Advice for working mothers: 10 tips to ration your time

1) KEEP A SCHEDULE. Having things written out in a day planner so that you can look ahead can help you to organize your days and weeks. You can organize your time and budget it out much like you do your grocery bill. You will know at a glance when you have overextended yourself so that you don’t over-book your precious time. It can also prevent you from forgetting things until the last minute so that you don’t wake up one morning and find yourself racing around the kitchen at five o’clock in the morning making cupcakes for the school bake sale, or spend all night finishing up the project at work that your boss wanted yesterday.

2) ACHIEVE A BALANCE. Think of your life in terms of a giant pie graph. In fact, you might want to make a pie graph that represents your day or your week. Figure out how many hours you need for all the different activities and responsibilities you have: work, children, spouse, housework, errands, sleep, personal hygiene, eating, alone time, etc. Try to keep everything you need to do in perspective and balance out your needs accordingly. By laying it all out, whether mentally or on paper, you will begin to see if any areas are unbalanced, or being squeezed out, so that you can make adjustments.

3) PRIORITIZE YOUR ACTIVITIES. A career, a family, and a house to run are three jobs, and not even Superman could find time to do everything that needs to be done. When you schedule your activities, or make your to-do lists, prioritize the things that need to be done. Put the most important things at the top of the list, and the things that are least important or things that can wait at the bottom. If you get through your whole list, great! If not, at least you’ll have tended to the most vital, pressing items and gotten them out of the way.

4) DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES. Don’t try to do everything yourself, at home or at work. Make your spouse and your children a list of chores to take some of the weight off of your own shoulders. At work, if you find yourself swamped, see if a co-worker or secretary can help you with some of the more simple yet time-consuming tasks to lighten your load.

5) PAY FOR SERVICES. Sometimes it actually pays to pay others to do time-consuming things, rather than tackling them ourselves. For example, if you earn $25 an hour doing overtime, wouldn’t you rather do one hour of overtime, then take that $25 and give it to someone else to do some unpleasant task that would take you two, three, four or five hours? Hire a student to clean out your garage, or cut your grass or shovel the snow off your walk. Offer your friendly neighbor some gas money to pick up your kids from school so you don’t have to race out on your lunch hour. Rather than spending a whole Saturday doing laundry, send it out to the laundry mat so you can pick it all up, pressed and folded. Is painting your own bedroom really saving you money if you have to take a day off from work to do it? If not, consider hiring a painter. Sometimes, paying for services can actually save you money.

6) SHOP IN BULK. Save yourself constant trips to the grocery store by stocking up on non-perishable food staples and household supplies. If you have the space for it, consider investing in a freezer so you can stock up on meats and frozen foods. Not only will this way of shopping save you countless trips to the grocery store, but it will probably save you money.

7) COOK IN BULK. Every time you prepare one family meal, you could prepare two or three in the same amount of time. Get a bigger pot and some storage containers so that every time you cook you make an extra meal that can be frozen. If you do this every time you cook, you can cut the time you spend cooking and preparing meals cut in half.

8) MAKE QUALITY TIME FOR YOUR KIDS. Quality time with kids is much more important than the quantity of time you spend with them. 30 minutes of time spent with the TV off and playing cards together is better than if you are both home all day but going about your own business in separate rooms. Treat your children as you would your clients– schedule time with them, do everything you can to be there for that appointment, and give them your undivided attention. Turn off your phone, put away your briefcase, let the dirty dishes sit in the sink, and enjoy each other’s company.

9) MAKE QUALITY TIME FOR YOUR SPOUSE. While two busy, working parents will usually sacrifice time with each other so they can get their work done, keep the house from falling apart and be with their children, it is equally as important that a couple set aside time for each other. Pick at least one night a month in which you will send the kids to sleep over at grandma’s house, or get a sitter and go out alone. It doesn’t matter if you are having dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town, or sipping coffee at a doughnut shop. When rationing out your time, remember that your spouse deserves a piece of the pie.

10) DON’T SKIMP ON YOUR OWN NEEDS. Often busy moms will cut down on sleep in favor of the many other things that need to be done, or give up on leisure time. However, when we are sleep deprived, we don’t operate at our optimal performance levels. Likewise, when we don't get a moment to slow down and enjoy our favorite hobbies or time with friends, the stressors tend to build up and have no release. When rationing out your time, don’t forget that time to rest and play is equally as important as time to work. If you regularly get a good night’s sleep, occasionally pamper yourself and schedule a once in a while much-needed "moms night out" with friends, you will be better equipped to handle anything your normal, busy day can throw at you.

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Tips for work-at-home mothers

Today many women want to return to being home with the kids without completely abandoning the career world. Being a work-at-home mom means constantly balancing the demands of a job with the needs of the family. Although nothing can make this balancing act easy, some tips from other work-at-home moms may help.

Choose your work carefully.

Traditional jobs with traditional hours do not usually fit the needs of the work-at-home mom. Often, freelance positions offer more of the flexibility needed. Jobs that have portions that can be completed in the car while you wait are often helpful. Moms find they spend a lot of time waiting - at the doctor's office, at dance practice, at sporting events - all of these offer possible working hours.

Flexibility is key.

Break each job into steps, with quickly reachable goals. You cannot often complete one whole job in the bits of time available but often you can break the job into workable steps. Resist the urge to be overly optimistic about the work hours available to you - always budget your time assuming emergencies can and will happen. Don't wait for long periods of open time, learn to fit some work into five-minute lulls. It is also helpful to learn to work in odd environments. One work-at-home mom does paper work while seated on the floor next to the bathtub while her pre-schoolers play in the water.

Learn to Love Chaos.

Many people believe they cannot work with background noise. Most work-at-home moms learn to adapt. One of the places cited as best for getting work done is a fast food restaurant with a play yard. The moms just cart their work out to the little tables next to the play equipment and worked while the kids play.

Learn to Plan Ahead.

The number one enemy of the working mom is boredom - not in herself, but in her kids. Bored kids are demanding. Bored kids often get into trouble. Plan ahead to have simple crafts - coloring, cutting, and painting - for your child to do at his desk, while you work at yours. Young children love this kind of side-by-side work arrangement. You might also want to keep a collection of intriguing toys --action figures, puzzles, small cars, etc - in a basket near your desk to keep your toddlers occupied, but close.

Kids can learn to help too.

Children can learn that sometimes mom just has to work before she can play. One mom uses a timer to help her kids be patient through her work time. She sets the timer for about 50 minutes and tells her kids that they need to play quietly or watch a video until the timer rings - then she will stop working and they will do something together. Make sure every day has time when you focus totally on your child and enjoy yourself. Don't let your drive to succeed in work cause you to miss this special time with your kids.

Don't try to do is all yourself.

Link up with other working moms; they are a great source of support and work tips. Try trading babysitting with other mothers. Not only will you have those hours while your child is being babysat; you will also have stray minutes on your babysitting daya while your child plays nicely in your home with his friend. Another possibility is "hiring" an older neighbor child to be a mother's helper, playing with your child in the afternoon after school while you work in the next room. Get your spouse involved in childcare, too. Make a weekly meeting with your spouse so that you can work out his childcare hours.

Many women are making work and kids fit together. Some days the fit is a little tight, but the rewards last forever.

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Retail business tips: how to design attractive shelving display

The only thing worse than walking into a store and not being able to find what you're looking for, is to walk into a store and find a complete mess.

Shelving is the most important factor in keeping your store neat and orderly. Not enough shelving space creates overcrowding and makes things difficult to find, while too much shelving can lead to wasted space.

It is very important to have the right amount of shelving space for the amount of product you have.

The type of shelves you use also create atmosphere for your store. Glass lends to an expensive, classy atmosphere, and wood to a homey atmosphere, while plastic or metal lends to a more economical or warehouse type atmosphere.

Picking a necklace out of a glass case is more appealing that picking one off a plastic rack.

You can create the feeling of high quality, expensive items at reasonable prices just by the way they are displayed.

The $20 necklace in a glass case seems a better buy to the customer than the same $20 necklace on the plastic rack which suddenly feels overpriced.

Shelving displays are a marketing tool and there are some factors to keep in mind before setting up your shelving units.

Marketing research shows the majority of people turn to the right when entering a store - use this to your advantage. Higher priced items can be placed to the right with lower priced items to the left. Or if you have an over abundance of an item you are trying to get rid of, set up a display on the right side of the store.

Marketing research also shows that people tend to look more at eye level than up above or down below. High top shelves and low bottom shelves can be used to neatly organize overstock. Keep your main product supply where the customer can easily see it.

There are some shelving no-no's I often see committed and can't believe places are still doing these.

1) Clothing should not be folded on tables or shelves - they should be hung up.

a) Folded clothes are dug through to find the right size (even if the sizes are marked on a sign).

b) Folded clothes do not get refolded the way they were originally folded, created a messy look.

c) Folded clothes don't get put back where they came from - this is especially true when the sizes are separated by shelves - the clothes usually get put back on the closest shelf - one it did not originally come from.

d) Folded clothes require more time to keep them neat and orderly due to refolding.

e) Folded clothes are reminiscent of garage sales; however in the store prices will be higher, making a customer feel they are not getting as good a deal.

2) Shelves should not be empty.

3) Shelves should not be over crowded.

4) Shelves should not be broken in any way - this is a safety hazard and you would be liable for any accidents or damages.

Shelves should be at equal heights, although they may be staggered to create a different look. Don't put shelves to close on top of one another to make removing and placing product difficult.

You can create pretty displays on your shelves by the way you arrange the product, be creative! Show how items can go together by putting them together. Use tissue paper, ribbon, confetti and other items to decorate the shelves giving them a more appealing look. This works incredibly well with glass shelves.

Use decorations in your shelving displays that go along with the seasons of the year, holidays or other events related to the area you live in. For example, at homecoming, use the school colors to decorate.

The most important rule to remember when creating shelf displays is to use your space wisely - don't leave too much empty space and don't overcrowd. Use your best judgment. What looks good to you will probably look appealing to others as well.

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Police interview tips

Congratulations. In your hand is a Civil Service application for the local Law Enforcement test.

You will notice that some candidates seem to have a gift for testing and getting hired. Many strong candidates test and eventually become discouraged because they are not hired. There are a few secrets that will increase the odds of you receiving the phone call asking you to report for duty.

#1. Take every Law Enforcement test that you can find. It does not matter if the test is for Corrections or Patrol, the value is in gaining the experience. Some areas of the test will come very natural for you, however there will be areas that experience will benefit you.

#2. Observe Officers in the Department in which you are testing. If they wear their hair short, then it would be wise to get a hair cut. If they have highly shined shoes, then shine your shoes for your interview. If you look like a member of that Department, then it will be natural for the Civil Service Board to offer you the position.

#3. Purchase the published study guides. If you chose a study guide that has sample tests in it, you will learn which areas you need to focus your time and energy. Do not waste your study time focusing on areas in which you excel.

#4. Avoid Cussing. This sounds strange and most Police Officers do use profanity, however it is unprofessional and does not portrait you in a positive light. You would be surprised how many people are offended by profanity.

#5. Be Positive. If you talk about your last employer in a negative manner, the interview board will develop some strong concerns. Remember, the interview board is going to rely on their instincts and experience, do not give them the impression that you are trying to find another job before you get fired from your current job. The more tests you take, the more comfortable you will be during the interview stage. When you are nervous, your answers will sound forced and unnatural. When you are relaxed and confident, you will be able to focus more on the questions and your instincts than on being self conscious. Knowledge breeds confidence. You will get knowledge by expereince so get to testing!

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How to Write A Great Resume

1. Step 1
   
    
   Determining your objective before you began. You should know exactly what sort of a job you want, and know what kinds of skills and experiences are needed to do well in that job.
   
2. Step 2
   
    
   In the resume use bullet points with short sentences instead of long paragraphs that way your qualities will stand out. Highlight your strengths you want to stand out above all other persons applying.
   The font size should be 10pt-12pt and no longer than 1-2pages.
   
3. Step 3
   
    
   List the best the best jobs first where you gained the most experience. Don't included places you were laid off if it was for a really bad reason. Give the phone numbers of employees that you worked well with as references.
   

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How to Write a Resume

1. Step 1
   Write a cover letter. This is not a synopsis of your resume. Simply introduce yourself and say why you are the best candidate for the job.
   
2. Step 2
   Know what type of job you are applying for and what the qualifications are for employment.
   
3. Step 3
   Choose a design for your resume. You can search for samples that are specific to the job you are applying for, although it is more important to have an outline that best suits the job and fill in the blanks with your personal information. The outline could include objective, work experience, qualifications and references.
   
4. Step 4
   Put in the resume your objective, fitting the job description. This can determine whether you get the 10 to 30 seconds and if the reviewer will send your resume to the next round.
   
5. Step 5
   Use bullet points to convey information and strive to be clear and concise when writing the rest of the resume. Study the job qualifications and highlight any skills that meet those requirements. It is also best to use action words like prepared, directed, managed, developed, monitored, implemented, coordinated and presented. If you lack experience, focus on how your education has prepared you for the position for which you are applying.
   
6. Step 6
   Include symbols like %, $, and #. These symbols will save space, allowing you to include more information on your resume. A symbol like a dollar sign can also draw the HR manager's attention to a significant financial achievement. For example, "directed and closed first year with two million in revenue" should be changed to "directed and closed first year with $2M in revenue."
   
7. Step 7
   Highlight your strengths by putting the most relevant points first where they can be viewed quickly. Remain positive and avoid negatives such as reasons for leaving an employer and history gaps in employment. These can be discussed in person if necessary.
   

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Job-Hunting on the Sly

How to Tap Your Network Without Tipping off Your Boss
by Caroline M.L. Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs


Even if you have a job, you may be in the market for another one.

Your current employer may be in dire straits, or you may simply be seeking new challenges. But in a challenging economy, there are a lot of eager professionals gunning for any position -- including your present one. And because most employment is at-will, you may be fired for looking for a new job.

Use these tips to alert your network about a job search without alarming your employer.

Don't Go into Broadcast Mode

Even though you want your network to know you're looking for work, Liz Ryan, founder of AskLizRyan.com and author of "Happy About Online Networking: The Virtual-ly Simple Way to Build Professional Relationships," urges job seekers, "Do not use LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter to indicate that you're job hunting!"

The same goes for mass emails. She states, "People process information differently and they may think they're being helpful by forwarding a message when, in fact, they're being indiscreet." Someone could reach out, inadvertently, to someone connected to your boss and blow your cover.

"Remember, too, that gossip is a valuable currency today," she says. If news of your search falls into too many hands, you cannot control how it is spread. "You can't put such a currency in people's hands and expect them not to spend it."

If you ask for a helping hand, ask your associates to run possible leads and introductions by you before pursuing them. The same goes for recruiters. You don't want anyone acting on your behalf without your approval, as you risk exposing your search to your current employer.

Stay Top of Mind All the Time

Because your network is your most powerful resource for finding another job, you must make sure everyone in it understands what you do and what types of opportunities you're pursuing. Says Ryan, a former human resources executive, "The best possible thing you can do for a search is enroll your job-search army! Meet with them. Talk with them. Ask about their lives. Find out how you can help them. This will get them thinking about you in an up-to-date way."

And if your network isn't big enough, she says that growing it is easiest when you have a job. She notes, "Employed job seekers have a HUGE advantage over unemployed people because they can reach out to anyone in their industry, invite them to coffee, and get to know them without asking for anything." These people may not respond to you when you're unemployed. The same is true for those already in your network.

"If you let a connection lapse, you may encounter apathy when you ask for help," Ryan adds.

Be Ready with References

If you're looking for a job while you have one, you probably don't want to use your boss or a current colleague as a reference. This is particularly vexing if you've held the same position for a number of years. Ryan, an expert on the new millennium workplace, advises, "We have to cultivate references all the time. Look to people who have left the company. Former clients. Even vendors. You may think a vendor wouldn't roll over on a client they serve, but they're pragmatic. You may be a good contact for them down the road." Individuals you know through volunteer activities and professional associations can also act as references.

Another great opportunity for references from your current boss and coworkers are LinkedIn endorsements. "Approach your boss in an 'up' moment, when you've gone the extra mile or saved something, and ask, 'Do you use LinkedIn? May I ask you for an endorsement? It would be fantastic because I'm thinking of becoming an officer in a professional association.' Or something to that effect." Once you have the endorsement, it's there for potential employers to see.

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