Tag: Goals

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Posted in Goal, Manifestation

What is the difference between dreams and visions- 3 Important distinctions?

Posted on by tracydee

What is the difference between dreams and visions you ask? Dreams and visions are often confused as the same thing, but they are in fact very different. Knowing the difference between a dream and a vision is important for your personal development as well as your business. Dreams will never come true until they become a vision. Luckily, there are ways on how to turn dreams into visions. In this article, I will show you the differences between dreams and visions including the elements that differentiate them.

A dream is a strong fantasy whereas vision gives a clear direction

A dream is a strong fantasy, which may or may not come true. A vision is a clear direction for the future and it is backed by action.

A dream is a strong fantasy: You can always imagine something wonderful happening to you. For example, if you had a bad day at work, you might imagine that your boss comes to you and says, “You have done an excellent job and we are so happy with your performance. We want to give you a promotion!” Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way. It is just imagination and there has been no real effort on your part to make it happen in reality.

Vision gives a clear direction: Your vision for your life should be something bigger than yourself. It should also be something that gives meaning to your life as well as purpose – something that will help others as well as yourself.

Again, what is the difference between dreams and visions?

Dreams are based on wishes, desires, and emotions whereas visions are based on reality and specific goals

The main difference between dreams and visions is that dreams are based on wishes, desires, and emotions whereas visions are based on reality and specific goals.

Dreams are generally what we would like to happen, while visions are what we believe will happen.

When you dream, you let your mind wander through all the things that might happen if everything went right. You think about how great it would be if you had a new job or home, or even just went on vacation.

A dream can be a wishful thought or something that’s as simple as “I wish I could go to the Bahamas.” It’s an idea that seems impossible, but it’s still something that you hope for deep inside.

What is the difference between dreams and visions?

A vision is something that you have clear ideas about and specific steps toward achieving it. It involves setting goals and planning out how to achieve them. For example, if you had a vision for going to the Bahamas next year, you’d probably make plans for saving money throughout the year so that you could take time off work without having financial worries holding you back from going on vacation.

what is the difference between dreams and visions
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Dreamers spend their entire life trying to achieve their dreams whereas people with a vision don’t spend time achieving their vision because they are already living it

A dreamer is someone who dreams of a better life, but doesn’t do anything to make it happen. A dreamer is someone who has a vision of what they want to be and where they want to go, but they don’t have the will or drive to make it happen.

A dreamer spends their entire life trying to achieve their dreams whereas people with a vision don’t spend time achieving their vision because they are already living it.

People with a vision understand that you must take action in order for your dreams to become reality. They don’t wait for things to happen, they make things happen. They know what they want in life and they’re willing to work hard until they get it!

So, what is the difference between dreams and visions?

The difference between dreams and visions is action. When you dream, you are looking inward; when you have a vision, you are expressing it outward. Some people only see the world around them through their supposed limitations, but others look for opportunities to reach their full potential. To accomplish anything you need to take action.

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Posted in Goal, Manifestation

Setting Realistic Goals Is The Key To Getting Important Things Done

Posted on by tracydee

Setting realistic goals: When most people think about goals, they think about vision boards and long-term objectives. It’s not a bad idea to have those things, but you also want to be realistic and set goals which are measurable. And often times, this means breaking it down into smaller goals and shorter timelines.

Focus on how you can connect with goals that are meaningful to you

The best way to set goals is to focus on the process of reaching them, not just the end result.

Most people set goals like this: “I want to lose weight.” But that’s a goal that may only ever be partially achieved. You’ll lose some weight, but it may not be all you want it to be. And once you’re at your desired weight, what will you do then?

Instead, it’s better to focus on how you can connect with your goal. For example, here are two different ways of thinking about losing weight:

“I want to feel more energetic and healthy.” This is a goal that can be achieved by eating well and exercising regularly — no matter what size or shape you are. It’s something that will sustain itself over time because it’s not dependent on a certain number on the scale or an outfit fitting better in the closet (which are both external factors).

In order to go about setting realistic goals that matter and are achievable, it’s important to focus on what you can realistically achieve in the next three to six months. Here are some examples:

  • Ask for a raise at work
  • Improve your health by exercising more and eating better
  • Travel somewhere new with your friends and family

End with a plan for how you’ll get from where you are now to where you want to be

The process of goal-setting looks easy, but it’s not always easy to know how to develop a plan for setting realistic goals and achieving them. Here are some tips for developing your plan:

  • Break down each step into smaller tasks. For example, if one of your goals is to run a marathon by the end of 2022, what steps do you need to take? You might break this down into weekly training sessions and then monthly long runs so that there are milestones along the way.
  • Figure out how much time you need for each task on the path toward achieving your goal. If it takes two hours per week (and let’s say we’re talking about studying) then twelve weeks before test day equals twenty-four hours total—that’s enough time!

    It may seem like a lot at first glance but once you’ve broken down everything else into smaller chunks and scheduled them out throughout the year (or even just over three months), suddenly committing twenty-four hours isn’t so daunting anymore! In fact it may actually be easier than breaking open a new book now would feel like because those twenty four hours are already accounted for in advance thanks to our earlier planning efforts.
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Remember your goals and find ways to achieve them

Now that you know how to set goals, let’s take a look at some of the many ways that goal setting can help you achieve your dreams.

  • It helps us to remember our goals and find ways to achieve them.
  • It helps us visualize our goals.
  • It helps us set priorities for achieving each goal.
  • It measures our progress toward achieving each goal using tangible measurements like numbers or percentages instead of just feelings alone!

Look at your situation honestly, not naively or selectively

Every year I set goals for myself. I am pretty good at it too, but what I learned is that if you don’t set the right goals, or if you set a goal that’s not in line with your values and the things that mean most to you in life, then there is no real motivation to do anything about them.

I tend to make lists of things I would like to achieve during the year and then break them down into smaller steps so they are more manageable. And then when I look at these steps, they should all be aligned with my values and what matters most to me.

For example, if one of my main values is family time and spending quality time together as a family unit, then any goal that supports this would be considered a higher priority than something else (like booking flights for holidays).

The same goes for other areas of life such as health or finances – if there’s something on your list that doesn’t support your health or financial goals then it’s probably not worth doing anyway!

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Setting realistic goals allows you to consider the realities of your life while still dreaming big

For example, going back to running a marathon, it’s realistic to also set goals around training and diet. You may decide to run five miles every day for three months, or eat healthier foods at every meal.

You can also be realistic about the amount of time it will take for your goal to be realized. If you plan on running a marathon in three months, it’s more realistic to set intermediate goals along the way—for example, running two miles per day for one week—and then celebrate even small successes along the way!

Setting realistic goals allows you to see how far away your dream feels when compared with where you are now and how much work needs to be done before it becomes reality.

Setting realistic goals for yourself

At the end of the day, regardless of whether your goal is big or small, it’s important to remain realistic in your expectations and to ensure that you are meeting that goal. Reaching your ultimate goal can be a tough challenge, which is why you should always set smaller goals along the way. Smaller goals may not always seem as impressive as some larger goals, but they help you with achieving the big-picture vision.

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Posted in Goal, productivity

6 Ways To Increase Productivity In Your Employees and Reduce Stress

Posted on by tracydee

How to increase productivity in your employees? This is an important question that requires a level of empathy and understanding. Business leaders around the world are constantly looking for ways to increase the productivity of their employees.

Whether it be by implementing new strategies, systems, or working conditions, improving the productivity of your team is an important priority, even during these tough economic times. So how exactly can that be accomplished while making sure to respect the human aspect of your employee?

Make sure that tasks are clearly assigned

Stress comes from uncertainty and confusion over what needs to be done and how it should be done. If you want to reduce the amount of stress in your workplace and increase productivity in your employees, make sure that each employee understands what his or her responsibilities are. When you give employees clear instructions and expectations, they know what they need to do and how they should go about doing it. This will help eliminate the kind of ambiguity that causes stress in the first place.

Create a positive work environment

Make sure that the workplace is set up in such a way that employees have what they need to be successful. This includes providing enough resources (time, money, equipment), making sure that the space is clean and welcoming, and keeping distractions at bay. You may also want to consider setting up a break room or other type of area where employees can go when they need some time away from their desks or computers. All of these work environmental factors contribute to the ability to increase productivity in your employees.

Set time aside for communication

Communication is key when running any business so make sure that you have regular meetings with each of your team members (at least once every week). These meetings should not be used only for checking up on progress but also for talking about personal issues as well as work-related problems. This will ensure that everyone feels comfortable talking about what’s going on instead of keeping it all bottled up inside until they explode later on!

Increase flexibility within the workplace

The nature of work has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. We no longer have 9-to-5 jobs that don’t require us to be online 24/7. We’re expected to respond and answer emails at all hours of the day, which only increases stress levels for everyone involved.

One easy way to help alleviate this problem is by giving your employees more flexibility with their schedules. Let them choose when they want to come into work or take extended breaks throughout their day instead of having set office hours where everyone has to be there at 8:00 AM sharp every morning (and then staying until 6:00 PM).

Provide opportunities for growth at every level – from entry-level positions up to management roles – so each employee has the opportunity to advance his or her career within your company as well as move up into higher positions within other organizations if they choose to do so in the future.

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Increase Productivity in Your Employees by Encouraging office wellness programs

You can start with something as simple as offering free fruit or snacks in the office kitchen, or even just having some games available for the staff to play during breaks. If your company has a gym or fitness center on site, consider offering discounted memberships to your employees. Healthier employees tend to be happier and more productive, so this can pay off in both ways!

Organize team outings and events outside the office. There are many fun things you can do together as a team outside of work hours — going bowling or playing miniature golf are great examples! Even if it’s just once a month, taking some time away from work will help relieve stress and increase overall happiness at work.

Prioritize employee health and wellbeing

Make sure your team knows what’s expected of them, and give them the tools they need to get the job done. For example, if you want to increase productivity in your employees, you may want to consider giving them more freedom in their personal lives so that they don’t feel overworked or stressed out at home.

Encourage self-care practices such as taking breaks or going for walks during the day rather than working continuously from 9am until 5pm. This will help them focus on their work more easily because they’re able to recharge their batteries when needed.

Takeaway: To increase productivity in your employees, you need to make them happy and feel like they are valued.

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Posted in Goal

Starting on YouTube? 5 Helpful Tips to Get you Going

Posted on by tracydee

Starting on YouTube is hard work. You might see the successful entrepreneurs earning money and doing well, but that didn’t happen overnight. It takes time, strategy, mindset, and determination for your YouTube channel to do well. And most of all, consistency. I know this because I am still on my beginner’s journey to utilizing the full potential of YouTube.

So you’re looking to start a YouTube channel and you’re really excited about it! With all the tools available for making content for your channel, the sky is literally the limit. One thing that holds many people back from starting their own channel though is fear. Fear of what? Maybe it’s fear of rejection, fear of not being able to create the content, fear of not getting likes or views, fear of being a bad YouTuber…whatever it may be…I have five tips to help you get over those fears!

Don’t wait for ‘perfect’

The most important thing to remember is that your first video doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s easy to get caught up in making sure your lighting is just right, that you have the perfect backdrop and that you’re wearing the perfect outfit for your first video. But don’t let that hold you back from getting started — put something out there! Your first video doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough. People are now filming everything in real-time with YouTube shorts, live, Instagram, and Tik Tok.

There’s no such thing as being ready when you’re starting on YouTube. There are always improvements that can be made, but the only way to improve is by starting small and moving forward with what we’ve got. If you’re waiting for your channel or videos to be perfect before launching them out into the world, it might never happen. Take action now — even if it means just recording yourself talking into a phone while walking down the street — and move forward every time you’re ready with something new.

Be Yourself

Be Yourself and be relatable. Don’t sacrifice who you are as a person, but also be aware of what your audience wants. You should have fun while you’re creating content, but always keep in mind that they are watching because they want to see an authentic version of who you are.

Choose a niche or multiple niches. If you have more than one interest, choose one area that you want to focus on first and build upon it over time. If you decide later on that there’s another niche that interests you more than the first, go for it!

Create great content that stands out from the rest of the crowd. Don’t try to copy other people’s videos (and don’t let anyone else copy yours). Create something unique and share it with people who will appreciate it!

Don’t try too hard or take yourself too seriously — just be yourself!

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Be Consistent

It’s important to keep posting on a regular schedule. This will help your audience know what to expect and connect more with you. When you’re starting on YouTube and consistent with your videos, people will start looking forward to them, and they’ll share their excitement with others who might be interested in what you’re doing.

When starting on YouTube, it’s important to respond to comments & questions in a timely manner. People love interacting with other people online, so take advantage of this by responding quickly when someone comments on one of your videos or asks a question! You’ll start building relationships with your viewers which will lead to more subscribers over time if they feel like they can relate with you and get answers from

Learn from Others

There are so many other YouTubers out there willing to share what they’ve learned along the way. Take the advice and use what works for you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions either! In fact, this is one of the best ways to learn from others — by asking questions!

In fact, some of these people may even be willing to work with you if they like what they see!

Take advantage of YouTube Analytics

One of the great things about YouTube is that it provides plenty of analytics that help you understand what’s working and what isn’t. Check out your watch time and view rate — these can help you determine what type of content people like most and what they don’t like at all. You can also see where viewers drop off during a video, which can help you identify areas where improvements need to be made.

And if you want to dive a bit deeper into SEO, then consider using a program like Tube Buddy to help even more:

https://www.tubebuddy.com/Tracydeetips (affiliate link)

It’s true—starting on YouTube may be a little nerve-wracking. There are so many things to keep in mind, and it can be hard to stay focused on everything you need to do as an aspiring YouTuber. But if you’re determined to get going on YouTube, don’t fret! As the saying goes, it gets easier with practice. Follow these tips, stay patient, and you’ll be making videos in no time.

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Posted in Goal, Manifestation

Reclaiming Deep Work Time: How To Improve Your Creative Brainpower

Posted on by tracydee

Finding deep work time can be a struggle for many of us.

On one of my favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, a recent episode discussed how we are constantly distracted. And these constant distractions negatively impact our ability to engage in deep work.

Check out my other podcast recommendations for learning!

I actually wrote another blog post inspired by an earlier interview from a different podcast (The Next Big Idea) with Cal Newport. In that interview, they specifically focused on the distractions of email and its importance on deep work.

According to computer scientist, Cal Newport, “Deep Work” is a skill worth cultivating because very few people are doing it anymore. Deep work is what allows us to engage with our creative side and truly immerse ourselves in a project or activity. When we are constantly checking phones, responding to emails, or social media notifications, we cannot focus on tasks that take more brainpower.

I think this is why sites like focusmate have become popular.

So what are some things we can do to engage in more deep work?

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How to reclaim your deep work time

Cal Newport says that deep work is a skill that will become more and more valuable by the day. This is especially true for those in the creative industry where ideas are your currency.

To achieve deep work you need to have a long stretch of time that’s free of distractions and obligations. The first step to reclaiming this time is to schedule it into your calendar just like any other meeting or appointment. Make sure you schedule this time at least a few days in advance so it doesn’t get bumped.

Once you’ve scheduled your deep work time, you’ll need to make sure you protect it by setting ground rules with yourself and others. These rules should be simple and actionable and help you avoid distractions during this time.

Some good rules might include not checking email or social media during your deep work session. Or, not responding to texts or calls unless they’re from an emergency contact. Whatever works best for you!

Let people know you’re unavailable during those hours

To reclaim deep work time, you need to let people know that you’ll be unavailable. This can be difficult for some people, especially if you’re a natural people-pleaser. You might worry about what it will look like if you turn down an invite to lunch or don’t immediately reply to emails. But the fact of the matter is that your work is more important than any of those things.

When someone asks me to do something during my deep work hours and I have to turn them down, I explain why I’m doing so. I say something like this: “I’m unavailable from 8 a.m. – noon on Friday mornings because those are my deep work hours. If the request can wait until the afternoon on Friday, I’d love to help out. Otherwise, would another day/time be better?” This way they understand what’s happening and they know they can reach out again later or at another time if they need me.

The key is to never apologize for your deep work time with phrases like “Sorry I didn’t respond earlier” or “Sorry I couldn’t make it.” These phrases make it sound like you’re apologizing for being unavailable. In reality, you’re apologizing for not answering their request right away—a totally different thing!

Put boundaries on your work environment

Many people have trouble staying focused on the task at hand. They get distracted by emails, phone calls, and other notifications.

The problem is that our brains are hardwired to seek out new information and experiences. This is especially true when we’re bored. This tendency is strong enough that it can even lead to anxiety if you don’t give your brain something to do.

But how can you focus on your work when so many distractions are trying to pull you away?

Put boundaries on your work environment. If you work from home or in an open-office plan, you may find it difficult to concentrate on your tasks because of interruptions from colleagues or neighbors. To block out distractions, close off parts of your home or office with a “do not disturb” sign. You can even use curtains or headphones while at home. You can also try using an app like Freedom or Self Control that blocks websites for a set amount of time (for example, 30 minutes).

Create an environment that promotes deep thinking. In order to get into a state of flow where deep thinking happens naturally, it’s important to create a physical space conducive to getting lost in thought.

Turn off all electronics and distractions

A few years ago, I was at my desk working on a particularly difficult problem. But, in the background, I had my email browser up and a notification popped through.

I realized that this was not the first time this had happened. Once I answered one email another would inevitably come through that needed my attention. So, to truly engage in deep work, email cannot be easily accessible.

The solution is simple: Turn off all electronics and distractions when you need to focus on deep work. This means turning off your phone (or switching it to airplane mode), putting away your laptop, and closing your browser tabs — everything except what you need to do your work uninterruptedly for the amount of time you’ve scheduled.

Takeaway: Show yourself you value your deep work time by creating strategies to maximize your focus!

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Posted in Goal

Email Etiquette: 5 Simple Tips To Get Your Emails Opened

Posted on by tracydee

When it comes to email etiquette there are 5 simple rules that you need to follow. If you don’t follow these rules then it will be hard to get your emails opened. It might even make the reader think about unsubscribing from your emails.

Use a more professional name as your email address

If your email address is something along the lines of ilovecupcakes@email.com, it’s time to consider changing it. Not only can a more professional-sounding address save you the embarrassment of having someone thinking you’re talking about your love of cupcakes when you’re really discussing an important workplace issue, but it can also help people take you more seriously. If you want to be taken seriously by your boss, a potential employer, or even just an acquaintance, it’s important that your email address doesn’t give off the wrong impression. You don’t have to go with something boring. Just make sure your name is part of the address so that people know who they’re hearing from.

Be concise and clear in the subject line

You need to get your subject line right. If you think of the subject line as a headline, you’ll get the idea. You want to make sure it gets attention, but it also needs to convey the right information. Keep it short and sweet. The average person has an attention span of 8 seconds, so you don’t have long to capture their interest. In just a few words, they should know what they’re looking at and whether they’re interested enough to open it.

If there’s anything that seems like it could be imperative or urgent in the email, put that in the subject line. At the office, people are judging whether your email is worth opening based on how much time will be required of them when they do so. If your email looks like it could be a quick yes/no answer, it will most likely be put off for later.

Avoid spam trigger words

This is one of the most important tips for email marketing. Don’t use spam trigger words. Use clear copy and avoid words used in spam emails. Some examples include: ‘free’, ‘discount’, and ‘money’.

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Be specific about why you are reaching out

If you want someone to respond to your email, then you need to give them a good reason. If all you do is write “Hi” and ask them to check out your blog, they will probably not click on the link. The more specific you are about why you are reaching out, the more likely that person is to respond. For instance, if you’re reaching out to someone from the same town or geographical area as yourself, let them know at the beginning of your email.

Or mention that you read their blog and felt inspired by something they wrote. Always include a call-to-action at the end of your email. This could be anything from asking for feedback on your own blog post to inviting them to connect on social media.

Email etiquette: Avoid text speak in your emails

As a rule, it is considered unprofessional to use “text speak” in your emails—that is, the abbreviations and shorthand that you might use when texting or chatting with friends. You probably already know not to do this in the subject line of a business email. However, sometimes it can be tempting to slip into this mode when composing your message. This is especially easy if you’re working from home and feeling more casual.

Resist the urge! Even if you’re writing an email to someone you know well, it’s important to maintain professional boundaries in what you write. For example, instead of saying “LOL,” say “That’s funny.” Instead of writing “2day” for today, write out the whole word. And so on. There are plenty of other places for you to use text speak—just not in your business emails.

Takeaway: Your emails will get more people to open and read them if you follow these 5 tips.

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Posted in Goal

7 Helpful Time Management Apps for Freelancers + Remote Workers

Posted on by tracydee

Time management is crucial if you are a freelancer or remote worker. Becoming more productive and efficient is really hard, so there’s no one app that will fix all your problems. Freelancers have to juggle responsibilities in their business, daily work activities, and fulfill the needs of their clients. A good time management strategy should be focused on three pillars: improving routine (eg: through habits), effective project management, and finding enough time for important personal activities.

Since every freelancer has different needs, it’s impossible to find an app able to suit everybody’s workflow. In this article, I will share some of my favorite productivity and time management apps for freelancers. These apps help me manage my tasks and focus on what’s important on a daily basis.

Best for Planning – Asana

Plan and manage your freelance projects with Asana. Create tasks with due dates and assign team members. Attach files, collaborate on projects with your whole team, and more. The app is free for teams of up to 15 people, including yourself. If you have a larger team, check out the enterprise plan.

Best for Coordinating Tasks and Projects – Trello

A key component of time management is staying on top of your to-dos and projects, and there are plenty of tools designed to help you with that. One of the best is Trello, a collaborative project management tool that makes it easy to organize your tasks into lists with cards.

With Trello, you can create a board for each project you’re working on, then add lists like “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done” to keep track of where you are in the process. Each list contains cards that describe the actual task or project, organized by what stage it’s in. When you finish something, just drag the card from one list to another.

You can use Trello for individual projects or for organizing your whole workflow—for example, creating a board called “Today’s Work” with lists like “Calls,” “Client Work,” or “Personal Projects.” If you need to coordinate with someone else—say, a freelancer or assistant—you can invite them to collaborate on your Trello boards.

If you’re looking for an app that will help you manage your tasks and projects for free, give Trello a try.

Best for Syncing Deadlines Across Devices – Google Calendar

If you want to sync your deadlines across all of your devices, Google Calendar is the app for you. The free app is part of the productivity suite that comes with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. You can add events, including recurring ones (like weekly meetings or monthly blog deadlines), and set notifications. Plus, it makes switching between work and personal events easier by letting you color-code different calendars.

Google Calendar works great on its own as a scheduling tool, but it also integrates seamlessly with other productivity apps like Todoist, Trello, and Evernote. And if you’re in a company that uses G Suite, you can invite your colleagues to collaborate on shared events and projects.

Best for Managing Tasks On-the-Go – TickTick

TickTick is one of the great time management apps for freelancers for managing tasks on the go. It’s especially useful if you’re working remotely and need something lightweight to keep track of things like meetings or deadlines without having to lug around paper or write down notes all day long. You’ll find this app particularly helpful if you spend a lot of time traveling, as well as those who need reminders about upcoming appointments while they’re away from their desktops (or laptops).

time management apps for freelancers
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Best for Daily Productivity Tracking – Toggl

No matter how you slice it, if you’re a freelancer or remote worker, you’re running your own business. And like any other small business owner, time management is crucial to your success. That’s where Toggl comes in. Founded back in 2006 in Estonia, this app is designed to help freelancers and remote workers track the amount of time they spend working on a given project so they can bill their clients accordingly.

To use Toggl, simply download the app to your desktop or mobile device and log the start and end times of each project you work on or client you speak with throughout the day. You can track your hours by project or by client, or even break down tasks by sub-task to see how long it takes you to complete a step-by-step process (e.g., creating a website from start to finish). Once logged in, these time tracking entries are saved and displayed as reports that show exactly how much time you’ve spent working on different projects throughout the week. This makes it easy to bill your clients every month when invoice time rolls around.

Best for Habits and Goals- Habitica

This is one of the interesting time management apps for freelancers. Habitica is a free tool that turns managing your to-do list into a game! You create a character based on yourself and earn experience points and loot as you complete tasks. There are also boss fights where you collect items to defeat the enemy. You can create both daily habits and one-time tasks with Habitica, or join groups of friends who are trying to accomplish the same goals as you. If you need an app that will make it fun to manage your time, this is it.

Best For Creating a Schedule and Following It – iStudiez Pro

iStudiez Pro is an iOS-only app that helps freelancers and remote workers create a schedule and then stick to it. Your calendar, class schedule, homework, exams, and even extracurricular activities can be organized in one place. The app syncs with your Apple Calendar too, so you don’t need to worry about losing important appointments or deadlines. You can also create a different schedule for every day of the week, which is ideal if you have some days off (or are on holiday) or if you work different hours on the weekends.

The app even tracks your grades and attendance records, so you can keep track of how well you’re performing at school or work. iStudiez Pro is available on the App Store for $2.99 USD.

Takeaway: You can manage your time as a freelancer or remote worker by using helpful apps.

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Posted in Uncategorized

How to Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines in 7 Simple Steps

Posted on by tracydee

You’ve just started a blog and are wondering how to optimize your blog for search engines. You’re in luck because this post covers some of the most important strategies you can use to optimize your blog for search engines.

Optimize your blog for search engines using these simple steps

1. Keyword Research

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website more visible and accessible to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Search engine optimization techniques are ways to improve your website’s ranking in search results so that more people can find your site. Keyword research is a part of SEO and allows you to identify what people search for on Google, Yahoo, etc.

You can then use this information to help optimize your web pages to rank higher in searches. Keyword research is important because it gives you insight into what people are looking for and how you can make your content more relevant to their interests.

Keyword research starts with analyzing the keyword landscape that surrounds your industry. For example, if you are a blogger who writes about business and marketing topics, you would want to see what words and phrases other popular blogs in the same space use in their titles and URLs.

You would then want to see if it makes sense for your blog’s title or URL to be different from the norm or if it makes sense for you to include something that is commonly used by your competitors. Once you have completed this step, it is time to actually conduct some keyword research.

Searching for a good tool to do keyword research? Check out Google Ads keyword planner or Answer the Public.

2. Ask Readers for Feedback

One of the best ways to improve your blog is to ask readers for feedback. You can do this in a variety of ways. The most common method is to ask them directly at the end of each post. Simply write something like “Do you have any comments or questions?” and ask people to leave their thoughts in the comments section. (So yeah, go for it here!)

You should also consider setting up a form on your website where readers can contact you directly. This could be as simple as a contact page with an email address, or something more complex like a comprehensive contact form that lets users select different categories based on why they’re contacting you.

Consider creating a survey for readers to fill out as well. This is particularly useful if you want to know whether or not your blog is meeting people’s needs, or if there are certain topics that people would like to see covered.

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3. Avoid Duplication

It’s important to avoid duplicate content, not only because you’re breaking search engine rules and could face sanctions from Google, but also because duplicate content isn’t as useful to your readers as unique content. However, if you are posting on different sites, make sure to note the original source in your settings. For example, I also post my content on Medium.

When you publish the same article on multiple pages of your site, you’re wasting the time of anyone who clicks through—they’ve already read this information on one of the other pages. If the articles are about the same topic, it can be even more confusing for your visitors to be bounced around, especially if they don’t see a clear distinction between what’s in one article and what’s in another.

I usually recommend that people write a single article containing all the relevant information they want to share, but with different subheadings or tags to indicate when they’re moving onto a new subtopic. It doesn’t matter if there are some overlaps in the writing from one section to another—that’ll happen naturally when you’re just writing about one thing anyway.

The important thing is that your reader has an easy way to tell when you’re talking about something new, so they don’t have to go back and reread an entire paragraph just because it wasn’t clear which part was a continuation of where they left off. This is helpful when trying to optimize your blog for search engines.

4. Use Internal Links

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page on your site to another page on the same site. Since search engine algorithms favor websites with more internal links, you will increase the value of your blog by strategically including links from all relevant pages to each other.

The quality of your content will also be improved if you include more links within the content itself because they will help guide readers through the rest of the article. For example, if you’re writing a post about how to develop your cooking skills, you could include a brief overview of common cooking methods at the beginning and end of the article, linking back to full articles on those methods elsewhere on your blog.

5. Edit Your Permalinks

The first step to optimize your blog for search engines is to check its permalink structure. This refers to the way the permalinks are set up on your site — how they look and how they affect search engine optimization.

Most blogs run on a WordPress platform, which is why we’ll focus on how to edit your permalink structure in WordPress.

By default, your permalink structure might look something like this: http://mywebsite.com/p=123. The p=123 part of the URL means that the page you’re looking at is the 123rd post on the site.

This doesn’t help you in search engine optimization because it doesn’t offer any information about what your post actually is about or what keywords might be contained within it.

Instead, you can have a permalink structure like this: http://mywebsite.com/how-to-build-a-trellis-for-your-garden/ which would help with search engine optimization, as it shows that all content contained in that article is related to building a trellis for your garden.

Make sure to update your permalink structure to take out the date! I didn’t do that at first and had to add a bunch of redirects to my old pages.

photo of man using laptop, optimize your blog for search engines
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6. Update Your Old Posts

Whenever you have a new blog post, make sure you get it out there and promote it. But don’t forget about your old posts. Search engines are always crawling the internet for content. If Google finds a related blog to yours, it will bring that blog onto your results page. So it’s important to update to continue to optimize your blog for search engines.

It’s important that you update your old content to keep it relevant and current. By doing so, every time Google crawls through your website, it will find something new to add to the search results page. This is also how you can show potential readers that they can trust the content on your blog because it’s current and up-to-date.

When updating your old content, make sure you don’t change the URL or permalink of the post. If you do change anything, Google will classify it as a duplicate page instead of an updated version of the same page. In order to avoid this problem, select all of your old posts and check them individually to see what needs updating. When updating these posts, be sure to:

  • Add new links (other blogs and websites)
  • Add new images with alt tags (that contain keywords)
  • Do a double-check for any typos or grammatical errors

7. Optimize Your Images

One of the best ways to optimize your blog for search engine rankings is with optimized images. Search engines have a hard time reading the images themselves, but they do read the data surrounding it. Here are some things you should do for image optimization:

Use keywords in the filename of your images, such as “Atlanta-dog-trainer.jpg” instead of “IMG_01234.jpg”

Always fill out the alt tag when adding an image to your blog post. This is important for accessibility for blind people and for image searches by defaulting to the alt tag text if it cannot find anything else that matches the image search query.

Takeaway: SEO is a great way for you to increase traffic to your blog so take some time to learn the basics!

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Posted in Uncategorized

4 Important Reasons Why You Need Financial Literacy Now

Posted on by tracydee

Your net worth is your financial health

You need financial literacy. One of the most important things to do in order to grow financially is to know where you are now so that you can chart a course for where you want to go. You need to be aware of your financial health, and one of the ways you can check on it is by calculating your net worth.

Net worth is the value of everything you have, minus any debt. It includes money in your bank accounts, retirement accounts, investments, real estate holdings, personal property like cars and jewelry, and anything else that could be sold for cash. Determining your net worth helps you evaluate how well you’re doing financially by giving a snapshot of your current situation. It shows whether or not you’re getting closer to achieving your goals and allows you to calculate the rate at which you’re moving toward those goals.

This number is an important tool for financial health awareness because it can help guide your financial decisions when it comes time to make a big purchase like buying a house or getting married. You’ll know if your savings will be able to cover the costs or if they need some extra padding beforehand.

You make spending decisions every day

Every day you make financial decisions, even if you don’t realize it. You decide what you want to buy and how much money you want to spend on it, whether it’s a $5 cup of coffee or a $300 new pair of running shoes. You decide what things you need and how much they’re worth to you. And this is why you need financial literacy.

But the most important part of financial literacy isn’t just understanding how money works—it’s learning why what we do with money matters. When we understand the importance of our financial decisions in the context of their larger impact on our lives, we can grow our savings and get out of debt, we can avoid problems with credit and taxes, we can plan for retirement and investment vehicles, and we can be responsible for our own financial futures—no matter what age we are.

The more we know about the way money works, the better equipped we are to be responsible for our own success and help others who may not have had the same advantages.

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Everyone will need to manage money at some point in their life

Everyone will need to manage money at some point in their life so you need financial literacy. Whether it’s paying a bill, buying a house, or saving for retirement, managing your finances is an essential life skill that means you need financial literacy.

Do you have the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about money and manage your finances? Many adults do not strive for this goal. Instead, they turn to friends and family or rely on their partner’s knowledge of the subject.

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of financial education because they feel intimidated by math, they’re embarrassed by their level of financial literacy, or they simply don’t know where to start. But financial literacy is vital for everyone regardless of age or income level.

Financial education is not just about learning how to manage your money – it’s also about understanding how to use it as a tool to help you meet your life goals.

There’s a lot of financial literacy you can learn on your own

You need financial literacy and there’s a lot you can learn on your own. In fact, if you’re interested in learning about money and finance, there are plenty of resources available to help you get started.

The Federal Reserve offers some great basic advice on managing your personal finances with the goal of creating and maintaining a positive credit history. There are also plenty of great books out there that will introduce you to basic economic concepts, like how interest rates work and the importance of budgeting for saving.

One book I found particularly helpful was Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kyosaki:

And don’t forget about the wealth of free material online, including on YouTube. For example, one site that is particularly helpful is LearnVest, which helps users understand concepts related to investments, savings, and debt reduction. Many of these resources may be able to answer all the questions you have about money management—you just have to take advantage of them!

pexels-photo.jpg. why you need financial literacy
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Learn With Friends: If you’re interested in learning more about personal finance, consider getting together with some friends who share similar goals for their future and have similar levels of experience with money management. You can set up a Facebook group or grab a few tables at your favorite coffee shop—it doesn’t matter where or how; just meeting regularly can help motivate everyone to stick with the group through the ups and downs of learning new concepts. It’s helpful because you need financial literacy.

Takeaway: Learning about finances when you’re young can help you later in life, but it’s never too late to start!

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Posted in Goal

The Hidden Power Of Your Mindset (And How It Affects Everything Else In Your Life)

Posted on by tracydee

Your mindset shapes your life

It’s time to discover the hidden power of your mindset. Your mindset shapes your life. That’s the message of countless self-help books and motivational speakers. It’s a simple idea, but one that can be incredibly difficult to put into practice. The reason? The power of our thoughts is so strong that we often don’t realize how much our mindset affects our lives—and, even more subtly, how greatly it can shape our future.

In a recent TED Talk, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said that she believes “the single most important factor in whether or not you will fulfill your potential is not what you have or who you are, but rather, your mindset.” Dweck’s research showed that people with a “growth mindset“—understanding that their abilities can grow through hard work—tend to achieve more than those with a “fixed mindset”—the belief that intelligence and abilities are innate and can’t be changed.

Though this seems like an intuitive idea, the implications are huge. Our beliefs about ourselves shape how we approach challenges—whether we think it’s possible to succeed at something or not—and ultimately determine the course of our lives. If we believe we have the power to change and grow, that belief gives us the courage to try new things, learn from our mistakes, and improve ourselves.

Your mindset can change over time

A lot of people think that your personality is set and fixed, that you’re born a certain way and you can’t change. But the truth is, our personalities and mindsets are always changing.

The best way to think about it is from a growth mindset perspective. If you have a growth mindset, you believe that your personality can grow and change over time. And if you have a fixed mindset, you believe that it’s set in stone.

Now, which mindset do you think leads to more success? It’s obvious. The growth mindset gives us more power over our lives because we can adapt to any situation. And I want to share with you exactly how this works in practice.

All of our habits and behaviors are just the result of practice. If we practice something enough times, it becomes part of who we are. For example, if we practice being happy enough times, then we’ll become happier people overall. Or if we practice taking action enough times, then we’ll become an action-oriented person who takes action all the time.

the hidden power of your mindset
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Your mindset will impact how you act on your goals

What you think about yourself will come true. It’s a relatively simple concept, but it’s more powerful than most people realize. How you behave will be unconsciously influenced by how you perceive yourself. This is the hidden power of your mindset.

Learning to truly believe in yourself is key to setting and achieving goals because it opens the door to seeing opportunities where others think there are none. If you don’t believe that you can achieve something, then you’ll never make it a reality. But if you realize that your potential is limitless, then the only thing left is making the choice to act on your goals. How can you accomplish anything if you don’t believe that it’s possible?

The great thing about building your self-confidence is that it will affect everything else in your life as well. You’ll be able to see opportunities for positive change where others don’t. You’ll also be able to see what areas of your life could use some improvement and take concrete steps toward change.

You may not always feel confident, but when you do, make sure to hold onto that feeling. When those negative thoughts creep in, force yourself to focus on the good things about yourself and the reasons why those things have made a positive impact on others and in your life so far.

You must be intentional about developing and maintaining a healthy mindset

Being intentional about developing and maintaining a healthy mindset is the first step in changing your perspective. It’s helpful to know where you are now so you can make improvements by shifting your thinking and creating new habits. Here are some ways to do this:

Examine your belief system: Take note of your thoughts, words, and actions. Do they align with what you believe? Are there any negative beliefs that need to be reframed? It’s common for us to have limiting beliefs of ourselves and others, which can hurt our productivity as well as our relationships with people we care about.

Analyze negative thoughts: The next time you find yourself thinking negatively, stop and analyze what’s going on. Is there something specific causing this? If so, try not to let it get to you too much because it will pass soon enough! This is the hidden power of your mindset.

Takeaway: A powerful, positive, and healthy mindset is one of the most important factors in achieving success in any area of life.