2010
April 29
What clearing out the Clutter can do for you
What are the benefits of clearing out the clutter? Emotional? Physical? Health? etc.
Hey women entrepreneurs. Jennifer Hollander, CFMC, from Simply Organized will be doing a class on May 4, 2010 called “Decluttering Office Files”. If you are anything like me, this is the perfect time to think about your cluttered files right after tax season. Jennifer is going to share with us some interesting statistics about clutter.
Ridding your space of needless clutter and organizing things you use and care about will make your space more enjoyable for all in it. Many times the physical clutter around us causes mental clutter and health clutter as well. Taking control of your physical clutter can have positive results in your stress levels and weight management/loss.
Cleaning pros estimate that dealing with clutter amounts to 40% of housework in the average home and on average a disorganized person can spend a minimum of 10 minutes a day looking for misplaced items. This adds up to wasting 60 hours per year, at least. How many of us really have that kind of extra time to waste? What could you do with an extra 10 minutes a day? How much faster and efficient could you be when cleaning your home if you could spend 100% of your efforts on actual cleaning, not just 60% on average? Again, what could you do with that extra 40% of time not wasted on dealing with clutter issues?
Declare a de-cluttering campaign. Clutter causes stress. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time, say one month, to say goodbye to junk. Clean out closets, files, and drawers a little at a time. Clean off your desk, your purse and your work bag. Purging your personal space of clutter and organizing what’s left can be very uplifting.
Get Control of Your Documents How to get control of your documents so you can FIND them
* Has it been a while since you’ve seen the bottom of your “inbox”?
* Can you even find your “inbox”?
* Are you overwhelmed by paper-piles and emails?
* Learn simple strategies for organizing paper, computer files, and emails!
* Increase your productivity – FIND what you need WHEN you need it!
Register Now for this great Teleclass with Jennifer Hollander!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010 12:00 (Noon) – 1:00PM Central Standard Time
BONUS: Receive the Managing Me eBooklet FREE when you register for Get Control of Your Documents
Contact information: www.jenniferhollander.com, Jennifer@jenniferhollander.com, 812-484-9421
Visit www.jenniferhollander.com to receive the 10 Steps to De-Clutter in a Day Action Plan free when you sign-up for Simply Tips eNews.
Dawn L Billings is excited to advertise Jennifer Hollander and her getting organized classes. Dawn is an the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking, and an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
Take the opportunity to attend a Heart Link Women’s Network networking event. Check out our women networking events and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also check out - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means “Find”. Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirectory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow
2010
April 29
Women Entreprenuers Networking Tips that can help you create a Real Buzz — Professional Networking Tip 31
Filed under: Business for Women, HLN Spotlights, Marketing Tips, Networking
Women Entrepreneurs,
Professional Networking for Women – Tip 31:
BE MEMORABLE
It is important whenever you are networking to be memorable. A simple way to be memorable is by making sure your picture is on your business card, and an introduction that is catchy. I had a friend named “Cord”. He would introduce himself “Hi, my name is Cord, like the extension.” People never forgot his name. Having a photo on your business card helps people remember who you are later when they are going through their cards.
You can also wear a pin, a hat, any small thing that causes people to remember you. I used to have a friend who always wore cowboy boots. Whenever anyone saw the boots they automatically knew who they were talking to. Whatever way you choose to brand yourself, make sure that it is consistent with your personality and the message you are attempting to share. Don’t just stand out, to stand out. Stand out in a way that will brand you, your products and services and helps people want to talk about you.
Dawn L Billings is an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues, the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Womens Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
[Offtopic: by the way, have you had the opportunity to attend a local Heart Link Women's Network networking event? If not, check out our locations and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also coming soon - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means "Find". Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirecory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com (launched April 1, 2010) are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow]
2010
April 27
Women Networking: What are the advantages?
Filed under: Business for Women, Inspiring Articles, Marketing Tips, Networking
Women Networking:
What are the advantages? I am going to be doing a series of articles on Women, Networking and Marketing for women entrepreneurs and women owned businesses. We will be exploring women networking from difference perspectives. It is going to sound strange but today I want to talk to you about the importance of Graduation. What does graduation and women networking or marketing their businesses have to do with one another, well maybe more than you realize.
I know that many of you have children or grandchildren who are nearing graduation in the next month or two, or maybe you are graduating yourself? If you are, congratulations. This time of year is the time of Graduation. But what does graduation mean and why is it important?
Last night I attended my oldest son Tony’s graduation from a Men’s Fraternity course he has been involved in for many months. It is a course devoted to helping men find, understand, develop and hone their strength so that they can be better men, husbands and fathers. It reminded me of our mission at The Heart Link Women’s Network, Women Lifting the World, The Heart Alliance and Trova Women Business Directory which is each committed to helping strengthen and grow women owned small businesses.
As I sat at that graduation dinner, I was so proud of Tony. He took this course to heart. He worked hard on his authentic manhood workbook and creating his detailed plan on how he intended to reach his personal goals as a man. He now has a detailed road map as to what kind of man he intends to be.
On May 14th, my youngest son Corbin graduates from USC Film School. Again, I am very proud of Corbin. He has done so well. He took his education and training so serioiusly, won every award, made some great short movies, wrote several really terrific screen plays and finished his first major novel (which is mind blowing by the way) and soaked in everything he could that he felt might help him live his dreams for his future.
So what does graduation have to do with women networking? Women networking need to think in terms of graduation when they network. We must have an end goal in mind when we expend energy. Networking takes time. Marketing your business is one of the most critical pieces necessary to succeed. So when you get ready to network you need to think about your graduation. When you are done with your study of networking, how best to do it, what are the best events for you to attend, and how to market and network with consistency what will your GPA be? Will you win awards?
Once we are out of school, the world no longer officially graduates us. We must learn to graduate, congratulate and calculate our grade in life. Since networking is so critical to the success of small businesses, how will you grade yourself on your efforts and results? Some small business owners are short sighted. Networking isn’t about attend one class, or finishing one paper. Networking and marketing your business is an opportunity for you to grow in your knowledge, expand your circle of influence, create lasting and meaningful relationships and develop an expertise that others know about and understand.
My son Corbin choose to go to USC Film school because of it’s reputation and the “network” he could create while attending. Women networking need to attend women networking events with the exact same focus and enthusiasm.
If you are doing something you love, continue to learn about it. If you are not doing something you love, learn about something else until you are expert enough to spend your time doing that which you love. Don’t think of graduation only in terms of high school, college, or courses you choose. Think of graduation each time you challenge yourself to grow, to learn, and to develop more expertise.
Graduation isn’t about courses, graduation is about living life as a life-time of growing and challenging yourself to succeed in every area of your life.
Dawn L Billings is an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues, the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
Take the opportunity to attend a Heart Link Women’s Network networking event. Check out our women networking events and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also check out - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means “Find”. Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirectory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow
2010
April 26
Women Entreprenuers Networking Tips that can help you create a Real Buzz — Professional Networking Tip 30
Filed under: Business for Women, HLN Spotlights, Marketing Tips, Networking
Women Entrepreneurs,
Professional Networking for Women – Tip 30:
FOLLOW THROUGH
As important as follow up is, follow through is equally important. It does YOU little good to follow up with someone within 48 hours, only to fail at following through with whatever you promised them.
Follow up and follow through are two critical sides of the same business relationship coin. One, without the other, is ineffective. Follow through has everything to do with integrity. As we have gone through these important networking tips to build relationships that build your business, we have mentioned integrity many times. Integrity is an imperative part of being a successful networking and a successful human being. Make sure you follow through.
Dawn L Billings is an the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking, and an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
Take the opportunity to attend a Heart Link Women’s Network networking event. Check out our women networking events and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also check out - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means “Find”. Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirectory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow
2010
April 24
Are Your Wires Crossed? When Cell Phones, PDAs and Facebook Interfere with Parenting
Hey Women Entrepreneurs. Since most of us are Moms too we are constantly attempting to balance and multitask. (Check out my blog Multitasking makes you Dumber) Anyway, I found this article by Kate Scott Lawrence and thought all of us with smaller children, and even those of us with bigger “babies” could heed this advice. Enjoy! Dawn Billings, CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network and Creator of the NEW Toddler Toys and Parenting tool called CAPABLES. Capables help parents stop whining and tantrums for good.
If you prefer the company of your cell phone to the idle chatter of your kids at the park, you’re not alone.
Plenty of moms are talking on cell phones while dropping children off at school, checking emails while grocery shopping with babies or texting while strolling with toddlers.
Understandable in this wireless world, but is it healthy?
“I have to admit, I was one of those moms ‘clucking’ and shaking my head at all the dads at the playground for checking their phones for messages and sports scores while their kids played,” says food writer Leah Klein, “and now I’m doing it too – checking my email and Facebook updates while my kids run around.”
Klein’s excuse? “Now that I do some work from home, my email box is constantly needing to be emptied, and the playground offers the perfect opportunity to sift through it all.”
With the advent of “smartphones” – mobile phones with PC-like capabilities – mothers are able to communicate anytime, anywhere, from the delivery room to the boardroom. Nielsen Research dubs them “power moms” – women ages 25-54 with at least one child at home.
They represent nearly 20 percent of the total population online.
These moms have moved beyond the basics of email and online shopping to fully embrace Web 2.0 services such as social media, texting, instant messaging and gaming, according to a recent “Digital Mom” report by marketing design firm Razorfish and the networking Web site Café Mom.
Yet even these “wired” mothers are questioning whether the strong desire to feel digitally connected is undermining the ability to be a fully present parent.
“I had a love/hate relationship with my BlackBerry®,” says mom Carol Valianti, the vice president of marketing at the personal transport company Segway. “It was both a blessing and a curse.”
Valianti would set her phone to vibrate “and when I got a message, it was your classic Pavlovian-dog response! My attention would be laser-focused on it until I could check it.”
Like many children of tech-savvy mothers, Valianti’s young son was keenly aware of the attention she paid to her BlackBerry – he called it her “blueberry” – and made his feelings known. “As soon as my son noticed my phone vibrating, he would scream, ‘No, Mommy, no!
No blueberry!’”
Kelly Russell, a business developer with Care.com, a Web site connecting families with caregivers, knows all about that BlackBerry curse. “Pre-family, my dependence on my BlackBerry was about my own personal career growth and managing my career,” explains Russell. “I was that person who slept with her phone on her nightstand and checked it at 2 a.m.”
These days, she’s still often on the phone for her job; her toddler notices, but reacts differently than Valianti’s son. “My 18-month-old daughter wants my phone to be her phone so badly. When it rings, she goes running for it as if she is going to answer it!”
In fact, Russell’s daughter takes her cues from mom when it comes to a love for electronics.
“She is all about the gadgets, because she sees her parents’ phones ringing and beeping all the time. We actually gave her an old cell phone so she could feel part of the game,” Russell says.
At the same time, Russell has felt a bit guilty. Her daughter’s interest in cell phones “made me feel that we were unintentionally sending her the message that these devices were so important to us,” she says.
When to Shut It Down
When it comes to parenting, turning off phones and computers and refocusing on our children is essential, says Audrey Nathan, a social worker and family therapist whose specialties include women’s and parenting issues. Parenting is “all about being present with your children. There need to be sacred zones in our days and lives where technology just is not allowed,” she says.
Nathan recommends that dinnertime be a text-free, phone-free zone. Bedtime, too – especially for younger children. “If your kids know that nothing interferes with a bedtime story, they will cherish the ritual even more because it is undisturbed and uninterrupted,” she says.
Life coach Molly Froelich, a former counselor and teacher, believes that in order to be fully present and engaged in your life, technology devices have to take a backseat to human interaction. “Real-life connections are crucial,” she says. “If you find yourself on Facebook too often because you are feeling disconnected from the real world, then take steps to step out of the online world and into the real world. Get a babysitter, create a playgroup, cultivate some adult pursuits.”
Froelich often works with parents looking to develop better relationships with their older children, and she emphasizes that it takes a great deal of effort – and uninterrupted time – to get into a teenager’s world. “It takes a whole lot of time and patience that cannot be achieved in between emails or Twitter updates.”
Striking the Right Balance
This is not to say that parents should give up high-tech communication altogether. As Nathan points out, high-tech communication devices are “a welcome necessity” as today’s mothers juggle the demands of family, job and life itself.
For many moms, reaching for that iPhone to send an email is also a way to stay in touch with extended family or friends because it lets them check in without being completely unavailable to their kids. A Pew Internet & American Life Project report (May 2000) found that women prefer emailing family members for that very reason.
Furthermore, many moms do notice that their feelings about technology change significantly after having their children.
Russell still considers herself dependent on technology, but her reasons have changed. Smartphones allow her “flexibility and the ability to be home with my children,” she says. “But make no mistake, these phones are like leashes – they give you more flexibility, but you are still tethered. You are still attached.”
So, a few years ago, this self-professed lover of technology took her work email off of her BlackBerry. “That way, I don’t feel so attached, or like I have to be ubiquitously available to my work,” she says. “I put aside my BlackBerry and I made room for a life.”
Kate Scott Lawrence is a freelance writer and mother.
Dawn L Billings is an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues, the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Womens Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
[Offtopic: by the way, have you had the opportunity to attend a local Heart Link Women's Network networking event? If not, check out our locations and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also coming soon - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means "Find". Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirecory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com (launched April 1, 2010) are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow]
2010
April 23
Avoid Paying Bills before Bedtime
Hey Women Entrepreneurs, I told you I would find more information to give you reasons to relax. Look what I just found: Taking part in a relaxing activity (Yes, like soaking in a hot bath, reading a good book, or listening to soothing music) right before bedtime helps separate your sleep time from stress time.
In the evening before bedtime, you should avoid activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety and make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep, or remain asleep.
Avoid arousing activities, like working, paying bills, competitive games or family problem-solving, before bedtime. Avoid exposure to bright light before bedtime because it signals the neurons that help control the sleep-wake cycle that it is time to awaken, not to sleep. Just remember, I am here for you, so RELAX.
But what about those of you who can’t fall asleep? What about insomnia? Insomnia is miserable. Every time I have suffered from insomnia I feel desperate. It is terrible to want to go to sleep, need to go to sleep and lay there with your head spinning. Difficulty falling asleep is just one of four symptoms generally associated with insomnia. The others include: waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep; frequent awakenings; and waking up feeling tired. Insomnia can be a symptom of a sleep disorder or other medical problem, and can often be treated. If insomnia symptoms occur more than a few times a week and also impact your daytime functions, discuss these symptoms with your health care provider.
Dawn L Billings is an the author of over 20 books and hundreds of articles on parenting, relationships, entitlement and networking, and an ardent advocate for women’s and children’s issues. Dawn is the CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network, Trova Women Business Directory and Trova Small Business Directory and The Heart Alliance.com international women’s networking organizations and communities.
Dawn is the creator of the NEW Parenting Tool called Capables, a revolutionary parenting tool and Toddler toy that ends whining and tantrums for good. In 2008 Dawn was selected by Oprah Magazine and The White House project as one of 80 emerging women leaders in the nation. Find out more and buy Dawn’s books, Women Lifting the World inspirational videos to uplift the hearts of those you love, and the NEW Toddler Teaching Toys called CAPABLES Dawn is also the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Test
Take the opportunity to attend a Heart Link Women’s Network networking event. Check out our women networking events and find a gathering near you! You will be so glad you did. Also check out - TROVA NOW Women Business Directory, and TROVA Business Directory for all small businesses. TROVA in Italian means “Find”. Would you like for your business to be found easily both locally and nationally? That is what our new business directories TrovaBusinessDirectory.com and TrovaWomenBusinessDirectory.com are all about. For more information about how to get your women owned business listed for FREE visit: TrovaNow
