Blog 18: My Financial Planning Tips for Success

Hello, my Amazing Readers! 

As it's almost a new month, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my financial planning tips for success. Now I'm not a financial planning expert, but I do have some general tips that I believe would really help with making sure you're more financially stable in the future. I believe that financial literacy is something that isn't taught well, especially to younger kids, and should be something everyone is good at. I hope my tips can make you more comfortable with your finances and encourage you to become more financially literate. 

1. Track your money flow 

This is pretty simple to do, but knowing how you spend your money and where you could be saving can help you to change your spending habits. Budgeting is a word thrown out there that few people enjoy, but it can really help! If you have a budget and track how you're spending your income, you can tell if you're over budget or under budget, and where you can save. Not enough people, I believe, are conscious enough to really keep an eye on their spending. Setting limits on your budget can help as well, as this will help you save more and achieve more of your financial goals 

2. Get into investing 

Now I am not an investing guru, and investing may not be for everyone, but there are all kinds of investment plans out there that fit most everyone. Investing can be an easy way to increase your savings in smaller amounts, depending on your plan. If you're thinking of investing, try listening to different financial podcasts on investing to get started. 

3. Make sure to have proper life insurance 

Insurance is actually part of financial planning, though few people see it that way. Insurance can help with retirement and other financial situations in the future. It's also good to have for any accidents or emergencies. It can give you the peace of mind you need when financially planning for the future. If you're unsure about the different types of insurance, check out my other company as we can consult your needs. 

4. Set up your Financial Goals 

Whether it's: make six figures by the time you're fifty or invest six figures by the time you're fifty, any financial goals you have, need to be explicitly set up so you can continually be reminded of them and work to achieve them. Having financial goals give your finances a direction and something for you to work towards. When you achieve those goals, make sure to celebrate as well! 

While there are a lot of other financial planning tips out there, I do hope you consider these for making sure you're more financially stable. Finances, investing, and budgeting can all be overwhelming, but I promise the work is worth it in the end. Feel free to reach out on my social media channels to ask questions or for advice. 

Until next time! 

Katie 

Lifestyle Blog 7: How to design a functional Office Space

 Hello, my Wonderful Readers, 

Today I want to focus on creating functional office space, whether it's at home (which is more likely right now) or in an actual office. Office space is one of the important things we can control about our work environment, and make sure that we can use it to motivate ourselves. Office space can be anywhere, and for most of us working from home, we may have an actual "office" or be working from just our dining room tables. Either way, having a good design of where you're doing your work can help you to function more effectively and being more motivated. So below are my tips on how to design functional office space: 

1. Minimize Distractions 

By this I mean, make sure to put away things that might be distracting to you during your workday. This could be putting your phone on another table or in another room (unless you use it for work). This could also mean sequestering yourself to another part of the house away from distracting pets or kids. It may be difficult to put down your phone, but honestly, it'll seriously help with improving your focus and efficiency 

2. Orient your desk toward your dominant hand 

Being having your written notes and material closer towards your dominant hand makes your workflow easier and more efficient. It also allows you to reference things faster, take notes quicker, and keep working without losing your train of thought. Win-win to me! 

3. Have your reference material close by 

Whether this is notebooks or papers or any other sort of material you may reference during meetings or phone calls, having it close by saves you time and stress from having to find it in the first place. It also makes you look more professional in meetings and doesn't disrupt your workflow. 

4. Give yourself space to walk 

This is pretty easy to do if you're working at a kitchen table, but make sure that your office has enough room to pace or walk-in. This will encourage you to take breaks throughout the day so you're not sitting all day, as well as help you to refocus yourself after those breaks. If you're like me where you're a walker-talker for phone calls, this can also help you to process things better during phone meetings. 

5. Have some plants to boost your productivity 

Studies have shown that plants actually can help you boost your productivity. They also help to purify the air and make your office look nice and professional. Plants like the snake plant, jade plant, or English ivy are easy to take care of and look pretty. They're not that expensive either and are an easy way to spruce up an office space! 

I hope these tips help you to design your office space to be more functional for you and to help you boost your own productivity. Reach out on social media to let me know if these tips worked for you, as well as any tips of your own you'd like to share. 

Until next time, 

Katie 

 

Blog 17: 4 Ways to keep your kids entertained while working from home

 Hello Readers! 

I want to talk about kids today, as many of us have kids. In the era of COVID, working from home can be extremely difficult if you have young ones at home who are doing online school or just with you. It can be hard to balance the focus and motivation you need while your kids are yelling, making messes, and bothering you for things throughout the day or in the middle of meetings and phone calls. I want to give you some tips that can help with this balance, and hopefully make both you and your kiddos more productive overall, as well as teach them boundaries between work time and play time. My own son Logan is a sweetheart, but like every kid, doesn't quite understand that when mom's in a meeting, she shouldn't be bothered. In the times I've been working with Logan nearby, I've come to find certain tips and tricks that help both of us to be productive and happier during the day. I hope that these tips also help you to not be as stressed with your own kids, and help your kids to understand how scheduling and boundaries work. You can find my 4 ways to keep your kids entertained while working from home below: 

1. Put up a big clock/schedule of the day with designated times for play time and work time 

Having a visual reminder for your kids of when work time is and when play time is can help teach them boundaries, as well as understand how time works, and how scheduling works. I've done this before in the past with Logan and it works really well. If your kid comes and bothers you during work time, you can easily remind them to go look at the calendar/schedule for when they can come bother you to play. It can be hard for a child to learn, and this trick is generally better for older kiddos, but it's a valueable and helpful lesson for both of you. 

2. Make sure that your child has lots of activities to keep them busy, not just TV. 

Many parents, in my opinion, can take the lazy way of plunking their kid down in front of the TV for hours while they work. While there are a lot of educational programs on TV for kids, watching TV all day is not good for child brain development. Instead, make sure your kids have fun and educational activities throughout the day they can work on. These can be things like puzzles, math workbooks (you can order all sorts of school workbooks online) or reading or science workbooks, dolls, legos (amazing and teach creativity to your children), outside toys, and other things. If you're lucky to have a backyard, you can also encourage your kids to play outside in the backyard with water balloons or a slip'n'slide. Making sure the activities for your kids are both challenging and stimulating will help to keep them busy, and make sure that you have your sanity. Keeping an eye on your kids physical exercise is good too. Making sure your kids run around in the backyard, or ride their bikes throughout the day can help increase their exercise, which is good for their growth. Plus it can wear them out faster. 

3. Make your kid feel like they're working too 

What do I mean by this? I mean give your kid a fake work schedule, like yours. Clearly they won't get paid or they won't have the same tasks as you, but by telling them they have to do X task for "work" while you're working makes them feel involved and important to you. Plus you're sharing the work experience with them from an early age. Cool huh? 

4. Stop working when work time is over

This means that when your schedule says work time is over, to STOP! Many parents, and myself included, promise my kids I'll stop at a certain point, but don't because I'm still in work mode or have too much to do. This can disappoint your kids, and show them that you aren't taking time for their schedule. Respect your kids' time and make sure that you stop when you tell them you'll stop. This will make them feel valued and important. 

I hope these tips help you to get some of your sanity back and make sure that both you and your kiddos are able to work together in the same environment. While there are many other lessons out there, my 4 ways to keep your kids entertained while working from home can hopefully be simple and creative enough to work into your daily schedule. Reach out on social media and my website to let me know how these tips worked and some of your own! 

Until next time, 

Katie 

Blog 16: How to create a Personal Website

 Hello, my wonderful Readers! 

As mentioned in my last blog, I would like to focus more on the nitty-gritty details of having a personal website. If you've decided to now create a personal website for your work, this blog should hopefully help you with the next steps of how to create a personal website. Now let me first mention that I'm not a coder or a website guru, but I have done these steps to make my own website, which you can find at this link below: 

 http://katieandersoncoaching.com/

Before we get started, know that website creation is not a start and finish process. There will always be maintenance and updating your site, whether it is adding new content or updating older content. Take that into account when carving out time to create a personal website. Or, if you prefer, have someone else create it for you. It's your choice in the end, but know that a personal website has to reflect you in style and content. 

1. Find the right domain name for you 

What do I mean by domain name? It's the URL that your website will be found by. For example, my domain name for my personal website is "KatieAndersonCoaching.com." This is what any person on the internet will see as my website domain, and what makes my website unique. Most domain names are between $10 to $50 to renew a year, similar to paying rent on a property, this is paying annual rent for an internet space. 

So what makes a good domain name? Usually the shorter the domain names the better. Plus the domain should be somewhat descriptive of you or your business. If you find your dream domain name is already taken, don't worry. You can always change the ".com" to ".net" or ".org" if that's easier, or find something cheaper and better. A domain name isn't everything, but it will help you to set yourself apart 

2. Find the right web platform for you 

    Once you've figured out what domain name you want for your website, find the right web platform to register it on and then start building your site. For me, I use Weebly for my platform as it's super easy to use and pretty cheap. Squarespace, WordPress, and Wix are also good platforms to use, and each will have a monthly subscription for a personal website. Once you register your domain, you can start designing your site. 

3. Design your website to reflect you as an individual and your style 

    What I mean by this is to make sure your website has a color scheme that you think reflects your personality, as well as an easy-to-read layout. You don't have to be good at coding thankfully to do this, as many web platforms come with preloaded templates that you can use to build your website off of. 

4. Use quality photos on your website 

    Whether these are photos of you, such as headshots or conferences or office photos, make sure they're good quality. The last thing you want is your beautiful personal website to be ruined by poor-quality photos. If you're also needing just stock photos, try using websites such as pixabay.com or unsplash.com for high-quality stock photos. These will really help to make your site stand out and seem more professional. 

5. Make a logo that suits you 

    Not every website needs to have a logo, but having a logo on your website allows you to personally brand yourself and make yourself more sellable. Whether it's something simple or something fancy, logos give you a coherent style and make you professional. 

6. Give your website quality content 

    Quality content may be things like your resume, added in more of a biography form, or links to different projects you've worked on, or videos, or audio clips of your work. Having a blog can also make your website look more professional and relevant as you continually upload new content. Making sure that the content on your website is informative and engaging allows for your viewers to better understand you as an individual and makes you more sellable as a person. 

While I hope these tips help you to create a beautiful and functional website, know that there are many other websites out there that can give you other pointers to make sure your website truly reflects you. Let me know if these tips helped you by reaching out on my social media or subscribing to my email newsletter on my website. 

Until next time! 

Katie 

Blog 15: Reasons to have a personal website

 Hello, my Amazing Readers! 

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Today I want to focus on the nitty-gritty of selling yourself or your company/product: your website. Should you have one? What will it look like? How will that work? These are the questions I'll answer in the next few blogs because I feel it's important to go through these important steps with you. Know that you can reach out to me on social media or via my email address if you need more one-on-one coaching for personal branding. I'm always happy to help! 

Having a personal website is important for multiple reasons, which I will share below. It's also quite easy to do, and even free. Many website platforms, such as Weebly, Squarespace, and WordPress all offer free websites for individuals, depending on what domain name (website URL) you'll want. These websites are super easy to use and don't need any previous experience coding to make them look amazing. I personally use Weebly for my own personal website, but any platform will be similar. You don't have to have an elaborate website for yourself, but having something out there will make you stand apart and be successful. And if that doesn't convince you, below are my other reasons to have a personal website: 

1. A website can help you to stand out from your competitors

    Whether you're a sales and leadership coach like me or a college student just finishing your degree, a website helps to give you status to future employers or clients. It can also help you stand out from your competitors, as they may also have a website, yours might be easier to access or more aesthetically pleasing. I'd recommend looking at competitors' websites to see what they look like, then try to make yours look different or more appealing than theirs. For graduating college students, or people younger in their field, having a personal website allows you to brand yourself and shows your professional style, as well as a knowledge of technology and communication. No matter what line of work your in, a website helps you to stand out. 

2. A website gives your business or profiles an internet presence, besides social media 

    Even the social media and marketing experts will tell you that having a website will help give your business a grounded internet presence. People will know where to go to find your hours, discounts, sales, products, or even a personal bio. Linking your website to social media will help drive traffic to your website, and allow you to gain more interest and followers. Especially in this current era of COVID-19, internet business is becoming more prevalent. Don't be left behind! 

3. A website helps you gain customer trust and referrals 

    Besides being a place for people to visit to learn more about your business, a website also allows people a place to leave reviews and comments about your business, which can boost your status and the trust of your customers. Websites will also help people with referrals because they can use your website as a place to go for a new client. Having an internet presence allows for more community around your website, as interested people will continue to visit to see if there are any updates. 

4. A website gives you a chance for personal branding or refurbishing your old brand 

    Having a website allows you the chance to brand and sell yourself as a successful individual. No matter what field you work in, a website shows off your personal brand, giving you a coherent and professional look for any employer or client. Websites also allow businesses to rethink their brand, leading to possible updates in their logos, hours, or mission statement. 

Websites are ultimately a blank canvas to add whatever sort of character or personality you want. Having a website allows you to stand out in the internet market, look professional, and gives a place for people to get to learn more about yourself. While getting started on your own website may seem daunting, I promise it's not. I'll talk more about the logistics in my next blog, but for now, I hope you take these reasons to have a personal website into account for creating your own website. 

Until next time, 

Katie 

Blog 14: My three ways to motivate yourself at work

 Hello Readers! 

I wanted to write about motivation because as a sales and leadership coach, this is something that I often see with my clients. Motivation can tricky, because motivation isn't just pushing yourself to keep going. There's so much more to motivation, including making sure others help you to motivate yourself and keep you accountable for your work. Being motivated will help you feel more accomplished and productive, which will boost your overall positivity levels. Even if you don't have a support system of friends to help you to stay motivated, using these tips and building them into your daily routine can help you to accomplish more. These tips are simple, but can really help to take the steps needed to help your overall motivation increase. 

1. Front-load your days with the boring or dreaded tasks 

    By putting the tasks you're not looking forward to at the beginning of your day, you'll get them over and done with faster, and then have the rest of the day to focus on the tasks you enjoy more. This will help to increase your productivity and boost your general mood in looking at your workday ahead. 

2. Schedule weekly check-ins with a mentor or peer 

    Have someone check-in on your progress, just so they can hold you accountable for the work you're doing. It can be easy to slack off or forget to accomplish your goals if it's just you working on them. Having a mentor or a peer to come alongside you and make sure you are where you're hoping to be in your life, or that you're focusing on the goals you want to accomplish, can be extremely helpful and even necessary sometimes to motivate yourself to do them. 

3. Reward yourself when you do accomplish a goal or task 

    Whether it's with a tasty snack, a three minute Youtube break, a reward is important for psychologically training yourself to finish your tasks and goals. By rewarding yourself after completing a task or a goal, you're incentivizing yourself to complete those goals, which will help motivate yourself in the long run. 

There are of course many more ways to motivate yourself, but I hope that these three tips you can build into your routine to make sure that you're succeeding in any situation. Reach out and let me know your thoughts on these tips, as well as any other helpful ones that you use. 

Until next time! 

Katie 

Lifestyle blog 6: Three types of Negativity to get rid of in your life

 Hello, my lovely readers!

Negativity is something that I don't think we talk enough about in the sales world. It's easy to be rejected constantly as a salesperson, and it's even easier to take this rejection personally. That's why I want to talk about how to avoid negativity in your life to try to make your life a bit more positive overall. Negativity is something I struggle with occasionally, whether it's staying fit, feeling like I can't accomplish something or the pressure I put on myself. I've noticed that for me personally, negativity can easily creep up into my life. Knowing how negativity affects me, as well as things that may trigger an increase in negativity is important, and it allows me to work on my energy, mood, and outlook throughout the day. My tips on types of negativity to get rid of in your life will hopefully help you as well to start working on making your life and moods more positive, as well as see a more positive outlook on things. It's going to take work, there's no doubt about that, but there will be a pay-off in the end with an increase in positivity. 

1. Get rid of Self-doubt 

    Self-doubt is common, but it's something that can easily be fixed. Just having confidence in who you are and what you do as a person, in your job, with your friends and family, can make a huge difference. Self-confidence can be hard to attain by yourself, so ask your friends and family to help. Being vulnerable and honest will bring you the support you need, and help you to get rid of self-doubt quicker than on your own. 

2. Worrying 

    This is another type of negativity that may not seem like negativity. Spending time worrying about your circumstances, or about certain events in your life can be a waste of energy, especially if you don't have control over those events in the first place. Worrying drains energy and your mood and can cause you to be more irritable and tired. Do yourself a favor and worry only about what you can control, otherwise, don't worry at all. 

3. Complaining 

    Complaining causes you to see your circumstances only in a negative light. This can cause you to forget about the positives, even in challenging circumstances. It can be hard to notice you're complaining or to decrease the amount of complaining you have, but it will help in the long run to focus your energy on the positives, and not the negatives. 

There are plenty of more negativity triggers that are easy to get rid of, but I hope these three helped you to understand where your negativity is coming from, and how you can get rid of it in your life. Let me know if this was helpful at all, and if there is anything I missed. 

Until next time, 

Katie 

Blog 13: How to make a successful LinkedIn profile.

 Hello, amazing Readers! 

Today I want to get down into the nitty-gritty applications of LinkedIn. Most of us have a LinkedIn account, and if you don't already, I'd highly recommend it. It's a great profile to show off your skills, resume, and find amazing job opportunities. I've found quite a few wonderful employees over LinkedIn and was easily able to connect over the platform. LinkedIn is great, but it's also important to be conscious about how you make a successful profile on LinkedIn. You want to stand out, but still be professional enough. It can be tricky to also know how much of your resume to add, as well as photos, headshots, or links to your profile. That's why my tips for creating a successful LinkedIn profile will hopefully help to make you stand out and succeed in almost any job market. 

1. Make sure your headshot looks professional, but also fits your style 

    This can be tricky, but also something really fun to do. Picking the right headshot is something we all overthink, and rightly so as it's the first thing, someone looking at your profile is bound to look at. Make sure your profile is professional enough to show you're serious about your job but also reflects who you are as a person. For example, my personal assistant Kenna's LinkedIn has a profile picture of her in her homemade recording studio with books in the background. She has her podcasting mic and headphones on, looking like she's recording a session. This may be unorthodox compared to other headshots, but shows professionalism as well as her personal style as a podcaster. It also makes her stand out compared to other people in her field and was one of the things that stood out to me when I first connected with her. 

With that being said, don't go crazy about being unique or standing out. Make sure to maintain professionalism within your photo, but it can also reflect your hobbies or jobs. If you like biking, maybe have a picture with your bike. Just be sure to make it look professional, and not something a four-year-old would take 

2. Arrange your information by relevance 

    What I mean by this is to put the most relevant information first, such as jobs that you've recently done, or college degrees. As the viewer scrolls down, there'll be less important information below, so if they're still interested, they can find more information about you. As a hiring manager, I only spend maybe five minutes per profile looking at the candidate's information. This means that if I don't find your most recent jobs, qualifications, and other important information within the first five minutes of my search, I may turn you down as a potential candidate. Make it easy on yourself and others and have the most relevant and important information about yourself at the top of your profile. 

3. Make sure your profile is phone-friendly. 

    Many recruiters, myself included, have used our phones to scroll through potential applicants. It's important to have your profile be mobile friendly so I can still see it and use it on my phone. Plus, if you're networking with others and want to share information, it'll save you a lot of stress if they can find your profile on their phones. Make sure to test your profile on your device to see if it's phone-friendly. 

4. Be active! 

    This one is a step that many people overlook. After they make a LinkedIn profile, they sit back and expect people to network with them. It's important to use LinkedIn to its fullest capabilities, which means being proactive and reaching out to others yourself. It can be hard or annoying, but even spending 5 minutes a day reaching out and connecting with others can easily build your network and give you more opportunities for success! 

While I'm not a LinkedIn expert, I've seen enough successful hires to know that if used properly, these tips can really help you save time and energy when applying for jobs or networking. Let me know if you have any other tips about how to stand out on LinkedIn. 

Until next time, 

Katie 

Blog 12: My tips on how to Increase Productivity

Hello, my amazing readers! 

Today I want to talk about how to increase productivity. It can be hard, especially on Mondays, to feel motivated and be productive. I know I struggle with trying to be productive sometimes, and I've come to learn over the years some helpful tips on how to motivate yourself and stay productive. Let's first define productivity, because I'm sure some of you may misunderstand what I mean by productivity. Productivity isn't just checking off a to-do list, it's actually being strategic in your work to accomplish more. Using a reminders app or to-do list can be helpful, but may only get you so far if you're not motivated to do the work. That's why my following tips will hopefully help to increase productivity and are ones you can easily add into a daily routine. 

1. Make temptations and distractions hard to reach

    This is pretty hard for some people, but by making distractions, such as your phone, harder to reach from sitting at your desk, you'll really help to boost yourself by not being as distracted. If you're using your phone for work, try "hiding" it out of sight on your desk. You know what they say: out of sight, out of mind. 

2. Chunk the easy "to-dos" together 

    If there are simple housekeeping tasks, such as checking the email, sending updates or recaps to others, or something else, chunk them together. They're easy to do and you can accomplish more by getting them all done at once. 

3. Be inspired by your small successes 

    If you do something well or feel good about finishing a task, let that good feeling motivate you for the next task. It'll be a feedback loop that can easily help to increase your motivation and focus for the day. 

4. Say no 

    This is hard for some people, including me, but saying no can really help to not stress yourself out. If you're taking too much on, saying no will help cut back on tasks and make you seem less overwhelmed and more confident about your workload. 

I hope you can easily incorporate these tips into your daily routine. These will help you to stay focused and motivated about your tasks ahead. Just remember that you're capable of anything! 

Until next time!

Katie