When it comes to balancing our budget we’d all love to be able to save more money. Most people use budgeting apps to help stay on top of their finances. These apps are great, but they mostly just tell you how much you’ve spent and how much more you have left for the rest of the month. I’m a big believer that anything can be made better with a plan and saving money is no exception. Here are some ways to stay organized and save money. Read more
I’ve always loved office supplies, notebooks, pens, highlighters – you name it I go crazy for it. If you’re an organizational nerd like me you probably can identify. But for some reason pencils, in particular have always been my thing. I write with pencil pretty exclusively and only use pen when I’m writing a check or filling out a greeting card.
The main problem with being such a pencil fanatic is that it’s hard for me to find the perfect pencil. Typically I use mechanical pencils but I’m very particular because I’m a lefty and we have a smudge problem when we write.
Imagine my excitement when my mother told me that she heard about a pencil only store on the Lower East Side of Manhattan called CW Pencil Enterprise. Given my affinity for pencils I was intrigued and had to visit.
Part of my routine when I walk to work is to listen to podcasts. It’s my favorite thing to do. They often inspire me with new ideas or I’ll pick up some interesting tips. However when I listened to this podcast it stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Reply All” (one of my absolute favorites) starts out telling the story Alex Blumberg, CEO of Gimlet Media (which produces the podcast) getting his Uber account hacked. This wasn’t such a problem for me, as I don’t even have an Uber account but I continued to listen. I protested them a long time ago when they first started out because they stole my credit card information. But I digress.
Back to the podcast – the story itself is a little frightening because not only does Alex have his account hacked but the hacker also covers up all his tracks. Once the hacker has treated himself to a few free Uber rides in Russia he manages to delete the account without any trace. Even though Alex’s credit card was charged, when he calls up Uber they have no record of him.
So how did the hackers get into his account? Read more
Here’s something interesting that most people don’t know:
Each of us has a specific two-hour window every day when – thanks to certain physiological processes – we’re naturally TWICE as productive as normal. Not only that, but our cognition is sharper, too.
Remember the last time you were in the zone? Chances are, it was during this two-hour window.
I know my peak time starts around 11am, I need some time to get settled into the day and then I’m ready to get down to work.
Knowing when you’re at your peak performance can help you in so many ways. You know precisely when to do your most important work. Better yet, you could set an alarm and wait for it to ring before diving into tasks that are essential for getting ahead.
Why? Because then, without even trying and tapping into your personal productivity style, you’d perform at a higher level and, ultimately, do a better job. You’d finish faster, leave work earlier, and arrive home with more energy at the end of the day.
This two-hour window occurs at a different hour for each of us.
It’s hardwired into our neurology. Read more
Whatever project you have in mind, whether it’s writing a book, planning a big dinner party or starting your own side hustle, these big ideas can quickly become overwhelming. Thinking about all the work you have left to do can make you feel like giving up before you even begin..
To help me feel less overwhelmed I use a little trick called “backtiming.” This is a concept I picked up from my day job as a TV news producer. If your show finishes at 11pm, that’s it, you can’t over run. So to make the news work on time we start with the end in mind and work backwards. This guarantees that you’ll finish on time.
This method has multiple real world applications, if you’re a whiz in the kitchen you probably use this method to ensure all the various elements of your dish will finish at the same time. You can also use backtiming to plan out your future goals. For more on how backtiming works check this out.
It also helps to break up your goals into smaller, more manageable pieces. You can focus on one of these lists at a time to prevent yourself from getting distracted by all the other pieces of the puzzle. Read more