In this digital era of the 21st century, many people are not spending enough time outside. While the addition of technology isn’t a bad one and has vastly improved the way many people live, no one can deny that being inside all of the time is damaging for the health. By putting the effort into getting more fresh air, though, that damage can be reversed.

Whether you have a remote job that doesn’t require you to leave your front door or your evenings are mainly spent in front of Netflix, here are five ways to ensure you get outside more.

1: Build a Beautiful Garden

Getting outside more doesn’t always mean walking for an hour straight or traveling to a nearby beauty spot. In fact, allowing yourself an easier way to access the outdoors means you’re more likely to actually go outside. Building a beautiful garden is a great way to inspire you to breathe in the fresh air without having to travel far. You could look at getting a water feature with Water-garden.co.uk, or you could pursue a gardening hobby by growing your own fruit, herbs, and vegetables.

2: Start an Outdoorsy Hobby

Many hobbies are easy to pursue inside. You can play video games in your living room, snowboard at an indoor snow park, and meet up for your monthly book club meeting in the local café. There’s something incredibly refreshing about pursuing a hobby that takes place entirely outdoors, though. Not only will it keep you busy, but it’ll also ensure you get outdoors regularly. There are plenty of outdoor hobbies to choose from, so whether you’re interested in sport, plants, wildlife, or walking, there’s something for you.

3: Discover Nearby Nature Spots

You don’t always know what is out there until you go outside and find it, especially when it comes to hidden beauty spots. Even the busiest cities have nature spaces that’ll help you get back to your natural roots. Once you have discovered some nearby beauty spots, you will be inspired to get out there and experience them time and time again.

4: Get a Dog

Wanting to get outside more should not be the sole reason for getting a dog, but if you have been contemplating getting one for a while, it’s another reason to go for it. Most dogs require lots of exercise, which means you, as the owner, will be taking your furry friend on lots of walks to parks and trails. Just remember that dogs require much more care than just exercise – you will be their life-long friend, so don’t rush into a puppy purchase before you are ready.

5: Walk or Cycle to Work

An easy way to incorporate fresh air into your daily routine is to walk or cycle to work. It might add some time to your journey, but you will benefit from the exercise, vitamin D, and the money saved on petrol!  If you work from home, consider going on a short walk before you sit down at your desk to start the day.

Are you trying to save money? Are you unsure what the best way to do it is? When you first start saving money, you might find that you have to actively strive to stick with your plan, and you might find you have days where you struggle more than others. However, the more you do it, the more routine it will be, and the easier saving money will become. Here are some tips to help you build your savings. 

Set a Goal

When you first start saving money, it’s helpful to know what you’re saving for. It’s also a good idea to create a timeline for building your savings. A timeline will be beneficial because it will give you something to look forward to and keep you motivated. 

For example, if you’re saving to buy a home, consider when you want to buy it. If you decide to buy a home in five years with a 20% down payment, then you know how much you should start saving each month. 

Pay Yourself First

When you wait until the end of the month to put your money into savings, you’ll likely find that you’ve already spent it. Whether you’re living off of earned income or disability income insurance, set up an automatic transfer for every time you get a payment to move a preset amount from your checking to your savings account. The transfer helps better ensure that you meet your savings goal. 

Eliminate Debt

It might seem counterintuitive to pay your debt off when you’re trying to save money, but you’re paying interest every month you carry a balance on your credit cards and loans. The amount you pay in interest quickly adds up and takes money from you that you could be moving into savings. 

Experts agree that the best way to pay your debt off quickly is to use the snowball effect. Work on paying one bill off. Then, add what you were paying for the first bill on top of the payment for the next bill. Continue doing that until all of your debt is paid off. You’ll find that following this method allows you to pay your debt down much faster than it would have taken you otherwise. 

Stay Out of the Store

The more you go to the store, the more you’re going to save. Limit your shopping trips to as few as possible. If you can get away with only once a month trips to the store for groceries and necessities, do that. If you have to run into the store for a necessity you ran out of, be mindful that you don’t do any impulse buys. 

There was a time when data collection meant reading the morning newspaper and watching the evening news. Today, that daily practice that felt so in tune is about as modern as caveman paintings on a rock wall. Data distribution is all around us today, and for Millennials and younger generations, data has been surrounding life from birth forward. Instead of wondering what the daily delivery would be, today’s generations wonder what it might have been like to live without immediate and easy access to data. 

Can’t Win If You Don’t Buy a Ticket

However, while data science and data management offer huge opportunities, the field is only available to those who connect to it electronically. That can be a bit of a challenge when one is off the typical digital grid, such as what’s available in the big cities. Instead, things are a bit more separated out on the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, the beauty of data science online is that electronically one can be anywhere, even if sitting on an island physically in the Caribbean. And that makes for an extremely creative mix of factors and dynamics off the beaten path. 

Data Science is an Open Gateway of Equity

Unlike the traditional career world, where networks, placement, and rearing mean so much for one’s path in society, online data science offers a future for young generations from anywhere. It’s skill-based, tech-based, and open ground for anyone who wants to carve a name for themselves. In a sense, the world is just on the cusp of an exponential data explosion, and for young people, it’s a bit like the Oklahoma land rush; one just has to get out their stake a claim.

A Huge Opportunity is Waiting

One of the new areas of data science is fintech, the advancement of marrying finance and technology, most visibly seen right now in blockchain development. The possibilities of fintech are endless and just at the first level of possibility right now. And the demand for the services as well as the skill of understanding how to support fintech is red hot as well. For today’s generations as well as those of tomorrow, data science is the bread and butter for this industry. Those who can adapt, learn, work and grow in the field have a future made for them. Whether they are located on the U.S. Virgin Islands or in the middle of New York City. Again, the digital world doesn’t concern itself with a physical location; connection, speed, and technology capability are what allow fintech to happen. 

Local Startups Make Huge Differences

On the islands, startups like Cane Bay Partners are already pushing forward into early starting points for fintech. The key skills common in every such operation are focused on creative builds, problem-solving, and flexibility when ad hoc thinking is needed most. The world is no longer as big as it seemed to be only a few decades ago. Data that used to come once a day with a newspaper is now at our fingertips in seconds. Fintech is our new frontier, and for today’s youth, it’s their practical future.

Are you struggling to work from home and keep your family organized?

If yes, you are far from alone.

Although the famous saying promises that you can “have it all,” the reality is somewhat different. Especially when you are attempting to meet a deadline, make three different breakfasts and put on yet another load of never-ending laundry.

If this sounds all too familiar, then you are more than ready to find out how you can keep your family running as it should while working (successfully) from home. Keep reading to discover how you can boss it as a mom and a career woman.

Set specific working hours

If you tend to fit in work whenever you can while you juggle a million and one other tasks, you should know that this is not the most productive way to work. Firstly, you will always be somewhat distracted from the task at hand, and secondly, you will never quite feel like your working day is done.

Instead, set rigid office hours when you intend to work and share this information with your spouse or partner so that they can support you during these times.

Download a planner

One of the most challenging aspects of working from home when you have a family is remembering everything you have to do on any given day. From work deadlines to afterschool activities to health appointments, if you don’t have a calendar planner, these can all be easily forgotten.

As your little ones grow, you may find that your responsibilities and priorities in your day change and increase, which makes needing a planner even more important. For instance, when your baby starts showing their first teeth, you will need to schedule them an appointment at Biltmore Avenue Family Dentistry practice as soon as you can. You will then need to ensure they attend these appointments every six months after this point. A planner can ensure you can easily keep track of when these appointments need to be.

There are many free online calendar planners to choose from, or, if you prefer a more tangible system, you can find planners that hang on the wall.

Embrace list-making of priorities

If you have a lot on your plate, lists should be your new best friend. However, rather than make an endless list that can make you feel overwhelmed and demotivated, try making a list every day that contains 3-4 essential tasks that you need to complete on that particular day and write these out in priority order. For example, health care appointments for all family members should be a top priority compared to organizing your fridge.

Learn to say no

The power of saying no should never be underestimated, yet women tend to struggle to say this one little word. If you are a yes mom, now is the time to start saying no to certain requests.

Simply by saying no more often, you will feel less overwhelmed and more able to tackle the day ahead. Plus, it can be good for both your partner and your kids to take on a more active role in the home and help you out when needed.

Separate workspace from family space

If you want to ensure maximum productivity, both in your working and home life, you need to make sure that you have separate spaces for each component. Dedicate one area of your home to work and make it clear to your family that this is your office space.

When you have finished your working day, you can then leave this area and disconnect yourself from work, leaving you more focused on your family.