Productivity Tips to Start Your Day

Looking to boost your daily productivity? Start by taking a look at your morning habits. Incorporating just a few of these into your get-up-and-go routine may help.

Say no to snooze. Hitting the snooze button is tempting, but starting your day by procrastinating your wake-up will not set you up for productivity! Set your phone or alarm clock across the room so you have to rise to shut it off.

Have a “you” ritual. Whether it’s a walk with your pup, reading a few poems from your favorite poem book or listening to a short podcast, do something for yourself first-thing.

Savor silence. Even if you’re not a meditator, sitting for a few moments of silence in a favorite spot in your house can clear your mind and ready you for the day.

Make a morning list. Savor your cup of coffee as you go over a daily task list of the items you need to tackle. This will help set you straight for the day. If you’re extra ambitious, make a weekly and monthly to-do list as well.

Five Ways to Pick the Perfect Color Scheme

If you’re revamping your interior design scheme, you may be considering a new color palette. Should you go with earthy hues? Vibrant jewel tones? Cool blues and grays? Below are five ways to pick a color scheme that will work for you.

Choose from what you have. If you’re not revamping with an entirely new furniture set, then you may want to pick a color from what you already have. A boldly patterned sofa or floor rug can serve as a jumping off point.

Start with three. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with options, choose three colors you love and keep it to there, with one as your main color, another as your secondary and a third for accents. (Four if you count white, which is more of a neutral).

Base with black. If you can tie black into your color scheme, you’ll always have something easy (and versatile) to return to. No need to get macabre—think black appliances in the kitchen, black end and coffee tables in the living room, and black cabinetry in the bathroom.

Decorate with 60-30-10. This rule, used by many interior designers, gives you a mathematical breakdown of how much of each color you should use to give your space balance. Go with 60 percent of your main color (like, your walls), 30 percent your secondary (hello, furniture) and 10 percent that pop of accent—light sconces, art, throw pillows, blankets, etc.

Move from dark to light. So, you have your chosen colors—now what? A top designer tip when adding color to your home is to place the darkest colors low, like the carpet, floor or furniture, and then move to medium shades for the walls and art, and the lightest hue on the ceiling.

Seven Ways to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke

Someone dies from heart disease, stroke or another cardiovascular disease every 43 seconds in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association (AHA). To help you live a longer, healthier life, the AHA notes seven things you can do to reduce your chances of a heart attack or stroke.

1. Know your risk. Certain factors can increase your risk, including smoking, kidney disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and a family history of early heart disease. Many risk factors can be prevented or managed by making lifestyle changes.

2. Eat healthy. Build your diet around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins and fish. Make smart choices like limiting refined carbohydrates, processed meats and sweetened drinks. Use the nutrition label on packaged foods to cut back on sodium, added sugars and saturated fats, and avoid trans fat.

3. Stay active. Move more–it’s one of the best ways to stay healthy, prevent disease and age well. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. If you’re already active, you can increase your intensity for even more benefits. If you’re not active, get started by simply sitting less and moving more.

4. Watch your weight. Stay at a healthy weight for you. Lose weight if you’re overweight or obese. Start by eating fewer calories and moving more. You can check your body mass index (BMI), and if you need help, talk to your doctor about a weight loss plan.

5. Live tobacco-free. If you don’t smoke, vape or use other tobacco products, don’t start. There’s no such thing as a safe tobacco product. If quitting tobacco is a challenge for you, ask your doctor to help you kick the habit using proven methods. And try to avoid secondhand smoke, too!

6. Take your medicine. If you have a health condition, your doctor may prescribe statins or other medications to help control cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Take all medications as directed. But don’t take aspirin as a preventive measure unless your doctor says to. If you’ve never had a heart attack or stroke, a daily aspirin may not help you at all and could cause problems, including risk of bleeding. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, your doctor may want you to take a low dose of aspirin to reduce your risk of having another.

7. Be a team player. Your doctor is one of the best resources to help you reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke. Work together on your prevention plan and to address current health conditions. Ask questions, and be open about any challenges you may face in trying to make healthy changes. Stress, sleep, mental health, family situations, tobacco use, food access, social support and other issues can all affect your health and well-being.

Four Time Management Tips

These days, we’ve all got busy schedules. From work to family and social commitments, it can be hard to fit in everything. Here’s where time management can help. Consider the following tips to tick more off your to-do list, daily.

Time block. Time blocking is one of the No. 1 metrics of successful time management, and it can make larger tasks feel less overwhelming. Each night before bed, look at your next day’s to-dos and chunk off sections of time for each project, from cleaning the house to tackling paperwork. Unsure how much time? Aim for 1 – 3 hours to avoid mental exhaustion.

Schedule the hard stuff first. To slay procrastination, schedule the things you’d prefer not to do, first. Getting the difficult or least-liked items done first will help you feel more productive.

Reward yourself. Sprinkle in 15 – 30 minute reward breaks throughout the day, like walking with the dog, reading a chapter of a book or calling a friend.

Be kind. Regardless of how diligently you planned to follow your daily schedule, sometimes things happen. A headache, family emergency or a task that proves more difficult than you expected. Even a terrible night’s sleep can throw off your flow. If this happens, be kind to yourself, pat yourself on the back for what you did manage to accomplish and promise to catch up tomorrow.

 

Smart Home Technology You Can Easily Integrate Into Your Home

Smart home technology is advancing beyond telling your phone or internet-enabled device to play music and look up sports scores.

Smart thermostats, lightbulbs, plugs, locks and doorbells are available to homeowners, and the list of things technology can connect to within a home is growing every year.

Here are some smart devices you may want to consider integrating into your home:

Thermostat
With a variety of options to choose from, one of the most popular smart thermostats among today’s homeowners is the Nest Learning Thermostat, which is owned by Google.

The Nest thermostat uses an algorithm to adapt to your preferences, as well as when you leave and arrive home. When you’re away at work, it uses your phone’s location to determine that you’ve left and enters eco mode to save money and energy, reducing bills by up to 15 percent, according to the company.

Floodlight
The Sengled Smart LED Floodlight is an inexpensive way to monitor your home as a motion sensor, while providing light without having to turn the light switch on and off.

Unlike some motion detector lights that require installing new fixtures and possibly wiring, the Sengled Smart LED bulb connects to existing fixtures. Built-in motion and daylight sensors turn the light on automatically for 90 seconds when motion is detected within 30 feet. The light can also be controlled through voice control on Alexa or Google Assistant.

With the Sengled app, you can even receive mobile notifications when motion is sensed.

Smart Lock
The August Smart Lock Pro + Connect attaches to the existing deadbolt and features keyless access. With your phone in your pocket, you can open the door without fumbling for your keys. It automatically locks the door behind you after you leave.

The lock can also be voice activated through Siri, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Smart Doorbell
Want to see who’s ringing the doorbell? With continuous streaming and video recording, the Nest Hello gives you a 160-degree view and visitor detection alerts. It also has a speaker and microphone so that you can communicate with visitors knocking on your front door whether you’re inside the house—or away from home.

Ideas on How to Keep Pests Out of the Kitchen

No matter how much of a critter lover you may be, pests in your kitchen is never fun. But many consumers are also disinclined to spread poison all over their culinary arena. Below are a handful of natural, poison-free ways to keep those creepy crawlies outside where they belong.
Vinegar and oil. No, you’re not making a salad dressing. By mixing water, vinegar and essential oil in a small spray bottle, you can spray your counter tops, window sills and nooks and crannies to help ban bugs. Use a mix of half white vinegar, half water and 10 drops of lavender oil.
Lemon juice. Like the vinegar mix, lemon juice can act as a natural deterrence. Cut it with water and sprinkle it around your counters, the backs of your shelves and anywhere you see bugs infiltrating.
Diatomaceous earth. This soft rock powder sounds like a mouthful, but really works to help keep critters outside. Simply sprinkle it in the cracks of your home where pests are likely to infiltrate.
Coffee grounds. Yet another wonderful gift from the coffee plant. This trick works outside rather than inside—sprinkle coffee grounds around the foundation of your home to deter bugs from climbing in.
Dish soap. While not completely “natural,” this is likely something you already have hanging around your home. Mix a bit of soap with water and rub it along your baseboards, window sills and door jambs.

FiveWays to Add Chic Vibes to Your Bathroom

Looking to add some of your own personal chicness to your bathroom? Below are a few ways you can add a little oomph to your powder room.

Climbing plants. Climbing vines indoors can add a jungly, naturalistic element to your space. Some of the coolest vines for interiors are ivy, heartleaf philodendron, jasmine and betel leaf plant.

Art. Don’t be afraid to add some unique art to your bathroom! A cool painting or sculpture can make a great focus piece.

Lighting options. From an interesting lighting fixture to a colored bulb or recessed lighting beneath, don’t be afraid to get funky with your lights.

Mirroring. Add an expressive picture frame to the edge of your vanity mirror, or create an entire mirrored wall to open up the space and add light.

Playful patterns. If you’re a fan of patterns, consider placing a bold pattern on your ceiling, floor or on one wall to make the space more interesting.

Five Easy Ways to Brighten a Room

Do you have a room in your house that always seems dark no matter what? Perhaps it’s due to low ceilings or minimal windows. Maybe the walls are painted a darker color than you would like. Whatever the reason, don’t worry. Below are a few simple ways you can brighten the space.
Remove or minimize window coverings. A dark room will only seem darker with heavy window hangings. Choose something light and gauzy, or remove window coverings altogether to welcome the sunlight.
Paint it white. From the ceilings to the floors, painting surfaces a white or off-white color will brighten your space and make it appear larger.
Add mirrors. We all know the old mirror trick can make a space seem larger, but did you know it can brighten it, too? Mirrors reflect light, so the more mirrors, the more light you will have reflected. Try a mirrored wall or a mirror-topped coffee table.
Remove (some) furniture. The less crowded a room, the more space for light to bounce around. Nix any unnecessary furniture, knick knacks or clutter.
Trim the trees. Okay, so you’ve cleared the curtains, added a large mirror and painted your dark wood floors white. Does the room still seem dark? Head outside and look for any trees or shrubs that may be encroaching on your sunlight.

Healthy Ways to Manage Stress

We all have stress in our lives. Busy days at work, problems at home, traffic jams and money trouble are prime examples of stressful situations. However, chronic stress can lead to serious health issues, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and depression, so preventing and managing stress is essential to living happier and healthier.

Here are some tips from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help you deal with stress:

Prepare yourself. Prepare ahead of time for stressful events like a job interview or a hard conversation with a loved one. Stay positive, picture what the room will look like and what you’ll say, and have a backup plan.

Plan your time. Feeling in control of your situation could lower stress. Think ahead about how you’re going to use your time. Write a to-do list and figure out what’s most important–then do that thing first. Be realistic about how long each task will take.

Relax with deep breathing or meditation. These are two effective ways to relax your muscles and clear your mind.

Relax your muscles. Stress causes tension in your muscles. Try stretching or taking a hot shower to help you relax.

Get active. Regular physical activity can help prevent and manage stress. It can also help relax your muscles and improve your mood. Aim for 2.5 hours a week of physical activity. Try riding a bike, taking a walk or lifting weights. Be sure to exercise for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Eat healthy. Give your body plenty of energy by eating healthy, including vegetables, fruits and lean sources of protein.

Talk to friends and family. Tell your friends and family if you’re feeling stressed. They may be able to help.

Get professional help if you need it. Stress is a normal part of life. But if your stress doesn’t go away or keeps getting worse, you may need expert help. A mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or social worker, can help treat stress-related conditions. Lots of people need help dealing with stress–it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets

The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in any household. It’s where meals are cooked and families eat, and also a place to play fun games or just talk.

The foodie craze is changing the way we eat and the way we cook. Amateur chefs get ideas from cooking shows and then visit farmers markets to find the best possible ingredients for the delicious meals they put together. And homebuyers want the perfect kitchen where they can make their culinary creations. While a complete revamp of your kitchen isn’t necessarily practical, one easy step is to clear out the cabinets and pantry.

Organize Your Pots and Pans. You should dedicate a cabinet or two to your pots and pans, and start the process by emptying out the cabinets and dusting them. Then, put the cookware back, neatly and organized. Place covers on pots and arrange them by size. This is also a good opportunity to get rid of items you no longer use and to designate a cabinet for special cooking items like slow cookers, bread makers, food processors, blenders, etc.

Dishes and Glasses. If your cabinets are overrun with dishes, bowls, cups and glasses, clear out some clutter. Set aside older things you no longer use and, if possible, donate them to a local soup kitchen or senior center. Keep whatever you’ll need to use while selling your home and place everything back neatly. Try not to leave any cabinets completely empty, but rather, send the message to buyers that your kitchen has enough room for all their cooking supplies.

In the Pantry. This is commonly a space that has a lot of potential for improved organization. Go through your pantry and toss ingredients and packages with expiration dates that have passed or that you don’t expect to use. Then clear everything else out, clean the shelves of crumbs and spilled foods, and replace things neatly. Put canned goods like soups, sauces and vegetables together, and cereal boxes on one level with boxed goods on another level.

Under the Sink. Here’s a space that can get unorganized and messy very easily. Clear everything out and clean this space thoroughly. This is where people commonly keep cleaning ingredients, dishwasher detergent, sponges and cleaning supplies. Get rid of items you don’t use (be sure to dispose of cleaners in an environmentally safe way) and replace them in an organized manner.

Organizing the storage areas in your kitchen will improve your home’s visual appeal while allowing potential buyers to imagine themselves preparing delicious meals in the space.