

7 Activities To Add To Your Day To Earn Extra Cash
Everyone seems to be talking about side hustles and making more money in the new year. You can't scroll on Instagram or scan Facebook without somebody talking about the next big money-making product, trend, or brand to invest in. Even if you're not a hustler, aren't into entrepreneurship, nor looking to start a new brand, you can find ways to at least bring in a little extra income to reach your personal and professional goals by incorporating income-producing activities (IPAs). It's basic, deliberate actions you can take each day, week, or month to either make extra cash or further expose you to the potential of doing so.
We could all use a good check-in with ourselves on whether the things we're doing throughout our day are actually leading to tangible results and well, getting to the money. Are we really getting a return on our time investment? Below are 7 IPA tasks to look into adding to your to-do lists in the new year:
1. Etch out at least an hour a week to reconnect with your network and make new contacts.
We can all take a nod for the sales buffs with this one.The age-old cliche, "Your network is your net worth," rings especially true in pandemic times because many of us can't really meet up and network in the traditional way we're used to. It's important to continue to connect with people and cultivate new relationships while nurturing the old ones. A good way to do this is to check in with your current network, keep up with what they're doing via LinkedIn, Twitter, or local news, share information, congratulate them on professional wins, and offer ways to support. Go for the easy icebreaker and send a holiday card—via snail mail or online—or offer ways to partner up or help with a cause they're passionate about. You can also still join professional groups, participate in virtual events or meetups, or offer your knowledge for podcasts and blog posts.
And don't forget the art of the follow-up. Don't just let contacts sit on an email list or in your phone. Keep the conversation going about opportunities, events, and conversations in ways that are authentic, well-timed and relevant. If you find yourself at a loss for words or simply feeling awkward try using templates for writing emails to introduce yourself or thanking your network.
2. Commit to acts of service that go beyond seasonal one-offs.
Volunteering is yet another way to network, and when you give, you get. It's just a simple rule of reciprocity and karma. So many professionals can attest to the power of service and how working with others to help communities has led to paid opportunities or at least a link to a money-making resource. Be sure your act of service aligns with your values and is something you actually enjoy doing, and be strategic about the organizations and professionals you align yourself with. Also, this is a good way to get your foot in the door or try a different career if you're looking to pivot into a new industry due to pandemic-related layoffs.
3. Persistently and strategically invest in professional development to improve your skills.
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Some experts would disagree on this being an IPA, but research has shown that upping your skill set can open you up to pay raises and income increases. This doesn't just apply to higher education. Getting certifications and special qualifications in your field can open you up to more opportunities to earn extra cash. Look into the needs of your industry, especially those that complement the main business operations (i.e. cybersecurity, first aid, search engine optimization, project management, human resources, or organizational leadership.) Some specialized courses will cost but there are plenty of free courses online and certifications classes as well. Also, participating in courses or master classes can expose you to your industry peers who are doing great things and are forward-thinkers—yet another opportunity to network.
4. Host a weekly or monthly webinar, online class, YouTube video or podcast.
Since Covid-19 hit, Web consumption has gone through the roof, increasing by more than 200% from March 2019 to March 2020. That means even with borders reopen and restrictions lifted, people are still online now more than ever. Take advantage of this by offering your expertise on a subject or teaching something you're passionate about. You can charge per class or partner up with brands or rganizations to collectively broach a subject, raise awareness, or present a how-to. From fitness and cooking to accounting and parenting, there's a webinar or online course topic out there that needs your special take or approach. (A few good tips on how to launch a webinar, YouTube video, or course can be found here.)
5. Think of a residual problem in your industry and present a solution for it.
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Oftentimes we get caught up in one major aspect of what we offer professionally, and we don't think of related skills or problems we can solve within our industries. A good way to surpass these limits is to write down needs you see within your company and the soft or related skills you possess to help fill the gaps. For example, if you're in the healthcare field but have a love for innovation or creativity, you can offer products or processes that would make the jobs of your peers easier such as selling glow-in-the-dark face masks for essential workers on the night shift. In the beauty or wellness industry? Offer tailored a-la-cart services for busy CEOs who neglect self-care. Love travel and keeping up with the latest updates on Covid-19 restrictions? Offer services or products to overwhelmed travelers or airline professionals to help them organize information, testing appointments, travel kits, and itineraries.
6. Incorporate technology to automate smaller tasks to make room for larger income-generating tasks.
If you're not automating activities, especially as a high-achieving professional or business owner, you're losing valuable time that you could be using to do more IPAs. Also, some activities are best done either by a third party or via the use of technology because they may not be what you're that great at in the first place. Accounting, cleaning, schedule management—these are all tasks that can be automated or delegated so that you can free up energy and time to do what you do best. Automation can also help you reach more people at once in terms of email correspondences, social media interactions and pitching for your brand or business. Those who use technology to give them a leg up often open themselves up to more opportunities to put money in their pockets and beating out the competition—whether that competition is a coworker or a brand. (Find a few tools and resources for automation here and here.
7. Complete a project that can earn passive income.
Investing in stocks, real estate, or an AirBnB space are all great ways to build avenues of passive income. Also, offering popular products such as T-shirts, mugs, apps, downloadable art, or e-books is a good way to generate, as experts say, "income while you sleep." It will take time and planning, but you can start by listing what you'd be most interested in offering, find out how to offer it, and learn the best way to sell it. Then make it a habit to etch out time each day to specifically focus on execution. (Tips on how to create streams of passive income can be found here and here.)
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Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Why Do Millennials & Gen-Zers Still Feel Like Teenagers? The Pandemic Might Be The Reason.
There’s nothing quite as humbling as navigating adulthood with no instruction manual. Since the turn of the decade, it seems like everything in our society that could go wrong has, inevitably, gone wrong. From the global pandemic, our crippling student debt problem, the loneliness crisis, layoffs, global warming, recession, and not to mention figuring out what to eat for dinner every night. This constant state of uncertainty has many of us wondering, when are the grown-ups coming to fix all of this?
But the catch is, we are the new grown-ups.
As if it happened without our permission, we became the new adults. We are the members of society who are paying taxes, having children, getting married, and keeping our communities afloat, one iced latte at a time. Still, there’s something about doing all these grown-up duties that feel unnaturally grown-up. Enter the #teenagegirlinher20s.
If there’s one hashtag to give you the state of the next cohort of adults, it’s this one. Of the videos that have garnered over 3.9M views, you’ll find a collection of users who are overwhelmed by life’s pressing existential responsibilities, clung to nostalgia, and reminiscent of the days when their mom and dad took care of their insurance plans.
@charlies444ngel no like i cant explain to her why i had to buy multiple tank air dupes from aritzia #teenagegirlinher20s #fyp
The concept of being a 20-something or 30-something teenager is linked to the sentiment of not feeling “grown up enough” to do grown-up things while feeling underprepared and even nihilistic about whether that preparation even matters.
It’s our generation’s version of when we ask our grandmothers how old they are and they simply reply with, “I still feel 45,” all while being every bit of 76 years old. In this, we share a warped concept of time while clinging to a desire for infantilization.
Granted, the pandemic did a number on our concept of time. Many of us who started the pandemic in our early or mid-20s missed out on three fundamental years of socialization, career development, and personal milestones that traditionally help to mark our growth.
Our time to figure out and plan our next steps through fumbling yet active participation was put on pause indefinitely and then resumed provisionally. This in turn has left many of us hanging in the balance of uncertainty as we try to make sense of the disconnect between our minds and bodies in this missing gap of time.
Because we’re all still figuring out what the ramifications of being locked away and frozen in time by a global pandemic will have on us as a society, there really is no “right” way of making up for lost time. Feeling unprepared for any new chapter of life is a natural rite of passage, pandemic or not. However, it’s important to not stay stuck in the last age or period of life that made sense to us because self-growth is the truest evidence of personal progress.
So whether you’re leaning on your inner child, teenager, or 20-something for guidance as you fill the gap between your real age and pandemic age, know that it’s okay to grieve the person you thought you would be and the milestones you thought you’d hit before you ever knew what a pandemic was. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us, it’s that we have the power to reimagine a better world and life for ourselves. And if we tap into our inner teenager as a compass, we can piece together our next chapter with a fresh outlook.
Sure, we’ve lost a couple of years, but there are still some really amazing ones ahead.
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