*Image by orcmid on Flickr

If it was possible to make a living off of being completely unproductive or simply wasting your day away doing everything but the very work that you were supposed to do, then I’m willing to bet that most of us would be millionnaires several times over by now. Meanwhile, back in real life, decreased productivity usually correlates with decreased funds and an increased chance that you’ll be out of a job. Therefore, the folks over at HealthMoneySuccess offer some of the following tips on things we should stop doing in order to increase our likelihood of staying productive and gainfully employed. To see the full list of all 33 things, visit the original blog post here.

10 Things You Should Stop Doing

1. Reading all of the productivity blogs that you can find- Pick and choose one or two blogs to read daily, and stream them through an RSS feed, this way you’re less likely to surf the web aimlessly (see #3).
2. Spending too much time on social media sites (i.e. Facebook and Twitter)-Social media sites like these are incredibly addicting and can suck up large chunks of time without you even realizing it. Unless it’s for business, avoid it.
3. Surfing online aimlessly-Surfing online leads to more surfing, which leads to more surfing which leads to nothing getting accomplished. Try to avoid it while you are working, or at best, limit yourself to only a few minutes at a time when you need the occasional ‘mental break’.
4. Saying yes to every request-It’s ok to say ‘no’ to your boss when he or she is trying to dole out too much work to you. As long as your focus is on quality versus quantity and it is within reason, avoid taking on additional responsibilities that you know you won’t be able to handle.
5. Checking emails every 5 minutes-It can be incredibly tempting to check your email between having a smartphone that alerts you every two seconds when there’s something in your inbox to having your inbox open on your screen. Instead, try to go for a block of time, say an hour or so, without checking your email. It will be less distracting.
6. Buying cheaper electrical appliances or gadgets-You know that saying, ‘you get what you pay for’? Yup. It’s better to invest in quality appliances that will last you versus ones that will break more frequently.
7. Cluttering your wardrobe-The Salvation Army is always looking for generous donations. If you find yourself spending more time looking for things to get dressed in, you probably have too many clothes. Time to donate to charity.
8. Finding your keys, cell phone and wallet-Make a designated area where you will always leave your keys and wallet, this way you don’t have to wonder where they are when you are going out.
9. Losing your way-It’s always best to plan out where you are going ahead of time so that you don’t waste time.
10. Saving money manually-Automated is the way to go. Look for ways to have money automatically transferred from one account to the other so that you don’t have to waste time either online or “on line” doing it yourself.

(Via HealthMoneySuccess)

Having debt sucks; and while almost anyone you talk to will tell you that it’s pretty much almost inevitable- this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, you would be amazed at how making just a few small changes to your lifestyle can really help you save quite a bit of money. The following are a few tips for living a financially “healthier” life.

5 Tips for Better Finances

1. Skip Dinner- Ok- not literally. I’m referring to restaurants here. It’s ok to go out every once in a while to eat, but research has shown time and again that purchasing your groceries and planning a dinner at home saves A LOT. Try it and see for yourself!
2. Create a Spreadsheet- If you’re anything like me, having a visual aid to your finances helps to provide you with a great view of what you are spending your money on and where. Once a month, I sit down at my computer in front of an Excel spreadsheet that I created to track how much money I have spent on groceries, eating out, bills and miscellaneous expenses. Believe it or not, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to run through- especially since I do all of my banking online*.
3. *Invest in Online Banking and Bill Pay- I don’t care what other people may say about the “danger of conducting business online”. If you do your banking online as well as pay bills, the sites are secured to prevent people from obtaining your info. Just make sure that you properly log out when you are done (in case you don’t trust the people that you live with). Aside from the monthly rent and water, I receive all of my bills and banking statements online. Technology is also advanced enough to the point where I can choose to have certain bills automatically deducted from my bank account, AND I can even have reminders of when bills are due sent directly to my Blackberry. How convenient is that?! On top of this, you never forget to pay a bill, which is always nice for your credit score.
4. Cancel Subscriptions/Services You Don’t Use- We all have that one magazine that we really don’t read or that gym membership that we never really take advantage of. If you don’t read the magazine, stop subscribing to it. You would be amazed at how much money you can save in one year by not having $5-25 deducted each month. With regards to the gym, reevaluate this on an individual basis. You may find that the money you are putting towards a gym may be better put towards hiring a personal trainer to come to your house or towards a series of yoga classes where you are surrounded by people who are motivated to exercise. Get with the program, or get out.
5. Coffee- My boyfriend used to be a hardcore coffee addict- I’m talking to the point where there wasn’t a single (I kid you not) coffee shop or Starbucks within a 20 mile radius that he couldn’t walk into at any time and the people there knew his face and what he drank. I remember sitting down with him and adding up all of the money that he had spent on coffee beverages in the course of just one year, and the number was jaw-dropping. If you need an extra ‘kick’ in the morning to get you going, try getting out of bed and going for a quick jog. If you absolutely have to have your caffeine fix, figure out how to make the coffee yourself. It’ll save you time and money in the end.

Have any other tips for managing your finances? Share ‘em in the comments section!

The following are five ways in which you can improve your work-from-home (WFH) experience to make things a heck of a lot sweeter!

1. Know Your Company’s Policies- Working from home is one thing, but actually getting the work done is another. Obviously, if your boss trusts you enough to work from home, then he or she trusts you enough to know that you are reliable and will follow the usual business ethics to make sure that your work is done in a timely manner and in the way in which it was originally specified to you to be done. The last thing that you want to do is ruin that balance of trust with your employer, so always make sure that you go above and beyond to do your best.
2. Maintain Some Semblance of a Schedule- Just because you have the luxury of working from the comfort of your own home doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep up a regular work schedule. I’m not saying that you have to work a strict 9-5 schedule; but at the same time, you don’t really want to be working in a few hours here, a couple of minutes there and then the rest of your hours in the middle of the night. Keeping a rough schedule helps to keep you organized, and it also keeps your body trained to get work done during a certain time frame. Plus- it allows you to better set your schedule for doing other things such as, I don’t know, having a social life for starters!
3. Cut Out the Distractions- For me, this boils down to one of two things: my cell phone or Facebook. Whatever it is for you, get rid of it (at least while you are working). For instance, when I am hard at work, my cell phone is usually turned off or is turned to silent and placed in another room. As for the social networking sites, I usually have a schedule in front of me on one screen and my tasked work on another, which leaves very little wiggle room for social networking sites. In between work breaks, I will try to check my cell phone or relieve some of the work monotony by checking out the latest social media stuff.
4. Take Breaks and Get Out- I have a tendency to work for long blocks of time, which is not good for several reasons; the main one being that when I eventually peel myself out of my chair, my back is killing me and I suddenly realize that I’m starving. Some of the tendency for those of us who work from home is to shut ourselves indoor all day until we finish every last drop of work. You don’t have to do this! Breaking up your work day is a great way to stay fresh and on point so that work doesn’t begin to drag you down. Get out and go for a walk or head to the gym or meet up with a friend for lunch and then come back to your work. Schedule breaks for yourself!
5. Protect Your Computer- If you work from home, then you will no doubt want to invest in a secured internet connection to protect your wireless network. Also, make sure that you back up whatever files you are working on just in case the power goes out or there is inclement weather.