Tools, Tips, and Treats for Living the VA Life [March 2019]

Buried under client work? Have spring fever and tired of staring at screens, but want to be in the know? No worries, we’ve got you covered.

All the best tools and tips we’ve seen in March are gathered right here.

Am I missing anything? Drop it in the comments and enlighten me. (I’m probably outside yelling at my garden to green up.)

Productivity Pick-Me-Ups

Stop Letting Push Notifications Ruin Your Productivity (Harvard Business Review)

I knew it wasn’t just me! Add to the list of why Push Notifications drive me bonkers and aren’t worth the effort.

A study from the University of California, Irvine, shows it takes about 23 minutes to get back to the task-at-hand when interrupted. TWENTY THREE MINUTES.

via GIPHY

The Secret of Success: 10 Tough Things to do First (Lifehack)

If you eat your veggies first to get them out of the way, this list of tips is right up your alley. And if you don’t? Well, these tips might very well blow your mind.

Working Late? How to Wake Up Recharged and Refreshed (Psychology Today)

If “stop working so much, gah!” doesn’t get you where you need to be or you’re a night owl with early morning responsibilities (#relatable), here are a few things to keep in mind about structuring your time without burning out.

via GIPHY

Remote Work Revolution

6 Unexpected Benefits of a Company Retreat (The Next Scoop)

Sure, we may work remotely, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t see each other face-to-face now and then. There are a lot of pros to stepping outside the daily box to refocus on business, initiatives, clients, and good old human contact.

New EU Travel Requirements Mean (Slightly) More Paperwork for American Visitors (Vox)

Starting in 2021, you (and your clients!) will need additional documentation for travel in Europe.  It’s not quite Visa-level paperwork: it costs about $8, is good for three years, and applies to all 26 Schengen Areas in the European Union.

via GIPHY

Marketing Mischief

Powerful Content Development Tools to Create Killer Contents (The Next Scoop)

Help keep your marketing clear and on-point with these amazing tools. Write with too much of a passive voice? Can’t remember if you should use who or whom? Need help writing your blog post title? There’s an app for all that and much more.

How to Promote Yourself Online When You’re a Total Introvert (99U)

Oh sure, the sassy flows in the blog post-medium but anywhere else? I look for the closest rock to hide under. #whereismyinvisibilitycloak

Honest, real, achievable advice for selling yourself online—whether it be to land the next client or (gasp!) make a real-life adult friend.

via GIPHY

Just For Fun

Arthur Dubois is a 72-Year-Old Grandfather — and a Newly Discovered Hip-Hop Artist (NPR)

The title is no lie. I’d totally have a kitchen dance party to his music. (And I recognize my dancing would not do the music justice.)

She Knitted Her Suit Out of Hundreds of Wegmans Bags. And She Has a Tote to Match. (USA Today)

#hero #craftqueen #lifegoals

And she didn’t just make the suit and tote, oh no. She made the knitting needles to make the suit.

via GIPHY

Are We In A ‘Galactic Zoo’ Protected by Aliens? Scientists Meet to Investigate The ‘Great Silence’ (Forbes)

Pondering on the Fermi Paradox considering over 50 billion exoplanets exist, world-renowned scientists met in Paris this month to discuss the possibility—is Earth literally a zoo for aliens? Maybe Porno for Pyros wasn’t too off base.