Photo Via EdmontonDowntown.com

Every businesswoman should have a list of awesome business blogs bookmarked on her browser. Here are a few of my favorites:

Businessballs. They provide “free career help, business training, organizational development - inspirational, innovative ideas, materials, exercises, tools, templates - free and fun.”

Entrepreneur Blog. Your source for small business right from the resource. If you don’t already receive Entrepreneur (the magazine) make sure you subscribe to some of their blogs.

Small Business Administration. I’ve taken advantage of their services in the past and like what I’ve seen so far. They are there for you, so use both their website and local office as a resource. My favorite business plan template can also be found on their website, so be sure to check it out!

The Notebook. What would I do without it?

No, I’m not talking about the movie. I’m talking about my actual Notebook with a capital ‘N.’ Everywhere I go I carry a little notebook with me to write down business ideas, random thoughts, things to do, or whatever comes to mind. I find if I don’t write something down immediately, a great idea is bound to be lost forever.

A lot of people tell me they use their iPhone or another smartphone to write down ideas. I can’t use my Blackberry because I can’t peck on the keyboard fast enough. My ideas come at a mile a minute and if I don’t have a keyboard or pen and paper ready, my frustration grows.

How do you keep track of your ideas?

(image via thegrosslife)

Besides great sound, the other important element to a great video or vlog is LIGHTING. Without great lighting, nobody can see your pretty face and unless you’re as famous as Selena Gomez & Demi Lovato, they won’t stick around to watch.

An example of bad lighting & what NOT TO DO:

Someone turn on the lamp, please!

An example of GREAT video lighting:

Even when iJustine is out and about, she makes lighting her priority.

• You don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy lighting, particularly if you’re just starting out in video. Check Ikea for deals, they have some pretty nice lamps in the $12-20 range.

Have you sent holiday cards to clients and your network?

Part of being a kick-butt networker is taking care of the small details. The holidays are upon us and many take this time to appreciate those who have helped us as well as those we have helped.

Take the time to go through your files and make a list of business contacts you’d really like to thank this holiday season. Instead of blanketing your entire database with generic cards, pick a handful of very important contacts and handwrite a thank you note.

Don’t forget to double check they are multi-purpose holiday cards! Not everyone celebrates the same holiday.

Mornings, for most of us, are a pain in the butt. You’re running late for work, have to pack your lunch, and herd the cats kids out the door. If there’s one thing that’s usually forgotten, it’s a hearty breakfast.

Luckily there’s a very simple solution that takes 20 minutes on a Sunday night!

Make your own breakfast burritos to grab on-the-go, here’s now:

1.    Pick your favorite ingredients (i.e. eggs, onions, sausage, cheese, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.) and sauté, scramble, or cook.
2.    Cut a large piece of saran wrap and place a large flour tortilla on top.
3.    Add the ingredients from step #1 and roll the tortilla up with the saran wrap.
4.    Place in refrigerator

I’d recommend making one per person for each morning. When you wake up, simply pop the burrito in the microwave and eat! It’s that easy and will save you so much time.  Or, take it to-go cold and heat it up when you get to the office.

Mark your calendar and beg your boss for an entire month off…

JetBlue is offering unlimited flying for an entire month if you purchase a pass before August 21!

Here’s the TrueBlue deal: Tickets cost $599, there are no blackout dates, and you must fly in the specified month which is September 8 through October 8 of this year.

You can fly anywhere JetBlue flies, they have 56 national and international destinations.

Other than Round the World tickets, have you ever heard of an airline doing such a thing? Let’s hope it gains popularity and becomes an airline trend!

JetBlue.com for details.

Wouldn’t it be great if every company could be more like Google?

Google’s “pro-downtime” approach has created some amazing things: GMail, Google News, and Google Ocean.

Employees are strongly encouraged to spend 20% of their time at work being idle or doing whatever they want to do. Some take a walk or nap while others play ping-pong or work out in the company gym.

Whatever Google employees are up to in their downtime, the company knows their employee’s brains are being given valuable time to rest and reset. They know this ‘me’ time leads to some of the best insights, ideas, and solutions at the least expected moments.

Idleness is the key to insights, ideas, and solutions. Here are some ways you can build moments of relaxation into your daily routine:

1.    Don’t push it. Trying to fit too much into your schedule (those marathon moments) might leave you tired and cranky, leading to more mistakes. Get started on something and remember to focus your energy on the task at hand in short spurts. Gain insight.
2.    Interact with others. Whether holding the door open for someone or joining the water cooler chatter in the hall, it’s important to touch base with other humans. Laugher and interaction leads to enjoyment, energy, and lowers your stress level. Gather ideas.
3.    Exercise is bliss. You don’t need to run a marathon to get your blood pumping and relieve stress. Instead, climb the stairs or take a walk around the block. Come up with solutions.

Idleness is the key to insights, ideas, and solutions.

Parents, teachers, and bosses have taught us that idleness is a bad thing. Luckily, research now suggests such inactivity could be a very positive thing.

Turns out that whatever the brain is doing while apparently doing nothing might be profoundly important. That’s right, daydreaming, staring out the window, gardening, walking, and doodling can play a very important part in inviting insights, ideas, and solutions.

The ideal schedule, according to psychobiology researcher Ernest Rossi, is to take a 20-minute break after every 90 minutes of intense focus or activity.

These breaks will clear away metabolic wastes and replenish your energetic stores, leaving you refreshed and ready to focus on the task at hand.

Have you had your break(s) today?

Translation- Newbies: Learn to speak geek and how to identify something not suitable for work.

This enlightening YouTube video will leave any NOOB (newbie) ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing) or at the very least LOL (laughing out loud) as they learn the 1337 SPEAK (elite speak). w00t (so good)!

One of the most important geek speak phrases you’ll learn to identify is when something is NSFW.

For real, this video is FTW and so worth watching.

I don’t want you to say this post is TLDR, so I’ll leave you to watch & decode:

Here’s the LINK…the idiots disabled embedding FTL. Or, just click on the picture below…