4 Time Management Tips for Professionals

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Tips for Professionals|4 Time Management Tips for ProfessionalsAre you the type of person who feels like they need more hours in the day? Have you heard the saying: work smarter, not harder? What can you do to ream more time out of your day?

Instead of working yourself well over your allotted time, you need to learn the value of your time and plan appropriately. Structuring your day, and often relinquishing control over your duties can help maximize your time.

You should know your limits. When there’s a leak in your bathroom, you would call a plumber, right? At work, you might expect a professional like a customs brokerage or an attorney to take care of difficult tasks so you can focus on your work. If you adhere to this order in your daily life, you can create some beneficial habits.

Plan Early

First things first: get yourself a monthly planner! A monthly planner will help you to plan out your entire week in advance. If you have never sat down and planned out your whole week, you will want to start small.

If you are a working professional, the chances are that you are using a service company scheduling software and it’s keeping you busy. You might have meetings planned, personal appointments, or critical deadlines to meet. Any plans in motion are the place where you need to start. As soon as a new plan pops up during your work, you need to immediately write them down.

Research has shown that writing something by hand solidifies the information into your memory up to 30% faster.

Plan for Work-Life Balance

You might feel like every minute of your day is planned out to the minute. In that case, you want to set some time aside at the end of the day for some rest and relaxation. Otherwise, a massive burnout is approaching.

Set aside an hour at the end of the day where you’ll do only what you want to do and not what you need to do. If that means writing down any niggling ideas you have for work the next day, this could be beneficial for your stress level. It is always better to have your stressors written out—then it is like a promise to yourself to complete and cross off the task.

Don’t Let Your Day Control You

When you are feeling overwhelmed, grab your planner. Separate your day into 10-to-30-minute chunks. Compile a list of your high priority tasks, like deadlines or meetings, and categorize them into these chunks.

It could help if you try to do some more manageable tasks first to get your mind into a workflow, but doing this won’t let those more difficult tasks fall to the back of your mind.

Learn to Be Present

With the rise of social media, we have distractions at genuinely every point of the day. If you work in a fast-paced work environment, you might continuously be inundated with work emails or phone calls. This could seriously distract you from some of your more important work tasks.

Our loss of interest and distractions are the most pressing reasons for time management struggles. It is important to ground yourself in between these high-stress moments and keep yourself on track. One great way to do this is to set a timer or an alarm to stay aware of your time and keep your mind on the present moment. You might even want to consider pausing your notifications when you’re working on more pressing tasks!

Things You Need to Consider When Buying a New or Used iPhone.

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Buying a IPhone|Things you need to consider when buying a new or used iPhone.When it’s your first time shopping for an iPhone or you want to replace your old iPhone, these are the tips you require to make the right choice. Not only will the new iPhone be your companion, but it will showcase your style until you need a new one.

The best time to buy an iPhone

Most people believe that the best time to buy an iPhone is when Apple announces a new iPhone. That’s not the case since you will pay more on the launch day compared to later prices. This is as a result of discounts offered by retailers on the phones. iPhone barely vary in price when they are rolled over to the next year as a low-cost alternative. For example, the iPhone 7 and 8 prices were reduced by $100 since the iPhone XR and XS launch. Hence, you are sure to get a good deal no matter the iPhone you choose.

When you wait for apple event day, your preferred Phone is likely to get discounted since most retailers try to clear the few units.Meanwhile, some companies offer deals where you can exchange your current iPhone with a new version. However, the sooner you buy a new iPhone, the longer it takes for your iPhone to become dated.

Find out your storage needs.

Most android phones allow you to use microSD cards to add storage; iPhone never has. Thus it would be best if you decided on the capacity that you require. The latest models come with a 64 GB space, which is enough if you won’t store dozens of movies or albums on your phone. If you require 128GB, 256GB, or 312GB, you probably know it since they are mainly used by creative professionals or those with content habits.

Buy sim free

You can shop around and do the math for the best deals. Whatever deal you’re looking at, the same provider will sell a similar SIM-only package, and purchasing your new phone from Apple and adding a monthly payment contract almost always works out cheaper. You’ll have that option, too, if you prefer to pay as you go.If you can find a refurbished old model, the difference could be even more significant. And there are several SIM-only plans on a month-long basis so that you can turn at any time. Only make sure that your tariff explicitly supports the iPhone and includes features such as tethering if required, without additional fees.

However, if you don’t have all the money, when you go to the Apple Store in person and agree to a credit check, Apple provides 20 months of interest-free credit (via Barclays). Buy your phone with cash and shop around for a SIM-only contract without a credit check if your credit score may be an issue.

Consider a refurbished phone.

iPhones are not among the refurbished items offered by Apple, but some, including the large phone stores and networks, do. Read the small print: there will be scratches, scuffs and chips in the lower grades of refurbishment, but it will be completely usable, while the highest grade typically means a handset has been returned almost untouched. You’re going to get a guarantee, and your contractual rights still apply, even though your fair standards are not going to be exactly the same as brand new ones. However, on contract, for networks overpricing refurbished phones. Google to see what refurbishments sell for elsewhere for the same model, then equate the deal to a SIM-only tariff.

Add AppleCare+

When you buy an iPhone from Apple, AppleCare+ is an optional bonus, and you can also buy it from Apple for a brand new iPhone you purchased elsewhere. For iPhone X, XS or XS Max or £ 149 for other current versions, the basic package costs £ 199 and offers a two-year warranty with tech support via chat or phone.

Suppose you are thinking about buying a used iPhone. You should check if a new version of iOS is running or that it can be upgraded to (iOS upgrades are free). Scroll down on Apple’s iOS page to find the devices that are compatible with the version currently featured (which is either out now or about to appear at the time of writing, iOS 12). Don’t buy an iPhone that can’t run this because you’re setting yourself up to discover features that are not available or compatible with other purchases you need.

Conclusion

The iPhone is a fantastic device and everyone wants one, but it’s not cheap, and it is rarely sold. Hence, if you want to buy a iPhone without paying the full price, your best choice might be to purchase a used iPhone.The purchasing of used or refurbished iPhones saves some money, however, trade-offs can come with them. If you’re considering purchasing a used iPhone, along with some suggestions on where to find a deal, here are nine items you need to review before buying.

Ways Of Helping Your Parents After They Retire

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Ways Of Helping Your Parents After They RetireAt one point in our lives, everyone will get older and dace their own challenges. But with many of us wondering how we can help out parents when they get older. However, with just a few simple steps, it is possible to make sure you are financially stable whilst helping your parents. In this article, we will be providing you with a few simple ways that you can successfully aid your parents in achieving a peaceful retirement.

Don’t Be Afraid To Talk About It

When you are looking to help your parents after they retire, it is important to make sure that you have an open line of communication. Though it may seem strange or even difficult to talk about the later years of their lives with them, this will help you to sort out important things such as care homes should they need it and even funeral arrangements. By having these conversations and ensuring that you are prepared and have a will in order will prove hugely beneficial as difficult as it can be this is vital to keep you happy.

Make Sure Finances Are In Order

In addition to an open line of communication, it is important to make sure that the finances are in order. Whether this is paying off all the outstanding debt that you have or taking the time to put together a savings account to pay off the mortgage a bit faster, this will all help to ensure that your family are happy when it comes time for them to eventually retire.

Consider A Care Home Or At Home Care

Though there are several elements that you need to consider, perhaps one of the most important is the care that they may need as they get older. Though we would love to believe that we can look after ourselves as we get older this is sometimes not always the case. Therefore, looking into some of the care homes Chelmsford options as well as other care homes in the UK, these should be compared to at-home care to determine which is right for you. Though this will take time to show around for, this can provide several benefits throughout retirement.

Consider The Future Of Their Condition

Though this is something that may be hard to think about it is also important for you to consider any medical conditions that they have. Whether this is arteritis or dementia or another disease that worsens over time, it is important to make sure that you have a plan in place should their conditions worsen. Though this may or may not happen, it is important to make sure that you have a -plan to make sure they are getting the care that they need should they become really ill in the future and you be unable to look after them.

With this in mind, there are several elements for you to consider when it comes to helping your parents throughout their retirement, regardless of the savings that you have at the time. Where will you begin?

3 Tips to Take Charge of Your Finances

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 3 Tips to Take Charge of Your FinancesIf you feel as though you’re not doing enough to save and plan for the future, you’re probably right that you could be doing more. It’s surprisingly common for people to let years elapse before making any life changes that will affect their financial status. In many cases, people simply aren’t able to exercise forward thinking because their expenses are continually in excess of what they earn. The cost of living continues to rise, yet wages remain fairly static. Nevertheless, even when people aren’t earning enough to pay for basic necessities, they often put money towards less important expenditures. Also, they don’t look for savings where they can or make an active effort to achieve better financial health. They simply accept that money is tight and they give up on trying to effect change.

Despite the difficulty of making changes or the realities of having to go without the things that you want, there’s a lot that you can do to take charge of your finances. You can start by viewing material about financial wellness for women that might give you an edge on saving. Small steps towards being more attentive to spending and saving will ultimately give you better control of your financial future.

1. Preserve Your Credit

Even if you’re not planning on buying a home or taking out a loan, your credit score can be a huge factor in your overall financial health. When you apply for a new higher paying job, a poor credit score may be a red flag to a hiring manager. If you want to move into a more affordable apartment, poor credit may make you an unappealing tenant. Furthermore, your credit score can subject you to higher interest rates on monthly expenses such as your credit cards or car payments. Make it a point to check your credit regularly so you can stay on top of any reporting mistakes. Pay your bills on time, and avoid letting outstanding account balances fall into collections.

2. Plan Ahead

Even when you have a lot of outstanding expenses, you still need to think about savings. Having some money put away is extremely important to your financial security. You need two different types of savings accounts. First, you need a rainy day fund that can go towards emergency expenses or help you withstand a sudden loss of income. Second, you need to save as a part of your retirement planning. Although retirement may still be many years away, your efforts to plan for it now will have a considerable impact on when you can retire and how comfortably you can live when you do. Determine what percentage of your income you can set aside each month for both accounts, and don’t deviate from your savings plan.

3. Avoid Frivolous Spending

It’s okay to get yourself some of the things that you want, but you simply can’t buy everything that you want. Put some reasonable limits on unnecessary expenditures. In particular, it’s essential that you don’t spend more for things than you really need to. Avoid paying full price for items that you can purchase at a discount by shopping around or waiting for a sale.

Tips To Keep Your Files Organized

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |file organization|Tips To Keep Your Files OrganizedSearching for files takes time. And that time is, for many, money.

Keeping yourself organized means you need to get your digital files in order too. You have a lot of options too. You can use computers to store things; others use an HDD, cloud, or are considering implementing electronic document management.

Before you can have your best-organized self, you need to note down your requirements. If you have a team, then you probably need to consider the ability to work in a collaborative manner.

Why organization matters

Your documents for work will contain sensitive data; it will contain details of the work you have done, the work you need to do, and more. Keeping them well organized will mean that you can find everything quickly.

It isn’t uncommon to misplace files or need more than a moment to find something. That time is valuable and being wasted.

Folder

This is so simple, but so many people simply don’t do it. At the start of each project, create a folder, and name it something that is related to the project. It can be the name of the client you are working for or anything else that makes sense.

Files

Make sure that your files are as well named as your folders. This will mean if you need to use the search function, you will find everything quickly.

Nesting

If you have a long term client, then it is a good idea to nest your folders. Have a single folder with multiple folders within it. You can break that down further by adding years or months to each of the folders within. This will avoid having ophan files or not being able to find something.

Monthly File Sorting

Once a month, take a look at your files and decide if you still need them. You can email clients and let them know that their files will be deleted within the next two weeks. Or you can compress the files and put them on a hard disk drive.

This allows you to use your computer memory for files you need currently.

Business files should most often simply be transferred as the work can be pulled out for new projects and research.

Cloud

There are several cloud services that you should consider. Some have bigger bonuses than the others.

Sync – Sync is quick and lets you share your files on any device quickly. You have the ability to control passwords, expiry dates, upload capacities, and email notifications. Your clients don’t need Sync to be able to access a link that you share either.

The free storage is limited to 5GB.

CloudUp – This is a very easy store and share option. You can upload or any form and then share the files with a simple link.

The free storage has 200GB.

Slack – Slack can double up as a communications tool too. You can work with your team, share files.

The free storage is 5GB.

All of them have upgrade possibilities, with varying costs and abilities.

Your file organization can save you time and money – when it really counts.