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7 Ways To Improve Your Knowledge

7 Ways to improve your knowledge:

1. Read a blog post like this one.

2. Interact more in the comment section.

3. Listen to podcasts.

4. Talk to pros in your niche.

5. Take a course.

6. Think more.

7. Study your competition.

15 Money-Saving Tips for 2015

Have an emergency fund. This might not look like a money-saving tip, but it is one. If you don't have an emergency fund (three to six months' worth of living expenses, easily accessible), if disaster strikes, you may be forced to take some unadvisable financial actions such as cashing out a retirement account or charging a lot on a high-interest credit card. Some of the tips below can help you stock this fund with needed dollars.

Pay off debt. Speaking of high-interest credit card debt, you need to rid yourself of it. Owing $10,000 and being charged 30% (which isn't unusual) can cost you $3,000 annually and can have you spiraling deeper into debt. Make it a priority to pay such debt off.

Use rewards cards. If you're not deep in credit card debt and use cards responsibly, look for cards that reward you in ways that fit your lifestyle. If you travel a lot, seek travel-related rewards cards. If you have a big family and spend a lot at supermarkets, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card will give you 6% back on purchases there.

Call your credit card company. Believe it or not, you may very well get your steep interest rate lowered on your credit card -- just by calling and asking. It will help if you've been a good, longtime customer and if you're ready to move to another card via a balance transfer. You can get lots of discounts just for asking -- such as from a retailer if you're buying a big appliance or from your cable company. It doesn't always work, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Quit an expensive habit -- or cut back. You've surely heard it before, but if you don't want to quit smoking, maybe you'll consider quitting drinking? Or at least cutting back? This can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars annually. This applies to other activities, too, such as travel, collecting, golfing, and so on.

Buy a programmable thermostat. It can save you from heating or cooling your home when you're not there and the Government estimates that it can shave 5% to 15% off your energy bill. That's easily $200 for some folks. Each year.

Quit your gym if you're not using it. Many of us are paying $20-$40 per month for gym privileges but aren't going. That's $240-$480 a year. You might save that money instead and just walk, run, or use weights at home. Think about other services you might be paying for and not using.

Stay healthy. Wash your hands frequently to reduce your chances of catching something, exercise regularly, and eat well. Staying healthy can keep you from having to pay for doctor visits and medications, and might keep you from missing work, too.

Cook more meals at home. Cooking at home can help you stay healthy as you control what goes into your food, including how much salt and fat -- and veggies and whole grains. It can save you money, too. With a big crock-pot, you can easily make a big batch of something tasty that can serve as several meals.

Unplug things you're not using. It's estimated that electronic devices that are plugged in but not in use cost the average household $100 or more per year -- and that number is rising as we add gadgets and their chargers. The Government estimates that a single cable box with DVR capabilities costs $44 per year.

Get a home energy audit. Your utility company may offer a free home energy audit and can point out where inefficiencies are costing you. It might be worth it to upgrade some windows or your heating system or to add insulation to your home. Energy-efficient replacement windows can save you more than $400 annually. Even small improvements you make yourself can add up. A low-flow showerhead might save you more than $200 per year, while an Energy Star refrigerator can shave $150 per year from your electric bill.

Change a few bad habits. Do you frequently get money from out-of-network ATMs? If so, you're losing a lot of money needlessly. The average fee for such a transaction recently hit $4.35. Twice a month, such a cost totals $104.40. Are your bank's ATMs really that inconvenient? Think about any other costly habits you might change relatively easily.

Cash in loose change. This might seem silly, but if you pool all the jars and piles of coins around your house, it can easily total more than $100. Machines at supermarkets and elsewhere will give you cash for them -- or gift cards to retailers you frequent.

Quit bottled water. Get a water filter at home and use refillable bottles. If you stop spending, say, $10 per week on bottles of water, you'll sock away more than $500.

Get (and use) money-saving apps. There are many apps out there that can help you compare prices at different retailers, offer you coupons when you're shopping, help you budget and keep track of bills, manage loyalty and reward cards, and alert you to good deals -- among many other things.

10 Tips To Make Your Day Easier

Here are 10 Tips to Make Your Work Day Easier:

1. Focus on high reward tasks.  Doing things that take up maximum time but give no rewards should be avoided. Focus on your top tasks. Avoid unproductive things such as gossip, and office politics. Do not allow your colleagues to interrupt you unnecessarily.
2. Don’t over plan.  Planning your work is imperative to a smooth work flow. However, too much planning before doing anything makes less time to get things done. Moreover, avoid plans to do too many things in one time frame, such as back-to-back meetings. This is the best way to cut short your ‘to-do’ list for the day and make your day less stressful.
3. Learn to manage Email.  Email is one thing that takes the maximum time of an employee. Hence, if you know how to manage your emails, half of your work is done. You can make your work easier by limiting the size of each response, yet conveying the complete message.
4. Learn shortcuts.  Setting up auto-text on your mobile allows you to respond to office messages on the go. You do not need to type the entire thing every time while responding to messages.
5. Say “no” when necessary.  In addition to removing a few things from your ‘to-do’ list, saying “no” also becomes vital in the work place. Saying “no” conveys that you are capable enough to distinguish between work priorities, productive and unproductive work.
6. Question what is not clear. Question the things that you think are not required. For instance, most of the office meetings are considered a waste of time. Ask if the meeting is actually required, what the agenda is, etc.
7. Keep communication open.  The way you interact or communicate with people at different work levels also defines how smoothly you can manage your work. Hence, maintain professionalism, yet build personal rapport with colleagues. Keep all your communications clear to avoid any misunderstandings.
8. Delegate work. Have a long list of tasks? Make it easier by delegating. It is worth delegating the work to a new intern, your direct report, or a virtual assistant. This way you can focus more on important things, and have other employees learn new tasks.  Delegate smartly, choosing the right person for each task.
9. Don’t stress.  You cannot maintain the same level of energy every day and for every task. Hence, do not put pressure on yourself to fight for perfection. Yes, keeping focus on making things right is important, however fighting for perfectionism is like making your work life harder.
10. Get organized.  The key to make your work easier is organizing everything- from your desktop to Email inbox, and from interactions with colleagues to meetings!

An Easier Work Day

Believe it; making your work easier is actually in your hands. Implement these 10 easy tips, and experience a better work day.

10 ways to pursue excellence without negativity

10 ways to pursue excellence without negativity:

1. Ask teams, who believe in the mission, where they can be better. Don’t point out their failures. Let them point out their aspirations.
2. Every time you feel like pointing out a problem, ask, “How can we make that better?”
3. Never allow conversations about issues or problems to end without finding some corrective action. At the least, set a “make it better” meeting.
4. Choose your battles. Focus on behaviors and issues with high visibility.
5. Ask, “What can we do about that,” when someone points out a problem or shortfall.
6. Reject the need for big solutions. The need for big solutions is the reason teams end up doing nothing, except complaining.
7. When someone says, “That won’t work,” ask, “What might help?”
8. Focus more on where you’re going than where you’ve been. Apply Pareto’s 80/20 principle.
9. Say, “You have more in you,” when something falls short.
10. Think of the pursuit of excellence in terms of people, then systems. How can you maximize talent and passion?

Tips for turning difficult conversations into easy ones

Tips for turning difficult conversations into easy ones:

1. Keep calm. Don’t turn it into Godzilla vs. Rodan.
2. Treat’em like a child. You can’t talk them out of emotional outbursts and getting angry over it does nothing good.
3. Say “Please speak more slowly. I’d like to help.” Slow it down. Don’t come off like you’re fighting back.
4. Ask “What would you like me to do?” You gotta make’em start thinking in order to turn off the rage machine.
5. Don’t make statements. Ask questions. Explaining is veiled dominance. Questions get them thinking.
6. Start sentences with “I’d like…” not “You are…” If you start with “I” it’s hard to be seen as attacking.
7. Let them have the last word. Don’t let your ego blow it at the last minute.

3 Steps to Think Clearly and Creatively

Here are the three steps to think more clearly and creatively:

Step 1: Think on Paper (30 Minutes)

There is a quote from one of the Rich Dad’s from the popular book Rich Dad, Poor Dad Book.  It goes,  “Always think on paper.”

Draw and doodle; Connect the dots.  Look to see how things flow together.  Cut and paste.  Use words and text to mold your ideas and explore your problems.

Once you've emptied your head you're then ready to…

2. Mastermind (1 hour)

The phrase “two heads are better than one” is an understatement.  Masterminding is when you have two or more people brainstorming and working together to come up with new solutions to problems.  It’s also a great tool for generating new ideas.

Use these sessions to brainstorm ideas and bounce new concepts off each other. Before you start your mastermind sessions, ask yourselves these 4 questions:

What is this meeting about?

What are you trying to achieve?

What are the challenges you want to overcome?

How will this help you? Your clients? Your business?

These are great questions to ask yourself when masterminding.  Just let the ideas flow and you’ll be surprised at how crazy and remarkable the solutions will be.

The last step is to…

3. Take a Mini-Vacation (2-6 hours)

Take a what?  Yes, a mini-vacation.

Decompress and disconnect.  This will help you solve your biggest problems with the least amount of effort.

You’ve got to give your subconscious breathing room.  It’s part of letting go and trusting in yourself.  Your best ideas are not the ones you get during a mastermind session or when you're writing them out.  They come 2-48 hours after you've done your deep thinking or had a really good masterminding session.

So the trick is to be patient; to let go and relax.  The more relaxed you are the better.  That’s why I suggest taking a min-vacation; taking a nap, go for a walk in nature or socialize with friends.  Just give yourself a break.  The ideas will come.

Think clearly and more creatively by following these 3 steps.  You’ll be glad you did.