Helene Segura's Blog, page 29
July 16, 2020
How to Be Productive While Working from Home
The Wall Street Journal provided me questions to answer for an article they were writing about productivity while working from home. They wound up using a few of my answers in their article. I thought I’d share with you all of the answers and recommendations I’d given to them. – What are the biggest obstacles…
July 9, 2020
Best Tonic Water – A Simple Taste Test
When you make time for fun, you can partake in silly things like a best tonic water taste test. This crazy quest came about after I shared my gin and tonic recipe and my vodka tonic recipe. A reader asked: “Have you found a tonic that does not contain high fructose corn syrup?” I must…
July 7, 2020
Communicating Change During COVID-19
Last week, a business contact I communicate with almost daily sent me an email with a short but startling message: “Helene: I am going to be out of the office for the rest of today and I’ll give an update later about tomorrow. My husband was laid off today and it’s a long story but…
July 4, 2020
English Garden Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ½ TB Elderflower Liqueur 1 ½ TB Gin 5-6 oz Prosecco, super chilled Cucumber, thinly sliced Mint, torn into small sprigs Champagne flute, chilled Directions: Grab your champagne flute from the freezer or refrigerator. Pour the elderflower and gin into your glass. Fill the rest of your flute with prosecco. Add one or…
July 2, 2020
Time Management Tips Uncovered in World War Z
When I watch movies, I’m in relaxation mode. But afterwards, my brain automatically goes into reflection mode. Call it a blessing or a curse – either way, I enjoy unpacking the different layers. Even though it’s Hollywood and make believe, we can walk away with lessons from what entertains us. The productivity mantra that I…
June 25, 2020
Cyber Security – Ransomware, Privacy and Patches
If you’re like most people, you’ve spent a heck of a lot more time online in the last four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More time connected to devices means a greater amount of time that hackers and malware have to exploit opportunities. Here’s important cyber security news from Bryce Austin of TCE Strategy…
June 18, 2020
Vacation Planning in 2020 aka How to Take a Vacation When Travel Is Uncertain Due to COVID-19
Vacation planning isn’t necessarily at the top of everyone’s priority list, but each year most folks plan at least a one- or two-day break away from work. Maybe your getaway is normally spent a few hours’ drive away or a short flight away in another state or a long flight away overseas. But what about…
June 11, 2020
What should you look for when you buy a new computer?
I received a request from a client and her husband for advice on how to buy a new computer. Her husband’s office had just received a special offer from Dell, and they wanted to take advantage of it. She didn’t know if she should purchase a laptop or a tablet. My client was kind enough…
June 4, 2020
A Helping Hand or a Nightmare? Navigating SBA PPP Loan Forgiveness
Back in April of 2020, I shared some how to’s related to applying for the SBA PPP loan. Since then, the rules governing both the application process and the loan forgiveness criteria have been amended multiple times. I recently conferenced with a business contact of mine who is heavily involved with monitoring business legislation, educating…
May 28, 2020
National Leave Work Early Day During COVID-19? Heck yeah!
National Leave Work Early Day is “celebrated” on June 2 of each year. If June 2 falls on a weekend, it’s celebrated on the closest weekday. The “holiday” was created several years ago by my colleague, Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, CPAE. A fellow productivity specialist, she was inspired to encourage hard working folks to take…
