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Taking breaks at work is essential to your health and your productivity in the workplace. But you want to make sure that you are using your breaks effectively, especially your lunch break which tends to be the longest of the day. When you use your midday breaks well, you can increase your productivity and have a better time at work because you are rested and ready to tackle your next project. 

Work Out

If you find that you are dragging by lunch time, it might be a good idea to add a little physical fitness to your lunch hour. Working out can help you to re-energize and get back into the mood for your daily work. You want to choose an activity that can be completed pretty quickly and won’t leave you feeling uncomfortable when you go back to the office. If there is a gym at your work, it will be even better.

Go Out to Lunch With a Friend

You can also use your midday break to meet up with the people you care about. This technique is especially great when you need a break from the office. You can meet up with a friend and give yourself a chance to decompress and have fun before returning to work. Talking can be a great destressor for a busy work life, and it can help you to feel more comfortable when you get back to the office.

Take a Quick Nap

Sometimes all you need in the middle of the day is the quick pick me up a nap can give you. You might be surprised at how much energy you can get from even a fifteen minute nap in the middle of the day. If you want to use your lunch break for napping, it is important that you have the right equipment. Having a comfy pillow, a small blanket, and a private place to be can all help you to make your nap more effective. Make sure you set a timer so you don’t oversleep and end up missing important work. 

When you have breaks at work, you should take advantage of them. When you use breaks well they help you to be productive and devote your attention more fully to work. You just need to take the time to figure out what the best use of your breaks is so you can come back to work refreshed and ready to go.

Check out this article on other ways to reduce stress at your job!

It can feel stagnating to work in a field that seems to be fizzling out. There are few opportunities for growth, and it is easy to feel like your efforts don’t hold a lot of meaning. You might be wondering if it is too late to switch careers. Luckily, it is never too late to follow your heart and be true to yourself. Especially if you can find a niche within one of the following thriving job markets.

Healthcare

The healthcare industry is booming, and, by all appearances, will continue to thrive well into the future. There are far more needs for care than there are doctors, surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, and more to fill those needs. There is always a dire need for trained and licensed professionals to enter the healthcare industry. Mental health care is also on the rise. As more and more people are finally open to addressing their mental health, more psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists will be needed. Much of this care is going virtual, opening the field even further. On the tech side, AI and technological medical solutions continue to advance, demanding talented engineers, analysts, and researchers. If you are interested in healthcare, now is a fantastic time to acquire the necessary training and offer your talents to this booming field.

Real Estate

Home prices are at an all-time high, thanks to a solid post-pandemic rebound. Mortgage rates are holding steady, jobs are readily available, and inventory is relatively low. At the same time, interest rates are low. Home buyer traffic is extremely high throughout the United States, making now an excellent time to become a licensed real estate agent. In today’s market, homes are selling after just 19 days of listing. If you are passionate about real estate, find out how to get a real estate license in your state. Each state has different requirements for giving a real estate license. Real estate is an excellent second career, because it is both flexible and fulfilling.

Tourism and Hospitality

Although tourism and hospitality took a major hit during the pandemic, it is reviving now, and is projected to grow significantly over the next 5 years. That means that jobs are opening and job security should stay high, making now the perfect time to enter the industry. One thing that makes the tourism and hospitality industry so compelling as a second career is the opportunities for personal travel that it often affords.

If you are looking for a fresh start, knowing which industries are thriving is critical. When you enter a booming field, you can be sure to find a job, be offered growth opportunities, and feel like you are an important part of something big. It is never too late to realize your full potential!

Check out this article on how to ensure job security over the long term!

When you first start your own business, you have a lot on your plate. The startup phase of any business requires tons of work, and it is often done all by yourself, until a certain level of success has been reached and you can take on employees. But as your business continues to grow, you have more considerations on your plate. One of the most important of these is figuring out health insurance benefits for your employees. Here are a few things to expect when getting a health insurance plan for your business.

When to Find One

The first thing that you should know about getting a health insurance plan for your business is when you should start to find one. According to Nolo, any business with 50 or more full-time employees has to provide health insurance to at least 95% of their full-time employees. If they do not or cannot do this, they must pay a tax penalty to the IRS. For this reason, you should probably start looking into offering health insurance at your business once you begin approaching 40 full-time employees. This gives you enough time to set up the plan and get your employees enrolled before hitting the 50-employee mark cutoff.

The Price Tag

Another thing that you should know when you are getting a health insurance plan for your business is the price tag that comes along with that. Health insurance is not expensive, so be prepared for offering health insurance to employees to eat into your revenue a bit. According to Xevant, a lot of healthcare costs are driven by specialty drugs. You can find plans that don’t include these specialty drugs to cut costs, at the risk of upsetting some employees. Make sure you find a plan that offers the best balance of coverage and cost savings.

What Your Employees Want

The final thing that you should know before getting a health insurance plan at your business is what your employees want from health coverage. There are many different types of plans, but the biggest distinction is between HMO plans and PPO plans. HMO plans only cover certain care providers, where PPO plans allow individuals to choose their providers, but at the cost of higher deductibles. Discuss with your employees what their preferences are when selecting plans.

Health insurance plans are a requirement for many small businesses. Making sure that you know the essentials before picking a plan is key to making a smart choice. Think about these three things before selecting the plan that you would like to offer at your business.

Check out this article on how to ensure job security over the long term!

Being your own boss has its perks, but when you’re approaching middle-age, you may face some challenges that younger entrepreneurs don’t have to deal with. Although your life stage can pose some unique obstacles, you can overcome them. It will take persistence, hard work, and a little know-how.

Burnout

Almost everyone experiences some kind of burnout in mid-career, but for entrepreneurs, the burnout can be quite different. As the business owner, all the responsibilities land ultimately on your shoulders. The stress can make you irritable and exhausted, and it can lead to impulsive or bad judgment decisions.

To prevent burnout, create strict boundaries between work and personal time. Too often, entrepreneurs work long hours and don’t take days off, and that can lead to burnout. If you’re constantly “on call,” you won’t get the physical and mental rest that you need.

Physical Pains

As you grow older, it’s possible you will develop aches and pains due to previous injuries, arthritis, muscle stiffness, and other issues. These are common in middle age, but sometimes they can interfere with your work life, especially if your work involves lifting, walking, or climbing stairs or ladders.

If that’s the case, physical therapy may help you regain strength and flexibility. Physical therapy involves activities that can help you resume your daily routine. You can work with your physical therapist to come up with a plan to meet your individual goals.

Stresses of Family Changes

Many family changes seem to occur during your middle years. You may find yourself in the “sandwich generation,” caring for elderly parents at the same time you are trying to provide for your children. Your children may be growing up, entering college, moving out, and leaving you an empty-nester.

All of these stresses can affect your business. Your personal finance needs may change, and that can put a strain on your business. You may also need more time off to tend to family issues. More than ever, you need to take time to reassess your future, for both your business and your personal needs.

All entrepreneurs will face challenges as they start and continue to grow their businesses. For people who are approaching middle ages, these challenges can be stressful, but they don’t have to be insurmountable. Identify the issues that are holding you back, and take steps now to address them. You’ll feel better and work better.

Check out this article on why you need to take care of your health and safety at your job! 

There are tons of complications that come into making sure that your business runs smoothly, and as a business owner, it can be hard to tackle them all on your own. With the help of amazing software programs, you can make your job easier and take some of the edge off. Here are a few great software tools that you should keep on your radar to help make your business run with a little less effort on your part.

Payment Processors

Every business needs a way to accept payment from their customers, and that can add an element of complication that you don’t want to deal with. Using a payment processor can make it easier for you to accept the payments that keep your business afloat. A payment processor works as the system that brings money out of your customers account and into the business account. Essentially it is the tool that allows that process to happen smoothly and for you to receive payment. With that software tool, you know that the money is getting where it needs to go.

Cloud Software

Every business is going to accumulate data, and it requires that data in order to work effectively. However, managing data on your own can be a struggle and can put you at risk for a breach or data loss. You can use a cloud server to store your data in a safe and protected way. Public clouds are the most common and accessible option for a small business. These clouds tend to be affordable and will allow you enough storage space for all your essential data. And it will save you the expense of hosting your own server.

Customer Relation Management Software

Most businesses have a lot of communication with their customers, and you don’t want to lose any of that vital communication. With customer relation management software, or CRM, you can keep track of all your customer communications. This will make it easier for you to stay up to date with your customers and see any problems through to their solution. 

Technological advances have done a lot to make it easier to run a business. But you have to know what you have and what you need to use in order for it to pay off. Starting with these three options can give you the basics that you need to make your business run more smoothly.

Check out this article on how to handle stress and anxiety in your career!

There are many unique pros and cons of running a business where the sole employee and owner is you. One of the best things is that you get to keep all of the profits! Unfortunately, federal or state taxes on local businesses can cut deep into your livelihood if you’re not careful.

Keep Track of Expenses

The number one way to avoid running afoul of the IRS is to write everything down. Do your best to keep receipts for absolutely everything business-related. Keep excellent financial records. Your business expenses will be especially important to know for tax deduction purposes – because all business expenses are deductible. With each tax deduction that you file for, the overall level of income that the government can tax will go down. Being thorough and honest is your best bet for a higher paycheck.

Open a Retirement Account

There are many options for different retirement plans and accounts, and all of them can factor into your taxes. A SEP-IRA is ideal for solo entrepreneurs that want to keep things simple. With a SEP-IRA, you can deduct up to 25% percent of your net income, if you’re self-employed. You can also do owner-only 401(k) plans or owner-only defined benefit plans. Ultimately, the choice is yours – but it’s a good idea to talk to a financial professional to get a good idea of which option would be best for you, and to better understand how each option would impact your tax situation in different ways.

Put Away Savings for Healthcare

Similar to retirement accounts, there are also kinds of savings accounts that are made especially for saving money for healthcare or health insurance. Having a high-deductible health plan option with your health insurance can be very useful – since the opening of a health savings account would then enable you to save money for future healthcare needs. Medical fees are on the rise – so all business owners need to keep that in mind. Among other advantages, withdrawing from an HSA for medical reasons is not taxable.

At the end of the day, the technical legal maneuvers that will be best for your business will be slightly different for everyone else’s. The many factors surrounding your circumstances should decide how you go about reducing taxes for your business. Make sure to do the proper legal and logistical preparation, and make sure to consult with other business owners in your market to find the best option for you!

Check out this article on major trends entrepreneurs should keep an eye on!

Every entrepreneur is driven by that feeling of creating something new in the world. Building your own business and watching as it grows from the ground up can be a feeling of pride that few people get to enjoy as much as entrepreneurs. But there also comes a time for every entrepreneur to stay away from a business they started and dive into a new business venture instead. But making a smooth transition from your old business into your new business venture requires some planning. Here are a few tips to help you move on to a new business venture.

Decide Your Next Move

The first thing that you should do in order to move on to a new business venture is decide what your next move will be. Perhaps you need to move on to a bit of a rest period before taking on the pressure of building another startup. Maybe you have an idea for a business in the same industry as your previous business, or perhaps you wish to branch out into something different entirely. But whatever you do, you should have a plan for what is next before you make any further plans to move on from your current business.

Sell Your Current Business

The next step to move on to a new business venture is to sell your current business. While there are ways to move on from your business to a new business venture by holding on to your current business, you can get a lot of startup capital for your next business by selling your current business. Selling your business takes a little bit of time to do. Most of the time, you’ll be able to sell within 3 to 6 months of putting your business up for sale. Plan ahead for this gap period.

Secure Funding for Your Next Venture

The final thing that you have to do to move on to a new business venture is secure funding for your next project. While you can fund your business entirely with your own money if you would like, you can also borrow money on a low interest business loan so that you can keep your own assets invested in real estate or stocks which will gather a ten percent return annually.

Moving on from one business venture to the next can be a challenge but it does not have to be impossible. In fact, if you plan correctly, moving on to your next business can be a breeze. Just make sure you have done these three things and your exit is bound to be a success.

Read this next: Major Trends Entrepreneurs Should Keep Their Eyes On

Job stress is a common ailment, but it can easily become overwhelming. When you become too stressed, it’s not just your productivity that suffers. Your physical health and well-being can be damaged with too much stress. Try these steps to reduce your stress at work.

Work Hardest When You’re Most Productive

During your workday, there are hours where you’re not feeling the most productive. Keep track of your productivity levels for a while, and try to figure out during which hours you’re the most productive. Schedule out your tasks so that you can complete the most difficult ones during your most productive hours. Save the easy tasks for those times where your productivity is lacking. Obviously every day’s energy levels will differ, and some days will be harder than others, but this is a good general rule. This way, you can manage your to-do list and give yourself grace at the same time.

Eat a Healthier Diet

The food you put into your body can have a direct impact on your mental health. What you eat impacts how you feel. If you fill your body with nutritionally dense foods, and eat enough of them, you’ll feel good. Sugar and processed foods, on the other hand, can make your body function slow and sluggish, and can contribute to mood disorders. Your gut is also where 95% of your serotonin is produced, so focusing on your gut health can boost your mood all around. Eating fiber can prevent unpleasant symptoms of common digestive issues. Focus on eating whole, healthy foods for a balanced diet.

Take Breaks

Working for 8 straight hours every day is a great way to get burnt out. That kind of schedule isn’t sustainable for anyone. The stress of working that many hours without a break can be detrimental to your mental health. Take frequent breaks to stretch, walk around, and do something else. These breaks don’t have to be lengthy. Take a few minutes every few hours to stand up, walk around, and think about something other than work. You will be less stressed, and your productivity will increase.

Every job has certain stresses that come with it, but that doesn’t mean you should allow the stress of work to become too great. Try to discover what your stressors are at work, and how to work around them. These few tips are a great starting point.

Check out this article to learn more about the life events that can disrupt your career!