Easy Meals to Get on the Table Quickly

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Fresh vegetarian pasta (2528005054)

Fresh vegetarian pasta (2528005054) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you are having a crazy-busy work day the last thing you want to do when you come home is slave away in the kitchen to make a decent meal. I know when I’m mentally exhausted from the day, I don’t want to think anymore, so I end up ordering out and spending way too much money. To kick the dine-out habit, I found some awesome quick and easy meals to make that require little ingredients and not too much brain power!

Here’s my list:

1. Avocado Chicken Salad:

Ingredients: 2 cups of shredded chicken, 1 avocado, 1/4 cup of diced onions, juice from half a lime, 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (optional), 1 tablespoon of basil leaves.

Preparation: Just mix everything together well and you have a yummy meal 🙂 (recipe from Real Food Enthusiast)

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Get Motivated With A Productivity Playlist

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By now you’ve probably heard about the Coachella festival. I can’t avoid it — it seems like all my favorite celebs (like Giada) are there soaking up the sun and listening to some amazing tunes.

Coachella is an awesome annual music and arts festival that has been going on since 1999. This year’s festival inspired me to make up my own productivity playlist.  Listening to music can get you pumped up to get the mundane everyday to-do’s done, while having fun!

ListProducer Productivity Playlist

1. Happy – Pharrell Williams
2. Crazy in Love – Beyonce
3. Feelin Alright – Joe Cocker
4. Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel
5. Burn – Ellie Goulding
6. Everyday — Dave Matthews Band

7.White Noise – SimplyNoise.com (Sometimes all you need is to drown out everything around you!) Read more

Being Productive Outside

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Studying outside Burrows

Studying outside Burrows (Photo credit: pennstatenews)

Being stuck in a stuffy office all day can totally kill your productivity. Sitting at your desk for eight hours (usually even longer) and only moving a few feet to get a another cup of coffee or hit the break room for lunch isn’t enough mental stimulation. A change of scenery and some fresh air is all you need to get the juices flowing again!

So here are some ways to get outside of the office yet still be productive:

1. Walking Meetings: A colleague of mine is always asking me to meet her for a “walking meeting.” I thought that this was a a really strange request but once I tried it I really loved it. It gets you out of your chair, offering a great break, but at the same time you are still getting things done. Note taking can be a challenge though so make sure to reserve this type of meeting for certain topics only.

2. Have Lunch Outdoors: Instead of sitting in the break room, take your lunch outside with you.  Or try something different and get to that little cafe you’ve always wanted to test out.  I love eating alone at restaurants — I know a lot of people don’t enjoy it but I love taking my time, ordering whatever I want and enjoying some peace and quiet.  If you’re using your lunch break to continue working — bring your laptop with you and enjoy the sunshine or if it’s rainy head to Starbucks or somewhere with free WiFi.  A new perspective could be all you need.

3. Talk A Lap Around the Block: If your eyes are starting to flutter mid-afternoon — get up!  If you get your body moving it will wake you up. You don’t need to take a long break, five minutes is all you need to get your blood moving and your brain working!

4. Bring the Outdoors to You: If your office isn’t really in an area equipped for a quick walk, you can bring the outdoors inside. Decorate your office space with some real plants and flowers.

Now hop out of your chairs and go get some fresh air!  Let me know how it felt to take a break and enjoy Mother Nature.

How To Be A Team Player

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Business Meeting

Business Meeting (Photo credit: thetaxhaven)

Working on projects with co-workers isn’t always a walk in the park. There’s always the slacker, or the Negative Nancy, or maybe you just can’t seem to find your place within the group.

1. Break the Ice: Working with new people for the first time can be a little awkward. Whether it’s your first day at a new job, or you’ve never worked with certain employees before, it’s always good to get to know one another. Before you dive into work, grab coffee or dinner with your team. This will reduce tensions, and reduce the small talk when it really is time to get down to business. Here’s a list to get the conversation flowing

2. Remember Your Strengths: Everyone within the group should bring something to the table. Just because you may not be the most outspoken doesn’t mean you don’t belong. Don’t forget why it is that you are a part of the team, and let your personal strengths shine through.

3. Be Reliable: Don’t make promises that you can’t keep! This will make others loose faith in your abilities and your ideas won’t carry as much merit. Also make sure you are always on time – time management is key.

4. Schedule Group Meetings: Things go so much smoother if meetings are planned out. Make a checklist of key points to hit, what everyone should accomplish, and what the next goal for the group is. Meetings can easily fall short if they aren’t organized. The same goes for conference calls – here’s how to make them more productive!

5. Confront The Slacker: The best way to deal with a difficult person in the group is to confront the issue head on. Be honest about the problem, but don’t be insulting or negative. That will just cause tension and awkwardness. Most of the time the person doesn’t even realize they are creating a problem in the first place and are happy to readjust the situation.

6. Stay Positive: No matter the situation is it always essential to keep your head up and stay positive! One bad day at work doesn’t mean that the project is turning into a disaster. Things happen, good and bad, and the group just needs to stay on the same page through it all.

How do you play nice on a team at work?

Is Binge Watching Hurting Your Productivity?

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Television remote control

Television remote control (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Binge Watching” = The act of consecutively watching television shows online for hours.. many, many, hours.

I’ve fallen victim to this illness various times, and I know I’m not alone! I mean how can you not binge watch when Netflix has every episode of the best shows ever  – including one of my personal faves Breaking Bad?  Even ABC Go dedicated an entire week of their online service to binge watching. They posted all of their shows’ seasons, which they have never done before.

As awesome as it is to catch up on a show or throw yourself into an entirely new one, this “addiction” can seriously get in the way of your productivity. Because episodes continue one after the other you can totally lose track of time and the next thing you know you’ve been sitting on your couch for six hours.

So here is my list on how to balance your binge watching and your to-do’s!

1. Make It A Game: When I know that I have things to do, but I am dying to catch up on my shows I make a little competition with myself. I set my goals for the day and then I will reward myself with an episode or two if I accomplish all my work. Two or three checks off my to-do list equals admiring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for an hour. Not a bad payoff, huh?
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