Productivity hacks

8 Tips for Choosing the Right Pet Store for Pet Supplements

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When it comes to your pets, you want to make sure you’re giving them the best possible care and attention. A wide array of pet supplements are available at your local pet store, but some pet owners may not realize that these supplements may be better suited to dogs or cats than they are to other animals like birds or turtles. Here are some tips for choosing the right store to purchase pet supplements from if you have a bird or turtle as a pet.

1. Do your research

Choosing a pet store can be difficult. There are so many options, and it’s hard to know where to start. The first step is to figure out what you want and need. Do you want something specific to your pet’s diet? Do you need supplements or other items? Next, figure out what your pet needs. Are they picky eaters? Are they on a diet? Is there something in particular they need like vitamins or supplements?

Once you have this information, you can start looking at pet stores in person or online. If you’re looking in person, check out the store before deciding if it’s right for your needs. Make sure the store carries what you’re looking for, and ask questions about it if necessary.

2. Find a reputable store

It’s important to find a reputable store to buy pet supplements. One way to do that is by checking that stores are members of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). Another way to know if a store is reputable is by looking at its products. If they carry high-quality brands, that’s another sign they’re likely reputable.

3. Ask around

When you’re looking to buy pet supplements, it can be difficult to know where to go. You want a place that is knowledgeable about pet supplements and has competitive prices on products.  The first thing you should do when looking for a store is ask around.

Ask friends who have pets or people you trust who work in related fields where they buy their pet supplements from. This will help you find out what stores are reputable and which ones might not be worth your time. You should also take into consideration how close this store is to your house or office. If it’s too far away, then maybe it’s not worth your while to drive there just for one purchase.

4. Compare prices

When it comes to picking a pet store, you want one with high-quality products at affordable prices. One way to do this is to compare the prices of products between different stores. This will allow you to know what price range a store falls into and help you make an educated decision when purchasing your supplements.

5. Check the return policy

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a pet store is whether or not they have a reasonable return policy. This is important because if you buy something and don’t like it, you’re stuck with it. It’s never fun when that happens! When you’re in a pet store, take note of their return policy and make sure it includes no questions asked for returns.

6. Consider the location

Consider the location. If you live in a rural area, it might be more convenient to buy online. But if you live in a metropolitan area, it may be easier to shop at brick-and-mortar stores that have knowledgeable staff members on hand. Think about what’s most important to you when choosing where to purchase pet supplements and figure out which one is best for you!

7. Read the reviews

Fortunately, Amazon and most other online retailers have reviews of pet stores that you can read before you purchase anything.

  • Check to see how fast they reply to questions.
  • Consider feedback from other customers on how quickly their orders were delivered or if there were any delivery issues at all.
  • What is the return policy like?
  • Does it seem like they are overly aggressive with up-selling products?
  • Do they have a wide selection of products?

Be careful with smaller stores that only carry one type of product or brand as these may be more expensive than larger pet stores that offer a variety of options for your pet’s needs at different price points!

8. Go in person

Walk in and ask around to see what people think. Visit their website to see how much information they provide about their products. Look up reviews online and see if there are any complaints or major red flags on them. Remember, you want to find a pet store that provides a quality product at a reasonable price and with customer service you can trust.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several important factors to consider when choosing where to buy your pet’s supplements. By considering these factors, you can make sure that you are getting the most suitable supplement for your pet. Once you’ve decided on a pet store and have purchased your pet’s supplements from it, be sure to keep track of how they work out over time. If they don’t seem to be working well with your pets, it is best to switch them up until you find one that does work.

Author’s bio:

Mari Salome Malagar is a professional English teacher in the Philippines who is also a freelance content writer and social media content creator.  She loves to write and edit content for businesses and social media platforms. She has over 3 years of experience in teaching as well as digital media management.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marimalagar

Improved Mood with Dogs

Best 9 Productivity Hacks For Procrastinators To Act Now

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Procrastination is a habit of postponing your obligations without an apparent reason. This type of behavior includes everything from getting up from the bed to meeting a job deadline. Once a person sinks deep into procrastinating they may experience difficulties with getting back on the track. Although procrastination has some upsides like not rushing into decisions and actions, it’s important to learn how to avoid getting into trouble.

There is a common misconception that procrastination leads directly to lower productivity. This sort of claim, however, is not entirely true. Although it’s not advisable to postpone your work and leave for tomorrow what you can finish today, people don’t just stare at the wall, doing nothing. While work is on hold, one might do some online shopping, pay the bills, clean up the house a bit, etc. When you put everything on paper, this could count like fairly productive time.  Additionally, writers often take time before they start working on a project. While the deadline keeps closing in, a writer’s mind keeps working on ways to finish the project. When that “last minute” hits, the writer would sit down and become more efficient.

Case study service editor Miranda Black states: “I always prepare for work by cleaning up around my desk because it keeps my mind free and more creative. When the time comes, my mind is already prepared to execute the task.” This actually means that procrastination is not the opposite of productivity, to say the least, it helps a person become more productive if you follow some simple rules.

 1. Don’t snooze

We already mentioned waking up as one of the issues that procrastinators really have trouble dealing with. In most cases, they would hit the snooze button endlessly until the last minute, and not too seldom until they’re already late. There is an easy trick that might help you cope with this kind of problem.

  • Set the most annoying alarm sound you can think of. This could be a song you don’t like or a high-pitch sound that’s difficult to listen for longer than ten seconds.
  • Don’t put your phone or alarm clock near to you. This way you will have to get out of the bed in order to stop the alarm ringing. Once you get up from your bed it’s unlikely that you’ll go back.

In addition, you can set more alarms so if you manage to ignore the first one, the others will make you jump out and seize the day.

2. Create a schedule

Break your day into actionable segments. Make every moment of your time count by setting up deadlines for each part of the day. However, don’t forget to add some free time, it will help you to juice up and continue with your work. Pauses are excellent productivity boosters.

3. Move your deadline ahead

This practice allows you to start earlier with your work, even if you wait for that last minute bell. The fact that you know you still have the time to finish the project will simply keep you relaxed, therefore you won’t rush or do something wrong because you were too hasty.

4. Keep your phone as far as possible

Although there are hundreds of productivity apps and time trackers, phones are the easiest way to lose track of time. What starts with answering a simple message could result in hours lost on social networks, funny videos, etc. Leave the phone aside and answer only to important phone calls.

5. Carrot and a stick

We all like gifts, no matter who is presenting us with the prize. Therefore, rewarding yourself for a job well done is a great way to motivate yourself to work. For example, you can set up different awards for various milestones.

6. Get out of the house

It’s easy to stagnate when you’re inside. Getting comfy on your sofa while watching your favorite show is the easiest way to forget you have work to do. If you feel bad about delaying your work but you just can’t get enough focus to start working, it’s best to get out and take a walk. The fresh air will do you good, oxygen will pump up your brain and give you the energy to start working.

7. Use notes

Write down your obligations and put them in places where you spend the most of your time. If you go to the fridge and you see a large note saying “Clean up the pool” it should make you go out and finish this daunting task momentarily.

8. Wake up earlier

If you feel that you need more time to finish all your work, consider waking up earlier. It will give you a few extra hours that you might need in order to finish your tasks and have enough time to procrastinate as well.

9. Cut corners where you can

Most procrastinators are perfectionists. They don’t start working until they’re absolutely sure they will put out the best results and finish everything perfect up to a fault. Try and become just a bit looser when it comes to working. Work until it’s done, not until it’s perfect.

Conclusion

As we can see, procrastination is not the end of the world. However, it makes you waste a whole lot of time. We human beings can get back most of the things that we lose, time is not one of them. Once lost time is forever lost. Use your time wisely.

Author’s Bio

Mary Whitman

Mary Whitman is a freelance writer and blogger based in Adelaide, South Australia. In her spare time, she enjoys talking about Sustainable Development and writing essays.
Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Positive Words Research – 9 Productivity Hacks For Procrastinators

7 Secrets to Improving Your Performance at Work Today

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Wondering why some workers are able to churn out gargantuan amount of work, day after day, without ever feeling tired, while you can’t stop complaining about the workload? There might have been times when you felt a certain urge to ask them what is the key to almost miraculous abilities. Almost every time, you probably, stopped short of doing it considering the peer to peer competition that most workplaces have. 

However, if you follow the example of successful entrepreneurs and influencers in the world, and be a little attentive to achieving success in your profession, these secrets can be all yours. This post discusses some points that will help you achieve the same level of performance, expertise and productivity that you always wished you had. 

No matter which part of world you are in, or which country you belong to, if you are on job, there is one thing common that you share with all other professionals: the number of hours in a day. Whether you are working in billion dollar enterprise or bootstrapping a startup, it’s all about how you use your time that has the maximum effect on productivity.

In order to remain ultra motivated and productive, you will have to develop the right habits. You will have to manage tasks, set the right goals, and handle distractions in a better manner. Although the process might be painstakingly slow as old habits die hard, in the end when you are heaped with all the praise and attention of your boss or the industry, all your efforts will be totally worth it. So, here are the productivity hacks that will put you on top of your work.

1. Take one task at a time 

 Although it sounds contradictory, most people would give their best only if they were focused on one task instead of multitasking. Especially during a meeting, we are tempted to do a mail check, or complete our pending tasks which do not require much mental application. Although you might be thinking that you are making good use of time, this split focus makes these meetings less productive. Even if you’re only doing mindless stuff, still you are distracted, which makes you less productive. Most psychologists will tell you that there is no such thing as multitasking. In fact, multitasking stands against everything that requires focus and concentration.

2. Make a to-do list

Creating a to-do list of all the tasks that require your attention a day in advance. That can be of great help for those who constantly keep forgetting their schedule. However, to ensure this activity is really helpful, there are two minor improvements that you can include. The first one is to prioritize your tasks in the order of their importance. The second one is to keep your list as realistic as possible. Along with tasks also write the estimated time that each task would take so that you do not clutter your table with more than what you can handle.  In reality, assigning realistic times to tasks will automatically force you to prioritize.

3. Declutter your mailbox

 Technology definitely makes a lot of tasks easier to accomplish and communication is one of them. Mails are the lifeblood of communication in most organizations. It must not take more than a couple of minutes to go through a communication mail and if it’s taking more than that the first thing that you need to set right is your mailbox. Keep your emails to the point and write only when necessary.  Make necessary folders and organize your mails in them.

4. Meetings should be minimum

 Meetings are the necessary evil that corporate organizations are still finding hard to get over. Mark Cuban, the billionaire CEO of HDNet and owner of Dallas Mavericks thinks “meetings are a waste of time unless you are closing a deal”.    Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says that keeping the length and number of meetings definite is the perfect solution. During his talk with Fortune he said, “The maximum is one hour and 30 minutes. Fifty percent of the time is for the presentation, 50 percent is for discussion.” Most subjects can be handled well within this time frame. There are other topics which require only 15 minutes. Your meeting time shouldn’t be a slave to predefined calendar.

5. David Allen’s Two Minute rule

By now you must have guessed where this is heading. David Allen, the multi-millionaire productivity guru, has come up with this very unique approach of working. The simple conclusion of this two minute rule is that if there is a task that can be done within two minutes, do it now and get it out of the way. Millions of professionals swear by the effectiveness of this hack. It definitely lessens your procrastination time, so that you can dedicate it for greater purposes. 

6. Short breaks

 Although not exactly a secret, it still needs to be told. Short 15-minutes breaks can help you realign your mind to the task’s requirements in case you have reached a threshold. Taking a break will recharge your senses, and you would be able to look at things with a completely different perspective. This helps moreover when you are stuck at a problem. Work sessions of short lengths (about 90 minutes) followed by a 10-15 minutes break, are more productive than a continuous 8-hour work cycle.

7. Self-confidence is the primary key 

Confidence is an essential ingredient of a successful professional. Anyone who needs to make decisions, take risks and set priorities should be a confident individual. Productivity will automatically follow a confident mindset.  Multiple researches have come up with evidences that speak in favor of confidence as a central factor in achieving tough goals. One’s perception of their abilities is a major motivation to persist in a hostile situation.  One such highly cited test is that of mental rotation.

Scientists and psychologists have been trying to figure out the reasons behind the difference in performance between male and female gender on 3-D mental rotation task. Recent researches suggest that more than any actual difference in abilities it is the perception of these abilities that causes this performance mismatch. Since long people have assumed that females have less aptitude at math and spatial skills than men. Around half of the females also endorse this assumption. This awareness came in their way of performing as good as their male counterparts. When asked to perform the same test while assuming that they were men, females performed much better on the mental rotation task.  Thus what we believe does affect our performance.

Author Bio

Saurabh Tyagi is a blogger and a professional career author with proven expertise in writing for topics related to job search, job trends, different job opportunities, various workplace and industry information, tips and strategies for job seekers. You can follow him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Positive Words Research – 7 Secrets to Improving Your Performance at Work

Improving your performance at work

Best 15 Powerful Hacks to Overcome Procrastination Now

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Procrastination wastes our precious time and steals our productivity. It’s something all of us are guilty of sometimes. According to psychologists, twenty percent of people can identify themselves as procrastinators. We all have tendencies to procrastinate to some degree, some are just worse than others. For instance, chronic procrastinators can’t seem to control it that they actively look for distractions and sabotage themselves. But how do we overcome procrastination?

Other procrastinators such as the thrill-seekers put off work because they seek the adrenaline rush of beating the deadline. The Avoiders procrastinate because of fear of failure and the decisional procrastinators can’t seem to make a final decision or do not make any decisions at all to absolve themselves of the responsibilities of the consequences.

Procrastinators do not realize the cost of this to their health, work, and social lives. If you are suffering from procrastination, here are some powerful hacks to overcome it.

1. Determine the source or the reason why you are procrastinating

The key to finding a solution to a problem is to identify the root cause of the problem so they can be addressed properly. Usually, there is something more than what you see on the surface. The underlying reason why people procrastinate is deeper and more complicated than just being plain lazy or irresponsible.

2. Lacking in abilities or skills deficit

Some people procrastinate simply because they do not know how to perform what is asked of them or lack the necessary skills to complete tasks. Others postpone doing tasks because they can’t admit to themselves they need help and having troubles asking for it for the fear of judgment. One example is in writing an academic paper. Most students procrastinate because they couldn’t put their thoughts into a paper. They tend to put it off instead of looking for ways they can accomplish their requirements. If you are one of them, end your suffering and seek help online.

3. Lack of interest and motivation

It is natural for people to postpone doing any task if it does not appeal to their interest. The best solution for this is to just remember why the task needs to be done anyway and the possible effects if you fail to do it. Other times the task still interests you but you just lack the motivation to even begin. It may be triggered by other factors in life that you have to address first or emotions you have to deal with.

4. Feeling overwhelmed

When you feel too overwhelmed by your current situation in life, it is quite normal to procrastinate. Switching from one task to another is difficult.

5. Fear of failure and fear of success

Fear of failure can paralyze people. They fear that they might do something poorly or not being able to do it at all that they cannot even begin. On the other hand, those who fear success procrastinate because they think more will be expected out of them if they succeeded to perform well.

6. Act of Rebellion

Rebels deliberately procrastinate without really understanding why they do it sometimes. It’s an unconscious reaction against people of power. A teenager at home may delay doing his/her chores just because his/her parents asked him/her to do them immediately.

These are just some examples of reasons why people procrastinate.

7. Refine your to-do list and rank your priorities accordingly.

At times, we tend to feel pressured just by merely looking at our to-do list, especially when we don’t feel enthusiastic about certain tasks. The more things listed down, the more people tend to procrastinate. One solution that could work is to be realistic about the things that you can and can’t do and keep your list short. Rank your tasks according to the level of priority so you’d know which one requires immediate action.

8. Breakdown big tasks into chunks

Refer to your list and breakdown big tasks into smaller tasks so you can accomplish them without overwhelming yourself too much that you put off other equally important tasks off.

9. Try to finish all the easy tasks first

When we think of a task as easy, we tend to postpone doing it that we sometimes end up not being able to do it at all. If you tell yourself “It’s fine. It’s easy, I’ll do it later” a lot of times, you are already procrastinating.

When you finish the easy tasks first, you can cross them out of your list and prepare for bigger ones. It can save you time, effort and in some cases, money.

10. Use productivity apps

It is amazing how we can utilize technology to our advantage. If you need a little nudge to keep yourself going, download apps that can help make everything a little easier. There are apps that can remind you of your task and there are some that can help keep your focus and away from distractions.

11. Take meaningful rests

Meaningful rest means not staying in work mode. Some people take breaks only to do other smaller tasks. Sometimes people procrastinate because they do not get enough rest. Their mind gets too tired that it wanders.

12. Reward yourself for your accomplishments

Sometimes all you need is a positive reinforcement. Reward yourself for every accomplishment and you will feel good and enthusiastic to accomplish more tasks.

13. Take proper care of yourself

When you neglect to take care of yourself, you will put off work because you either feel too tired or sick. You are tired because you didn’t get enough sleep or you feel sluggish because of the kind of food you eat, and then you get sick. Eat well, get enough sleep, exercise and you will feel better and productive.

14. Meditate

Meditation can help you deal with stress by clearing your mind so you can regain your focus. Even great and successful people procrastinate, and use meditation to get them back to the game.

15. Mind over matter

Whatever your reason may be for putting off work or delaying tasks, you have to have a mantra that can immediately snap you out of your procrastination. Remind yourself that if you fail to do what you have to do, you will not be able to achieve your goals.

You are not born with chronic procrastination, it is something you have created you. The good news is that you can change your behavior. You can avoid unnecessary distraction and focus on what really matters.

15 Powerful Hacks to Overcome Procrastination
Norman Arvidsson

About the Author:

Norman Arvidsson is a writer on trust my paper.  He is also beginner-contributing blogger interested in such areas as self-improvement, inspiration, and productivity improvement.

Positive Words Research – 15 Powerful Hacks to Overcome Procrastination

Top 4 Positive Highlights of The Best Employee Engagement

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No matter what job you have, make the most of it! It’s not just about a financial gain here, but rather about your spiritual nourishment. Think about it. You spend at least 40 hours a week at the workplace, so it’s impossible to get detached from your job. What you do daily will eventually become a part of you, no matter how hard you want to avoid it. So, embrace your job and learn, improve, and spread good vibes every day.

To support this way of looking at your career, we’ve found the best employee engagement of this year! Indulge in their stories and learn how to become a hero at your job.

1. The employee engagement of the Selfless

Speaking of heroes, you can actually become one at the Florida Hospital Medical Center. This is the case of Johanna Castellanos, a nursing assistant at this hospital, who became the “Hero of the Year for 2016” through dedication and good nature. This hospital has a wonderful tradition of certifying the quality work of their employees and, thus, encouraging empathy, commitment, and good deeds.

Johanna is always there for her patients even when she is off duty. She always finds time to deliver her patients’ forgotten belongings on her way to work or home. This kind of selfless actions earned her the local hero title for a year and also our appreciation.

2. The employee engagement of the “Un-disgruntled”

You would think that after leaving her job, one would be full of resentment toward her former company. This is not the case of Vlada Parr, who used to work for the Apple Company. On the contrary, she chose to make the best of her situation and share her positive work experience with her readers. Everybody heard of Apple products, but having excellence as a company goal could be quite overwhelming for its employees. But this hard worker found a way to thrive and be a model employee.

The first advice she highlights is having the proper job attitude. No matter how knowledgeable and well trained you are for your job, your attitude will decide if you are there to stay. Be kind and understanding not only towards your clients but also towards your co-workers. So, this is why spreading good vibes is a prerequisite even for a high position in an international company.

3. The employee engagement of the Accepting

The orange parable that Forbes confessed to us will also bring you closer to understanding why being there for your job can only be beneficial for you. Here’s their story: one of the employees turned out to be discontented with his manager’s decision of promoting someone else instead of him. The manager decided to shed more light on his decision by asking both his employees to buy some oranges for him.

The grumpy worker just carried out this chore without paying attention to details. Meanwhile, the newly promoted man returned with the best oranges he could find at the most accessible price, even though it was his manager who paid for them. After inquiring on how the two men performed their task, the disgruntled employee accepted the idea that his co-worker was better qualified for the higher position. And his conclusion was not based on the other’s better skills, but on the other’s bigger interest in being the perfect employee.

So the lesson that you can extract from this story is that knowledge can be acquired over time. However, motivation can also be lost over time. Stop attending to your own needs and start helping others, cultivate your empathy. Bringing others down and disregarding the people you are surrounded by will only buy you a lonely path. On the contrary, successful people are always interested in encouraging and guiding others in their career choices, and their success makes them happy.

4. The employee engagement of the Learner

WikiHow.com has a come up with a very useful solution in their quest to teach everyone around the globe how to do anything. This article brings up 20 best ways to conduct your job activities perfectly. The author himself focuses more on the right job attitude rather than skills and know-hows, but he also points out a feature that most people usually neglect: learning how to take negative reviews and change them into constructive feedback to your own advantage.

When people are upset, they tend to speak their mind without filtering their words. Take their criticism with an open mind and look for a solution. This is the best and fastest way to improving yourself.

In conclusion, this year’s articles showed us that the image of the perfect employee has changed: it is not about what you know, it’s about how you think. Everyone has access to education, and the internet made the information easy to find, but the most important thing for a joyful work environment is your choice to make it so.

About the author: Marc Mendelman is a Junior HR consultant and a Contributing Editor at Today Assistant. He is passionate about identifying daily work hacks and creating ways of increasing personal and professional productivity.

Positive Words Research – 4 Positive Highlights of the Best Employee Engagement of This Year

happy employees