Business owners: Learn how to create free time and peace in your life

One morning I woke up and decided I no longer wanted every minute of my day to be filled with “things” I was doing for other people.

I had a lot of time during each day where I was home. Since that was the case, people assumed I was simply sitting there, on my butt, drinking coffee and eating chocolate. Not true. I was running two businesses and schooling my son! In addition, I was writing for an online magazine, writing books and caring for my home and family. I would say my days were pretty damn full.
People were constantly asking me to do things for them…bake them this or take them here or there. Can you help me move? Can you teach a class for me? And so forth and so on.
Is this you? Can you feel my frustration? If so, I can help you!

First things first…
Learn to say, no. Go ahead and give it a try. Can you pick up my groceries for me today?  (You say no here) Can you watch my child for me today? (Your turn) Can you fill in for me at work tomorrow? (Go ahead…one more time) NO!  And you owe them no explanations either. No is no. Period.
You’ve got it. Now don’t feel bad about saying it. Your peace and your time are valuable, and no one has the right to take that from you. You now have the tools; it is time to take control of your life.

Secondly…
If you work from home, you need to teach people to respect your time. Set boundaries by explaining to people that you work from home and will not be accepting calls between such and such hours. Then, stick to it and do not accept the calls.
No barging into your home office asking what you will be having for dinner. No “quick questions”. Nothing. You deserve to have your time respected and you have to be the one to enforce your rules.

Finally…
Put first things first and secondly together. Say no and enforce your rules. Free time, managed days and peace will ensue.

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Emojicon vs. emoji

Welcome to Ideal Exposure SMM

Writing blog posts for your readers (not for Google)

It's all about Search Engine Optimization, right? Wrong! It's all about our readers, our fans, because without them we have nothing.

Instead of writing a blog post to simply find your place on a Google search, write your posts to give your readers something worth reading.

I have read articles that state it is best to add photos throughout the entire blog post. I have also read blogs that do this. Want to know what ends up happening? I skip to the end of the article...particularly if it is an article that contains a recipe. I have repeated out loud numerous times, "I just want to see the recipe!"

This is why I choose not to add multiple photos throughout my articles. I always add one to the top and from time to time I will add one at the end as well. But that is it for this girl!

Ultimately, you need to do what YOU like and what you think your readers would like and appreciate. Because again, it is all about them.

I have also read the longer the article the better when it comes to Google rankings. I will say this again...it is not ALL about Google, it is about the reader. I have a food blog that I have had since 2009! The Fiery Whisk Baking Blog and if I went on and on and on, about 900 words worth, about a particular recipe, I'm pretty sure my readers would be bored by the time they got to the actual recipe. I said all that to say, it truly depends on the type of blog you have as to how long or short your blog posts should be.

Tips to take from this post:

1. Write engaging content with the reader in mind, not Google
2. Definitely add a photo or two
3. Consider the length of your posts according to the type of blog you have
4. Think about what type, and length of article you would appreciate reading and structure your blog posts accordingly 

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Business owners: Learn how to create free time and peace in your life

What is the difference between an emojicon and an emoji?

Why I do what I do as a social media manager

What is the difference: Emojicon vs. Emoji

I was recently reading an article online where the author was referring to emojis as emojicons. I have to admit, I was confused. For the last year, at least, I have always referred to them and heard the cute little pictures described as emoji's. Research ensued.

After reading the definition of both, I was still confused. So, what does the social media manager in me do? I hit the "image" button on Google after I conducted my search of "emojicon vs. emoji. And there she was...in her full glory. A picture similar to the one I made and posted at the top of this post.

A picture is definitely worth a thousand words. Particularly in this instance.

Now, back to the article I was reading. It was a recent post, so after learning the difference I wondered why the author chose to use the verbiage emojicon as opposed to emoji. Even our cell phones have emoji options, so the emojicon is outdated. The only place you may want to use one is from your laptop (since you have to use symbols, letters or numbers to create them). However, the more popular social media sites now give you emoji options.

I have to admit, I did not expect to learn the difference between emojicons and emojis from that article. I am still unsure as to why the author referred to them this way. But, that's OK. I learned something new anyway!

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Why you need a social media manager