7 Effective Ways to Manage Your Debt and Boost Your Creditworthiness

A man in debt is so far a slave. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Standard and Poor's has downgraded the U.S. credit rating for the first time ever from AAA to AA+. S and P said it lowered the rating because the deficit reduction plan Congress passed on Tuesday did not go far enough to stabilize the country's debt situation.


On a personal level, how do you manage your debt and avoid erosion of your credit rating? Here are 7 simple ways to do it:

1. Monthly repayments to be included in your budget: It is imperative to factor in all loan repayments into your monthly budget because it is not an optional item. You have to plan for it and you work your plan.

2. Timely payment: Do not be late to make your monthly payments. If you do, it will impact your credit rating negatively. You don’t go to work late, right?

3. Do not skip a single payment: It is a very serious matter to skip even one payment. You are sending a signal to your creditors that something is not right and you are in financial trouble. It will negatively affect your credit rating even further. It’s like you are missing in action for one day and everyone is worried about you.

4. Avoid incurring more debt: At this critical stage, avoid getting into any more debt than you can possibly manage. The most important thing is to get rid of all debt as soon as possible. Curb your wants.

5. Cut spending: While you are in debt, go for an austerity drive. Look into your spending pattern and cut unnecessary items such as entertainment.

6. Look for new income streams: It is also wise to look for additional sources of income. Can you turn your hobby such as photography to be a freelance photographer?

7. Be responsible: The worst thing you can do is to jeopardize your credit rating by not communicating with your creditor when you are unable to meet payments. Go and negotiate with your creditors to reduce the monthly payment, waive a few monthly payments or reach a mutually agreeable solution.

What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience? ~Adam Smith

10 Stress-Free Ways to Work Productively

The smart way to work is to plan your work and work your plan and get things done without stress. The more you have to do, the more you need to spend time and plan ahead. This is to avoid getting busy but not productive by getting the wrong things done. Here are 10 ways to get more done in less time:

1. Advance planning: The best time to start work is at the end of your working day. It is the best time to plan your work for the following day productively. You know very clearly what needs to be done. You also know what the most important tasks are ahead of you. You will prepare a to-do list according to their importance. Leave this list on your table. A written list works better than your memory. It is because you will avoid overlooking things that need to be done. You will also avoid rushing to get something done and be stressed.

2. Start work right away in the morning: You will be productive because you waste no time and you can start work immediately because you already know what to do.

3. Do the most important and difficult tasks in the morning; Morning is the best time to do the most important and difficult task. Your energy is at its peak and your mind is fresh and alert. It is also a great relief for you and eases your burden for the rest of the day when the main task is completed.

4. One task at a time: You may be busy, but it is more productive to do one task at a time because it is not stressful and you are less likely to make mistakes.

5. Avoid distractions: Distractions interrupt your attention at work and disrupt your train of thought. Can you work without being disturbed? It is an important factor to work productively and without stress.

6. Avoid guessing: The smart way to work is to work once only. Be sure of what you have to do and avoid wasting time and doing it all over again. The key is to ask and clarify.

7. Mindful at work: To be productive is to work mindfully. Be interested in you what you do and think of nothing else. Getting into the flow of work is the way to go.


8. Take breaks: There is no waste of time when you take a break between tasks. A short break helps regain your concentration and energy. Have a cup of coffee to reward yourself for a task just completed. When you resume work you will be fresh and alert again.

No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you`d be more productive. ~Abani Roy


9. Lunch break: Working non-stop without taking your lunch break is counter-productive. Like taking short breaks, you need a lunch break to be away from the workplace. Get some fresh air and sunshine. It is good for you. Enjoy your lunch and eat slowly and be happy. When you go back to work it is just like starting another new working day. You will be full of energy.

10. Review and plan ahead every day: At the end of a busy and productive day, it is a good time to review your to-do list. Are you able to accomplish all that you have planned to do? If so, be proud of your effectiveness at work. If not, identify the challenges that you are facing and make changes to work more productively. Again, it is also time to plan your work for the following day to be even more productive with less stress.

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How to be a Productive Article Writer

Writing articles for your blog is a competitive thing to do. You aim to be a better writer and you want to rank higher in Traffic Rank, PageRank, and Technorati Authority Rank. How do you write productively to be ahead and stay ahead?

1. Write in advance: Writing should be a fun thing to do and you should not be under stress or pressure. The way to do it is to write in advance. It means you already have a “stock” of articles ready to be posted. You are not posting the article that you are writing on the same day, but for a future date. In this way, you can write calmly and peacefully.

2. Write about what you are good at To write productively and easily is to write things you are familiar with and good at. Sharing your personal experience is another good way to write useful articles. You build your authority and trust in things that you are knowledgeable about. Usually, you are deeply interested in the subjects that you are writing about.

3. Good writing habits: An effective way to be productive is to write daily. It is also important to write at a time when you can perform your best. It is the time that your mind is fresh and clear and you are free from distractions. Choose a place that is comfortable for you to write. Taking breaks is important to relieve your tiredness. Usually, new ideas occur to you when you are doing something else to relax your mind.

4. Deadline: Setting a deadline for yourself is another effective way to be productive. Since it is a good habit to write daily, you should aim to write an article a day. Self-discipline is the key to develop successful writing habits. When you write every day, you develop an attitude of urgency to do work and be productive.

5. Read widely: To get ideas for your article, especially your article titles, you need to read widely. You have to scan newspaper headlines, browse magazines and read articles online. Go to Google AdWords to look for keywords or Amazon to look for book titles and chapter titles is an excellent way to come up with popular article ideas.

6. Three roles of an article writer: As an article writer you play three different roles at three different time slots. When you have an idea of what to write or an article title is ready. Your first role is that of an idea generator. You come up with a lot of ideas for the articles in no particular order. Next, in another session, you play the actual role of an article writer and write the article properly. You write cohesively and seamlessly flowing from one point to another and take care of grammar and punctuation. Lastly, and yet in another session, you play the role of an editor. You look at your own article critically. Is the article useful for the readers? Is the content matching the title? Are there mistakes in the article? This is the productive way to write an article.

7. Passion and enthusiasm: Are you interested in writing? Can you be motivated to write? To be productive, you should be enthusiastic about writing. You can develop writing skills by writing daily. As you continue to write, you will be motivated by more readers coming to your site as indicated by your Traffic Rank. When your writing gets better, there will be more links to your articles and you will be accorded with PageRank.

The more a man writes, the more he can write. ~William Hazlitt

7 Reasons to Buy Gold

Gold has reached its all-time high of 1600/oz in July 2011. Do you own gold? Is gold part of an overall portfolio? There are 7 good reasons to buy and keep gold:

1. Demand exceeds supply: According to World Gold Council, there is increasing in demand for gold especially in China and India but the supply or production is rather inelastic.

2. Hedge against inflation: Gold is able to protect your purchasing power while paper money depreciates in value because of the rising price of goods and services. It is also a good hedge against the declining US dollar as gold is bought and sold in U.S. dollars and it is also the world’s main trading currency.

3. Preserve your wealth: Gold is able to preserve its value over time while other asset classes fluctuate in value.

4. Price of gold is all the way up The chart, which is taken from GOLDPRICE, clearly indicates the upward trend of gold. The outlook is positive as the demand for gold is growing.

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5. An essential component of your diversified portfolio: As you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, gold should be an important part of your overall investment because gold has a very low correlation to stocks and bonds. It is able to maintain its value and reduce your overall portfolio risk.

6. Golden companion for the golden years: Gold is good for retirement. Holding gold is like taking an insurance cover for your retirement fund. When all else fails, you still can count on your gold. Gold is less volatile and more effective in protecting against negative events such as political and financial instability.

7. Care-free way to invest: You don’t have to worry about physical possession of gold. All you need to invest in gold is to open a gold account with one of the financial institutions. You are given a gold passbook and it is as good as the actual gold bar of 999.9 purity. You can continue to buy and sell gold in a hassle-free way.

Are you going to your friendly banker to open a gold investment account today?

(This article is for your information only, consult your financial adviser before investing)

Are You Spending Your Lunchtime Productively?

There is a movement going on. Every Wednesday workers across America are taking a collective lunch break. You can find out more about it at Take Back Your Lunch. The question is: Are you taking advantage of the one-hour lunch break? Here are the things that you should do:

1. The break is more important than the lunch: You deserve a break. This is a time to regain your energy and clear the clutter in your mind. A break allows you to work more productively in the afternoon.

2. Get out of the office: A change of environment is good for you to release tension, get rid of stress, and breathe in the fresh air. It is an effective way to regain your balance.

3. Enjoy your lunch: It is a marvelous time to catch up with your friends and invite them for lunch and eat in a cheerful mood. Be in the moment, eat mindfully and enjoy your lunch.

4. Working non-stop is unproductive: It is detrimental to your health because working continuously creates tension and stress. On top of that, your energy and concentration diminish as time goes by.

5. When there is still time: When you are back from your lunch break and you still have time to spare, be productive. Continue with your unfinished article, study, or read.

6. Take stock of the work in progress: It is also a good time to review what you have accomplished in the morning and proceed to do the most important thing if it is not completed.

7. It’s unhealthy to eat and work at the same time: According to the researchers from the University of Bristol, eating lunch at your computer could make you fat: Snacking at your keyboard boosts your appetite later on.

Are you going to take back your lunch?

10 Productive Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog

TRAFFIC

According to Blogpulse, there are more than 165 million blogs on the Net. To attract readers to your blog, you need to do things productively and market your blog and content vigorously.

1. Blog about what you know: Write about things that you are interested in and passionate about. Write on subjects that you are knowledgeable about and good at. This is to develop and build your authority and trust over time as you write more and more articles.

2. Be productive and get ready articles in advance: How many articles do you have right now ready to be posted: one, two or seven? The more articles you have in hand the better it is. The most important thing is that you want to avoid interruption in your posting schedule. When you, as an example, post an article a day, you have to keep to your schedule even when you are not writing when you are on holiday or unwell. Another thing is that you do not want to meet a posting deadline and write your article in a hurry and under stress at the expense of quality. An article needs to be written in a few sessions from gathering ideas, writing the actual article and proofreading it.

3. Use Scoop.it to notify major social networking sites: An effective way to promote your article as soon as it is posted is to use scoop.it to notify major social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. According to Alexa, more than 46% of my traffic source is from Facebook (upstream site).

4. Join blog carnivals to get inbound links: When you have a new article posted, another productive thing to do is to submit your post and participate in relevant blog carnivals. You will gain new visitors to your site. Incidentally the more links you get from blog carnivals the higher will be your Technorati Authority Rank.

5. Submit original articles to article directories and do guest posting for more inbound link: There are two more ways to get more traffic to your site. Send you original articles to Ezinearticles with a link in each article to your site. Readers will read your articles and then follow the link and land on your site. The other effective way is to do guest posting on other sites and attract readers who have never been to your site.

6. Comments on other blogs and participate in forums: Constructive comments on other sites are a good way to attract the blog owners’ attention to visit your site. Taking part in forums to offer solutions to problems is also an effective way to get others to notice you and visit your site.

7. Post consistently and regularly to your site: To sustain blog traffic, you need to post articles consistently and regularly like operating a retail outlet. Business must go on in order to keep your customers.

8. Keep on learning about blogging tips: There are always new things to learn in the blogosphere. Keep learning to stay ahead and be ahead. Learn and employ methods that are effective to attract visitors to your sites.

9. Display your Traffic Rank and PageRank widgets: Your Traffic Rank and PageRank are good measurements of your popularity, authority and trust. The higher the ranking of your site, the more influential will be your site and the easier it is to attract visitors.

10. Blog directories: submit your blog to blog directories. It is another way to promote your blogs and get other bloggers to visit your site.

To stay productive, focus on activities that bring you the results.

Are You Writing Effectively at Work?

The first goal of writing is to have one's words read successfully. ~Robert Brault

To write effectively is to inform, persuade and convince others to take action. As you move up the corporate ladder, it is all the more necessary for you to write effectively and productively. Here are the tips that you can use and hone your writing skills to get noticed and be ahead. You, too, can be an effective writer:


1. Be confident: Do not doubt yourself. It is important to have a positive mindset that you will be able to write effectively. Bear in mind that the more you write, the better you will be able to write. It is a matter of constant practice.

2. Write consistently: Like doing everything else, to be effective, it is necessary to write regularly and frequently. The most effective method is to start a blog and write stuff that you are good at and interested in. The other advantage is that, by writing constantly, you will be able to develop and build a trusted brand for the things that you are knowledgeable about.

3. Do research: It is also necessary to get the right information to support your writing. Search the Net, read books, and be sure of what you write because you want to gain the trust of others in you.

4. Read and learn: Read widely and learn more from experts, like Copyblogger, about effective writing. Extensive reading also expands your word power.

5. Be clear, concise, and focus: You should be very precise about what you want to write and be brief and focus. Go straight to the point and avoid padding.

6. Write logically, sequentially, and cohesively: The purpose of your written work should be stated clearly in your opening paragraph. Subsequent paragraphs should provide details to support your main message. You will call for action in the final paragraph of your writing.

7. Write with care: Check your work and avoid mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Your effectiveness and credibility will be discounted when you cannot write in proper English.


8. Write to be read easily and quickly: At the workplace, people are impatient and they are working under stress. Write in bullet points or number your points so that your message can be digested easily and quickly. Use short sentences with short paragraphs and simple words.

9. Write with energy: Write when you are relaxed and your mind is fresh. Write when there are no distractions so that your train of thought is not interrupted unnecessarily.

10. An effective writing method: Write in three separate sessions. In the first sessions, you try to get as many ideas on the subject that you are writing about. In another session, you do the actual writing by using the ideas generated. In the last session, you look at your own work critically. You want to make sure that what you have written is relevant with no spelling or grammar mistakes.

Start writing today and every day to be an effective writer.

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