Blog - Women’s Money

27Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

11 Easiest and Most Surprising Habits to Improve Your Health

Health

We all know we should exercise more, eat less sugar, and brush our teeth daily. But what are the most surprising habits to improve your health? What do scientific studies actually say? We’ve found the easiest and most surprising habits to improve your health. Simple Ways to Improve Your Health Here are the simplest ways to improve your health, including links to research that backs them up. 1. Wake Up At the Same Time Every Day Waking up at the same time every day helps improve your circadian rhythm. Plus, according to the experts, having a good circadian rhythm means that you will be less stressed and more productive. 2. Get Early Morning Sunlight Getting sunlight first thing in the morning, even for just a few minutes, is proven to…

19Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

15 Best Money Habits You Should Do Every Day

Goals / Taking Action

Are you ready to improve your finances with little things you can do every day that will make a big difference? Start with our ultimate guide on how to form good habits, and then start doing at least six to eight of these daily money habits to improve your finances every single day. Top Daily Money Habits Implementing these money habits can help you start earning and saving more money. Here are the top habits to try today! 1. Cook Dining out really puts a dent in your wallet. Cooking delicious, healthy foods every day will add up to thousands of dollars in savings over the course of a year. 2. Avoid Processed Foods & Drinks Processed foods hit your finances in two ways. First, in the short run, they…

17Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

The Ultimate Guide to Forming Good Habits: 19 Proven Ways to Develop Habits that Stick

Goals / Taking Action

I’ve read a lot of books on habits, ranging from “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, to “Better Than Before” by Gretchen Rubin, to “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, to “Tiny Habits” by BJ Fogg. I’ve also listened to numerous podcasts on the subject (my favorite being a recent one from Dr. Andrew Huberman). Not only have I learned a lot about habits, I’ve practiced them. I’ve built up numerous good habits in recent years that have allowed me to become fitter than I’ve ever been, richer than I’ve ever been, and happier than I’ve ever been. So what is the secret to building good habits? I’ve got a few. Based on what I’ve read, listened to, and practiced, here is my top advice about how to form good…

12Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

14 Best Questions About Health and Money

Health

Having written about the best questions about money and happiness and the best questions about health and happiness, it’s time to complete the trifecta by tackling the best questions about health and money. Here are the questions you need to be asking yourself about health and money. What to Ask Yourself About Health and Money When you are considering the relationship between your health and money, consider the following: Think of the time when you felt physically at your best in the last week. What were you doing? How much did it cost you to do that activity?Think of a time when you felt mentally at your best in the last week. What were you doing? How much did it cost to do that activity?Think of the most nutritious meal…

09Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

15 Best Questions About Health and Happiness

Health

Spending time reflecting on what will make you happy is a key step to becoming happier, and one way our happiness improves is related to our health. Think about how your health affects your happiness. Also, consider how you can use your health as a tool to improve the overall happiness in your life with these key questions. The Best Questions About Health and Happiness As you answer these questions, don’t initially consider your health as part of the answer. Then, go back through the questions and consider how changes to your physical or mental health will make these things easier, different, or more enjoyable. When were you the happiest or filled with the most joy in the last week?At what point were you the happiest or filled with the…

05Jan 2022 by Elizabeth No Comments

Women’s Money 2022 New Focus: Health and Wealth

Health

Welcome to Women’s Money 2022! I’m thrilled to announce a new focus for this year – the intersection of health, happiness and money. In the past, we have dabbled in this with posts about: 11 Best Free Health and Fitness AppsCost of a Sleep Study and 12 Other Must-KnowsA Review of the January.ai Continuous Glucose Monitor SystemMy Personal Peloton Alternative: Cheap Peloton Setup5 Ways Exercise Will Help You Grow Rich12 Best Questions About Money and Happiness Now, going forward, we are going to be exclusively focused on this niche. Why? Because I believe four fundamental things: Money, by itself, is not the key to happiness.Health, by itself, is not the key to happiness.Having an understanding of, control over, and continuous improvement in these health and money is key to happiness.The…

02Jan 2022 by Samantha S No Comments

9 Lessons Learned: Preparing to Quit my Job to Take a Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

This is my last “regular” column for Women’s Money. Over the last year, I’ve written a regular series about planning to take a sabbatical – you can find all of my posts here. To sum up the past year, I’ve put together a list of the six primary accomplishments and nine things I’ve learned as I’ve prepared to quit my job and take a sabbatical. What I’ve Accomplished Here are my primary accomplishments on my path towards a sabbatical: I’ve created a sabbatical plan that involves taking a sabbatical abroad. I’ve considered why I want to take a sabbatical, including 8 signs of burnout. I’ve done some serious reflecting on my hopes and fears - including talking about my first sabbatical, fearing quitting during a recession, questioning whether I should take a…

19Dec 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Find Those Who Support Your Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

I told one of my oldest friends (we go back to middle school) that I was planning to quit my job and take a sabbatical. “You’re such a millennial,” was her reply. (Technically, I’m an “elder millennial” - I barely make the cutoff.) Rather than be happy for me, she thinks my plan is flaky. She asked if I was going to become a scuba instructor in Bali. As much as that would be awesome, I’m not Elizabeth Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love.” Also, just the thought of scuba diving makes me feel claustrophobic. So, I won’t be transforming into a Bali scuba instructor anytime soon. Instead, I plan to take my kids and spouse with me as I travel around the world. But hearing the skepticism from my friend…

08Dec 2021 by Elizabeth No Comments

3 Reasons to Make Resolutions in December Rather than January

Goals / Taking Action

For the past few years, I have focused my December on what I call “Make Ready December.” My framework for being my most productive self is to prepare, work, and recover. I use December as a month of preparations. Preparing is a form of resolution-making. While most people set their resolutions in January, I find December to be a better month. Why You Should Make Resolutions in December Here are the top three reasons why you should make resolutions today. 1. It’s a More Realistic and Less Optimistic Time of Year I always find December to be one of the busiest times of the year. Between finalizing work goals, hitting up holiday parties, and buying and wrapping presents, we need to find time to actually enjoy the lights, the snow, and the…

06Dec 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Don’t Ask: What Should I Do With My Life? Ask This Instead

Sabbatical Sundays

If you’ve been reading my Sabbatical Sundays series long enough, you know that I’ve been struggling to find my purpose. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with my life. Additionally, I’ve been reading books, watching TED talks, listening to podcasts, talking to people, thinking, and journaling. I’m a few months away from quitting my job, without much of a plan. Some days, I feel truly spectacular about that. I mean, who doesn’t want to just have a bunch of free time to read, exercise, clean out closets, cook, and travel? But other days, I don’t feel so spectacular about my plan. I worry about money, and I start browsing LinkedIn, looking at job opportunities. I begin to question if maybe it’s just another…

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