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Turning A Hobby Into Extra Income – How To Know What Your Time Is Worth!

Post author By livesimplenow
Post date March 2, 2022
Categories In Budget Tips, Life Tips, Work & Life
No Comments on Turning A Hobby Into Extra Income – How To Know What Your Time Is Worth!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your hobby into extra income? After all, what can be better than turning something you love to do into a little extra cash?

Whether it be saving for a dream vacation, putting aside a little extra money for early retirement, paying off debt, or creating a whole new career and future – turning your hobby into a revenue stream can be a great way to start the ball rolling.

There is certainly a lot of truth to the old saying “Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life”. But as true as that can be, that statement can also lead down a very frustrating path if you are not careful.

turning a hobby into a business — Whether it is pottery, painting, or woodworking, turning your favorite hobby into extra cash can be a fun and rewarding way to earn extra income But it can also be an easy road to frustration if you don’t avoid a few common pitfalls.

Whether trying to earn extra money or a full-time living, you need to be certain that what you love doing can provide a reasonable income. Especially when you consider it versus the time you are investing.

Perhaps most important of all – and this is a big one – you have to be cautious that turning your hobby into a revenue stream doesn’t frustrate or overwork you so much that it ends up ruining your passion and love for it.

How To Turn Your Hobby Into Extra Income – And Keep It Fun!

One of the most important secrets to making a hobby work as a side business is to first make sure what you will be doing can earn you extra cash. But even more, at a rate that makes it all worthwhile!

Even if you love making small crafts, that love can quickly fade when you realize you are spending 20 extra hours a week making them, and earning $3 an hour or less to do it.

That is exactly why you need to know what your time is worth before ever starting down the road to a hobby-based business. And to figure that worth out, you need to look at every angle of what you might be spending to create your business.

With that in mind, here is a great example of how what you think you might be earning is not really what you are making!

What Is My Time Worth? The Wood Worker Example

Lets say you enjoy woodworking on the side. And you want to turn that passion into something that can earn you extra money.

After all, if you could work a few evenings through the week, or for an afternoon on the weekends and earn extra cash, all by doing something you already enjoy, wouldn’t that be great? It sounds like a match made in heaven, and it can be when done right. But it can also end up being your worst nightmare.

woodworing as a hobby — It is one thing to love to build and work with wood as a hobby. But all of that fun and enjoyment can quickly fade when trying to turn it into a business – unless you know upfront how to keep it fun and profitable.

One of the quickest ways to frustration is to work harder than ever, and still barely make a profit. Or even worse, lose money while doing it! Unfortunately, when it comes to turning a hobby into a business, this is the most common failure of all.

The Wood Worker Example – Turning A Hobby Into Extra Income

For the example, we will say you are a woodworker who loves to build picnic tables. Not just any ordinary picnic tables, but beautiful, sturdy, handcrafted picnic tables.

Best of all, you happen to be really good at it. Because of that, you can turn a stack of lumber into a gorgeous picnic table in just under two hours.

You know that it takes $60 in lumber and hardware to build your tables. Because these are hand made and extremely unique, you charge $200 per table. Your customer comes and picks up the table, and you can smile knowing you made $140 profit, or $70 an hour for your skill set.

But before you pocket that $140, you also have to realize it took an hour to go pick up the lumber. But even then, at 3 total hours, you made a little over $46 an hour. You can do a few each week, spending nine total hours, and make $420 in extra income.

*Keeping a balance between a s*ide hustle and family or personal time is important. It will keep your hobby business fun, and you engaged.

Now that is how to turn a hobby into a reasonable side hustle! A limited investment in your time, which keeps your family and free time reasonable. And even more, the knowledge that you earned valuable extra income.

Stick With What You Do Best – The Other Side Of The Story

Here, unfortunately, is how that same scenario can go south in an instant. And learning to avoid this is truly the key to keeping your side hustle fun, enjoyable, and most importantly, profitable!

As you will see, sticking to a plan, and to what you do best is the real key to success.

Don’t Be Afraid To Say No – Turning A Hobby Into Extra Income

Lets get back to the story in a different light. Instead of purchasing the picnic table as you make it, a customer asks you to make it a bit larger with a few special features. And they would like you to paint if for them as well.

Lastly, they don’t have a truck, so they will need it delivered. Unfortunately, this is exactly where frustration and trouble can begin. And here is how it can all play out if your not careful:

You take the job, and not knowing really how long the extras will take, you charge an extra $150 to paint, customize and deliver. The customer says it sounds a bit steep, will you take $100? Not wanting to lose a $300 sale, you say yes.

Remember, the old scenario had you spending two very reasonable hours of your evening plus one hour of getting materials to make $46 an hour.

This table ended up taking 4 hours to make because of the customization. It also meant an extra hour going to the store to pick up paint, which also cost $20 to purchase.

Managing The Unknown – How To Turn A Hobby Into Extra Income

And that painting, oh what a nightmare. You didn’t realize it would take two coats. And each coat took 2 hours to put on. And then to deliver that table, it took another two hours of your time as well between loading, unloading, and helping the customer take it to the back yard.

The end result? You went from only spending three hours of a single evening to make a total of $140 – to now spending a grand total of nearly 12 hours or the better part of a whole week of evenings making, painting and delivering a table.

Add in the $20 you spent on paint + and extra $20 in wood for the larger size, and the table now cost $100 to build. At a $300 sale price, you may think you earned a $200 profit instead of the usual $140.

Sounds okay on the surface. But you spent twelve hours doing the work. That means you paid yourself a grand total of $16.66 an hour. And you lost many evenings of quality time in the process. You could have spent that time enjoying it with family and friends. Or, building 6 regular picnic tables making a total of $840 profit!

Even worse, you are now wore out from the time you spent. You also have no desire to spend any more time this week doing what you normally love to do.

Keeping It Fun & Profitable – Turning A Hobby Into Extra Income

The moral of the story? Stick to what you do best and have fun doing! Don’t be afraid of losing a sale or missing an opportunity if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

And finally, know what you really make per hour on your hobby. Keep that number in your head at all times to know that in order to make something “extra” worth it – that number needs to stay the same or even go a bit higher.

Here is to making the most turning your hobby into extra income – without frustration! For more money managing tips, check out our Budget Tips section on the blog.

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Why You Need a To-Do List – The Ultimate Productivity Hack

When it comes to accomplishing your goals, the biggest threat is procrastination – a lack of urgent action. Procrastination kills more goals than everything else combined. However, the best way to combat this is with a to-do list.

While it might seem simple, a to-do list is something that can change your life. While it is very easy to let procrastination creep in, this can be combated with a to-do list!

So it is time to bust out your pen and paper (or maybe a digital notebook) and make your to-do list. But first, let’s dive deeper into why they are so effective.

The Power of a To-Do List

The secret to getting things done is not anything fancy. In fact, most of the time it is just about showing up.

In Steve Pressfield’s famous books, The War of Art, he states, “The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.”

This quote not only applies to art, but extends into everything you try to accomplish. Action is always the answer!

A to-do list helps you know what you need to accomplish. It prompts you towards action and helps you stay motivated.

By having a physical list in front of you every day, you put more effort and action into what needs to get done.

Having a physical to-do list in front of you is an urgent reminder to get things done!

When you have something staring at you in the face every day with a list of things that need to be done, you will take action towards them.

However, this is easier said than done. If you want to truly get the most benefit possible out of a to-do list, you need some guidelines to make this work.

Best Practices for a To-Do List

1. Keep a Running List

First, you need to constantly keep a list of things you need to do. The first step is to know what you need to accomplish.

Keep a running list of all the things you need to do. Keep a notebook or use a notes software such as OneNote or even a simple Word document

digital notebook — Using a notes app is a great way to keep track of the tasks you need to accomplish.

The benefits of a physical notebook is there is a connection between physically writing something down and remembering it.

Think back to the times in middle school when your teacher had you write vocabulary words 100 times. The act of physically writing them out helped you remember.

The same is true for your to-do list!

However, there is a downside to using pen and paper. Having a physical notebook limits the searchability and the fact that you always have to have it on you.

This is where software comes in handy! By having a notes software you can easily search and remember what you were writing down.

You can always have it on you and constantly be adding new to-do’s to your list. The added functionality to be able to search your to-do list is a game changer!

2. Prioritize

Once you have made your list, you now need to prioritize it. Not everything you need to do is crucially important.

Small tasks such as cleaning the counter tops, taking out the trash, and a whole host of other small items that take up your time may not deserve the highest priority.

In this step, you should prioritize based off a tried and true frame work: Urgency and Importance.

Urgent Important Matrix

1. You will have tasks on your to-do list that are high urgency and high importance. Execute these now!

Your CEO asks for a report tomorrow, you have a deadline you need to meet today for securing a loan on your house, or your kitchen is on fire.

You cannot wait to act on these. You must take immediate action towards checking these items off your to-do list.

2. Then you have to-do items that are urgent, but not important.

These are the trivial tasks that take up a large amount of our time.

These are the to do items that you may be able to delegate. These could be things such as mowing the grass, meal prepping, or even some meetings that you have.

3. Next, are those that are not urgent and not important. These items are tasks that you will want to eliminate.

If something is not urgent and not important then it is not worth your time. Save yourself time and energy and eliminate these unnecessary tasks.

4. The final category are tasks that are not urgent, but are important. These are tasks that you will want to schedule. These help move the needle in the long term and will help you get ahead.

These are things such as career development, getting out of debt, networking, and exercise. Its all the things you know you should do, but could put off until tomorrow. However, they make the biggest difference in your life!

3. Schedule Your Day

The last best practice for your to-do list is to schedule your day. Now that you have a list of items to do and you have prioritized them, it is now time to schedule them.

Scheduling your day allows you to know exactly what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.

urgently plan your time — Use a planner is a phenomenal way to schedule time to complete your tasks.

Often times we do not lack things to do, but we do lack the discipline to schedule when we will do it.

It is easy to slip when you don’t make time for what you need to get done. If you don’t schedule it, you won’t do it.

Most of us live our lives by a calendar. Reminders, notifications, and meetings drive our day-to-day operations.

Schedule your day every week on Sunday or first thing Monday morning. Plan out your entire week and leave a few hours for buffer room, because you know other urgent and important things will pop up.

Do these steps and you will be on your way to crossing items off of your to-do list and being more productive!

Now is the Time for Action

It is time to utilize the power of a to-do list to your advantage and get things done. In turn, you will be closer and closer to reaching your goals!

Prioritize your list and schedule time to finish these items. Making progress has never been easier. If you follow these steps and stay consistent, you will be amazed by how much progress you will make.

Crush your goals today! Now is the time for action. Go make it happen!

Choose Your Friend Circle Wisely – Friends Determine Your Future

Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Throughout his career, Rohn wrote many books on success and stressed the importance of your friend circle.

However, his famous quote is likely what he is most known for. This is for a good reason! Of all the things Rohn has said in his career, this has withstood the test of time.

The truth that Rohn spoke lives on and rings still true today. Your friends truly determine your future. So how can you make sure you choose your friends correctly?

How Your Friend Circle Impacts Your Future

Have you ever wondered how you picked up certain habits? Have you ever noticed yourself gravitating towards the same things that your friends like?

This is no coincidence! In life, we are all creatures of habit.

When we are put in an environment with our friend circle, we mimic the actions, mindset, and goals of other people.

Think about the people you hang out with. Do you have similar music taste? Are you in similar fields of work? Do you all go to the gym together? Or even like similar foods?

friend circles are influential — The habits of your friends quickly become your habits. Make sure to choose wisely!

All of these things you probably have in common with them. That’s because as humans we gravitate towards people who are like us.

Furthermore, we become like those who we hang out with. We take on their mannerisms, the way they speak, and even possibly a career path.

Many times we often have a similar income as our friend circle. We truly rise or fall to the level of our friends.

So, how can you go about making sure you choose your friend circle wisely?

How to Choose Your Friend Circle

Now, before you start thinking that it is wrong to choose your friends, many of us do this naturally. While it might sound a bit harsh to intentionally choose your friends based on where you want to go in life, it is necessary!

When choosing your career path you have to make a choice. Your friend circle should be no different.

Without a plan and clear criteria as to what you want out of your friends, you will likely drift into them without noticing. If you want intentional results, you have to take intentional actions.

So, when choosing your friend circle you need to make sure you have your criteria set up.

choosing friends — Once you have your criteria, choosing your friends will be easy.

What types of things do you want to do with your friends? Do you want to spend time partying or do you want to spend time working on business?

Do you want to spend time talking about developmental books and budgets? Or do you want your friend group to be a place of pure relaxation?

Either one of these paths, and possibly multiple paths are perfectly fine. However, you need to recognize that your choice down this path will directly affect where your life goes.

Making the Difficult Choice

If your friends are constantly uplifting you and talking about the things successful people talk about, you will likely be successful. On the other hand, if they are constantly drinking an excessive amount of alcohol or talking only about the latest drama or negative news stories, you might be headed down a path you don’t want to go down.

Making sure you have intentional criteria for your friend circle is paramount. When you have established the criteria for yourself, you can now determine if you want to spend more or less time with somebody.

unfriend people — Although difficult, eliminating toxic people for your friend circle is key to long term success.

Furthermore, you should not feel bad about this. After all, this is your life you are talking about! You should have a choice in who is in your friend circle and how much time you spend with them.

Now, this is not always the easiest choice to make. If you have been friends with somebody for years, but they are going down a different path than you want to go down, you might have to make a hard choice.

However, making this choice could change your life. After all, you only get one chance at this!

You have one chance to chase your dreams and one chance to live your life.

If you have ever felt bad about cutting somebody out of your friend circle, it is perfectly okay. As priorities shift and you begin to tackle larger goals you need to be surrounded by people who will support you.

Friends Change – And That’s Okay!

Many times, people are friends with the same group of individuals for life. While for some this is awesome, for others there needs to be change.

It is rare that you will have the same friends that you did in high school or college all the way through the rest of your life. While lifelong friends are one of the true joys of life, change is okay.

As we grow older, our friend circle changes. It is perfectly natural to have some friends from the past and new friends as well.

These new friends can lift you to heights that you never thought were possible. They can bring new ideas and perspectives into your life that help you grow.

When we have new perspectives and different opinions that come into our lives, we can only get better.

Friends That You Admire

Allow the beauty of new friends to enter your friend circle. New friends can expand your mind, change your opinions, and make sure that your “average” is always rising.

Seek out people who you admire, befriend them, and watch how your life changes. Find those who have a positive mindset and watch your happiness increase. Try if for yourself and you will be amazed!

Because you truly are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.

Finally, make sure you choose your five wisely. Have criteria for them to enter that special circle and do not be afraid to allow somebody new, and different, to become that fifth person.

Put these actions into practice and you will be amazed at how much a difference surrounding yourself with those who you want to be like will make in your life!

The Power of Positive Energy – How to Cultivate a Positive Mindset

In life, a positive mindset can take you further than almost anything else. The power of positive energy is powerful and tangible.

Think about it. When you first meet somebody you can immediately tell what type of energy they give off. Now, this might seem a little bit theoretical and abstract. However, it is undeniable that the power of positive energy exists.

We have all met somebody and instantly felt their energy. You can tell when somebody is down or when they are in a great mood. The question is, how can you benefit from a giving of positive energy?

Positive Energy is Contagious

The energy in the room is something that everybody feeds off of. Whether you have positive energy or negative energy, it is contagious.

How many times have you been around people and instantly adopted the energy they put off? The way people talk and act influences others around them.

However, this isn’t always a good thing. Often times when we think of contagious energy, our mind instantly goes to Debbie Downers.

Every single person has been around somebody who is negative all the time. Their negative energy constantly brings down the mood of the room.

good vibes are contagious — Bringing an uplifting mood to the room can change the atmosphere.

Often times, this can be hard to escape. The cycle of negative energy perpetuates itself in a way that is hard to stop.

On the other hand, positive energy is also contagious. Just as somebody who brings drama and bad news constantly to the table, you can be the person who creates positive energy in the room.

By spreading positive energy you can be the person who uplifts others. You can be the person who helps change the mood to something more productive.

Brainwash Yourself – An Easy Method To Cultivate a Positive Mindset

But how do you constantly have a positive mindset when things seem to be going bad? The secret, is to brainwash yourself!

Now, I’m not talking about some crazy magic trick to make yourself always be positive. However, what is important is that you pay attention to the things that are going into your mind.

Our thoughts determine our actions, and our actions determine our habits. Furthermore, our habits determine our success.

If you want to be successful you need to pay attention to your thoughts.

happy influences — Filling your mind with positive influences will bring about a positive mindset.

Our thoughts are determined largely by what we put into our brains, what we consume. On a daily basis are you listening to people who are uplifting? Are you reading news that is positive?

Or on the contrary, are you consuming negative media and listening in on the latest gossip?

Furthermore, you cannot expect to have a positive mindset when you constantly listen to negative things. Make sure you are filling your mind with uplifting podcasts and books on a daily basis.

If you want to take advantage of positive energy, you must create a constant feed of positive information. You reap what you sow! What goes in, will also come out.

Hard Work Generates Positive Energy

In order to have a positive mindset you must be in the pursuit of something challenging. Humans were not meant to sit around and do nothing. We were meant to strive for greatness.

If you want to emit positive energy, then you need to be doing something hard every single day.

When we do difficult tasks we create positive momentum in our lives. We build confidence and allow ourselves to thrive.

In addition, our actions elevate our positive mindset. When we do the things we know we are supposed to do it creates positive energy.

positive energy for goals — Hard work paired with positive energy is a recipe for goals to be crushed!

This positive energy radiates from us and propels us to do more. When you are in a positive mental state, you can operate at your highest ability.

Hard work is the fuel and raw ingredients to building positive energy. The harder you work, the better you are able to output positive energy.

Furthermore, you will set an example for others about what it means to work hard and have a positive mindset. Just like the energy you give off, this work ethic is also contagious.

There is a cycle of your mindset feeding your actions, and your actions begin to feed your mindset. Make sure you take it advantage of being a hard-working individual and allow it to make your mindset better.

As you continue to put in extra effort and work, your mindset will only improve. As it improves, your positive energy will increase!

Benefits of Positive Energy

While we know positive energy is contagious there are a whole host of benefits that go beyond this.

Think about how your relationships would be if you constantly brought positive energy to the table. Instead of coming home and complaining about how the grass needs mowed or the dishes need washed, you could be the one that brings an uplifting spirit to the household.

At work, a positive mental attitude will bring you promotions and attention from superiors. When you are the person who always shows up with a smile on your face you will get noticed.

Everybody is already dealing with so much at work that if you bring positive energy to the next meeting, it will greatly benefit your team. They will notice!

positive energy for promotions — If you want a promotion, trying being the person on the team that always brings positive energy!

If you do this for long enough you will become the person people look to when things get tough. Do you want to be the person who is the rock and reliable when things go south.

Positive Makes Everyone Better…

A positive attitude not only makes you better, but makes everyone else around you step up to a new level. You can win as a team and do things you never thought were imaginable.

Instead of talking about the latest tragedy or how bad the weather is at work, bring up conversations that are inspiring. Send out articles that are uplifting (maybe even this one!).

You will be amazed about how much this will benefit you. Positive energy will take you to new heights that you never thought were possible. Give it a try and you will definitely notice a difference!

Go make today a positive day!

How To Eliminate Debt – The Only 2 Methods You Need to Be Debt Free!

Do you have debt? Are high interest credit cards or student loans weighing you down? Maybe it is time to eliminate your debt by using the debt avalanche or debt snowball method.

Getting out of debt is often times one of the best things you can do for your financial freedom. If you want to have a comfortable retirement and live the life of your dreams you need to eliminate debt.

However, this can be difficult. Quite simply, life happens! We all run into tough circumstances where debt might be the only option. On the other hand, we don’t have to continue to live with it.

This is where debt repayment methods come in handy. The two most popular methods are the debt avalanche method and the debt snowball method. With these two methods you can finally eliminate your debt.

Debt Avalanche Method to Eliminate Debt

Let’s first start with the debt avalanche method to eliminate debt. The debt avalanche method involves making minimum payments on all debt, then taking all your leftover money and paying it towards the debt with the highest interest rate.

This method can result in less interest accruing on your debt, but it does require extra discipline on your part.

Let’s run through an example. Say you have three different sources of debt:

Credit Card ($50 minimum payment with a 24% interest rate and $1,000 worth of outstanding debt)
Student Loan ($300 minimum payment with a 6% interest rate and $15,000 worth of outstanding debt)
Car Payment ($450 minimum payment with a 4% interest rate and $5,000 worth of outstanding debt)

With the debt avalanche method, here is how you would eliminate the debt.

Eliminate Debt

First, you would pay all the minimum payments for all three sources of debt. Then you would pay $50 towards your credit card, $300 towards your student loan, and $450 towards your car payment.

After you have made the required minimum payments, you will now tackle the source of debt that has the highest interest rate. In this case, you will put any extra money you have left towards your credit card.

With a 24% interest rate, your credit card will increase your debt extremely fast. Under the debt avalanche method, if you want to eliminate debt, you need to pay this card off as fast as possible.

After you have paid off your credit card, you will now move towards your student loan since it has the second highest interest rate. Then, in order to completely eliminate debt, you will pay off your car.

Well, there you have it – how to use the debt avalanche method to eliminate debt.

Debt Snowball Method to Eliminate Debt

However, the debt avalanche method is not best for everybody. There is a second method called the debt snowball method that can help you eliminate debt.

The debt snowball method for eliminating debt is accomplished by making minimum payments on all debt, then with whatever money you have left over, paying off the smallest debts first regardless of their interest rates.

You see, where the debt avalanche method is focused on interest rates, the debt snowball method is focused on the outstanding debt.

Let’s go back to our previous example of the credit card, student loan, and car payment. Using the debt snowball method, you will again start with your credit card.

However, this time you are choosing the credit card because it has the smallest amount of outstanding debt (not because it has a higher interest rate).

The debt snowball method to eliminate debt is all about building momentum.

For many, paying off debt is hard. It takes discipline and consistency to get it done. The debt snowball method helps you build confidence by knocking out debt quickly.

After you have finished off paying the credit card, you will now move to the car payment, not the student loan. The car payment has the second lowest outstanding debt with $5,000.

Finally, you will move to the student loan and work on paying that off. Once you have conquered this, you will be debt free!

debt free target — The goal is to be debt free – make sure to stay on target!

Which Method is Best for You?

Now you know how to eliminate debt. Finally, you have two methods to choose from.

However, the question remains, which method is best for you?

Well, that depends on a couple of factors. The debt avalanche method is best for those who have a little bit of extra discipline to pay off their debt.

Since you are focusing on the higher interest rate debt, you are likely to save money in the long run. But this requires you to tackle a big challenge.

It can be difficult to scrounge up the cash to pay higher interest rate loans. However, if you want to eliminate debt and pay less money in the long run, this is the method for you.

On the other hand, if you are someone who needs to see results quickly and maintain motivation then the debt snowball method might be the correct choice for you.

Furthermore, this method allows you to make progress fast and is about getting the small things fixed. Because you are focusing on the lowest amount of debt, you can eliminate these fast!

Either method will work, but it is all about knowing yourself. Are you somebody who needs the extra motivation to keep going? Choose the debt snowball method.

Or are you somebody who wants to tackle a tough challenge and get rid of high interest rates? Choose the debt avalanche method.

Why We Need to Eliminate Debt?

Getting rid of the dark cloud of debt is a huge weight off your shoulders. When you no longer own anybody money, you have the chance to invest in YOUR future.

You can invest in the stock market, create a budget for your children’s future, or even take yourself out on a nice trip. For many, you could be the first generation to be debt free! Why not let it be you?

You can be the one to change your family history forever!

Eliminating debt is freeing. It is like a weight being lift off your shoulders and you can breathe again.

Take the time to choose either the debt avalanche or debt snowball method today, and eliminate your debt!

Why You Need To Listen To Podcasts – 3 Podcast Tips To Get You Started

Have you ever wanted to listen to podcasts, but can’t find the time? With these 3 podcast tips you will be sure to listen to more podcasts this year.

Podcast are a great way to develop your mind. They give you access to some of the smartest people in every single industry.

Furthermore, it is critical that we make time to fill our brains with uplifting information. If we want to keep getting better every day, then we can never stop learning.

So, if you are struggling to find time to listen to podcasts, try out these tricks to listen to more this year.

podcast tips — Podcasts are a powerful tool to grow your mind and get you closer to your goals

Podcast Tip #1 – Make Time!

If you can’t find time to listen to podcasts, then you are going to have to make it. Yes – time, a finite resource, is some thing that you can make.

Seems kind of crazy right? However, think of how much time you actually have that’s free.

You might be thinking to yourself that you have zero time available to fit in podcasts. However, I think you might be surprised by how much time we tend to waste.

Have you ever tracked how much time you spend on social media? This can be a powerful eye-opening experience when you actually understand how much time you’re spending on your phone.

limit social — By limiting social media you can make time for things that are really important.

Unless this time is used for something productive, then you probably have time to get in some more time for personal development.

Instead of spending hours scrolling on Facebook or TikTok, try using this time for something else. Use it to fill your brain by listening to podcasts.

Whether you are a carpenter, a chef, or trying to learn data analytics, there is a podcast for you!

Podcast come in all shapes and sizes. Finding the right one for you is important. Furthermore, when you make time to listen to them, you are getting closer to your goals.

Podcast Tip #2 – Car Ride Podcasts

When you ride in the car, what are you listening to? Do you have your favorite tunes jamming or do you drive in silence?

While it might not seem like a big deal, we spend hours every week driving. This time can be used for something productive – so try this podcast tip!

listen to podcasts in the car — You know all that time you spend in the car? You can use it to listen to podcasts!

The average person spends over an hour in their car every single day. This presents itself with an awesome opportunity to listen to more podcast.

Instead of turning on the radio, try listening to an informational podcast. You can develop yourself even while you drive.

Imagine what your life would look like if you had an extra 365 hours of personal development time a year. Furthermore, imagine where your relationships and career would be.

While most people will spend the time in their car relaxing, you will be getting better. You will be putting yourself ahead and setting yourself up for success.

Now, this isn’t always going to be easy. After a long stressful day at work, the last thing you were going to want to do is to focus on something informational.

However, if you want results that are extraordinary, you have to do something different than everybody else.

Doing what the average person does is always going to give you average results.

Use the time in your car to be above average!

In the first two podcast tips we covered how to better utilize your time. However, often times we need a reminder to help us stay consistent.

With our busy schedules it can be difficult to remember to listen to podcasts. However, with podcast tip #3 we have a solution for that.

If you really want to listen to more podcast than the best way is to subscribe. Subscribing to a podcast helps you remember which ones you like most.

Additionally, you will receive notifications when a new episode is released. On both Spotify and Apple podcast, you have the ability to subscribe.

Make sure you use this trick!

Subscribing to content not only helps you remember which ones you like, but it also helps the content creator. If you like something you listen to, help them out a little bit and subscribe to their content!

Additionally, this helps the algorithms suggest other podcasts that you might enjoy listening to. If you tell Spotify or Apple podcast which ones you like, then you will be given other similar ones that you may enjoy as well.

Understanding these podcast tips is crucial to listening to more episodes this year. If you want to listen to more, then subscribing is one of the best ways to make sure of it.

As you climb the ladder toward the Simple Life, podcast can be a great tool to keep you going!

Which Trick Will You Implement?

You now have the secrets to listening to more podcast this year! If you want to do it, you just need to follow these podcast tips.

First, you need to make time to listen to more episodes. If you can better utilize the time you already have, then you can listen to more podcasts.

Second, use the free time you have in your car to listen to more podcasts. Instead of listening to music or driving in silence, turn on a good podcast and fill your mind with uplifting information.

You will be amazed by how great your attitude will be when you are constantly getting better. Podcast are a constant reminder to keep a positive mental attitude.

Finally, make sure you subscribe! By turning on notifications and being reminded about new episodes, you will be triggered to listen to more shows. This is an easy way for you to be reminded to listen to more episodes.

So, what trick will you choose? Will you choose one or implement all 3? The choice is yours!

However, one thing is certain. If you listen to more podcasts, you will be well on your way to living the simple life. Go live it!

Small Things Mean the Most – Why Attention to Detail Matters

Post author By LSNstaffwriter
Post date February 9, 2022
Categories In Life Tips

In life, we often hear the phrase, “Focus on the things that matter”. However, it can be difficult to determine what is really important. One thing that is for sure, is that details matter, and doing the small things right can make a big difference.

Many times we focus on the big wins. The promotions, the sports game victories, or other big events in our lives.

These things are important and they are worth celebrating. But, none of these would be possible without the small things that lead up to them. You see, the small things mean the most and the details always matter.

small things mean the most — Paying attention to details has so many benefits. However, you have to be consistent!

Why Do The Small Things Matter?

Have you ever set out to do something hard and felt awesome when you accomplished it? You put in hours of work and it finally paid off.

The call to adventure, to challenge, is what keeps many of us getting out of bed in the morning. It is what brings life to all of us.

When you are living a life that is purposeful and has meaning, you are constantly challenging yourself to be better.

But, those moments of victory only happened because of the small things you did to get there.

Back in high school many people played sports. Some of the best memories you might’ve had growing up were playing sports with your friends.

Being know for your ability to pay attention to details is critical!

You remember the big wins and the tragic losses, but the best moments were always held in the day to day practices.

It was the jokes you would play on each other, the hard work you put in together, and the memories you made along the way. The only way that you ended up winning the big game was because of the small things that led up to it.

Sports can be the ultimate teacher, but after high school most of us will never play a sport again. So, how do we carry this lesson on with us?

Keep the Importance of the Small Things

If you want to keep the importance of the small things in life, you have to keep these values top of mind. It is easy to slip away from the discipline they create, but we have to get back to focusing on the details.

We are no longer forced to focus on doing every rep in the weight room, touching the line on sprints, or making sure our teammates do the best work possible.

However, there are still many things we can do that emphasize the importance of the small things in life.

small things matter — Having the discipline to put your shopping cart away can pay off huge in the end.

For example, how many people at the grocery store do you see not putting their shopping cart away after they unload their groceries? We see carts everywhere in the parking lot because people did not put them back.

While this might not seem like a big deal to some, when we allow our discipline to slip on such small things, it infiltrates into other areas of our life.

Have you ever walked by a piece of trash on the ground and not picked it up when there was a trash can only a few feet away? Have you ever neglected to hold a door for someone as they were walking through?

You see, all of us slip up from time to time, but these small things matter. Picking up trash when you see it matters. Holding the door for others matters.

These long-lost values are something we see fading in younger generations. However, it is up to everybody to set the example for others.

self discipline in details — We all know the saying, but do we follow it?

How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything

While doing the small acts may not seem like a lot, how you do anything is how you do everything. The act itself is not that important, but the principle is.

You see, doing the right thing is always the right thing. Challenging yourself to constantly go the extra mile and to do something good for others is the key to not only happiness, but to you accomplishing what you want in life.

Details matter. The small things matter. And often times, they matter the most.

Treating people with respect, helping others out when they are in need, and focusing on the small things can make a massive difference in your life.

When we focus on the small things it bleeds into everything else we do. If you have the discipline to pick up trash when you walk by, you set a precedent for yourself and others.

The next time you are working on a project you will pay attention to the details. You will be the person people think about when they need something done, because they know if you can do the smallest task correctly, then you can take on larger things.

doing the right thing — Doing the right thing, is always the right thing.

Time For Action

What is a small action you can take today that will make a big difference? Is it giving up your seat for an elderly person? Putting back your shopping cart or picking up a piece of trash as you walk by?

Make a commitment to yourself that you will do the right thing, always. The smallest straying away from these disciplines leaves the door open for mistakes.

When we let the little things slip, the big things become much more difficult.

Where can you add in a little bit of discipline that will make a big difference? Is it cleaning up your house? Making your bed? Maybe taking the time to organize your tools?

Whatever you do – make sure you focus on the small things.

Power of Streaks – How to Accomplish Any Goal With Consistency

It is that time of year where people start falling off of their New Year’s resolutions. However, there is one trick that can bring you back and help you accomplish your goals. By utilizing the power of streaks, you will be on your way to crushing your goals.

What methods have you tried in order to be successful accomplishing your goals? What systems have you put in place in order to ensure you are successful?

For most people, this can be a hard question to answer. Often times, we do not have a system in place in order to accomplish our goals.

However, there is one long-standing strategy that will guarantee you accomplish your goals and it is the power of streaks.

Why Should You Use the Power of Streaks?

There are many different ways to accomplish goals. From morning routines to daily habits, you can get to the same goal by doing different things.

On the other hand, there are certain methods that are more effective. One of those, is the power of streaks.

Using streaks to accomplish your goals helps build momentum. When you were constantly working towards accomplishing something, you start to create a force is hard to stop.

The beautiful part about the power of streaks is that it continues to push you to be better. It helps hold you accountable to your goals and make sure that you are doing something every day to get better.

Success in any endeavor is just a combination of small wins. If you can string together enough small wins, you will be successful. That is why the power of streaks so important.

How to Implement the Power of Streaks

You now know why streaks are so important. But, the question is how do you implement this strategy?

Well, it is actually quite simple. In order to harness the power of streaks, all you have to do is pick an action that will get you closer to your goals, and do it every day. String together as many days as possible and you start to get momentum on your side.

This simple strategy allows you to accomplish any goal that you want. Let’s run through an example.

Say you have a goal of losing 10 pounds. In order to accomplish this goal, you will need to make small choices every single day they bring you closer to the goal.

However, this is a perfect opportunity to implement the power of streaks. If you want to lose 10 pounds, one way of doing that is by increasing your activity.

Every single day your goal is to take 10,000 steps a day. The simple act of walking more every day will help you lose weight. But here is the catch, you cannot miss a day.

No matter what is going on in your life, you have to get 10,000 steps in.

You are going to track how many days in a row that you hit 10,000 steps. You are now setting a streak.

The only thing you have to do now is keep this streak alive until you accomplish your goal. Then, it is on to the next one.

Keeping Streaks Alive – Creating Non-Negotiables

One of the best ways to keep your streaks alive is to not “break the chain”. You see, as you are using the power of streaks, one tactic to use is a calendar. Put an “X” across every day that you keep your streak alive.

Putting an “X” on the days that you complete your streak starts to create a chain of X’s tied together. Your goal is to not break the chain!

calendar for power of streaks — Use a calendar to track your wins and don’t break the chain!

Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. There are going to be times that you have to make sacrifices. There are going to be times that you have to give up things that you would normally do.

However, if your goal is as important as you say it is, then it might require a little bit more effort. But that extra effort to keep your streak alive will exponentially pay off.

The extra effort requires a mindset shift. In order for you to show up every day and continue with the power of streaks, you have to create non-negotiables.

What is a non-negotiable? A non-negotiable is something that you do no matter what. You do not give yourself an option not to do it.

When you have no out, you have to get through it.

winning is a habit to accomplish any goal — Winning is a habit. Use the power of streaks to your advantage. Which streak will you choose?

What Streak Will You Choose?

Have you already fallen off your New Year’s resolutions? Is it time to refocus and utilize the power of streaks to accomplish your goals?

The power streaks will create the momentum that you need. It will push you in the right direction and allow you to get back on track.

By creating non-negotiables and not breaking the chain, you can accomplish your goals this year.

It is not going to be easy. However, you knew the goals that you set weren’t going to be a walk in the park. You set goals that were hard on purpose.

In order to continue to challenge yourself, you have to set high goals. But you have to have a strategy in place to accomplish these. Use the power of streaks to accomplish your goals this year!

So what streak are you going to start today? Do not wait until tomorrow to utilize the power of streaks. They will help push you to new heights and do things you have never done before.

With the power of streaks, you become unstoppable. You build confidence, create habits, and improve your lifestyle. All of these things are good and are available to you.

So what are you going to do? What streak are you going to start?

The Most Underrated Weight Loss Exercise – Walking for Weight Loss

It can be difficult to lose weight. Everybody wants to know the secret and what the best weight loss exercise is. However, shedding pounds can be as simple as walking.

People want the easy way. A secret potion, powder, or pill to help them lose weight. But, this isn’t reality.

Although losing weight by walking might sound too good to be true, it actually can be done pretty easy. By taking a few extra steps (pun intended), you can be on your way to losing weight!

Walking is one of the best weight loss exercises there is!

Fat Loss Explained

When it comes to losing weight, the equation for success is simple.

“Calories In” needs to be less than “Calories Out”

This is the formula we will be working with today. If you want to lose weight you must either decrease your “calories in” or increase your “calories out”. With a good base of eating healthy foods, you have taken the first step towards losing weight.

Most people start off in the second boat, trying to increase the calories out by searching for the perfect weight loss exercise. However, many people fail at this because they try to burn as many calories as possible during a work out.

The issue is, most of your calories are burned while you aren’t doing anything. Yes, you heard that right!

weight loss exercise to burn calories by walking — Even when you aren’t doing anything, you are burning calories! But how?

The 4 Ways We Burn Calories

You see, there are four components that make up how we burn calories. The largest of all of these is something called your Basal Metabolic Rate (aka your metabolism).

This is just a fancy term that is used to describe how your body uses energy just to keep you alive. You need calories for your brain to work, for your heart to pump, and for you to continue living.

This makes up around 60% of our total calories burned.

Second, we have something called TEF. This is the thermic effect of food. Yes – eating food burns calories. Who would have thought that eating could be a weight loss exercise?

It takes energy in order to create energy. When you are eating foods that are high in protein and high in fiber, your TEF will increase.

burning fat — Burning fat doesn’t have to be hard when you truly understand how we burn it.

However, it only makes up around 5-10% of all calories burned.

So where do people turn next? Typically something called EAT! This is your formal exercise. In most cases, people trying to lose weight increase how hard their workouts are.

By adding in cardio or massive circuits people think they are going to lose way more weight. However, this also only makes up about 5-10% of all calories burned.

So, if you are looking to find the best weight loss exercise you need to increase NEAT!

“NEAT” Weight Loss Exercise

If you want to lose weight, you need to increase your NEAT. Your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (wow that is a mouthful!).

NEAT consist of all the small activities you do throughout the day. Think about walking up steps, fidgeting, or even something as silly as singing in the shower.

All of these movements help you lose weight.

In fact, they make up approximately 30% of all the calories you burn in a day. If you want to lose weight, you need to increase your NEAT!

NEAT by walking — NEAT weight loss includes all the small motions you make throughout the course of the day.

Now, that doesn’t mean to spend all day bouncing around or fidgeting. It doesn’t mean singing an opera in your shower every night. However, there are many things you can do to help this out. But one of them, is basic, but superior.

So, what is this weight loss exercise? What is the easiest way to increase your movement throughout the day? Walking!

Walking – The Simple Wight Loss Exercise

Yes, walking is something we have done since the beginning of our lives. It is something we do every day, but all of us could use more of.

Have you ever thought about how many steps you take in a day? Have you ever tracked it?

If you are somebody who works an active job you definitely know what it feels like to be on your feet all day. Nurses, construction workers, landscapers, and teachers. All of you are moving constantly.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for many of us. Most employees are bound to a desk all day. We spend time staring at a screen, only occasionally getting up to refill our coffee.

However, through this simple weight loss exercise, you can be more active. You see, walking is for everybody. Everybody can get up and move more.

We don’t typically think of walking as a weight loss exercise. But, this is the simple secret to losing more weight.

walking in the office — Walking around the office a few times during the day can drastically increase your calories out.

Benefits of Walking

If you were looking for the best weight loss exercise there you have it. Walking has a whole host of benefits that everybody can reap.

First, it is simple to add in to your life. For those of us working a desk job, it can be a simple as taking a few meetings on a phone call. While you are on the phone call, take a walk.

Many times we do not need to be at our computers or sitting in a conference room in order to take a meeting. So, take the meeting walking!

Second, you can increase your “calories out” by over 300 calories if you can increase your steps! Yes – that’s is almost enough calories to lose an extra pound a week.

weight loss exercise tracking — What gets measured gets managed. Take the time to track your steps and try to get better each week.

Track Your Steps

However, you need to monitor how many steps you take. You can do this through your Health App on your cell phone, on an Apple Watch, Fitbit or Amazon Halo device. If you can increase your daily steps by a couple thousand, you will be well on your way to losing weight.

Finally, this simple weight loss exercise builds up your cardio capacity. When you are moving more often your body is built to keep going.

Your blood flow will improve, you will have more energy, and feel better about yourself. By making this a habit you can truly change your life!

Take a few calls walking, take three 10 minute walks per day, or take the dog out more often. Anything to get more steps!

Make it a challenge to yourself to reach 10,000 steps per day. If you hit this mark, you will be sure to shed off those last few pounds!

How to Limit Social Media – The Ultimate Time Saver

Post author By LSNstaffwriter
Post date January 30, 2022
Categories In Life Tips

In a day and age where everybody is on their phones, there is a massive need to limit to social media. Social media takes away from our time to be productive and focus on things that are more important in life. However, by setting time limits, we can get this precious time back.

Each and everyone of us likely spends hours every single day wasting time on social media. However, many people need social media to run their business or connect with friends. But, there are also a multitude of people who get lost in the algorithm and only waste time.

This wasted time is often the cause for us not reaching our goals. In order to reach our goals, we must be efficient with our time.

limit social media — If you want to reach your goals, you will need to make sacrifices. Limiting social media might be the key.

The advent of social media has helped millions of people. We have been able to share life events with family, connect with high school friends, and spread messages of love and joy. However, there is also a dark side.

While there are so many good things that have come from social media, it can be a massive time waster. The companies who create social media applications specifically designed them for you to continuously use them.

Through engaging content and showing you what you want to see, they keep you coming back for more.

All of us have been sucked in to spending hours scrolling on our phones. These hours that have been wasted can instead be spent doing things that push us closer to our goals.

wasted time — Time can slip away if you are not careful. Make sure to use it wisely.

Although, it is important to step away and unplug from constantly working, many of us continue to complain that we do not have enough time. This is often clouded by the fact that we are spending hours on social media.

However, if you limit social media you can gain all of those hours back! These hours are precious and critical if you are not in a position that you want to be in. These are the hours that can change your life.

How Many Hours Am I Spending?

But how do you know how many hours you are spending every day on these apps? This can be difficult to figure out. But if we want to limit social media we must first measure how many hours you are spending.

The good part is, this is made simple with modern technology. Apple has a feature on its iPhone that tracks how much time you spend on each app.

First, if you first navigate to the “Settings” app on your phone you can begin this process. From there scroll down to the section that says “Screen Time”.

The first screen will give you a high-level overview of how many hours you were spending on your phone. In the event you want to understand which apps you were using, press “See All Activity”.

This section will give you a detailed breakdown of all the time you were spending on your apps. This will quickly shed light on why you need to limit social media.

measure apps — Do you know how much time you are spending on social media? Maybe it is time to set time limits.

Furthermore, analyze which apps you spend the most time on. For many people, these apps are going to be social media-based. Write down which apps fall within your top three.

Second, ask yourself if you really need to be using these apps all day long? Are you using them for business or are you using them for leisure?

You will be amazed how easy it is to limit social media when you understand which apps are taking up your time. If they are not adding value to your life, you need to limit them.

Finally, the absolute best way to limit your social media is through time limits. Time limits allow you to set a specified amount of time for you to use apps.

After you pressed the “Screen Time” button under “Settings”, there is another button called “App Limits”. Turn this on and pick the apps you want to limit.

These are very similar to TV limits back in the day. Many of us remember setting limits for children on the amount of TV they can watch. Now it is time to do it for yourself!

discipline to limit social media — Limiting your screen time creates discipline that extends to other areas of your life.

Time Limits Create Discipline

Yes – you need this discipline. If you are not happy about the progress you are making towards your goals, you need to set time limits. Time limits create structure. Furthermore, they give you time back!

Do you wish you had more time to make progress towards your goals? You have tried everything besides understanding where your time actually goes. When you limit social media, and set time limits, you are now able to track your attention.

As you know, your time is valuable. You need to be disciplined. You need to be putting in work. However, you cannot do this with out some discipline.

Limiting your social media creates the discipline and structure you need to be successful!

You Have Your Time Back – Now What?

So, you have your time back… now what? You have an extra 2 hours in your day. The question is, what do you do with it?

First, do not start filling that time with other apps. Now, you have limited your social media, you do not want to start using other apps. Do not break your discipline! In other words, keep your time limits!

Although, your iPhone allows you to override the limits with a password, don’t do it! Above all, you are the one making the decisions. You are in charge!

Second, look at your goals. What do you want to accomplish? Although you now have more time, they way you use it is important. For example, if you need to start a new morning routine or fix your budget, you can use this time.

On the other hand, using it for a side business or a side hobby is another option (arts and crafts anyone?). It is your choice. However, if you want to get ahead, you need to be productive with it.

Furthermore, when you limit social media, you can spend time with your family. Family is so important! Using this new found time for them can change your relationships for the better.

limit social media to be productive — You have your time back – now use it for good! Accomplish goals, knock out tasks, and keep moving forward.

Social media can be a powerful tool. However, it is also destructive. More dreams and goals have been ruined by social media than anything else in the modern era. But, you are going to stop this!

You set time limits, monitor your activity, and limit social media. You have a plan. Now, it is time to execute.

You can use this time for good. To get better. To learn a new skill. Even set new goals. This is your life. Make the most of the time here by limiting social media and living life to the fullest!