Life Tips Daily

Good morning!

It’s been a while but work has been kicking my butt-both jobs as a matter in fact. It makes me wonder how those people who start a business that eventually moves to being their primary gig manage do it. You know who I’m talking about: the person who works at her full time 40 hours a week desk job, while doing web design on the side at nights and on the weekend, or the person who combines a full time job with a part time job, making their work week 60 hours a week-or more.

Although I have two jobs (Full time job + part time job of 12-15 hours a week), there are people who manage to fit much more into their weeks. How do they do it? I don’t know for certain but here are some helpful tips for those of you who are considering taking on a second job.

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Let’s go back to Your Turn for this week, because I have two work-related questions for you that have been asked by me and others over the last while. What do you think of the following:

1. How much notice should you give an employer before leaving for a new job? Is this answer affected by terms under which you decide to leave? Does your answer depend on what industry you work for?

2. You work in an office where you share some appliances (coffee maker, fridge, toaster, kettle). There are rules in place for the operation of this equipment, including cleaning up after yourself. How do you deal with a coworker who constantly breaks the rules?

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If saving money for Christmas is something that you find yourself starting at the last minute, here are some tips to make the money you have go further, or tips to save up a little bit more before you get around to shopping.

Cut out the treats
If you’ve been indulging a little too regularly in that after lunch coffee from that expensive coffee shop, cut the habit in half or a quarter. Take the money you would have spent and put it in your Christmas money jar. The best part is you’ll appreciate the treat of coffee far more since you’re not getting it every day. You might not save up a bundle but I guarantee you’ll have just the right amount for stocking stuffers, or one medium sized gift.

Work more
Nobody likes to do this but if you work somewhere where you can take on a few extra hours, start now rather than a month before Christmas. If you work just five extra hours a week at a retail job for 4-6 weeks (and you live in North America), you should be able to earn $100-$200, if not more. If you work in an industry that allows you to receive tips, the holiday season might make people more generous than usual.

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Were you wondering when tomorrow would come? Sorry about that: I blinked and Tuesday was gone in a flash. So, are you ready to have the most organized Christmas season you’ve ever had? Ready to make frazzled friends and family members green with envy as you flit through the holidays with a smile on your face and a spring in your step?

Today we’re going to talk all about organizing yourself. Because we all have such diverse families and friends and traditions during the holiday season, it’s hard to hit upon one set of tips that’ll work for everybody. Generally, the larger your family and group of friends, the more organizing is needed (which I’m sure comes as no surprise to you from past experience!). One tool that will help you stay organized during this busy season is a calendar. Along with the decision to use a calendar, you must commit to referring to it regularly, and recording all invitations and plans in it too. Otherwise, it’s just a useless piece of paper.

Get yourself a calendar with nice large boxes for each day for the months of November and December (at least). If January tends to be busy, then print out one for January too. If you’ll be using a two calendar system, your second calendar should be one that is broken down by day into 30 minute or 1 hour increments. In the first calendar, write all the events you have committed yourself to, in the second you can figure out the logistics: if you need two hours to bake the cake you’re taking to the potluck, you may want to make a note of that. Or, if you have multiple events in a day, the second calendar will give you a better idea of how you’re going to juggle all the demands on your time (and person). The second calendar will also let you know if you have 2 hours to drop by at a coworker’s open house (the one you received an invitation for at the last minute).

The large calendar should be posted in a prominent location in the house where you’ll pass it frequently, glance at it and be reminded of your obligations. The weekly calendar should be the one you carry with you, the one you refer to when someone tries to invite you to their daughter’s recital and is wondering if you’re free that evening.

Now some of you might prefer to use electronic calendars, the type found on Outlook or on gmail. and that’s fine. Call me old fashioned but nothing beats filling in a calendar by hand for me—I like seeing my busy schedule on paper for some reason. And the bonus is at Christmas time, when the kids are getting excited over their advent calendars, you can make yourself a colourful calendar…and then eat some chocolate after each update. It’s almost like having your own advent calendar!

Christmas is just around the corner (don’t be fooled by that month called November: it will be over before you know it). It is pretty amazing how many events get crammed into the final month of the year—parties, potlucks, dinners, gift exchanges, numerous shopping trips to buy the perfect gift, get togethers with friends and family that you don’t seem to have the opportunity (or inclination) to socialize with the rest of the year. If you’re anything like me (and I hope you’re not), you probably start thinking about Christmas in October, then do nothing until December 9 or 10, and then feel like you’re in a losing race for the rest of the month. Your plans to host a party or dinner have to be abandoned because you just don’t have enough time. You may also end up double booking yourself or booking yourself for four parties in five nights which, when you’re not 19 anymore, is hard on your body.

I’ll be sharing a few tips to help you have a more enjoyable Christmas season today and tomorrow. Today’s tip is:

Start early
A friend of mine swears that you can never start planning too early for Christmas and I used to scoff at this. I’ve realized that it’s true: from buying decorations, gift wrap and other supplies (disposable plates, cutlery, napkins, etc) during the Boxing day or post-Christmas sales to asking family members for their wishlists at the end of the summer (or earlier!), the more time you give yourself to get ready, the more money you’ll save because you’ll actually be able to buy gifts when they go on sale rather than during the times where the demand is largest, meaning that not only are things more expensive, but the quantities are limited). Starting early means that you can afford to take the time to buy gifts that you’re confident that the recipient will like, because you’re not panicking and picking up the first thing that comes into your field of vision. You may even discover that you enjoy shopping, since it’s the unhurried leisurely variety, rather than the scenario of struggling to get through a crowded mall. The available selection is also larger earlier on in the season, so the chances of you getting exactly what you wanted to buy are much higher.

Tomorrow we’ll look at how to organize all the events you are involved in during the holiday season.

Since I don’t often receive dilemmas for my usual Friday feature, Your Turn, I may instead start featuring blogs that I think make the world a better place.

If you’re seeking inspiration on how to live a happier life, be a kinder person or improve yourself somehow, I recommend you visit the following bloggers.

Andrea Scher of Superhero Journal (I know, I’ve mentioned her before )
This blogger is blessed with the ability to capture beautiful scenes on camera, but the words she adds to her entries are just as powerful as the images. I still have a question she asked last week in my head: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Think about it: what would you do if you knew it would be a success, that you would succeed. Would that completely change the path you’re on? What would you do differently?

I will stop there, because the possibilities that my answers bring up are so exciting. Think of how many more brilliant ideas would be in the world if people weren’t afraid to try.

Sherry of Sage and Thyme
I recently discovered Sherry’s blog when she stumbled across Getting Crafty. As an inspiration, one does not have to look much further: a breast cancer survivor, Sherry writes with an optimism and way of looking at the world that makes you smile. Her mission statement on her site, is the following:

It is my hope that the thoughts, ideas and memories that I share here will inspire, encourage and offer comfort and strength. If something I have shared stays with you and makes a difference in your life, then my goal and my purpose for being here has been achieved.

and she does this through the words on her site, but that’s not all. When she leaves a comment on your blog, or responds to you by email, you feel like she’s talking to you in person. Her messages are always encouraging, with a goal of making its recipient feel special. She has a warmth about her that is palpable.

Another blogger whose photography and words (usually not very many) are captivating is Chookooloonks. She designated her blog as a Kind Blog and encouraged others to do so with their own blogs. By displaying the Kind Blog button on your site, you declare that you will never intentionally hurt anyone on or through your blog, and that you hope to make someone’s day a bit better after they click away from your site. Spreading positivity on the internet is a great idea that has caught on.

If you’re seeking positive insight into life, you can’t do much better than checking out these blogs. If you’ve found a blog that has made your day, please share it in the comments below.

While smoking is a well known bad habit, flossing is one that most don’t think too deeply about: if they floss, great, if not, the world won’t end, nor will they drop dead of some horrid disease…or so they think.

(Alright, alright: the chances of dying because you didn’t floss regularly are very very slim)

Why wouldn’t you floss? Well it’s a hassle! Flossing takes time and is not quick work if you do it correctly: wedging a fine piece of string between each and every tooth in your mouth, to scoop out anything that could have become trapped between your teeth is not a pleasant task. The floss can cut into your fingers because you must hold it taut in order to use it correctly. If you’re new to flossing, it can be a bloody experience (literally), which is unpleasant and might therefore be something you wish to avoid. This bleeding is not a bad sign: it just means your gums are inflamed because they aren’t used to the flossing. In time they become used to it and the bleeding stops.

My dentist (and yours too if I’m not mistaken) is adamant that flossing is important. The reasons she cites are:

• flossing improves the health of your gums, by reducing and removing from your mouth bacteria that could be potential causes of infection (brushing is also important for this bacteria reduction and removal)
• flossing does a better job of removing plaque from between your teeth than your toothbrush, and the two together work best. Plaque hardens into tartar, which you must go to the dentist to remove. Tartar is b-a-d.
• flossing allows you to get at almost anything that you feel between your teeth, and you may also get rid of small particles of food you didn’t even know you had stuck there. It adds an extra level of cleaning to your oral care.

Hopefully the above has encouraged you to at least give flossing a try. While my dentist recommends that you floss every time you brush, start by flossing once a day, at the end of the day. Once flossing is a well ingrained habit (like brushing!), make it a regular part of your daily routine and do it before or after brushing.

If you’re interested in learning more about the link between oral health and your general health, please give this short Health Canada report a read.

teeth, dental, dentist, oral health, floss, flossing

Yesterday, we talked about our favourite bad habit, smoking. Today we’ll look at some quitting methods. A few 451 Press writers were kind enough to share the story how they or someone close to them quit smoking.

Because of the burden on the health care system that smoking can cause, many governments have developed anti smoking campaigns. In Canada, Health Canada has a number of programs in place, including the Quit 4 Life program for children and teens aged 12 to 18. In the United States, Smokefree.gov is a resource for smokers or the loved ones of smokers to help them quit. Australia has a National Tobacco Campaign in place and you can find out more about this at Quitnow. On a large scale these campaigns draw attention to the habit, but on an individual level it’s hard to tell what the impact is.

In parts of Canada, some other measures have been taken to deter people from smoking: in the province of Ontario, restaurants no longer have smoking sections because the whole restaurant is smoke free, government buildings and all work places (in Ottawa, at least) are also smoke free. In fact, employers could be criminally liable if they fail to provide an employee with a smoke-free workplace. Bars and nightclubs are smoke free too: if you want to smoke, you must go outside. Government buildings, universities and many other buildings also require that smokers stand a certain distance from public entrances when smoking, which means on winter days you can’t hover around the door and smoke (though many do, even in nice weather). Cigarette packages contain warnings and gruesome pictures of the effects of smoking.

Unfortunately, until you’re ready to give up the habit, all of these measures are uncomfortable or unpleasant, but do not prevent you from having a smoke if you really want to. If you’re ready to quit, I recommend you visit the government websites above, or search for some of your own. There are many online resources you can turn to. Some cities have campaigns during the year and in my city when you join a certain program to help you quit smoking, you can enter a draw to win a new car!

Other ways to quit smoking are:

Nicotine gum
You still get some nicotine, but it’s a lower dose and the goal is to go from chewing gum with nicotine to regular gum, and giving up cigarettes completely.

Nicotine patch
Similar to the gym in that you still get nicotine, but in lower doses.

Hypnosis
A former coworker of mine went to a hypnotist to help her get rid of her dependency on cigarettes and it worked, just like that.

Cold turkey
Just stop smoking (if only it were that easy!). Some strong willed people simply throw their package of cigarettes away and never turn back. Others may have small lapses in judgment, but get back on track again. If you want it bad enough, another coworker told me, you can do it.

I’d love to hear what you think of the above methods.

Now, it’s time for stories of real people who quit smoking, and how they did it.
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If you are ever on the American television show, Family Feud, and asked to name a bad habit, I can guarantee that the number one answer will be smoking. When you think of a bad habit, sucking on “cancer sticks� as some call them, is a well established bad habit.

THE GOOD
As I mentioned earlier, bad habits are retained because they serve some positive purpose in our lives, and smoking is no different. Just like junk food is pleasing to the tongue despite its many negative effects, smoking has benefits some may desire:

• appetite suppression (if weight control is a goal)
• stress/anxiety relief through nicotine’s action as a depressant, and through the repetitive action (not unlike nail biting)
• nicotine’s action as a stimulant when you’re feeling depressed (oh the tricky dual nature of nicotine!)
• a feeling of social acceptance or feeling comfortable in a group, bonding over the common activity of smoking

Don’t be fooled though, smoking is not the best habit to pick up!

THE BAD

Smoking and health
If you have had the benefit of a North American education, it isn’t necessary to talk much about the negative effects of smoking because they are well publicized. Smoking is bad for your health, period. Besides the potential to lead to oral cancer (throat and mouth cancer), lung cancer, and increase the likelihood of getting other cancers, smoking is closely linked to the following diseases and health conditions:

• heart disease
• emphysema
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• asthma

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Easily divisible into two categories: salty and sweet, junk food includes but is not limited to the following:

Sweet

• candy
• cookies
• chocolate bars
• pastries
• icecream and similar dairy products

Salty

• chips and similar treats
• french fries
• buttery popcorn (unless you’re eating light or no fat versions)

For each category of item listed above, I can name my favourite brand, and name 4 “lesser” brands; this is not the sort of familiarity anyone should ever be able to brag about. Junk food tastes good, is addictive (you can’t eat just one can you?) and is convenient-if you choose wisely, no cooking or baking is involved. It’s no wonder then that eating too much of it is a bad habit that can be easily picked up.

The consumption of junk food is usually a bigger problem with women than men (it may just be the men I know but they seem to prefer their junk food in liquid form (beer), although it is worth mentioning that the consumption of beer often increases their consumption of true junk food).

The only positive effect of eating too much junk, is the taste: it tastes good, which makes your tastebuds happy. The negative effects, however, have the potential to last longer than any of the good feelings.

Health and weight gain
The delicious sweets and salty snacks that we love so well are often high in calories and fat. Increased calories and fat are never good news: expect to experience some weight gain!

Besides making you feel and look less attractive, weight gain above your healthy weight is implicated in far too many diseases to name. The main disease that is currently increasing at alarming rates in North America is diabetes. Increased weight also affects your blood pressure, which in turn affects the heart’s ability to function. Impaired cardiac function can lead to blockages in arteries, and heart disease. Weight gain also affects your cholesterol levels: it increases your body’s levels of bad cholesterol, which leads to an increase in your chances of getting the previously mentioned diseases.

Add to that the fact that many of the salty snacks that are prepared in or with oils have a chance of being prepared with hydrogenated oils, which are saturated fats, a particularly unhealthy type of fat, and it’s easy to see where the weight gain comes from in the beginning.

So we agree, junk food is bad. If you find yourself surrounded by these unhealthy treats, here’s what we need to do:
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It’s that time of the week again: your turn! I hope you’ll speak up about what you would do in the following situation; don’t be shy! Please leave your solution in the comments.

Here is this week’s situation:

You carefully read these entries on how to be a good host, and planned for the arrival of your guests. Since their arrival, you have taken time off from work to entertain them, and you provided them with the means to access activities they might enjoy on their own when you are not around. You’ve opened your home to them and invited them to use it as they would like. The problem: you have been too kind, too welcoming. Despite starting off as guests who followed the rules (at least initially) and:

• told you when they were coming
• …and when they were leaving
• came bearing gifts
• came with enough money to take care of your own
• came ready to follow the house rules

your guests have developed an inclination to say on, indefinitely, while you have tired of their stay, the constant need to clean up the house more regularly than you normally would, and entertain guests who have begun to complain that they are bored (clearly we are not talking about guests who visit for the evening and linger). When you ask them when they will be leaving, they tell you that they seldom see you and are so happy that they can spend this time with you. You are even asked jokingly if you’re trying to get rid of them, something you deny automatically, although it is true.

So, how do you get rid of your unwelcome guests? Does the fact that they are family change the way you would deal with them compared to if they were good friends?

unwelcome guests, guests house guests

Yesterday’s entry on habits, namely what they are, was the launch of a new series on bad and good habits that we have and how we can get rid of them, or encourage them to stick around (depending on the habit we’re faced with).

Nail biting is an expression of anxiety for some, and a temporary cure for worry or similar emotions. By engaging in this activity, your mind is comforted by the repetitive action and focused, albeit temporarily, on something else. Eventually it becomes an unconscious activity that you do even when you’re not particularly on edge about something: it has become a habit. Of all the bad habits we’ll discuss, nail biting is probably the most benign: raggedy nails are unattractive and one nail biter that I knew had a tendency to smell like saliva, but other than that, I don’t believe ingesting your fingernails (as some nail biters do) will cause you any serious health concerns. The habit could have some unpleasant social consequences, however:
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A habit is anything that you become accustomed to doing regularly, and proceed to do regularly. Good habits lead to overall health and well-being, as defined by a health professional, most likely (you probably feel good after eating two or three more slices of pizza than you ought to eat but whether this was actually a good move is probably a decision best left to your doctor). Even habits that seem neutral are good for you from a social or health point of view: regularly bathing, for example, is a habit that I pray most have fallen into, and those of you who do it because…you just do have probably noticed that when you don’t bathe, you’re faced with wrinkled noses, a general refusal on the part of most people to sit close to you, or other behaviours that don’t make you feel so good. Before experiencing any of these reactions, you may already feel gross, dirty or smelly, and therefore bathe to avoid that feeling. And of course bathing is a great way to rid yourself of germs that could make you sick.

All of that to say that habits are retained for a reason: they make us feel good. When we don’t do them, we usually feel “off” or like something is missing.

How do bad habits start? For that matter, how do good habits start?

The problem with bad habits is they are good…on some level…or people wouldn’t be inclined to do them. Some common bad habits are:

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I’m not a big hockey fan like Michelle is, but my mother and sister are and their hollering during yesterday’s game was impossible to ignore, and served as an easy way to keep track of how the home team was doing.

Unfortunately, during one of their lulls, I heard that a hockey player, Jason Blake, had been diagnosed with leukemia and in an interview, he expressed his optimism and his plans to continue to play as usual. He is not the first hockey player to be diagnosed with cancer during the hockey season: Mario Lemieux and Saku Koivu were able to return to the sport following treatment.

The reason why this bad news was so timely for me is I have been wallowing of late at the state of my own life, how dull and boring it is and how nothing exciting ever happens. It’s gotten to the point where I have considered making up making up something like “I’m moving to Australia for a year to work in an apple orchard” or “I’m pregnant-I think it was the guy at the club last weekend”, just so I don’t have to say my usual “Oh, everything’s fine. Nothing exciting has happened” when friends, all with lives far more titillating than mine, ask me how I’m doing. I haven’t done anything to inject my life with fun, unless complaints and sighing are considered useful tactics.

But after hearing this news, I was humbled. Instead of moaning at the utter mundaneness of my life, I’ve decided to be grateful that no excitement in the form of bad news has reached my ears. I’m glad that my health is good (*knock on wood*), I have food to eat, family to laugh with, and a shelter over my head. Really, I have nothing big to complain about. And once again, it’s taken a reminder of what could be happening to remind me to be grateful for what I’ve got.

Do you take advantage of any of the following free or inexpensive services in your community?

Libraries
…are not just for book nerds anymore! Most libraries have lounging areas for you to catch up on your favourite magazines without buying them, allowing you to use this time as “you time”. They have also increased the number of programs they have available for the community to participate in, from book club meetings to seminars on how to file taxes, learn how to use the internet, or garden, really quite a range of things. Not all of these workshops are free but the vast majority are.

If you enjoy volunteering and love books, the library is a natural fit. Call and find out what areas volunteers are needed in. Volunteers may also be needed to run these workshops–if there is an area where you think you could instruct others in, don’t hesitate to suggest it to your local library.

Museums
Again, you may have to do some research as not all museums are free all the time, but many have special days or times of the week when you can enjoy the museum for free. Don’t be shy about contacting the museum to find out. Museums provide a different way of learning things that you could read about, and appeal those who are more visual in nature.

Not all cities have museums for a wide range of things but as a start, check out what your city has in the way of science, civilization or the history of your country or city, clothing/fashion, or even food! Whatever your interest, there just might be a museum for it, and hopefully one that is nearby.

Does something have to be exciting in order to be worth it for you?

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