An unorganized and cluttered workspace can leave you unproductive and unmotivated. Follow these easy tips to help you get your workspace in order.
Tip #1 - Minimize Paper
Even in a digital society, papers can still pile up quickly in an office. To conquer that pile, first gather all your papers that aren’t filed. Then go through the pile one sheet at a time. Decide if you need to shred, file, or act on each sheet. Once you are done with your stack, move onto the file cabinets. Using a similar method as above, go through each file folder, one paper at a time. Decide if you need to shred, keep in the file, or take action.
Tip #2 – Color Code and Label your Files
Filing is step-one of your paper organization mission. Step two is color-coding your files to be able to easily identify your categories. This eliminates the need to flip through every single file folder every time you are looking for a document. Choose colors that help you identify your categories. For example, green is good for financial file folders (Green = Money). Step three is using a label maker to label each folder. You may be wondering why a label maker over handwriting? Typed and printed labels are going to be easier to read, and your files will have a more uniform look to them.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links.
Tip #3 – Store Supplies in Drawers
If you have drawer space in your desk, utilize this to store your supplies in near containers and separators. Your goal is to have as little as possible on your desk or work area, and office supplies can take on a life of their own. Instead sort through the supplies that you need and use and donate the rest to a local school. If you come across 12 pairs of scissors, you likely aren’t going to ever need this many pairs, and they are taking up valuable space and causing unnecessary clutter. Once you have selected the items that you actually use and want in your desk, put them in a desk drawer organizer.
Tip #4 – Utilize your Cabinet Space
Move everything that you don’t need regular access to inside an office cabinet. If the cabinet has doors, you can “hide” a bit of the cluttered vibe, but if it’s an open face cabinet, then arranging by color and utilizing bins and baskets is a must. Pro Tip – Wireless printers can be moved off the desk and into a cabinet
Tip #5 – The Wall is for More than Pictures
Having a fashionably decorated office doesn’t mean it cannot also be functional. Shelves on the wall can open a whole new area of storage for your space. Think outside the box beyond shelves though. You can also hang dry erase boards, calendars, storage cubes, filing systems, TVs, speakers, and more. Going vertical will give you more space and help the space look less cluttered.
0 Comments
Love to travel, but seem to always be struggling in the packing department? Whether you are taking a month-long road trip across the country, hopping a plane for a week-long excursion in Paris, or going to visit friends for the weekend, packing is about to become a whole lot easier with these easy-to-follow tips and tricks!
Tip #1 – Roll your Clothes
Did you know that rolling your clothes, instead of folding them, saves you nearly half the space in your suitcase?! This is probably the most effective and easiest tip to put into action. Begin with your bulkiest items like sweaters and jeans. Then move down to mid-sized clothing such as t-shirts and shorts, and finally finish up with socks and underwear. Tip #2 – Place your Rolled Clothing into Packing Cubes Sometimes the idea of a bag within a bag seems tedious and unnecessary. This is not the case with packing cubes. They are a must if you are trying to make the most out of the space in your suitcase. Place your rolled clothes into packing cubes, trying to keep your “categories” of clothing together. For example, jeans and sweaters in the larger size cubes, and socks and underwear in the small cubes. Bonus comes when you arrive at your destination, and you can place your neatly packed cube straight into the hotel dresser drawer. If you are traveling with multiple members of your family, I suggest bringing different colored or designed packing cubes, to help keep everyone's items easily identifiable. There are several patterns and colors to choose from if you select the TravelWise packing cubes, which are the sets that my family uses. Oh, and did I mention that they are machine washable too!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links
Tip #3 – Bring Travel-Sized Toiletries
With air-travel restrictions on the size of liquids allowed through security, travel size toiletries are going to become your best kept travel secret. You can either purchase travel sized toiletries pre-filled, or use empty leakproof TSA approved travel containers and pour your favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash to bring along with you. Make sure to check with your hotel or final destination if they provide items such as hair dryers and irons. This will save a lot of space if you do not need to travel with these bulky items. Tip #4 – Utilize Hidden Space Bringing spare pairs of shoes with you? Don’t let the space inside go to waste! Stuff jewelry, socks, or other small items in a plastic baggie and then inside your spare shoes that are being packed. Pro Tip – Wear your heaviest pair of shoes, and heaviest jacket onto the plane instead of packing them. Tip #5 – Neutral Colors are your Friend Plan to re-wear many of the items that you are packing. Pick a neutral color pallet, so you can mix and match these basics easily to assemble multiple outfits out of a few articles of clothing. A pair of navy or black pants or jeans is easily going to match with several tops. The same advice goes with shoes. While you may love to have a different pair of shoes for every outfit, this isn’t practical for packing within limits. Instead pack two pairs of neutral shoes that will go with the pallet of your travel clothing. Tip #6 – Carry-on Times Two Many airlines will allow two carry-ons per person. Make sure to utilize each piece you are allowed, even if you don’t need it on the way there, you may want the extra space for souvenirs for your trip back. For airlines such as Frontier and Spirit, who may charge for even a carry-on bag, you will want to check out this personal item bag! I was able to get 3 outfits, toileterie, pajamas, drawstring backpack, my wallet, 2 pairs of sunglasses (with hard eyeglass cases) and a few odds and ends all in this bag!
Packing properly is an important step in ensuring a smooth and stress-free trip. The key to successful packing is to be organized and methodical. Start by making a list of what you need to bring and prioritize the items based on their importance and the length of your trip. Pack your luggage in layers, starting with heavier items at the bottom and lighter items on top. Roll your clothes instead of folding them to save space and prevent creases. Use packing cubes or compartments to separate items and maximize space. Remember to leave some empty space in your luggage for souvenirs or purchases. Finally, make sure to label your luggage with your name, contact information, and destination to prevent any confusion or loss. By following these tips, you'll be able to pack efficiently and enjoy your trip with peace of mind.
Making a budget
If you aren’t sure if you can afford that new car that you’ve had your eye on or that trip that you are itching to plan, you need to create a budget to clearly outline money coming in and money going out. Making a budget is an important step in managing your finances. To create a budget, determine your monthly income, list your monthly expenses, categorize expenses, track your spending, create a budget allocating funds for fixed expenses, variable expenses, and savings, stick to the budget, and review and adjust regularly. By following these steps, you can gain control of your finances, avoid overspending, and reach your financial goals.
Step 1: Figure your net monthly income
What does net income even mean? Simply stated this is your take home pay. You need to take your hourly wages or salary for a given pay period and subtract taxes and other fees taken out of your check such as insurance and retirement places. Once those deductions have been taken you are left with your net income, and this will be the starting number to create your budget around.
Step 2: Write down your areas of spending
If you are a digital person, using a spreadsheet on the computer is a smart idea when planning out a budget. There are always new line items to add, delete or change. Certain irregular expenses are also easy to forget, but important to add into the budget once recalled. For those who like to have a hard paper copy, a budget planner is a must have! Look for an updated planner, which allows you to start at anytime throughout the year, such as the feature-filled planner below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links.
Here are a few examples of line items you may need to include on your expense sheet
This list will be different for everyone, so it is important for you to take the time to customize this to what your actual expenses are. You will notice the last suggested budget category above is cash. This is a line item that everyone should have. Those quick trips to the ATM or cash back at the register can really add up. Even cash purchases need to be budgeted for. Use a budget binder cash envelope system for simple tracking and organization of your dollars.
Step 3: Estimate how much you spend each month per line item
Now that you know what you are spending your money on, it is time to estimate how much you are spending on each expense every month. Most of the time this will be an average number except if it is a set bill that doesn’t often change such as mortgage or rent payment. A helpful hint is to look back at past months expensive to make an educated estimated guess. For example, if you spent $425, $576, and $409 in three consecutive months for groceries, add those three numbers together and divide by three to get your new budgeted number for groceries. In this case your monthly allowance would be $470.
Step 4: Are you living within your means?
Add up your estimated expenses and compare this today to your new monthly income figured out in step one. You should be spending less money than you are bringing in. If you are spending over your net monthly income than you are overspending and need to trim your budget. If you are spending way under your monthly budget this is a good time to establish or add to personal savings or retirement account.
Step 5: Trimming your budget
If you are like the majority of people on the planet you are projected to spend more than you are bringing in for income. If this is the case, then you need to go down the line items of your budget and write (W) want, (S) savings or (N) need. This is the perfect time to implement the 50/30/20 rule. The 50/30/20 rule is a tool used to help divide your net income into three categories of spending.
Needs
50% Rent or mortgage Insurance Car payment Utilities Groceries Wants 30% Streaming services Shopping Travel and Vacations Entertainment Charitable donations Savings or Debt 20% Emergency “rainy day” fund Stock investments Retirement IRAs Child’s college fund Credit card payments
Look at each (W) want item one by one and see if there are any items that can be eliminated entirely. Examples of this may be if you have three streaming services, but only use one on a regular basis. Cancel the other two that aren’t used often and remove them from your budget entirely.
Once you have gone through the (W) wants and removed or lessened the amount allocated towards them, recalculate, and see if you are within your income guidelines now. If you have managed to stay within budget, fantastic! If you are still projected to spend over, it is time to look at your (N) needs and see if you can spend less than you are currently spending. While this may seem difficult to do many times there is some wiggle room in a lot of areas of required expenses. Let’s take mortgages for example. Many people refinance their mortgage to secure a lower monthly payment. You can shop around and compare rates for homeowners, medical, dental, auto, and vision insurance. Try shopping at a different grocery store that offers the same products you shop for at a lower cost. (S) savings is a category that many people sacrifice completely. It is hard to cut back on things that you want just to save for a day long down the road. Savings is an important category to budget for and should not be pushed aside and neglected. Rework your budget if you did not originally have a place for savings. You are never too young to start putting money aside for your future.
Step 6: Check your budget quarterly
Life happens fast. Things change. Chances are high that prices will change, you’ll add new expenses, change jobs, etc. Make sure that you grab your calculator, and are checking your budget a few times per year and making adjustments where needed. It is important that you stay on top of this, or you could end up getting into financial debt before you realize that you are.
Spending time with your gal pals can make for some of the most memorable moments of your life. Frequent outings can get pricey though, but rest assured there are endless amounts of entertaining ideas you can do with your besties without breaking the bank.
Here are 18 fun things to do with friends!
1. Themed Potluck Dinner
Pick the theme and invite your guests! Everyone dresses for the occasion and brings a dish to share that compliments the theme of the evening. Theme ideas could be anything from a luau to a casino night. I always love bringing a crockpot dish to potlucks. You can cook the meal and not have to be home, and then keep it warm at the party.
2. Beach Day
Soak up some rays and listen to your favorite songs while spending some quality time with your friends. Pack a picnic lunch or grab a bite at a local eatery to wrap up your afternoon. 3. Host an At-Home Spa Party Mani/pedis can be very expensive and unnecessary when you are hanging out with your friends! Gel manicure home sets are very affordable and can be used by your whole group. Pamper each other with nails and facials!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links.
4. Board Game or Card Night
Have your friends bring a game of their choice and let your competitive streak go wild! There are a lot of games out there, and you probably have a few hidden away in a closet somewhere in your home, but why not try something new that no one has played yet. These two are top picks and fun for everyone!
5. Host a Closet Purge Party
Gather your friends and have them help you decide what’s a keeper and what you need to part with. Give your group first dibs at items you are no longer using and donate the rest to a charity in need. 6. Go on a Walk and Talk Why sit still and gab when you can get up and get moving! Whether you take laps around the block or find a local nature trail, grab a buddy and hit the ground running (or walking)! 7. Learn a New Skill on YouTube These days you can learn practically anything on YouTube. Pick a common interest, whether it be knitting, yodeling or roller skating, an learn the basics together. 8. Help Others There are several non-profit organizations on a constant lookout for volunteers. Sign your friend group up to help at a local food pantry, beach clean-up or other service project.
9. Home Movie Night
Check those streaming services for the latest movies or classics like Gone with the Wind. Pop some popcorn, mix up a batch of margaritas, dim the lights, and get cozy with throw blankets. Movies almost always seem more entertaining when watched with others reacting. 10. Host a Swap Shop Everyone spends the week cleaning out their homes and closets of items no longer used or wanted. Then you get together one evening and set everything out where friends can grab whatever they want free of charge! Head to the nearest donation center the next day to donate the items that weren’t selected.
11. Bake-off / Sweets Exchange
You may have heard of a cookie exchange, but have you done a bake-off where everyone is baking at the same time? It just adds to the fun to cook/bake as a group. Make sure everyone brings their own food storage containers and take a few of each sweet treat home at the end of the evening. 12. Book Club Find your bookworm friends and start a monthly book club! Take turns selecting the book of the month and get together towards the end of the month and share your thoughts and opinions about what you read. 13. Puzzle Competition Everyone brings a puzzle to the host or hostesses house with the same number of pieces. Place the puzzles in a general area and draw numbers to see who will pick first. One by one each person will select the puzzle that they want to put together, but they cannot select the one that they brought. (This makes it fairer, so someone isn’t putting together a puzzle they have done a million times). When the timer starts everyone works independently putting their puzzle together until the first-person finishes. Winner gets bragging rights or a small prize if you decide to go that route. 14. Paint Party Have you been wanting to a paint an access wall or an entire room in your room? Would extra hands and motivation help? Offer to provide the supplies, food, and drinks, if your friends are willing to pitch in and help! 15. Learn a New Language The process of learning to speak another language can be long and daunting. It is also hard to practice by yourself. Make a pact with a friend to try and learn the language together. Download audio courses, hire a tutor and use language apps to get started on your international language journey! 16. BYOB Wine Style Everyone brings their own bottle of wine and researches facts about the wine, grapes, vineyard, etc. Then share all that you’ve learned with your group and have your own private wine tasting. 17. Karaoke Want to let loose and belt out those tunes? Friends can get a good laugh and have a fabulous time at karaoke nights. You can easily theme this night too by the decades: 70s, 80s, 90 and so on. Or do it by music genre: worship, country, pop, rock.
18. Trivia
Many local business host trivia nights to bring in business to their establishments. Most of the time there is no fee to enter and it’s a great group activity. Make sure to come up with a creative team name! Can’t find a place hosting a trivia night? Host one of your own! There are several trivia books available with tons of categories and questions!
These are just a handful of ideas because the choices are endless! Even if it's just sitting around on the couch doing nothing at all, it's important to value and make time for your friends.
Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS), is a chronic, debilitating, and persistent neurological condition which affects a person’s vision, hearing, and brain function. The primary, and shared, symptom of VSS sufferers is Visual Snow. This resembles “TV static” and is perceived and seen as millions of moving and flashing dots over the entire visual field. This static is seen whether the eyes or opened or if they are closed. While Visual Snow itself is not as rare as once believe, Visual Snow Syndrome is. The full-blown syndrome carries multiple symptoms with it, in addition to the symptom of Visual Snow.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF VISUAL SNOW SYNDROME?
While the primary symptom of Visual Snow Syndrome is Visual Snow (static vision), there are numerous other symptoms that accompany this condition. Many of these are seen in migraine sufferers, making diagnosing VSS difficult for medical professionals who do not have a full understanding of the condition. Many patients are misdiagnosed with Status migrainosus, or a similar diagnosis in the migraine family. Here is a listing of symptoms that a VSS patient may experience:
WHAT MAKES VISUAL SNOW SYNDROME HARD TO LIVE WITH?
Because the brain of a VSS patient causes visual information to be processed abnormally, normal and everyday tasks can become more difficult. When trying to read the words and letters on the page or screen may start to produce afterimages, and these shadowed replicas will float and move over the words making them hard, or impossible, to distinguish. Driving often times becomes a daunting task because of static, night blindness, floaters, glare, light sensitivity, ghosting, and blue field entopic phenomenon.
DOES VISUAL SNOW SYNDROME PRESENT THE SAME IN ALL PATIENTS?
VSS presents differently in patients aside from the occurrence of Visual Snow (static vision). Some patients on the milder end of the VSS spectrum may have 2 or 3 symptoms, while severe cases may have 15+ constant symptoms. Also, some patients find that certain symptoms may fade over time, while others find that they add new symptoms after years of having VSS.
WHAT CAUSES VISUAL SNOW SYNDROME?
Researchers and doctors still do not have a conclusive answer to what triggers or causes Visual Snow Syndrome. There are many patient accounts out there, on what they believe set off, or triggered, their own personal VSS condition. These include, but are not limited to SSRIs, concussion, antibiotics, illegal drug use, head trauma, pregnancy, and most recently COVID-19. While potential triggers have been identified by patients, the question remains, “when triggered, what area or areas of the brain are affected, and how are these affected? Research in recent years, has led us to see that the brain of a VSSer has hyperactivity in the visual cortex, and it is believed that the lingual gyrus is involved as well as the thalamus.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Currently there are no medical tests to diagnose Visual Snow Syndrome. This can be done by a doctor, usually a neurologist or a neuro-ophthalmologist, and is based on the patient’s symptoms. If a patient is only seeing static, with no other symptoms, then they would have a diagnosis of Visual Snow, as a symptom, but not Visual Snow Syndrome. If a patient has additional symptoms, like the ones listed above, along with their Visual Snow (static vision), then they would receive a diagnosis of Visual Snow Syndrome. While awareness and research have multiplied over the past decade for Visual Snow Syndrome, this is still an incurable and untreatable condition. Doctors and patients can work together to try and alleviate some of the visual symptoms by the use of colored lenses or sunglasses. Patients may find white noise sound machines helpful to drown out the tinnitus. Sometimes treating an underlying condition, such as migraine, can help patients get some measure of relief from their Visual Snow Syndrome symptoms.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links.
WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PATIENTS
While there is no treatment, there are support groups for patients to join. Patients find it helpful to talk to others with the condition to ask questions and get reassurance about some of the many symptoms that they are experiencing. Most of these can be found online, on Facebook, due to the many miles between each patient. A full listing of groups can be found on the Eye on Vision Foundation website at https://www.eyeonvision.org/visual-snow-resources.html
WHAT IS THE EYE ON VISION FOUNDATION?
The Eye on Vision Foundation was formed in 2006, by me, Jennifer Ambrose, a Visual Snow Syndrome sufferer. When I developed VSS in 2005, Visual Snow Syndrome was not a condition that many doctors even had a name for. Patients were referred to psychiatrists, as the symptoms they were describing sounded unrealistic and unreasonable. It wasn’t until a migraine expert, Prof. Peter Goadsby, published a paper in 2014 entitled, “‘Visual snow’ – a disorder distinct from persistent migraine aura,”(2) that the medical community started to take notice and validate Visual Snow Syndrome. The Eye on Vision Foundation has worked closely with researchers on a global basis since day one and will continue to support both researchers and patients for many years to come.
THE FUTURE OF VISUAL SNOW SYNDROME
Research is happening on a global basis for Visual Snow Syndrome. There are currently doctors in England, Australia, the U.S., Germany, and Switzerland working hard to learn more about the basic science of VSS and how we might treat this debilitating condition. In order to accelerate the research process, more funding is needed. Funding for rare disease is difficult, and many times the financial burden falls on the patients themselves to raise the capital needed to fund these studies. There are a handful of nonprofit companies around the globe working to raise research funding. To learn more, or get involved, please visit EyeOnVision.org Article written by Jennifer Ambrose, founder of the Eye on Vision Foundation EyeOnVision.org Recommended supplemental reading: Living with Visual Snow Syndrome Sources: (1) The Psychiatric Symptomology of Visual Snow Syndrome Emma J. Solly, Meaghan Clough, Paige Foletta, Owen B. White and Joanne Fielding https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.703006/full (2) 'Visual snow' - a disorder distinct from persistent migraine aura Christoph J Schankin, Farooq H Maniyar, Kathleen B Digre, Peter J Goadsby https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/137/5/1419/334357
What is Parosmia?
Parosmia can most simply be defined as a distorted sense of smell and/or taste, where anosmia is the loss of sense of smell (total or partial). Parosmia is a distorted olfactory response in the presence of an odor. This can be a debilitating condition in which familiar smells become unrecognizable and disgusting, sometimes leading to malnourishment, depression and mental health issues. With smell being closely linked to taste, many patients experiencing parosmia become distressed due to their impaired eating. The tongue is responsible for core tastes like salty, bitter and sweet, but most of the faint flavors we taste, like in soups, sauces, or beverages are tightly linked to sense of smell.
Parosmia happens when the smell receptor cells in your nose don’t detect odors, and translate them to your brain improperly. The smell is than perceived as bad or disgusting (think rotten flesh or week old garbage.)
Causes
What can cause parosmia? Most commonly parosmia results after a viral infection. More cases than ever have been seen after Covid-19. Other cases may be, but are not limited to head injuries, sinus infections, colds, tumors, drugs, and seizures.
Impact on Quality of Life
When your sense of smell can't be relied on, you may be at risk of missing things like dirty diapers, spoiled milk or food, smoke, or even a gas leak. Careers may be impacted as well if you rely on your sense of smell. Chefs, sommeliers, perfumers, and firefighters, will find it difficult to perform while coping with parosmia. Sufferers of parosmia may find it impacts their friendships and family life in a negative way. No longer being able to tolerate going out to a restaurant can have an impact more than people may realize.
Potential Treatments
There is no set conventional treatment for Parosmia. This has led patients to trial and error and doing their own research on treatments that may work for their individual case. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) and Zinc Supplements
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through one of the links.
SGB - A stellate ganglion block is an injection of local anaesthetic into the collection of nerves in the side of the neck. The injection goes directly into the autonomic nervous system, which some theorize will stop the "Fight or Flight" response. I personally tried this treatment, and sadly this had no effect on my Parosmia. I can say though I have talked to several people who have had success with the SGB treatment.
Smell Training
Essential oils were commonly used in the early days of Covid-19 when loss of smell was an extremely widespread symptom. Olfactory training is a non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment option for patients with olfactory dysfunction, such as parosmia and anosmia. Patients expose themselves to 4 different odors, 2 or more times per day, for 4-6 months.
Over the past few years, companies have developed smell training kits specifically designed for olfactory dysfunction with multiple phases as you progress through the smell therapy.
The kits are designed to help regenerate damaged neural pathways. The specific fragrances found in the smell training kits represent some of the most important scents in the Odor Prism. With consistency and practice, these scents can make it easier for you to recognize other fragrances that fall within that prism.
|
Bless Myself BlogJen AmbroseCertified Life Coach, Mother of Five, Wife, Christian, Homeowner & Friend Archives
April 2023
Categories
All
|