We all know houses don’t clean themselves. And the busier life gets, the lower cleaning often sinks on our list of priorities. While you may devote the weekends to taking care of the housework and typically kickstart the week with a near-pristine home, it sure doesn’t stay that way for long. By Wednesday, the laundry basket is overflowing (and the most recent load of dry-cleaning hasn’t yet been folded or put away either). There’s unopened mail covering the kitchen counter, dirty dishes in the sink, and the bathroom is a cluttered mess. Once Friday rolls around, the house looks like a full-blown tip. Hey, no judgement. We’ve all been there. It’s not until the weekend that you’re able to take care of the mess. And then the cycle starts all over again.

But there is a solution to the madness. You can make life a lot easier for yourself by implementing these smart cleaning tips throughout the week. Becoming organized and devising a cleaning and tidying schedule will save you from having to spend your weekends cleaning up when you should be relaxing and having fun. Plus it’s really not as time-consuming or strenuous as you may think.

Clean as you go

It’s easier to clean your home as you go rather than leaving the task for later. If you leave dirt to build up, you’ll only have to spend a longer time cleaning over the weekend. After your shower in the morning, give it a quick clean. Spray it with cleaner, wipe it down with a cloth, and rinse with water. Similarly, if you spill something anywhere in your house, get into the habit of cleaning it up straight away. Putting it off for when you have time later is a habit you need to break! Make sure you check for small spillages in the daytime when there’s good light as you may not be able to spot them in the evening.

Do laundry often

Don’t wait until the weekend to do your laundry. While it’s not necessary to have the washing machine on every day, be sure to do it once you have enough laundry to do a full wash. Start a wash cycle in the morning before work and it’ll be ready to put in the dryer once you get home. This way you’ll have enough time to fold in it later in the evening. Always fold your laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Taking unfolded laundry into the bedroom is a recipe for the mess! Designate a space near your washing machine specifically for folding laundry.

Mop the floor

Giving the floor a quick mop when you can keep it clean and free from dirt. Choosing the right cleaner and a mop which suits your floor type will make it even more effective. Moreover, a steam mop from Steam Insider is both an easier and more hygienic way of deep cleaning your floor — without the need to carry a bucket around with you. Work gradually from one corner of the room to the other without stepping on a floor you’ve already mopped. Drying time with a steam mop is very quick. Also place floor mats inside and outside the front and back door to decrease the amount of dirt brought into the house.

Minimize clutter buildup

Keep mail from building up on the kitchen counter or dining table by keeping it in a designated spot by the door. For example, keep a mail sorter in your hallway. As soon as your mail arrives, place it in the sorter. Designate a day once a week to sort through the tray all in one go — doing this on bill-paying days makes most sense. Most mail — unless urgent — can wait a few days before opening. File papers you need to keep and put any junk mail through a shredder. An even simpler alternative would be to go paperless as much as possible to limit the amount of paper in your home in the first place.

There you have it. These simple cleaning tips only take a few minutes to complete each day, but they’ll have a dramatic impact on the tidiness of your household — no matter how busy life gets.

One of the most innovative technological breakthroughs in computing is the Cloud. Cloud computing is the best way to use remote services to store data and access it via the internet. The practice started as a way to share files and access them from anywhere as long as the person had an internet connection. Times have changed, and the application of this technology has been adopted across many industries, including accounting.

Cloud accounting comes with many advantages for finance professional and businesspeople that rely on the accuracy and timeliness of transactions. So, what can you benefit from cloud accounting as a small business?

Remote Access

Cloud accounting gives you the ability to access data from any location as long as there is internet access. Data is stored securely on a server, which means users need to have the right credentials to access the server to request their files.

You can access the server from any location – your home, office, public library and any other location. This means productivity cannot stall when users aren’t in the office. Access is easy, all you need is software such as Xero Accounting software that is extensively reviewed by The Responsive Agency.

Your Data is Secure

When your data is limited to the hard drives in the office, companies and individuals face the risk of losing sensitive data when something happens to the local data storage. You are staring at the theft of information, data corruption and destruction due to natural disasters. With cloud computing, the data is uploaded to a secure off-site server. Damage to the hard drives doesn’t pose a risk anymore.

To prevent unauthorized access to the data, you can control the privacy and access settings on the server.

It Is Cost-effective

Cloud accounting is ideal for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups. You don’t have to pay for initial capital investment or have a dedicated employee on site. All that you need is to perform some setup to personalize the accounts, upload financial data and then start using the dashboard. The dashboard that you get is no different from the one that you have been using and is usually much easier considering the online tutorials that you have access to.

Generally, with cloud computing, you pay a monthly fee, but when you consider that it allows you to eliminate the need for an employee, consume less electricity and it doesn’t require any investment to use, then the cloud easily becomes one of the best economic decisions you have ever made.

Easy to Scale

Another advantage of cloud-based accounting is that it is scalable. Whether you are just a small business that is starting out, or you are a huge establishment with over 1000 employees, the cloud easily grows with your business. You can also scale down easily so that you cut down on the use of the system depending on the new business model.

Above all, the cloud easily integrates into your existing business structure. Depending on what you have set up, you can take the accounting operations to the cloud without many issues.

The system comes with a host of add-ons, making sure you only choose what you want to use.

Easy to Collaborate

Have you noticed something that you wish to discuss with your employees? Well, you can easily ask them to get online and then you can collaborate on a project. Using cloud computing makes it easy for you to work online with your team as well as advisors.

The Bottom-line

Traditional accounting software came with a lot of demerits that made it hard for you to become effective. However, cloud computing allows you to handle your operations the right way, and you are also sure that your information is safe.

Cloud computing has been on many business’ lips lately. While it still sounds futuristic, you are probably using the service as we speak. If you have a mail account, you are already taking advantage of the cloud and the advantages it offers.

Many businesses find it hard to migrate to the cloud, though they understand that it is a cost-effective solution in the long run. The reason why many haven’t adapted to this is that they don’t know what the cloud offers, and they think it is a tough task getting their operations on the cloud.

Let us look at the various reasons why you need to migrate your processes to the cloud.

You Save Money

Cloud computing is cost-effective. When you use virtualization, you increase the performance as well as the value of your server hardware, allowing you to do less while reducing the cost of storage and related services.

As a business that is just getting off the ground, you need to cut down on the rack space and increase on more strategic storage. While you have to pay for server costs and hardware purchases when you have on-site servers, cloud services don’t need such costs; you only pay for what you use each month.

Collaboration is Possible

Cloud services allow you and your staff access to files from anywhere, as long as you have internet access. This makes the company productive because you don’t have to wait for an employee to get to the office before you get a report that you need for the upcoming meeting.

Collaboration on the cloud is also easy because you avoid the many emails that you have to send back and forth. You can also easily track any projects that are ongoing, as a group or an individual. Not sure if sue finished the project you assigned? Just access the document from the cloud and check the progress!

Scalable

If you have been using physical servers on the premises, then you know how hard it is to scale up, which is inevitable if you are a company that is growing fast. You have to buy some more servers and make sure you integrate them with the existing network. This needs you to buy the equipment, software and get an engineer to handle the setup.

With cloud computing, all you have to do is to buy more space on the cloud, and you can migrate more services easily. You don’t have to bother about server properties and where to buy the physical server. On the other hand, you also can scale down by choosing a smaller package for the next payment cycle.

Your Data is Secure

Cloud computing keeps the data secure and gives you a backup that you can use when something happens to your data. The company that offers the services uses expert staff to make sure your data is secure from cyber attacks. In case of an emergency, the backup is easy to retrieve and restore. You choose the backup frequency depending on the number of tasks you perform.

The experts at Amazing Support take time to understand the vulnerabilities of your systems and help protect them. They fix bugs and handle other maintenance tasks that you would typically not handle using in-house staff. Using cloud computing makes sure that your sensitive information is protected.

Another benefit is that you don’t have to worry about losing your sensitive information due to hardware failure. If something happens in the office, the data is easy to recover.

Final Thoughts

You need to embrace cloud computing as a small business. Take time to understand what you need and choose the right package for your needs.

Secretaries are meant to work in front of a computer for hours each day. Their role is to type out the documents laid down before them and present them to the head of department before the deadline. Many departmental heads require that their secretaries remain at their desks each time they pop in.

Little do they know that they make the lives of these workers tough, because the prolonged sitting ends up having a toll on the back and neck of the secretary.

If you start experiencing back and neck pain after sitting behind the desk the whole day long, maybe it is time to change the posture. Sitting the right way can help you relieve the stress on the back muscles as well as the neck, which means you prevent the onset of back pain.

Additionally, sitting the right way can make a huge difference on the way you type. So, take a few minutes to make your computer keyboard, and your workstation, a pain-free zone. Today we look at postural adjustments that can help you type better, and leave you feeling more comfortable for longer.

The Chair

If you have been keen, you find that many new workers adopt the height of the chair that they are given when they join the organization. This is a huge mistake because what you need is to adjust the seat according to your body weight and height.

When seating, your legs ought to be slightly level, or lower that the seat. Both of your feet need to stay flat on the floor. If in any case they are lower or higher, then change the height of the seat. If you are short and the chair cannot adjust to reach the height of the feet, use a footstool.  Check out the best ergonomic footrest as reviewed on Free Your Spine so that you don’t have to hassle looking for the ideal one.

The spine needs to be in line with the back of the chair, and the backrest ought to be tilted back a little, say about 110 degree angle. If your armrests get in your way, then detach them or use a different chair that gives you the right height.

The Monitor

When working, most secretaries strain their eyes and neck. To avoid this, try and center the monitor directly in front of you, at an arm’s length. The top of the monitor ought to be about 3 inches above the eye level.

You also need to type at the right height. Many secretaries place the keyboard right on top of the desk, so that it is just below their chest level. At this height, you end up straining the nerves and joints. This causes pain and numbness in these areas.

To prevent this, use the keyboard tray that is a fixture of many computer tables.

Tone Down on Laptop Use

If you use the laptop time and again, you need to reduce on the usage. Many secretaries opt to place the laptop on their laps so that they can type faster. Doing this forces you to bend your head forward, which in turn puts a lot of pressure on the bones of the neck that are called vertebrae. This can trigger headaches and cause pain in your upper back.

The Bottom-line

When it comes to secretarial work, you need to be ready to sit for some time.  Sitting is all about typing documents and making sure the demands of your boss are met. However this comes at a price, but you need to try and avoid issues that come up especially with your back and neck.

Starting a carpentry business might seem like a simple thing to do, but just like any other business, you have to make sure you follow some steps.

Carpentry as a Business

Carpentry has been around for many decades, and more and more people are taking it up because it is lucrative. Advances in technology have also made the business easier to run, with automated equipment making it easy to handle wood.

However, you need to have skills in carpentry to make sure you offer exactly what your customers want.

Over time, carpentry has become more of a profession rather than a business. When you start the carpentry business, you become both an employer and a business owner.

However, you have to start somewhere; let us look at the various tips to start a successful business.

Always Have a Business Plan

You need to have a plan that details what you need in terms of capital, and how you are going to run the business. The plan also outlines the business deliverables and goals, as well as the end results that you seek to achieve.

You must understand what kind of competition you are up against and how you are going to get past the different hurdles.

This is also the time to understand what the household income of the local neighbourhood is. The income will determine the kind of furniture or other wood products the locals will be able to afford.

You also need to identify the local needs before you come up with the perfect plan. Are you going to build furniture or houses? This helps determine the kind of services you are going to offer and the price levels.

Are You Going Solo or Having Employees?

If you have the carpentry skills, you can choose to go solo on the projects that you handle. However, bear in mind that if you go solo, you must have to handle all the tasks that come with running a business. You have to keep the books, do marketing, handle tax and many more.

This can be too much for you to handle, which makes it prudent that you hire an employee. The employee you hire needs to have the capacity to meet the needs of the business and help you handle the various tasks in the business. Look at various criteria such as the skills he has before selection.

Register the Business

You need a business name that relates to what you are doing. Along with a logo, you need to make this the primary branding tool for the business. After coming up with a unique business name, it is vital that you register it. The name should identify what you do and be synonymous with the trade. It should also be unique, so make sure there is no other name.

Choose a Location

The kind of service you are going to offer dictates what location you choose for the job. You can come up with an office or run the business from your home. The main thing about running a carpentry business is the equipment, so you can comfortably run the business from the comfort of your home.

Have the Right Equipment

The right equipment makes it easy for you to perform a task. Take time to know what your needs are in terms of the magnitude, and then choose equipment that will do them for you.

One of the top equipment you MUST have if you are serious about what you are doing is a saw blade. Saw Blades Only offers you the right guidance to chose a saw blade to make it easy to cut different kinds of woods into desirable sizes. Make sure you have the right kind of saw blade for your needs before you start the business.

Get Insurance

No business can run without insurance – especially if you have employees. This would be too risky because mishaps can happen in your business. You also need insurance because it is a legal requirement of all states.

The Bottom-line

Starting a carpentry business can be lucrative if you know what to do. Take time to understand the steps required in coming up with the right kind of business and get the right equipment as well. Doing this gives you what you need to keep the business successful.

There is an untapped potential for lawyers who use Instagram only if they are willing to use it to its maximum potential. They also need to know how to use it effectively. With so many lawyers scrambling for the few clients, it is just right that you get to know how to use this platform the right way to land clients for your law firm.

As a lawyer, you can build trust, credibility and promote your name as the best law firm in the area. Using Instagram makes it possible for the clients to see the face behind the business. Most people will hire you if they know that behind all the legal jargon there is a face attached to it and a person as well.

Being on Instagram is one of the ways in which you can extend your brand as a lawyer. You get to put your brand out there where other people, who might have never heard of you, are waiting.

However, you need to learn how to do it the right way. Here are a few tips to deliver your message to the masses.

Don’t be Too Promotional

The key to your success lies in the fact that you need to be interesting and not promotional. Instagram users abhor those brands that are out to advertise their services day in and day out. This means that you need to take time and find out the main reason why you went to Instagram in the first place. If it is to get more clients for your lawyer service, then you need to take time and find a way to bring them in without selling your service.

For one, make your posts as entertaining as possible. The best approach for lawyers is to try and be entertaining and educational at the same time. When you offer some information that the audience can relate to, they come to you in droves.

Many lawyers that are using the platform post stock photos instead of looking for original images from their law firm or practice. This is a wrong move. Doing this makes followers skip over posts since they might have seen the stock photo several times before. What you need is to stay original.

Post Regularly

This is crucial to your marketing efforts on Instagram. Make sure you post regularly, and constantly. Regularly means posting at least 2-3 times each day and constantly means posting at a specific time of the day when you know the audience is active.

If you have a business account, you can use the analytics to show you what the best times to post on Instagram are. Use this information to make sure you get the highest level of engagement from the followers.

Use Automation

To get more followers, you need to show your audience that you already have the capacity. This is simply by having as many followers as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to buy followers. Buying followers eliminates the need to sit behind your app the whole day and night trying to entice people to follow you.

However, you need to work with a service that offers this feature. One of the top services is Social Steeze, which allows you to build a following minus all the efforts you need to put in. You can check out more information on https://socialsteeze.net/blog/get-more-instagram-followers/.

In Closing

You need to understand the various ways to market your law firm as a lawyer. Using Instagram is one of the best ways to do this, which requires that you market your brand to users via social media the right way.

It doesn’t matter what type of hair we have or what type of hairstyle, we never stay satisfied.Anyone with curly hair would kill for straight hair and those with straight hair want waves.However, straight hair is the most sought-after hair style.Many women spend time and money trying to get their hair to behave against its nature. They spend hours trying to get their hair straight and sleek.Straight hair will always be in fashion, however when straightening your hair remember to treat it gently.

Tools to Straighten Your Hair

The easiest way to straighten your hair is with a tool or gadget.However, because the gadgets can get so hot you need to take care that you don’t damage your hair. You can straighten your hair using a straightening brush or set of hair straighteners.Hair straighteners are often called flat irons.If you’re looking for a new set of straightening irons, then check out some reviews of the best ones available on the market.Places like this are a good start as they have great info on styling your hair and also reviews of the latest tools and gadgets.

Treat Your Hair Well

Before you straighten your hair with any kind of heat or hot tool, you must prepare your hair well and take care of it.

• Shampoo and condition your hair.You may want to use a moisturising shampoo and conditioner to nourish your hair from the start.
• Towel dry. Gently towel dry your hair with a microfiber towel.To avoid making your hair frizzy, don’t rub your hair but pat the hair from root to tip.
• Protect your hair.Spray a heat protection spray into damp hair before blow drying your hair.
• Dry your hair. Your hair must be dry before you use your straightening irons. The best option is to let your hair air dry, however if this is not a viable option then use a hairdryer to get your hair completely dry.When you have towel dried your hair, use a hairdryer to finish drying your hair. Again, make sure that you dry your hair from root to tip.
• Use the hair heat protection spray again. Spray it on to the sections of your hair before you use your hair straightener.

Straighten

• Comb or brush your hair well before you begin straightening your hair.This will make sure your hair is in the right style before you start straightening.
• Plug-in your flat irons and wait for them to reach the correct temperature.Split your hair into small sections and only straighten one section at a time. Keep the other sections of your hair away using clips. Use the brush to keep the section of your hair taut and then go down it with the straighteners. You may need to straighten a section more than once to get your hair perfectly straight but it is better for your hair to only do each piece once.It is normally a good idea to start at the back of your head and then work to the front. The hair at the front of your face should be the last part of your hair that you straighten.
• Once you have finished straightening your hair, add a nourishing serum to your finished hairstyle.
• Allow your hair straighteners to cool completely and then clean them. Wipe them with warm water to remove any build-up from the hair styling products you’ve used. Keep them in a straightening pocket for protection.

Frizz

Even after straightening your hair, your hair may start to frizz up. This is very annoying.People with curly hair are more prone to frizz attacks. Frizz is caused by moisture in the air such as humidity. It can also be caused by over brushing. Remember to treat your hair with care. If you suffer from frizz breakouts or are going to a wet or humid climate, then invest in some frizz proof products.These are available in shampoo, conditioner, serums and finishing sprays.

Once you have invested in a great straightener, don’t think you can only stick to straight hairstyles. You can use hair straighteners to get great wavy hair. This is why a good hair straightener is such a good investment.

Treadmills are the one piece of gym equipment that people tend to love or hate. However, there is no getting away from the fact that having your own treadmill at home can only be a benefit. As long as you don’t use it just to hang your clothes on.

Treadmills are still a very popular choice for people wishing to buy exercise equipment for the home. Check out Treadmill Trends if you are looking for more information on choosing the correct treadmill. If you choose the correct treadmill to suit your needs, you will reap the benefits.

Indoor Running

As an aerobic exercise, running is good for your overall fitness, your heart and general health. Running indoors on a treadmill will give you the benefits that running outside gives. Along with a few advantages. Running on the softer belt of the running machine reduces the impact you would get from the pavement. In addition to the benefit on your knees and body, you will not be subjected to air pollution nor risking sun burn. Also, it is much nicer to run inside than outside when the weather is not great.

Workout Whenever You Want

When you have your own treadmill, you really can work out whenever you want to. No more being constrained by the opening hours of your local gym. You don’t have to worry about running alone during the night either. You can work out what ever time of day or night is convenient. Work out whenever you can spare the time. You are also saving time by not travelling to your local gym. This is time that you can add onto your workout so you spend more time actually working out. If you want!

Many people, especially those returning to exercise after a long absence, worry about their appearance. Working out in the luxury of your own home means this is not an issue. It allows you to wear what you want and not bother about what other people think. Want to work out in a sparkly orange top? No problem!

When you work out at your own convenience, without worrying about anyone else, you will exercise more. You no longer have readymade excuses to hand. Once you start to exercise regularly, and exercise more, you will notice changes to your body and health. This will give you the incentive to keep going with your new exercise regime.

Reduce the Boredom

People often find running boring. Whether they are running indoors, or running outdoors. If you have your own treadmill you can set it up wherever you want. Set it up in front of a TV and you can watch a movie. Better still, watch your favourite TV series. Then you will start to get into a regular exercise habit as you will want to watch the episodes of your favourite series. You will be so busy watching a good movie or episode that the miles will really fly by.

If you don’t fancy that idea, then make sure you listen to music while you work out. Music is a great mood enhancer so pick your favourite tunes. When you work out in your own home, you don’t have to worry about others not appreciating your taste in music. Music while you work out can make it more enjoyable and even feel easier. You won’t have to worry about getting tangled up in your headphones either.

Start Easy

A treadmill is an easy piece of gym equipment to use. It is easy to control and you can change your workout as required. If you are new to exercise or starting back after injury it is a good choice. You can even start with a walking routine if you want to start gently. As your fitness improves, you can move up to gentle jogging. Once you have improved your stamina and general fitness, you can then progress to interval training. With a treadmill, you can go from beginner to advanced all on the one exercise machine.

These are a few of the benefits of owning your own treadmill. If you are trying to improve your fitness, a treadmill is a great way to start. They still are a popular choice for exercising at home and they are a good choice for anyone beginning a new exercise routine.

Who doesn’t love snow? You can have great fun sledging and playing with snowballs. The kids get the day off school. The dog loves chasing her ball in the snow. It’s all great fun. Until the play stops and you realise you have to walk around in it. You wonder how you are going to get the car out to go to the shops.  You start to worry that you don’t have enough food in the house. What about your older neighbours from across the street? Yes, then you realise that you are going to have to deal with all that snow. What are the best ways to safely clear away the snow?

Snow Blower

You are probably going to spend quite a bit of money on a snow blower so you need to decide if you really need one to justify the expense. How often are you going to be using it if you buy one? Once you have made the decision to buy a snow blower, you are staggered by the different options available. Gas or electric? Single stage, dual stage or three stage? It all seems very confusing. My best advice is to find a specialist site that can tell you all about snow blowers. From my research, Snow Shifts is a great site giving guidance on the different options and reviewing the best buys.

You quickly realise that a snow blower is a great option. You can clear a large area quite quickly by using a snow blower. The average path that an electric snow blower will clear is 12 to 14 inches.

Use a Shovel

You can also clear away snow by using the old fashioned, manual method of a shovel. One of the best ways to clear the snow is to use 2 different types of shovel. A pusher shovel and a normal garden variety shovel with higher sides. You initially push the snow to the edge of your property using the pusher shovel. Then you use the garden shovel to remove the remaining snow. Make sure you use your legs to lift and throw the snow, and not your back. You don’t want an injury.

Just be careful and think about where you are pushing the snow. You don’t want huge piles of snow that could fall back onto your nicely cleared path. No one likes doing the same job twice. You should also make sure that there is no risk of the snow falling onto anyone. Don’t leave dangerous pile of snow around.

Snow Clearing Tips

Whichever method you use to clear away your snow, here are some tips to make it a little bit easier.

• Fresh snow. Clear the snow away early in the day when it is still fresh. This is because loose snow is easier to remove. Whenever you clear the snow away, avoid walking on it first as packed snow is much harder to clear.
• Silicone spray. Whether you are using a snow blower or a shovel, snow will stick to it. Spray it with silicone spray so the snow doesn’t stick. If you don’t have silicone spray to hand, try using cooking spray.
• This isn’t really a tip, but is more like common sense. Never ever use water to clear away snow and ice. Don’t use it to clear your car windscreen either. Water will freeze and turn to ice so now you have an ice problem instead of a snow problem.
• Once you have cleared a path, cover it with salt. Only use it on the paths though, not on your garden. Make sure you do this before it starts getting dark as it will refreeze during the night. If you don’t have any salt, you can use sand or ash instead. You can even try cat litter.
• Be especially careful if you are clearing steps or steep paths. Make sure you salt these areas well to reduce the risk of slips and trips.

When you get a lot of snow, along with the fun is the stress of knowing you will have to clear it all away. Whichever method you decide you are going to use to clear the snow away, make sure you have what you need before the snow hits.