Jessica Williams's Blog, page 7

2018 in Review + 2019 Plans

I really loved how XOSarah did her year in review post and wanted to do something similar, so here goes:

Great Things that Happened in 2018

Changed jobs. After realizing that I needed a change early last year, I was able to find a new opportunity at General Assembly where I'm career coaching students who are changing their careers into technology.

Visited the Grand Canyon.  After being able to do a Side Hustle for the Soul workshop as part of the ACT-W conference in Phoenix, I treated myself to a day trip to the Grand Canyon.

Bouldered for the first time. Considering I have terrible balance and I'm afraid of heights, this was an adventure. But it was also something on my list so I'm glad I went. And I would be open to doing it again!

Created my first course on Teachable.  I wanted to make it easy for folks to get started with affiliate marketing so I created a starter course and I love the platform.

Things that worked

Reading before bed

I realized that reading before bed was a big part of my self-care for the year. It also helped me shake off the day and wind down before going to sleep.

Delegating moving!

Me and grandma had to move again this year and instead of having my uncles help as had been done in past moves, I was able to hire movers.  #Gamechanger.  It made the day a lot less stressful and much more efficient.  Also, I discovered Dolly as a great solution to pick up items for donation to Goodwill.

#jesspicks

I love curating my weekly newsletter. Do you get it?  It's a great way to round up the week and share some of my favorite articles with my side hustler audience.

Side Hustle Focus

I spent last year shifting the focus of my brand to side hustlers. I participated on two side hustle panels at my day job and delivered the Side Hustle for the Soul workshop (all about how to get started) once in Phoenix and once as part of an online conference.

Things that didn’t work

Blogging consistently

I need to figure out a better strategy for putting out content on a more consistent basis.  I think really focusing on the side hustler and their needs will help identify possible blog topics.

Best things I bought

Kindle Paperwhite

This has secretly been on my wishlist for a while but I wasn't sure that I needed it considering I had a regular Kindle and it worked just fine.  With the holiday sales though, I was able to get one for a great price and I have to say, it has been an awesome purchase. It's nice to have the backlight so I don't necessarily need the light on when reading and the device is much lighter.

Fitbit Versa

This As a way to remind me to get up and move every hour, this has been awesome.  It's also nice to get text and call alerts as well as calendar reminders when I don't have my phone with me.

Best books I read:

Self-Care for Introverts by Barrie Davenport

It was great to read a book focused on introverts and our needs. I love how it made me think differently about self-care for myself and how it's really important to understand that so that you can build in time and activities to help you recharge.

The Rule of One by Ashley and Leslie Saunders

This book reminded me a lot of What Happened to Monday on Netflix. It's the story of two twin sisters who are trying to survive in a world that only allows one child.  Of course, someone discovers their secret… The book is also written by two sisters which I think is a really nice touch.

Why Today is Awesome by Shenee Howard

This book is awesome!  It helps you look at your days in a different way and set intentions for making that day great even with all of the sucky, bad things that we deal with. It's about making conscious choices to add a little bit of awesome to your day even if it's something as simple as having cereal for dinner.

What I wish I’d done more of

Writing/Creating

As I was packing and going through the moving motions, I found old journals and notebooks and realized how much I used to love writing when I was in school.  It was like the universe was sending me signs to create again.

Self-Care

I’m a caregiver at home and help 60-75 students at work so there were times I really felt drained and depleted.  I realized in those moments that my cup was empty and I needed to find ways to fill it back up.

Exercising

I have a gym in my building and still didn't feel motivated to work out.  I realized that I need to find ways to add more activity to my day and find a way to add movement that I actually enjoy.

What I wish I’d done less of

Saying yes without thinking

As a giver, I feel like my automatic response to anything is “yes”.  Yes, I'll come to your event. Yes, I'll give you money.  Yes, I'll take care of that.  Even to my detriment sometimes.  And I'm not saying that “yes” is automatically bad but I want to be more intentional about the things I say yes to.  Because saying yes to one person or commitment could be saying no to myself.

2019 Goals

Rocking this Chicago Innovation Women’s Mentoring Co-Op opportunity! I’m paired with a protege for 6 months and I’m excited to help her with her goals.

Write at least one blog post and one tip on 30seconds.com every month.  I think this goal is doable and hopefully will get me writing even more.

Do more things for me. I’m really looking forward to participating in Fear Experiment this year and learning some Broadway moves.

Book a speaking gig in another cool place where I can take an extra day and sightsee.

Read 28 books.  Since I've realized reading is a huge part of my self-care, I want to take it up a notch this year. You can follow on with my progress on Goodreads.

The post 2018 in Review + 2019 Plans appeared first on Tech Biz Gurl.

5 Things I’m Doing in the Next 6 Weeks

I was inspired to write this post after reading Jon Acuff's list of 10 things he would accomplish before the end of the year.  Plus I love this idea of taking advantage of the time we have left in the year to get some things done instead of waiting til the New Year.

I want to try and add in some fun things that I’ve wanted to do for a while. Working as a career coach by day, I find myself giving so much of myself that I need to focus on ways to fill up my cup.

So what am I doing in my “5 til '19” list?

1. For my side hustle, I’m taking off the last two weeks of the year.

This means I won’t be doing my #jesspicks newsletter for two Saturdays on 12/22 and 12/29. I think it’ll be good to take a pause and get ready for the New Year. You on the list?

2. I’m planning to read at least four books.

My goal for the year is to read 25 books and I’m currently at 21.  I want to read four more books to finish my goal.  A few that are on my to-read list:

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Art of the Job Search: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding a Job You Love by Heather Hund

Any others you think I should read? I’ve been on a thriller kick lately!

3. I’m going to take a bouldering/wall climbing class finally.

This has been on my bucket list since before I turned 30 and I planned to go a couple years ago but then I had crazy neck pain and had to visit a chiropractor for 6 months.  Would love to give this a try to see if I can do it and if I can add it as an option to my yet to be determined “get moving” routine.

4. I’m doing the zoo at night with my bestie.

I’ve never been to any of those “after dark” fun museum outings so I’m looking forward to going to BrewLights at Lincoln Park Zoo in December. And getting to sample some great beer.

5. I will write more.

Yeah that’s sooo specific right?  I’m still trying to figure out what that means, but ultimately I want to spend some more time writing.  The universe has been sending me little nudges to do so.  Not sure if that means doing it daily or trying to do something once a week. But I think having the “write more” mantra in mind is a good plan for now.  And this post is a great start!

These are some things I feel good about and it feels good to focus on me a little bit more for the rest of the year.

How about you?  What can you accomplish before the new year?

The post 5 Things I’m Doing in the Next 6 Weeks appeared first on Tech Biz Gurl.

Sleep Easy: 6 Tips to Fall Asleep Faster

Sleep is super duper important. Even Arianna Huffington has said so. I’ve learned that in this juggling act that is my day jobbing, side hustling, and caregiving life, sleep can be the difference between a productive day and a hot mess. Some people live by the #teamnosleep philosophy and it may work for them, but it is not a solution for everyone.

Also, lack of sleep can cause a lot of health issues, including stress and weight gain around the middle.  It can also affect your mood making you less patient and increase your risk of health issues like high blood pressure and depression.

I feel better prepared to handle the day with a restful night’s sleep. I also feel less stressed, get sick less often and have a clearer mind and better focus.  So let’s talk about ways we can improve your sleep.

Have a wind-down routine preferably away from screens.

Screens can be evil as it makes it harder for our body to know that it’s night time. If you can create a night-time or wind-down routine leading up to your bedtime, your body will know to start relaxing. This could be closing the laptop, putting the screens away and picking up a good book. It’s a signal to your body that it’s time for sleep.

Avoid coffee in the afternoons.

You will need to gauge this for yourself – but I know that if I have coffee after 2 pm, it'll be harder for me to fall asleep that night.  So I often opt for afternoon tea or hot chocolate. Figure out how late in the day you can have caffeine before it starts affecting your sleep.

Exercise.

If you exercise, it really can help you sleep better. For me, it definitely helps my stress levels and tires out my body a bit so I'm able to fall asleep without going into worry-mode.  It's good to exercise in the morning or early afternoons because doing it too close to bedtime can affect your sleep.

Make lavender your BFF.

I love using lavender Epsom salt or Pond's makeup remover wipes right before bed as the scent is a signal to my senses that it’s time for bed.

Have a nighttime mocktail.

You can have some chamomile tea, warm milk with honey, or one of these fancy alternatives to help you relax and sleep better.

Use Casper Mattresses’s sleep cards.

If you are trying to figure out how to deal with a particular sleep issue, look it up on the card below and try the recommended solution. For example, if you find that anxiety is keeping you awake, doing a quick meditation or some light stretching may be the way to go.

The post Sleep Easy: 6 Tips to Fall Asleep Faster appeared first on Tech Biz Gurl.

5 of the Best Side Hustles for Startups

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3 Things to Know Before Choosing and Registering Your Domain

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Get The Word Out with These Marketing Tools

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The 5 Elements of an Engaging Website

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Take Your Side Hustle Back to School

Do you feel the back to school buzz? Parents everywhere are posting pictures of their kids going back to school. Stores are crowded with students buying all of the things they need to start the new year. New planners. New notebooks. New backpacks. New clothes.

New beginnings.

How can you take advantage of that buzz and use it for your side hustle? A lot of people think of September as a start of the new year instead of January. You can get a jumpstart by taking advantage of this next four months and get stuff done.

Here's how:

1. Plan your year.

I used to love starting a new school year with a student planner and plotting out everything: tests, projects, and papers. This way I could start figuring out where to schedule in study time and writing time.

What do you want to accomplish in your business over the next school year? Where do you want to be this time next year? What are your goals?  Are there any classes you need to take? Books on your wish list?

Grab your favorite planner (I just ordered this one!) and start plotting out your year.

2. Get school supplies.

In thinking about school supplies for your business, think about things that will save you time. Especially if you are doing the side hustle/day job dance, your time is even more precious and limited. The goal is to automate as much as you can and use technology to help.

What kind of things can go in your tech toolbox?  Are you collecting email addresses?   Will an online scheduler help you schedule those clients calls? Do you need a course to help you figure out what kind of business you are trying to build?

Stuck?  Check out my must-have tools for starting your side hustle for some inspiration!

3. Get a study buddy

When I was in school, I always found someone that could be my partner. Someone I could share notes with and bounce ideas off of; basically, just someone that was going through the same thing that I was going through.

You can use a study buddy in business too. Building a business is one of the hardest things that you'll ever do. And you can get stuck in your own head all the time brainstorming and thinking of things and going around in circles. But if you start sharing that information with someone you trust, you can start getting validation that you’re on the right track or you may get other ideas that’ll get you thinking even more.  Who can be your study buddy?  Who can hold you accountable and help you meet your goals?  Are there Facebook groups you can join with other side hustlers or biz owners?

This is a great time of the year to take a hard look at the goals you want to accomplish by the end of the year and use the energy and momentum of back to school to get you moving forward.

How are you using the back-to-school buzz to supercharge your side hustle?

The post Take Your Side Hustle Back to School appeared first on Tech Biz Gurl.

3 Life Lessons I Learned from the Minions Movie

Who else loves the little yellow suspender-wearing guys as much as I do? (Oh just me? Ok then.) I fell in love with the Despicable Me franchise when I saw the first movie years ago. It’s a cartoon so you would think that it’s for kids but I enjoyed it so much and it made me feel so much lighter afterward.

After watching Minions with the lovely voice of Sandra Bullock, I started thinking about some of the lessons these adorable little yellow guys were teaching me.

1. They are a team.

In Despicable Me, Gru thought his plan to steal the moon was over because he had no money. One of the minions offered up his piggy bank as a solution (also in the cutest way possible) and then all of the minions started offering money. It was a tear-jerker moment for sure and it was all the motivation Gru needed to keep going.

Life Lesson: There are people willing to help you even when you think there is no hope. Sometimes all it takes is one person.

2. It’s all about the banana.

The minions go crazy for bananas. They’ll eat other foods but their main goal is to get and eat all of the bananas. To them bananas = happiness.

Life Lesson: Find your banana. What is something you need in your life to be happy? For me, I find that when I am able to spend time with my family and embrace the little things, I feel more balanced.

3. They are always up for anything.

The minions are always open to any adventure and sometimes that’s not a good thing (hitched a ride with bank robbers lately?). But the minions manage to make the best out of every situation. At one point in the movie, they were sent to the dungeon as a way of punishment. When Scarlet’s husband tried to torture them which would typically be a bad thing, the Minions enjoyed it.

Life Lesson: Be open. Sometimes things happen in ways you would least expect. And seemingly bad situations can have a positive outcome for you.

Building a side hustle while keeping your day job is not an easy thing to do, but you are doing this because your passion is calling to you. Keep these lessons in mind while navigating the day to day highs and often lows on this journey.

Over to you: What have you learned from the Minions or Despicable Me? What life lessons do you keep in mind as you go through your day?

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9 Must-Have Plugins for New WordPress Bloggers

One of the best things about having a WordPress site and blog is the ability to customize and enhance it using plugins. That is why I wanted to share some of my top plugins picks for bloggers and side hustlers.  These plugins will help make your blog more secure, SEO friendly and automated so that you can make the most of your limited time.

1. Akismet

Akismet is now automatically installed in new versions of WordPress but must be activated before it works. It's the top plugin for blocking spam comments on your blog posts.

Price: Free | Learn more

2. Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights

Google Analytics is the best tool for website analytics.  It tells you everything you need to know about your visitors: what pages they visit, how they are finding your site, how long they stay on your site.  This plugin makes it easy to add you Google Analytics tracking codes by entering the code directly or logging into your Gmail account. This way you can see site analytics right in your WordPress dashboard.

Price: Free | Learn more

3. Yoast SEO

I feel like such an SEO rookie, so this is my go-to plugin.  It's the most user-friendly as it adds a section to the bottom of your blog post so that you can add a headline and meta description and get scoring for your SEO. Also love that I can customize the images and description used when posts are shared to Facebook and Twitter.

Price: Free | Learn more

4. Sumo

Highly recommend this free tool for your blog which has a lot of features (including pop-ups and list building options).  I mostly use the social sharing feature.  What I love about them is that you can choose where you want the buttons to appear and you can customize the look of them to match your site's branding.

Price: Free | Learn more

5. Gravity Forms

This is a contact form plugin and it’s easily customizable.  If you want to see how I use the plugin, check out my contact page.  This gives people an easy way to send you a message on your site.

Price: $39/year | Learn more

6. BackupBuddy

The best security you can have for your site is up to date backups. With BackupBuddy, you can make a full copy of your entire site and move it to a new host without losing any blog posts or settings.  You can set up a weekly backup scheduled to send to your Google Drive or Dropbox and feel safe knowing that you have a backup of your site.

Price: $80/year | Learn more

7. iThemes Security

This used to be called Better WP Security and is a free tool to secure your site. It limits logins and protects your site as soon as it's installed.

Price: Free (with Pro option) | Learn more

8. Pretty Link Pro

If you are thinking of doing affiliate marketing as a way to make money on your blog, this plugin is truly a must-have.  You can turn long gobbledygook links like this http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=386... into this techbizgurl.com/studiopress.  This makes it easy for you to remember and for other people to link to. I bought the Beginner edition which is well worth the price.

Price: Free (with Paid option) | Learn more

9. Broken Link Checker

This plugin comes in super duper handy as it works in the background to find broken links on your website.  It'll alert you when it finds a broken link and you can easily go in and update them.

Price: Free | Learn more

What are some of your go-to WordPress plugins? Which are most helpful to you?

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