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5 Tips for Making Jellies and Jams

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While the best jams and jellies are made from fresh fruit, you can use canned fruit juice in a pinch. You can also make cooked or freezer jams and jellies. Regardless of which type you make, the biggest key is following the instructions to a ‘T’ so the final product isn’t too hard or loose. Canned jams and jellies can last up to a couple of years if they are stored properly and you get a good seal during water bathing them.

Using Canned Fruit Juice

If you can’t get the fruit to make jellies and jams, you can use fruit juices. Be sure to choose all-natural juices – you won’t get good results with the flavored type. You should also use unsweetened juices, as you add quite a bit of sugar when making jams and jellies. Some recipes will adjust for the sugar in canned juices, but it’s not an exact science since different manufacturers use different amounts of sugar and other ingredients. You will always get a better flavor with fresh fruit.

Preparation is Key

Pick through the fruit to remove stems and any rotten pieces of fruit. You can cut out badly bruised sections of fruit – you don’t have to throw the whole piece away. You can use slightly bruised fruit.

You have to constantly watch and stir jams and jellies. You’ll have more success if you get all the ingredients ready. Measure everything and put it in separate bowls. Some recipes take as much as 6 to 8 cups of sugar. It’s easy to lose count of how many cups you scooped out. And, it’s easy to burn the fruit while you are taking the time to measure the sugar.

Constantly Stir

Because you have to bring the mixture to a rolling boil, it is very easy to let it stick or burn. Even if you stop stirring for a few seconds, the mixture sticks to the pan. If the fruit starts to stick and burn, the whole batch will have a burnt flavor to it. Always use a wooden spoon or a metal spoon. The pan gets hot enough so that you’ll melt a plastic spoon.

While stirring the fruit is important, it is even more likely to burn once you add the sugar. It is imperative that you continue stirring.

Know What a Rolling Boil Is

If you don’t bring the mixture to a rolling boil, it won’t set properly. Some recipes require you to boil the mixture at a rolling boil for a certain amount of time. Don’t guess on this part – use a timer, so you are sure to keep it at the right temperature for the correct amount of time.

Prepare the Jars

Make sure you prepare the jars ahead of time. You won’t have time to do it once you start cooking the jelly or jam. You can sterilize the jars in the dishwasher – and they must be sterilized, or bacteria could start growing.

After filling the jars, be sure to wipe the rims clean. Any little bit that gets between the lid and the jar allows air into the jar and increases the risk of having an improper seal or having bacteria build up inside and breaking the seal over time.

Homesteading Secrets: 5 Skills to Learn Now and Increase Self-sufficiency

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No one learns self-sufficiency overnight. You start picking up skills by doing it. Whether your goal is economic independence, saving money, living a more sustainable life, or feeling self-reliant, learning these 5 homesteading skills will get you well on your way.

1. Making Your Yard Edible

Why grow a water-guzzling, high-maintenance lawn when you could have a yard filled with food? Turning your yard into a food forest increases self-sufficiency. It’s better for the environment. And it produces big colorful flowers and foliage to beautify your yard.

To avoid issues, always check your city codes and neighborhood rules first. 

Expert gardeners may make it look easy. But you’ll probably want to start small with a bed or two and keep building your way to a more self-sufficient life. 

2. Composting

Did you know when you send compostable waste to the dump, it doesn’t break down into healthy dirt? Instead, it mixes with harmful chemicals, becoming toxic.

When you learn this vital homesteading skill, you not only save money by filling your garden beds with nutritious soil you produced.

You support the decomposition process that would happen in nature, promoting a permaculture ecosystem within your yard. 

Some examples of home compostable waste include:

  • Food scraps
  • Eggshells
  • Coffee grounds
  • Grass clippings
  • Dried leaves and natural yard waste
  • Cardboard boxes and paper without tape, staples, labels, or shiny coatings

3. Not Wasting Food 

Self-sufficient people don’t just “try” not to waste. They strategize to avoid it. You can take this to whatever degree you’re comfortable.

Some strategies include learning to preserve food or using leftovers and perishables before they go bad.

Homesteaders often eat more of the vegetable than the rest of us.

Beet tops are delicious raw, or cooked.  Garlic leaves taste like mild garlic. Celery leaves like celery. Pea leaves like peas. Why are we throwing this stuff out?

Use the whole fruit or vegetable when safe to do so. Apple seeds, rhubarb leaves, and apricot pits are just a few examples of toxic parts of plants.

And of course, if you can’t eat it, compost it. Decomposition eliminates the toxins. 

4. Cooking from Scratch

Pro homesteaders know how to cook from scratch. They can mix and match what they have to make great meals. 

They think creatively about food rather than just following the recipe. They don’t always get it right, but they love to experiment. This also reduces food waste and slashes their grocery budgets.

You can develop this self-sufficient skill and mindset.

5. Learn to Fix It Homesteading-Style

Self-sufficient people buy quality when they can’t make it. They learn how to fix broken things — if they can get more life out of it.

Sometimes it takes a few tries to learn a new homesteading skill, so don’t give up. Most people can learn some basic mending, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and other DIY. 

Imagine how much money you can save when you don’t have to hire a professional for something basic like replacing your faucet and drain or installing a new light fixture. 

You’d be surprised how much you can do yourself when you start actively learning self-sufficiency skills.

5 Vegetables You Can Grow from Scraps

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Even if you don’t have space for a garden, you can still grow vegetables. Many will grow in containers inside your home as long as the air isn’t too dry. During the spring and summer, you can also grow vegetables in containers on a deck or patio. And, you don’t have to look for seeds – you can grow these veggies from scraps.

If you stagger planting in containers – plant new veggies every couple of weeks – you’ll be able to grow all the fresh vegetables you want. If you have room inside, you can grow fresh vegetables year ‘round.

Potatoes

Set a couple of potatoes aside. You can use any kind of potato, including large baking potatoes, red potatoes and smaller white potatoes. Put them in a cool dark place. As soon as the eyes start sending out shoots, they are ready to plant.

Cut the potato so two “eyes” are on each chunk. Plant the potato about 6 inches down with the eyes facing up. If you use a tall bucket, you can put 12 inches of dirt in the bottom, then 6 inches over the potato. As the plant grows, add more dirt until the pot is nearly filled. The plant will keep growing and making more potatoes. The bottom potatoes will be larger than the top, so if you like baby potatoes, you’ll have the best of both worlds.

Celery

Cut the root of a bunch of celery about 5 inches from the root. Place toothpicks around the celery about 3 inches from the root. Fill a glass with water and set the celery on the glass – the toothpicks will hold it out of the water. Make sure the water touches the bottom of the root.

As soon as the plant grows root tendrils, you can plant it and let it grow into a new bunch.

Carrots

You can grow carrots two ways. Cut the tops off, leaving about a half-inch of carrot. Some people have luck planting them directly in the dirt. If that doesn’t give you results, stick toothpicks in them and support them over a glass of water. Make sure the water just touches the bottom of the carrot. When it starts growing tendrils, plant it in potting soil.

If you don’t get new carrots from the regrowth, let the plant go to seed. You can then plant the seeds for new carrots.

Sweet Potatoes

Cut a sweet potato in half and place each half over a shallow container of water. Suspend the sweet potato above the water using toothpicks. Once the sprouts (not the roots) reach about 4 inches high, cut them off and place them in a container of water. New roots will grow from the cuttings. Plant the cuttings once they start growing roots.

Scallions, Onions, Garlic, Shallots and Leeks

This trick works for any member of the allium family. Place the base of a stem or bulb with roots attached in a dish of shallow water. New greenery will start to grow. You can harvest the new green growth, or you can plant the new plant. Garlic and onions will form new bulbs. Shallots will divide, so the harvest gets bigger every year.

Homesteading Secrets: Companion Planting to Reduce Pests

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When you set out to increase your self-sufficiency by gardening, you probably want to do it organically. But when the pest pressure starts, you suddenly realize why organic foods often cost more. Those who are homesteading know a trick that can make garden pests easier to manage.

With companion planting, you strategically plant certain plants near each other to promote the well-being of the plants.

1. The 3 Sisters (Tres Hermanas)

Native Americans (across the American continents) have long planted squash, beans, and corn together.

Corn provides shade to squash and support for beans. Beans increase the nutrient-availability in the soil for corn — a very nutrient-demanding crop. Squash runs along the ground, keeping the soil cool and moist.

All the plants are healthier. Harmful insects and plant diseases target unhealthy plants.  

Here, you have a prime example of a permaculture system. You’ve created an ecosystem that can essentially take care of itself.

Just add water.

2. Basil & Nightshades

Nightshades include tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

Basil with these doesn’t only make an amazing pasta sauce. Basil planted with tomatoes can both increase the yield and ward off many pests.

3. Herbs & Any Edibles

Planting fragrant herbs next to your vegetables deters pests.

Most insects have a plant of choice.  Often, insects find the plants by scent.

They can’t find them if the air is filled with parsley and cilantro. Similar to basil, these like some shade during mid-summer. 

But be careful with some herbs. Dill and sage, for example, make a great herb companion if they’re kept in a separate pot. Their roots release chemicals that damage anything planted too close.

4. Marigolds & Carrots

Many long-time homesteaders swear by marigolds. Some say the flowers can reduce cabbage worms, squash beetles, and white flies. 

But the real power of the marigold appears to be happening under the dirt.

The root produces a natural pesticide, which can kill bugs that attack root vegetables like beets and carrots.

It may also reduce the underground larvae that become next year’s pests.

So the pest-prevention of marigold gets stronger year over year.

Till them directly into the soil each fall to boost the effect. But don’t add them to your unfinished compost.

They will slow the process by killing microorganisms that break compost down.

5. Garlic & Beets 

Aliums like garlic, onions or leeks planted near beets will improve the beets’ flavor. The allium family also repels many garden pests. They don’t like the strong odor or natural pesticides these plants produce. 

Aliums can help tomatoes and peppers too. But since garlic and onions are usually harvested in early summer, you’d need to plant garlic and onion out of season to get the effects. Many people who are homesteading do. 

Honorable Mention: Sunflowers, a Homesteading Must

Sunflowers attract a variety of pollinating insects to the garden. More flowers turn into vegetables.

Sunflowers also draw pests away from nearby plants. Squash beetles, stink bugs, and grasshoppers will choose sunflower over your other edibles.

Homesteaders plant enough to enjoy seeds. They then sacrifice the rest to save their garden from pests.

5 Footballers With Extraordinary Confidence Levels

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The old saying goes, “Fake it until you make it.” While there’s no denying that it takes a lot of talent to be a professional athlete, confidence can also help you keep your head in the game—even when things aren’t going your way.

Wondering which footballers lead the pack when it comes to next-level confidence?

Read on for a roundup of five soccer stars whose attitudes are as fierce as their footwork.

1. Thibault Courtois

The Belgian shot-stopper helped lead Real Madrid to its 14th European title in 2021. After defeating a very strong Liverpool team 1-0 during the Champions League final, Courtois took to Twitter with a post that expressed his pride in his team—and in his own contributions.

“Yesterday in the press conference I said that when Madrid plays finals they win…I saw a lot of tweets coming my way that I would get humbled today it was the other way round,” Courtois told BT Sports after the match.

The keeper also had some words for England’s football fans. “Today I needed to win a final for my career, for all the hard work to put respect on my name as I don’t think I get enough respect,” he continued.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s name on this list should surprise absolutely no one.  “I only feel bad when I play badly, luckily that rarely happens,” the Portuguese football forward once notoriously said.

As the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football, Ronaldo’s not entirely wrong—although some suggest that his attitude detracts from his status.

The sport’s most decorated player, Brazilian Dani Alvez once said of Ronaldo, “To be the best player in the world, you cannot just play well, you must also be liked by other people, and I understand that his attitude ends up hurting, a little, the great player that he really is.”

3. Paul Pogba

French footballer Pogba joined Manchester United’s Academy as a much-anticipated up-and-comer when he was just 16. Since that time, however, his career has been rocky—at least in part due to an excess of confidence.

The midfielder—set to return to Juventus next season—burned serious bridges on the way out of Old Trafford—especially when he spoke poorly of the £300,000-per-week contract offers he’d recently received. His arrogant argument? He deserved better.

Said English coach and former footballer Gary Neville of Pogba in 2018, “He’s got the confidence, the arrogance, the personality to play for Man Utd. He was sensational.”

4. Noa Lang

Is Dutch winger Noa Lang single-handedly responsible for the popularity of Belgian football since he started playing for Club Brugge? Absolutely—just ask him.

“I made Belgian football a thing again. I really think so. Children know Club Brugge now,”  he reportedly said in an interview.

He went on to claim that he’s also responsible for newfound interest from people in his native country. “Dutch people are watching the Belgian league, too. Before I arrived that wasn’t the case,” Lang continued.

And while Lang has his fair share of detractors, he claims they’re all “secretly big fans.”

Lang has also spoken of his lack of nerves, which he attributes to talent. “Why should I be nervous about something I can do very well?” he says.

5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

When he was just a teenager, this Swedish striker was offered a tryout with Arsenal. His reasoning for turning it down? “Zlatan doesn’t do auditions.”

This is just one example of the confidence Ibrahimovic continued to exhibit throughout his career.

When Norwegian player John Carew called his fancy footwork “pointless,” Ibrahimovic clapped back, “What [John] Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange.”

And when contemplating whether to stay or go with Paris Saint-Germain upon completion of his contract, Ibrahimovic made the city a bold offer. “I don’t believe they can change the Eiffel Tower for my statue…But if they can, I will stay here—I promise you,” he said.

Nor was Ibrahimovic’s cockiness reserved for his professional life. When asked what he got his ex-girlfriend for an engagement gift, his response speaks for itself. “What do you mean, ‘present?'” he asked. “She got Zlatan.”

When all was said and done, Ibrahimovic  went out with the same swagger he went in with. Before playing his final game at Parc des Princes in 2016, Ibrahimovic tweeted, “I came like a king. I leave like a legend.”

Given his legacy as one of the best strikers of all-time, many fans would argue that this remark was less a display of  arrogance, and more a statement of fact.

5 Fundamentals of Growing Your Own Food

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Growing your own food is a rewarding process for so many reasons! Garden fresh food is often tastier than any food you can get from a supermarket, and this only becomes more true when you think about how your own hard work paid off. Growing your own food is a hobby that only gets better as you become a more skilled gardener. Below are five things you can do to make your vegetable garden a success.

1. Start Small

Gardening isn’t as easy as it sounds. You’ll make many mistakes in your first years as a gardener. Starting small with your first garden allows you to learn from your mistakes, and get better at gardening, while minimizing your investment.

Start with a small plot that’s about half the size of the plot you hope to have in future years. Starting small also enables you to gauge how much work a garden really is, so you can decide for yourself if you’re really ready for a larger plot to work. As years go by, you can expand. 

2. Have a Plan

Make a map of your garden, with a diagram that shows what foods will be grown where. Choose a limited number of vegetables to grow for your first garden. Some easy-to-grow vegetables include:

  • Zuchinni. This rewarding vegetable is a prolific producer that requires little attention throughout the summer. Once the plant releases maturity, you may harvest zuchinni multiple times throughout the week.
  • Snow peas. Snow peas require almost no maintenance. After a short period of flowering, snow peas can produce vegetables that need to be harvested every few days. 
  • Green beans. Like snow peas, green beans need little maintenance until they start to produce beans. Once beans begin to grow, plan to harvest at least once per week, if not multiple times. 
  • Potatoes. Potatoes are a set-it-and-forget-it vegetable that need only to be planted at the beginning of the season, and then forgotten about. Allow potatoes to die back to the ground before digging up the tubers. 

3. Keep Up With Weeds

Weeds suck water and nutrients from the soil, which in turn can stunt your garden plants. Plan to weed your garden throughout the summer to prevent weeds from taking over your garden.  

4. Prep the Soil

Lack of nutrients in the soil can get your plants off to the wrong start. Prep the soil before planting your vegetables every season. Add 30 or 40 pounds of composted manure for every 100 square feet of soil. The manure should be composted, as fresh manure can burn the roots of your plants. 

This can be done in fall before the ground freezes, or in spring before planting. As you work manure into the ground, turn the soil by tilling it – this puts air back in the soil, which is good for root growth. 

5. Space Your Plants Appropriately

It’s tempting to crowd plants into your garden, but crowded plants will fight for nutrients and water. Space your plants according to the instructions provided on seed packets or with the seedling you purchased. Spacing plants appropriately pays off, and ultimately, plants are able to grow and thrive if they have enough room to do so. 

Following these tips will help you have positive experience growing your own food. Good luck!

How to Become a Digital Nomad

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You’ve seen pictures: someone’s working on a laptop in a hammock on a tropical beach. This is the life, you may think. Well, that individual didn’t just wake up one morning and find themselves working in paradise. It took preparation and planning.

This lucky laborer is a digital nomad, also called a location-independent worker. A digital nomad is someone who can earn a living from anywhere and does exactly that. Most spend big chunks of time abroad enjoying the benefits of countries that are low-cost, beautiful or both.

If this is your ambition, here are six steps to becoming a digital nomad.

1. Develop Remote Job Skills

Maybe you already have a “nomadable” skill. If you’re a freelance writer, website developer, editor or transcriber, you already have work you can do anywhere. Some digital nomads teach English online. Others take gigs from online job sites such as Upwork and FlexJobs. Blogging can be profitable, especially for affiliate marketers who earn passive income from advertisers.

If you don’t have one of these skills, there are reasonably priced classes where you can develop them. 

2. Choose a Destination

This involves more than just picking the most beautiful country. Working while on a tourist visa is illegal most places, and tourist visas usually expire in 90 days or less.

However, many countries now offer freelancer visas especially designed for nomad workers. These include some desirable ones such as Bali, Barbados, Bermuda, Antigua, the Caymans, Costa Rica, Malta, Mauritius, Spain and Portugal. If warm weather isn’t your thing, you might try Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland or Norway.

Countries that welcome digital nomads generally have decent broadband. Most countries with poor connectivity aren’t ones you’d care to work from.

3. Try It At Home

Before you begin globe-hopping, start doing freelance work where you are. You might keep your day job full- or part-time. As freelance income increases, start experimenting with the nomad lifestyle, for example, by setting your own hours and going to the lake during the day.

This is a good time to begin connecting with the worldwide digital community on forums or Facebook groups. Learn some ins and outs from folks who are already living your dream.

4. Simplify Your Life

Digital nomads travel light and minimize obligations. You might:

  • Sell or rent out any homes you own.
  • If you’re a renter, set an end date on your lease.
  • Get rid of everything you don’t need. Find a place to store the rest.

5. Attend To Practical Matters

Besides ensuring that visas and inoculations are in order:

  • Switch to a bank that reimburses ATM fees.
  • Get a credit card that doesn’t charge currency exchange fees.
  • Purchase a VPN.
  • Make sure you have the medical coverage you need.

6. Join a Digital Nomad Community

Nomads tend to form communities in nomad-friendly countries. If you live where they live and get to know them, you’ll not only have moral support but will pick up practical tips to make life easier.

5 Things You Need to Know Before You Get a Snake

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When it comes to pets, a snake is not generally the first animal that springs to mind. But for a small number of passionate enthusiasts, snake ownership offers a fascinating and rewarding experience like no other.

Common pets, such as dogs and cats, present many challenges, but at least these challenges are relatively well-known. Because fewer people own snakes, it is easy for a curious person to buy one with little to no knowledge of exactly what they are getting into.

Before choosing a snake as your next pet, you should familiarize yourself with the animal and its specific care requirements. These five facts provide a great place to start.  

  1. Snakes eat whole rodents.

People who are squeamish about handling dead rats or mice, should definitely NOT buy a snake. To ensure that your snake gets the nutrition it needs, you should feed it rodents that are as fresh as possible. Because live animals can bite or otherwise injure a snake, most experts recommend feeding snakes dead frozen rodents that have been recently thawed.

  1. Snakes need certain air temperatures and humidity levels.

Because snakes are cold-blooded animals, their body temperature adjusts to the temperature of the environment that surrounds them. This requires them to carefully regulate their own body temperature to promote optimal health and comfort. Therefore, snake owners must generally provide both a hotter zone and a cooler zone in their tanks. Set up as a designated basking area, the hotter zone may need to be as high as the low 90°s Fahrenheit. They also need exposure to ultraviolet light to help them absorb calcium from their food and adequate humidity to help them shed dead skin on their bodies and maintain the clear lids (spectacles) that cover their eyes.

  1. Snakes have relatively long lifespans.

Many people are surprised to learn just how long many snake species can live. While their lifespans are relatively short in the wild, they can have remarkably long lifespans when protected from natural predators and provided with ample food and ideal living conditions. For this reason, a captive corn snake can live 20 years, a captive ball python can live 30 years, and a captive boa constrictor can live 40 years or more. Even shorter-lived pet snakes such as rat snakes typically live for at least a decade.

  1. Snakes can grow quite big.

People purchasing a juvenile snake should know exactly how long and heavy that species might get as an adult. Larger types of snakes can approach 20 feet in length and weigh hundreds of pounds. The widely circulated idea that snakes can only grow as big as the tanks that contain them is frankly ridiculous!

  1. Snakes should come from a reputable source.

General pet stores, including large chains such as Petco and PetSmart, don’t generally employ dedicated reptile specialists who know how to properly care for snakes. To get a healthy snake and promote a humane marketplace, you should buy your snake from an expert breeder.

The Magic of Beirut – 5 Unique Attractions in This Amazing City

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When it comes to global travel destinations, few cities have the unique beauty and historical significance of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanon Mountains, this ancient city has long served as an important link between the Middle East and the rest of the world.

From its incredible architecture to its natural splendor, Beirut has attractions that are like no others. Here are just five that you don’t want to leave the city without visiting.

  1. Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque

Positioned next to a Christian church and directly in front of ancient Roman ruins, the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque is the perfect place to reflect on Beirut’s amazing history and melting-pot culture. Popularly known as the Blue Masjid, the mosque is an exceptional example of post-modern Middle Eastern architecture with a central blue dome that is roughly 185 high and minarets that shoot more than 213 feet into the sky.

  1. The American University of Beirut (AUB)

Beirut’s most prestigious university is also home to some of its most historic buildings. But architecture isn’t the only thing that attracts hordes of visitors to the American University of Beirut (AUB). The AUB campus is home to a private beach, bird sanctuary, and impressive botanical gardens. It is dotted with hundreds of tree species that hail from locations around the world. Housing an immense collection of priceless artifacts, the AUB Archaeological Museum is open to the public throughout the week.

  1. National Museum of Beirut

If museum-going is your thing, you will certainly want to visit the National Museum of Beirut to peruse its diverse collection of 100,000 ancient and medieval artifacts. It is particularly rich in ancient Phoenician objects including a marble sarcophagus with a stunning depiction of a Phoenician ship and a bronze statue of the Phoenician god Reshep that dates back to 19th century BC.

  1. Raouche’s Pigeon Rocks

The top natural attraction within the city limits of Beirut is Pigeon Rocks. Located just off the Mediterranean coastline in the bustling residential and commercial neighborhood of Raouche, Pigeon Rocks loom large as geological monoliths surrounded by crashing waves. You can casually view them from a mainland café or hire a speedboat to examine their cavernous features more closely.

  1. Roman Baths

A breathtaking testament to Beirut’s Roman roots, its Roman Berytus (Roman Baths) are situated in the heart of its downtown district. These impressive ruins are divided into four sections that offer an exceptional look back in time. The Roman Baths is also the site of a world-class Mediterranean garden as well as regular musical concerts and artistic performances.

5 Keys to Work-life Balance

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Work-life balance rarely happens automatically. It takes a little planning and strategy to keep either side of that equation from taking over. But that little planning can go a long way when you know these 5 keys to work-life balance success.

1. Establish Healthy Boundaries

When you give, give, give at work, home, charities, and more, you actually have less to give overall. You’re being pulled in all directions and can’t focus on what you’re doing.

Identify your limits. Know where you stop and someone else starts. And start communicating clearly about what you’re able to take on. Remember: you can’t hurt other people’s feelings.

If they feel rejected when you kindly but clearly communicate your boundaries, that’s their emotional stuff to deal with. 

Boundaries are never rude or trying to control others. They simply draw a clear line between what is your responsibility and what is not.

2. Prioritize Your Day

Before the day begins, identify the things you must do today. Rank their importance. And focus on what’s important.

Let non-priorities slide, if needed. Or get them done now — if you’ve already met your priority goals. That can save you time and hassle later.

Make sure your priorities include a mix of personal and professional to keep a work-life balance. Consider getting an app that can send you reminders about time-sensitive priorities. 

3. Block Distractions

Despite what many of us think, we’re horrible multi-taskers. We perform best when we can focus on one thing, get it done, and move on. 

When it’s time to work, create an environment where you can work. Block out distractions, and stay task-oriented. Don’t flip back and forth to the news, social media, or personal emails. This is work time.

When it’s time for the kids, stay focused on them. If your boss texts you while you’re playing a board game with your daughter, wait to reply — unless you’ve agreed to be on-call.

That’s part of having healthy boundaries.

4. Learn to Delegate

In the short term, it seems smart to just do it yourself. You can do it faster, better, and easier than someone else.

But as a long-term practice, this means you end up doing everything. And those around you who could learn to do it as well as you — don’t. You could even be hindering someone else’s ability to become self-sufficient and grow as a person.

If that’s your kid, you’ll regret that one later. 

This can happen in all aspects of life — work, kids, your partner, friendships, extended family.

Start letting some stuff go to others. Accept that they may not do it as you would. But if you don’t let them do it, they’ll never learn. 

5. Relax

Let yourself relax. Doing nothing can be a very productive “activity”.

It allows your body and mind to rest and recover. It gives your gut time to digest food properly. Your immune system can “clean house” and stay working at its best. 

You’ll feel more refreshed and able to maintain a work-life balance.