Starting a side hustle can be rewarding and bring in some extra income. It can be easy, though, to throw self-care out the window with a busy schedule. Statistics show that 57% of workers can feel paralyzed by stress. Paying attention to your stress levels and taking time for yourself is essential. Thankfully, there are easy habits you can add to your routine that don’t take too much time or energy. Here are five to consider.
 
1. Lighten Your Load
If you struggle with asking for assistance, the first step for you might be lightening your schedule. You may need to outsource specific duties and hire help, or you could automate tasks using AI and specialized software. Using AI customer service on your website, for instance, can take care of many inquiries before they reach you. Learn how VanHaaren Designs can help you create a stunning and functional website.
 
In addition, if you’re an overachiever, there may be some things you can take off of your schedule that are unnecessary. It may be time to sit down, sort through your routines and tasks, and assess if they match your current priorities.
 
2. Reorganize Your Devices
If you spend a lot of time scrolling, consider deleting social media apps on your phone or home screen and replacing them with more health-centered apps. That way, when you open your phone, you are greeted with the idea of a 5-minute meditation session instead of automatically clicking on TikTok or Instagram. Depending on your needs, you can also add fitness, nutrition, and other health apps.
 
3. Get Help
If the thought of improving your well-being alone seems overwhelming, there are plenty of therapy options to take advantage of. Thanks to virtual therapy, you can access high-quality counselors wherever you are. Sessions with online doctors are always confidential, private, and secure, so you don’t have to worry about your information becoming public.
 
Online therapy gives you a more comprehensive selection of professionals to choose from at a lower cost, and you will save money on commutes. If you’re worried about finding the right match, many therapists offer a free consultation so you can see if they’re a good fit.
 
4. Practice Intuitive Eating
Eating healthy usually takes initial planning and thought. For those reasons, it can be easy to grab unhealthy food in a pinch. Intuitive eating is a way to eat mindfully and pay attention to what your body needs without rushing. If you eat slowly and pay attention to your body’s cues, you will be more likely to eat only when you're feeling hungry and stop eating when you've had enough. You will also be more in touch with which foods affect your mood and energy levels, among other factors.
 
If you’re not into meal prep, make a list of healthy meals at local restaurants that you can choose from so you have ideas when you don’t have time to research.
 
5. Start Moving
The rise of step counters and fitness trackers has made people more aware of how little most modern workers move. Sitting at a desk all day is bad for energy levels and overall health, so make sure you take regular breaks for five to 10-minute walks throughout the day. Most phones will count steps now, but for increased accuracy, you may want a dedicated tracking device.
 
By following these tips, you can increase your well-being while working your side hustle. You can incorporate new habits slowly, so don’t raise your stress by focusing on immediate perfection. By adding one at a time, you can work your way up to wellness.

Image via Pexels

(Image via Pixabay)  

Business owners wear many hats as they run their companies, but they sometimes have to rely on outside workers to keep up with demand and to help their business grow. Do you feel like your business could benefit from the expertise of a sales and marketing strategist? VanHaaren Designs outlines three questions to consider before you decide to hire a professional:
 
What Makes a Great Sales and Marketing Professional?
 
One of the roles of the marketing strategist is to create a cohesive campaign to promote your brand. An experienced marketing consultant will set sales goals and develop strategies to reach your target market. He or she should be familiar with social media advertising and SEO, as more and more customers rely on online channels to discover new trends and products.
 
Your marketing strategist needs to be skilled at conducting research and analyzing the market to identify new needs, demands and opportunities, and come up with a great campaign that helps your brand gain visibility both online and offline and build consumer awareness. Titan Growth notes that a powerful online advertising campaign will generate leads, and your sales team will be in charge of turning those leads into paying customers. By developing relationships with those customers, your sales team will turn one-time buyers into repeat shoppers and loyal brand followers.
 
When Should You Work with a Freelance Sales Agent?
 
When your business is just starting out, you may not want to deal with the payroll and overhead costs that come with hiring a full-time employee. You can try out a free paycheck calculator to get an idea of a full-time employee’s cost. Or maybe you have enough regular business from returning clients, and you just need temporary sales and marketing help at certain periods of the year or when launching a new product or service. If that’s the case, hiring a freelancer will cost you less while bringing in the same ROI as a staff member. And thanks to today’s latest technologies, your sales agent isn’t bound to a desk or office building and can work from anywhere.
 
What are the Pros of Having a Marketing Strategist on Staff?
 
If your business could benefit from having a full-time marketing and communications strategist, consider adding a salaried one to your staff instead of relying on freelancers. You will have a higher degree of control over an employee than over a contract worker, which will help you develop a cohesive branding and marketing strategy on all your advertising media channels and platforms.
 
They can also help develop an eye-catching logo that accurately reflects your company image, branding message, and values. Having them on staff means they’ll be trained and intimately familiar with what you’re all about, meaning brainstorming sessions about your logo is that much more productive. To help generate ideas and even create the logo, they can use an online logo maker and download as a digital file to use on everything from business cards to your website and social media platforms.
 
When your marketing strategist works with you and your team members every day, he or she is able to craft compelling stories about the company and its people and come up with great content for podcasts, blogs, and other online ads that make your brand feel more authentic to shoppers. And by always having a finger on the pulse of your target market’s digital habits, your marketing strategist knows exactly what platforms and what formats work best for your advertising content to reach your audience.
 
Between digital marketing, SEO, blogs, and podcasts, promoting your business has become a full-time job. If you’d rather be dealing with production or R&D, hiring a marketing strategist may be the best way to come up with a great advertising campaign. This expert’s know-how will allow you to reach your target market and gain greater brand awareness.
 
 
At VanHaaren Designs, I provide two different types of business services: Web and Graphic Design. I build custom created websites for either personal or professional use. For Graphic Design I can create custom logos, business cards, some photo editing, invitations, flyers, etc. For more information, please visit my website or contact me today!

In today's world, a lot of people are working full time and working side jobs to make ends meet. I think to myself if I am going to get a side gig, what will I do? I decided to sell Tastefully Simple and Pure Romance. Both companies are name brand, and both have a large audience and have great products I use. For Tastefully Simple, I love using the spices, sauces and mix kits to liven up my meals and bake cookies and cakes for special occasions or holidays. 

As for Pure Romance, what I love about their products is that it brings together women from all different backgrounds and age groups. It's about having fun, being open to discuss women's health issues and great products to use. I love using the lotions and skin care and body mists. My skin is extra soft, and I am always smelling great.  

If you see this post and want to order products feel free to shoot me a message and I will respond within one business day. Plus having a side business is fun and brings in extra cash for things like vacations, extra savings for emergencies or just fun money to have on hand when you feel like splurging. 

Buying a home and selling one at the same time and moving is not an easy thing to do. And planning to move across country is an adventure. Make sure you do your research before selling and buying. My advice for selling your home is to find an experienced real estate agent and discuss what you can sell your home for and if you should make any home improvements before selling. When moving across country to another state, find a realtor from the area you choose to relocate to and visit the area and look at a few houses, pre plan a vacation for a week if possible. And make sure you research moving companies, making sure to check out reviews, seeing if they are mdot certified and ask if they are a direct moving company or a third party (meaning they work with the near by movers and help facilitate your furniture being picked up and delivered.) I had to wait three weeks for the movers to deliver my  belongings. 
Always be prepared to wait a while and stock up on paper plates, plastic cups and air mattress to sleep on until you get your stuff. Try to keep the sale of your home close to your closing date for buying your home, in my case I did this because the people who bought my home gave me thirty days rent free to move out. 
If you can, try to find help if you can and rent a UHAUL to pack your stuff into, saves so much money and you have your items with you and do not have to wait to unpack. It can be stressful to move and relocate but if you can pre plan in advance, it will take so much stress off of your move. 

Major updates....I have recently moved and relocated to Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. I will still continue to keep my current clients from MI websites up to date. Looking forward to meeting new people down here and hopefully expand my services down in my new area. 

Who doesn't love a good book to read on a lazy day? I wanted to share a part of my hobby and it is writing books. To date, I have written three books. All of them can be found on Amazon and Kindle.  Below is the link to my books, all of them are short stories based on true events.

One thing that I have learned the past year is about crystals and their healing properties, but did you know you have crystals that match your zodiac sign?   Each zodiac sign has a certain set of stones for your birth month. Each stone can enhance and bring good fortune and happiness and healing into your life. Below is a list of information for each zodiac sign and which crystals/stones pair with your zodiac sign:


Zodiac Sign Dates Associated Stone or Crystal:

Aries Mar. 21 – April 21 Bloodstone, Diamond

Taurus April 21 – May 21 Sapphire, Amber, Emerald, Azurite

Gemini May 22 – June 21 Agate, Chrysoprase, Citrine, Moonstone, Pearl

Cancer June 22 – July 22 Emerald, Moonstone, Ruby, Pearl

Leo July 23 – Aug 23 Onyx, Carnelian, Sardonyx, Tourmaline

Virgo Aug 24 – Sept 22 Carnelian, Jade, Jasper, Sapphire

Libra Sept 23 – Oct 23 Peridot, Lapis Lazuli, Opal

Scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22 Beryl, Apache Tear, Aquamarine, Topaz

Saggitarious Nov 23 – Dec 21 Topaz, Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Turquoise
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Capricorn Dec 22 – Jan 20 R uby, Agate, Garnet, Black Onyx

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 18 Garnet, Amethyst, Moss Agate, Opal
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Pisces Feb 19 – Mar 20 Amethyst, Aquamarine, Rock Crystal

If you have questions about certain crystals and their properties and what they do feel free to message me and I can provide more information.

​I am now expanding my business into the food industry. I am a huge fan of Tastefully Simple products. From the seasonings, to the different sauces and baking items available, it has made cooking more fun and taste great. If interested in wanting to order from me, I will be hosting an online party soon, demonstrating some of the tasty products you can try out. 

You can place an order on my personal website:
https://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/nvanhaaren1

One of the major bills that has to be budgeted weekly is the cost of a tank of gas. Depending on where you go to fill up for gas, different gas stations have their own pricing. There are several ways to save money on filling up your gas tank and keeping money in your pocket. The first step to saving on money for gas, is to find out which gas station has the best price for gas. I use an app called Gas Buddy. You can use this app to find out the competitive pricing of gas at different gas stations. 
The second way I also  save on gas is by using a discount rewards program through my local gas station. I fill up a lot at my local Marathon gas station, simply because it is close to my home. I will link the rewards program on here. 

MakeItCount Marathon Gas Rewards Program-
www.makeitcount.com

Gas Buddy-www.gasbuddy.com


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