Our access to lightning-fast information is incredible, revolutionary, often essential to productivity… and actually very distracting. Even if you’re trying to avoid these distractions, they seem to appear everywhere you turn. I don’t know if you’d noticed yet, but even this article is being beamed into your eye-holes through an array of satellites and blue lights. It’s easy to get caught up in notifications or media, especially if you’re working from home. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. When I first began writing at home, the diversions were endless. Luckily, this particular diversion includes a few tips to improve your habits with devices.

Break a Habit to Build One

For most of us, the day starts with an all-too-familiar alarm. You reach over, silence it, and you’re immediately looking at a screen. There’s a very important decision next: put it down now, or keep at it? Your half-awake brain probably wants some flashy lights, but that’s actually a good way to wreck your day. Research shows that your half-awake state in the morning is not a bug; it’s a feature of your brain. When you interrupt that state, you force yourself to skip important processing. Your subconscious prediction of your day is replaced by random information.

That information also usually releases dopamine. Dopamine is a major factor in productivity. Its primary purpose is to motivate us towards or away from something. When you frontload the dopamine, you’re reinforcing a motivation towards the distraction, and away from your real goals. Avoiding your phone early in the morning makes it easier to focus on what really matters to you. The best way to build this habit is to try to get up and immediately decide on something to do for at least one hour. Personally, I prefer to meditate or work on some chores. If you find that this is a struggle, pay attention to how your brain convinces you to check the phone. It’s usually related to emotion and not logic. Resist that emotion, and you’ll be more motivated towards your real goals.

Time Limits: Productivity Hack

We’ve all tried to start a habit with willpower once or twice. It’s a very impressive mental image, just deciding to change and doing it. However, we usually fall flat, especially with limiting technology. The foremost reason for this is the addictive nature of our phones. Start to take back your time by setting time limits. There are options for Android and iOS to set time limits for specific apps, either in the settings of the device or the settings of a given app.

What you’ll see is that, even with a reminder to limit an app, you might not want to in the moment. This is largely because of what experts call nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone. In an article by Well+Good, Iowa State researcher Dr. Hallet calls nomophobia “FOMO in overdrive,” a combination of “the fear of not being able to connect with people, of losing our connectedness, of not being able to access information, and of being inconvenienced.” Case studies by Iowa State indicate that your best bet is to accept that it won’t be perfect, and keep trying anyway. Pay attention to your improvement over time, and don’t worry too much about the occasional slip.

Separation of Sleep, Entertainment, and Working Habits

We’ve established that your phone can have side effects on your morning routine, but what about falling asleep? Unsurprisingly, yes; using technology too soon before sleeping can have negative effects. Your sleep might be strained and less restful if you’re checking emails or social media in bed. But what about the reverse? It turns out, you’re more likely to become tired while working, if you have a habit of working where you sleep. Similarly (and sadly), binging a full season of your favorite show in bed can leave your mind racing instead of powering down.

Any disruption to your sleep can have major consequences for your productivity. In an article by Harvard Business Review, Dr. Charles Czeisler discusses a study of medical residents: “In a study our research team conducted of hospital interns who had been scheduled to work for at least 24 consecutive hours, we found that their odds of stabbing themselves with a needle or scalpel increased 61%…” This shows that, while you may want to clear a few more emails or check a few posts before going to sleep, it also might ruin your productivity tomorrow. It’s best to keep these things separate as much as possible.

So, When DO We Get to Our Doom Scrolling?

Not in the first hour of the day or in bed, and not too long in a sitting; sounds restrictive. One other thing: try not to look at your phone during breaks while you’re working. A study in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions indicates that looking at the phone itself, and not any particular app, can crush your concentration. So, how can we justify texting our friends back or updating our page, when it’s apparently always bad to look at our favorite device? The trick is being aware of when you’re most productive and leaning into it, because everyone is different. If you’re a morning person, it’s probably better that you push back on social media until the afternoon. Everyone knows that the opposite is true, too; a night owl doesn’t get much done in the AM. But, did you know that things are more complicated than that?

There are six different chronotypes, or rhythms people function by. They were distinguished by a team of chronobiologists from the Institute of Medicine of RUDN University. They include highly active, moderately active, daytime, and daytime-sleepy types. So, if you’re the daytime-sleepy type, maybe your lunch break should be spent relaxing instead of struggling to stay awake with busywork. Maybe you’re the opposite, and you can afford to check Facebook in the morning before the sun really rouses you. This is the core reason why flexible hours are known to improve productivity. Once you know your best hours to work, you can choose the best hours to relax, too.

Now Get to it – And Bring Good Technology Habits With You

Technology can be your greatest resource, or a thorn in your side, especially with big app companies competing for your attention. Don’t forget to be careful with how and when you use it, and you’ll notice that your experience improves. The good news: you’re already getting there. By taking the time to read this article, you became more aware of how your technology might be affecting you, and hopefully picked up some helpful tips. If you keep up an interest in improving your habits, there’s always more to learn and more room to grow. Until next time – best of luck.

Photo Credits

Photo by Miriam Alonso from Pexels

Photo by UrbanOrigami from Pixabay

Guest Author Bio
Sebastian Allen

Sebastian Allen I’m Sebastian Allen, and I help connect mental health, productivity, and technology through digital marketing. I specialize in making sure that the voices of brands that deserve to be heard can get to the people that need to hear them. I first came into this process aiming to help raise awareness and availability of mental health solutions. Too often these things are overlooked or even stigmatized.

Aside from that, this is my way of moving towards my passion of creative and informative writing. I’ve always loved sharing new ideas and thoughts with people, and I have always wanted to publish a fantasy novel. The best way to be a writer, after all, is to start writing and never stop, so here I am.

When I’m not working, I enjoy time with my wife and my two puppies at our home in PA. Together we go on long walks and oscillate between wishing it were cooler and wishing it were summertime.

Blog / Website: https://medium.com/@sebastian.allen917

Not quite sure how to get there? Try the 6 ideas below and you’ll be well on your way to creating the peaceful, stress-free home you’ve always wanted.

1. Keep the Entrance Clean

Having a clean entranceway is a great place to start! Not only will you appreciate walking into a relaxing environment, but as an important first point of interaction, so will your guests.

Work to eliminate any debris around the front door and allow it to open freely. Instead of positioning a shoe rack or a large piece of furniture next to the door, try adding mirrors or flowers for a less-cluttered feel. This little space is the quickest way to lift the overall mood of the home and create a peaceful, more welcoming atmosphere.

2. Declutter From Top to Bottom

Decluttering your entire home goes a long way toward creating a more stress-free environment. It helps to remove toxic energy and encourages a sense of balance and relaxation. Try minimizing furniture and home decor (do you really need 6 vases?) and replace any worn-out pieces. Aim to create space, which will allow peaceful energy to flow through your home.

3. Incorporate Memories

Think about incorporating items from the past into your current surroundings; things that have always brought you joy and made you feel at home. Sometimes it can be as simple as hanging a picture of people who make you smile every time you look at them. You may want to experiment with different frames, particularly for memories like a sentimental tour in another country or a beautiful family wedding. Hanging custom canvas prints on your wall can help you preserve those beautiful memories and promote the stress-free environment you’re looking for.

Canvaspop canvas print – mom and daughter

4. Add Some Greenery

Plants play a significant role in generating good energy in our homes. Not artificial energy, but true energy. A bouquet of flowers, a collection of branches or several household plants will all add freshness to your space. Bringing plants into your home cleanses and oxygenates the air and creates a wonderful therapeutic effect. They bring a sense of vitality to the home, and combine seamlessly with all types of architecture. Not to mention, they look great! Consider plants like bonsai, bamboo and even basil. These plants are known to radiate positive energy in addition to adding a decorative feel.

5. Use Scent

One of the best ways to de-stress your home is with scented candles or incense. Scent has a significant effect on how you feel and can help boost your mood. A pleasant scent can also help eliminate cooking odors and allow for positive energy to flow in the home.

Studies have shown that olfaction and emotion are closely linked. With this in mind, you may want to consider using scents such as lavender and citrus which are believed to produce endorphins in the body, allowing for a more peaceful and comfortable state.

6. Rearrange the Furniture

Furniture offers comfort, but how you arrange it also plays a major role. You should be able to navigate easily and freely through your home, removing anything that obstructs your sight. Being able to move through your home safely contributes to the home’s peaceful atmosphere.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a location for your furniture is to strive for a harmonious feel on each side of the space you’re working with. Remove any sharp-edged, angular furniture and replace with a softer, more rounded style. For example, a round coffee table as opposed to a square or rectangular one immediately signals a more inviting atmosphere.

Just by making a few changes, you can quickly transform your home into a peaceful oasis and it doesn’t have to be hard on the pocketbook. So if you’re feeling the need to de-stress your surroundings, try these simple ideas and watch your home transform into a place you love to come home to.  Leave me a comment and let me know which ones really worked for you!

Photo Credits

Furniture image by Stencil
Canvaspop canvas print – from Canvaspop

Guest Author Bio
Trenton J. Smith

Trenton is an aspiring writer who loves to research and write about a wide variety of topics. When he is not writing, he enjoys gardening and long walks with his dog Boomer.

Mental health is related to many things in our life. It’s a factor when it comes to our dreams, ambitions, feelings and love life. When people keep their mental health in check, it makes them feel relieved and happy. This enables them to push themselves and reach their optimum potential. Likewise, when people disturb their mental health, this can lead to uncontrollable and abnormal behavior. Understandably, ignoring the warning signs isn’t a great idea, as it could cause long-term illnesses. 

No matter what your goals are in life, you need to train your mind to achieve them. Here are five cool mental exercises that can help you perform better and make the most of your life:

1. Imagine Success

Make a habit of imagining what success looks like to you; literally picture it in your head. If you are asking for a raise at work, visualize the conversation you will have with your boss and the exact points you will put forward; even see yourself getting the raise. This exercise removes self-doubt and builds self-confidence. You can also use visualization in this way to increase motivation.

2. Cut Out Negative Self-Talk

We have a tendency to be more unkind to ourselves than we are to others, to constantly degrade and abuse ourselves, believing we will never succeed. Saying the same negative things, again and again, imbibes them in our minds. Be kind to yourself. Accept that everybody makes mistakes and keep taking steps to achieve your goals. Replace your negative self-talk with positive messages to inspire yourself.

3. Learn to De-Stress

It’s extremely important to reduce daily stress, as it can rob you of energy and positivity. If something specific is causing you stress, it’s wise to work towards resolving the issue. 

You can de-stress in many ways, such as spending time in nature, taking time away from your mobile and social media, taking a weekend trip, practicing mindfulness or meditation, eating well and exercising and by simply talking to friends.

4. Practice CBT

Ridding yourself of anxiety, negative thoughts, harmful emotions and other burdens is necessary for success. However, keeping thoughts and emotions at bay is not always easy!

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a practice of observing one’s self, forming logical conclusions and dealing with one’s negative side. It can be practiced without any professional guidance and at your own pace. If you’re new to CBT, this is a great DIY guide to start out with.

5. Analyze Everything

Analyze every bit of your life that matters. Why did something happen? Why did it make you feel the way you did? How might the other person have perceived the event? Analysis is the first step in making important realizations about your life. It can make a big difference in how you see and think about the world.

Overall, a positive mentality, along with practicing positive affirmations, plays a major role in helping you perform better in life. Give these five exercises a try and let me know which one helps you the most!

Photo Credit

Photo from Flickr – some rights reserved

Guest Author Bio
Daniel Thompson

A huge fan of Real Madrid FC, Daniel is mainly interested in writing about European soccer, green technologies, environmentalism and environmental science. Daniel is currently working on his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

For instance, paper is the traditional suggestion for a couple’s first anniversary. Its meaning is fitting, as just like the beginning of marriage, paper is fragile, yet will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Leather, on the other hand, is recommended for year three as a symbol of the shelter and security a couple has built between them. By the time they reach their first decade of marriage, the symbolism continues, and a couple has much to celebrate. The traditional gift is tin or aluminum, which speaks of the pliability or flexibility that a successful marriage requires.

However, this doesn’t mean gifts need to be limited to these suggestions. Thinking outside the box can be fun! For example, tickets to a concert could be the ‘paper’on your first anniversary, and a flight somewhere on a ‘tin’ plane could be the way you celebrate your tenth. Of course, if you love the idea of keeping to a traditional gesture, referring to a list of anniversary gift ideas by year can be extremely helpful.

In the meantime, if you’re thinking of throwing a modern spin on your next wedding anniversary celebration, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Just The Two of You

Fly Overseas
If this is a milestone anniversary, consider travelling overseas to a romantic city like Paris, or pack your swimsuits for a sunny getaway in Bali. Or, perhaps you postponed your honeymoon and take this opportunity to finally visit the vineyards of Italy or the Great Wall of China.

Visit Your Favorite City
Booking a weekend trip to your favorite city may be just what you need to relax and unwind while still being kind to your pocketbook. Take in an exhibition, stroll around a botanical garden or return to your favorite haunts. The idea is to maximize time together and minimize travel time.

Couples Spa
This could be the ideal getaway for those who have a demanding lifestyle that affords very little room for relaxation. Ask family members to look after the children or get a house sitter to care for pets in your home.

Want your family and friends to help you celebrate? These ideas are just some examples of how you can plan with a crowd in mind:

Celebrations With Friends and Family
 
Get Tickets to an Event      
Whether you share a favorite headliner or adore opera or sports, get tickets for an exciting event that you’ll all enjoy. Kick it up a notch and make it a black tie dress code!

Book a Private Room at a Restaurant
Go out for dinner and make it extra-special by booking a private room at your favorite restaurant or one where there’s a special set menu. This allows you to spend unrushed time together without the worry of having to give up your table for the next reservation.

Rent an Airbnb for the Weekend
Save yourself the trouble of trying to accommodate large numbers of people in your home and instead, invite everyone to a nearby Airbnb. Not only will there be room for everyone, but you can also choose the amenities you want, such as a games room, hot tub, surround-sound stereo system etc.

How you celebrate your wedding anniversary and the gifts you choose will ultimately be up to you. No matter what you decide – traditional or modern, a small celebration or a large one – I hope these ideas inspire you to plan your next anniversary celebration that’s as unique as your love!

Photo Credit

Photo courtesy of Flickr – some rights reserved

Guest Author Bio
Trenton J. Smith

Trenton is an aspiring writer who loves to research and write about a wide variety of topics. When he is not writing, he enjoys gardening and long walks with his dog Boomer.

1 – Meditate on it

The benefits of mindfulness when it comes to stress are profound, and the benefits are physiological as well as mental.

Looking for a job can be an anxiety-inducing activity for many people, and meditation has been shown to be extremely effective in reducing anxiety. Mindfulness meditation helps people separate unhelpful, worry-filled thoughts from helpful, problem-solving ones. It’s normal to feel the stress of the job hunt, but you want your mental energies to be as action-oriented as possible. When you find yourself in a spiral of negative and stressful thoughts, it’s a good time to take a short break and do a bit of meditation.

There are great apps out there if you’re new to meditation, such as Headspace. You get 10 10-minute guided meditations for free when you download the app.

2 – Make a plan

It’s often said that when you don’t have a job, finding a job is your job. You’ve got the time to put the effort in, so it’s best to make use of it. This doesn’t mean you should put in 8 hours a day of job hunting and applying. You’ll be far more likely to burn out and get discouraged.

Instead, you should make yourself a plan, and stick to it. You’re the boss here, so it’s time to set some KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). You can decide for yourself what a solid day of work looks like, but you want to make sure you have a way of measuring your output. You might ask yourself:

• How many resumes and cover letters will you prepare each day or week?
• How many jobs will you apply to each week?
• How many hours of research is suitable each day?

Pro Tip: Make sure you are tailoring your resumes and cover letters for each job you apply for.

Also, don’t just restrict yourself to the application part of the job hunt; part of your plan should also include acquiring new knowledge and skills, while you have a little more time on your hands. You might measure this by:

• How many chapters or pages of a skills upgrading book will you read?
• How many online training videos will you watch? Or how many hours?

The overarching point is, setting numbers around what you’ll achieve in your job hunt will help you stay focused and ensure you make progress.

The other part of having a plan and being disciplined enough to stick to it is that it means you can give yourself a break on the weekends. Saturdays and Sundays can be the most stressful days when you don’t have a job because you have to wait until Monday for things to start rolling again. But if you’ve been putting in the work like it’s your job, then you’re also justified in having a break, so pour yourself some Perrier and enjoy the weekend.

3 – Clean up your space

Have you ever heard the saying that a clean space equals a clean mind? The idea is that a messy space can distract your focus, while an organized one can be calming and help direct your focus. Moreover, just the act of cleaning can help ease stress, and it offers a break from the challenges of the job hunt that is much more productive than Facebook.

4 – Organize your hunt

Similar to cleaning up your working space, having an organized approach to your job hunt will help you stay calm, especially when you’re trying to keep track of applications and follow-ups. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of which jobs you’ve applied for and when you’ve followed up. If you’re not sure how to make one, you can make a copy of this Google Spreadsheet for free.

So often we get in the full swing of things and general busy-ness prevents us from taking steps to improve ourselves. It’s like what can happen to entrepreneurs who spend all their time working in the business, and not enough time working on the business. The best time to think out and implement routine is now.

5 – Make a move

A change of environment when you do your applications or research can help your productivity and reduce your stress levels. If you have a laptop or tablet, head to a coffee shop or library and put some work in there. Be sure to monitor how you feel and how productive you are, as some people work well in noisy environments, while others need the quiet of a library to stay focused.

6 – Exercise

If meditation isn’t your cup of tea, you can gain some of the same mental benefits (and other physical ones) from taking a break to do some exercise. Whether it’s a run, a walk, a gym session, yoga, whatever; it’s about taking a break to move the body and free the mind. If it seems like an intimidating idea to begin, start small and work to develop it as a habit. Consistency is far more important than intensity for reaping the mental benefits.

7 – Take time to enjoy your unemployment

This is a tough one to say to anyone who’s deep in the struggle, but I’ve been there too, and one of the thoughts I always have afterward is that I wish I could have stressed a bit less and enjoyed the freedom a lot more.

I promise you, a few months into your new job, you’re going to think back on your unemployment and wish you had enjoyed the journey a bit more. It’s easy to let the pressure and negative thoughts take over when you’re in the midst of the struggle, but try and step back from it all and view it in the grand scheme of your life.

If you’re putting the work in, it’s going to work out.

Be patient and don’t freak out. You got this!

What are your tips for dealing with stress in the job hunt? Share yours in the comments!

Photo Credit

Photo is from bigstockphoto.com

Guest Author Bio
Lauren McAdams

Lauren McAdams is a career adviser and hiring manager at ResumeCompanion.com. She’s been quoted by sites like Forbes, TechRepublic, and Careerbuilder.com. When she’s not busy helping job seekers, she’s sipping on coffee or a glass of wine – depending on the time of day of course.

Blog / Website: ResumeCompanion.com

Travel with Small Duffel Bags and a Small Back Pack

I only travel with what I can carry in my hands and on my back. That forces me to be a minimalist. In my case, I use the small Eagle Creek duffel bags. I carry two small bags rather than one regular size bag for several reasons: First – it keeps me balanced. One big bag would make me lopsided and it would be too heavy for me to lift. Second – two small bags can fit into the luggage sections of tourist vans far more easily than a larger bag could. Third – I often use one bag to carry stuff I’ll need for the next few weeks and leave the other bag in a guest house to pick up a few weeks later.  This lightens my load tremendously.

If you’re planning to travel in third world countries, avoid getting luggage with wheels. The sidewalks are uneven. The curbs are high. The wheels add weight. It’s just not practical.

My backpack is a small PacSafe camera bag. Of course, I carry my camera in it, but I also carry my MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone, external memory, external power supply, noise cancelling headset and all the cables and other paraphernalia I need. The PacSafe bag is lined with a wire mesh that prevents thieves from sticking knives through the bag. It’s lined with an RFID shield to prevent others from reading my credit cards and passport. It has a place for everything so I can quickly scan the cubbyholes to check that I have everything. Although I’m generally a low-budget traveler, I don’t mind spending top dollar on luggage because it pays off big time.

Computer, Tablet, Smart Phone

I buy Apple everything. Aside from the fact that I am an admitted Apple bigot, I am certain I can get technical support from certified Apple technicians anywhere in the world. I have a global Apple support plan, and I had to use that support in Bangkok. Worked like a charm.

I bought the MacBook Air because it is the thinnest and lightest-weight computer I could find in the Apple lineup that would do the work I needed to do. I had an iPhone 5 that is at least 5 years old by now. I had my telecom company unlock the phone before I left so I just need to buy a new SIM card every time I go to a new country.

I debated about whether to buy an iPad or not because there are arguments, both pro and con, once you have a computer and a smartphone. In the end I did buy one and I’m glad I did. I can carry the iPad around with me on a day’s outing and use the mapping feature so I don’t get lost.  I’m building quite the eBook library on the iPad and I can read the books easily and naturally on it. It would have been a bit awkward on the computer. There are probably half a dozen applications I use regularly that just seem to fit the tablet format better than the computer or iPhone format. I would definitely recommend you pick up a tablet of some sort before you head out the door. You will find it’s worth both the extra weight and the cost. 

Back Up My Computer Files with Carbonite

When I had a home office, I backed up my files on a large, local external hard drive. There are some obvious problems doing that when traveling. So I choose to backup with Carbonite and keep my backups in the cloud. Simple, cheap and weightless. You should do that too.

Build a Growing Library of E-Books

I love to read books. On earlier trips, I bought paperback books and read them in my room. I had so many books that I had to pay overweight charges at the airport. During the last 15 months on this trip I’ve built up a library of more than 40 books on my iPad. The books are always there for me. I can read them in bed even after ‘lights out’ because the tablet screen is backlit. These books cost less than half of the cost of a paperback book and I can download them immediately – no need to hike over to the local bookstore. (Actually, I still go to the bookstore, but only to get ideas about books to buy.) As long as I travel, I’ll never plan to buy another printed book.

Never Get Lost with CityMaps2Go

On earlier trips I would buy paper city maps to help me navigate my way around cities. Then I’d throw the maps into my day bag. This was good, but not great. I still got lost.

Then I discovered CityMaps2Go. This is a free app that runs on tablets and smart phones. This app allows me to download electronic maps of the territories and cities I’m visiting. Then it tracks where I am so I never get lost. I can look for specific tourist sites or hotels. Given those two, it’s a piece of cake to navigate from where I am to where I want to be. Once I have a marker for where I am and another for where I want to go, I can walk around new cities without ever worrying about getting lost. It gives me a sense of confidence I’ve never enjoyed before.

Advise My Banks That I Am Travelling

When banks recognize that someone is making ATM withdrawals from foreign countries, it’s not unusual for them to freeze the account or, even worse, treat the card as lost or stolen. By advising my banks in writing that I would be traveling overseas, my banks did not freeze my accounts. It’s a simple step I forgot to handle during my first trip out of the country.

Collect All the Right Electronics

In addition to the computer equipment I mentioned above, I bought some other electronics that proved quite valuable.

A few months ago I bought a Plantronics 725 headset with active noise-cancelling – invaluable for phone calls with clients when I am in noisy environments. Then I bought all the software I needed. Whenever the vendor comes out with an update, I download and install it automatically. 

I bought a Sony compact camera – the HX400V. This is a top-end compact, but I would urge others to buy a smaller camera that is shock-resistant. Your travel camera will take a bit of a beating and you don’t want to have to be afraid to throw it into your day pack.

I bought a 10500 Asus battery pack. This is an external battery pack that’s sufficient for recharging an iPad or an iPhone but it won’t recharge a computer.

There is clearly a heavy overhead for maintaining and carrying these electronics. In fact, I bought the PacSafe backpack I mentioned earlier just for the electronics. It cost more than the most expensive backpack you’ll find in outdoor stores but I see it as essential to protect the investment I’ve made in the technologies that allow me to earn my living, manage my money, book travel arrangements, stay in touch with friends and get the training I need.

I have one piece of valuable technology that does not even weigh a gram: Fongo. Fongo is a Canadian-based telephone service that allows me to make free phone calls to nearly everywhere in Canada. Other places in Canada cost about 2 cents a minute. And I can call American numbers – both landlines and cell phones – for 2 cents a minute. The company offers low-cost phone calls to most of the other countries in the world.

I prefer Fongo over Skype because it is easier to connect, the prices are lower, the voice quality is better and I have not yet had a call dropped. Skype still has a few advantages over Fongo, though. For one, calls between Skype users are free. For another, Skype offers video connections.  And third, Skype has a call recorder while Fongo does now.

My cousins south of the 49th parallel should look for a similar app – something like Line2.

Take the USANA ‘The Essentials’ Religiously

No, I’m not a USANA distributor, so this is not some self-serving pitch for you to buy products from me. If you want to find a dealer, I can point you to a few.

Traveling creates a whole range of stresses. I breathe polluted air in many countries and there is no getting away from it in the cities. When I change guest houses or hostels, I also change mattresses. I never know for sure how well my food has been prepared. Although I make every effort to drink bottled water, I can’t always get it. I’m facing constant uncertainty in terms of travel arrangements, sleeping arrangements and daily schedules. All of that creates a lot of stress. On top of that, travelers are vulnerable when they are traveling alone because they have no one to look after them when they get sick.

It’s vital that I stay healthy all the time. At a minimum, when I do get sick, I need to bounce back quickly. The USANA supplements I take have done wonders to help keep me healthy in spite of all the germs I come in contact with. They are so important to me that I have them air-shipped to me at a premium. Sometimes I even have to pay duty on the products. It’s worth it. I simply don’t get sick.

Learn to Teach English as a Second Language

My income on this trip has been spotty. After a year of traveling like this, I realized I needed a more stable source of income, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the travel. This led me to take the most advanced online course available to teach English as a second language. I took the course through www.myTEFL.com. The course cost $295 US but the school gave me a 40% discount, so the cost was manageable. Now I have my TEFL certificate in hand.

In April I will start teaching English to elementary and high school children in Nepal. That will give me practical experience. The combination of the TEFL certificate I earned online, practical experience in Nepal and my university degrees should set me up to get short-term teaching jobs all over the world. In fact, once I am well into teaching in Nepal, I will start applying for teaching jobs in Japan, Shanghai, Brazil, Argentina and other places that look interesting.

Teaching English does not pay a lot of money – typically something on the order of $2,000 US a month with room and board thrown in. But it provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about a new country, meet the people and see the sites. At the same time, I put a little money in the bank.

Read the Guidebooks

The guidebook I prefer is the ‘Insight’ series. This is a series of high-quality guidebooks with plenty of pictures, maps and background information on every aspect of a country. I download the books to my iPad and read them in preparation for my visit to a new country. When I go to a city or a tourist area, I take my iPad with me and carve out time to read the books while I’m at the tourist site. It helps me be sure that I know exactly what to go see – and then to understand what I’m seeing.

For macro-planning, I bought a book called ‘1,000 Places to See Before You Die.’ Wonderful book. It’s organized by country. When I’m planning to visit a country, I can quickly build a list of the top 3 to 10 places to visit. By cross-referencing the two books, I know I’m seeing the best a country has to offer a short-term visitor. (And, in an existential sense, we are all short-term visitors.)

I regret that I have not been able to learn more than a few words of the language in the countries I visit. For one thing, I’ve discovered that it’s difficult for me to learn languages. For another, I only spend a little time in each country. Third, the people I meet tell me they look forward to speaking English with foreigners.

Lynda.com Training

I work while I travel. In fact, it is essential that I earn money while traveling because my miniscule pensions are inadequate to allow me to do much more than survive. I take on billable projects that often require me to master new skills. Fortunately, I can learn those skills rapidly by taking courses on Lynda.com. This site offers a wide range of courses on photography, web development, business, software, video etc. I highly recommend that long-term travelers who expect to earn while traveling subscribe to this service.

I Never Take Offense

I’ve learned to never take offense. No one ever means to be rude.

In most countries, people ask me the same 5 questions:

Where are you from?
How old are you?
Where is your family?
What religion are you?
Are you rich?

The first question is normal. In North America, we would see the other questions as intrusive. Here, they are seen as normal questions. I have fun with the questions and use them as conversation starters.

Young children are quite direct. They ask me why my skin is so pale. They want to know why my ears stick out, why I have no hair and why my nose is so skinny. In Myanmar, a country that has only recently opened its borders to tourists, even some of the adults look at me with interest.  I have never sensed hostility or envy – I’ve only sensed curiosity.

Photo Credits
Photos are Fair Use

Buy Your Travel Clothes at Home

I thought I would buy travel clothes in various countries as I traveled through them. That is a good idea if you want to pick up a few accent or fun items here and there but a bad idea for assembling your ‘real’ travel wardrobe. When I was traveling I found it was hard to find the quality and style of clothes I wanted. I wasted a lot of time looking around. At home, I knew exactly where to go to get what I wanted.

Without question, your most important piece of clothing is your shoes. Get shoes with thick rubber soles. I bought New Balance shoes and lived in them.

Buy most of your clothes at MEC if you live in Canada or REI if you live in the States. The clothes are a bit pricey but they will last you longer than stylish clothes and will give you a lower ‘cost per wear.’

Take the Biggest External Battery Pack You Can Find

Battery packs are heavy and I wanted to minimize my weight, so I made the mistake of discarding my battery pack that would recharge my phone, iPad and camera. In retrospect, I see that was a big mistake. In many parts of the world you simply cannot find a place to plug in your iPad or phone. Right now, I’m sitting in a Starbucks in Makati, Philippines. This is the business centre of the country. The coffee vendor offers good internet but there is absolutely no place to plug in to recharge my battery. This is not unusual outside North America.

If your electronic equipment is important to you – and they are vital to me – then buy the biggest battery pack you can you can find. Keep it charged.

Give a Friend an Irrevocable Power of Attorney

While I was in Asia, I lost my Bank of Montreal ATM card. Getting a replacement should not have been a problem – or so I thought. I called my bank, explained that I was traveling and had lost my card, and asked for a replacement. The bank agent asked me to go to my local branch in Canada to get a replacement. I tried to explain that I was on the other side of the planet and that it would be inconvenient to fly back just to get a replacement. The agent wouldn’t budge.

I could have short circuited this problem if I had given a friend an irrevocable power of attorney before I had left the country. I could have had the POA notarized in Canada and there would have been no question that it was legitimate. As it turned out, I had to turn backflips to get a replacement card. The lesson is clear: give a friend an irrevocable power of attorney. You never know when you’ll need it.

Keep Your Luggage Locked – Always

I have a couple travel locks I slip through the zipper pulls to keep my luggage locked. It’s always a bit of a hassle to put them in place and then remove them just a few minutes later. So, when I was in ‘safe’ places I didn’t bother. That proved to be a mistake. You are NEVER in a safe place.

I remember two overnight bus trips I took in Thailand. I kept my backpack close to me and slept with one eye open. An experienced thief worked his way through the bus looking for opened bags. He found mine and pulled out most, but not all, of my cash. He never touched my passport or anything else. The result was that I suffered a loss that was a major inconvenience but not a catastrophe. It wasn’t worth reporting to the police. I met a few others on the bus who suffered the same fate.

In addition to zipper locks, I also bought a loop lock. This lock has a metal cord that wraps through my luggage handles and something fairly secure such as a building pipe or a big piece of furniture. Thieves can break these locks if they really want to, but that’s not the point – 99.9% of all thefts are ‘thefts of convenience’ (I just made that number up!). If you make it the least bit inconvenient for a thief, he won’t bother stealing from you.

Don’t Cancel Your Old Phone Number

When I left Canada, I cancelled my cell phone number because I planned to be away for 5 years or more. I set up a VOIP service with Fongo and chose a new phone number. Obviously, the people who call me at my old number can no longer reach me. Recently I found that Fongo allows you to transfer your old phone number to their service. That’s a huge plus! Of course, callers can only reach you when you are in the presence of WiFi, but that does not need to be a problem. You can just roll your calls over to voice mail and play them back the next time you are near a good internet signal.

Interestingly, I’ve found that the voice quality and the number of dropped calls with Fongo is far superior than with Skype. My friends south of the 49th parallel should look for an American VOIP service such as Line2. One of my buddies recommended I check out Google Talk to make free phone calls anywhere in North America from anywhere in the world!

Don’t Buy a Good Camera!

A few months ago I bought a beautiful Sony HX400V compact camera. This little beauty is loaded with features that made me drool. I paid $500 USD for the camera in a duty free shop in Bangkok.

Then I started learning what is wrong with the camera. One day I crawled onto a boat and dropped my camera bag just a few inches; the camera hit the boat with a thud. That knocked the camera out of whack! I didn’t think the impact was great enough to cause a problem but I was wrong. Fortunately, the camera was still under warranty. I took the camera into the Sony repair depot in Bangkok along with my receipt and they did an excellent job of repairing the camera within a few days.

But there are a couple ‘gotchas.’ First, I had to pay $20 for the taxi to get out to the Sony depot to drop the camera off and another $20 a few days later to run back to pick it up. Ouch! A couple months later while I was in the Philippines, I needed another repair. The Philippine service centre would not initiate the repair without my warranty card. I had thrown that card away because I had registered my camera online. As it turns out, the Philippine service centres don’t have access to those online registrations (the Philippines operates in the dark ages in so many ways I can’t begin to explain how bad it is.) At the end of the day, I could not get my camera repaired in the Philippines and I had to wait until I returned to Bangkok. I later learned that the Philippines offers one of the worst customer support programs for all products and services in the world!

My advice would be to buy a smaller camera with fewer features for a lower price and ask specifically whether the camera is shock resistant (not shock proof). You want to be able to throw you camera in your knapsack and carry it around on your outings without worrying about breaking it. I need to look into lighter weight, shock resistant cameras before I can recommend one. In the meantime, I recommend you check out what Kim Komando has to say about cameras. She gives good advice about a wide range of consumer products.

Figure Out the Bare Minimum You Can travel With – Then Get Rid of a Third of It

I was planning to go to some cold countries and some warm countries so I packed for both seasons. I knew the water in India and Nepal was undrinkable so I bought a top-of-the-line Katadyn water filter and extra filters. I bought a nano-lantern because I knew that some places didn’t have electricity. And the list goes on and on.

I lugged this stuff around for six months and then realized that I wouldn’t need the water filter or some of the other stuff for at least another year. When I finally ‘got it,’ I started throwing stuff away, giving stuff away and mailing stuff home. With a bit of work, I was able to get my load down to what I could carry in my own two hands. At that point I was truly mobile.

Now, I’m planning to head off to Nepal and I need the stuff I mailed home to Canada. No problem! I just sent an email to my Canadian friend and asked her to send me the box I sent to her some 9 months ago. Sure, it cost me a few bucks to mail the stuff back and forth but it is definitely worth it because I didn’t have to carry it for those 9 months. Now, I will have the stuff I need during my trip in Nepal. When I am ready to leave Nepal, I will mail the stuff home again.

Photo Credits

Luggage from morgueFile
Luggage lock from Flickr – some rights reserved
Camera from pixabay – public domain
Man using water filter from Flickr – some rights reserved

“What’s this you ask? This will be used for a water feature – which I will show you in the next post in this series very soon.”

So as promised, here are some pics of the concrete water feature idea I had in mind, and a few others. This is a picture of the foam cavity in part of my configurable concrete mold. It’s being held down to the silicone cookie sheet with a bolt at the top of which is a .75″ (outside diameter) copper plumbing fitting which will be embedded in the concrete. It’s a perfect snug fit for the .625″ (inside diameter) plastic tubing that gets hooked up to the water pump. The concrete is poured to the top edge of that fitting.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – Foam Cavity

Here is the piece after coming out of the mold.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – Out of mold

Here it is again after cutting away the foam and a bit of light sanding.

Note: The mix I used was a bit too liquid. See the sanded off lower corners? I had to do that because they were a bit crumbly due to the watery mix. Concrete is interesting and temperamental. Too much water, and the mix takes longer to cure. I took it out a bit to soon. Too much time between making things, and one forgets … well at least I do!

Concrete Fountain Top Feature

Here it is in action. I used a large round tub to experiment with. This piece would look nice in one or two larger square concrete bases.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – In Action

Here is the same piece but I added a small spherical bubbler I had made last year to see what it would look like.

Concrete Fountain Top Feature – With Small Bubbler

This is a concrete millstone I made using a bucket.

Concrete Millstone

And this is a large spherical bubbler I made using two thin plastic 1/2 spheres that used to be covers for ceiling lights.

Large Concrete Bubbler

Here is what the inside looks like. Click on this image for a larger image. I love the way it looks! Like a moon’s cratered surface. I’d love to be able to get the outside to look the same. Something to work on.

Large Concrete Bubbler – Inside

Note the copper fitting embedded in the center. Again, a perfect fit for the plastic tubing that connects to the water pump.

Large Concrete Bubbler – Detail

And here is a picture of the small and large bubblers side by side. The small bubbler is solid concrete whereas the larger one, as you saw above, is hollow making for a much lighter bubbler, or perhaps a bowl!

Small and Large Concrete Bubblers

When I have built some large basses for these, I will post some images with details on how I made the basses. I hope that these pictures will get your creative juices flowing and I also hope that you will share what you come up with. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Read more in this series:

Part 6 – Concrete Creations: Making Styrofoam Cavities

Part 8 – Concrete Creations: Concrete Planters

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

As I explained in Concrete Creations: A Configurable Mold, when I pour concrete shapes I will often use a Styrofoam block to form the cavity. Cutting Styrofoam cleanly is not easy. I did some looking around in YouTube and found some amazing videos by folks who make parts for model airplanes and rockets using hot wire cutters. Based on a few designs I saw, I made a hot wire cutter with a few modifications of my own. It does indeed cut like a hot knife through butter!

This one will also cut 45 degree angles and should make it through 3 inch thick foam no problem. For now, I am using a 12 Volt 1 Amp power supply and a 15 gauge guitar string for the wire. The wire gets to just over 600 degrees which is needed to cut the Styrofoam. I will soon be switching to a 5 Volt 25 Amp computer power supply and Nichrome wire (Bare Nickel Chromium Resistance Wire) which will give me more consistent heat and somewhere in the neighborhood of 730 degrees.

Introducing – My Styrofoam Hot Wire Cutter. Wait till you see my next concrete pours! I can now get REALLY creative with foam cavities!

Introducing – My Styrofoam Hot Wire Cutter.

Now that’s a straight cut!

Cutting angles by tilting the arm that holds the wire.

What’s this you ask? This will be used for a water feature – which I will show you in the next post in this series very soon. This was my first attempt at a cut. The next ones will be even better as I learned quite a bit doing this one.

If you find this interesting and want to build one for yourself, be sure to check out this video: 
How to make a Hot Wire Cutter for foam or polystyrene

Also … as I was looking around for ways to sand foam and especially for ways to fill in little indentations (concrete translates the smallest of indents), I came across an AMAZING article written by David Neat called Shaping Styrofoam. You really need to check out his work!

Read more in this series:

Part 5 – Concrete Creations: Christmas Presents!

Part 7 – Concrete Creations: Water Features Ideas!

Photo Credits

All photos by Gil Namur – All Rights Reserved

Computer Failure

I bought some Adobe software a few months ago and have had nothing but trouble installing it. After 15 hours of calls to the Adobe Customer Support Centre over the course of a month or so, an agent finally recommended I contact the Apple Technical Support Centre for help. The Apple expert there recommended I re-install my operating system. He assured me several times that all my files and emails would be safe. That turned out to be totally bogus!

As soon as I started downloading the new operating system I faced my first crisis – none of my software worked and I lost all my saved emails. This was a crisis for me because I use my computer to earn my daily bread and pay for my travels. Without it, I am stranded. Now I was faced with the task of completely rebuilding my system from the ground up and I needed help fast. 

My first step was to buy the AppleCare program for $300. That allowed me to go to the Apple Support Centre in Bangkok and ask for help. Unlike North America, however, the Bangkok centre does not back up the software and data before re-installing the operating system. Since I had my data on an external drive, I wasn’t worried about that. The Bangkok centre reloaded my OS, but then I had no application software. It took me days to re-install all the software. Of course, the software vendors were now offering their upgraded versions. This meant I had to pay new license fees and buy new books to learn how to use the new versions of software. The whole effort cost me a minimum of 100 lost hours and about $600 Canadian, and that was just to get back to where I was before I followed the Apple guru’s advice (I have still not solved my problem with Adobe.)

Motor Scooter Accident

I rented a motor scooter to run around Koh Samui, Thailand (a veritable playground for adults). I loved the scooter until I fell off!!!  Motor scooter accidents are minor irritations for those in their twenties but can prove to be serious for those in their seventies! I couldn’t move my right arm and I feared the worst. I made a quick trip to the Koh Samui Hospital.

The service there was superb. I wandered into the emergency department and was seen within 2 minutes. The nurse set up an x-ray for my arm and 12 minutes later the work was done. Within 10 minutes of coming back to the ER, the doctor saw me to tell me that my arm was not broken, only sprained; I should wear a sling for a few days and then I should be back in action. Then I was faced with the hospital bill. Be sure to sit down before you read on! The total bill came to $28 Canadian (about $20 US) for the whole visit. I almost laughed when I paid the bill. A foreigner visiting a Canadian hospital would likely be hit with a fee of $150 just to walk through the door. In the US, it could be an order of magnitude greater. The Thai hospital didn’t look as spiffy as a Canadian hospital but its staff struck me as every bit as educated and professional. I have to take my hat off to health care in Thailand. At the same time, I wonder about the high costs and long delays we suffer in Canada.

Lost Debit Card

About a week ago I lost my debit card so I called my bank, the Bank of Montreal. I knew they would look after me. Well, I was in for a shock.  First, the bank cancelled my card, which was fair enough, but there was no way in hell they would mail me a new one. Instead, the BMO Customer Service agent asked me to go to my own branch to get a replacement card. When I pointed out that I was on the other side of the planet, I could tell she just didn’t get what I was saying! She just told me once again to go in and pick up a card. An alternative would’ve been to ask the branch to give a card to one of my friends. I would have to call the branch to ask for that clearance. This sounded like a great alternative – until I tried to act on it. 

When I called my branch, my call was routed to voicemail, not a person. I left my name and number and was confident my branch manager would call back the same day, as promised in the voicemail message. I waited all night (that means day in Canada) but never received a call. So, I learned that calling your bank branch and expecting a call back is a sure sign of being out of touch with reality.

Well, I was confident there was another backup plan – I could use the online banking service to send money to myself wherever I was. After all, the web site was proud to state that it sends money all over the world via Western Union. Again, this proved to be false. I was just about to leave Thailand to visit Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Unfortunately, the BMO online banking service does not permit Western Union transfers to those countries (apparently if I were going to Namibia things would be fine.) If I still had hair on my head, I would have pulled it out by this time. BMO’s ultra-conservatism forced me to send money to my friends in Canada by Interac and ask them to trot over to a Western Union office at their convenience to send money to me. This reminds me of the days we had rotary dials on our phones.

Lessons Learned

So, what are the take-aways from all this?

First, I would say that you can never imagine all the setbacks you’re going to face. I never imagined that I would face three heavy hits in 30 days or that these would be the hits. You can’t avoid the misfortunes that come your way, you just need to be resilient enough to deal with them as they come up.

A second lesson is that you need to put backup plans in place before you leave home. I had the foresight to sign up with Carbonite to back up my data before I left home. However, I didn’t sign up for the AppleCare program. I also should have given a durable power of attorney to one of my friends before I left home. Now I have to handle that with a lawyer in Thailand, mail the power of attorney back to Canada, and wait for my good friend there to handle things on my behalf.

A third lesson learned is that you need to be resilient. Don’t operate at the edge of your potential – leave a buffer. When things go wrong, don’t give in to the temptation to become frustrated, no matter how great that temptation is. It just doesn’t help. Instead, figure out what steps you need to take and start taking them promptly, regardless of how long it will take for them to play out.

A fourth lesson is that the things I feared would befall me, never did. No one has attacked me on the streets or the beaches. Vendors have never set one price and then charged another. I have never gotten sick from the food. I have never found myself without a place to sleep for the night or gotten so lost I couldn’t find my way home again. 

My advice: don’t spend too much time worrying about what might go wrong. Just make sure you are able to handle whatever comes your way when it does.

Photo Credits

Photo from Flickr – some rights reserved