"Oh So Effective"

10 Things to do during your week off work

Things to do on your week off

Use your time wisely or before you know it the weekend will come again. Here are 10 productive things to do on your week off from work.

If you have time off work im sure you dont need to be told some things to do. However I have been reviewing some things that are important to me to increase effectiveness and during this holiday I have cleared my workload inorder to give me a running start going forward. If you want to do the same then below are 10 things to consider.

- Turn the workphone off - this one is essential, durning my week off I have had to travel to 2meetings. I have spend over 12hours on work related calls including joining 2 conference calls and my mind is still ticking. Take my advice press the red button and leave it in the cupboard.

- Plan your week – once your phone is switched off you need to make a personal to-do list, this should be in detail otherwise you may just end up putting tasks off. Then start to plan some of these tasks in your week however leave some flexibility for some fun or spontaneous tasks otherwise you may feel demotivated.

- Clean the car/house - this is a rewarding job once it is done. A good layer of wax will protect your cars paintwork and cleaning the dirt from your home will make it a more pleasant place to be.

- Re format the computer – I dont know about you, but I totally hammer my computer with crap. Every now and then it needs a good cleanout. Spend some time to re-format the computer and bring it back up to speed again. This task is not to be underestimated but it will give you a good setup going forward and allow you to be more organized again.

- Clear the inbox – whatever this may be – sending letters – replying to emails – changing your address on forms. Get all those nitty gritty tasks out of the way and you will feel much better.

- Visit friends/family – you must plan a little relax time into your holiday, why no kill the two birds with one stone and visit some friends and family.

- Make appointments – go to that dentist you have been putting off or get a haircut. These tasks have to be done sooner or later why not do them now and feel all the better for it

- Review goals – you should be aiming to get your life clear again with everything perfectly in order. Then you have the time to sit down with your goals again and asses where you are, whats gone well/wrong and make a plan going forward.

- Do something different – Someone once said “if you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got”. When you go back to work and your colleague says “hello – what did you do during your time off” what will you tell them?

- 7 days to retire – This one is a bit of a joke but every time Im on holiday I remember how good life can be and I get even more driven to become financially independent and no longer have to work in the rat race. When I go back to work the busyness can sometimes clowds this vision. During your time off if this is something that is important to you then you should make some positive steps to work towards it.

During the end of your week you will return to work, your time will be cut in half and you will have to actively manage your time and energy again to be anywhere near as productive. I think the bottom line here is: dont waste your time…

What will you do on your week off?

Tips to getting the Work/Life balance

Blog Post Disclaimer: I warn you now. The above title is a tad misleading as I am a workaholic this post is about achieving the work/work balance.

The Post: These last few weeks I have not been very good at getting the work life balance – in-fact I have been terrible. When you are working on a Career it seams the job can never be finished and it can consume your whole life.

While im not going to ignore the fact that a successful career can be very rewarding and a worthwhile investment. It is also important to consider that devoting your whole efforts into your career may only result in being stuck in the rat race forever. Therefore it it important to get the balance just right to ensure you can be fully effective in your life.

If the above sounds all work/work then you may want to maximize your work/life balance to spend more time doing leisurely activities and enjoying the rewards that life has to offer.

This week I have had off from work and it has been so nice to remember how good life can be away from the ‘grind’. Listening to music again, spending time reading, spending time writing, spending time thinking and doing all the good things that makes living worthwhile (im sure you have your own list) and I think to myself – why cant it be like this all the time.

I have decided to give this some more thought, and plan a strategy how I can become for effective to maximize the work life balance, below are my top tips:

Top Tips to getting the work/life balance
- Be an early riser – If you work at 9-5 then the brain is most active early in the morning and you can achieve a great deal of productivity during this time, however this time is spent at work. I recommend getting used to being an early riser and using the early hours in the morning to complete your most taxing of personal challenges and as Benjamin Franklin said “‘Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise’”

- Plan your work days – during your working day you will get lots of opportunities to tick off a few personal next steps. Even if this is simply to make a phone call during your lunch break or to draft a blog post.

- Use technology - technology is there to make life easier. I would be lost without my Blackberry because I can check my stock portfolio while at work, clear my inbox while at work and even write a blog post while at work. This is a fantastic tool because otherwise I would be doing all this during my home time. Although I stress this does work both ways as I find myself all to often responding to work related issues at home. As Homer Simpson says “DOH!!)

- Look after your health - if you are unhealthy when you get home all you may want to do is crash out on the sofa. If this is the case then you may need a little exercise in your life to bring back the spring in your step.

- Utilize your idle time – similar to planning personal activities to fill free moments of your working time you should also be thinking of things to fill idle time in general. For example what could you be doing in that Post Office waiting line or that Dentist waiting room? Stop spending time waiting and start spending more time doing.

- Clear the inbox – learn that tasks do not go away, they just pile up. So it is important to keep actively ontop of your to do’s – no matter how boring they are!

- Minimize travel time – I am personally traveling about 2.5 hours per day to and from work, I have learnt that if i leave and extra 2 hours early and stay late I can minimize this to around 1hour 45min. This is still a very long time to be traveling. When I add it up i think to myself what else could I do with an extra 50hours per month? The lesson learnt here is to (A) leave an extra two hours earlyer or (B) move closer to work!

- Don’t waste precious time – review how you are spending your free time. At the moment I am spending allot of time watching repeats of “only fools and houses” although i totally love the show. I think to myself – what new life experiences is this giving me? how productive am I being? and the answer to my questions is that im probably procrastinating from doing something effective.

- Do all chores on work days – If you have weekends off then its not a productive use of your time to clear the inbox, do the washing or do tasks you could have completed in the weekday evenings. You should be planning to have your chores/inbox cleared and have yourself loaded up with rest ready to hit your days off as hard as possible and get maximum effectiveness from them.

- Learn to say no – It is important to know when to say yes, and maximise your profile with your friends/family/coleagues. You should also know when to say no as you dont want your free time filled up with other peoples jobs and tasks. Remember to “only do what you can do”

- Rest – not resting and staying up late working is essential sometimes but longterm is is a false economy because it will just make you tired and less productive when you do actually have free time. If you know you have a weekend off then Wends and Thursday you should be planning to have an early night to gain a good dose of sleep leading into the weekend.

- Don’t work yourself to death - take a break from time to time, even just to clear your head. You may not feel like you are being productive but remember there is more to life than just work. I personally work very hard and even harder to work effectively so I can enjoy a good life in the years to come. But if you dont take a step back and think to yourself that you should take the time out to enjoy life then that could mean your whole substance is just work related. I hold the mirror up when I say that last comment.

Working remotely – Finding a quiet place to work other than the desk.

Location Independant

When I work I usually sit at my desk and type away. However today is a little different as the car is in the garage for a yearly service and I have idle time that I “effectively” need to fill. So I am sitting in my local library on the laptop doing some research for blog posts and writing away on notepad. I have been here for around two hours and am surprised by the amount of work that I have got done. I think because i have surrounded myself in a new environment that I have been able to be more effective.

This has got me thinking of some other environments I could use to work on my laptop to work remotely.

The Library - the library can be a good environment as its silent, has plenty of power sockets and one or two books around to aid you if necessary.

The Coffee Shop – mmm if your a slave to coffee then this environment could suit.

The Wine Bar – a nice summers day, cool glass of white wine mmmm

The Park – sitting under a tree in a lovely city park may be just the trick, its amazing what fresh air can do.

The Workplace – perhaps not the greatest of surroundings, but if you have a quiet room somewhere you may be able to complete some work and miss the traffic coming home.

The Beach – another summer idea. Just be careful not to get sand on your laptop.

The Garden – a quick and easy way to get some fresh air although be carful not to get distracted.

The Airport - an unconventional place to work but you will not look out of place sitting on a chair using the laptop, there may also be internet access.

This brings be to remember a blog that I once enjoyed reading www.locationindependent.com The writers at location independent have sold there house and possessions and work remotely from laptops living the dream. They spend there life working remotely in airports, hotels and coffee shops.

mmmm, one day perhaps?

Overcoming the Blogging Blues

This Sunday morning I log onto Wordpress and open up the Mac TextEdit ready to punch away at the keyboard and I receive a comment on the Wordpress login screen, this comment was from Shane – who said:

“An insightful and articulate post! I found this informative. You provided some great tips and awesome info! Really nice post. Very good points. I hope plenty of people see it. So far this is an incredible resource for information and Ive spent a ton of time reading. Look forward to hearing from you. -Shane”

And suddenly I remember the reason for blogging and the value it can add to the internet. That one simple comment of recognition has totally made my day. Knowing that the hard work is acknowledged and recognised has put a smile on my face.

This has then got me thinking, what are the causes for the Blogging Blues and how would I overcome these in the future, below are the findings from my pondering thoughts….

Bloggers Block – I’ve never had bloggers block (writers block) but im sure it will come sometime sooner or later. especially once OhSoEfftective starts racking up the post numbers. However like today inspiration can always come in the most random way and usually from the input of the readers.

Remember why you Blog – Its always good to think back to when you first started the blog and remember all the drive and excitement you had and re capture the reasons.

Its ok not to blog every day(or even every week – oops) – Remember its not a race, it is important to add content consistently for your readers, but its also ok to have a break once in a while.

Stop updating your blog design – This is a trap im in danger of falling into when I first uploaded the blog design I totally loved it however As Andy Wahol once said “I ‘m afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning”. The more I look at my blog design the more tempted I am to tweak or change it. Not because I dont like it but because Im so used to seeing it. Sometimes you just have to sit back and say to yourself ‘leave that mouse alone!”

Work/blog balance - Lately ive had my head burred in the sand, not seeing anything past my career life. I personally need to take a step back and ask myself how can i achieve the work life balance while still maintaining superstar performance at work? watch this space for more info….

Where are my comments – Todays comment really opened my eyes that comments will not come over night but they will come. I need to take a step back and stop reviewing my stats and stick to the basics of building a blog by writing great content and putting myself out there in the blogging community.

Manage your own expectations – For me I review my progress against the top bloggers. This can be great because it gives me good role models to aspire to however it can also be demotivating when there post a blog post and get indexed within seconds and receive ten thousand comments within hours. I must take a step back to ensure I dont get de-floated and remember that success was never built overnight.

Id like to thank all my readers, because it is the contribution from the audience that makes the whole journey worthwhile.

Understanding how the supermarket works – Shopping tips

Understanding how the supermarket functions can save you money, there are plenty of saveins to be had, and here are my top tips to finding them:

Know the reductions - Every supermarket has a reduction system, where the out-of-code products(products on todays date) get reduced, this is done to sell the products quick and lower the sections waste bill. Each store and sometimes, each department; has there own method of doing reductions. I’ll explain how the UKs leading supermarket Tescos system works:

Every evening a member of staff(usually the same person) will scan all of the products that are being reduced the next day into a PDA. The next day someone will use the PDA to reduce these products. There are two rounds of reductions the system sets, one at 25% and one at 50%, so its best to catch the time of day when there doing the 50% routine.

This may take alittle trial and error to get the timing right, but once you know how the store operates you can better choose the best shopping time to make the most savings.

Don’t be tempted by offers - Offers are just about everywhere ‘half price’ or ‘buy one get one free don’t be tempted by things that you dont need, always keep to your list and you wont go wrong.

Assess weight as well as price – Often prices don’t change week to week, but sometimes the weight will change. Always keep an eye on the weight and when assessing the price compare price per weight and compare with other products of that nature to find the best deal.

Know the Law – Know the law, if something is priced wrong – the supermarket MUST sell it to the customer for that price, or remove it from sale for the day. If a ticket price is wrong, take the item to customer service and you will get the product for that price. If not ask to use there phone to make a call to trading standards.

Also if you have been overpriced for a product, take it to customer services, they will usually give you a coupon for your trouble and if they don’t, a letter to head office will definitely get you some free money next time you shop.

Use your coupons and collect points - Always make the most of your coupons, read them correctly and if the checkout wont except them then leave the item. But never use coupons un-productivley – if you dont need the item don’t buy it just because you have a coupon. Also don’t forget to use your club-card and collect points!

Staff loyalty cards - If you have a friend that works in a supermarket, you should see if you can do your weekly shop at the same time

Be price loyal only – Don’t stick to the same supermarket because just because your accustomed to it, shop around and find a routine for the best prices for your shop. Take a notepad inside the supermarkets and assess the prices for your products. Tesco may advertise to be ‘the cheapest supermarket’ and across a wide range of products this is probably true. But there are definitely cheaper places out there still.

Consider alternatives or bulk buying – Toilet paper may be cheaper if brought from a wholesales for example, or razor blades may be cheaper on ebay, remember ‘be price loyal only’

Online shoping - If getting to and from a supermarket is expensive, consider shopping online. There is a charge for this service, but it may save you both time and money in traveling.

Add your own here – Everyone has there own way to shop, you need to find your own style and find your own methods to cut the shopping bill in half.

Why I Love Bloging – 8 reason why you can love it also

Today everybody seams to be blogging, everyone for there own reasons. I choose to blog because I feel i have knowledge to share, and also knowledge to learn; Learning is a big driver for me, and I aim to improve my writing skills. Blogs seamed a perfect productive outlet for me to practice with.

I have been reading blogs for many years now around the topics of: Design, Technology, Productivity, Business, Entrepreneurship and Finance among many others. Starting a blog of my own was a natural progression from the nights of long reading. Below are 5 reasons to love a blog

(1) The blogging journey – In life its not the end result that brings the most satisfaction it can be the journey along the way, as it is the journey where you learn, grow and develop.

(2) Additional Income – How nice is it to go to work and to know that in the back of your mind that if you lost your job you can still survive just from your blogging income. (unfortunately my blog does not earn this yet, however many others do)

(3) A Personal Journal – It is nice to have a journal where you can reflect over the day, or what you have learnt and blogging technology offers this with the added bonus of sharing your thoughts with the world.

(4) Add Value to the internet – The internet is what it is today because of the richness of the communities of people that contribute towards its existence, these include the designers, developers, writers and most importantly the readers.

(5) Meet great bunch of people – the blogging community is filled with millions of subscribers who daylie follow particular blogs, leaving feedback and offering comments and opinions on your posts.

(6) Learn new skills – blogging is simple and anyone can pick it up however it does take a learning curve and you will develop some new skills. That may be design, writing or other technical skills.

(7) Educate yourself – To blog you need to find content and topics. You also need to do some research and some thinking around a particular topic once you have done that you then teach it back to your readers via the post. From this process you learn and improve your skills and knowledge and are therefore educating yourself.

(8) Your Hobby – last but not least – everybody needs a hobby, some hobbies can cost lots of money however why not make blogging your hobby as its cheap and very rewarding.

I hope I have convinced you to also enjoy blogging as much as me. If you enjoy blogging for whatever reason then please tell me your reasons below

Quiting coffee cold turkey

One of my favourite activity’s is reading other peoples blog posts, its always good to see what other fellow bloggers are writing about and one topic i see pop up over and over again is many personal development writers are talking about how to give up coffee – and this made me think – why would anyone want to give up coffee?

As I personally love coffee, I love the smell and I love the taste. There is nothing better than waking up to a nice strong cup of coffee, I even have a favorite coffee cup that Ive owned for around 10years now. However after a few days of reserching I have realised some of the negative effects that caffeine has on our bodys, how it effects our sleep, mood, evergy levels and general health.

Since this discovery I have decided to kick the habbet cold turkey on Sunday 3rd January. So thats no coke, no coffee, no nice smooth cup of tea at work, not even a paracetamol to releave the headake that it has caused. Yep if your planning on quiting cafeeine then expect a soft long headache to follow. I have been expereinceing the following withdrawal symptoms:
- Lack of concentration
- A consistant headake
- Fatigue and more sleep required.

My headakes are starting to go, however I am yet at the stage where im feeling great and noticing the benefits. I still think my body is in withdrawal mode as this is only day 4 so hopefully ill feel better with time.

To combat caffeene I have been drinking allot more water and carry a bottle with me to sip and drink before my mouth gets dry. During the cold mornings before work I still enjoy a nice hot drink however its been hard to find a substitute as mostly all drinks contain some caffenine so I have been drinkinking a healthy cup of Wheat Grass.

Ill keep you posted on my journey for optimum effectiveness, however for now I have one problem to solve:

What the hell canI  use my 10year old coffee cup for now?

10 Ways To Make Money Offline

1. Work extra hours or get a second job – Always a good one, got a job; then work more hours. Extra income is always welcome because its income that should be going straight to paying of debt on into the savings account.

2. Become a mystery shopper - Get paid to be a customer and evaluate the quality of services. This is a good way to make money during the evening time.

3. Police ID parades - Check your local Police station to see if they need anyone for your description for an ID parade.

4. TV Extras - Contact TV shows and list yourself as a possible extra for there shows. Find out what there willing to pay.

5. Pose as a life model - Check around the art schools, art schools are always on the lookout for life models for there drawing students, this could be an extra few hours income per week. Allot do evening classes also.

6. Freelance - Its always good to have something else happening on the side, freelancing is a great opportunity if you have a talent for writing or design for example. You can market yourself your own way, or check for jobs on Elance or Guru.

7. Supermarket demonstrator - if you have a flare for presentations and selling products, consider being an internal demonstrator for products in a supermarket, this could be a good income to do on your weekend off from work.

8. Car Boot Sale - Got some old stuff to sell, consider doing a carboot sale to get rid of it. Camera equipment and baby clothing always sell well and you can often make more money selling there than using online auction sites like Ebay. Also vice versa if you have good entrepreneurial savvy then you may be able to pick up some bargains and sell them on Ebay for a profit. Hell why not – i’ve managed to purchase items full price on the high-street and make a profit on Ebay before. If you know what your looking for, opportunities are everywhere.

9. Window Cleaning - Window cleaning is another weekend side business that you could get going in your local neighborhood. Hard work at first, but once you build up some regular clients then it becomes easy money.

10. Teaching - If you have a skill, then teach it to others. Put an advert on gumtree or your local paper to teach your skill. “guitar teacher” “French Lessons” “Maths Lessons” the list is endless. Teaching like Freelancing is good because you can usually achieve an hourly rate much higher than your salary job.

The Naked Trader – Book Review

If I had to choose one stock book to read first it would be this one. It does not over complicate the market at strips it back to basics showing sound investing advice. It provides you with plenty of tools and resources to gain a good understanding of the market.

The book covers: an overview of how the markets work, trading strategies (including 10 winning strategies), knowledge of spread betting, CFDs, SIPPS, top 10 invester mistakes and provides plenty of real life examples showing the good/bad and ugly of the stock market, experienced by himself and the readers.

The Author has been a journalist and writer since he graduated in 1981 and left fulltime work in 2001 to trade fulltime. If your new to the world of investing and don’t know where to start, this book is a must. There are plenty of books out there that will promise this system or that method will bring untold riches with little effort and in no time at all. This book does none of that. It sets out in plain down to earth English and with some humour, how to slowly, surely, and with safety in mind increase your wealth by trading shares. It’s packed with common sense.

Click here to buy this book: The Naked Trader: How Anyone Can Make Money Trading Shares

Hot For Words – Strike It Rich

Hot For Words -- Strike It Rich

Hot For Words is a youtube channel with a pretty russian lady who explains the origin of words.

Sounds boring huh? normally id say yes however I cant help but flick through her videos.

Is that productive? -- Nope….. Is that Effective -- Probably not! However I cant help but admire her innovative idea to draw in a crowd on youtube…. Do you think she makes money from this idea -- YOU BET!

So question time: how would you live the life of riley?