How to Feng Sui Your Workspace

Things to Do in an Office on the First Day of Spring

Spring can be a wonderful time of year. Depending on where you live, the first day of spring can mark the hopeful end of a brutal winter. It's a time of new beginnings, warmer days, and the return of nature's beauty. If you're stuck in an office, though, the first day of spring can be sad because you're missing out on all of the beauty. The solution is to find ways to celebrate the first day of spring in your office.

Add Decorations

• Perhaps the easiest way to celebrate the first day of spring is to decorate. Bring spring inside by adding color to your office. If you work in a drab, gray cubicle, add a few new, vibrant pictures to brighten the walls. Then add a few knickknacks on your desk, such as a pastel pencil holder, to liven up the décor. Add a festive candy dish with multicolored candy both as a decoration and as a reward for winter-weary co-workers.

Bring Flowers

• Nothing says spring more than bouquets of fresh flowers. Out of consideration for your co-workers, you'll want to select flowers that don't release strong scents. For instance, gardenias are lovely flowers, but you'll need to make certain no one is sensitive to the scent. Roses are always a spring favorite. Look for pink and yellow roses to brighten up the office. Zinnias are also a pretty way to bring spring inside.

Hold a Celebration

• Having an office party can be fun. You can have a First Day of Spring potluck lunch where everyone brings a favorite dish. If you don't have time for a luncheon, skip straight to dessert. Have everyone bring in a special spring treat. You can make cupcakes frosted with pastel icing or cookies sprinkled with pastel-colored sugar. If you don't have time to bake, your local grocery-store bakery will have some brightly decorated goodies. Pair your baked treats with pink or yellow lemonade.

Clean Up

• Although it might not sound like a favorite spring activity, a lot can be said for clearing away the clutter and getting organized. Spring is a time of starting over, so you can organize an office spring-cleaning party. Starting by clearing off the top of your desk. File all those papers that have been piling up. Toss any old documents you no longer need. Organize your office supplies. Clean old files off your computer.

Read More

Healthy Caffeine Alternatives to Perk You Up

Healthy Caffeine Alternatives to Perk You Up
We all know it well: The afternoon slump. It hits most people sometime between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. You feel like you can’t go on. Visions of curling up under your office desk “George Costanza-style” are foremost on your mind, or if you could just close your eyes for five minutes, perhaps the urge would pass.
Since most of us don’t have the luxury of afternoon naps after the age of four, we’ve developed other methods to get us through the long afternoon. For some this involves massive amounts of caffeine, while others opt for healthier alternatives. Since caffeine isn’t necessarily recommended in large doses on a regular basis, perhaps we could all benefit from a few healthier alternatives to perk-up during the midday slump.
Get Adequate Sleep
Make sure you are getting adequate sleep each night, which is anywhere around seven to eight hours. Try to keep your bed times and rise times fairly consistent. If you are sure you are getting enough sleep, you can rule out any other potential problems that might be causing you to feel so drowsy. If you’re having trouble getting enough sleep, try turning off the television, and other stimulating things about one-half hour before turning in.
Exercise
It’s important to squeeze a little physical activity into each day. It will wake you up, and get your blood flowing, which will give you a renewed sense of energy. Whether you do it right when you wake up in the morning, in the afternoon, or before bed, a regular exercise routine will keep you feeling healthy and invigorated. Avoid extreme exercise right before bed, as this can cause wakefulness. Give your body an hour or so to cool down after a workout before turning in for the night.
Ginkgo Biloba
You’ve probably heard of this popular herbal supplement, used to treat everything from memory loss to sexual dysfunction. Well, it can also give you a natural boost of energy. You can take it in the form of a capsule, or drink it as a tea. This might be just the thing to ease that afternoon drowsiness, or to get you going in the morning.

Escape the 9 to 5 and Live Anywhere

Are you one of millions, slogging to work each day – rain or shine? Do you put in eight hours a day, forty hours a week, fifty weeks out of the year? Are you sick of it?
Many folks are simply fed up with the 9 to 5 grind and are looking for a way out. And there’s hope! You don’t have to be a millionaire to start building the life you’re dreaming of.  Lifestyle design is the little-known, and often misunderstood cure for the traditional career.
Lifestyle design is often touted (somewhat foolishly) as an opportunity to live a rock star lifestyle. The true concept, however, is much more down-to-earth. You may not be interested in jet-setting or living some lavish lifestyle. Lifestyle design is more than that. It’s about living the life you want to live, and having the freedom to pursue your true passions.
But is it worth taking the leap? You have to pay the bills, care for your family, and put food on the table. Why take the risk?
1. Earning Potential
In a traditional job, your income is capped by either your salary or your hourly wage. No matter how hard you work, or how many hours you put in, your income is always limited by your set salary or wages. By breaking out of that 9 to 5 job, you unleash massive earning potential. You can work smarter, rather than longer, and make much more money than you would have imagined possible.
2. Healthy Lifestyle
Sitting locked behind a computer screen every day is absolutely detrimental to your health. From back problems to nerve and muscle deterioration to eye strain, the traditional 9 to 5 will take years off your life. Rather than spending your healthiest years stuck behind a desk, lifestyle design can set you free to spend those years pursuing your dreams and passions while you have the energy to enjoy them.
3. The Retirement Scam
So many folks struggle along day after day, holding out for that golden ticket of retirement. The sad truth is that very few people can ever afford to stop working altogether. Rather than spending your golden years enjoying your passions and chasing those delayed dreams, you may end up struggling in a low-income job just to keep soul and body together. Even corporate retirement packages are dwindling, and many have been left with little to nothing after a 30-year career. By escaping the 9 to 5 you can start today experiencing the world, chasing your dreams, and living your passions.

Stress Management - Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with stress management. Relaxation isn't just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body. Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress and with stress related to various health problems, such as cancer and pain.
Whether your stress is spiraling out of control or you've already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy. Relaxation techniques also are often free or low cost, pose little risk and can be done just about anywhere. Explore these simple relaxation techniques and get started on de-stressing your life and improving your health.

The benefits of relaxation techniques

When faced with numerous responsibilities and tasks or the demands of an illness, relaxation techniques may take a back seat in your life. But that means you might miss out on the health benefits of relaxation.
Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:

• Slowing your heart rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Slowing your breathing rate
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles
• Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
• Improving concentration
• Reducing anger and frustration
• Boosting confidence to handle problems

To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as exercising, getting enough sleep, and reaching out to supportive family and friends.

Source

Year End Tax Planning 2011

 1. Social Security Taxes

The one-year-only reduction in the Social Security tax expires at the end of 2011. In 2012, the Social Security tax will revert to its regular rate of 12.4%, with half (6.2%) paid by employers and the other half (6.2%) paid by employees. Self-employed persons pay the full 12.4% rate as part of the self-employment tax. For 2011, there was a temporary rate reduction to 4.2% for employees and to 10.4% for self-employed persons.

2. Educator Expense Deduction

The above-the-line deduction available for teacher's out-of-pocket classroom expenses expires at the end of 2011. This deduction will not be available for 2012 unless renewed by Congress.

3. Tuition and Fees Deduction

The above-the-line deduction for college tuition expires at the end of 2011. For 2012, both the Lifetime Learning Credit and the American Opportunity Credit will be available for college students.

4. Alternative Minimum Tax

Two separate provisions impacting the alternative minimum tax (AMT) will expire at the end of 2011. First, 2011 will be the last year when personal tax credits will be allowed to offset both the regular tax and the AMT. For 2012 and future years, tax credits will offset the regular income tax, but not any alternative minimum tax. Secondly, the temporarily patched exemptions for the alternative minimum tax will end in 2011. For 2012 and future years, the AMT exemption amounts will revert to a lower statutory amounts ranging from $22,500 to $45,000. This will result in more taxpayers being subject to the AMT, and will increase the adjustments for taxpayers already subject to the AMT.

5. Adoption Tax Credit

The refundable nature of the adoption tax credit expires at the end of 2011. For 2012, the maximum amount of the adoption credit decreases slightly from $13,360 (in 2011) to $12,650 (in 2012). For 2012, any unused non-refundable adoption credit can be carried forward up to five years to offset the regular income tax.

6. Mass Transit Fringe Benefit Reduced

For 2011, the tax-free exclusion for mass transit fringe benefits was set at $230 per month and was the same amount for tax-free parking benefits. For 2012, mass transit benefits no longer enjoy parity with the parking benefit. The 2012 amount for mass transit benefits eligible for tax-free treatment is $125 per month; while the parking benefit amount is set at $240 per month.

7. Deduction for Mortgage Insurance Premiums

The deduction for mortgage insurance premiums expires at the end of 2011. This deduction will not be available for 2012 unless renewed by Congress.

8. Sales Tax as an Itemized Deduction

The optional sales tax deduction expires at the end of 2011. This deduction is available in lieu of the deduction for state and local income taxes, and is particular valuable for taxpayers who live in states with no income taxes.

Continued...

The Best Time of Year to Buy Anything

Gym Memberships: Snag Back-To-School Bargains

We all know about the January deals, but September, when kids go back to school and parents are free to work out, is also a good time to get a discount. Live in a college town? Gyms will often slash fees during the summer, while gyms in resort towns do so during the off-season. Pay for an entire year up front, and many clubs will tack on a few extra months for free.

Car Smarts: Wait for Fall

October and November are ideal months to get a great deal on current model year vehicles, says Michael Waterman, executive editor of Vehix.com. Next year's models are already in stores, and dealers are anxious to move the older—but still new—cars off their lots. Manufacturers will often help with bigger incentives, cash-back programs and low interest rates.

Another way to secure a great deal on a new car is to know when a particular model is being replaced by an updated version. For instance, in 2011, Ford replaced the old Explorer with a completely redesigned crossover, and Honda updated the popular Civic with a new model. "Smart buyers realize these new-model updates often translate to deep discounts on the current models," says Waterman.

You also have a better chance of getting deals toward the end of the month. "Dealers might be a car or two short of a monthly sales quota that will give them a big bonus from the manufacturer," says Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com. "That's why they'll discount the car to you—whatever they lose on the deal, they'll make up in their bonus."

Gadgets: High Tech for Low Prices

Have your eye on a new digital camera or MP3 player? Ask the store manager when a newer model will be released (often October and November). Beforehand, companies tend to slash prices on the older models, or bundle the item with extras, like a free printer. Here's why: Stores close out "old" inventory just before getting the newest gadgets in time for Christmas, according to Kaplan.

Home Renovations at the Beginning of the Year

Michael Kaplan, author of The Best Time to Do Everything, says January is the slowest month for contractors - and when they tend to be the most negotiable on fees.

Fresh Flowers: Avoid the Holiday Rush

Sending a floral bouquet for Valentines Day, Mother's Day or another holiday? Order at least a week beforehand, and have it delivered two or three days early to avoid the holiday markup—typically 10 to 20 percent. During non-holiday weeks, shop on Tuesdays, often the slowest sales day of the week. Also be sure to ask the florist to make a bouquet using whatever flowers are in season. As with produce, you’ll get the best deal on what’s growing now and it will also be the best quality.

Jewelry: April, July and August

Why? Jewelers will negotiate in April (after tax time), and in July and August (because there are no gift-giving holidays in those months)

The Two Key Times of Year to Buy Furniture

The best time to buy furniture is typically January or July, says Jaclyn Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishing Alliance. Since new furniture styles hit the showroom floor twice a year (in February and August), stores will slash prices on older merchandise in order to make room for new arrivals.

Best Time of Week to Get a Haircut or Manicure Is...

Many salons advertise discounts (up to 50%) for early-week appointments; nail salons in some neighborhoods also cut prices on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Groceries and Produce

Taylor Hough shares her best-buy calendar, which she first compiled for Frugal Living for Dummies. Hint: Go with what's in season.

January: turkey, apples, grapefruit, oranges, and pears

February: candy and chocolates (after Valentine's Day)

March: frozen food

April: broccoli, cauliflower and eggs

May: soda, hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, asparagus, and pineapples

June: dairy products and tomatoes

July: berries, corn, cherries, squash, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, plums, peaches, and nectarines

August: squash, green peppers, lettuce, berries, apples, peaches, apricots, and fresh fish

September: apples, broccoli, cauliflower, and canned goods

October: pumpkins, cranberries, grapes, oranges, sweet potatoes, and yams

November: turkey, sweet potatoes, yams, and post-Halloween candy

December: oranges, apples, and grapefruit

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/money/Best-Time-of-Year-to-Buy-TVs-Computers-Jewelry-Gym-Memberships/6#ixzz1fgwpweYt

Stress Relief For Busy Professionals

Everybody knows what it’s wish to feel stressed. Deadlines looming, clients waiting which is even before you look at the daily commute. Regardless of how relative it is, it is easy for work related stress to maintain piling up.
You might have perhaps heard that stress can impact your wellbeing and your relationships, but are you aware that it may also harm your job? Stress has been shown to decrease productivity, creativity and effectiveness, so being stressed can limit your risk of career success.
The way to Overcome Stress
The best way to eliminate stress is a two-pronged strategy which supports decrease the number of pressure upon you and boost your physical and mental power to take care of it. Here are a few great stress reducers that are quick, simple to apply and won’t get in the way of your respective already busy life.
1. Relaxation
For many individuals, me included, it is easier said than done. Breathing exercises and stretching are simple, effective and will significantly improve your capability to deal with stress. Seeking to is they may be accomplished your desk or while walking about the office, in order to easily included these questions busy day.
Meditation and yoga will also be very helpful, though you may need to get started with classes.
2. Personal time management
Ever believe there aren’t enough hours inside the day? Finding out how to prioritize and turn into effective with the time can help to lessen stress levels.
Try keeping a diary for just a week of the method that you spend time everyday and exactly how long each task takes. I bet you’ll be surprised at the final of every week where exactly your time will go. You may then reorganize and reprioritize as needed.
3. Exercise
With most people it is just a case of either loving it or hating it! Whatever your feelings there isn’t any doubt that exercise has several benefits and helping to reduce stress is one.
The reason being active is this kind of effective stress reducer is it helps you to remove hormones we release into our blood when stressed. And it also gets better: the endorphins that exercise releases into the blood can improve your mood for 120 minutes, so exercising before be employed in the morning is a great method to ensure that you are in an upbeat mood for your big morning meeting.
4. Laughing
Yes it may be that easy! The main advantages of laughing include boosting our natureal defenses by increasing immune cells and decreasing stress hormones. Laughing at your coworkers in the workplace is not always a good thing to complete, but wait, how about using a funny calendar in your desk, or a screensaver which enables you giggle?
5. Healthy Eating
A respectable diet boosts your ability to battle stress-related illnesses. A diet plan packed with refined food and sugar on the other hand will probably leave you with low energy, moodiness and prone to illness. But those vending machine can be quite persuasive by mid-afternoon, so bring healthy snacks to be effective to avoid temptation.
It can be hard enough to navigate the tricky, competitive whole world of work with out the side-effects of stress slowing you down and causing you to be less productive. A little time to carry out proven to reduce stress techniques will allow you to perform at your best close at hand most.
Gillian Fairclough helps busy professionals move from stress to success and build fulfilling, enjoyable careers. And if you’re starting to feel the stresses and pressures at work accumulating, you can find more great information on how to conquer stress at Zest Career Coaching.
Read More

Examples of Concierge Service Requests

 Personal Assistant and Concierge Service Requests

1. Courier Services

2. Office Assistance 

3. Deliver Spare Car Keys
4. Wrap a Special Gift Item 

5. House Sitting: While your out of town

6. Local City Guides

7. Special Occasion Gifts

8. Meet and Greet

9.Organize a Space

10. Rare Item Location

11. Blind Date Request
Request your Customized Service Today
Contact
Website: www.asenseconcierge.com

Rent or Buy? 10 Cities Where It's Better to Rent

There are so many great cities in which to rent rather than buy a home right now, and for not all that much money. The latest Trulia Rent vs. Buy Index shows that even though it’s a better deal to buy than rent in 72 percent of the U.S. at the moment, rental rates are pretty low in most places.

Still, the study behind the index found that a “nation of renters has emerged as more Americans rent by choice or due to unforeseen financial difficulties.” And yet, renting is only less expensive than buying in four of the cities covered in the study, including New York City and San Francisco.

But even though buying is a great deal, no one at Trulia is surprised that U.S. consumers are renting.
“Since the start of the ‘Great Recession,’ many former homeowners have flooded the rental market. Following the principles of supply and demand, renting has become relatively more expensive than buying in most markets,” said Pete Flint, CEO and co-founder of Trulia, in a press release announcing the study.

“Though necessary for achieving true economic recovery, stricter bank lending practices have also further aggravated the struggling housing market in the short term. Even highly-qualified home buyers face intense scrutiny on their income, savings, existing debt and credit history before they can get a mortgage loan.”

The 10 best cities to rent rather than buy include:

1. New York
2. Seattle
3. Kansas City
4. San Francisco
5. Memphis
6. Los Angeles
7. Fort Worth
8. Oakland
9. Portland
10. Albuquerque

Real Original Article

A Sense Concierge Services

http://www.asenseconcierge.com

Concierge Services 

A Sense Concierge assists Busy Professionals and Individuals in managing
their everyday life. Specializing in one of the most valuable things in the
world... Giving the Gift of Time.

Providing our clients with unlimited concierge and errand services for
personal and business needs is the beginning to living the stress free life you
truly deserve.

At A Sense Concierge, we take pride in providing our clients with a number of
customized services that cater to individuals as well as businesses. We
strongly feel it is important to relate to our clients their importance to us, as
well as our importance to each of you.

Our goal is to facilitate in making your personal life and business schedule
more manageable by giving you, what we call "the gift of time". It's a gift
simply because, our services are based on giving you more time. Additional
time to focus on what is more valuable and important to you.

Testimonials


Personal Concierge Services


Business Concierge Services

13 Things Your Mail Carrier Won’t Tell You

1. Maybe your dog won’t bite you. But in 2009, 2,863 of us were bitten, an average of nine bites per delivery day. That’s why I wince when your Doberman comes flying out the door.

2. Remember this on Valentine’s Day: It takes our machines longer to read addresses on red envelopes (especially if they’re written in colored ink).

3. Why stand in line? At usps.com, you can buy stamps, place a hold on your mail, change your address, and apply for passports. We even offer free package pickup and free flat-rate envelopes and boxes, all delivered right to your doorstep.

4. Media Mail is a bargain, but most of you don’t know to ask for it. Sending ten pounds of books from New York City to San Francisco through Media Mail costs $5.89, compared with $16.77 for Parcel Post. Besides books, use it to send manuscripts, DVDs, and CDs; just don’t include anything else in the package.

5. We don’t get a penny of your tax dollars. Really. The sale of postage, products, and services at our 36,000 retail locations, and on our website, covers all of the post office's operating expenses.

Alternative Medicine Health Fair

Cooking Ideas for Busy Professionals

For many New Zealanders, the thought of cooking for themselves and/or their family at the end of the day is a daunting prospect. However, with a little planning and the help of some handy hints it needn’t be.
Basic Ingredients
Quick, tasty meals need not be at the expense of healthy and low cost options. Basic ingredients for your pantry such as rice, pasta, couscous, flavoured tomatoes, fish, canned beans, canned soups can form the basis for a hearty meal, or be added to a soup or as a base for a pasta dish.
Frozen vegetables in the freezer can quickly add serves of vegetables to your meals. Some salad greens in the fridge will complete a simple meal of steak and salad with a minimum of effort.
Time-savers

• Make a bigger batch of a dish if your food budget will allow it. This will mean you can heat up leftovers the next night, or put it away in the freezer for another night. Alternatively, have it for lunch the next day.
• Cook extra rice and freeze leftovers. Pull it out and throw some frozen vegetables, egg and meat if wanted, for easy fried rice.
• Make a big pot of mashed potato, and use the leftover to top a cottage pie. If you have the oven on to cook something, quickly chop some potatoes, kumara, pumpkin, and bake them. These vegetables can be reheated on their own or used as the basis for another meal such as roast vegetable lasagna, or a roast vegetable soup.
• Consider buying healthy convenience foods - quick cook rice, or fresh pasta cooks in less than 10 minutes. Look for them on special, there are many Weight Watchers and low fat options available to keep your kilijoules low, even on instant meals.
• Invest in kitchen appliances such as a slow cooker and use it to make casseroles, soups, cooked whole chicken, baked potatoes, risotto, or a health grill to quickly cook meat while removing the fat.
• Make meals in advance at the weekend and freeze part or whole meals to take out during the week.
• Cook savory muffins or scones, which can make a meal with a bowl of soup.
• Look for recipes where you can use a basic recipe and adapt it to make different meals. For example, create a meat and tomato sauce which can be used for spaghetti bolognaise, nachos with some beans and lasagna or cottage pie. This sauce can be frozen and used when needed.

There are websites available which allow you to enter ingredients you have and it gives you possible meal recipes such as Healthy Food Guide.
Make your own takeaways and get your children involved
This will save you money and doesn’t take that much work. Think of the time it would take you to drive, order and pick up your takeaways. It's enough time to put some crumbed fish pieces, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, or burgers on to cook, with some home made fries (these cook quicker if cut smaller and/or cooked for 5-10 minutes in the microwave), or frozen chips. Plus once again, it's a healthier version of a commercially made treat meal.
Buy ready-made tubs of falafel, make patties, add tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce and put in a burger bun.
Make pizzas with bought bases or use a bread maker for easy and tasty pizza dough.Let the kids create their own flavorings.
Cook smart!
Consider investing in a good recipe book or two which have quick, easy recipes which can become your weeknight lifesavers. This will also mean you can plan your meals and your grocery shopping. Once you have a few tried and true recipes up your sleeve you can avoid culinary chaos.

Source: http://www.nzs.com/new-zealand-articles/lifestyle/cooking-ideas-for-busy-professionals.html

Family Traditions can Start with You!!

How to Start Family Fall Traditions

Family traditions are wonderful. We all have certain memories of growing up. Each family has their own unique family tradition. Now that you have a family of your own, it is time to start your own family traditions. Children love to have a yearly tradition to look forward to . This fall, find ways in which you can create your very own fall traditions. This article will give you some ideas at what you can do for fall family traditions!

Read more: How to Start Family Fall Traditions | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5482689_start-family-fall-traditions.html#ixzz0yxtyG9oA

1. Attend a yearly festival held in the fall. Many communities offer fall festivities. These events are enjoyable for all ages. Most communities will hold the same event year after year. As your children get older, they will come to look forward to the event. Be sure to take pictures of your family each year at the event, so they will be able to remember it more clearly as they grow up.

2 Cider mills open in the fall. Take your children to visit a cider mill in a nearby town. This is not only a family event, it is also educational. They can witness how apple cider is made. It is a fun and inexpensive tradition that can be attended each year with your family.

3 Visit a pumpkin farm. Children, and adults, love walking through pumpkin patches. It is fun to bundle up and let each child pick out their very own pumpkin. Don't forget to bring the camera with you!

4 Decorate the front porch together in fall theme. Have each child display their own pumpkin on the front porch. Add in a scarecrow, and some hay for a more fall festive look. You children will enjoy it, especially with Halloween approaching, when they will be able to carve their pumpkins with you! Happy Fall!

Read more: How to Start Family Fall Traditions | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5482689_start-family-fall-traditions.html#ixzz0yxu2mHzw

Organic Eating for Busy Professionals

FREE 2010-2011 Calendar From Sunny.org

FREE RAINBOW CALENDAR 2010-2011

All my GLBT people and supporters - I would like to be the first to let you know Sunny.org is giving away free calendars for 2011. All you have to do is visit the website http://www.sunny.org/rainbow/planner/ and fill out the form for a 18-month calendar with vibrant photos, GLBT events leading up to the 2011 IGLTA Convention in Fort Lauderdale.

Don't forget to take advantage of the many other offers Sunny.org (the official website for Fort Lauderdale, Florida attraction has to offer)

6 Time-Saver Gifts for Busy Professionals

There are just not enough hours in the day." Who hasn't made or heard this complaint from a coworker, partner or friend who has too much to do?


All of us have. So, with the holidays coming up, there's no better gift than something that will make day-to-day tasks at work or home simpler, faster, and less stressful.

Below are six time-saving products along with examples of how much time your gift can save a working professional on your gift list. Based upon annual salary information provided by salary database PayScale.com, you'll see how much money the greater time efficiency from your gift will earn, too.


1. CardScan Executive -- $259.99

Time saved = 1.5 hours for every 100 business cards

Though everything else seems to have gone digital, nothing can replace the old-fashioned business card. But the contact information needs to make the digital leap. CardScan Executive quickly scans business cards and synchronizes the information with all of your contact management systems. It completes 15-30 business cards in a minute, while you work on other things.

So, if it would normally take one minute to enter the information on each card, for every 100 cards, that can equal about $30 in time saved for an experienced executive assistant with a median annual salary of $43,000. Any business professional or job seeker will find this a great gift and one that is also sure to reduce clutter after business meetings, interviews, and networking events.

2. MissNowMrs.com -- $29.95

Time saved = 13 hours

A professional woman who wants to change her name after getting married usually spends about 13 hours figuring out the process, according to Danielle Tate, founder of MissNowMrs.com. This site provides an alternative to bureaucratic confusion with a simple questionnaire tailored to the bride's location. When the bride has finished, she prints out the correct package of completed forms to sign and then submit to government offices, banks, and all the places that need to know her new last name.


"You don't have to make too much an hour for $29.95 to make sense instead of wasting a day or two off work getting it done," says founder Danielle Tate. For an elementary school teacher earning $42,000 a year, those 13 hours are worth about $260.


3. Bento for iPhone -- $4.99; Bento 3 (Desktop version) -- $49.00

Time saved = 1 hour per week


The Bento App for iPhone is a one-stop organizer and tracker for all of your files. This app easily stores and can sync your files up with the Bento 3 (or earlier version) desktop program. It comes with a wide variety of templates, and it is built to be flexible so you can create your own storage templates. It's hard to find anyone who couldn't use this app.


A stay-at-home parent can use it to plan meals, track holiday gifts, or plan parties, while a marketing project manager can use it to connect projects back to specific customers, customize internal data, and track the progress of the team. This application allows you to keep all relevant files linked together, so you spend less time toggling between deep folders, potentially saving you an hour per week with the added efficiency. For a marketing project manager earning just under $60,000 annually, that time is equivalent to almost $1,500 over the course of a year.


4. Timed Coffee Maker -- $80-200

Time saved = 75 minutes per week

"One of the simplest [time savers] I recommend for people is to get a coffee pot with a timer," says Elizabeth D. Bowman, productivity consultant and president of Innovatively Organized, a professional organizing company. A good coffee maker with a timer allows you to set everything up at night and have fresh coffee ready in the morning -- and you don't have to spend 15 minutes at your local coffee shop every morning on the way to work. That can add up to 75 minutes every work week.


Models range widely in price, but you can find a good model for under $100 if your budget this year is tight. And although it may not be paid time that's saved, the equivalent cost at work for an early-rising construction manager earning about $62,000 a year is about $35 per week.


5. AP Stylebook App -- $28.99

Time saved = 5 minutes per week

AP style is used by most professional writers and journalists as a punctuation and spelling guide for written work. Many marketing and communication experts also use it for branding material. The printed version is no pocket-sized manual, however, and most journalists and writers don't spend all their time in one spot. Enter AP Stylebook App -- this app gives you a mobile version of the stylebook so you don't have to wait to get back to the office to maintain your branding guidelines when "tweeting" on the go.

If this app saves just five minutes per week for a journalist earning about $43,000, over the course of the year, that time is worth about $90 -- at least enough to get a nice massage.


6. zBoost Cell Phone Signal Booster -- $179.99-$399.99

Time saved = 5 hours per month in saved commute time

More and more professionals are doing at least part of their work outside of the traditional office. Whether that's from the freeway or your home office, cell phone signals don't always reach your location as clearly as desired. Fortunately, zBoost has a variety of products that can be set up in your home or car to improve signals by one or two bars, drastically reducing dropped or missed calls for a radius 1,200-2,400 square feet, depending on the model.

This product saves time for any professional who can reduce a commute by working from home with a clearer signal. For an average IT project manager earning about $70,000 per year, the gift will pay back its worth in time saved in just under six weeks.

Source: All salary data is from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are median, annual salaries for full-time workers with 3-5 years of experience and include any bonuses, commissions, or profit sharing. Hourly rates are calculated by dividing the yearly salary by 2080.


Also on Yahoo! HotJobs

5 Ways to Use Your Professional Skills to Give Back

Do you feel the call to service but don't know where—or how to find the time—to start giving back? Jonathan Tisch, Loews Corporation executive and author of three books, including Citizen You: Doing Your Part to Change the World, says you can start by putting the skills you've learned in your job to good use. Unlock your volunteering potential with his five tips for "citizen professionals."



1. Apply Your Talents to a Social Cause

Whatever you do for a living, from accounting to cooking to teaching, there's a community organization that can use those skills to help make the world a better place. Why just be a nurse when you can become a citizen nurse? You may think you are too busy with your job to do good. You also may think making a difference is better left to saintly, self-sacrificing heroes like Mother Teresa and Florence Nightingale. But think again.


You have valuable talents that can be harnessed for a cause, even if it's just for a few minutes a day. Careers today are being reinvented in ways that benefit both the individuals who practice them and the society in which they live. There's a new way of thinking about work that satisfies the desire for self-advancement and personal benefit, as well as the latent idealism so many people have learned to suppress or ignore. That's what being an engaged professional is all about.


2. Find Ways to Get Your Workplace Involved in Social Activism

More and more companies are now practicing good citizenship. How can yours provide support to worthy causes through donations of time, talent, goods or services? Start by re-examining your occupation's ethical code or professional standards, or your employer's mission statement or professional standards. Think about a small way you can help lead fellow employees to follow these standards more proactively. Consider how you can help everyone in your profession to start thinking like citizen professionals and applying their professional skills to address social problems that could benefit from those skills.

If your line of work doesn't already have a recognized code of conduct or ethical standards, consider writing one. It should embody your personal ethical values and encapsulate how those values are expressed in the work you do. Share your effort with a couple of like-minded colleagues. It may stimulate some lively discussion about what you can do to incorporate social benefits into your daily work.

3. Become a Mentor


Offer your hard-earned wisdom to benefit young people in need of guidance and encouragement, from school kids in your neighborhood to new graduates just entering the workforce. Everyone is qualified to be a mentor, and the experience is just as rewarding for the mentor as the mentee. You can do this informally with someone you know or through an organized program such as Mentoring USA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Experience Corps and New York City's Middle School Mentors program. Students, children and younger people in your industry could all benefit from your mentoring.

4. Act 2: Devote Yourself to Citizenship

As baby boomers begin retiring, some are looking back on the turbulent yet promising days of their youth, wondering what happened to their dreams of reshaping the world. Instead of winding down in retirement, today's active citizenship movement offers retirees the opportunity to apply their restless energies to the pressing needs of society. For many, the new activism may hold the answer. They can join the thousands of retirees who are shifting from the business world into the non-profit sector. They are using their talents and skills to help young people and the disadvantaged, as well as programs that support culture and the arts.

5. Become a Digital Citizen

If you are searching for ways to connect, there are thousands of worthy organizations that use the Internet to engage supporters, mobilize resources and solicit ideas. You can discover projects in your own community and around the world that excite you. You could participate in a digital forum about a public issue you care about, donate electronically to support a charity you believe in or share information about a topic you're an expert on—all for the benefit of thousands of other citizens like you.

Many not-profit organizations, citizens' networks and community groups already use the Internet to leverage their knowledge, connections and power—but many are not doing so. Take a look at the groups and causes you support, and evaluate how effective their digital presence is. If they don't have one, or if you can see ways in which their digital activities could be made more appealing, engaging and impactful, why not volunteer to research and develop those improvements? You don't need to be an expert in programming or web design. Volunteers or paid professionals with those skills can be recruited later. As long as you have imagination and a passion for the cause you're serving, you can contribute something meaningful to the project.

Jonathan Tisch is the author of Citizen You: Doing Your Part to Change the World, The Power of We and Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough. He is co-chairman of the board and a member of the office of the president of Loews Corporation, and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. Tisch has appeared on The Today Show, The Early Show, Larry King Live, Charlie Rose, CNN, CNBC and Fox News Channel. He is also the host of the Emmy-nominated Bloomberg TV and Plum TV show Beyond the Boardroom.

Read More

Overcoming Stress, Anxiety through Self Hypnosis