PTT: Eat Smart at Work

Professional Tip Tuesday
A colleague and I decided the Freshman-15 in college is a joke. It's more like the Young Professional 15.

I think figuring out a personal healthy lifestyle is just as much as an adjustment as everything else. It's something I am still working hard to figure out. And with the holidays approaching, it's top priority on my list of New Years Resolutions.  

                                

Step 1 for me is eating healthy - and that can be a huge challenge during the workday. Between on-the-go lunches, snacking like crazy, and traveling, it can be tough to make good choices. Below are a few tips I have found and try to do myself. 

• Pick a sensible, but filling breakfast. Fix yourself something to get your day started off right. I am not too hungry when I first wake up - but I don't want to skip the most important meal of the day. I usually bring something that's easy to eat at the office. 
• My go-to is oatmeal. I just pack some of the dry oats in a little baggie with a pinch of brown sugar. Whenever I get hungry, I toss it into a cup and pour in some hot water. Another easy thing I have done is an egg bake if I have time on Sunday. For that just mix a few eggs, load in the vegetables, and throw it in a casserole dish - just bake on 350 and you are set for the week! 

• Structure your snacks. It can be easy to get carried away with the snacking during the day. I know I do it. Sometimes you just want to munch on something while you are working! But it's much better to pack a little snack bag of something that gives you energy and is filling. 
• I usually pack unsalted almonds, a granola bar, or apples and peanut butter. I give myself 2 mini snack bags for morning and afternoon. And as an added bonus, those snacks also help the day go a little faster!
• Pack your own lunch. Try and bring a lunch as much as possible. If you plan out your meals in advance, you have more control over what you are eating and portion size. If you are anything like me, whenever I buy my lunch at the cafeteria I feel like I should eat it all! 
• There are lots of easy, healthy lunch recipes all over the internet - check out Pinterest for inspiration. Here's a link to a bunch of quick options from The Food Network: Healthy Eats! 
• But do you really deserve a treat? One of my biggest downfalls is the "I have been working hard and deserve a treat" mentality. Avoid the vending machine and try and to control the urge. A Brazen Life article refers to these as the "cost free calories" - we tend to think those calories don't count because we 'earned' it. The author said, do what you need to do to break that mentality! 
• The author of that article says, "find a way to remind yourself of your health goals". Whether it's a sticky note on your desk or a having a 'buddy system' with a co-worker to help you resist, do your best to not indulge all the time. **Of course we do need a little sweet treat every now and then - don't totally deprive yourself! Just make it more of a special occasion sort of thing :)

Work accounts for a huge portion of your day. Being a little more conscious of what we eat at work can help significantly control a healthy lifestyle! So what are your tips for eating healthy in the workday? Comment below. 

PTT: Effective Note Taking

Professional Tip Tuesday
On Friday I celebrated a very special birthday. It wasn't a particularly exciting number. I didn't do anything extremely out of the ordinary. But it was special just the same.

In the days leading up to December 6th, 2013, instead of preparing for a birthday bash I was planning a mini-pity-party. I was sure the first grown up birthday was going to be a bust. Silly me.

Good friends helped be ring in the birthday.

Every birthday I get this overwhelming feeling that I am the happiest and luckiest I have ever been. But then it happens again 365 days later. And that wasn't any different this year. Even in this new stage in life, I felt so loved. I am a thankful girl. 

Anyhow, how is everyone's week going? I have been helping out with a client event this week which made yesterday and today go incredibly fast.

My job this week has been to take notes. Sounds super glamorous doesn't it? Actually, it's not a bad gig. I just switched to a new team a few weeks ago - and it's been great way for me to learn more about our process.

This week's Professional Tip Tuesday is short and sweet.. something that has really helped me out the past couple of days!

Template for taking great meeting notes.

There is a true value to being able to take good notes. I was happy to receive serious kudos for my note-taking the past couple of days. I asked a few co-workers how they take effective notes before I started and I can't tell you how much it helped me.

So below is a 'template' for what to include on your next set of meeting notes. This is great whether the notes are for yourself or for others. There's a secret to effective notes: After your general notes, review what you wrote, and create another 'Meeting Snapshot' in a new section. This final section is to call-out the most important points from the meeting. Here are the sections I found most helpful!
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• Team specific follow-ups: 
• Use this are for the most important items from the meeting for you (or the person you are taking the notes for) to follow up on soon after.

• Decisions: 
• Keep track of the big decisions that were made during the meeting.

• Tabled Conversations:
• In this section call out topics that need further discussion. This will serve as a good reminder of what subjects need to be brought up in the next meeting.

• Additional Uncovered Information:
•  I made this section to list important, extra information that might be uncovered during the meeting. It may not be a follow-up, but more of a 'good to know' piece.

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These sections will make it much easier for anyone to scan them quickly. It also helps when you looking back at meeting notes to review. What are your tips for taking effective notes? Comment below! 

PTT: To repair or not to repair?

Professional Tip Tuesday

I decked out my Lucky Bamboo for the holidays.

Who else is counting down until Christmas? It's just a few short weeks away. As I write this, I am drinking hot cocoa and watching The Santa Claus (one of my holiday favs!).

Even tough I am giddy about the holiday season - I did have a little misfortune this past weekend. My poor 2003 Chevy Cav hasn't been doing so hot. This is nothing new. I haven't been in an accident - yet I have gone through 3 cars since I started driving. As you can imagine, those 3 cars have racked up a number of repair bills.

So the I'm-an-adult-now question of the day is: How do you know when to keep putting money into repairs, and when do you give in and buy a new car?

I have been doing my research - and a great website to utilize is edmunds.com. This site is loaded with info on everything you need to know when making these big decisions. I found an article weighing out pros and cons of getting a new car.

I was hoping to put this huge life step off for a year or two while I get my big-girl-finances figured out. But I have to think about what will be more cost effective in the long run. So after doing some research, here is some food for thought for anyone in my position.

The repair bill is almost always cheaper than a car payment.
 - It's not just the new car you will be committing to.. a new car means more expensive insurance, and license and registration depending on the state.

Time and energy is something to keep in mind. 
- A reliable car can hold a lot more value when taking into account the time I have spent in repair shops and making ride arrangements. Constantly worrying about what's next in my car repair saga adds a whole new level of stress.

New vs. New to me. 
- A new car will lose 20-30% of it's value when you drive it off the lot. A lot of articles advocate for buying a used car. The trick is, buying a used car that is certified and still under factory warranty.

Know what you have to offer.
- If you do begin the looming task of car shopping, go in with confidence. I have my car as a trade-in for the down payment, I am a first-time car buyer, I have a steady income, and pretty good credit. The dealerships want your business - so play your cards right!

These were the things that really stuck out to me. I am still on the fence when it comes to the future of my Chevy Cav. If you have bought a new or used car recently, what was your experience? What advice do you have? Comment below!