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

1. Establish Healthy Boundaries

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

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

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

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

2. Prioritize Your Day

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

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

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

3. Block Distractions

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

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

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

That’s part of having healthy boundaries.

4. Learn to Delegate

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

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

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

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

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

5. Relax

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

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

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

While wearing a business suit or jeans to a job interview can tell an employer a lot about you, so too can what you include in your CV.

Instead of thinking that the creation of this CV is a boring, mundane task, however, realize it is your unique chance to sell yourself and make such an impression that can lead to a yes rather than a no.

To get started, here are the 5 fundamentals for writing your CV.

1. Create a Clean Design and Format

While you don’t have to follow old, boring templates or rules, you do need to ensure the formatting and design of your CV is simple, clean, and pleasing to the eye.

A few tips to help with this include:

Keep it straightforward and easy to read.

Use simple language and non-fancy fonts.

Include short bulleted sentences.

Save any graphics or elaborate designs for your portfolio.

Make it no more than two pages.

2. Always Tailor It to the Particular Job

Avoid sending out a generic CV and instead always tailor it to the particular job.

To do so, first, be sure you thoroughly understand the job description. Highlight everything important so you know what to include on your cv.

If you find you lack certain abilities or experience, look to see if you can find a way to adapt the skills you do have to address these.

Be sure to use the keywords you find in the job description in your CV as well. The reviewer will be looking for these words, so make them easy to find at first glance.

Always create a unique document for each job description. One way to go about this is to create a personal template, then modify or adapt it to fit the particular job.

3. Present Your Accomplishments

The employer or recruiter will be looking for your accomplishments to show your abilities and your experience.

Most prefer to see quantifiable achievements, so use numbers and facts whenever possible to show how you are already positively contributing to other employers.

Unless your experience is in one area only, avoid listing accomplishments by themselves. Instead, spread them out in your work experience section, listing them below a short description of each job.

4. Highlight Skills

Include a separate skills section on your CV as a way to stand out and grab an employer’s or recruiter’s attention. Mention key skills that relate to the job you are seeking.

Examples you might want to include are:

Computer skills

Communication skills

Teambuilding or team-working skills

Problem-solving skills

Foreign Language Skills

Artistic Skills

Take a good look at your previous employment experience to date, and see what you can extract. Also, examine other activities such as your volunteering, group memberships, or sports participation.

If you have a digital portfolio, provide a link in your CV to show your skills first-hand.

5. Include Relevant Work Experience

Only include relevant work experience in your CV.  You don’t need to list out every job you’ve ever had, just those that relate somehow to the new one you are seeking.

If you feel you do need to add a previous work experience, find a way it can relate to the new job. Look for such shared skills as sales, customer service, writing, editing, or speaking in public.

So, there you have it – the five must-haves for your CV. Include these, and you’re well on your way to landing that next job.

Developing your side hustle can generate extra income to help you pay off credit card bills, go on a trip or buy a car. Even better, a successful side hustle could even lead to a successful business, allowing you to eventually quit your full-time job.

Side gigs can be difficult to start when you’re already busy with a full-time job. These 5 hacks can help you start a successful side business that could eventually lead to a sizable income and even a successful career.

1. Pick the Right Work

You’re going to have to be pretty dedicated to your side job to keep it going, especially if you also have a full-time job during the day. Picking the right gig is important for maintaining motivation. Working should be fun, especially if you’re going to put in more than 40 hours per week!

If you don’t already have a side hustle in mind, make a list of your favorite activities. Do you love to write? Do you paint, or sculpt? Do you love to teach? Know yourself and what you would enjoy doing as your side hustle.

2. Make a Plan

Make a list of supplies that you would need to get your side hustle off the ground. Will you run a business? What will be the name of your business? Do you need to register your business with your Secretary of State or another regulatory entity? Set aside time on a weekend to perform research. Making a plan will help you stay productive when you have time to work on your hustle.

3. Set a Schedule

When do you have time to work? Will you work at night? In the early morning? On weekends? Setting a schedule can be especially difficult if you have a family to coordinate with. Work with your spouse and children to find a schedule that will work for everyone. Some tips:

• Work when you feel most productive, whether that’s in the early morning, on weekends or late at night.
• Consider re-arranging your full-time job schedule to make time for yourself when you need it.
• Make sure everyone in your household knows your schedule and respects it.
• Keep your schedule flexible, so you can work around your full-time job schedule.

4. Set Aside Space

Assuming you’re doing work on evenings and weekends, your family or members of your household may get in the way of being productive. You’re going to need your own space to do work. You may need to convert the guest bedroom into a work station, or perhaps your garage. Create a space that is comfortable, convenient and isolated from other members of your household.

5. Use an Online Platform

There are many online platforms that make gig work easy. Find an online platform that will support you as you sell your services, crafts or wares. Online platforms often offer help to fledgling business people, making starting your own side hustle even easier.

Good luck! It takes time and true dedication to accomplishing your goals. Stay focused as you develop your business. Your work will pay off.

The pandemic accelerated a remote employment trend many embrace for its attractive work-life balance. Last year, upwards of 44 percent of office professionals held positions with offsite capabilities. That begs the question: Why live somewhere when you can live everywhere? About 35 people worldwide and 11 million Americans agreed and went full digital nomad.

Transitioning from the daily commute and workplace structure to working from home wasn’t for everyone. Some trailed back to cubicles once offices reopened. On the other hand, the taste of freedom experienced while enjoying home-brewed coffee with a laptop on your patio can be like a daily Zen moment. Those considering the logical next step of buying an RV, tricking out a van, or hotel jumping around the world, would be well served to conduct thorough due diligence. Life on the roam presents new challenges.

1: How To Maintain Power

Solar panels rank among the trendy options remote workers too often believe will keep their electronics powered. Jackery emerged as the big name among RV-ing nomads in the last few years. Maintaining enough battery charge to complete a project using a portable panel is unlikely to work consistently. Digital nomads develop a heightened awareness of just how many cloudy and rainy days there are when you occupy a confined mobile space.

Mounting several commercial-grade solar panels on your rig’s roof with a cache of batteries is a good start. It’s also prudent to carry some type of traditional generator — gas or propane. Ignore advice about hauling 20 gallons of water — unless you’re heading to the desert — and prioritize consistent energy resources.

2: How To Nomad At A Low Cost

Some polls indicate the majority of digital nomads stay at a hotel or Airbnb while traveling. One of the ways digital nomads staying at Airbnbs can cut costs is by using online coupons. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate a lower price with the host. In terms of saving money on hotels, booking well in advance typically provides a lower nightly rate. And visiting before and after peak season usually results in lower-cost rentals.

If you’re considering wheels on the ground living, like Frances McDormand in the film “Nomadland,” the cost of campgrounds with leisure amenities can also prove a bit pricey. Finding inexpensive and free places to live-work has become increasingly easy. There are platforms such as FreeCampsites, Campendium, theDyrt, and iOverlander, to name a few, that list low-cost and free boondocking opportunities. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and state parks and forest websites are also valuable resources.

But the nuance to utilizing these spaces involves planning your stays. Most have maximum limits between 3-14 days. When planning your travel, think about staying power and check reviews about Wi-Fi availability and cell signal strength.

3: Know Your Traditional Infrastructure

Once you step away from suburban or urban landscapes, Wi-Fi grows inconsistent. Peaceful forests, beaches, and mountains may not necessarily offer five bars, or any at all for that matter. The same may hold true of staying at a remote beachfront cottage or a cabin in the woods. Lack of work connectivity puts the first part of your new life in jeopardy, that being a “digital” nomad.

Purchasing a Wi-Fi booster helps, but job security may require leaning on traditional resources. Public libraries typically offer reasonable internet access and private study rooms to hold video conferences or concentrate. Keep in mind, librarians shushing people who talk loudly has become something of a movie myth. College and university libraries are often open arms to traveling professionals, offering guest passes in many cases.

Many of the things housed people take for granted can be challenging when traveling. Don’t sweat the little things. Stay warm, well-fed, and digitally connected. The rest will fall into place in time.

It’s a given that coding skills set you up for a rewarding career as a coder in a range of industries. In fact, the demand for this skill set is growing. However, you’ll discover that not all the demand lies in traditional careers. Below, you’ll learn about four diverse careers where coding skills give you the edge. 

1. UX Designer

A UX designer focuses on the user experience. They do this by making sure the product is both enjoyable to use and easy to implement. Some of the responsibilities that you can expect as a UX designer include building product wireframes, conducting user research and making changes based on that feedback.

Using your coding skills can make it easier for you to conduct A/B tests and breathe life into mockups. This is because you’ll have experience with CSS, JavaScript and HTML which are basic front end skills used in web development. Being able to communicate with engineers and others in similar roles is easier when you already understand what their job entails. 

2. Digital Marketing Analyst

The job of a digital marketing analyst is to collect revenant data. They then analyze and summarize the data before using it to gather insights. Some sources where data might be gathered include web analytics tools, social media, the business’ website and email. 

This high-demand career uses the information gathered to gain insight about the user’s experience for the company. You’ll be able to improve the way users interact with the business while growing their audience. The end goal is to develop more customer relationships. 

In order to present your findings to stakeholders, coding skills come in handy. For example, JavaScript can help you make presentations that are more appealing visually.

3. Product Manager

Technology companies are just one place where a product manager can be found. This vital role is the connection between those teams that are developing the product and executives. 

You’ll be leading cross-functional teams, so coding skills will come in handy. Using them, you’re know how to better explain the products goals. You’ll also be able to effectively address additional features and any technology limitations. 

4. Growth Hacker

As a growth hacker, you’ll focus on marketing the company you work for. Using experimentation tactics across many marketing channels, you’ll help increase the users of a service or product. 

A good way to describe a growth hacker is that it’s a hybrid role with a singular focus. You’ll use engineering, marketing and product manager skills while you find new ways to engage users. 

Coding skills will come in handy when you’re a growth hacker. Some duties you might find yourself doing could include running A/B tests, creating a new landing page or building new customer acquisition tools. 

Coding skills set you up to stand out from the competition and excel in a number of careers. Gaining this high-demand knowledge gives you an edge in your career. 

Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” If you identify as a social butterfly, you might be a people person. Here are five jobs you’ll love as an extroverted people person.

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Number One: Human Resources Manager

HR Managers get to do all of the things you love: counsel others during their time of need, recruit the best people to join them in their organization, present in front of a crowd, and cheer on their team members. They listen, coach, encourage, and empower those around them throughout the course of the workday. There’s a lot more to it, but the truth is that HR managers exist to make work more fulfilling for people. And who better to do that somebody who loves everybody?

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Number Two: Event Planner

If you’re a people person, event planning is a great opportunity to do all the things you love in the course of your work. Event planners work with individuals and organizations, coordinating the complex details of special events. You might oversee the design of gala invites, develop an attendee list for a fundraiser, or book entertainment for an outdoor family event.

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Number Three: Cabin Crew

If you love people and travel, this is the gig for you! Cabin crew members interact with a diverse group of people every day, all while seeing the world. Your job as a flight attendant would include ensuring every guest on each flight you service is safe, comfortable, and satisfied with their experience. Cabin crew members provide safety instruction, offer refreshments, engage with guests, and handle emergencies as they arise. You may reassure an adult with anxiety about flying, offer tips to a mom with a crying baby, or accompany a minor traveling alone.

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Number Four: Fundraising

Fundraisers rely heavily on their relationships and interactions with others to raise money for non-profit organizations. As a fundraiser, you can put your people skills to the test for a worthy cause. Raising money for charitable organizations is meaningful work, but it also comes with perks: you often have the opportunity to mingle with donors at high-end events, enjoying great company, conversation, and entertainment.

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Number Five: Business Development

If you love people, you might love sales, too! The most successful people in sales know that it’s not about selling a product, it’s about enriching the lives of your customers. That’s what makes this career such a great fit for people who love people. In business development, you spend your time developing relationships with potential customers and adding value in meaningful ways. When the time is right and they have a need and a budget, they choose you. Because they like your product or service – yes. But also because they like you. 

Finding a job that speaks to your love of people will ensure you never dread of a day of work.

Do you tend to deeply feel what other people are going through? Perhaps you become connected to their feelings and have the sense that you’re absorbing their experiences and emotions. This could mean you’re an empathic person.

If so, you might find the world a bit difficult. How are you supposed to succeed in a career when you’re taking on the emotions of your colleagues, clients and bosses? Not to worry. There are jobs that make a great fit for empathic people. And, you don’t have to take a pay cut to fit your job to your nature.

Consider one of these five high-paying jobs that are perfect for empaths.

1. Librarian

In this job, you spend your time in a quiet environment surrounded by books. You’ll also be there to support people who are ready to learn or need a safe public space to spend time. Also, you get to spend time picking out new books and determining what people would like to read. The average salary for a librarian is about $60,000 per year.

2. Dental Hygienist

Working as a dental hygienist is a good way to help people in a medical role without taking on too much stress. Many people are nervous about visiting the dentist. As an empath, you’ll likely sense their anxiety and help them relax. You can feel good about your contribution to supporting health and wellness by improving patients’ oral health and teaching them. In this role, the average salary is about $78,000 per year.

3. User Experience Designer

These professionals design websites with user experience in mind. This means they need to understand and imagine how people will use a website. As an empath, you’d be good at thinking of what a web visitor is looking for and what their next step would be. This job pays almost $95,000 per year on average.

4. Human Resources Managers

Empaths are good at reading people. They can also get a feel for the dynamic within relationships and groups. These traits make these sensitive types ideal for a role as a human resources manager. In this role, you use your skills to connect with people, see if they’re a good fit within the company and help to solve conflicts. You can even work to improve the workplace by putting together wellness plans, educational opportunities and other initiatives. On average, this job pays about $70,000 per year.

5. Copywriter

This type of writer uses their words to encourage a certain outcome, such as buying a product or subscribing to a service. They think of what consumers need and want. This requires imagining scenarios and tapping into emotions and desires. Empaths are naturally skilled at these traits, which makes this a good job choice. As a plus, you get to spend most of your time with your own thoughts instead of taking in other people’s emotions and stress very often. The average salary for copywriters is almost $62,000 per year.

If you’re stuck in a low-wage job that doesn’t meet your needs, a career change could drastically increase your income. Here are ten high paying jobs that require no experience to get started.

Railroad/Transit Police

Railroads have their own safety and law enforcement personnel that monitor tracks and trains. You’ll have to graduate from an academy before you can start working, but training at the academy is often paid. The 25th percentile of workers earn more than $50,000, which isn’t a bad starting salary.

Insurance Claims Adjuster

Claims adjusters audit insurance claims, verifying them and determining payouts. The standard is on-the-job training under a more experienced adjuster, and the mean annual wage is just over $70,000.

Power Plant Operator

Being a power plant operator requires extensive training, but it’s paid on-the-job classroom and field training. You could bring in six figures, if you eventually become certified to work in nuclear plants. Lower paid earners still tend to earn more than $60,000.

Elevator Installer

Elevator installers put in elevators and escalators, and they may also make repairs. A four-year paid apprenticeship is required, but you only need a diploma or GED to start an apprenticeship. Fully trained installers average more than $90,000, and can easily reach $100,000 or more.

Construction Manager

You’ll have an easier time becoming a construction manager if you’ve worked in the field, but you don’t necessarily have to. People skills can be even more important than building experience. You’ll likely start out training under someone, but could bring in a median wage of $98,000 after you gain some experience.

Online Proofreader

If you know English and have an eye for detail, you could work from home as an online proofreader. You’ll review papers, articles, ebooks and more. No training is required, and you could immediately bring in $25 or more per hour.

Transcriptionist

If you can type quickly, you could alternatively work from home as a transcriptionist. Scheduling is flexible, and the only requirement is that you might have to pass a typing test. Expect to earn around $15 per hour starting out, but specializing could raise that to between $25 and $30 hourly.

Car Salesperson

Car salespersons work largely on commission, which means you get paid for performance. You might only earn $28,000 starting out, but experience can boost that to around $46,000. You could also transfer the sales experience to another sales job that pays even more.

Translator

If you know two languages, being a translator is a natural fit. You can bring in more than $50,000 translating documents, or you can work as an interpreter that translates live speeches. Knowing two languages well is the most important requirement.

Data Entry Clerk

Data entry clerks update digital files with information from paper documents, and they might also check the digital data. Salaries average around $17 to $18, and this is a job that allows you to work for businesses and organizations almost anywhere.