How to talk to your partner about money (without a meltdown)

How to talk to your partner about money (without a meltdown)How to talk to your partner about money (without a meltdown)Even the best relationships, conflict is inevitable, and its no surprise that money ranks as one of thetop issuescausing stress and division between partners. How to earn money, how to spend it, how to save it, where to keep it, who gets it, and what it means day-to-day are all aspects that couples must address and re-address over time.Itsbedrngnis an easy conversation to have. We all bring different habits - often influenced by how we grew up and our family - into romantic relationships and that can quickly create friction. Its important that couples commit to addressing any conflicts about money in the right way. So how do you abflug the conversation? Get going on some self-examination and then make sure youre rested, have a full stomach, a quiet place, and that youre both really ready to dive in.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard c overing Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraAre You a Spender or Saver?Even before you kick off this money-focused heart-to-heart, its crucial that you take a moment to reflect on your own habits, thoughts, andgoals when it comes to money. Most likely, you fall into one of two camps spenders or savers. Not sure where you land most of the time? Picture this scenario your company decides to kick in an extra $100 bonus as a thank you for last quarters performance. Do you automatically hit place order on your Amazon account or do you stash away the majority in the ol piggy bank?Now consider how youve reacted to individual financial scenarios over the course of the last year. Watch for trends to determine if youre more likely to save or spend and enter your money conversation with that understanding. You could also try thisquick quiz.Stick to the Financial FactsIts easy to get worked up during difficult conversations - especially about money. Resist the urge to make sweeping assessments about you or your partners financial choices by coming prepared with copies of your latest bank and credit card statements. With your actual purchases noted, you (and your partner) will have less fuel to make broad statements like Youalwaysstop for coffee in the morning or younevertransfer money into our savings account.Hint When approaching any discussion, its best to avoidfighting wordslike whatever, always/never youre just like youre too sensitive Most of the time, theyre emotion-driven generalizations and not accurate.Be sure to also lean on free tools that credit cards offer on their websites. Many will analyze your statement to help you understand your spending habits across key areas like housing, food and entertainment. Other sites likeMint.comwill help you set budgets and track your spending to help ward off future difficult conversations.Set Mutual Financial GoalsMoney is a very divisive topic(put that in the same category as religion and poli tics), so its important to identify shared goals that can ground your conversation. We all have different wants and needs, but as a couple, you likely have some sort of shared vision a new home, expanding your family, or minimizing debt.Discuss your concerns about your financial situation through the lens of your top two or three financial goals to put things in perspective. Once you agree to make different your choices, dive into the nitty gritty about how to get there. Always shoot for settingSMART goals(specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) to guide your future decisions and to best track your progress. By aligning your shared visions, youll be more apt to come up with steps that both of you can agree on and follow in the long run.Difficult conversationscan be daunting - especially if you dont like conflict - but addressing concerns with your partner about money and your shared financial future will pave the way to a stronger, more resilient relationship.Yo u might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Before You Start Prospecting for Leads

Before You Start Prospecting for LeadsBefore You Start Prospecting for LeadsProspecting is the first step in the schlussverkauf cycle, but that doesnt mean that the first thing you should do is grab the yellow pages and start dialing. Having poor-quality leads can be worse than no leads at all since you end up wasting a lot of time making cold calls to people who cant buy from you even if they want to. Some quick pre-prospecting work on your part will help you come up with leads that are actually compatible with your whatever youre selling. Identify Mr. Prospect The first step in finding the ideal prospect is defining who that mythical person might be. If youve been selling the same products for a while, you probably have an idea of what to look for based on your favorite customers, both now and in the past.All you need to do is sit down with a pen and a piece of paper (or a computer and your favorite exakt processing program) and write down a list of the qualities that your best customers share. If youre new to sales or to the particular product youre trying to sell, you may need to talk with some of your coworkers to get ideas. That might include other salespeople, your sales manager, and even people in other departments such as customer service or marketing. Choose a Strategy Lets say youve done the above exercise and determined that your ideal client is married, in his mid-thirties, has an annual income of $100,000 or more, owns his own home, and has an executive-level job. Now you can start thinking about where you would find such a person. The usual rule with finding really good leads, as with most aspects of sales (or life for that matter), is that you either need to invest lots of time or lots of money to do it well. Investing Time If you decide to invest time in getting leads, that means research. For the above example of the perfect prospect, you can start by identifying the most affluent neighborhoods in your area. Then you can prepare a sales letter and mail or hand-deliver it to those locations. Or you can simply try going door-to-door. If online sales are your forte, you can identify websites where your prospects might hang out, like the local homeowners association website, and buy ad space or post your information on the site. Another option is to become a member of organizations where your prospects can be found- local churches, chambers of commerce, the yacht club, the high-priced gym your upper-middle-class clients frequent, etc. That gives you the opportunity to meet and greet prospects in an informal setting. Just be careful not to get too pushy or your tactics will backfire. If you sell B2B, you can try joining your local chamber of commerce or even look through the business directories at the nearest big library. Investing Money If youd prefer to invest money to find leads, you can buy existing lead lists. Be careful to work with a reputable list broker, such as Dun and Bradstreet, otherwise you may find youve just wasted your money. You can also try buying leads directly from the source, such as a magazine that your prospects are likely to read. Finally, you can buy ad space in those magazines to get prospects to come to you.

This 5s Japanese principle will help you declutter your desk and keep it organized

This 5s Japanese principle will help you declutter your desk and keep it organizedThis 5s Japanese principle will help you declutter your desk and keep it organizedClutter makes you less productive.Your office space is just as important as your home space.If you spend a greater percentage of your time at work, its worth giving that space some attention to do your best work.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe mess on your work desk inhibits your overall productivity because everything is competing for your limited mental resources.The more stuff you have around your immediate work environment, the more each item competes for nerven betreffend representationi.e, your attention.A disorganized desk makes it harder to focus, according toresearch.So the more clutter kept on your desk, the harder it is to process information and switch between tasks successfully.Think about how stresse d you are when you cant find something (if you have to keep moving objects every day, or you cant see your desktop, its time to declutter your workspace).If you have to keep a few important things on your desk, follow the essentials only rule, according to Jennifer Ford Berry, best-selling author of theOrganize Now. Keep the items you need to get your job done within arms reach?- ?and only those items, she says.To improve mental clarity and concentration, keep items you rarely use away from your desk. Non-essentials should always be kept in desk drawers.Aim to make the space as open as possible.Use the5-S Principleto clear yourdesk5Sis a simple method for organizing your workplace in a clean, and efficient way to enhance productivity.Its the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words Sort (Seiri), Set In Order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardize (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke).Make work easier by eliminating obstacles (Sort)Arrange all necess ary items so that they can be easily selected for use (Set In Order)Clean your workplace on a daily basis completely or set cleaning frequency (Shine)Maintain high standards at all times (Standardize)Self-discipline also translates as do without being told(Sustain)Its a simple principle to maintain a productive desk.You can use it as a guide just before you leave the office to declutter your desk.The last 20 minutes of your workday is the perfect time to prepare fortomorrowYou can easily embrace the declutter habit if you clear your desk before leaving the office.Clutter isnt evil during a project, but it certainly isnt necessary all the time. Thats why I adopted the practice of desktop zero, just like inbox zero for email At the end of a task or project, I clear my desk of everything I dont need sitting out, says Jeff Sanders, author ofThe Free-Time FormulaandThe 5 A.M. Miracle.When in doubt, rearrange.Your workspace is now your command center.You dont even have to spend a lot of t ime tidying your desk. A simple re-arrangement of essential objects can do the trick.Put frequently-used items on your dominant side. This saves you time.You wont need to reach across to grab an essential item when necessary.Getting up even just once a day for a pencil or paper clip is shutting your brain off a project you are working on and you will have to come back and re-center, says Amy Trager, a certified professional organizer.If you still feel still distracted after rearranging objects, try sweeping everything off your desk, except the computer, phone, planner, notepad, pen, and desk trays if use them to organize papers.Keep it minimal and functional with only the items you use every day.You can go a step further by making the one thing youre working on the only thing that gets to occupy space on your desk.Be deliberate and selective about what goes where.The saatkorn desk arrangement may not work for everyone.Adjust your workspace according to how you work. If you do a lot of brainstorming, paper trays, pens, and highlighters might be your essentials.If your work is primarily digital, a minimal approach ( computer, journal, and a pen) may be your essentials.Organize your desk based on how you get things done.For maximum productivity, reassess how frequent you use essential items on your desk. Take a weekly scan of your desk to make sure everything still deserves a spot on your desk.Commit to a personal organizational system to keep your desk clutter free.This article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people