing a team is never an easy task. A lot of the time it requires navigating many different personalities, work habits, and motivations while also attempting to balance your own tasks and always keeping the goals of the company in mind. There is a lot of work that goes into getting this right, but there are some tricks of the trade out there that are aimed to help every manager no matter how seasoned or fresh they may be.

It is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

When you initially step into a new management position, it is really easy to become excited and full of ideas. It is obviously a really good thing to harness this kind of enthusiasm about your job, but it is also very important to pace yourself. Before beginning any major projects or ideas, give yourself some time to understand the role and inner workings of your team and team members to ensure complete efficiency and employee retention. As the team manager, you will not always have the luxury of time, and most of the time quick changes are essential. Taking the time to consult and understand your team will keep things running smoothly in the long run. If your big ideas are not able to be considered just yet, make a note of them and keep them in a place you will remember and come back to them once everything has settled.

Don’t be Unrealistic

In your position as manager, you will use your knowledge of the big picture to influence and direct your team toward each goal. Success is a good influencer with teams and tends to keep them engaged no matter how small the victory may seem. It can also be really discouraging for your team if you set goals that they are unlikely to meet easily. If there are policies or objectives that you wish to change, you need to understand whether you have set realistic expectations. This could mean taking a look at your budget or the workload of those who will be helping. It is important to remember, however, that even the biggest projects that can seem harder to achieve can be broken down into tasks that are easier to manage and distribute. This may take a little longer, but the little wins throughout the process will also be a great morale boost for the team.

Your Team is Your Biggest Asset

Understanding what your team members do is important if you are looking to make a change or find changes to be made. Sit down with your employees and ask them questions about their roles and suggestions they may have. After all, your employees are the ones who are at the frontline of most business operations, and they see and hear a lot. It would also be unfair to make changes to an employee’s role without understanding it fully. Keeping your employees motivated with recognition and incentive programs is a good way to ensure that they will stick with you and be reliable members of your team. It can be great to get your team out of a slump. Learning as much about your team as possible will propel you forward and allow them to feel heard and appreciated by you and the company.

Optimal Organization

Your team will only work as well as you are able to influence them. Staying organized and invested in them will keep retention rates high. In a lot of jobs, employees tend to get frustrated with a complicated scheduling system. Consider scheduling options like Sling schedule makers to keep things understandable and clear on all ends. 

It’s not just about the right programs to keep everything organized; if you have a very small business and are running the team from a remote location, ensuring your life and the home office is filed under “OO” for “optimally organized” is paramount. Ensuring you have programs like  CleanMyMac X to keep your hard drive fresh or a comprehensive anti-virus package means you can always start with a clear system. After all, there is nothing more frustrating than technical issues slowing your productivity, eating into your time and money.  

Employees also appreciate a boss who acts as a role model. If you expect them to act with great enthusiasm, it is important that you portray those same qualities otherwise motivation can tend to be lost. Keeping an open door policy and showing real care for your position will motivate and influence those below you. Learn to listen before responding, this will show your staff that you respect and genuinely care about their issues and work experience.

0 Comments

Sustainable Energy Tips To Save Money

We all know that it is hugely important to do whatever we can to save energy, as it is one of the most important tasks we face as we try to save the world. But the truth is that keeping your energy usage low is also going to be an important and useful way in which you can expect to save money, and for that reason, you will certainly find it is worthwhile to do so.

A lot of people are aware of this link between low energy usage and low cost, but not as many people really know all of the ins and outs of how to make use of that knowledge. In this post, we are going to try and make it considerably clearer how you might be able to save energy in order to save money, by looking at a few especially useful tips for doing so. You might be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to do this, and keep your financial life as stable as possible.

(Photo Source)

Keep Up The Repairs

Although it can be all too easy to allow your home to fall into disrepair in a number of ways, it is always a good idea to try and keep up with any repairs that you do have, so that you can hope to keep the energy usage low. This is of course especially important for certain items in the home which are likely to use a lot of energy but might nonetheless be very important to the proper running of the home. If you live in an area which is so hot that you need air conditioning, then you will know this situation all too well. You need to make sure that you do not allow your air-con to get into a bad state of disrepair, otherwise, it will probably not be working as efficiently as you would hope – and that will cost you dearly over time. Get a free estimate ac repair and have it looked at as soon as possible, to be sure.

Use Less

The less that you use in the first place, of course, the better, and this should, therefore, be the most important thing that you focus on. By ensuring and making a point of using less energy in the home, you can make energy-saving much easier and more streamlined, and ultimately you can ensure that you are saving money in the long term as well. This means cutting down on everything from your heating to your use of water, which you can do by focusing on it and making a point of it with your family wherever possible. You might be surprised just how much you can keep the energy usage down in this way.

(Photo Source)

Keep Track

If you are finding it hard to save energy, you will find it is probably considerably easier if you make a point of keeping track of your energy usage throughout the year. You might find there are certain triggers that cause a lot of energy use, and by looking at them you should be able to know where to save energy. This is bound to make a huge difference. Especially depending on the region of the country you reside in.

Such as energy expert and Texas native, Douglas Healy, and his work with sustainable energy advocates that focus on Mid-Western areas, like Round Rock, that play a vital role in progressing forward the much-needed discussion as to the role in the ongoing shift towards renewable energy sources will play in the decades to come, 

Friends, what roles are you playing in creating the shift to renewable energy in your own walk of life?

0 Comments

Non-Invasive Cosmetic Procedures

(Pexels)

Cosmetic procedures can be quite controversial. They can seem to go against the whole notion of natural beauty and becoming confident in your own skin. Surgical procedures can become unhealthy as people decide that they want more and more work done. However, as technology advances, there is an increase in the development of non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Non-invasive cosmetic procedures can help people to feel more confident in their own bodies without making significant permanent changes. Here are a few non-invasive cosmetic procedures that are becoming popular:

Laser hair removal

Many people spend lots of time and money on removing unwanted body hair. If the thought of shaving, waxing or epilating makes you want to yawn, then laser hair removal could be something worth considering. There is no need for you to get rid of your body hair, but if it is something that you like doing, then a permanent option may be appealing. There is some pain involved, but it is more down to the heat of the laser involved, so it is not super painful. You will not get results straight away, and you need multiple treatments, but when it is done, you only need treatments every couple of years to touch up some areas.

Laser fat removal

Laser fat removal is excellent for people who have been working hard to get down to their ideal body weight, but who are finding it difficult to get rid of unwanted fat in certain areas. It is also suitable for people who want to lose a few inches quickly without having diet and exercise. The result can be different for everyone, but it can help with those areas of fat that are difficult to smooth out with traditional methods. Taking the time to talk to the people at BodEnvy or your trusted laser fat removal company, will give you an idea of how it will work for you and if it is something that you might consider doing.

Microblading

Microblading is a semi-permanent tattoo treatment that makes your brows look great every day without having to spend time drawing them on. The consultant should create a brow shape that is perfect for your face. Microblading is different from a permanent tattoo because it does not go down to the deep layer skin. Instead, it is just on the surface. The strokes are also a lot thinner and look more natural than if you were to have them tattooed and will fade within 1-2 years. It can be an expensive process, but if you like your eyebrows to look perfect, it will save you a lot of time in the morning.

Whatever procedure you decide to go for you should ensure that you are getting it for the right reasons. You also need to ensure that the specialist that you go to is experienced and has a lot of examples and testimonies of their excellent work. Don’t choose somewhere just because they offer you a reasonable price, always ensure that you do your own research beforehand.

0 Comments

Family Financial Solutions

This post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

When you start a family, you’ll be given different pieces of advice and indeed warnings. You’ll be told that kids keep you up all night which they do. That your personal time is seriously cut down which it is. How incredible it is to have children and to love someone more than you ever thought possible. What people won’t talk to you about is the cost of having a family. That information they’ll let you figure that one out all by yourself.

Have you seen people driving around in expensive sports cars and planning luxury vacations? You can feel fairly certain those people don’t have kids. Or, if they do they have discovered the best ways to make your finances work for you when you have a family. That’s what we’re going to explore today, and we’ll start by looking at the right way to manage your budget.

Setting Up Your Big Monthly Budget

Everyone should have some sort of budget that they stick to each month or year. It will help ensure that you don’t spend more than you should and that you are able to keep those costs under complete control.

With a budget, it’s also possible to make sure that you have money in savings and that’s important. Most young couples don’t even have a thousand in savings, and that means they have no money at all for unexpected costs such as the potential bills they might have to pay. So, how do you set up your family budget the right way?

Well, you need to think about all the money you make. Include everything in this sum such as side hustles and investments. We’re going to look at both these options a little further down. Now that you have your total you need to look at your outgoings.

If you’re not sure of this, take a peek at your monthly statements. Look for patterns to give you an idea of what typically leaves your account each month. This will include food bills, energy bills, gas for the car and the list goes on.

Once you have a substantial list subtract them all. Now, take a third of the total and mark that as savings. What you have left is roughly the amount you have to spend on luxuries, unexpected costs and little things for your kids. It should be a fairly substantial amount, and that probably makes you wonder where your money goes. You definitely don’t have that much left at the end of the month do you?

Stop Overspending

It’s so easy to overspend and let’s look at the food shop as an example. By looking at your statements, you should be able to see how much on average you spend on your food each month. You want to work to cut this down as much as possible, and it’s easy to do.

One of the best ways to reduce your monthly food shop is to not be a slave for brands. We all have our favorites brands, but when you take a good hard look, you’ll see they aren’t really special at all. Offering more or less the same and when you realize that you’ll be able to look for the cheapest one every time you shop. Then, you can think about looking at vouchers and coupons online.

There are plenty of sites online like Coupons.com that provide great deals for parents looking for cheap deals on products that they buy regularly or even every time they head to the superstore.

Of course, food shopping is just one of the areas that you might be overspending where costs can be easily adjustable. Another example would be your energy bills. If you have a home full of kids then you might find it’s difficult to keep the energy bills under control.

That’s particularly true when you think about the amount of technology that you are probably using on a regular basis in your home. If you have teenagers, it’s possible that there’s a TV in each room along with a games console or computer. How do you keep the electric costs down when we’re all this tech orientated?

Well, you should be checking out the tech you purchase carefully. All tech on the market today has energy ratings. If you want to keep your energy bills low, you just need to make sure you’re buying tech with the best ratings on the market. In no time at all, you’ll find your bills are reduced down to size.

You might also want to think about getting a smart meter. With a smart meter, you’ll be able to find out exactly what is costing you the most money. That way you can replace it or take more control over how much that device is being used. But be careful of false economy saves.

For instance, if the dryer is costing you more money, don’t stuff it with clothes for fewer cycles. Ultimately, this will just lead to you needing to put it on, again and again, to get clothes dry anyway.

Kill Fixed Costs

What about the costs in your budget that are fixed? Are there ways to reduce these such as car insurance or even medical plans? Both will be essential for a family to guarantee that you have the resources needed to protect and take care of your children. The answer is that you can reduce these costs.

All you need to do is use price comparison sites. This will help you find the best deal each time you get the chance to renew these plans. For instance, you can use Gomedigap for more info on the best Medicare insurance companies to guarantee that you do get the greatest deal for your money every time. It’s important that you look at this coverage carefully to get the best savings and everything you need for your family.

Boost Your Budget

If when you look at your total that you have to spend at the end of the month, it’s less than you’d like there are ways to boost your earnings. Investments are a smart choice here, and the basic option would be a savers account that provides a high level of interest. That way a little money will be added without you even needing to try. You can look at the best savings accounts on NerdWallet.com.

Or, how about a side hustle. There are lots of choices here including working at home. When you look into these, you’ll find that the market is wide open and there are lots of available opportunities to help you make more money.

Debt Consolidation services with Mountain Ridge

Sometimes the best way to better your family finances at home can be with debt settlement plans. Financial solutions designed to help families with their finances by paying off one or more lines of credit in exchange for a loan that’s better suited to complement your financial goals.

Reasons to consolidate debt include allowing families to be able to more easily pay off your credit card balances with a personal loan that could help you save on interest, increase your credit score and change your debt from revolving to installment debt, among other benefits. Revolving debt in the form of debt that many credit cards use. Most consumer credit cards are categorized as revolving credit, and the amount you use has a considerable effect on your utilization ratio and credit score. Using consolidation services, families can more quickly pay off these sums in order to better their financial situations at home.

Debt consolidation services can also help borrowers to more quickly pay down installment debt, such as a mortgage, auto loan or student loan. By paying off your debt with a personal loan and moving your balance to a consolidated payment, families could see an increase in your score and the payment plan could help you get out of debt for good. Consolidation services can also help consumers to lower monthly payments and shorten payment terms as well. By moving all of your unsecured debt onto a personal loan, you’ll only have a single payment to make each month.

Although consolidating debt isn’t the right option for everyone and all situations, it could significantly improve your finances when it does make sense. Get started by doing your research. find out with consolidation services you may qualify for.

In order to see if your family qualifies for consolidation services, be sure to have information on-hand including the balances and rates on your credit cards so you can compare your current rates to your new options. You should also check your current debt interest rates and decide how much you want to consolidate. You don’t have to consolidate all of your cards for the convenience of a single payment. However, if all of your cards have a higher rate than your new offers, you may be able to save by combining them all. When choosing your amount, remember to check the origination fee on your loan.

With this information in mind, you can apply for consolidation services and options you like, finishing the last steps of your process is simple: after you’ve applied for the loan you desire, just verify your info and sign your loan! Once your loan is signed, you can receive your money sometimes as soon as the same day.

If you think you meet the minimum qualifications and want to pay off your credit cards or other high-interest debt, you can get started and see your options.

Friends, while family finances generally no picnic, utilizing the tips listed above can help make your finances easier to manage this season at home. And if you have any tips for bettering family finances yourself, feel free to leave those suggestions in the comments below. 

0 Comments

Your Hearing And You

Image Credit 

Looking after your health is vital, but there is one area that people often overlook when it comes to taking good care of themselves, and that is their hearing. 

Your ears are important, they bring in so much vital information to your brain and they help you to make sense of the world around you. Every day you will process millions of pieces of information, and much of this will come to you from your ears. Sounds can make you happy and they can make you sad, they can let you know when there is danger around, and they can provide you with facts. Your hearing will bring your favorite songs into your brain for you to enjoy. 

But we often just think that we’ll not experience hearing loss while we’re still young. Losing the ability to hear well is normally associated with old age. This is not the case though, hearing loss can affect you at any point in your life and you should take care when you are young to ensure you keep your hearing. 

What Are The Signs That You Have Hearing Loss

There are a few key signs to look out for that will reveal whether you have hearing loss. If you find that you miss words or phrases that people say to you often and you need to ask them to repeat themselves, this is a common sign of hearing loss. 

If you need to turn the volume on your TV higher than you used to, or you find that people complain about how loud you have it, even if you think it is a normal volume, this may mean that you have hearing loss. 

Noticing the signs of hearing loss can lead to you dismissing them, however, you should go and visit an audiologist to get your ears tested. 

What Does An Audiologist Do?

When you visit an audiologist they will make an assessment of your hearing to see if there is any damage or infection causing your hearing loss. They will test your hearing to see the full extent of your hearing loss and get an idea of what you can actually hear. 

They will then make recommendations of hearing aids if needed and then help you set it up. An audiologist can also able to help with supplying and replacing hearing aid batteries.

Taking Precautions To Avoid Hearing Loss

Preventing hearing loss means doing your best to take care of your ears. Avoid listening to very loud music, especially through headphones. Check out the information from the manufacturer of your headphones or music device to find out about the safe volume levels. 

If you work or spend a lot of time in noisy places such as construction sites or factories, then you should make sure you make use of protective wear that is provided. Visit the doctor if you ever get an ear infection or a blockage and get it treated as soon as possible to avoid further problems.

0 Comments

Saving Do’s and Don’ts When Online Shopping

Image Source

Shopping online is a fantastic way to save money. There are many different techniques you can use to save when you’re shopping online, and you could save yourself a lot of money. One thing to remember is that not all advice for saving money is as good as the next piece of advice. Some methods for saving might seem like a good idea but they can turn out to be a bit of a disaster in hindsight. There are some things you should do and some that you shouldn’t if you want to save online. Take a look at just a few of them.

Do Look for Vouchers and Discounts

Most online stores will allow you to input a voucher code to help you save money. In fact, they will often send these codes straight to your inbox if you sign up for their newsletter. Some of them will also tell you which codes to use on the website itself. If you’re not sure if any discount codes are available, you can use a browser plug-in that lets you search for any that you can use. It will ensure you’re not missing out on any discounts so you can save the maximum amount possible.

Don’t Buy from Sketchy Sellers

If you search for a product online, you can compare prices from different stores. This will sometimes come up with sellers that have the item you want at a much cheaper price than elsewhere. However, buying from a seller you’re unfamiliar with may not be such a great idea. The availability of gray market watches means you can save money on big brands, but it also means you’re buying from a seller that’s not approved by the watch designer. The best thing to do is to choose trustworthy online stores with secure payment processes and reliable delivery.

Do Compare In-store and Online Prices

Is it always cheaper to buy online instead of going to a store? It can be, but it’s not always the case. If you want to make sure you’re getting a better price online than you are in a brick-and-mortar store, you should visit the store so that you can compare. A great trick to use is to tell a customer service representative that you have found a cheaper price either in-store or online. Many brands will promise to match or beat prices so you can save money this way.

Don’t Buy Too Cheap

You have probably heard the phrase “buy cheap, buy twice”. While a cheap offer on a product can be tempting, it can also mean that you receive an inferior product or poor service. If you want to get it right the first time, it’s usually better to spend a little bit more money. It will help you to ensure that you receive a quality product, and it can be useful if you need any extra help from customer support.

You can choose many ways to save online, but not all methods are equal. Before you buy anything, consider your saving methods carefully.

0 Comments

3 Debt-Free Ways For Adults To Afford To Go Back To School

Please note, this post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions are my own. Thank you.

 

scholarships

More adults than ever are returning to college to get their bachelor’s or master’s degrees to advance their careers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an estimated 8.1 million students age 25 and older attend college will enroll in colleges and universities across this nation and matriculate this fall. With that number expected to grow by a whopping 18% percent by 2025.

While completing a degree can help you progress in your career field of choice, it can be quite expensive. With many adult students thinking that their educational pursuits may be out of reach due to their financial circumstances at home. Leavings struggling students heavily reliant on student loans and the racking up of debt.

However, as many adult students are considered demographically as nontraditional attendees, you might be eligible for debt-free financial aid and financing options. With the largest percentage of these options being easy-to-apply for scholarships for adults going back to school. Options that can reduce the cost of attending college and limit how much student loan debt you take on.

If you’re looking to go back to school as an adult student, here are the steps you should take to get started:

Complete the FAFSA

If you’re thinking of going back to school, the first thing you should do is complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The U.S. federal government, colleges, and universities will need to review your FAFSA in order to give you access to federal grants, loans, and work-study programs.

Search for Grants

Grants can be some of your best friends when it comes to financing your way back to school. Various grants are offered by the federal government and individual colleges and universities to nontraditional students. Since these are grants and not loans, they will not need to be repaid. Check with your local social clubs in your area, such as Civitans, your workplace’s HR department, as well as your university and colleges bursar’s department for available grant opportunities. Federal opportunities also exist, including the Federal Pell Grant. A need-based grant for undergraduate students of any age who can demonstrate financial need, with the average recipient receiving $5,920, as of January 2018.

For teaching professionals going back to school, you may also qualify for the federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. Funds that can be applied to help you receive your Master’s, online and through traditional programs. Keep in mind, some grants will require you to finish your program as a full-time student to avoid grant repayment. And remember to apply early as grant funding may be limited.

Apply for Scholarships

Because college costs a lot more than it used to, the economy stinks, and state support for students has decreased substantially, applying for scholarships is a must for adult students returning to college. Scholarships also have benefits beyond finances including opportunities to network with college and university admissions officers and possible mentorship opportunities as well. This is why applying for scholarships is key to affording to go back to school.

Searching for scholarships can occur by searching for scholarship organizations and foundations as well as by seeking funding from scholarships funded by familiar sources, such as workplace opportunities, but I often find that business professionals often offer the most competitive scholarship opportunities available across the boars.

Currently, there are several awesome scholarships available to help you on your road to debt-recovery including the following:

Be sure to apply to receive a chance to receive the above-mentioned scholarships this season. Keep in mind, most will require a heartfelt 500-word essay. But don’t let this deter you because every little bit helps when it comes to building your debt-free tomorrow!

Friends, those are the 3 steps to help you start the process of financing your journey back-to-school this season. Now I want to ask, will you be going back to school this year and which of these great scholarships will you apply to? Share your thoughts below!

scholarships

0 Comments