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In the article below, all references to self-employment tax refer to Social Security and Medicare taxes only and do not include any other taxes that self-employed individuals may be required to file. The list of items below is not all-inclusive. Other information may be appropriate for your specific type of business.

What is Self-Employment Tax?

Self-employment tax is a tax consisting of Social Security and Medicare taxes primarily for individuals who work for themselves. It is similar to the Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from the pay of most wage earners.

Employers calculate Social Security and Medicare taxes of most wage earners. However, you figure self-employment tax (SE tax) yourself using Schedule SE (Form 1040 or 1040-SR). Also, you can deduct the employer-equivalent portion of your SE tax in figuring your adjusted gross income. Wage earners cannot deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Self-Employment Tax Rate

The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%. The rate consists of two parts: 12.4% for social security (old-age, survivors, and disability insurance) and 2.9% for Medicare (hospital insurance).

For 2021, the first $142,800 of your combined wages, tips, and net earnings is subject to any combination of the Social Security part of self-employment tax, Social Security tax, or railroad retirement (tier 1) tax. The amount increased to $147,000 for 2022. (For SE tax rates for a prior year, refer to the Schedule SE for that year).

All your combined wages, tips, and net earnings in the current year are subject to any combination of the 2.9% Medicare part of Self-Employment tax, Social Security tax, or railroad retirement (tier 1) tax.

If your wages and tips are subject to either social security tax or the Tier 1 part of railroad retirement tax, or both, and total at least $142,800, do not pay the 12.4% social security part of the SE tax on any of your net earnings. However, you must pay the 2.9% Medicare part of the SE tax on all your net earnings.

An additional Medicare tax rate of 0.9 % applies to wages, compensation, and self-employment income above a threshold amount received in taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2012. See the Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax page for more information.

If you use a tax year other than the calendar year, you must use the tax rate and maximum earnings limit in effect at the beginning of your tax year. Even if the tax rate or maximum earnings limit changes during your tax year, continue to use the same rate and limit throughout your tax year.

Self-Employment Tax Deduction

You can deduct the employer-equivalent portion of your self-employment tax in figuring your adjusted gross income. This deduction only affects your income tax. It does not affect either your net earnings from self-employment or your self-employment tax.

If you file a Form 1040 or 1040-SR Schedule C, you may be eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Learn more about EITC or use the EITC Assistant to find out if you are eligible.

Self-Employment Health Insurance Tax Deduction

Under Section 2042 of the Small Business Jobs Act, a deduction, for income tax purposes, is allowed to self-employed individuals for the cost of health insurance. This deduction is taken into account in calculating net earnings from self-employment. See the Form 1040 or 1040-SR and Schedule SE instructions for calculating and claiming the deduction.

Who Must Pay Self-Employment Tax?

You must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE (Form 1040 or 1040-SR) if either of the following applies.

• Your net earnings from self-employment (excluding church employee income) were $400 or more.
• You had church employee income of $108.28 or more.

Generally, your net earnings from self-employment are subject to self-employment tax. If you are self-employed as a sole proprietor or independent contractor, you generally use Schedule C to figure net earnings from self-employment.

If you have earnings subject to self-employment tax, use Schedule SE to figure your net earnings from self-employment. Before you figure your net earnings, you generally need to figure your total earnings subject to self-employment tax.

Note: The self-employment tax rules apply no matter how old you are and even if you are already receiving Social Security or Medicare.

Family Caregivers and Self-Employment Tax

Special rules apply to workers who perform in-home services for elderly or disabled individuals (caregivers). Caregivers are typically employees of the individuals for whom they provide services because they work in the homes of the elderly or disabled individuals and these individuals have the right to tell the caregivers what needs to be done. See the Family Caregivers and Self-Employment Tax page and Publication 926 for more details.

How to Pay Self-Employment Tax

To pay self-employment tax, you must have a Social Security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

Obtaining a Social Security Number

If you never had an SSN, apply for one using Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. You can get this form at any Social Security office or by calling (800) 772-1213. Download the form from the Social Security Number and Card website.

Obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

The IRS will issue you an ITIN if you are a nonresident or resident alien and you do not have and are not eligible to get an SSN. To apply for an ITIN, file Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number PDF .

Paying Self-Employment Tax with Estimated Taxes

As a self-employed individual, you may have to file Estimated Taxes quarterly. You can use these estimated tax payments to pay your self-employment tax. Refer to the Estimated Taxes page and Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax for more details on paying your self-employment tax with Estimated taxes.

A guide to what self-employment taxes are and why it’s important for self-employed business owners to understand how they work.

This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal, employment, or tax advice. For specific advice applicable to your business, please contact a professional.

Self-employment comes with a vast list of benefits, from setting your own schedule to keeping all of the profits your business generates. However, self-employed individuals are saddled with at least one drawback: the self-employment tax.

If you run a business, it’s crucial to understand how self-employment taxes work and how you may save on these taxes with the right business structure. Here’s a beginner’s guide to self-employment tax and other key information you should know about taxes when self-employed.

What is the federal self-employment tax?

Self-employment tax refers to the federal payroll taxes you pay for income derived through self-employment. More specifically, these are taxes for Social Security and Medicare. Here’s how it works.

If you run one of these business types, you probably have to pay self-employment tax:

When you work for someone else, you pay 6.2% of your income toward Social Security and 1.45% of your income for Medicare. If you have an old paystub around, you can easily find this broken out in your deduction section. It may be labeled as FICA, an acronym for Federal Insurance Contributions Act, the law that put these payroll taxes into place.

Many people don’t realize that their employer matches this amount. They also pay 6.2% of your income for the Social Security’s Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program and 1.45% for Medicare. You have to cover the employee and employer portion when you’re self-employed. That combined tax is the self-employment tax. Certain limits and additional tax rates may apply for six-figure incomes or higher.

Self-employment tax rate

Here’s a breakdown of the current total self-employment tax rate:

Tax	Employee Portion	Employer Portion	Total
Social Security	6.2%	6.2%	12.4%
Medicare	1.45%	1.45%	2.9%
Total	7.65%	7.65%	15.3%

The 12.4% Social Security tax is limited to the first $142,800 of your income for 2021 taxes, $147,000 for 2022, and increases annually following the National Average Wage Index. If you earn more than $200,000 per year when single or $250,000 when married and filing jointly, you are liable for an additional 0.9% Medicare tax.

Self-employment tax example

Let’s say you own an LLC on your own and earn $80,000 in profits over a year. Your self-employment taxes would be calculated like this:

$80,000 x 15.3% = $12,240

That’s a big chunk of your earnings. But some business owners may be able take advantage of business structures to lower their self-employment tax liability.

Lowering your self-employment taxes with S Corp taxation

If you work under one of the business structures listed above, you’re required to pay self-employment taxes on your full earnings. You may not know about a method to legally lower self-employment taxes.

Business owners that operate as an S Corporation or as an LLC taxed as an S Corp may be able to lower their self-employment tax. With this model, self-employment taxes are required on your paychecks. Any additional income is taxed at your regular income tax rate and isn’t subject to self-employment taxes.

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If you earn $80,000 per year and use a payroll software such as Square Payroll to pay yourself a $60,000 annual salary and file your employer tax forms, for example, here is how the math would work for your taxes:

Self-employment taxes: $60,000 x 15.3% = $9,180

Taxed at your regular income tax rate: $20,000

Compared to the example above, the business owner here would save $3,060 in self-employment taxes for the year. Over many years, the saving can be very significant. Be aware that the IRS requires you to pay yourself “reasonable compensation” for the efforts you contribute to the business.

This becomes worthwhile when your self-employment income exceeds around $40,000 to $80,000 per year. We can’t say what is right for your business, as each is unique. If you have any questions, it’s best to work with a trusted accountant, attorney, or other small business financial expert.

Taxes play a big role in your bottom line

When you run a profitable business, paying taxes comes with the territory. But as a business owner, arming yourself with a working knowledge of how self-employment taxes work can help you take steps to minimize what you have to pay legally.

Learn About Your Obligations When You Are Employed and Self-Employed

Many people today work both as an employee for someone else and also as a self-employed contractor or freelancer. One common circumstance is to work that second job in the sharing economy, ride-sharing with a company like Uber or renting a home through Airbnb. But having these two streams of income means two forms of payroll taxes.

Paying Both Self-Employment Taxes and FICA Taxes

If you are self-employed and you also earn wages or salary from employment, your Social Security and Medicare eligibility and total self-employment tax is affected. You are self-employed if you are making money in your own business, as an independent contractor, freelancer, sole proprietor, partner in a partnership, or member of an LLC or an S corporation. If you own a corporation, you are not self-employed.

FICA Taxes vs. Self-Employment Taxes

It’s confusing to talk about FICA tax and self-employment tax as if they were different, but the terms are actually talking about the same thing: Social Security and Medicare tax on earned income. FICA tax is Social Security/Medicare tax on employment; Self-employment tax (sometimes called SECA) is Social Security/Medicare tax on self-employment.

Also note that your employer pays half of the FICA tax due, while you as a self-employed individual must pay the entire amount of Social Security/Medicare on your self-employment income.

Being Self-Employed

A self-employed individual can be someone who runs a business as a sole proprietor, LLC owner, or partner in a partnership. You may not have a formal business structure, but you report your business taxes on Schedule C with your personal tax return.

The IRS says you are self-employed if:

• You carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor or an independent contractor.
• You are a member of a partnership that carries on a trade or business.
• You are otherwise in business for yourself (including a part-time business)

That is, if you are in business to make money, you are considered self-employed.

How These Taxes Are Paid

• Your employer MUST withhold FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) from your employment income.
• You must pay self-employment tax on the net profit of your employment if you still owe these taxes after considering your total income for the year.

You must pay these taxes on your total income. But you can’t over-pay unless your employer has made a calculation error. Here’s a more detailed explanation of how the process of determining and paying Social Security/Medicare tax works:

Employment and FICA Tax

Your employment income and FICA tax paid is determined first. Your employer withholds Social Security and Medicare tax from your paychecks as an employee. The Social Security tax is capped at a maximum each year at a specific income level. When your income for the year exceeds that level, you stop paying the Social Security tax. The Medicare tax is not capped.  

Self-Employment Tax

If you are self-employed, you pay self-employment tax (SECA) based on your net income (profit) from your business. You pay this tax the rate of 12.6% of that income. You don’t have to pay this tax as you go since you don’t have to withhold it from your business income. You don’t get a paycheck from your business since you are not an employee. This tax is not calculated until your net business income is determined at tax time. The form used to calculate self-employment tax is Schedule SE.

Calculating Self-Employment Tax

To show you how employment and self-employed are considered for Social Security and Medicare taxes, here is the (vastly over-simplified) process for calculating self-employment tax on Schedule SE:

• First, the net income from your business for that year is entered.
• Second, the amount of self-employment tax owed is calculated.
• Third, any income from employment and the amount of FICA tax is considered.

Finally, the amount already paid from your employment is deducted from the total Social Security/Medicare tax owed. If there is anything left, it is due to self-employment tax, on your personal tax return.

An Example of Self-Employment Tax Calculation

Let’s say you earned $50,000 from employment and $30,000 net income from self-employment in 2016. The total of $80,000 from your wages and your self-employment is less than the Social Security maximum of $117,000, so your Social Security tax is due on all of your income.

Let’s say $3,100 in FICA taxes has been withheld from your wages. You also owe about $3720 as self-employment tax on your $30,000 of self-employment income. (The calculation gets a little tricky here; this may not be exact, depending on your specific situation.)

The $3720 you owe as self-employment tax is included on Line 27 of your personal Form 1040, and is included with any income tax you owe to determine your total tax bill for the year.

If your income from employment and self-employment is greater than the Social Security maximum, you still must continue to pay Medicare tax. There’s no cap on Medicare tax, and you may also be required to pay an additional Medicare tax of 2.9% if your income exceeds a specific amount.

Paying Your Self-Employment Tax

Because self-employment tax is not withheld, you could potentially have a large tax bill at tax payment time. Many business owners make quarterly estimated payments, including estimated amounts for self-employment tax along with estimated income tax.

You could also increase your federal and state income tax withholding from your employment to cover this additional cost. For more information and examples, see this article on Self-Employment and Social Security Tax, from the Social Security Administration.

If you’re self-employed, you obtain Social Security and Medicare coverage through the payment of self employment tax.

What are self-employment taxes?

Self-employment tax is a tax consisting of Social Security and Medicare taxes primarily for individuals who work for themselves. It is similar to the Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from the pay of most wage earners.

How do you determine self-employment taxes?

Self-employment taxes are figured on Schedule SE.

Do you have questions about your self-employment taxes? Check out our Guide to Gig Worker Taxes.

Who must file self-employment taxes?

If your net earnings from self-employment equal $400 or more, you must do both of these:

• File Schedule SE
• Pay self-employment tax

This is true regardless of your age, and even if you’re receiving Social Security benefits.

You’re considered self-employed if you own your own business or the company you work for classifies you as an independent contractor. Because tax is usually not withheld from self-employment income (nonemployee compensation), you’re required to make estimated tax payments during the year to cover your federal income tax and self-employment tax.

What is the self-employment tax rate?

For 2021, the self-employment tax rate is normally 15.3%. The rate is made up of both of these:

• 12.4% Social Security tax
• 2.9% Medicare tax

For 2021, the maximum amount subject to Social Security tax is $118,500. However, all self-employment income in excess of $400 is subject to Medicare tax.

To figure net earnings from self-employment, multiply your net business profit by 92.35%. You use this percentage since an employee is only required to pay one of these:

• 1/2 of Social Security and Medicare taxes
• 7.65% of wage income

A self-employed individual must pay “both halves,” or 15.3%. So, the law equalizes the tax burden by reducing the income subject to tax by 7.65%. Here’s the formula:

You can deduct the employer portion of your self-employment tax as an adjustment to income on Form 1040. The amount you can deduct is usually 1/2 of the employer portion. This decreases your taxable income and, as a result, your federal income tax.

What happens if you don’t pay self-employment tax?

f you don’t pay self-employment tax, you could run into issues. In fact, taxpayers sometimes don’t understand this rule, and end up with a notice from the IRS.

Get more help

Have a side business? Take control of your taxes and get every credit and deduction you deserve. File with H&R Block Online Deluxe (if you have no expenses) or H&R Block Online Premium (if you have expenses).

Have questions about self-employment taxes and other small business tax issues? Rely on our team of small business certified tax pros to get your taxes right and keep your business on track. Find out how Block Advisors can help with your small business taxes.

Our small business tax professional certification is awarded by Block Advisors, a part of H&R Block, based upon successful completion of proprietary training. Our Block Advisors small business services are available at participating Block Advisors and H&R Block offices nationwide.

Related Resources

Thinking of creating a husband and wife business? Learn about small business partnerships and the pros and cons of joint ventures with H&R Block.

Taxes for the self employed can be complicated. Learn the ins and outs of tax filing for freelancers, bloggers and contractors with the experts at H&R Block.

Small business taxes can be overwhelming as an entrepreneur. Learn more about small business taxes 101 with the experts at H&R Block.

Small business budgeting can be a challenge. Join H&R Block as we break down small business financial planning for everyday expenses and taxes.

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You may need to pay self-employment tax if you’re a freelancer, independent contractor or small-business owner. Here’s what self-employment tax is, how it works and how you can save.

What is self-employment tax?

The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%. That rate is the sum of a 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Self-employment tax applies to net earnings — what many call profit. You may need to pay self-employment taxes throughout the year.

One big difference between self-employment tax and the payroll taxes people with regular jobs pay is that typically employees and their employers split the bill on Social Security and Medicare (i.e., you pay 7.65% and your employer pays 7.65%); self-employed people pay both halves.

The self-employment tax rate for 2021-2022

As noted, the self-employment tax rate is 15.3% of net earnings. That rate is the sum of a 12.4% Social Security tax and a 2.9% Medicare tax on net earnings. Self-employment tax is not the same as income tax.

For the 2021 tax year, the first $142,800 of earnings is subject to the Social Security portion. In 2022, it rises to $147,000.

A 0.9% additional Medicare tax may also apply if your net earnings from self-employment exceed $200,000 if you’re a single filer or $250,000 if you’re filing jointly.

How to calculate self-employment tax

Calculating your tax starts by calculating your net earnings from self-employment for the year.

For tax purposes, net earnings usually are your gross income from self-employment minus your business expenses.

Generally, 92.35% of your net earnings from self-employment is subject to self-employment tax.

Once you’ve determined how much of your net earnings from self-employment are subject to tax, apply the 15.3% tax rate.

Remember, though — for 2021, only the first $142,800 ($147,000 in 2022) of earnings is subject to the Social Security portion of self-employment tax.

If you had a loss or just a little bit of income from self-employment, be sure to check out the two optional methods in IRS Schedule SE to calculate your net earnings.

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Who has to pay self-employment tax?

In general, you have to pay self-employment tax if either of these things are true during the year:

You had $400 or more in net earnings from self-employment (excluding anything you made as a church employee). You may be self-employed in the eyes of the IRS if you received a 1099 form from an entity you did work for.

You had $108.28 or more in income from church employment.

The tax rules apply no matter how old you are and even if you’re receiving Social Security or are on Medicare.

How to pay self-employment tax

Generally, you use IRS Schedule C to calculate your net earnings from self-employment.

You use IRS Schedule SE to calculate how much self-employment tax you owe.

You’ll need to provide your Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) when you pay the tax.

Taxes are a pay-as-you-go deal in the United States, so waiting until the annual tax-filing deadline to pay your self-employment tax may mean incurring late-payment penalties. Instead, you may need to make quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year if you expect:

You’ll owe at least $1,000 in federal income taxes this year, even after accounting for your withholding and refundable credits (such as the earned income tax credit), and

Your withholding and refundable credits will cover less than 90% of your tax liability for this year or 100% of your liability last year, whichever is smaller. (The threshold is 110% if your adjusted gross income last year was more than $150,000 for married couples filing jointly or $75,000 for singles.)

Tax deductions for self-employment

You can deduct half of your self-employment tax on your income taxes. So, for example, if your Schedule SE says you owe $2,000 in self-employment tax for the year, you’ll need to pay that money when it’s due during the year, but at tax time $1,000 would be deductible on your 1040.

Self-employment can score you a bunch of sweet tax deductions, too. One is the qualified business income deduction, which lets you take an income tax deduction for as much as 20% of your self-employment net income. ( Learn more about that here. ) Plus, there are other deductions available for your home office, health insurance and more. Here’s a primer .

» MORE: Compare online loan options for funding and eventually growing your small business.

About the author: Tina Orem is NerdWallet’s authority on taxes and small business. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national outlets. Read more

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If you’re self-employed, you must file quarterly taxes every few months. These are your estimated tax payments, making up for the fact that you don’t have an employer to withhold your taxes over the course of the year. Quarterlies can be a hassle, but skip them and you’ll face a massive tax bill come April. Consider working with a financial advisor as you plan out your taxes and manage your cash flow.

What Are Quarterly Taxes?

Most workers have what is called W-2 income. This means that you earn your income from an employer. When a W-2 employer issues your paycheck, they do three things:

• Withhold that paycheck’s share of income taxes
• Withhold that paycheck’s share of payroll taxes
• Pay the employer’s share of payroll taxes

This means that over the course of the year, W-2 workers steadily pay their taxes with every paycheck. It’s also why, when tax season comes around, most people get money from the IRS. They’ve been steadily making payments all year and are just now getting back the amount they overpaid.

The contrast to this is freelancers, contractors (known as 1099 workers, based the tax form they fill out), small business owners and anyone else who is self-employed. Self-employed workers receive all their paychecks pretax. That can create a pretty hefty bill come mid-April, when none of the taxes have yet been paid.

Payroll taxes come to a flat tax of about 16% applied equally to all income up to $147,000. After this cap they fall off entirely. For a W-2 employee, the worker pays half of this tax and the employer pays the other half. Someone who is self-employed has no employer, so they pay the entire tax on their own. This is known as the self-employment tax.

When to Pay Quarterly Taxes

Income taxes are structured to give the government a steady stream of income over the course of the year. For employees, those taxes are generally deducted every two weeks and sent to the Treasury, which uses the money to fund its operations. Since the self-employed don’t have an employer to do this, the IRS requires what are known as “Quarterly Estimated Taxes.” For 2022, the estimated tax deadlines are as follows:

• First Quarter (all income earned January through March): April 18, 2022
• Second Quarter (all income earned April through June): June 15, 2022
• Third Quarter (all income earned July through September): Sept. 15, 2022
• Fourth Quarter (all income earned October through December): Jan. 15, 2023

At the end of each quarter you pay an estimated amount of tax that you owe from the previous quarter. It is important to note that in April of each year you must pay both annual income taxes and first quarter estimated taxes. Be careful, as many self-employed individuals miss this.

How to Calculate Your Quarterly Taxes

You can calculate quarterly taxes in two ways. Here’s a breakdown of each:

• The more time consuming, but more accurate, method is to calculate your earnings over the past quarter, calculate your anticipated earnings in the total year and apply the appropriate tax rate to your quarter’s earnings based on your anticipated earnings.
• The faster, but potentially less accurate, method is to start with either your anticipated earnings from the current year or your actual earnings from the previous year. Divide that amount by four to represent one quarter’s worth of income and apply the appropriate tax rate for that amount of annual income.

Your estimated taxes account for your total revenue, so this means income after qualifying expenses. If you calculate rather than estimate your earnings you can reduce your income by any amount that you intend to claim as a business expense for that quarter. However, you can only apply that reduction for the quarter in which the expenses happened.

Quarterly taxes include both income taxes and self-employment taxes. Individuals pay this tax using Form 1040 ES.

The IRS assesses an underpayment penalty if you fail to pay your estimated taxes over the course of the year. Underpayment penalties are added when you calculate your final tax bill in April. They apply if, over the course of the year, the estimated taxes that you paid came to less than 90% of your total taxes owed. Underpayment penalties vary based on the amount owed and your tax history and usually come to around 1% of the final bill, but are waived if you paid your full tax bill in the previous year.

What to Watch Out For

If a business wants to hire someone for either full-time or steady work, they must do so through W-2 employment. However, sometimes businesses to hire workers while misclassifying them as freelancers or contractors. This allows employers to pass on their share of payroll taxes to you, the worker. It effectively increases your tax bill by about 8% while reducing theirs by the same amount.

If this describes your current job, reach out to the IRS; your employer may owe you back taxes.

Bottom Line

Quarterly estimated taxes are taxes that the self-employed must pay approximately every three months. They make up for the income taxes that W-2 workers have withheld from their paychecks. While easy to miss, paying your estimated taxes is essential for all self-employed workers.

For some, working for yourself is the ultimate American dream. Unfortunately, this self-employment also makes your taxes a bit more complicated. As an independent contractor or business owner, you are required to pay the self-employment tax in addition to your standard income tax. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to paying your self-employment tax to keep you within the bounds of the law and away from expensive fees and penalties.

Table of contents [ Show ]

• Overview: Self-Employment Taxes
• Step 1: Gather the Paperwork You’ll Need to File
• Step 2: Choose a Tax Provider or Tax Preparation Software
• Step 3: Understand Your Deductibles
• Step 4: Remember to Set Up Estimated Quarterly Payments
• Final Thoughts

Overview: Self-Employment Taxes

As its name suggests, the self-employment tax is a tax on individuals who own their own business or contractors who otherwise make a significant amount of money (more than $400 annually) outside of a job. The self-employment tax is not a substitute for your annual income tax, capital gains taxes , or brokerage taxes. It is an additional tax that you are required to pay on top of these dues.

Do You Need to Pay a Self-Employment Tax?

To figure out if you must pay the self-employment tax, you’ll first need to figure out if you are self-employed. Generally, you are considered self-employed if you are an independent contractor, you carry on a trade or business by yourself or with a partner, or you otherwise earn more than $400 annually without the assistance of an employer. By law, independent contractors must maintain a large amount of freedom to avoid classification as an employee. The IRS states that independent contractors must have control over “what will be done and how it will be done” to retain their independent status. This means that if your client regularly requires you to be at a certain location while working, you are an employee—not a contractor. Telecommuting and remote employees who receive benefits and are eligible for worker’s compensation are not independent contractors, regardless of the fact that they are not required to be in a specific location when they work.

The Self Employment Tax Rate for This Year

For 2018, the self-employment tax rate is 15.3% of your total income—about 12.4% of that goes to Social Security and the remaining 2.9% is paid into Medicare. If you make over $128,400 annually, you will only have to contribute to Social Security on this amount—though you are required to pay into Medicare on the full amount of money that you have earned.

Step 1: Gather the Paperwork You’ll Need to File

The first step to paying your self-employment tax is to gather the necessary paperwork. This will help you figure out exactly how much you’ll need to contribute. Here’s what you’ll need depending on your status.

• Independent contractors: Collect a 1099 form from each one of your clients and your social security card or taxpayer ID number.
• Small business owners: Have a record of the profit you made in the previous years from an online spreadsheet service like Quicken or QuickBooks can help you easily keep track of what you’ve earned.

Step 2: Choose a Tax Provider or Tax Preparation Software

Self-employed individuals need to deal with a more complicated set of tax laws. It’s highly recommended that you work through a tax preparation provider, or you use a specialized set of tax prep software to handle your return. Your tax provider or tax preparation software can assist you in filling out a Schedule SE (Form 1040), which will help you specifically calculate the amount of money that you owe due to the self-employment tax.

Step 3: Understand Your Deductibles

After you’ve paid your self-employment tax, you’ll want to record the total amount of money you’ve spent separately. When you file your federal income taxes in April, you’ll be able to deduct half of what you paid as a deductible. Many self-employed individuals are surprised to learn just how many deductibles they’re eligible for. Some of the most commonly-missed deductibles for contractors and business owners include:

• Startup costs: If your business was formed this year, you can usually deduct the cost of getting up and running from your total income. These types of costs often include what you budgeted and spent on website and product development expenses as well as advertising costs.
• Home office deductions: If you work from home and you have a dedicated space that you only use for business, you may be able to deduct a portion of your home expenses from your income. The home office deduction commonly includes mortgage expenses, utility costs, and property taxes.
• Office supply deductions: Office supplies (which can include computers, leased software used for business purposes, and standard supplies like pens and papers) are almost always deductible.
• Health insurance deduction: Some self-employed individuals may deduct what they pay for health insurance for themselves and their families from their total income.

Keeping track of these expenses can help set you up for an easier (and less expensive!) tax season when filing your federal and state taxes.

Step 4: Remember to Set Up Estimated Quarterly Payments

As an independent contractor, you are required to make estimated quarterly payments into Social Security and Medicare—standard employees typically have these payments automatically deducted by their employers. To do this, you’ll need to fill out a Form 1040-ES, which is very similar to the Schedule SE (Form 1040). Filling out this form will authorize automatic withdrawals for your estimated taxes every three months. Don’t worry if your payments aren’t exact—if you make significantly more or less money at the conclusion of the year, a correction can be issued to adjust your payments in the form of an additional withdrawal or a return. Check out the following video for a more in-depth explanation of how to calculate your quarterly tax payments:

Final Thoughts

From investment taxes to self-employment taxes, it can be expensive to be in business for yourself. If you are self-employed, you should take every possible step to record all of your costs of doing business so you can accurately document your deductions. You may also want to consider opening a special retirement saving account for self-employed persons —a SEP IRA or solo 401(k) is often preferred by contractors and business owners over the traditional or Roth IRA thanks to higher contribution limits.

The self-employment (SE) tax is the equivalent of the tax regular employees and their employers pay. It’s the way self-employed people, freelancers and independent contractors contribute to the Social Security and Medicare funds. With a tax rate of 15.3% applying to everything self-employed workers earn, SE tax can add up to a lot. In some cases, SE tax is more than income tax. That means reducing SE tax is an important financial consideration for self-employed taxpayers. Here’s how to do it.

Understanding the SE Tax

The SE tax came into being in 1954 when Congress passed a law that subjected self-employed workers to the same tax requirements as the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) did in 1935. One difference is that the SE tax is twice as high as the withholding reported on employed workers’ paychecks. This is because self-employed workers are responsible for both halves of the FICA tax, paying 7.65% as the employee as well as another 7.65% as the employer. Breaking it down further, the total SE tax consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.

Who Is Subject to SE Tax?

Generally, any self-employed income, including tips, is subject to SE tax. There are some exceptions, however.

One exception is that income over a certain level, whether from self-employment or wages paid by an employer, is not subject to the 12.4% Social Security portion. The cap on Social Security tax generally increases every year. For 2020 it is $137,700 and for 2021 will be $142,800.

There is no cap to exempt self-employment income over a certain level from the 2.9% Medicare tax. Indeed, since 2013 a provision of the Affordable Care Act levies an additional 0.9% on all incomes over $200,000, including self-employed income.

Another exception is that SE tax doesn’t apply at all unless self-employment earnings total over $400. And passive income of any amount, such as income from rental real estate, is not considered self-employment income and so is not subject to the SE tax. Corporate dividends are similarly exempt from SE tax.

Other than these exclusions, self-employment income is generally subject to the SE tax. It’s not just for people who only have self-employment income either. Full-time employees who have self-income from side gigs have to pay SE tax on that income if it’s over $400.

How to Reduce SE Taxes

One way to reduce SE taxes is to reduce the amount of taxable net income. SE taxes are generally paid by sole proprietors who file a Schedule C reporting income from their unincorporated businesses along with their personal federal income tax returns. To the extent taxpayers can reduce the amount of income reported on their Schedule Cs, they reduce the amount of taxable income subject to the SE tax.

With this in mind, claiming all allowable business deductions is a can’t-miss way to reduce SE taxes. Allowable business deductions for self-employed people may include home office expenses as well as outlays for advertising, inventory and other business costs.

After taking all allowable business deductions and reporting that income on their personal tax return, self-employed people can still reduce their taxable income by making contributions to retirement accounts. These accounts can include traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs and 401(k) plans.

If the self-employed person is covered by a high-deductible health insurance plan, he or she may be able to contribute money to a health savings account. These contributions also reduce taxable income while allowing the self-employed person to withdraw money, again tax-free, to pay qualified medical expenses.

Change Business Structure

One of the most popular ways to avoid or limit SE tax is to change the business structure. All the income from a sole proprietorship is likely to be subject to the SE tax because the owner and business are essentially the same entity. Income from a business partnership is also reported on the owners’ personal returns and is subject to SE tax.

But if the business is incorporated as a regular C corp, S corp, limited liability corporation (LLC) or limited partnership; however, it’s possible to avoid paying SE taxes on at least some income from the business. This is because C corps, S corps and LLCs are entities separate from the owners. The entities pay taxes on net income at the corporate rate but pay no SE taxes. Similarly, any dividends paid to the owners are not subject to SE taxes.

Corporation owners may have to pay themselves a reasonable salary, which will be subject to regular employment taxes, including both the employee and employer halves of FICA. However, after taking a reasonable salary, owners can choose to distribute any additional earnings of the corporation as dividends on which no SE tax is owed.

Limited partners also can avoid paying SE tax on distributions from the partnership. However, if they are active in running the business, they run the risk of being categorized as general partners, who are subject to paying SE taxes on self-employment income from the partnership.

Bottom Line

Self-employment tax of 15.3% is generally owed on any self-employment income. Self-employed taxpayers can reduce the amount of SE taxes they pay by taking allowable deductions to reduce business net income. They can also use retirement plan and health savings account contributions to reduce income subject to SE tax. And by creating a separate business entity such as a corporation or LLC, they can have some of the income from the business treated as a distribution that is not subject to SE tax.

How to avoid self employment tax with LLC is one way that many self-employed professionals use to reduce or completely avoid self-employment taxes. 3 min read

How to avoid self employment tax with LLC is one way that many freelancers and other self-employed professionals use to reduce or completely avoid self-employment taxes that can eat up a large portion of their earned income.

Reducing Self-Employment Taxes With LLC

Being self-employed comes with a number of benefits such as:

• You don’t have to worry about going to an office every day.
• You don’t have to answer to a boss.
• You don’t have to worry about a dress code.

Self-employment has one major drawback, though. You’re required to pay self-employment taxes on every penny you earn. Consultants and freelancers often find themselves a bit shocked at how much of their earned income can be taken away by self-employment taxes. One of the most common complaints among people who own a business, in fact, is the self-employment tax. You may be wondering if it’s possible to avoid these taxes. The short answer is yes, for the most part, but you’ll need to make an effort.

Depending on your specific situation, it may be possible to reduce or completely negate self-employment taxes if you form either a limited liability company or some other form of corporation.

Understanding Self-Employment Taxes

When you’re an employee on somebody else’s payroll, your employer actually pays half of the Social Security and Medicare taxes on your income. The other half is withheld from your paycheck. When you’re self-employed, however, you’re required to pay the full amount of these taxes on your own. This is known as the self-employment tax.

In 2014, Social Security taxes were assessed at 12.4 percent of earned income while the Medicare tax was assessed at 2.9 percent. You’re only required to pay Social Security taxes on the first $117,000 of your annual income. Any amount over this is not subject to Social Security taxes. Medicare taxes, however, are assessed on any amount you earn, with an additional 9 percent assessed against any amount you make over $200,000 in a calendar year.

You may be subject to self-employment taxes if you are:

• A freelancer or independent contractor
• A sole proprietor
• A member of a general partnership
• A member of an LLC that is considered a disregarded entity for tax purposes

You may be required to calculate your self-employment and income taxes in quarterly estimates that are submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. If you don’t, you may be responsible for paying additional penalties or fines. Many people find tools, such as online self-employment calculators helpful when estimating their taxes.

Keep in mind that these self-employment taxes are due on top of any other regular federal income taxes you may owe to the IRS. Self-employment taxes are intended to be paid on what is known as “earned income.” Earned income is the amount of money you earn from working or producing a product or service.

Self-employment taxes are not intended to be paid on passive earnings or income from any investments you have made. If you are a small business owner, not all of your money is “earned” as a result of labor on your part. Some of your income may come from the value of your company, such as the good reputation you have built for yourself and your company in the areas in which you operate or the profitability of your employees. The problem for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs is that all their income is reported on a schedule C form. Therefore, every penny they bring in is considered earned income and is subject to self-employment tax.

In simple terms, you’ll be paying a total self-employment tax of 15.3 percent on every penny you earn. One simple trick to reduce these taxes it to set things up, so you’ll be taxed as an S-corporation. Normally, a business can be registered with its state as an LLC and registered with the IRS as an S-corporation. This provides business owners with the legal protections associated with limited liability companies while allowing them to take advantage of the tax benefits that come with being recognized as an S-corporation.

If you need help with how to avoid self employment tax with LLC, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel’s marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies such as Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

Many taxpayers have to pay self-employment tax, but what exactly does it mean? Its rate consists of Medicare and Social Security tax rates.

Self-employed individuals have to pay this tax in most cases. Typically, independent contractors, freelancers, small business owners, and others fall under this category. Keep reading the article to learn more about the topic, study how to calculate and how much you have to pay for your earnings.

Understanding Self-Employment Tax

The self-employed tax rate is 15.3%. As mentioned, it’s a combination of Medicare which is 2.9% and Social Security, which is 12.4%. In addition they give 15.3%.

The mentioned rate applies to net earnings. The net income is the profit a person makes in a year. In some cases, people pay this tax once a year during the tax season. In others, taxpayers must calculate their estimated tax payments that include self-employment taxes. As a result, they pay four times a year.

Taxpayers pay differently according to the type of their employment. Self-employed pay as mentioned — four times a year. But salaried employees pay differently. Their employers withhold taxes from their paychecks.

Another difference is that employees on a payroll don’t have to pay their Social Security and Medicare tax in full. Instead, the employee and their employee split the burden, and each pays 7.65%.

Self-Employment Tax Rate for 2021-2022 Period

It’s worth mentioning that self-employment and income taxes are two different types of taxes. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• The first $142,800 of taxpayer’s income is subject to the Social Security portion for the year 2021. In the following year, it should increase to $147,000.
• Self-employed individuals filing as single taxpayers pay an additional 0.9% tax rate on their net earnings if they earn $200,000 or more. If a filer is married or files jointly and earns $250,000 or more, they also have to pay this additional tax rate.

Calculating Self-Employment Tax

A taxpayer has to determine their net earnings from self-employment during one financial year to calculate how much they must pay. Here is how you do it:

• Net earnings is gross income generated through self-employment but after claiming all business deductions. Let’s assume a taxpayer, Susan, has earned $40,000 this year.
• Typically, 92.35% of a taxpayer’s net earnings are subject to self-employment tax. So, Susan has to multiply her income of $40,000 by 92.35% to get a taxable income of $36,940.
• The next step is to apply 15.3% to the taxable income. Susan has a taxable income of $36,940, so she multiplies it by 15.3% to get $5,652.

Keep in mind that in 2021 only the first $142,800 of earnings are taxable. The exceeding income isn’t subject to the Social Security portion of self-employment tax. In 2022, taxable income is first $147,000.

Make sure to check the IRS that offers filing rules. Generally, you have to pay self-employment tax when earning $400 or more within a year.

Who has to Pay?

Typically, the IRS recognizes the following groups of people who have to pay self-employment tax:

• Taxpayers who gained $400 or more in net earnings through self-employment. The exception includes taxpayers who earn as church employees. If the IRS has information from entities that you worked for, and you get a 1099 form from this entity, you are most likely to pay the self-employment tax.
• Taxpayers who are church employees earn $108.28 or more in earnings.

These rules are in effect no matter your age or whether you receive Medicare service or Social Security aid.

How to Pay?

The first step is to use the IRS Schedule C to determine net earnings from self-employment. Then you have to determine your taxable income. Only then to calculate the self-employment tax by using the IRS Schedule SE.

Taxpayers may also use our example in the article above. Or use other options, such as online products (calculators). When filing, make sure to add a Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

Make sure to pay on time and regularly. Salaried employees don’t have to worry about penalties and deadlines throughout the year since their employers take care of paying taxes. Self-employed taxpayers have to determine their estimated tax payments and pay every quarter of the year. Check the official IRS website to see all due dates.

A taxpayer is expected to make estimated quarterly payments if they:

• Will owe at least $1,000 in federal income taxes during a financial year. The number reflects income upon accounting for their withholding and refundable credits.
• Have refundable and withholding credits covering less than 90% of their tax liability for a current financial year or 100% of their liability the previous year.

Note, in the last case, the threshold is 110% for taxpayers who earned more than $75,000 for singles and $150,000 when filing jointly. If you pay more than necessary, you get a refund. But avoid not paying in full since the IRS may fine you.

Self-Employment: Acceptable Deductions

Taxpayers are allowed to deduct half of their self-employment taxes when calculating income taxes. Let’s take Susan’s example. She has calculated her self-employment tax, it is $5,652. She can pay only half, so:

When calculating how much to pay on your returns, don’t forget to claim deductions and credits. For instance, if a taxpayer has a home office, they may deduct rent on the total office space.

If a taxpayer must drive a car to operate a business, they can claim business expenses on a car. Take a look at the IRS official website to find all acceptable tax deductions you can claim to reduce your tax burden.

It is also worth mentioning that in some states, it’s more beneficial to launch a business. When having problems with calculating taxes, feel free to use the services of available accountants or experts.

Self-employment taxes require quarterly payments calculated at a higher rate than employees who have their payments deducted from each of their paychecks.

by Lance Cothern
updated May 02, 2022 · 2 min read

Self-employed tax rates are a bit higher than rates employees pay, because self-employed workers’ payments combine both employee and employer contributions. Self-employed workers also pay a rate that combines Medicare and Social Security taxes. This is because employees have Medicare taxes and Social Security taxes withheld from their paycheck by their employer, while self-employed workers need to be responsible for these taxes themselves.

Self-employed individuals may also owe the Additional Medicare Tax if their total wages and net earnings from self-employment exceed $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for those married filing jointly.

Who Must Pay Self-Employment Tax?

The IRS lists two groups that must pay self-employment tax:

• Anyone with net earnings from self-employment of $400 or more.
• Church employees with an income of $108.28 or more.

You need to have either a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to pay self-employment tax. To obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number file Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

How to Calculate the Self-Employment Tax

Social Security taxes must be paid on your first $142,800 of Social Security taxable wages in the 2021 tax year. This includes earnings from a W-2 job, as well as net earnings from self-employment.

Calculating your self-employment tax involves several steps:

• Add all net profit from your self-employment activities
• Multiply this amount by 0.9235 to account for the self-employment tax deduction
• Subtract your wages from W-2 jobs from the annual wage limit. Then, compare the number you calculated for the self-employment tax deduction to this number. You pay the Social Security tax on the lower of these two numbers
• Next, combine the tax amounts for Social Security and Medicare to determine the total self-employment tax owed

Use Schedule SE, Self-Employment Tax, for explicit details that apply to all possible situations. The Additional Medicare Tax amount is calculated on Form 8959, Additional Medicare Tax. These forms and schedules are part of the Form 1040 package of forms provided by the IRS.

How to Pay Self-Employment Tax

You typically make self-employment tax payments with your quarterly estimated tax payments if the following circumstances apply:

• You expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file your tax return
• You expect your withholding and refundable credits to be less than the smaller of:
  • 90% of the tax shown on your current year tax return
  • 100% of the tax shown on your previous year tax return as long as the tax return covers a full 12-month period

You make quarterly estimated tax payments using Form 1040-ES. This is a general rule of thumb and specific situations may require other actions. People who expect to owe less than $1,000 may pay their self-employment taxes owed when they file their income tax returns.

Here Is Help On How To Pay Self Employment Tax Online

Is it time for you to find out how to pay self employment tax online? See all of the information below and links to the sites to pay the taxes.

People who read how to pay self employment tax online also read:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated when you make a purchase after clicking on my links, there is no extra cost to you

Pay Tax Online

Stress may be caused by the accumulation of documents such as receipts, invoices, bank statements and more and paying invoices could eat up a lot of your time.

It’s simple to commence an on-line bill and to streamline your taxes by using one of the following:

Is It Easy To Do Taxes Online and Is It Better to eFile Or Mail Taxes?

Here are reasons to accomplish this way of life and to go paperless:

1. Be eco-friendly and reduce the demand for paper along with other natural resources. The average American receives 41 lbs of junk mail. Fiserv, financial services technology solutions company, estimates if each American household was paperless, it’d reduce solid waste by over 800,000 tons per year and save roughly 18.5 million trees.
2. You do not need to worry about very sensitive info being stolen in your mailbox, office or home. Instead, your statements/invoices will be protected by a username and password and any additional security you have placed on your computer.
3. Digital files make it easy to hunt and audit information. An e-based storage system keeps all your files and enabling you to look for information that was sensitive with the click of your mouse.
4. Paying your bills on-line can save you approximately $30 annually from the use of paper checks.

Summary

Occasionally the undertaking of going paperless might be frustrating.

The quantity of pointless mail by opting out of catalogs and junk mail you get.

There. It might take a great deal of time to set up your online accounts, but you’ll instantly see a decrease of undesirable mail coming to your home.

Most financial institutions provide nearly all utility and internet banking, cable businesses and credit card allow customers to see and pay invoices online.

Once you’ve stopped receiving spam mail, signed up for e-statements, along with of your internet banking, it’s time to organizing your existing paperwork.

As you begin this tiresome task of setting up your tax account, bear in mind that when you do it online the system saves a lot of your information as you progress and come back later.

Bear in mind, you must keep include invoices, tax records, investment info and of course any sentimental papers.

Taxes could be a long-term project so do not get discouraged.

Lastly, scan all the documents you should keep along with storing them on an external hard disk drive on your PC, or laptop, for the cloud for additional security.

This process will save space and lessen your clutter.

It can be a good time to cancel the majority of your subscriptions if you want to save more money and re-invest your tax return money (for people who receive tax refunds).

Hopefully, this will help you with how to pay self employment tax online in the USA or UK.

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Just how much is it necessary to make to file for a taxes?. If you are self-employed, you have to file a taxes if salary is $400 or even more. Otherwise self-employed, it depends upon filing status and gross earnings.

What goes on if you do not file coming back? – How much cash is it necessary to earn to need to file an tax return? Like the majority of things within the tax world, this will depend. Filing rules for that self-employed If you are self-employed, the rule is straightforward. You have to file a taxes in case your internet earnings from self-employment are in least $400. Internet earnings mean your overall earnings from self-employment minus your company expenses, for example mileage. You are able to determine this by finishing IRS Schedule C or using accounting software. But, even though you earned under $400, or were built with a loss, you need to still file coming back. This is also true should you have had a loss of revenue. You should use business losses to take down taxes later on years whenever you generate income. You need to file coming back for the losing year to get this done. Filing rules for everybody else If you are not self-employed, whether you have to file a taxes usually depends upon your filing status as well as your gross earnings. The chart below shows the tax filing earnings thresholds for 2018. Choose your filing status, how old you are as well as your gross earnings for 2018.

Video advice: How To Pay Yourself As A Single Member LLC

Today many people work as someone else’s employees and also as independent or self-employed contractors. A common reason is to work that second job in the sharing economy, travel with a company like Uber, or rent a house through Airbnb. But if you have these two sources of income, it means two types of payroll taxes. So in this article, we will discuss how to pay tax for self employed income.

Related To How to Pay Tax for Self-Employed Income:

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Payment of self-employment taxes

Self-employment and earning a wage or salary from employment affects your Social Security and Medicare eligibility and your total self-employment tax. You are self-employed if you are making money in your own business, as an independent, independent contractor, sole proprietor, partnership partner, or as a member of an LLC or S corporation. If you have a corporation, you are not a self-employed worker.

Self-employment tax

If you are self-employed, you pay self-employment tax (SECA) based on your net income (profit) from your business. You pay this tax at a rate of 12.6 percent of that income. So you don’t have to pay this tax as you go, as you don’t have to withhold it from your business income. You do not receive a paycheck from your company because you are not an employee. This tax is not calculated until your net business income is determined at the time of tax. Schedule SE is the form used to calculate self-employment tax.

What it means to be autonomous

A self-employed person may be someone who runs a business as a sole proprietor, LLC owner, or partner in a partnership. You may not have a formal business structure, but file your business taxes on Schedule C with your personal tax return.

The IRS says you are self-employed if:

• You start an operation or business as a sole proprietor or as an independent contractor.
• You are a member of a company that carries out a commercial or commercial activity.
• Otherwise, you are doing business on your own (even part time)

That is, if you are in business to earn money, you are considered a self-employed person.

Example of calculating self-employment taxes

Let’s say you earned $ 50,000 from employment and $ 30,000 from net income from self-employment in 2016. Your total of $ 80,000 of your salary and self-employment is less than the Social Security maximum of $ 117,000, so your Social Security tax due on all your income.

Let’s say $ 3,100 in FICA taxes was withheld from your payment. You are also owed approximately $ 3,720 as self-employment tax on your $ 30,000 in self-employment income. (The calculation becomes a little trivial here; this may not be exact, depending on your specific situation.)

The $ 3,720 owed to you as self-employment tax is included on Line 27 of your personal form 1040, and included with any income tax owed to you to determine your total tax bill for the year. If your income from employment and self-employment exceeds the maximum Social Security limit, you still have to pay Medicare tax. There is no limit to the Medicare tax, and you may be required to pay an additional Medicare tax of 2.9 percent if your income exceeds a certain amount.

Speak with a local accountant in your area to help you with your tax return and tax calculations.

How to pay your self-employment tax

Because self-employment tax is not withheld, you could face a large tax bill at the time of tax payment. Many business owners make estimated quarterly payments, including estimated amounts of self-employment tax, as well as estimated income tax. You can increase your federal and state income tax withholding from your job to cover this additional cost.

Before you go, I hope this article how to pay tax for self employed income is helpful and beneficial for you.

By Ruth Sarreal

When you’re self-employed, paying taxes is a little more involved than merely doing your income tax filing once a year as you do when you’re an employee. You’ll need to file the appropriate self-employment tax forms and, depending on your situation, pay self-employment tax throughout the year. Here’s what you need to know about filing taxes as a self-employed person.

1. Determine If You Qualify as Self-Employed

If you own a small business or work as a freelancer, Uncle Sam considers you self-employed. IRS rules state that if one of the following three situations applies to you, then you’re self-employed:

• You carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietorship or as an independent contractor.
• You’re a member of a partnership that carries on a trade or business.
• You’re otherwise in business — including a part-time business — for yourself.

And generally, if you do some freelance moonlighting outside of your salaried job, you still qualify as self-employed.

2. Compile Your Earnings Statements

If you have performed services worth $600 or more for a client, you should receive a Form 1099-MISC from them. These forms should be filed by Jan. 31. Once you receive all of your 1099-MISC forms, compile them so you know exactly how much you earned for the year.

3. Gather Your Receipts and Invoices

If you are self-employed, you should keep supporting documents for all of your business transactions for the year. In addition to all of your 1099-MISC forms, keep sales slips, paid bills, invoices, receipts, deposit slips and canceled checks. Gather documents that show proof of purchases and expenses, including business-related travel, transportation, entertainment and gifts.

4. Calculate If You Made Enough To File

If your net earnings from self-employment were $400 or more, you are required to file an income tax return. If you earned less than $400, you might still have to file a return if any of the following applies to you, according to the IRS:

• You owe any special taxes.
• You (or your spouse, if filing jointly) received health savings account, Archer MSA or Medicare Advantage MSA distributions.
• You had wages of $108.28 or more from a church or qualified church-controlled organization that is exempt from employer Social Security and Medicare taxes.
• Advance payments of the premium tax credit were made for you, your spouse or a dependent who enrolled in coverage through the marketplace.
• Advance payments of the health coverage tax credit were made for you, your spouse or a dependent.
• You are required to include amounts in income under section 965 or you have a net tax liability under section 965 that you are paying in installments under section 965(h) or deferred by making an election under section 965(i).

5. Use the Correct Form

If you’re new to filing self-employment or independent contractor taxes, finding the correct self-employment tax form can seem daunting, but most freelancers will likely only need these three forms:

• Form 1040:Form 1040 is required for individuals who are self-employed because it accounts for the self-employment tax.
• Schedule C: On Schedule C, report your income or losses from a business you operated or a profession you practiced as a sole proprietor or freelancer. If you accrued expenses of $5,000 or less, you might be eligible for the Schedule C-EZ short form.
• Schedule SE: On Schedule SE for Form 1040, report your Social Security and Medicare taxes. The income or loss you determined on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ is used to calculate the self-employment taxes that you should have paid during the year.

6. Complete and File Your Self-Employment Taxes

You might need to make quarterly payments on your income throughout the year, also known as estimated taxes. According to the IRS rules, in most cases, you’ll need to pay estimated federal taxes if the following apply:

• You expect to owe at least $1,000 in taxes when your return is filed, after subtracting your withholdings and credits.
• If your tax was greater than zero in the previous year, you might have to pay estimated taxes for the current year.

Generally, you can avoid a penalty for underpayment if you paid 90% or more of the tax for the current year or all of the tax shown on your return for the previous year, whichever is smaller, according to the IRS.

If you don’t pay your estimated taxes in one lump sum in the first quarter, you can pay your estimated taxes with vouchers found on Form 1040-ES that include each quarterly due date.

You can also pay estimated taxes and file self-employment taxes online through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System with your bank account information, or pay by debit card or credit card through an IRS-approved service provider.

What Taxes Do I Pay If I’m Self-Employed?

One of the benefits of working for a company is that both you and your employer pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. When you’re self-employed, however, these taxes are your responsibility alone.

The current self-employment tax rate is 12.4% for Social Security, which is your old-age, survivors and disability insurance, and 2.9% for Medicare, which is your hospital insurance. These taxes are separate from your income tax. As a self-employed worker, you can take some special deductions that will reduce your tax burden.

Deductions for Self-Employed Individuals

The benefit of paying self-employment taxes is that you can take advantage of many self-employment tax deductions to help reduce your tax burden. A few common deductions for those filing self-employment taxes include:

• Self-employed SEP, SIMPLE and qualified plans: For self-employed workers who contributed to retirement plans in the tax year
• Part of your self-employment tax: Reduces your adjusted gross income and is typically 50% to 57% of your self-employment tax
• Self-employed health insurance deduction: Might allow you to deduct the amount paid for health insurance for yourself, your spouse and your dependents

You might be able to qualify for other deductions or tax credits, too. For instance, if you work from home, you could be eligible to deduct expenses of your home office.

If you’ve never filed self-employment taxes before, it can be a little overwhelming. So if you’re unsure about whether you’re doing it correctly, paying enough or getting every deduction you qualify for, it might be a good idea to hire an accountant.

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Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.

You are a photographer. You typically photograph landscapes and sell your photos online. However, a friend asks if you will photograph their wedding. The friend pays you $5,000 for this side-gig. In this case, your side-gig is related to your regular business income and should be included in income. This means you also need to pay self-employment taxes on that income.

Example 2: A side-gig is unrelated to your regular business

You are a software engineer. You work contracts for different clients and report your income as a business on a Schedule C as part of your Form 1040. However, you’re also a hobby photographer and a friend asks if you will photograph their wedding. The friend pays you $5,000 for this work.

In this case, the extra income is NOT related to your regular business and you are not in the business of photography. I would consider this money extra income and report it as such on your Form 1040. Other income goes on line 21 of Form 1040, Schedule 1 (Other Income and Adjustments to Income). You may owe state income tax too. This extra income would NOT be subject to self-employment taxes.

Example 3: A side-gig is unrelated to your regular W-2 job

You are a software engineer and work for a company as a W-2 remote employee. You don’t have a business at all so you’re not considered to be self-employed. However, you’re also a hobby photographer and a friend asks if you will photograph their wedding. The friend pays you $5,000 for this work.

In this case, you are not in the business of photography. It is a one-time job. I would consider this money extra income and report it as such on your Form 1040. Other income goes on line 21 of Form 1040, Schedule 1 (Other Income and Adjustments to Income). This also means the extra income would NOT be subject to self-employment taxes.

Income vs. self-employment tax

Hopefully you now understand better when you don’t owe self-employment taxes on that extra income you earned this year. Let’s also remember that self-employment taxes are separate from income tax. Therefore, you will owe income tax on ALL income earned whether it’s business income or a one-time gig.

It’s also important to remember that if one-time income is not subject to self-employment taxes, you also can’t claim any expenses for earning that income. In the case of being a hobby photographer, this could mean losing out on the deduction for your camera gear, software, etc.

If you don’t plan on making the side-gig a regular thing, then it’s not that big a deal. However, if you think you’ll continue that side-gig, then it might be worth taking the expense deductions and making it officially a business.

The choice is ultimately yours, but you should be aware of your options. If you’re confused over any of this or wish to understand if you’ll save some money by taking expenses for that side-gig (essentially turning it into a business), then I encourage you to reach out to a tax professional for help.

If you’re a sole proprietor, business owner, freelancer, or contractor, you’re likely familiar with the concept of self-employment tax. Individuals who earn income working for themselves, rather than earning employer income, are still responsible for paying federal and state taxes. A portion of these taxes goes toward SECA taxes, which are comprised of Social Security and Medicare.

In this guide, learn how to calculate self-employment tax in a few straightforward steps to avoid surprises at tax time.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What is Self-Employment Tax?

Self-employment tax, known as SECA tax, ensures that self-employed individuals pay for their cost of Social Security and Medicare contributions. For employees who work a traditional W2 job, the employer pays a portion of these taxes, which are often referred to as FICA tax on a pay stub.

The acronym SECA is a reference to the Self-Employment Contributions Act of 1954, which established a precedent for self-employed individuals and business owners to pay 15.3% of all net earnings.

Who is Subject to Self-Employment Tax?

Depending on your business structure and tax filing status, you may be liable to pay self-employment tax. This is true if you meet one of the following criteria.

• You are a sole proprietor.
• You own a single-member LLC.
• You work as an independent contractor.
• You are part of a legal business partnership.
• You maintain active membership in a partnership LLC.

How is Self-Employment Tax Different Than Income Tax?

Self-employment tax is different from income tax, which includes both federal and state income tax. When you are self-employed, you are responsible for paying both SECA and income taxes on your own.

Income tax is something that is generated for everyone who earns money, regardless of how they are employed. Self-employment taxes are only subject to individuals whose employers do not pay a share of their Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Steps to Calculate Self-Employment Tax

Knowing how to calculate self-employment tax is a beneficial skill that better prepares you when it’s time to file taxes. Follow the steps below to get an idea of what you owe. When in doubt, always consult a tax professional or accountant.

Calculate Net Earnings

To begin, calculate your net earnings for the year. For self-employed individuals, this amount is usually found by subtracting total expenses from gross income or sales.

Net Earnings = Gross Business Income – Total Business Expenses

Understand the Self-Employment Tax Rate

A simple search will reveal several calculators that you can use to discover your self-employment tax responsibility. Fortunately, the equation is rather simple. With the assumed self-employment (SECA) tax rate of 15.3%, you simply need to multiply your net earnings by this rate.

Apply the Tax Rate to Net Earnings

Multiply the tax rate by your net earnings.

SECA = Net Earnings * 15.3% (Tax Rate)

While it may not apply for income tax purposes, only 92.35% of your self-employment earnings are subject to the 15.3% tax rate. If you choose to use an automatic calculator, or if you calculate your tax responsibility manually, keep this rule in mind.

Social Security Earnings Exception

In 2021, the first $142,800 in net earnings is subject to the Social Security portion of SECA taxes. This is an increase from the year prior. If your business generates more income than this, calculate accordingly.

Use Deductions to Your Advantage

There are many deductions available to self-employed individuals who need and want to reduce parts of their tax liability. One of the major deductions is the ability to deduct up to half of your self-employment tax on your income taxes.

You should also carefully manage any business income deduction that may reduce your overall tax liability. This includes continuing education, home office equipment, expenses related to your website, and any investment that goes directly to support your self-employment income.

How to Pay Self-Employment Tax

Once you calculate your self-employment tax liability, the next step is actually to pay. It’s important that you make full and timely payments to the IRS to avoid interest or penalties.

Many business owners and freelancers choose to make quarterly tax payments, as it may reduce the amount of money you owe in back taxes and fees when you complete an annual return.

You can also use Schedule SE (Form 1040) to calculate additional options if your business experienced a loss or if you had very little self-employment earnings for a given year.

By Top Tax Staff | Feb 15, 2013 7:00:00 AM | Business Taxes

Do you own and operate your own business? Did you have income left over after you subtract your operating expenses and tax deductions? If so, you will have to pay self-employment taxes to the IRS along with your federal tax return . While self-employment taxes represent a significant portion of the government’s annual revenue, they also serve a beneficial purpose for the entrepreneurs who pay them. What are these taxes? How does the IRS decide how much you owe? How do you go about paying self-employment taxes?

What are Self-Employment Taxes?

Self-employment taxes are actually the same taxes you would have withheld from your pay if you were an employee for another company. Workers have Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from their regular paychecks each pay period. Employers typically match these payments and submit both parts to the IRS each quarter. These taxes are the workers’ share of Social Security and Medicare benefits that they will eventually draw from as they get older.

When you’re self-employed, however, you are responsible for paying both parts of these taxes. This means that your tax will be double the amount that you would normally have withheld from your wages or salary.

How are Self-Employment Taxes Calculated?

The IRS uses a fixed percentage for self-employment taxes. The self-employment tax rate is 13.3 percent of net income. This means that if you reported a net income of $10,000, your self-employment tax would be $1330, or 13.3 percent of $10,000. When you prepare your own tax return, you use Schedule SE “Self Employment Tax” to calculate your exact dollar amount.

How to Pay Self Employment Taxes to the IRS

Now that you’ve calculated your self-employment tax amount, how do you pay it to the IRS? You’ll complete Form 1040, along with Schedule C “Profit or Loss From Business” and Schedule SE. To remit your total payment, complete Form 1040-V (a payment voucher) and include a check or money order for your total tax along with your return.

You can also make estimated tax payments during the year to divide up your prospective tax bill into smaller amounts. If you decide to make estimated tax payments, you’ll send in one-fourth of your estimated tax liability each quarter.

Self-employment taxes can be a bit of a hassle for business owners, but it is essential to learn how to pay them in a timely manner. When you care for your self-employment taxes, you can rest assured knowing that you’re in full compliance with the IRS.

Here’s how to pay yourself as a small business owner.

Please note that the information contained in this article is limited in scope and is only intended as a high-level overview of the topics discussed. The information is current as of the publication date only, and the laws (and associated agency and/or judicial interpretations) on the topics discussed could change at any point in the future. Square, Inc. (including its affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, officers, directors, attorneys, and tax advisors) undertakes no obligation to update this article for future changes in the law. In addition, laws vary by jurisdiction, and this article does not attempt to address all jurisdictions — for example, states, counties, or cities often have requirements that differ from federal law. Nothing in this article is or should be used as tax or legal advice. In particular, this article cannot be relied upon for the purposes of avoiding taxes, penalties, or other obligations under applicable law. For guidance or advice specific to your business, you should consult with a qualified tax and/or legal professional.

It’s not easy work, but owning your own business certainly has its perks. One of many is getting paid. Paying yourself as a business owner is an important transaction to do right to make sure you’re staying compliant with tax laws. We’ll go over different methods for paying yourself from your business, how to stay tax compliant, and how to determine what your paycheck should be.

Before you delve into the different ways you can pay yourself, you need to determine what type of business entity your business is (e.g., sole proprietor, LLC, corporation, etc.). Your business entity determines what kind of taxes you’re going to be responsible for and, ultimately, your options for paying yourself.

If you’ve chosen a business entity for your business already, that’s great. If not, you can read more about different types of business entities and learn which might provide the best structure for your business.

There are multiple ways to give yourself a paycheck. We’ll go over two ways to pay yourself based on your business entity.

Owner’s draw

Owner’s draw, or draw, is when the business owner takes money out of their business as a paycheck. You can do this if you’ve separated your business finances from your personal finances by opening a separate bank account just for your business. Then you would write a check to yourself. Alternatively, you can use your Square Balance like a business bank account and run owner’s draw by transferring money from your Square Balance to your personal bank account.

Businesses that can use owner’s draw to pay themselves:

• Partnership
• Sole proprietorship
• LLC
• S corp (You have the option to take a draw in addition to your salary.)

Taxes you pay on owner’s draw

When you take an owner’s draw, your business is not taxed, but you are taxed when you do your income taxes. You also need to check if you are subject to self- employment taxes. Self-employment tax goes to Social Security and Medicare for business owners. The amount that you need to pay in self-employment taxes is dependent on your business’s profits. You pay self-employment tax when you do your income taxes.

Salary

If you pay yourself a salary, this would mean making yourself a W-2 employee, employed by your business. You would then pay yourself the same way you would run payroll regularly, with a set amount on a set schedule, with the right federal and state taxes withheld and paid to the correct agencies. One of the easiest ways to do this is by using a payroll service, like Square Payroll, that calculates the taxes for you and does the filings on your behalf.

Businesses that can pay themselves a salary:

• S corp (If you are involved in the day-to-day running of a business, then you must pay yourself a salary.)
• C corp

Taxes you pay on your salary

When you pay yourself a salary, you’re subject to all payroll taxes that W-2 employees have withheld from their paychecks. Additionally, there are some payroll taxes that employers pay on behalf of their employees. As the owner, you’re subject to these as well. The taxes that are withheld from your paycheck include federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. The taxes that you have to pay as the employer include federal unemployment tax, state unemployment tax, Social Security, and Medicare.

Here’s a chart that breaks down which business structures use which methods to pay themselves.

Business Structure	Method to pay yourself
Sole proprietorship	Owner’s draw
LLC	Owner’s draw, the same way a sole prop pays itself. If your LLC has more than one member, you would split the revenues.
Partnership	Owner’s draw, with the revenue split between partners.
S corp	Owner’s draw and salary if you work in the business.
C corp	Salary that is reasonable for the work you do for the corporation.

Regardless of whether you’re paying yourself a salary or taking an owner’s draw, you want to be aware of your business’s financial obligations and make sure you have enough to pay those bills. You also need to be sure that whatever amount you choose, it is reasonable for the duties you perform in your business.

When you’re paying yourself a salary, by definition it’s a set amount that you pay yourself regularly. When you calculate your salary, be sure the amount is sustainable for your business in the long term. When you’re paying yourself through owner’s draw, you have flexibility. You don’t need to stick to a certain amount or a set schedule.

In fact, a lot of businesses base the amount they pay themselves on their cash flow. If you’re just starting out and you have little to no cash flow, it isn’t uncommon for business owners to operate without taking a paycheck until their cash flow increases.

Regardless of the method that is best for your business, it’s critical that you pay yourself in a way that is compliant. Doing so opens up opportunities when it comes to applying for loans, bringing on investors, or other avenues you’ll want to explore when it comes time to grow your business.

If you’re doing self-employed or 1099 work, you’ll need to pay self-employment taxes. Self-employment taxes replace the FICA taxes you’d have withheld at a W-2 job.

What is the self-employment tax?

The self-employment tax consists of two taxes.

The Social Security Tax funds Social Security retirement benefits. If you have six figures in annual earnings, you only pay this tax on your earnings up to the wage base limits. If you also have a salaried job with tax withholding, see the steps you can take to avoid paying too much Social Security Tax.

The Medicare Tax funds the Medicare health insurance program for retired adults. If you are a high earner, you may also have to pay the Additional Medicare Tax.

What is the self-employment tax rate?

The self-employment tax rate for most people is 15.3%. For higher earners, it depends on whether you’ve reached the Social Security Tax cap or have to pay the Additional Medicare Tax.

Social Security Tax

The Social Security Tax rate is 12.4%. If you’re above the income cap, you pay 12.4% on income up to the cap and then 0% on the rest of your income.

The tax rate remains consistent each year unless Congress changes it. The income cap is tied to inflation.

Medicare Tax

The Medicare Tax is 2.9% of all of your wages and self-employment income. Unlike Social Security, there is no income cap.

The Additional Medicare Tax is 0.9% (in addition to the 2.9%) of your income above the following limits:

• $125,000 if married filing separately.
• $200,000 if single or head of household.
• $250,000 if married filing jointly.

These thresholds are fixed by statute and do not automatically increase with inflation. The Medicare Tax rates are also set by law and don’t change.

How do you pay self-employment taxes?

Self-employment taxes are part of your Form 1040 individual tax return due in April each year. Most self-employed individuals report their business income and expenses on Schedule C.

Your tax software should then automatically generate a Schedule SE. Schedule SE calculates your self-employment taxes.

If you expect to owe more than $1,000 combined in self-employment taxes and income taxes, you will likely need to make estimated tax payments. Estimated tax payments are quarterly payments of the taxes you expect to owe for the year. If you wait to pay until you file your tax return, you may have to pay the estimated tax penalty and interest.

What counts as self-employed?

Self-employed includes most types of non-W2 jobs, including:

• Entrepreneurs
• Bricks and mortar small businesses.
• Independent contractors who receive a 1099-NEC.
• Sole proprietors.
• Partners in a partnership.
• People who engage in a skilled trade on their own rather than as an employee.
• Gig economy jobs such as sports officials, Uber drivers, and Amazon deliveries.

You can learn more about different self-employment jobs and how to pay taxes for them under Tax Guides. If your earnings are from an activity you do for fun, you may be able to classify the activity as a hobby for tax purposes and avoid self-employment taxes.

What other taxes will I owe?

You may also owe the following taxes.

State and Federal Income Taxes

You will owe personal income taxes on either your profit share or your wages plus distributions.

• For sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S-corporations, you pay your personal income tax rate on your share of the total net profits. You may be eligible for the Qualified Business Income deduction to reduce your income taxes.
• For C-corporations, your tax is your personal income tax rate on your wages plus your dividends tax rate on your profit distributions.
• LLCs depend on whether you’ve elected to be taxed as a pass-through (see first bullet point) or corporation.

Business Income Tax

If you have a business entity other than a sole proprietorship, your state may tax your business profits. Taxes may apply even if you reinvest the profits back into your business rather than withdrawing them.

Sales Tax

Carefully review the rules for sales taxes for each jurisdiction where you have either a physical presence location, travel to your clients, or otherwise have sales. Remember that what goods and services are or are not taxable varies by location.

Business Tax Receipt/Licensing Fees

In addition to income taxes, many states, counties, and municipalities charge a flat fee for the right to do business within their borders. This fee usually ranges from $50 to $200.

The fees often apply to any business operating in their area. This may include independent contractors who work for a single company or a service professional who travels to a single client within that area.

Conclusion

The self-employment tax consists of Social Security and Medicare taxes. You’ll probably need to make quarterly estimated tax payments for both your self-employment taxes and income taxes. If you need help tracking your taxes, check out these accounting software options.

Self-employed individuals are responsible for paying a similar government income tax as everyone else. The variation that matters is that they don’t have an employer to keep money from their paycheck and send it to the IRS or share the trouble of paying Social Security and Medicare taxes. They need to monitor their pay, estimate how much tax they should owe, and that is where a self-employed quarterly tax calculator comes to their rescue for estimating taxes throughout the year.

What is exactly a Self-Employment Tax?

The whole idea is to save some money legitimately and lower the medicare burdens essentially for people who work independently. It is the same as the Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from the pay of most workers. You can figure out the self-employed Tax (SE tax) yourself by utilizing Schedule SE (Form 1040 or 1040-SR). Additionally, you can deduct the employer equivalent portion of your Self-employed quarterly tax calculator to your changed gross pay. Workers can’t deduct Social Security and Medicare charges.

In addition to personal income taxes, everyone should pay Social Security and Medicare charges. You have to make these tax payments yourself if you are working independently since you don’t have a worker to send them in for you. Workers have to pay 7.65 percent of their pay in Social Security and Medicare charges, with their managers making an extra payment of 7.65 percent. The Social Security part of the tax is paid on the first $142,800 of business pay in the year.

Unfortunately, when you are working independently, you have to pay the two segments of these taxes for an aggregate amount of 15.3 percent. However, you can get to claim an allowance for a part of this when you document your tax form. You can also work out and find these employment charges on a Schedule SE connection to your tax return form.

Calculating self-employment income

Whenever you work for another person, you will get a W-2 form from your manager toward the year-end telling you to know exactly how much amount you made. When you are self-employed, you need to sort it out by yourself. That implies you should keep exact records of how much you acquire for your work and the amount you spend to work your business.

This record-keeping is exclusively your responsibility, and then you are the chief. Utilize Schedule C to report your business income and costs at tax time. Deduct the costs from the income to get your net profit from independent work. Your net profit is then built-in for your income tax filing form and taxed similarly to your other payments. If you take care of business as a self-employed entity, you can hope to get 1099 structures from your clients, announcing the amount they paid you during the year.

Estimating your income tax

When you are a worker, your boss will keep the money for government taxes out of your paychecks and send the cash to the IRS so that before the year-end, your expected tax bill should be paid. However, if you are working independently, this is another activity you need to deal with yourself.

Rather than paying it every week, you should make four assessed tax payments during the year. Since you are doing this while the tax year is in the works, you can give your best estimate based on the pay you acquire in the current tax rates.

Other ways to estimate tax payments

If you have a daily job in addition to your freelancing business, you may be able to increase your federal tax withholding at that job to cover the self-employed quarterly tax calculator on your independent employed income. However, if you still owe at least $1,000 even after raising your withholding, you must make a few estimated tax payments. You w don’t want to pay estimated taxes if you can execute that.

At year-end, your estimated payments (with employer withholding) must equal at least 90 percent of your tax liability for the current year or 100 percent of your tax liability from the previous year. If it doesn’t, you may be focused on an estimated tax penalty.

Self-employment Health Insurance Tax Deduction

Under Section 2042 of the Small Business Jobs Act, a deduction for income tax purposes is permitted to independently employed people at medical insurance expense. This allowance is considered an account in calculating a net income from independent work. You can also consider the Form 1040 or 1040-SR and Schedule SE guidelines for computing and claiming the deduction.

Who Must Pay Self-Employment Tax?

You should duly pay the tax expenses and document Schedule SE (Form 1040 or 1040-SR) if both the following conditions apply.

• Your net profit from independent work (excluding church employee pay) was $400 or more.
• You had church employees pay $108.28 or more.

Generally, your net profits from independent work are dependent upon self-employment tax. Assuming you are independently employed as a sole owner, you can most partly use Schedule C to figure out the net profit from independent work.

If you have profit subject to self-employment tax, use Schedule SE to calculate your net income from independent work. Before you figure out your net profit, you generally need to calculate your total income subject to independent work tax.

Special guidelines apply to laborers who act in-home administrations for older or disabled people (caregivers). Guardians are regular employees of the people for whom they provide various services since they work in the homes of the older or physically challenged people. These people reserve the privilege of telling the caregivers what should be finished.

Instructions to Pay Taxes for freelancers:

You should have a Social Security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer recognizable proof number (ITIN) to settle self-employment.

Acquiring a Social Security Number: If you never had an SSN, apply for one is utilizing Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. Download the application form from the social security website. You can get this application form at any Social Security office or by calling the office number.

Acquiring an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number: The IRS will give you an ITIN if you are a non-resident or resident outsider and you don’t have and are not qualified to get an SSN. To submit an application for an ITIN, document the Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

Estimating Tax deductions: As a self-employed individual, you might need to record Estimated Taxes quarterly. You can utilize these estimated tax payments to pay your independent employee tax, as well as know the deductions you are eligible for.

Bottom line

You must pay a tax return if you are working as a freelancer. For paying and deducting a tax, you have to estimate the sales and profit of your business carefully.

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Structuring your small business as an S corporation, or S-corp, can save money in federal taxes, but owners have to tread carefully when deciding how to pay themselves. Taking too low of a salary or skipping one altogether can lead to unpaid taxes and federal fines.

An S-corp offers business owners three basic options for paying themselves: by salary, distributions or both. The right choice depends largely on how you contribute to the company and the company’s finances.

What is an S-corp?

An S-corp is a corporation with a specific tax setup. Unlike a sole proprietorship or partnership where you are personally liable for business debts, an S-corp is a legally separate entity from its owner. S-corps provide you with a layer of protection for your personal assets in the event that your business can’t pay its debts or your business is sued.

While partnerships and limited liability companies (known as LLCs) require certain owners and partners to pay self-employment taxes , an S-corp does not. Instead, employees of S-corps have employment taxes withheld from their paychecks.

One of the primary benefits of an S-corp is tax savings. With a C corporation , profits are reported on the company’s tax return and then again on shareholders’ tax returns as dividends. This means the profits are taxed twice. However, an S-corp doesn’t pay federal corporate taxes; instead, it passes its profits or losses onto the shareholders to file on their personal tax returns.

Ways to pay yourself as an S-corp

Owners of S-corps who have a hand in daily operations fill two roles: one as a shareholder and another as an employee. However, owners who do not oversee daily operations are classified only as shareholders. The role you play in your company directly affects how you can pay yourself under the S-corp structure and which restrictions apply.

Salary

When it makes sense: You work at your company.

If you work in the company as an employee, you need to receive compensation that allows you to pay employment taxes to the IRS. This is a requirement regardless of other forms of compensation that you receive as a shareholder, such as distributions. Such compensation is traditionally paid as a salary so that employment taxes are properly reported.

The IRS requires S-corp employees to be paid reasonable compensation, an amount comparable to what is paid by organizations in the same industry for similar work and experience.

For S-corps, this means you must ensure that you are paid compensation that is not so low as to avoid paying required taxes and is comparable to the salary of officers with your experience at similar businesses. While some S-corp owners have reduced their federal income taxes by paying themselves a low salary and taking the majority of their income in the form of distributions, this tactic is viewed by the government as an attempt to sidestep taxes.

If the IRS determines that a shareholder’s salary does not qualify as reasonable compensation, the S-corp can be penalized for neglecting to withhold and deposit employment taxes, in addition to being required to pay back taxes on what was not reported.

Distributions

When it makes sense: You own a business but aren’t involved in day-to-day operations.

If you own an S-corp that’s profitable and has more than enough cash to cover future expenses, it’s also possible to receive compensation by taking distributions. These are payments of earnings to shareholders, usually in the form of cash or stock.

If you’re not active in your company’s operations and don’t provide services to the S-corp, you can receive compensation as distributions rather than a salary. The primary difference between a salary and distributions is that distributions are not subject to employment taxes. However, they are considered part of a shareholder’s personal income for tax purposes.

These distributions are tax-free until they exceed a shareholder’s stock basis; beyond that point, they are taxable. The stock basis is the shareholder’s initial investment in the business, which may be decreased by certain business losses or increased through business income.

Salary and distributions

When it makes sense: You work at your company and want part of your compensation to be based on the business’s performance.

If you’re an owner and shareholder-employee, you can also take distributions in addition to your salary when the business is doing well. Such distributions aren’t subject to employment taxes, as long as your salary meets the reasonable compensation standard. However, if that standard isn’t met, the IRS can reclassify other compensation as taxable income.

Before choosing this option, it’s a good idea to consult with an accountant to understand the requirements of reasonable compensation.

Table of Contents:

Bonus Tax Rate – Find out more about taxes on bonuses that you might receive at the job, including holiday bonuses, signing bonuses and funds bonuses, with the aid of H&R Block.

If you have a non-financial gift out of your employer each year — a vacation pork, ornament, or perhaps a theater or sports event ticket — you probably will ‘t be taxed about this gift. This group of gifting is frequently known as “de minimis fringe benefits” and it is excluded out of your earnings.

• The Cash Bonus
• Signing Bonus Tax
• Non-Monetary Gift Bonuses
• Gift Card Bonuses
• Tax on a Bonus Exceeding $1 Million

Video advice: Incentive Pay

City Income Taxes and Telecommuting FAQ

Taxes Site – Frequently Asked Questions about City Income Taxes and Telecommuting.

“…. salary, pay or emolument given as compensation or wages for work done or services rendered, in cash or in kind, and includes but is not limited to the following: salaries, wages, bonuses, commissions, fees, tips, incentive payments, severance pay, vacation pay and sick pay. ” MCL 141. 604(2)

Are wages earned by a resident of Detroit, who is working from home (telecommuting) for a company in another city, taxable by Detroit?

The employee should keep a work log of the days worked outside the city. Employers should provide employees with a letter, on company letter head, stating the dates that employees were directed to work from home. The employees are not required to submit the work log and employer letter with a city income tax return, but taxpayers should still retain the documents and may be required to furnish the documents upon request by a city tax administrator.

Bonus Tax Rate 2022: How Bonuses Are Taxed

When it comes to bonuses, employers can calculate your tax withholding in one of two ways.

1. The percentage method
2. Percentage method examples
3. The aggregate method
4. Aggregate method example
5. Lowering your tax withholding on a bonus
6. Learn more:

Supplemental wages

A bonus is always a welcome bump in pay, but it’s taxed differently from regular income. Instead of adding it to your ordinary income and taxing it at your top marginal tax rate, the IRS considers bonuses to be “supplemental wages” and levies a flat 22 percent federal withholding rate. Here is a breakdown of how bonuses are taxed. Supplemental wagesThe IRS considers bonuses to be “supplemental wages. ” A supplemental wage is money paid to an employee that isn’t part of his or her regular wages, according to the IRS. In general, bonuses of any kind, including signing bonuses and severance pay, fit into the supplemental wages category.

Can You 1099 an Employee for a Bonus?

Can You 1099 an Employee for a Bonus? Bonuses are a different form of payment and are subjected to their own tax and wage rules. In short, employee bonuses are always taxable as employee benefits and are therefore subject to employment taxes. Additionally, employers must include bonus amounts in calculating unemployment taxes and FICA taxes. Here is the basic run down of the rules for reporting compensation, including bonuses paid to employees vs. independent contractors: If the recipient is an employee, the employer should always report wages, salaries, fees, bonuses, commissions, tips and other compensation as income on the employee’s W-2, not on a 1099. If the recipient of the bonus is an independent contractor, then the bonus is reported as part of the compensation paid to the independent contractor for the services that they provide. If this total is more than $600, then the payer needs to prepare a 1099-NEC for the independent contractor, and that 1099-NEC must include the total amount paid to the worker. This is where it gets a little bit complicated. The payment should probably be part of the contract between the payer, and those terms could be a cause for the IRS determining that independent contractor is an employee. Thus, the employer would be subject to their share of the employment taxes. For more information regarding the rules for determining whether the recipient is an employee or an independent contractor/self-employed individual see the IRS flyer regarding the topic. For more information on the treatment of bonuses paid to employees see the IRS Publication 525. How are Bonuses Taxed? Bonuses may also be considered as supplemental wages because they are not included in regular pay. There are certain rules for how withholding taxes must be calculated depending on how the bonus is paid. When bonuses are combined with regular wages, employers must withhold federal income tax as though the total were a single payment for the regular payroll period. If a bonus is provided in a check separate from regular pay, you can either withhold a flat tax of 22% or add the bonus to the employee’s regular pay and withhold as though it were a single payment.

Video advice: Adjustments to Income Half of Self-Employment Tax 422 Income Tax 2022

How to Balance a Job With School-Age Children

Like many new parents, you may want to take some time off from work to be home with your kids. After all, they do grow up very quickly. It’s not entirely accurate that going back to work after your kids start school is less challenging than balancing working and caring for an infant or toddler. While you may not want to miss a second of your child’s first few years of life—opting to be a stay-at-home parent until your kids are school-age—there are a lot more things to consider once your child is spending several hours a day in a classroom.

Concerns for Parents of School-Age Children

The best time to think about how you are going to handle both having a job and raising children is before you begin this phase of your life. Several things make it harder to work while your kids or a bit older and in school than when they are infants or toddlers.

School Days Are Shorter Than Work Days: Since your child will spend seven hours a day in school, they won’t need a full-time sitter. However, it will be necessary to arrange childcare for the time between when school lets out and your return home from work.

There Are Frequent Holidays, Vacations, and Shortened Days: Holidays, early dismissals, and extended recesses dot the school year. They usually add up to more time than most parents can get off from work. If your coworkers also have school-age children, competition for getting vacation time during school breaks, for example during summer break or winter and spring holidays, will be stiff. Finding a sitter who is willing to work sporadically throughout the year may be next to impossible because most prefer to have steady employment.

Kids Get Sick. A Lot: It may be possible to cover scheduled school breaks by relying on friends and family, and taking time off from work when possible. You will be all set as long as your children go to school every day it is in session. But how often does that happen? Kids get sick now and then (more “now” it sometimes seems rather than “then”). Whether you know your child is ill before you leave for work or he or she doesn’t feel well during the day, you will have to make last minute arrangements. Some bosses allow workers to take sick days without specifying whether it is for themselves or their children. Many employers, unfortunately, are not that flexible. Having a sick child at home may coincide with attending or even running an important meeting or presentation. It is essential to have a backup plan which may include enlisting relatives or friends who can provide childcare on a moment’s notice.

Alternatives Work Arrangements

It may be possible to have a work schedule that allows you to be at home when your children are. Here are some options:

Get a Part-Time Job: Rather than getting a full-time job with regular hours, think about looking for a part-time one. If you could only work during the school day, it would at least alleviate the problem of finding childcare for after school hours.

Consider Flextime: Some employers allow their workers to have a flexible schedule. Rather than working from 9 am to 5 pm, for example, your boss may let you work from 7 am to 3 pm. If both parents’ employers allow flextime, their schedules may be complementary—one parent can be at home while the other is at work. However, that would prevent them from spending time together as a family.

Work From Home: Remote work offers the opportunity to earn money without leaving the house. Some bosses allow their employees to do their jobs from home when they are unable to make it to work, for example, when a child is sick. Other arrangements involve telecommuting only, with workers never having to set foot in an office. Some remote jobs require adhering to a strict schedule and will not solve the problem of having to run out during the day to pick up your child from school.

Key Takeaway

Being a working parent of a school-age child comes with some challenges. The trick to being successful at it while keeping your sanity is to have a plan, and then a backup plan, and then a backup plan for your backup plan. Expect the unexpected to happen because it will.

Working from home is becoming more common, especially among parents with young kids at home. Working from home gives parents more quality time with their kids, and it can save families the cost of daycare, but is it even possible to work from home and take care of your kids? And what type of job could you do?

How to Work From Home with a Toddler

The most important thing you can do to make the most of your time as a working parent is to be ultra-prepared and organized. This means you know exactly what task you are going to work on and have everything you need lined up ahead of time to do it. Before you go to bed at night, prioritize your work and review your schedule for the following day. You’ll be working in increments, so it’s important to be strategic and utilize uninterrupted blocks like nap time wisely.

Keeping a routine is going to be very important not only for the working parent, but also for the kid/s at home. When you create a schedule and stick to it, you will actually carve out more time to work and have quality family time and your children will also be informed and know what’s happening. Be sure to tackle the most important items on your to-do list and know that you’re probably not going to get everything done you’d hoped to during the day.

It might be possible to trade off blocks of time for work and child care with a partner, family member or even a friend that also has a child. It might be helpful to hire someone for childcare, even for a short time during the week where you can prioritize uninterrupted time to focus solely on work. We are living and working in a time where it’s possible to come up with creative and out-of-the-box solutions to be parents but also have careers and work.

What Type of Job Can You Work From Home with a Toddler?

There’s a common misperception that working from home means that you can also be watching your kids at the same time. While there are some things you might be able to do like listening to a zoom meeting holding your child on your lap, you have to treat your job like a job and honor the level of professionalism there would be if you were in the office, versus at home, which requires planning and boundaries.

If you are going to be home working and have a family, you’ll need to figure out realistically how many hours you can actually work which will likely be part-time unless you have help. There are plenty of remote positions like virtual assistants, freelance writers and bloggers, transcription, data entry, social media, graphic design, etc. that might be flexible enough and with non-traditional hours to allow you to both work and be a parent.

You could also consider looking for a job where you can bring your child. Working as a nanny might provide you a situation where the family wouldn’t mind if your child was also present. There are also driving, delivery and in-home service jobs like cleaning, organizing, meal prep, etc where you also might be able to have your child come along.

Being a parent and managing to work isn’t always easy, but with some planning and persistence it is doable and more and more companies are taking this work life balance into consideration. Search our work from home jobs here today.

Author

Senior Lecturer, Organisational Behaviour & Management, University of South Australia

Disclosure statement

Ruchi Sinha does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Partners

University of South Australia provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

It’s hard enough juggling a job with parenthood when you’ve got young kids. But what do you do when social-distancing policies mean you’ve all been sent home?

This is the reality many families now face. Schools have been shut in Britain, France, Germany, South Korea and all but five US states. In Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory are closing schools this week, with more states likely to follow.

To entertain and home school your children while working from home is going to take self-awareness, planning, communication and technology to stop the boundaries between the work and family from fraying and ripping.

Here are six strategies to survive.

1. Be flexible

Working parents often develop routines around work (8am-4pm) and family time (4pm-8pm). Even if you prefer to stick to your routine and keep work to regular work hours, you may need to re-evaluate. The new normal is likely to involve combining greater flexibility with plans and schedules for non-standard working and family time.

To plan successfully, it is critical your know your own style and work preferences. Research shows some people are “integrators”, who cope well with multitasking and switching between work and personal tasks, while “segmenters” prefer to keep things separate and have strong boundaries.

2. Make a plan

Make a daily work and childcare schedule that you, your partner and (to a large extent) your kids agree on.

It is crucial to schedule things as it gives you a realistic understanding of what is possible and what you may have to give up versus what you need to claim as essential.

Here is my personal schedule for my partner and I working from home with our six-year-old daughter.

It’s a manic schedule and we are trying to adapt it each day to make it work. But to have it in the first place made us realise how to share home duties and educational responsibilities while carving out work and personal time.

Have a family meeting and lay down what you think is critical for the health of your family and for your productivity at work. Use that understanding to identify workload-sharing plans.

Try different scheduling for a week and meet as a family to discuss what does not work and what could work. For example, try a two-hour work block for two days and see how your partner and kids react to it. Or swap activity times or roles twice a week or every other day.

Once you have a plan, it is critical to communicate the same with colleagues in a way that ensures they are supportive and can work with your constraints and capabilities. Be genuine about your struggles and ask others at work about how they manage their schedules. They will be able to empathise and appreciate you being upfront.

4. Create a work space

Research shows working from home is less stressful when you have a dedicated work area. This helps you mentally and physically separate roles and boundaries.

With younger kids, you may want to have a symbolic boundary, such as a bookshelf or a room divider, so you can still see and hear them.

Invest in a good noise-cancelling headset and an ergonomically designed desk and table.

Make small traffic-light signs to indicate to young ones when they can and cannot interrupt. Use alarms to give you 10-minute reminders before you need to change gear from work to parenting.

When you are about to transition, write a note on what you want to do when you come back. This will help reduce the spillover of those incomplete tasks into your next activity.

5. Build a community

Gather every human and virtual resource you can find to aid mental well-being and efficiency. You, your partner and your kids will need social stimulation beyond each other.

Organise virtual play dates through video chat. Reach out to the parents of your child’s classmates to help share the load. Another parent doing a video music class or a virtual art class might free up precious time for you to do something else.

6. Look after yourself

Don’t forget you also need some time to unwind.

This is the time to shed guilt and be generous to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes and missed targets. You are working in a brave new world and it will take time to adjust.

Be patient. Learn from each day by taking note of what worked and what didn’t. With time you will find a rhythm that works for you, your partner, your colleagues and the young ones at home.

• By Candice S.
• June 11, 2019

Share

If you are a parent that aspires to work from home or maybe even a current work from home parent looking for some work/life balance solutions, today’s post is for you. We’re gonna dig deep into how some work-at-home parents manage their daily work-life with kids.

10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar

Real talk solutions from successful work at home parents.

” data-image-caption=”” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=735%2C1102&ssl=1″ alt=”10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar” width=”735″ height=”1102″ data-pin-description=”10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar” srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?w=735&ssl=1 735w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=150%2C225&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>

This job ain’t easy and it will be a struggle at times. But with good systems in place and support, you absolutely can master working from home successfully with kids.

I often share my work from home tips on the blog and have touched on the subject of meeting deadlines with young kids in the house.

But, today I asked some other work at home parents to share their insight and tips on what works best for them. My hope is that their advice will inspire you to take the leap into the world of working from home. Or, will encourage those of you that may be struggling with managing it all.

You’ll learn how to plan and prep to make the most out of your daily work life schedule. You’ll also get some parenting tips to help you manage kids that may be underfoot or in the home during work hours.

Don’t stress out. You can do this!

10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar

Real talk solutions from successful work at home parents.

• Nicole Roder is a freelance writer who works from home.
• She’s also a homeschooling mother who teaches 5th and 6th grade to her two oldest daughters. Her younger two children attend public school.
• She writes that it is actually possible, albeit more frustrating, to do one’s job with the kids home from school.
• Explain the situation to your kids, create a “busy box,” and get creative with when and where you’re willing to put in work time.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

I’m writing this from the toilet. (Don’t worry, the lid is closed and I’m fully dressed. I’m just hiding from my children.)

I’m a freelance writer who works from home. I’m also a homeschooling mother. I teach 5th and 6th grade to my two oldest daughters. Additionally, I have an 8-year-old son who attends public school five days a week, and a 4-year-old son who attends pre-K three days a week. So my house is a little chaotic.

I’ve been working from home for three years, and in that time I’ve completed some feats that are weird at best — and hair-pulling madness at worst. I’ve typed an article one-handed with a nursing baby on my breast. I’ve conducted interviews on speaker phone while driving my kids to appointments and admonishing them to please, for the love of God, not say anything about poop, butts, or penises while mommy is on the phone.

(A couple of years ago, I interviewed a remarkable woman about a very serious subject. When the interview was over, I left my phone sitting on the table. Big mistake. A few hours later, I picked up my phone to discover that my middle two kids, ages 8 and 6 at the time, had texted my interviewee over 70 times. The texts were almost entirely about poop. I tried to contact her to apologize, but I was too late. She’d already blocked my number. To tell you the truth, I’d have done the same thing.)

When news began to spread of the novel coronavirus washing ashore in the US, my first thought was, “Good thing I homeschool and work from home. We can all hunker down if it comes to our neighborhood.”

Now that schools are beginning to shut down as a result of the outbreak, many fellow work-from-homers might be joining the ranks of parents who now have to work with kids in tow.

Yes, it can be done

Yes, I know that your world is being disrupted. Just a few weeks ago you had it made. The cozy home office. The cup of tea. The black lab snuggled at your feet as you typed away, uninterrupted, for all those hours that your kids were at school. I’ve fantasized about this lifestyle myself many times.

Not to worry. While I won’t lie — it won’t be easy — I’m here to tell you that it is actually possible, albeit more frustrating, to do your job with the kids home from school. I’ve been doing it for three years. This is how I make it work.

The spread of the coronavirus is forcing working parents into telecommute situations across the country. If you’re struggling to stay productive while working from home, these tips from full-time work-from-home moms may help.

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If the thought of working from home with your child seems frightening, you aren’t alone. Kids demand around-the-clock attention—and parenting while juggling conference calls, never-ending emails, and tight deadlines is no joke.

Unfortunately, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)—the respiratory illness that originated in Wuhan, China—will make this situation a reality for many parents nationwide. Employers are encouraging workers to telecommute in high-risk areas across the country. Some school systems have suspended classes indefinitely, and thousands of people with potential coronavirus exposure have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

That means your family might be stuck at home for at least two weeks, with minimal exposure to the outside world, while you’re attempting to keep up with your workload. But don’t panic just yet! We spoke with moms and experts who have learned the best ways to navigate life at the intersection of working at home and Mom-ing. Here are their tips for staying productive while working from home.

Create a Schedule

It’s important to line up your day carefully, with set “office” hours. How many hours do you hope to work that day? When will you return calls? What can you accomplish while your son or daughter is coloring in the next room? You’ll get more done if you work smarter, not harder, says Christine Durst, a mom of two in Woodstock, Connecticut, and cofounder of ratracerebellion.com, a site that helps people find work-at-home jobs.

That said, one of the best benefits of working at home is flexibility, especially if you are your own boss. If your son or daughter is fussing during your office hours and it’s a beautiful day, it’s okay to push assignments aside and play outside. You can catch up on work later when your cutie has settled down.

If you have an employer, just be sure to have an agreement for how many hours per day you should log while telecommuting. Given the reason for working at home (the spread of coronavirus), some employers may understand the need for non-traditional schedules.

Capitalize On Naptime

Take advantage of naptime for staying productive while working from home. Whether your kid sleeps for one hour or three, use this time to finish assignments that require your complete focus and concentration, says Erin O’Donnell, a mom of two and freelance writer and editor in Milwaukee, who often schedules work-related phone calls during her 20-month-old Jonas’s naps.

If for some reason he isn’t tired, they have quiet time instead: O’Donnell puts him in his crib with books and closes the door. “I can usually get in 20 minutes of work before he grows restless,” she says. If Jonas wakes up while she’s on a work call and begins crying, O’Donnell has trained herself to resist hanging up and rushing right in to check on him. “It hurts a little bit to listen to him,” she says. “But it won’t kill me —or him.” Plus, she believes it’s important for him to learn how to soothe himself.

• RELATED: 10 Work From Home Jobs Perfect for Moms

Separate Mom and Business Roles

If you don’t learn to keep your roles as mom and businesswoman separate, giving each your full concentration for a set amount of time, you’ll never feel like you’re doing either well. To separate mentally from the rest of the house, set up an office area, recommends Lauren Kohl, an attorney and mom of two in Newton, Massachusetts. She works out of a converted closet, a kid-free zone that helps her to detach from the rest of her house. If she can’t see the dirty rompers in the hamper, she’s less inclined to leave her desk to launder them, she says.

Plus, it helps you disengage from your job if you have a door to close. If you don’t have an office, try making a list of everything you’re going to do the next day, leave it in your work space, and walk away. “You’re doing something to turn work off,” says Durst, which helps with staying productive while working from home.

Keep Kids Entertained

Renee Belbeck, a work at home mom (WAHM) from Columbus, Ohio, and C.E.O. and founder of the National Association of W.O.M.E.N. (Women, Owners, Moms, Entrepreneurs, and Networkers), discovered a simple rule when her children were toddlers: “If I gave them a little quality time, I’d get two hours to work.” She says the rule still holds true, even though her children are now 10 and 6.

Her other kid-centric tips: Set aside a few cool toys that your kids can play with, or arrange playdates or special movie viewings only during “Mommy’s work time.” If your children have something to look forward to, they’ll be less likely to interrupt you. You can also try setting up an activity center in your home office so kids feel as if they have their own designated place to do projects while you catch up on e-mails.

Plan for Interruptions

Every WAHM has a similar horror story: She’s on an important call, her toddler wants to watch Elmo or is suddenly starving, and her boss is left listening to a whining child and Mom’s apologies instead of her bright ideas. Their advice? Hit the mute button during conference calls to avoid any unexpected yells of “Mommmeee!”in the background.

Give your child a nonverbal “Do not disturb” when you need quiet time. Perhaps you could wear a tiara when you’re on the phone to signify that kids are not allowed to make noise or interrupt , unless there’s an emergency. If you have an office door, tie a red ribbon on it when you’re not to be bothered. This tactic is best for older kids; toddlers won’t understand that they can’t always have your undivided attention. If your toddler is fussing while you’re on the phone, end the call and reschedule if you can.

Seek Extra Help If You Need It

You may think working at home means you can skip child care, but you’ll have days when you need help—and that’s okay (as long as you aren’t under self-quarantine). When Jonas was about 6 months old, O’Donnell hired a responsible high-school student to watch him two or three hours two days a week. The teenager charged half of what an adult sitter or day care would, and it meant O’Donnell could concentrate on answering e-mails and returning phone calls.

Another way to get affordable child care: Pool your resources with several other working moms and hire one babysitter to watch all your children at the same time. Even without the sitter, you can get together with other WAHMs and let the kids play while you all work. “I found that if a child has a playdate, he or she is often amused long enough to allow you to do work that doesn’t require extreme quiet,” says freelance writer Melissa Dutton, of Columbus, Ohio, who also sometimes swapped child care for her two kids with another working mom a few hours a week. “I knew that she worked from home, too, so I offered to take her kid first, and it grew from there.”

• By Candice S.
• June 11, 2019

Share

If you are a parent that aspires to work from home or maybe even a current work from home parent looking for some work/life balance solutions, today’s post is for you. We’re gonna dig deep into how some work-at-home parents manage their daily work-life with kids.

10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar

Real talk solutions from successful work at home parents.

” data-image-caption=”” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=735%2C1102&ssl=1″ alt=”10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar” width=”735″ height=”1102″ data-pin-description=”10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar” srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?w=735&ssl=1 735w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=150%2C225&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/naturallystellar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/WAHParents.png?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1 600w” sizes=”(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>

This job ain’t easy and it will be a struggle at times. But with good systems in place and support, you absolutely can master working from home successfully with kids.

I often share my work from home tips on the blog and have touched on the subject of meeting deadlines with young kids in the house.

But, today I asked some other work at home parents to share their insight and tips on what works best for them. My hope is that their advice will inspire you to take the leap into the world of working from home. Or, will encourage those of you that may be struggling with managing it all.

You’ll learn how to plan and prep to make the most out of your daily work life schedule. You’ll also get some parenting tips to help you manage kids that may be underfoot or in the home during work hours.

Don’t stress out. You can do this!

10 Work At Home Parents Who Inspire | Naturally Stellar

Real talk solutions from successful work at home parents.

• Nicole Roder is a freelance writer who works from home.
• She’s also a homeschooling mother who teaches 5th and 6th grade to her two oldest daughters. Her younger two children attend public school.
• She writes that it is actually possible, albeit more frustrating, to do one’s job with the kids home from school.
• Explain the situation to your kids, create a “busy box,” and get creative with when and where you’re willing to put in work time.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

I’m writing this from the toilet. (Don’t worry, the lid is closed and I’m fully dressed. I’m just hiding from my children.)

I’m a freelance writer who works from home. I’m also a homeschooling mother. I teach 5th and 6th grade to my two oldest daughters. Additionally, I have an 8-year-old son who attends public school five days a week, and a 4-year-old son who attends pre-K three days a week. So my house is a little chaotic.

I’ve been working from home for three years, and in that time I’ve completed some feats that are weird at best — and hair-pulling madness at worst. I’ve typed an article one-handed with a nursing baby on my breast. I’ve conducted interviews on speaker phone while driving my kids to appointments and admonishing them to please, for the love of God, not say anything about poop, butts, or penises while mommy is on the phone.

(A couple of years ago, I interviewed a remarkable woman about a very serious subject. When the interview was over, I left my phone sitting on the table. Big mistake. A few hours later, I picked up my phone to discover that my middle two kids, ages 8 and 6 at the time, had texted my interviewee over 70 times. The texts were almost entirely about poop. I tried to contact her to apologize, but I was too late. She’d already blocked my number. To tell you the truth, I’d have done the same thing.)

When news began to spread of the novel coronavirus washing ashore in the US, my first thought was, “Good thing I homeschool and work from home. We can all hunker down if it comes to our neighborhood.”

Now that schools are beginning to shut down as a result of the outbreak, many fellow work-from-homers might be joining the ranks of parents who now have to work with kids in tow.

Yes, it can be done

Yes, I know that your world is being disrupted. Just a few weeks ago you had it made. The cozy home office. The cup of tea. The black lab snuggled at your feet as you typed away, uninterrupted, for all those hours that your kids were at school. I’ve fantasized about this lifestyle myself many times.

Not to worry. While I won’t lie — it won’t be easy — I’m here to tell you that it is actually possible, albeit more frustrating, to do your job with the kids home from school. I’ve been doing it for three years. This is how I make it work.

The presence of children can be disruptive. The key is to have a policy in place.

One day when I was 16 years old I had the day off from school but my mother still had work. Because she always thought about my future, she asked me to join her at the office for the afternoon.

I agreed. We thought it would be a good idea for me to see first hand what she did for a living, meet her colleagues, and get a feel for a professional workplace .

This was the perfect chance for me see what the working world looked like. Did I truly want to work for a company like Pacific Bell in San Francisco, where my mother had been since the 1970s?

This type of “teenager visits the workplace scenario” isn’t too uncommon, and it can be relatively easy for employers to manage.

However it isn’t nearly as practical for young children or babies to make that office visit.

The workplace is generally for grown-ups, or those close to adulthood. This can be hard for employees who have become parents , who may be juggling multiple schedules in the family and have no choice but to sometimes bring a child in to work.

Whether your business is leasing a small space or you own your own set of office suites, a young child can cut into the professionalism you’re trying to create.

Not only can it disrupt employees in the area, but it also sends the wrong message to any clients who visit your location. If you find your office is no longer 100 percent childfree, here are some things you can do.

Say No

Most employees don’t simply show up with a kid in tow. There’s likely a phone call first, explaining the situation. It can be difficult to say no, especially if this is the first time.

However, if you agree, you’ll possibly be setting up a precedent that will allow this worker, as well as any others on your team, to bring children in when other arrangements fall through.

“No” doesn’t have to be definitive. You can suggest the employee take the day off or work from home for the day if that’s possible. In fact, if your work arrangements don’t allow for it, this may be a good time to rethink that.

Get Legal

As a business leader, you’ve likely gotten legal involved when you needed a way out of something. This time is no exception. Having a child in the workplace poses a liability for your business, since your insurance may not cover any injuries that occur if there’s an accident.

You don’t have to make the rejection specific to children. State that only authorized personnel can be in the building, since your business is responsible for the people working in your area.

You are, after all, leasing the space for business use. Your building’s management office may agree with this, since they also could have liability concerns over children on the premises.

Review Your Policies

As employer, you have the right to put policies in writing specific to children in the workplace. Whether you decide to allow children or not, there should be documentation covering your liability, including what hours children can be on site and that they should never be unattended.

This might also be a good time to review your company’s leave policies.

A set number of personal days each year could give parents the leeway they need to take a day off when childcare arrangements fall through.

Increasing the number of annual sick leave days they get may also help with the issue.

Allow It

After studying happiness levels in 22 countries, researcher Jennifer Glass found that happiness levels in parents versus non-parents were the same in every country but the United States.

Her team dug deeper into the difference and found that workplace programs that supported parents increased employee happiness. She specifically cited employers who provide childcare and flexible work schedules.

A child-friendly workplace isn’t the only solution, but occasionally allowing a worker to bring in a child might be a good start. If you do decide to allow this, make sure you’re prepared to set boundaries.

On a slow Friday before a holiday weekend, for instance, it might be more acceptable than a busy Monday when you have in-office meetings scheduled.

Make sure employees know they are responsible for their children while on site and that they should not be disruptive or distracting.

Parenting while working can be tough, especially on those days when school is suddenly canceled, or daycare arrangements unexpectedly fall through. When faced with the option to let employees bring their children to work, it’s up to your own discretion. Having a policy in place beforehand can give you the leverage you need to say “yes” or “no.”

Laureen Miles Brunelli is an experienced online writer and editor, specializing in content for parents who work at home.

Working at home can seem like a dream to parents who struggle on a daily basis to balance their personal and professional responsibilities. Losing the commute and working from the comfort of home may seem like the ideal solution to life’s inevitable chaos. The reality is, though, that working from home, like anything else, has its advantages and disadvantages. And it very well could be fraught with a bit of chaos.

The work-at-home life isn’t for everyone. Some people need more separation between their personal and professional realms. Others thrive when the things they care about most care are in the same place. It takes a certain personality to manage everything in one place and still enjoy it.

For each potential advantage of working at home, there are drawbacks as well. Which particular ones carry more weight vary by individual. Look over these pros and cons and think about the impact they would have on you.

You get to spend more time with your children.

You may be able to eliminate or reduce child care cost.

Chatty coworkers and unscheduled, unnecessary meetings are greatly reduced.

Working at home saves on commuting and other costs.

You can work from anywhere.

The added flexibility may enable you to make positive lifestyle changes.

The extra time you spend with your kids may not be relaxing for anyone.

Eliminating outside child care may make you less productive at work.

Home-life distractions creep into your professional time.

In order to work at home, you may have to take a salary reduction.

Career advancement could be curtailed.

A feeling of isolation can lead to unhealthy habits.

Time Spent With Your Children

Clearly, most work-at-home parents count more time with the kids as a huge plus. The con here is more of a cautionary note than a reason to stick with the office commute. Work-at-home families spend a lot of time together, particularly in the years before children enter school and during the summer. This can lead to burnout. It’s the old issue of quality versus quantity of time.

Be thoughtful about how you spend your time together and build in breaks for yourself and the children. Kids of work-at-home parents can be especially good at playing independently, but parents have to lay the groundwork in order for that to happen. You need to set work-at-home ground rules and a work schedule so that all know what is expected of them.

Child Care Costs

The question of whether work-home parents need child care is a complicated one with no simple answer for all. If you are a telecommuter, your employer may require that you have outside child care. Call center companies in particular often require it, but for any employment position, it may be part of your telework agreement. However, if you are a home business owner you may think you can do without. And perhaps you can, it all depends on your goals for growth in your business and income. When you multitask, you are giving nothing your full attention, so expect the outcomes to reflect that.

Distractions

Many people who work from home find that they are more productive in their home offices than they ever were in their cubicle. In an office environment, many of the decisions about how you spend your time are made by, or greatly influenced by, other people. When you are intensely working on a project, you have to stop and acknowledge the person standing next to your desk. At home, you can delay reading an email or taking a phone call.

The flip side to this is that distractions, when you work at home, are more personal. When you are at home and your time is much more your own, it is up to you to use it wisely. It takes self-discipline and those work-at-home ground rules.

Money

Besides the commuter and potential childcare cost savings, work-at-home parents may save on clothing costs and lunches out. All of these add up. However, there is definitely the potential for lost income by working at home. If you can convince your boss to let you work from home at your current job, this is the best option for maintaining your income while at the same time lowering your costs.

If you have to find a new job, the pool of jobs that you are qualified for and allow you to work from home could be much smaller or there might not be as much full-time work. If you don’t work in a career that lends itself to telecommuting, you may have to change careers or start your own business. All of these things can mean a short-term (or possibly long-term) hit on your income.

Career

Geography has less impact on those working at home. If you live in an area where jobs are not plentiful, telecommuting can open new opportunities for you and possibly even offer a higher salary.

However, there is some truth to the old adage: Out of sight, out of mind. Telecommuters are disadvantaged when it comes to networking. They have to make an extra effort to stay in touch with both coworkers and supervisors. And there are some jobs, particularly to advance in management, that may not lend themselves to telecommuting. This can force a choice between the work-at-home lifestyle and professional advancement.

Lifestyle and Emotional Health

Gaining that time you used to spend commuting can allow you to exercise more or pick up old hobbies. It might give you the opportunity to volunteer in your child’s school or in your community. Perhaps you spend more time cooking healthy dinners for your family. All of this can lead to a healthier, happier lifestyle.

On the other hand, the refrigerator is beckoning for a snack anytime you like. The chaos of everyone home 24/7 can cause stress. And frankly, not everyone can effectively deal with the isolation that working at home can make you feel. Knowing yourself is the most important thing to ensure that a work-at-home life if a happy one.

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Related

• Jobs That Do Not Require Sitting Behind a Cubicle
• Careers Working With Children Around the World
• Lawyers Who Work With Kids
• What Does a Social Worker Do?
• How Can I Counsel Criminals With an Associate’s Degree?

A job working with orphans or foster kids can be immensely rewarding, but it can also be emotionally taxing, as well. Professionals who have proper training and education, when paired with a big heart and sense of compassion, can make a positive impact on a child’s life. Considered a social services role, many jobs in this arena require a degree in social work, child psychology, child development or adolescent behavior, or a related field.

Social Service Agencies

Social services agencies, such as child welfare services and family services, are charged with investigating potentially dangerous or abusive home situations, and evaluating the appropriateness of children remaining in unstable living conditions. Many are remanded to foster care, and require the assistance of case workers and placement officers. These individuals assist in finding short- and long-term housing and care, and maintain contact through regular check-ins to ensure that the children are faring well.

Foster Care System

You can find hands-on work with foster kids and orphans by volunteering or being employed through the foster care system. Opportunities are available for case workers and volunteers, and for becoming a foster parent or foster family. An in-depth background check and home visit may be required. Those who work in foster care as employees, may be required to have a degree in early childhood development, child psychology or social work.

Adoption Agencies

Adoption agencies work to unite children that are available for adoption with screened, qualified families or individuals who will provide them with a loving home and a stable environment. Various positions in adoption agencies provide an opportunity to work with these children in a variety of capacities. You may conduct home visits, interview prospective parents, facilitate meetings between families and potential adoptees or assist in moving a child from the foster care system into an adoptive family.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters programs pair adult role models with children who live in less than ideal home situations. Working in a mentor capacity, you have the opportunity to participate with your “little” in BBBS-sponsored events and activities, as well as to spend one-on-one time engaging in fun or in educational opportunities. The organization itself also hires individuals who conduct background checks on volunteers, interview kids who want to be “littles,” or mentees, facilitate mentor training and plan and conduct activities.

Other community organizations offer volunteer opportunities for helping kids in need. Boys and Girls Clubs offer a variety of employment and volunteer roles working with kids, some of whom may come from the foster care system. If you’re interested in having a formal role in advocating on behalf of children in the court system, you might consider becoming a court-appointed special advocate for children.

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Related

• How to Get a Job After Raising Kids
• Answers for Applications on Reason for Leaving Employment
• Pros & Cons of Part-Time Work
• Job Interviews & How to Explain a Career Break
• How to List Gaps in Employment Due to Having Children

The Pew Research Center reported in 2018 that more than 11 million parents were not working outside the home. Mothers and fathers with college degrees were more likely to be at home specifically to care for children, while less educated parents were more likely to be unemployed, ill or disabled.

Some potential employers frown on job candidates who have left previous positions to raise a family. If you’re on the hunt for a new job after leaving a previous one to care for little ones, be prepared to explain reasons for leaving due to family circumstances. Keep in mind that federal law protects workers from familial status discrimination.

Stay Current in the Field

Take time to study up on recent developments in your industry before scheduling job interviews. One major worry employers have about people returning to work after a long break is that their skills and knowledge will be rusty. If you’ve taken five years off to raise a child to school age, chances are you’ll be a little behind the curve. Visit websites of trade associations and companies you are considering applying to so you can get caught up on the latest trends and products. Talk to former colleagues about new developments and current best practices in your sector.

Explain Gap in Employment

Don’t be ashamed of the fact that you’ve taken time out to raise your kids. Although studies have shown that young children’s social and emotional development are not significantly affected if both parents work, many families decide it will be better for one parent to stay at home, at least until a child reaches school age.

Be honest when briefly explaining your reasons for wanting to stay at home with your kids. Admit you wanted to make the most of their formative years, and be there in the early stages of their development. If part of your decision to leave your previous job was based on economic factors, such as the high cost of child care, admit that, too. Some employers will probably find your decision admirable.

Emphasize In-Demand Skills

Tell your interviewer what you’ve been doing while you’ve been away from the workplace. Try to relate your experiences to the job you’re applying for. Highlight the other things you’ve been doing outside of raising your family, such as learning a new language or taking an evening course in computer programming or finance.

These sorts of skills will be a bonus to many employers. Explain that the fact you’re a parent has given you a different perspective on life that you’ll be able to bring to your work. For example, if you seek a job in the marketing department of a company that caters to families, you’ll bring a wealth of first-hand knowledge and experience about how stay-at-home parents think.

Legal Protections

Unless there is a legally defensible reason, employers cannot base hiring decisions on whether a job applicant is married or single, or has children, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Similarly, employers cannot bar you from getting a job because of family size or age of children.

It’s also illegal for any prospective employer to ask you questions about how you would arrange childcare if you were to be offered the job. Your interviewer will also be prohibited by federal law from asking you about your future family plan, and whether or not you plan to have any more children. Stress that you will be committed to the job you’ve applied for, and that your family life would not interfere with your duties.

• Pew Research Center: Stay-at-home Moms and Dads Account for About One-in-Five U.S. Parents
• EEOC: Laws Enforced by the EEOC

Michael Roennevig has been a journalist since 2003. He has written on politics, the arts, travel and society for publications such as “The Big Issue” and “Which?” Roennevig holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the Surrey Institute and a postgraduate diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists at City College, Brighton.

Schedule Work Around Your Life and
Enjoy Flexibility and Earning Potential
on the Arise® Platform

What’s Stopping You From Working From Home?

Do you have young children and want to find a work from home opportunity that lets you be an entrepreneur while still giving you hour-by-hour flexibility to parent them? Do you need to work from home because you are caring for ailing parents or disabled family members? Maybe you move frequently and can’t commit to working in one location? Or perhaps you simply dream of becoming an entrepreneur, starting a small, remote business and working from the comfort of your own home.

There are hundreds of reasons why you may require an alternative to the daily 9-to-5 grind, especially now given the need to stay safe and socially distant. If you enjoy customer service and find yourself asking questions like, “How can I start working from home?”, “How can I work for myself?” or “What work can I do from home?”, you should sign up on the Arise® Platform right now. Consider it the first step to finding an opportunity that will change your life.

How To Find Remote Customer Service Opportunities

One of the best places to find customer service opportunities that allow you to work as an entrepreneur, on your terms, is right here, on the Arise® Platform!

By registering to use the Arise® Platform, you’ll be your own boss and have more time to focus on what’s important to you, whether that’s raising a family, pursuing a passion, enjoying time with loved ones, traveling the world, or plain-and-simple freedom and flexibility. Those are just some of the reasons why working at home and starting your own business is better than a regular office position.

With the Arise® Platform, you can be your own boss, work independently, make your own schedule, and work when it’s most convenient for you. The best part? You’re the boss – you are the entrepreneur who is in control every step of the way — from choosing what clients you want to service to determining your work hours and even setting earnings goals. Everything related to your remote business is up to you to decide.

Get Connected To Customer Service Opportunities and Work at Home

The Arise® Platform provides a technology that connects well-known brands that need customer service support with thousands of home-based businesses run by entrepreneurs just like you, and agents that work for them. Basically, you offer exceptional customer service support to clients using the Arise® Platform. But instead of a physical office, hour-by-hour work requirements, and other restrictions, and other restrictions that are typically associated with employment, the Arise® Platform empowers you to determine your independent success from the moment you sign up. In other words, you are the boss! You will live out your dreams as an entrepreneur by running your own remote business.

Plus, one of the best parts of the platform is when you register, you get access to new client opportunities on a daily basis. That means you have everything you need to reach success at home.

The Arise® Platform hosts available work from home customer support opportunities for brands like Intuit, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Carnival Cruise Line, and dozens more. That’s where you come in, working when, where, and how you want as an independent contractor, not an employee – you are the boss!

The Life Of Independent

Customer Service Agents

What to Expect When You Work Remote

The Arise® Platform allows you to provide customer service work from home — and schedule it around your life. That means you’ll spend more time doing the things that matter most to you.

Think about it this way: Becoming an entrepreneur and working remote at home allows you the flexibility to go to that cycling class you can never get to, or the dance recital you know means the world to your daughter.

While simply working at home can achieve these related benefits, operating a customer service company from home is truly the best choice for those who need and want to take back their life. When you are the boss, you manage your own schedule, you are in control of what you are able to dedicate each hour of your day to. By launching your own customer service business from home, and using the Arise® Platform to reach ultimate success, not only will you be well on your way to running your own company — you’ll also be back on track to living your life the way you always wanted.

Remember, the Arise® Platform connects you with the clients, you provide the service. (Yes, it’s really that simple!)

Client opportunities include:

Image by Theresa Chiechi © The Balance

A work-from-home career is attainable for most people with a computer, mobile device, and internet access. Unfortunately, work-from-home scams are becoming more prevalent as such jobs become more common—which can make it hard to separate the legitimate opportunities from the fake ones.

When starting your search for a genuine home-based job, keep in mind that any position, working from home or not, will pay better if you have experience.

Start your search for an at-home job by looking in areas where you have some experience or education, if possible.

Virtual Call Centers

As more companies transition to a remote workforce, the number of virtual call center jobs increases. Experience in an office call center or even a retail job is often enough to land a home-based call center job. If you speak more than one language, consider getting a bilingual call center job, which tends to have more perks due to the additional knowledge needed.

Freelance Writing and Editing

Work-from-home writing jobs cover a wide range of positions, including freelancing for consumer magazines, blogging, crowdsourcing, and editing jobs. Typically, writers and editors who work from home are freelancers, but if you’re already working for a company as a writer or editor, the first step may be to convince your boss to let you telecommute.

Transcription

Home transcription jobs tend to be geared toward those with a bit of experience. Typically, it takes some prior work as a transcriptionist to snag higher-paying gigs. Areas of expertise include corporate, financial, legal, and medical transcription.

There are a lot of false job listings for this industry, so be sure to look for warning signs of a scam.

Check to make sure any opportunity is safe, and get to know what a legitimate home transcription job looks like.

Online Data Entry

Data entry encompasses different job titles, but they usually include inputting data into a company’s system from written or audio files. Most legitimate companies hiring for this type of work hire people as independent contractors and not full-time employees. Data entry jobs are frequently the bait in work-from-home scams, so be sure to examine opportunities carefully, and never pay for kits or software.

Insurance

Insurance is an industry that hires a lot of telecommuters, and the work-from-home jobs available are quite diverse—including underwriters, appraisers, case managers, insurance agents, as well as positions in IT and project management. While many insurance companies hire these positions directly as work-from-home jobs, others may offer flexible options for existing employees or part-time telecommuting.

Medical

Although working from home is not usually connected with the medical field, a surprising number of medical jobs can be performed from home. Occupations include medical transcription, medical coding, and virtual nursing. Even some pharmacists work from home reviewing prescriptions, overseeing transfers from one pharmacy to another, and providing counseling on the use of medications.

Many of these jobs require some form of certification, training, schooling, or previous experience.

Online Education

The available online education jobs now span a wide range of qualifications in candidates; everything from highly experienced teachers with master’s degrees and teaching certificates, to college students with a knack for tutoring. Many companies, like QKids and VIPKID, hire people to teach English to children in foreign companies.

Search Engine Evaluation

Search engine evaluators work online as independent contractors and give feedback about whether search engine results are comprehensive, accurate, relevant, and timely. Search engine evaluators are the human quality-assurance check in a system run by complicated algorithms, and they must be familiar with the language and culture of the local web search engine users. Typically, these positions are bilingual, but some openings are available for English-only search evaluators.

Working With Non-English Speakers

Being bilingual opens a lot of possibilities for legitimate work-from-home opportunities, such as jobs at bilingual call centers, translation jobs, online teaching, and more. Many translation jobs are done by freelancers, but some companies hire home-based translators as employees.

Financial, Accounting, and Bookkeeping

Legitimate work-from-home jobs for accounting and financial professionals include certified public accountants (CPA), bookkeepers, and mortgage brokers. Your pay should correlate with your experience, so if you’re new to the field, be careful of any opportunity that promises big profits; it’s likely a scam.

Art and Design

Many media, marketing, and advertising companies rely on freelance artists for photography, graphic design work, illustrations, and more. You’ll likely need to show a portfolio of work related to your desired projects or gigs, so make sure to have one handy before applying. Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork can help connect you with these opportunities.

Social Media

With the rise of social media came a need for individuals who can effectively utilize those platforms across different industries. Work-from-home jobs in social media can include strategy development, community building, social media account management, creating and scheduling posts, and evaluating content.

Learn how structure, consistency and healthy habits can help your child

Just like raising any child, parenting a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comes with rewards and challenges along the way. When symptoms of ADHD, such as difficulty planning, organizing, and controlling thoughts, feelings and actions, go unmanaged, they can cause stress in a child’s life and within your family, too.

While there are several treatments that can help reduce symptoms, knowing the best way to help manage your child’s ADHD at home isn’t always clear. Catherine Karni, M.D., Medical Director of Outpatient Services at Children’s Health℠ and Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern, offers tips that can help you and your child feel in control and on the right path.

Establish structure

Dr. Karni recommends establishing structure with behavioral plans, incorporating a points and rewards system. Identify behaviors your child needs to work on, with rewards attached to the behaviors. Rewards can be different; it depends on what motivates each child. For example, when your child does his homework on time, he can have a playdate or go to the movies with a friend. Be clear about expectations and consequences.

“Children need to accept responsibility and ownership of their behaviors,” says Dr. Karni. “Parents can prepare their children for real life by teaching them that there are consequences for not doing what needs to be done and benefits of accomplishing tasks and making the right choices.”

She adds that behavioral plans and expectations should apply to the whole family.

“You don’t want to make your child with ADHD feel like the black sheep of the family. Everyone benefits from structure and clear expectations.”

Maintain consistency

One of the most important factors in making a behavioral plan work is following it consistently.

“There needs to be consistency across all caregivers — parents, grandparents and babysitters,” says Dr. Karni.

Following a behavioral plan sporadically is confusing for a child who’s trying his or her best to do what’s expected.

Focus on the positive

According to Dr. Karni, it’s common for children with ADHD to have self-esteem issues.

“They think, ‘No matter how hard I try to be good, I can’t get it right,'” she says.

That’s why she recommends balancing expectations and consequences with warmth. Dr. Karni explains that children with ADHD can be more sensitive to punishment — which is why it might not be very effective in changing your child’s behavior.

Try using four times as much praise as you do criticism. Recognize appropriate behavior and reward it. A smile, high five or time spent with you, can go a long way.

Make exercise and a healthy diet a priority

Exercise is a healthy way for a child with ADHD to burn off excess energy. Riding bikes and playing with friends outside helps your child wind down at bedtime. Any kind of exercise that’s structured, like martial arts for instance, helps your child develop self-control and self-esteem.

When it comes to diet, children with ADHD, like everyone, should eat to be healthy: lean protein and dairy, whole grains and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Dr. Karni says it’s a misconception that things like excess sugar, artificial colors or gluten contribute to the symptoms of ADHD.

“If eliminating or reducing sugar or gluten helps, then do it,” she says. “Eating healthy is an important factor for all children’s development. But there’s no research showing that diet influences ADHD.”

She says parents need to be cautious about the volumes of information online about vitamins, supplements and alternative treatments aimed at treating ADHD.

“There’s a lot of information online and many times, there’s no science or proof behind what is stated as fact. If parents read about a new treatment or recommendation I encourage them to check with their pediatrician or a specialist to find out more.”

Promote good sleep habits

Sleep is vital to children being able to focus and learn. Children with ADHD are already working hard to focus, so being sleep deprived only makes it more difficult. Dr. Karni says good sleep hygiene means:

• 11­–13 hours of sleep for 3–5 year olds
• 10–11 hours of sleep for 5–12 year olds
• 8 ½ –9 ½ hours of sleep for 13–18 year olds

Dr. Karni reminds parents that electronics can be the enemy of healthy sleep habits. Help your children get the sleep they need by removing televisions and computers from bedrooms and having them hand over phones and tablets an hour before bedtime.

Managing ADHD effectively is a team effort. Talk with your child’s pediatrician and other specialists for support and to help you develop the best plan for your child and your family.

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When symptoms of ADHD go unmanaged, they can cause stress in a child’s life. See ways to help manage a child’s ADHD at home from an expert at Children’s. Click to tweet.

Learn More

Learn more about ADHD and how the specialists at Children’s Health can help you find a diagnosis and treatment plan. Dr. Karni also recommends the following books and resources for parents:

• Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents , by Russell Barkley
• The ADHD Book of Lists , by Sandra Reif
• Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), www.chadd.org; and the National Resource Center on ADHD, www.help4adhd.org.
• Smart But Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential , by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
• Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning , by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel
• The Motivation Breakthrough: Six Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child , by Richard Lavoie
• Putting on the Brakes: Young People’s Guide to Understanding ADHD , by P. Quinn and J. Stern

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ADHD, behavior, learning disabilities

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There are several things parents can be doing to help adult children live at home responsibly.

Regardless of your feelings regarding the merits or demerits of millennials and their younger counterparts, being a fledgling adult is harder in some ways than it used to be.

Two years ago the Pew Research Center reported that for the first time in 130 years adults ages 18 to 34 were more likely to live with parents than with a romantic partner. For one thing, more young people are waiting later in life to get married, if they do at all. (Pew has previously projected that one in four young adults may never do so.) Second, the employment and wages of young men without college degrees have been falling for decades. At the same time, rent has increased 64 percent from 1960 to 2014, while household incomes have only increased by 18 percent.

Work is not fun

A conversation around my dinner table last night:

“Work is not fun. It’s just part of life,” my husband tells our 19-year-old son, who is working 10- to 12-hour days in a new construction job. He comes home sweaty, exhausted and resenting the fact that many of his peers are snapping photos of boating on the lake this summer while he toils in the hot sun, instead of basking in it.

My part: “Look at all the money you’re making. Having a fat bank account is what you can use to take your family on vacation someday, just like your dad and I have worked hard for all the great trips we’ve had.”

“So I can take two weeks off a year?” he asks incredulously, peeved that he just found out he has to work on Independence Day.

“Ever heard the saying ‘Make hay when the sun is shining?” my husband asks.

It’s true–often work does suck. But then again, it’s work–not play. If work was without discomfort, why would we need to be paid to do it? This is a fact of life which I want my children to understand. Regardless of your role, you have to be a big girl (or boy) and show up to do your best work, no matter how you’re feeling. And if you’re truly miserable with your job, take the initiative to change your situation, knowing that only you are responsible for your circumstances.

More young men are living at home (and playing video games)

When I was 19, I was incentivized to work because I wanted the freedom a car and an apartment provided. But how much more freedom do todays’ young people need? Many kids out of high school pretty much do what they want with their time, and often have inexpensive–but paid-for–vehicles. So why move out?

Ana Swanson, writing for The Washington Post, penned a fairly depressing piece with the headline “Why amazing video games could be causing a big problem for America.” In it, she discusses research which has found that a rising number of able-bodied young men without college degrees are purposefully unemployed or underemployed, preferring instead to live with parents and play video games for long stretches at a time, and they’re actually happier doing so. (The pervasive game Fortnite, for example, offers a superlative gaming experience that millions of young people find immersive because of its design and sense of community.)

The problem: they’re not gaining skills, education or experience which will help them be good workers in middle life. It’s a trend which can lead to all sorts of evils, Swanson writes, including lower income, depression and drug use.

Living at home doesn’t have to mean slacking

It’s not all doom and gloom. Beth Kobliner, personal finance commentator, journalist, and author of the New York Times best seller Get a Financial Life, says the 18 to 34 year-olds who live at home may be doing the right thing financially. But parents need to help them do it responsibly.

First, draw up an actual written contract your son or daughter must sign which delineates how much, if anything, they’ll pay in rent or household staples. She says this is a matter of principle, therefore it might make sense to start with a small amount and think through what will happen the contract isn’t followed, such as taking away car privileges.

Second, communicate which household chores they will be responsible for and hold them accountable for doing them. Don’t expect too much, though. The idea is that they will have a job outside of the home and you want them to be living independent lives.

Third, map out any debt they have accumulated and come up with a budget so they can work on paying it down. Once the debt is under control, saving in earnest should begin.

And finally, set a goal for a move-out date, tied to meeting a financial goal. “You need to agree on a deadline for that goal to be met,” she writes. “Because after a few years of this, you might be ready to move out.”

The last year changed many families’ financial situations, and young adults and new college grads have been hit particularly hard.

According to a study from the Pew Research Center, more than half of young adults in the US today are living with their parents. Another survey from Pew found that people aged 18 to 29 were among the groups most impacted by the pandemic.

As young adults move home, financial planner Shelly-Ann Eweka, wealth management director at TIAA, says having your children living at home isn’t always a bad thing if done right. Eweka says that a child’s time at home could be a very important and valuable opportunity to teach them about money, help them plan and save for the future, and help them learn good financial habits. Then, they can get ahead after living at home instead of falling behind.

However, she cautions parents against making these mistakes when adult children move home.

1. Rejecting the idea of them moving home outright

“It’s actually a really smart decision for their adult children to come home to live with their parents,” says Eweka. “A lot of young adults are dealing with student debt, and they’re really struggling to pay off their student debt, and be able to save for retirement, and be able to save for some of their other financial goals.”

Staying at home, even if not for long, could help them get a leg up on paying off that debt, buying a home, or just learning about money.

2. Not considering the cost of another person at home

As you’re likely approaching retirement age yourself by the time your children are asking to move back in, it’s something you’ll want to make sure you can afford.

“I often tell parents, you don’t want to jeopardize your own retirement savings to spend money on supporting your adult children,” says Eweka.

For many of today’s parents who are retired or are approaching retirement, having children move back home is a reality, and an expensive one at that.

“Review your cash flow and budget with your financial planner to make sure that you can afford it,” says Eweka.

3. Letting them take a backseat at home

Just like when they were young, it’s important that your now-adult children have some responsibilities of their own around the house if they’re living there.

An important conversation to have before your child moves back in, according to Eweka, is what they’re going to do to help financially, or otherwise, at home.

It could be something as simple as mowing the lawn or doing the dishes, or even taking on some of the financial responsibilities. “Charge them rent. Or, let them pay a utility bill or two,” says Eweka.

If they’re not able to take on financial responsibilities yet, have them do things that will save you money. “Can they do some of the cooking so that you eat out less?” asks Eweka. “What are the things that they can physically do to help with expenses in the home?”

4. Assuming they’ll move out when they’re ready

Even though living at home might be a good choice, it doesn’t mean that it’s a time for your children to simply spin their wheels. Eweka suggests discussing their goals, next steps, or plans, and how long they plan to stay from the start.

Does your child want to save for the down payment on a house? Do they need to build credit or have a job in order to get a place of their own? Make sure that your child has a plan to start jumping those adulthood hurdles, and has a plan in place to ultimately move on.

As a parent, you’ll want to consider your own role in the equation. Even if you’re truly able to financially support them, consider if you should be doing so. “You want to empower your children and not enable them,” says Eweka.

5. Thinking they automatically know how to manage cash

Once they’ve got a goal, have them determine how much they’ll need to have saved to meet that goal. Whether it’s the deposit and first and last months’ rent for an apartment or the down payment on a house, help them to calculate how much they’ll realistically need to save.

Once they have a number in mind, start helping them to save. Eweka suggests that parents who can afford not to charge their kids rent request a payment anyway that goes instead to savings, to help them save for a home or their first emergency fund.

“Save that money that you’re getting from your child,” suggests Eweka. “Then, when they finally move out, give them a big check for a down payment on their new home.”

6. Letting them ignore money

For many new college graduates and young adults, credit is a mystery.

Do what you can to help them start understanding and building credit, and teaching them about how important it is. If they start while they’re still living with you, they’ll already have some credit built to help when it comes time to move on.

While there are several ways to build credit, an easy method includes opening a no-annual-fee credit card and paying it off in full every month.

Eweka also says that having your children take on some financial responsibility, like paying a bill or two, can help build credit.

7. Letting them wait for the perfect job

To Eweka, there’s a difference between helping your children get ahead and enabling them to stay behind. And part of that means working, even if it’s not the glamorous job they pictured on graduation day.

For example, says Eweka, “Children might want to come home and wait for the job at the best law firm versus going and working a public defender role.” But she says that encouraging them to take that less-than-perfect job is also an important part of helping rather than enabling your children.

Eweka says that this is part of holding them responsible. “Help your kid get a job that might give them healthcare coverage, and cover some of those debts while they’re at home so that they’re in employment, and they’re getting job exposure and experience.”

8. Leaving them to their own devices

Eweka suggests using this time at home as an opportunity to teach your child about financial topics like saving for retirement, how to pay off debt, how to use credit responsibly, and other situations they’ll come across as they venture into adulthood.

Teaching them about retirement savings could be a valuable lesson, as many Americans aren’t starting to save until it’s too late. Eweka says this is particularly important to encourage them to do while they’re still young.

She suggests teaching them now that they can’t wait to save, and uses the following example to illustrate why. “If you’re 23 and move back home, now you have the cash flow to put $1,000 a month into your retirement plan. Over a 40-year period, you’ll have $1.8 million if you assume about a 6% rate of return,” she says. “Even if you put $2,000 per month away to make up for what you didn’t save for the first 20 years, you’re only going to have $882,000.”

In this example, compound interest is key — teaching your adult child financial lessons like this can have a huge effect on how they save and spend when starting their adult life.

The advice: “If you want kids to listen, lower your voice instead of raising it. This forces kids to focus. Whisper, ‘If you can hear me, touch your nose.’ After a little while, everyone does it.”
Mary Satchwell
Chicago

Try it at home: Need to corral a bunch of six-year-olds at a birthday party? Whisper, “If you want cake, hop on one foot.” Goofy jumping is bound to be contagious.

The advice: “If students don’t like an activity, I pull out my timer and give them exactly one minute to complain. Once the timer dings, it’s time to get to work.”
Melissa Louise Page
Philadelphia

Try it at home: You can’t set a timer every time your child starts a sentence with “I don’t wanna.” But allowing one 60-second over-the-top display of whining about feeding the cat could buy you a drama-free afternoon.

The advice: “Kids who don’t write over school breaks lose their sharpness by the time they get back. Encourage them to write at least a sentence every day.”
Claire Webb
Nashville

Try it at home: If you have a reluctant writer, help her out by acting as a pen pal of sorts. Write notes to each other, leaving them on pillows or taped to the bathroom mirror.

The advice: “We have a Desk Fairy who checks the kids’ desks while they are in another class or at recess. She leaves stickers or a prize if their desks are neat. They never know when she’ll show up, so they have to be organized at all times.”
Elizabeth Mazzurco
Paramus, New Jersey

Try it at home: Make-Your-Bed Fairy, anyone?

The advice: “To get students to calm down and refocus after lunch, I dim the classroom lights, which does the trick.”
Amber Koonce
Charleston, South Carolina

Try it at home: Are the kids wired this evening? Try eating dinner by candlelight, or reach for the dimmer switch.

The advice: “Kids are less likely to complain if they feel in control, so I offer them choices where all outcomes are acceptable to me.”
Sara Lynne Schiwal
New York City

Try it at home: Scrambled eggs or cereal? Leggings or jeans? Just make sure there aren’t so many choices that you’re late for school because Miss Picky is still debating.

The advice: “Young children are often more visual, rather than auditory, learners. If you want them to pick up toys, label shelves with the name of the object and a picture.”
Theresa McGee
Oakland Park, Illinois

Try it at home: Snap a picture of blocks or dolls and tape it to the front of the storage box where those things belong. Or if your child loves to draw, have her draw pictures of her toys.

The advice: “When the floor is a mess after arts and crafts, I challenge students to locate the ‘magic scrap,’ which could be anything from a red crayon to a piece of paper. Students race to clean up in the hopes that they’ll be the one to pick up the magical piece. Also, no one can ask, ‘Is this it?’ during the process, because then the magic wears off. When the floor is clean, I announce the King or Queen of Scraps.”
Susan Kuntz
Oakwood, Ohio

Try it at home: Watch kids scurry about to be the one who finds— and puts away—a magic item in the playroom. The winner chooses what’s for dinner.

The advice: “Schedule bath time for toys. We put all the blocks and plastic toys into buckets with soapy water and ‘bathe’ them. It makes cleanup easy and fun.”
Shellia Nash
Maryville, Tennessee

Try it at home: He wants to keep playing when bath time is over? Let him! Out comes the kid, in go the toys (and maybe new water).

The advice: “It is invaluable to have a child look at you when you tell her something important. I will even say, ‘Look at my mouth, because I need to say something you must hear.’ This helps them pay attention.”
Barbara Porter
Jackson, Mississippi

Try it at home: If “Look at me when I’m speaking to you” falls on deaf ears, get creative. Try, “Find a freckle on the tip of my nose” or “Let’s sit and put our heads together while we talk.”

The advice: “To keep things on a positive note in class, I keep a ‘marble jar’ on my desk. When students are quiet and on task, I drop a marble in the jar without saying anything—the sound of the marbles is a great attention-getter. Once the jar is filled, our class earns a popcorn party.”
Sinead Ochinero
San Jose, California

Try it at home: “Catch” your kids behaving well by walking over and placing a sticker on their hands when they are playing peacefully. They then move freshly earned stickers to a chart taped to the refrigerator. After they’ve earned 20, break out the ice cream.

Finding a job is just part of the problem.

About 11 million parents are staying at home right now, taking care of the children. Usually, that’s a temporary stop on a career path, and mom (usually) or dad (becoming more common) will return to work, whether it’s after the kids start school, or stop nursing, or whenever financial necessity becomes a reality. Going back isn’t always that easy. Here’s why.

Finding a job can be hard

Even in today’s booming economy finding a job when you’re unemployed can be extremely difficult. Recently the Brookings Institute published a study that emphasized just how difficult that can be: “The longer a worker is unemployed, the less likely they are to get a job in a given month. The short-term unemployed (less than five weeks) are more than three times as likely to find a job in a given month as people who have been unemployed for a year or more.”

While there is a difference between voluntarily unemployed to stay home with the children and laid off (or fired), it doesn’t change the fact that it’s hard to find a job when you’ve been out of the workforce.

No one should be ashamed of staying home with the kids, and recruiters and hiring managers that reject you for doing that may be justifiably concerned about stale skills, but stale doesn’t mean dead, and you can often find amazing people who have been out of the workforce for a while.

Having a boss can be difficult

One advantage of being the stay at home parent is that you don’t have a boss (unless you count the tiny dictators that you created yourself). You decide “today I’ll do X, and tomorrow I’ll do Y,” and no one says, “you need to change your priorities!” It can be a real shock to the system to have someone tell you what you need to do, how to do it, and when it needs to be finished. These things aren’t bad–just a shock to the system.

Change stinks

Sure, change can be exciting and good, but it’s complicated. Changing jobs is often one of the most stressful things that we do, but switching from SAHM or SAHM dad to employee brings even more changes. It’s not just your day that changes; the entire family’s day changes.

Pre-schoolers are now in daycare or have a nanny, and that can be a difficult transition. It can be a great thing in the long run but don’t think that it will be easy-peasy for the first weeks. If this is your child’s first time in childcare of school, please understand that they will be sick, all the time. This means you will be sick all the time. This happens whether you put your kids in daycare at three months or kindergarten at 5. Washing hands won’t protect you.

Your older kids may be used to a school schedule, but they are also used to mom bringing a forgotten lunch or planning the class party. Mom has always been around to drive the kids to play dates, soccer practice, or whatever. This changes, and it’s hard.

Imposter syndrome attacks

Imposter syndrome isn’t limited to people who have been out of the workforce for years, but it certainly doesn’t help on the return to work. You may think that everyone knows how to find a job, how to juggle family and work, and how to do the actual work, but the reality is everyone struggles with this. People who have been continuously employed for the past 30 years still struggle to put a resume together and networking for a job. People who have always worked outside the home after having kids still struggle to balance everything. Everyone has questions.

This is not meant to discourage you–just to let you know you’re not alone. It’s okay to ask for help! It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to say “this is hard.” Everyone thinks that and it doesn’t make you a worse employee, a worse parent, or a worse person just because you struggle.

Going backward is difficult

If you take six months off, you’ll probably land a new job at a similar pay rate and level as your last job. If you take ten years off, you probably won’t. It can be tough to say, “well, I used to be a director, and now I’m an analyst.” But as you get into the swing of things, you can often find yourself climbing the ladder rapidly. You may have to swallow a bit of pride having a younger boss, or taking a step backward, but it’s not insurmountable.

Overall, you can do it! It’s a bit scary, but you can come back, no matter how long you’ve been out.

It’s true, we are in a crisis with the spread of Coronavirus. As a result, many companies and college campuses are instructed to close their doors and allow employees and students to do their work from home to try to stop the spread.

If you have a job that requires a computer, this is possible. Especially if most of the work is typing on a computer, fielding chat messages and replying to emails.

However, most home WiFi networks are not equipped to double as a workspace. Often our home networks do not have enough bandwidth and WiFi speed to support all of the data we need to do our jobs.

Your internet might be fine enough to stream Netflix and let you surf the web, but is it fast enough to facilitate video calls for meetings with your boss, coworkers or clients? What about to complete your classes online?

For some of us, it simply cannot be done.

So, what happens when millions of people are trying to connect to WiFi at the same time to work remotely? What if you live in a rural area where broadband internet is already a struggle?

Look at bandwidth as a freeway. If everyone is driving on it at once, there’s little room to get through. Because of this, you’re going to need WiFi that is fast enough to support and push your online activity through the congestion.

Here’s what you need to know:

How many Mbps do you really need to get your job done?

You might not need the fastest WiFi speeds available to get your job done. But you will still need reliable WiFi, which means you need fast enough WiFi.

Some internet service providers (ISP) will try to sell you the fastest internet speeds available. While that might sound ideal, there is such thing as too much speed. What we mean is that you might end up paying more than you need to.

If you are curious about what your current WiFi speeds are, you can run a WiFi speed test.

To make sure that you are able to successfully work from home, you need to make sure your WiFi can handle it. And you can do this without breaking the bank.

The first step is to consider what is absolutely necessary for your work:

• Do you need to download large files quickly? What about uploading?
• Will you need to use Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting or other HD video call platforms?
• Do you need to watch videos?
• Do you only need to answer emails and use Slack, Teams or another messaging platform?

Depending on your answers from above, here’s an outline of how many megabits-per-second (Mbps) you really need to work from home. Each WiFi speed tier is based on how many devices you have connected to your internet and your activity:

Up to 25 Mbps recommended for:

• 1-2 devices connected to the internet
• Surfing the web
• Email
• Social networking
• Moderate video use

50 – 100 Mbps recommended for:

• 3-5 devices connected to the internet
• Surfing the web
• Email
• Social networking
• Online multiplayer gaming
• 4K video streaming

150 – 200 Mbps recommended for:

• 5 or more devices
• Surfing the web
• Email
• Social networking
• Online multiplayer gaming
• 4K video streaming
• Sharing large files
• Live streaming video

Depending on the work you need to do, you can make a decision from the WiFi speeds above about how fast your WiFi needs to be.

If you have a good WiFi speed for your necessary work, then you are good to go.

If your WiFi speeds are not fast enough, here’s what you can do to increase your speed:

Increase your WiFi speeds to work from home

The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have talked to your ISP to get WiFi setup. If your WiFi is all set up, but you need to boost it, there are 5 things you can do right away.

Here’s what you can do to make sure that your WiFi speeds are fast enough to handle working from home:

1. Check your router placement – is it centrally located and away from obstacles?
2. Boost your WiFi signal – a strong signal means faster WiFi.
3. Check if updates are available for your router – an updated and protected router performs best.
4. Extend your WiFi range to every corner of your home – no more dead spots.
5. Invest in managed WiFi to take the workload off of your shoulders – if you are busy working, you won’t have time to deal with manually managing your whole network and all of your connected devices.

A WiFi management platform like Optim will help you get the best performance of your internet and WiFi network. Which you are going to need to get your job or class work done. Hands down.

When your WiFi is optimized to perform its best, you don’t have to worry when a crisis strikes. Make sure that your WiFi home network is at its prime, today. Call you internet service provider to get Optim set up in your home today.

Want to learn more about optimizing your home WiFi? Check out Actiontec’s Industry Articles and the Actiontec blog for more helpful articles like this one.

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As you search for work from home job opportunities, it’s important that you make sure they are legitimate. Scammers may pose as companies or independent contractors to try to offer you fake remote jobs. By being careful, you can protect your identity, your finances and your wellbeing. In this article, we offer tips on how to tell if a work-from-home job is a scam and share common scams you may encounter.

What are work-from-home scams?

Work-from-home scams are when deceitful people create fake job postings to benefit themselves. They may use these as a means to steal your personal information or financial assets. As work from home jobs become more popular, scammers are starting to target this market with seemingly lucrative job offers. They may pose as a company or reputable person to get you to trust them.

Here are several general tips for avoiding scams:

Do not respond to calls, text messages or emails from unknown numbers or suspicious addresses.

Never share sensitive personal or financial information over email, text messages or over the phone.

Do not click any links in a text message from a number you do not recognize. If a friend sends you a text with a suspicious link that seems out of character, call them to make sure they weren’t hacked.

Consider adding your number to the National Do Not Call Registry

to prevent telemarketing calls.

If you think you’ve been a victim of a coronavirus scam, contact your state consumer protection office

File a report with local law enforcement if you have lost money or possessions due to a scam.

to flag any posting that appears fraudulent, fake, spam or misleading on indeed.com

How to tell if a work from home job is a scam

Follow these steps to see if a remote job offer is legitimate:

The job is too good to be true.

There is little information on the company.

A second contact cannot confirm the legitimacy of the job offer.

There are warnings online.

The employer is overly eager to hire.

You have to pay to work.

The employer communicates poorly.

1. The job is too good to be true

If you find a job offer that is unbelievable, it’s likely fake. Trust your intuition if a work-from-home opportunity seems too good to be true. For example, if a company is offering an extremely high salary or incredible perks, enter the situation with a bit of skepticism. Likewise, if the company is offering you an amazing job that you aren’t qualified for, this could be a sign of a scam.

2. There is little information on the company

When researching a company, they should have a website and some kind of social media presence. If you can’t find anything about it online, it may be time to move onto a different job application. If you do find a website, but can’t figure out what kind of work they do, this is also a sign of a scam. Many scammers use vague descriptions to get a wider pool of candidates.

3. A second contact cannot confirm the legitimacy of the job offer

It’s a smart idea if you can get in touch with someone else from the company. Try to find this contact information on your own, rather than asking the employer. You could ask this person to provide more information about the company. Keep in mind that many scammers work with a team, so this doesn’t necessarily guarantee a job offer is legitimate.

4. There are warnings online

Use a search engine to look up the name of the company or employer. Search results may show you that other people have experienced this scam. If you see job boards with warnings about a company, this is often a red flag. Likewise, if there are poor online reviews about the company, this can tell you to look for a job elsewhere.

5. The employer is overly eager to hire

One major warning sign of a work from home scam is when the employer wants to urgently hire you. Most legitimate employers are busy with their own work and don’t have time to respond to you right away. Real employers make candidates feel comfortable, so if a company is pressuring you to accept the job, stop responding to them.

Likewise, a good employer wants to screen candidates to find the right fit. If they are willing to hire you on the spot or require little credentials for high-level work, it’s likely a scam.

6. You have to pay to work

A common scam is when employers claim that you need to invest some money into your work to get started. Employers are the ones who are supposed to pay you, not the opposite. Although, you may need to pay a subscription fee for various legitimate online job boards, so keep that in mind while searching for remote jobs.

7. The employer communicates poorly

When emailing with the employer, they should seem professional and well-spoken. If words are misspelled or punctuation is off, this is a sign of a scam. When you receive an email from an employer, make sure to look at their email address to see if it looks like other employers’.

Potential work from home scams

These are common work from home scams to look out for:

The faulty check

Part-time work for full-time pay

Requiring you to recruit others

Pay for training

The faulty check

Scammers use a tactic where they send you a check for way more than they owe you and then act as they made a mistake. They instruct you to send them the difference of the check before trying to cash it. After you send the check and try to cash the one they sent you, the check will bounce. This is one way they can take your money and leave you with a fake check.

Part-time work for full-time pay

Getting paid a lot to do little work sounds like a dream come true, which is why many scammers use this job tactic. They claim that you can make a ton of money in a short amount of time and pay over the market average. Legitimate employers pay you for what your work is worth.

Requiring you to recruit others

Although some multi-level marketing (MLM) companies are legitimate, there are others out there who promise you many benefits for recruiting others to work for them. Many of these companies require you to spend a lot of your own money on their products. They often focus on the maximum money you can make rather than an entry-level salary.

Pay for training

People who are looking to start their own business at home may encounter companies that claim to enhance their business skills. Their advertisements often show how their resources and lessons can help you quickly grow your business. Although there are online courses and resources to help you get started as an entrepreneur, there are also scams that promise instant sales and wealth for a large training fee.

Medical billing

Medical billing can be a great work-from-home opportunity, which is why scammers often use this job opportunity to make some money. They will often require you to buy your own equipment and promise reimbursement later on. That’s why it’s important to only apply to jobs that come straight from medical facilities and hospitals. Reach out to a representative before agreeing to anything.

A child may be eligible for benefits based on a parent’s work record

Social Security is usually associated with monthly payments to retirees. However, there is another important facet of Social Security benefits—providing financial assistance to children. Children may qualify for benefits if a parent is retired, disabled, or deceased.

Children who are disabled may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a separate program that’s also run by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Here’s the lowdown on who qualifies for what.

Key Takeaways

• Children may be eligible for Social Security payments based on a parent’s work record.
• For a child to qualify, the parent must be retired, disabled, or deceased.
• Children who are disabled may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income, a separate program that’s also run by the Social Security Administration.
• Children can receive survivor benefits until the age of 18 or 19 if still in primary or secondary school.
• The maximum family Social Security benefit ranges from 150% to 180% of the original payee’s benefit.

How Children Qualify for Social Security Benefits

Eligible children can collect Social Security benefits based on a parent’s work record. The parent must have earned enough Social Security credits. Biological or adopted children or stepchildren can be eligible for Social Security benefits if they meet the following criteria:

• Have a parent who is disabled or retired and eligible for Social Security benefits
• Are unmarried
• Are younger than 18 or are between ages 18 and 19 and are full-time high school students
• Are 18 or older and disabled (as long as the disability began before they turned age 22)

The requirements for Social Security survivor benefits are similar, except that the parent must be deceased for the child to qualify.

Grandchildren or step-grandchildren can sometimes collect survivor benefits under certain circumstances.

SSI Benefits for Children

Supplemental Security Income is a separate program for Americans with limited incomes and few other resources. Recipients must generally be 65 or older, blind, or disabled. But SSI is also available to children under age 18 in certain cases. To qualify for SSI benefits:

• The child must have a physical or mental impairment (or impairments) that results in marked and severe functional limitations.
• The impairment or impairments must have lasted or be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months or be expected to result in death. In the case of blindness, that duration requirement doesn’t apply.
• A child who isn’t blind must not earn more than $1,350 per month. A child who is blind must not earn more than $2,260 per month.

Decisions for granting SSI can take time. However, if a child has qualifying conditions, the Social Security Administration may begin making payments while an application is under review.

How Much Do Children Receive in Social Security Benefits?

A child may receive a Social Security benefit equal to 50% of the parent’s full retirement benefit or disability benefit. If the parent is deceased, the child is eligible to receive up to 75% of the parent’s full retirement benefit.

There is a limit to the total amount that a family can receive from Social Security based on one worker’s earnings record, though. The maximum family benefit typically ranges from 150% to 180% of the parent’s full benefit amount. The formula for maximum family benefits is based on a retired parent’s work record. If the parent is disabled, a different formula applies.

$2.92 billion

The total average amount of monthly Social Security benefits paid to children as of 2022. Approximately 4.97 million children received benefits each month.

If the amount due to the entire family surpasses the maximum, some individual payments will be proportionately reduced. As an example, consider a retiree named June, who has a dependent child, Ruth, who is also eligible for benefits. June’s full retirement amount is $1,500 per month, and her family maximum is $2,300 per month. June would receive her full $1,500, while her spouse, John, and daughter Ruth would split the remaining $800 payment, each receiving $400.

SSI benefits are determined by a different calculation, and the maximum benefit changes each year. Some states also supplement SSI. In addition, a disabled child who collects SSI may also be eligible for Medicaid to help pay for medical bills.

How to Receive Benefits

You can apply for benefits by calling 800-772-1213 or by visiting your local Social Security office. Applications for children’s benefits are not accepted online. However, you may apply online for SSI for children.

The family must present the child’s birth certificate, the parents’ Social Security numbers (SSNs), and the child’s Social Security number. Additional documents may also be required. In relevant cases, the applicant must provide a parent’s death certificate and/or evidence of disability from a doctor.

If you are taking care of a child and are receiving Social Security benefits for that reason, the child’s benefits may stop at a different time from your own. For example, if your child is not disabled, your benefits will end when the child turns 16 years old. If the child is disabled and you are responsible for them, your benefits may continue. For these types of specific circumstances, it’s best to contact the Social Security Administration for guidance.

If your child is disabled, the Social Security Administration offers a Disability Starter Kit that can help you navigate the process of applying for benefits.

How Soon Can Survivor Benefits for Children Be Started?

To initiate survivor benefits for children, an application and supporting documentation must be supplied to the Social Security Administration. How quickly benefits begin depends on how long it takes the agency to determine eligibility and for the applicant to submit the required documentation. However, benefits cannot be paid for the month in which the recipient died.

How Do You Use Social Security Benefits for Children of Disabled Parents?

Social security benefits for children can be used to care for their basic needs and to cover their share of living expenses. For example, it can be used for food, school supplies, rent or mortgage, and utilities.

When Do Survivor Benefits End for the Parent With Children?

Survivor benefits for the surviving child’s parent end when the child turns 16. However, if the child is disabled and remains in their care, the benefits may continue indefinitely.

Children are using technology at a younger age than ever before. Find out how to use technology to help your children learn and how much is too much.

As technology becomes more accessible and affordable, more and more families are using it. According to a 2013 study by Common Sense Media, an organization dedicated to helping families use technology wisely, 75 percent of children under the age of 8 have access to a tablet or mobile device, an increase of 25 percent in just two years. And that number is growing every year.

Are your children technology junkies? If so, you might be wondering about how to make the most of technology in your home. How should technology be used, depending on your child’s age? How can you choose high-quality content? And, what types of limits or guidelines are appropriate? First, understand that technology can never replace or replicate the benefits of unstructured, creative play. Children need real-life opportunities to imagine, create, and explore. They also need the supportive warmth that comes from face-to-face interactions with loving adults. On the other hand, technology isn’t going away and it can offer educational value when used appropriately. Read on to learn more about technology for kids in the home and learn about our favorite media for children.

Toddlers and Technology

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), passive technology viewing has little value for infants and toddlers; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that parents limit or omit technology use altogether for children age two and under. At this age, unstructured play and human interactions have more educational value. If you do allow technology such as toddler tablets, use it in “the context of human relationships,” suggests NAEYC, as you would picture books. Load tablets with photos of family members or animals. Hold your child as you look at and describe the photos. Use your digital device to share picture books, many of which have interactive features.

Technology for Preschoolers

Preschoolers are naturally drawn to technology. But before they begin learning with technology, they will need to learn the basics. Allow your child to explore inexpensive mobile devices stored in rugged frames. Demonstrate how to swipe and touch the screen. Later, your child can learn how to use a mouse or keyboard.

Continue to participate with your child with technology. Download simple, age-appropriate games and eBooks or listen to audiobooks. Take photos of your child’s work, such as a block tower or painting, to instantly send to family members. Download a storymaker app and help your child write and illustrate digital stories, which can also be shared with others. Search videos about topics that interests your child, such as the international space station, jungle or arctic animals, or cooking. Use a balanced approach to technology and education, offering it as one facet of a rich learning environment. Be conscious of how much time your child spends with technology and don’t allow it to supplant other activities, such as reading, unstructured play, or outdoor play time.

Some of our favorite technology tools for preschoolers:

• Curiosityville, the brainchild of Susan Magsamen, is produced by education publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This subscription-based service features six adorable animal characters who guide children through science, math, art, early literacy, cooking, and community service activities.
• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. While exploring Daniel’s world, young children learn about everyday topics, such as bedtime, mealtime, going to the doctor, or crossing the street.
• Reading Rainbow offers a host of high-quality children’s literature along with video clips and audio versions.

Online Safety for School-Age Children

By the time your child is in elementary school, he’s probably well-versed in technology. At this age, most children can use a mouse, open and close apps, and even search the internet. It’s time to talk with your child about internet safety. Set clear guidelines and internet safety rules about what types of media are acceptable and carefully support and monitor your child’s technology use. Tell your child to never share her name, address, or personal information online or on social media. Talk with your child about what to do if he comes across inappropriate content (close the screen and alert you), and make sure you have a high-quality web filter and security system in place.

Help your child understand that technology is just one of many tools for learning. Download educational games, read books, and conduct research. When your child asks a question, conduct an Internet search to find the answer.

Some of our favorite technology tools for school-age children:

• Starfall offers a complete reading and phonics program, as well as early math activities. The basic program is free; a subscription service is available for even more content.
• PBS Learning Media offers a free round-up of videos, games, and activities on almost any topic. Come here to learn about history, science, math, and literature.
• DreamBox is a subscription-based online math program for children. We like it because it delves deeper than most online math programs. Children don’t just learn rote math facts; they gain true math literacy.
• Storyline Online features celebrities and public figures, such as Melissa Gilbert, Annette Bening, and even Al Gore, reading beloved children’s stories.

Remember, technology is just one tool in a parent’s toolbox. Use it to support and enhance other activities, such as playing board games, reading together, or exploring nature. Children generally find technology engaging, but their need for hands-on learning hasn’t changed.

Webinar: Beyond Screen Time: Raising Children in the Digital Age

Hear digital expert Devorah Heitner, PhD and founder of Raising Digital Natives, discuss the challenges of raising children in a digital-first world, quality versus quantity of screen time, and how you can model responsible use that sets your child up for a lifetime of success.

How to Deal with Misbehaving Kids

The cure for “empty threat syndrome”

Recently, I was at dinner with two other families. Another guest’s nine-year-old son, Sean,* was provoking his 12-year-old sister, Madeline,* taunting her, getting in her space. The sister responded with a screechy “I HATE YOU!!”

What ensued was painful to watch, but highly predictable.

The kids’ dad, clearly embarrassed by their behavior, says, “Both of you, knock it off, right now!”

Madeline: “But I didn’t DO anything.”

Dad: “It’s not okay to yell ‘I hate you’ to your brother.”

Madeline, half screaming, half whining: “He was BUGGING me!”

Dad: “If you guys can’t get along, we are going to go home. I mean it. This behavior is unacceptable.”

Dad turns back to the rest of the adults and rolls his eyes. We chuckle a little. We’ve all been there.

It seems harmless to put a big consequence out there, like threatening to leave a party the kids are enjoying. Odds are, they’ll shape up so they can stay.

But not two minutes later, the brother is at it again, steering his scooter too close to his sister and her friend. “GO AWAY! You’re such an IDIOT!” she screams with emotion that only comes when someone is pushing your buttons.

Dad assesses the situation; the host is starting to serve dinner. There is no way he is going to make good on his threat to leave right now. What should he do?

We all make empty threats sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, hoping to coerce better behavior out of our kids. But there are several problems with threatening to do something and then not following through on it.

Most obviously, empty threats weaken our influence. Kids are smart; once they know that we are unlikely to follow-through on a threatened consequence, our words have much less meaning. This is especially true in certain situations, like being in public or at a party, where kids know it’s more likely that we parents WON’T follow through. So they learn to not pay much attention to those threats at all.

This means that we, the parents, aren’t fully in charge—and, consciously or unconsciously, this makes our children insecure. Kids need someone who has been around the block a few times to be in charge. They need structure and rules—or they start to feel insecure.

But there may be an even bigger problem: It lacks integrity when we say we are going to do something hard, then don’t do it. Our children will behave like we do, especially as they grow into teenagers and adults. When they face a challenge, do we want them to tell everyone that they are going to do the hard thing, then pretend like they never said they would do it? Of course not, but we can only expect them to have as much integrity (and commitment, and courage) as we have.

Fortunately, there are much more effective ways to deal with our children’s undesirable behavior. Here’s a step-by-step plan.

1. Make a list of the privileges your kids enjoy regularly, and would miss if they lost. These could be TV time, dessert, lessons or athletic practices, rides to school when they can take the bus instead, etc.

2. Pick something that you can easily enforce—one standard, predictable consequence. Perhaps your pre-teen daughter is glued to her phone, or your son particularly loves watching sports on TV, or you already have a time-out routine that is working.

3. Decide what battles you are going to fight. Kids benefit from having a “bright line” painted for them. What is always off-limits? For example, in our house, calling other people names, saying you hate someone, intentionally making someone unhappy or angry, hitting, talking-back, and cheating at UNO are always against the rules.

4. Have a family meeting to talk about this. Tell your kids that you are making a concerted effort to say what you mean, and mean what you say. Give them permission to hold you to it. My kids throw a pretend flag in the air like a football ref and say “E-flag!” (E is for “empty threat”) if I say something they suspect I won’t follow through on.

5. In the family meeting, review your family rules. Tell them what “violations” you are going to enforce, and exactly how you are going to enforce them.

6. Here’s how to enforce those rules. When kids misbehave, issue one warning by saying, “This is your warning,” in a calm voice. (Kids benefit from a warning, because it gives them a chance to self-correct. This will help foster their self-discipline, so eventually they don’t need you at all.) Then, if they cross the line again, they lose the pre-decided privilege—which you can let them know as calmly as possible, such as by saying, “Please bring me your phone,” or, “I’m sorry, you won’t be having dessert tonight.” Or calmly pick your toddler up and put her in time-out.

This is key: you don’t need to explain what they did wrong, even if they act like they have no idea what they are doing wrong. If kids can learn the rules to Candyland, they can learn your family rules. Kids know when they are misbehaving; don’t let them fool you. If they really aren’t sure what they did, they’ll figure it out fast if they know they are about to lose a privilege.

7. Be very, very consistent. As consistent as humanly possible. Most kids will seriously test you for at least a week, some longer. Stick to your guns. Imagine you are refereeing a televised soccer match: The rules are clear. Your job is clear. You can’t overlook violations mid-game and expect the players to still consider you the ref.

Do you suffer from “empty threat syndrome”? If so, do you think the plan above will work for you? Inspire others by leaving a comment below.

*Names have been changed.

© 2012 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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Become legendary in your school for making math fun and easy.

When you ask a student what they think about math, typical responses likely include “I hate it,” “It’s boring,” or “It’s too hard.” I know these negative associations all too well because I struggled with math as a child. As a visual and hands-on learner, I felt like a lot of my teachers didn’t present mathematical concepts in a way that I was able to understand. This, along with my experience as a kindergarten teacher, has fostered a love of teaching math. If you want to make teaching math fun and easy, try these three approaches.

Use Modeling and Student Names

Using a student’s name in a math problem is an effective way to keep your class engaged. When teaching subtraction in my kindergarten classroom, I always come up with silly stories to entice my students. I randomly choose a child in my class to include in each example. Sometimes, choosing a student who has a difficult time staying attentive can be a very effective strategy. I may say, “Jenny bought five pieces of candy from the store.” Right away, I have Jenny’s attention—along with all the students who love candy. I continue, “Jenny gives Abigail three pieces of her candy, so how many pieces of candy does Jenny have left?”

The answer to this story problem might seem logical for many students. However, some of my students need a visual aid, so I grab five pieces of candy and we act out the problem. We then repeat the problem again, and I have my students draw it on a piece of paper. Every concept that’s taught should have meaning and relevancy in the real world and in your students’ lives.

Build Character through Competition

Some may think of competition as a bad teaching tool because of the pressure it places on students. However, competition in the classroom can lead to enhanced student engagement, while also fostering a love of learning. As a teacher, being transparent with students about the nature of competition is important. Teaching math through competition is an especially great way to get students excited about learning. Every day, my class participates in a timed competition to practice. The class competes to see who can solve the most addition facts in one minute, and the student(s) who completes the most addition facts is crowned the Mathematician of the Day.

Sometimes I think my students are more excited about the prize than the actual competition, but who wouldn’t be excited for a brand-new, sharp pencil or a shiny, embossed certificate with your name written in the finest teacher handwriting? I just always make sure to remind my students that it’s not always possible to win, that it’s OK to make mistakes, and that being happy for the winner feels good.

Entice Learners with Games

Games are a fun and engaging way to reinforce concepts taught in the classroom. Often, students are having so much fun that they don’t even know they’re learning. For instance, Math Attack is one of my favorite games to play with my kindergarten class to improve addition and subtraction. Students are split into teams and given a variety of resources (manipulatives, a whiteboard and markers, a pencil and paper, etc.) to help them solve problems. I flash a problem on our document camera for five seconds and students must work together to solve the problem using the resources provided. The first team that gets the correct answer receives two points and the other teams that get the answer correct receive one point. This game is not only a great way to teach your students but it pushes them to work together as a team.

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Apryl Duncan is a stay-at-home mom and internationally-published writer with years of experience providing advice to others like her.

Teaching math to your children is as easy as 1+1=2. Go beyond pencil and paper to make math a learning experience that’s fun for you and your kids. These quick and easy strategies help you teach your kids math and will turn them into mini mathematicians.

Start With Counting

Teaching math begins with your child knowing numbers. You can help them learn to count with the same strategies you’ll be using to teach them math.

Children may respond better to memorizing numbers you repeat or may pick up numbers by seeing you count objects from one to ten. A method that may work for one of your children might not be right for another. Gauge each child individually.

Once your child begins counting, you’re ready to start with some basic math principles. They’ll be adding and subtracting before you know it.

Use Everyday Objects

You already have everything you need to begin teaching math to your child. Buttons, pennies, money, books, fruit, soup cans, trees, cars — you can count the objects you have available. Math is easy to teach when you look at all of the physical objects you can count, add, subtract, and multiply.

Everyday objects also help you teach your child that objects don’t have to be identical to be important in math. Counting apples is a great math lesson, but counting apples, oranges, and watermelons together expands the thought process. The child is connecting counting with various objects, instead of running through a routine numbers game of 1, 2, 3.

Play Math Games

There are plenty of games on the market that promise to aid you in teaching math. Hi Ho Cherry-O and adding dice teach simple addition. The game Chutes and Ladders introduces children to the numbers 1 to 100.

Advanced math board games come and go, so check stores for today’s hot games. Classics like Yahtzee, PayDay, Life, and Monopoly are always good resources for addition and subtraction.

Some of the best math games come from your own imagination. Play a math scavenger hunt. Use chalk to scribble numbers on the driveway and quiz your kids with math questions they have to answer by running to the correct number. Begin basic counting skills with blocks. Math can become an activity they enjoy rather than an educational drill.

Bake Cookies

Soft cookies make excellent teaching tools. While you can count the cookies you bake for simple math, a fresh batch is also perfect for teaching fractions.

With a plastic knife, kids can learn how to cut a cookie into eighths, fourths, and halves. The act of visually seeing a fourth created as well as them getting to cut that whole into fourths makes an impression in a child’s mind.

Use those small cookie pieces to teach your child how to add and subtract fractions. For example, 1/4 of a cookie + 1/4 of a cookie = 1/2 of a cookie. Put the pieces together so they can see the cookie half.

An alternative to baking cookies is to use raw cookie dough or make your own play-dough. Of course, you can’t eat your fractions when you’re finished learning math, but you can reuse the cookie dough or molding clay.

Invest in an Abacus

Even the smallest hands love sliding abacus beads back and forth along the wire. An abacus can be used to teach kids addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

With an abacus, kids develop problem-solving skills. There’s a logic behind using an abacus, so be sure you know what group of numbers each colored bead represents to accurately use it.

Test Flash Cards

Flashcards can show you what 2+2 equals, but letting kids get hands-on experience with counting may work better. Evaluate your child’s learning preferences by trying both flashcards and hands-on experience.

Some children learn better by seeing the answer on a card or counting pictures on a card. Others won’t truly get the concept of math until you let them count physical objects. Mix up your math lessons to see which method seems to be working best for your child.

Make Math a Daily Activity

Use math in your day-to-day routine. Help your child get the most out of your math lessons when you incorporate it into your daily life while setting goals they can achieve.

• At a red light, how many blue cars do you see?
• At the grocery store, how many boxes of crackers could we buy if we only have $10?
• At the doctor’s office, how many kids will be left in the waiting room when three are called to the back?
• If we only ate 1/4 of our lunch, how much would we have left?
• How much will diapers cost if they’re 25 percent off?
• On the freeway, how much do the numbers on the license plate in front of us add up to?
• How many shirts are you putting into the washing machine?
• If you need to divide eight quarters among four people at the arcade, how many quarters would each person get?

Once you show your child how much fun math can be, they will gain enthusiasm about learning that you can apply to other subjects. Once children enjoy learning, there’s no stopping them.

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Math Matters in Everyday Life

Math is very useful in everyday life. Math can help us do many things that are important in our everyday lives. Here are some daily tasks for which math is important:

• Managing money $$$
• Balancing the checkbook
• Shopping for the best price
• Preparing food
• Figuring out distance, time and cost for travel
• Understanding loans for cars, trucks, homes, schooling or other purposes
• Understanding sports (being a player and team statistics)
• Playing music
• Baking
• Home decorating
• Sewing
• Gardening and landscaping

Parents can help teens connect math they learn in school and their everyday lives. As a parent, you could talk to your teen about how you use math in your daily life. You could also ask family members and friends how they use math in their daily lives. Please talk to your teens about these math connections to real world. Share with your child the examples of everyday math applications, which are listed below. When your teens hear how math can be used every day, they will be more likely to view math as important and valuable. They may also become more interested in mathematics. Remember that you as a parent can greatly influence how your child thinks about mathematics.

The testimonials included on this website give brief examples of how people use math in their daily lives. Please watch these. You can share information from these videos with your teen.

Examples of Math Connections to Daily life

Managing Money

Your teen will learn skills in algebra class that will help them with money. One important skill they will learn is how to calculate interest and compound interest. Your teen can use this skill to manage their money now and when they grow up. This skill also will help them pick the best bank account. It will also help them decide which credit card is best to have. People who take out loans need to understand interest. It will also help them figure out the best ways to save and invest money.

Recreational Sports

Geometry and trigonometry can help your teens who want to improve their skill in sports. It can help them find the best way to hit a ball, make a basket or run around the track. Basic knowledge of math also helps keep track of sports scores.

Home Decorating and Remodeling

Calculating areas is an important skill. It will be useful for your teen in remodeling future homes and apartments. It will help your teen find how much paint they need to buy when repainting a room. It is also an important skill for anyone who wants to install new tiles in a bathroom or a kitchen. Knowing how to calculate perimeters can help your child when deciding how much lumber to buy for floor or ceiling trim.

Cooking

People use math knowledge when cooking. For example, it is very common to use a half or double of a recipe. In this case, people use proportions and ratios to make correct calculations for each ingredient. If a recipe calls for 2/3 of a cup of flour, the cook has to calculate how much is half or double of 2/3 of a cup. Then the cook has to represent the amount using standard measures used in baking, such as ¼ cup, 1/3 cup, ½ cup or 1 cup.

Shopping

Your teen will use math when buying different items. When buying a new computer, your child will need to figure out which store offers the best price or best financing. Math is useful in finding the best deal for food items. For example, your teen will need to decide which pack of soda to buy when given a choice of 20 oz., 2-liter, 12 pack, or 24-pack. Stores often have sales that give a percentage off an original price. It is helpful for people to know how to figure out the savings. This math skill is very useful because it helps us calculate discounts so we can buy an item for the best price offered.

Note. Partial content of this web page is adapted from Making Connections: Helping Your Teen With the Choices Ahead brochure (Harackiewicz, Hyde & Hulleman, n.d.) and Making Connections: Helping Your Teen Find Value in School brochure (Hulleman, Harackiewicz & Hyde, 2007). Please refer to the links to the brochures under the useful links for parents tab if you would like access to the full brochures.

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Helping Your Teen Discover the Importance of Math

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If you enjoy mathematics, you might consider becoming a math teacher. In addition to math skills, these teachers need patience, time management, organization and planning skills. In this article, we explain what a math teacher does, how to become one and answers to frequently asked questions about this role.

What does a math teacher do?

Math teachers educate students in the principles of mathematics. Depending on the grade level and classes, they might teach general math or particular fields of mathematics, such as geometry, algebra and calculus. Their main responsibility is to help students cultivate the ability to understand and problem-solve math-related questions in preparation for the next grade level.

Math teachers typically work for middle schools or high schools, but a math teacher can teach any grade from kindergarten to 12th grade and beyond, depending on their qualifications. When it comes to classes like calculus, trigonometry and other higher-level math classes, a math teacher may need special training.

Teaching involves a variety of duties and responsibilities, including:

Creating lesson plans

Preparing homework and assignments for students and correcting them

Preparing tests to check the level of understanding of students and correcting the tests

Assessing the progress and abilities of each student throughout the year

Keeping up with state standards and guidelines to ensure students meet the established criteria

Managing several classes in different grades

Managing student behavior and communicating with parents and administrators

Supervising study halls, field trips, extracurricular activities and homerooms when required

Providing sound advice about academic and career options for students

What is the average salary of a math teacher?

The average salary of a math teacher is $46,389 per year

. Salaries vary based on grade level, type of school, experience and location.

How to become a math teacher

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a math teacher, consider following these steps:

Earn a bachelor’s degree.

Complete a student teaching internship program.

Pass the test for teachers.

Apply for a teaching certificate.

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree

To become a math teacher, you need a bachelor’s degree. While you can apply for a state teaching license with any major, you might want to choose a major in education with a focus on math or a math-related major. You could study for a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Secondary Education with a focus on math or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Elementary Education with a focus on math.

You can choose Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics Education, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Education with a focus in math or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics with a focus on middle or secondary grades.

2. Complete a student teaching internship program

The student teaching internship program is mandatory in some states if you want to become a qualified teacher. This program is a full-time course where you will be supervised as you learn your way through the instructional classroom experience. Your teaching internship program should be done in the grade level you wish to be certified in. The program lasts from eight to 12 weeks. The first part of your internship will involve observation of a teacher in a classroom and the second part will have you taking over a class.

3. Pass the test for teachers

The state you live in will require you to take a test to become certified to teach in public schools. Most states require prospective teachers to take a basic skills exams and subject knowledge competency exams. These tests will examine your reading, writing and general math skills. Requirements vary by state, but the most widely used tests include The National Evaluation Series and The Praxis Series.

4. Apply for a teaching certificate

With a state teaching certificate, you will be eligible to apply for the math teaching jobs that you want. This is a license that will allow you to teach in the area you have specialized in and in the state that you wish to work in. You will be issued this license by the governing body in your home state. Then you can start applying for math teaching jobs in the grade level of your choice.

Frequently asked questions

The following are some of the most commonly asked questions about becoming a math teacher:

Can a math teacher earn a master teacher certification?

A master teacher certification is an advanced credential that signifies your skill and experience. For a math teacher to earn this certification, you must show advanced knowledge in your area and a strong ability to successfully teach students. You will also need three to five years of teaching experience. If you do earn this credential, you could start earning a higher salary.

What is the job market like for math teachers?

The job market for math teachers is a positive one. Math teachers are highly in demand in all grade levels. It is easier to find a job as a math teacher if you have a major in math or a master’s degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a growth of 4% for high school teachers from 2018 to 2028. The prediction is almost as fast as the average for all occupations.

What skills should a math teacher have?

The role of a math teacher will vary depending on the grade. Elementary students need different things from their math teachers compared to high school students. However, a math teacher must always be patient and realize that some students might take longer to grasp math concepts.

Teachers need to use creativity to get students to understand and have an interest in the subject. Communication, organization, planning and empathy are essential skills for a teacher to be successful.

Copy to Clipboard

If you enjoy mathematics, you might consider becoming a math teacher. In addition to math skills, these teachers need patience, time management, organization and planning skills. In this article, we explain what a math teacher does, how to become one and answers to frequently asked questions about this role.

What does a math teacher do?

Math teachers educate students in the principles of mathematics. Depending on the grade level and classes, they might teach general math or particular fields of mathematics, such as geometry, algebra and calculus. Their main responsibility is to help students cultivate the ability to understand and problem-solve math-related questions in preparation for the next grade level.

Math teachers typically work for middle schools or high schools, but a math teacher can teach any grade from kindergarten to 12th grade and beyond, depending on their qualifications. When it comes to classes like calculus, trigonometry and other higher-level math classes, a math teacher may need special training.

Teaching involves a variety of duties and responsibilities, including:

Creating lesson plans

Preparing homework and assignments for students and correcting them

Preparing tests to check the level of understanding of students and correcting the tests

Assessing the progress and abilities of each student throughout the year

Keeping up with state standards and guidelines to ensure students meet the established criteria

Managing several classes in different grades

Managing student behavior and communicating with parents and administrators

Supervising study halls, field trips, extracurricular activities and homerooms when required

Providing sound advice about academic and career options for students

What is the average salary of a math teacher?

The average salary of a math teacher is $46,389 per year

. Salaries vary based on grade level, type of school, experience and location.

How to become a math teacher

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a math teacher, consider following these steps:

Earn a bachelor’s degree.

Complete a student teaching internship program.

Pass the test for teachers.

Apply for a teaching certificate.

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree

To become a math teacher, you need a bachelor’s degree. While you can apply for a state teaching license with any major, you might want to choose a major in education with a focus on math or a math-related major. You could study for a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Secondary Education with a focus on math or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Elementary Education with a focus on math.

You can choose Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics Education, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Education with a focus in math or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics with a focus on middle or secondary grades.

2. Complete a student teaching internship program

The student teaching internship program is mandatory in some states if you want to become a qualified teacher. This program is a full-time course where you will be supervised as you learn your way through the instructional classroom experience. Your teaching internship program should be done in the grade level you wish to be certified in. The program lasts from eight to 12 weeks. The first part of your internship will involve observation of a teacher in a classroom and the second part will have you taking over a class.

3. Pass the test for teachers

The state you live in will require you to take a test to become certified to teach in public schools. Most states require prospective teachers to take a basic skills exams and subject knowledge competency exams. These tests will examine your reading, writing and general math skills. Requirements vary by state, but the most widely used tests include The National Evaluation Series and The Praxis Series.

4. Apply for a teaching certificate

With a state teaching certificate, you will be eligible to apply for the math teaching jobs that you want. This is a license that will allow you to teach in the area you have specialized in and in the state that you wish to work in. You will be issued this license by the governing body in your home state. Then you can start applying for math teaching jobs in the grade level of your choice.

Frequently asked questions

The following are some of the most commonly asked questions about becoming a math teacher:

Can a math teacher earn a master teacher certification?

A master teacher certification is an advanced credential that signifies your skill and experience. For a math teacher to earn this certification, you must show advanced knowledge in your area and a strong ability to successfully teach students. You will also need three to five years of teaching experience. If you do earn this credential, you could start earning a higher salary.

What is the job market like for math teachers?

The job market for math teachers is a positive one. Math teachers are highly in demand in all grade levels. It is easier to find a job as a math teacher if you have a major in math or a master’s degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a growth of 4% for high school teachers from 2018 to 2028. The prediction is almost as fast as the average for all occupations.

What skills should a math teacher have?

The role of a math teacher will vary depending on the grade. Elementary students need different things from their math teachers compared to high school students. However, a math teacher must always be patient and realize that some students might take longer to grasp math concepts.

Teachers need to use creativity to get students to understand and have an interest in the subject. Communication, organization, planning and empathy are essential skills for a teacher to be successful.

“But I Hate Math!”

Most children are not fond of math. Math is boring simply because children find it hard to understand. Math means solving problems – but learning math itself is becoming a problem. By incorporating more games, innovative assessments, and a good attitude you can change the spirit of your math class today.

It Makes Number Sense

Teachers must help children who struggle with math lessons. The best way to support a child’s learning of math is to have fun with numbers. Children should know that math is not abstract, but has a role in daily life. Here are few practical tips:

• At the end of every math class, raise a simple mental arithmetic problem or a number puzzle for the children to work on overnight. Motivate children who come with the right answers the next day. Children will begin to eagerly await math class.
• Choose one day a week to play math games in class. Memory power is important to develop math skills. Weekly math games help students exercise their brains too.
• Thegame winners should be awarded small gifts or bonus points.
• Display in the classroom a small bulletin board to write out a Weekly Math Challenge Test. Keep posting a new mathematical puzzle in that space every week. Observe carefully the number of students solving these puzzles. For that matter, you can keep a track of students solving puzzles in the weekly challenges and the weekly winners can be given some special marks. If it turns out that a particular Math Challenge Test is too hard, offer more clues or hints to help students so they do not lose interest.
• Do not impose some math formula or methods on the children- but instead provide them a lead and then let them come out with their own suggestions and opinions. Make the math class interactive and thus entertaining. This way, the teacher teaches less and the children excitedly learn more from one another.
• Think of several novel ways of teaching math and experiment with different methods in each class. Variety is fun and children will also become curious and eagerly wait to know what will happen in the next class.
• It is essential that the teacher enjoys math. The math teacher must prepare lessons with imagination and make them appealing. Encourage a spirit of healthy competition among children by having games in the classroom to teach new math skills.
• There are a number of web resources active today in guiding parents and teacher about math learning tips and tricks.

Create Exciting Math Tests

Children are likely to hate anything that is dull but will love things that amuse them. As a teacher makes math class amusing and sets children up with some simple, yet seemingly difficult problems they gain interest. Here are a few examples:

• Find a way to incorporate their interests into the math test. If they love basketball, use basketball examples. If they love Playstation 3, then use that. Ask them what they love and use their interests to interest them, crazy idea, right?
• Have students figure your age by giving them a complicated math equation. Have them guess the number of kids you have in the same way.
• Do your very best to figure out real world examples of the applications that you are talking about. Kids love it when they see math applied_._

Final Word

Math teachers are not required to strain their imagination. There are excellent online and offline sources available for getting math puzzles, mental arithmetic, math problems, math games and math brain teasers. Computer labs and Internet have plenty of ideas for enriching programs for children. Many sites offer games, math puzzles, math riddles and simple but exciting math problems.

References

• Image Credit: Making Math Learning Fun – Symbols

This post is part of the series: Making Math Fun

Learn ways to make math an exciting adventure for your students and get the engaged.

Since the introduction of the common core, school districts across the nation have emphasized the importance of understanding the process over learning rote memorization to learn formulas and solve problems. Since kids no longer rely only on traditional memorization methods to learn math, the techniques we teach kids must give them the tools they need to understand math. Let us take a deeper look at some of the best practices for teaching math to early elementary kids using common core worksheets.

Grade 1: Techniques to Teach

In kindergarten, kids are working on basic math, like learning to count, and simple addition and subtraction using single numbers. First grade math is a huge step up in complexity, as kids are learning to count larger numbers, learning to solve equations, and adding to their vital math vocabulary.

As kids learn increasingly complex math concepts, the following strategies can help students increase their number sense :

Teaching Place Value

One of the most important concepts to introduce to first graders is place value. Think of place value as a gateway to easily understanding large numbers. Once kids are able to understand a digit’s place or value in a number, they can learn the steps to adding and subtracting numbers larger than 10.

Comparing Numbers

Kids are able to compare numbers from an extremely early age, and are adept at being able to tell when they someone has more or less of something than them. In the first grade, kids take this a step further by learning “greater than”, “less than”, and “equal to”, which helps reinforce the relationship and value of numbers.

• Using Fact Families to Show Relationships

Fact families show kids how numbers are related to each other. When kids understand the association between numbers and the facts that unite them, they are able to see how addition and subtraction are related, and even how they can use addition to subtract, and vice versa.

Grade 2: New Strategies for Even Bigger Numbers

Second grade math continues the hard work of first grade by increasing the number values and introducing new techniques for working with them. 1st and 2nd grade worksheets include the same overall topics, like addition and subtraction, but kids learn to relate addition with subtraction , work with base blocks, and more!

Use the following strategies to help your second grader master grade-level math concepts:

• Using Number Lines to Relate Addition with Subtraction

Like base blocks, number lines offer a visual aid for kids to understand numbers. However, number lines help kids understand where numbers stack up in a continuum, and help little learners to relate addition with subtraction, as they can add and subtract along the continuum.

• Working with Word Problems

Word problems go a long way in helping kids build their number sense. Word problems provide a purpose to completing math, and can show kids how math can be used in real life. Additionally, when kids work with word problems, they sharpen analytical problem-solving skills as they think through the problem to determine the way the problem must be solved.

• Adding and Subtracting using Regrouping

Most adults learned to “borrow” numbers when subtracting, but were never taught why we did it. Teaching kids to use regrouping with addition and subtraction, teaches kids to use the knowledge they already learned in regard to place value to make addition and subtraction easier by regrouping the numbers into numbers that are easier to work with.

Grade 3: Introducing Multiplication and Division

Once kids are armed with the necessary tools to perform more complex math operations, it’s time to introduce third graders to multiplication and division using techniques to make it easy and understandable for early learners. In addition, kids are adding to their mental math library, skip counting by the thousands, and working with fractions !

These strategies work best for teaching complicated third grade math:

• Using Graphs and Charts to Teach Measurement

Important for the development of data analysis skills, working with graphs give kids a visual to aid them in learning measurement, while teaching kids to use graphs to collect information.

• Skip Counting to Teach Multiplication

Long gone are the days of merely memorizing multiplication tables. By using a skill kids are already familiar with—skip counting—multiplication is made easy and understandable. Additionally, using images help kids understand the process of multiplication and how they find an answer because they are able to count the images on the worksheet and make a connection between the pictures and the answer on the page.

• Using Shapes and Pictures of Familiar Objects to Teach Fractions and Geometry

When familiar pictures are broken up into equal parts, it’s easy to see fractions visually. This translates into kids who understand how to recognize and work with fractions, leading to a thorough understanding of numbers and their parts.

• Introducing Base Blocks to Represent Large Numbers

Base blocks serve as manipulatives and visuals that kids can use to learn basic mathematical concepts. By using base blocks, we can introduce kids to larger groups of numbers, like tens and hundreds. Kids can then learn to add or subtract using base blocks, while gaining a deeper understanding of the process they take to solve problems.

In recent years, educators have made it a point to teach kids to learn math by growing their number sense for a more thorough understanding of math processes. This means that the way kids learn math today is very different from anything seen in the classroom ever before. This translates into more kids succeeding in math just by using new strategies like the ones above!

You don’t have to be a math teacher to know that a lot of students—and likely a lot of parents (it’s been awhile!)—are intimidated by math problems, especially if they involve large numbers. Learning techniques on how to do math quickly can help students develop greater confidence in math, improve math skills and understanding, and excel in advanced courses.

If it’s your job to teach those, here’s a great refresher.

Fast math tricks infographic

10 tricks for doing fast math

Here are 10 fast math strategies students (and adults!) can use to do math in their heads. Once these strategies are mastered, students should be able to accurately and confidently solve math problems that they once feared solving.

1. Adding large numbers

Adding large numbers just in your head can be difficult. This method shows how to simplify this process by making all the numbers a multiple of 10. Here is an example:

While these numbers are hard to contend with, rounding them up will make them more manageable. So, 644 becomes 650 and 238 becomes 240.

Now, add 650 and 240 together. The total is 890. To find the answer to the original equation, it must be determined how much we added to the numbers to round them up.

650 – 644 = 6 and 240 – 238 = 2

Now, add 6 and 2 together for a total of 8

To find the answer to the original equation, 8 must be subtracted from the 890.

So the answer to 644 +238 is 882.

2. Subtracting from 1,000

Here’s a basic rule to subtract a large number from 1,000: Subtract every number except the last from 9 and subtract the final number from 10

Step 1: Subtract 5 from 9 = 4

Step 2: Subtract 5 from 9 = 4

Step 3: Subtract 6 from 10 = 4

The answer is 444.

3. Multiplying 5 times any number

When multiplying the number 5 by an even number, there is a quick way to find the answer.

For example, 5 x 4 =

• Step 1: Take the number being multiplied by 5 and cut it in half, this makes the number 4 become the number 2.
• Step 2: Add a zero to the number to find the answer. In this case, the answer is 20.

When multiplying an odd number times 5, the formula is a bit different.

For instance, consider 5 x 3.

• Step 1: Subtract one from the number being multiplied by 5, in this instance the number 3 becomes the number 2.
• Step 2: Now halve the number 2, which makes it the number 1. Make 5 the last digit. The number produced is 15, which is the answer.

4. Division tricks

Here’s a quick way to know when a number can be evenly divided by these certain numbers:

• 10 if the number ends in 0
• 9 when the digits are added together and the total is evenly divisible by 9
• 8 if the last three digits are evenly divisible by 8 or are 000
• 6 if it is an even number and when the digits are added together the answer is evenly divisible by 3
• 5 if it ends in a 0 or 5
• 4 if it ends in 00 or a two digit number that is evenly divisible by 4
• 3 when the digits are added together and the result is evenly divisible by the number 3
• 2 if it ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8

5. Multiplying by 9

This is an easy method that is helpful for multiplying any number by 9. Here is how it works:

Let’s use the example of 9 x 3.

Step 1: Subtract 1 from the number that is being multiplied by 9.

The number 2 is the first number in the answer to the equation.

Step 2: Subtract that number from the number 9.

The number 7 is the second number in the answer to the equation.

6. 10 and 11 times tricks

The trick to multiplying any number by 10 is to add a zero to the end of the number. For example, 62 x 10 = 620.

There is also an easy trick for multiplying any two-digit number by 11. Here it is:

Take the original two-digit number and put a space between the digits. In this example, that number is 25.

Now add those two numbers together and put the result in the center:

The answer to 11 x 25 is 275.

If the numbers in the center add up to a number with two digits, insert the second number and add 1 to the first one. Here is an example for the equation 11 x 88

There is the answer to 11 x 88: 968

7. Percentage

Finding a percentage of a number can be somewhat tricky, but thinking about it in the right terms makes it much easier to understand. For instance, to find out what 5% of 235 is, follow this method:

• Step 1: Move the decimal point over by one place, 235 becomes 23.5.
• Step 2: Divide 23.5 by the number 2, the answer is 11.75. That is also the answer to the original equation.

8. Quickly square a two-digit number that ends in 5

Let’s use the number 35 as an example.

• Step 1: Multiply the first digit by itself plus 1.
• Step 2: Put a 25 at the end.

35 squared = [3 x (3 + 1)] & 25

35 squared = 1225

9. Tough multiplication

When multiplying large numbers, if one of the numbers is even, divide the first number in half, and then double the second number. This method will solve the problem quickly. For instance, consider

Step 1: Divide the 20 by 2, which equals 10. Double 120, which equals 240.

Then multiply your two answers together.

The answer to 20 x 120 is 2,400.

10. Multiplying numbers that end in zero

Multiplying numbers that end in zero is actually quite simple. It involves multiplying the other numbers together and then adding the zeros at the end. For instance, consider:

Step 1: Multiply the 2 times the 4

Step 2: Put all four of the zeros after the 8

200 x 400= 80,000

Practicing these fast math tricks can help both students and teachers improve their math skills and become secure in their knowledge of mathematics—and unafraid to work with numbers in the future.

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The ultimate goals of mathematics instruction are students understanding the material presented, applying the skills, and recalling the concepts in the future. There’s little benefit in students recalling a formula or procedure to prepare for an assessment tomorrow only to forget the core concept by next week. It’s imperative for teachers to focus on making sure that the students understand the material and not just memorize the procedures.

Here are six ways to teach for understanding in the mathematics classroom:

1. Create an effective class opener.

The first five minutes of the class period set the tone for the entire lesson. Ideally, teachers would start by sharing the agenda for the class period so that students will know the expectations for what will be occurring. Next, teachers could post and articulate the learning objective or essential question to the class so that students know the purpose and, at the end of the lesson, can self-assess whether the objective has been met for them. Finally, the opener might include one or more warm-up problems as a way to review and assess students’ prior knowledge in preparation for exposure to the new material. This video shows a class opener for a seventh-grade lesson on rectangular prisms:

2. Introduce topics using multiple representations.

The more types of representations that you can present to students addressing their different learning styles, the more likely they will truly understand the concept being presented. Different representations could include using manipulatives, showing a picture, drawing out the problem, and offering a symbolic representation. For example, when presenting linear relationships with one unknown, illustrate to students the same problem as an equation, on a number line, in words, and with pictures. Students who are exposed to and can recognize the same relationship posed in the different representational modes are more likely to have conceptual understanding of the relationship and perform better on assessments (PDF).

3. Solve the problems many ways.

In the best classroom environment, the teacher is able to show different ways to solve the same problem and encourage the students to come up with their own creative ways to solve them. The more strategies and approaches that students are exposed to, the deeper their conceptual understanding of the topic becomes. Empowering students to create their own problem-solving methods can make the teacher nervous. What if we don’t follow their logic? What if they’re incorrect? However, it’s worth the risk to have them explore. After an individual, pair, or small group of students finish solving the class problem using a single method, encourage them to look for alternate ways to come up with the same correct solution. Having students develop their own methods and then share the correct steps with the class is a very powerful learning experience. The video below shows how a teacher encourages students more than one way to solve the same problem on rectangular prisms:

4. Show the application.

In a perfect world, we would always be able to demonstrate how every concept can be applied to the real world — and when that’s possible, it helps improve the students’ understanding. When a concept cannot be applied in that manner, we can still share how it might be applied within mathematics or another subject area. Another option is showing how the concept was developed through the history of math. Consider taking a minute out of each lesson to show your students where or how the math can be seen or used in life outside of the classroom.

5. Have students communicate their reasoning.

Students need to explain their reasoning when solving problems. In order for a teacher to determine if every student truly understands the objective for the class period, it’s necessary for each student to communicate both orally and in writing. By giving the class ten minutes to discuss their reasoning with each other while exploring multiple ways of solving the problems, you’ll promote excellent engagement and learning. It’s not always easy to get students talking in class, but there are ways to encourage them (PDF).

6. Finish class with a summary.

Everyone can get lost in the class period, and it’s easy to lose track of time until the bell rings and class is over. The final seven minutes might be the most critical in making sure that students have understood the day’s learning objective. You can use this time to accomplish three very important things:

• A quick formative assessment to determine how much was learned, such as students self-rating their comfort with the concept on a 1-5 scale
• Reviewing the objective for the class period and brief discussion as to where the lesson will go next time
• Previewing the homework together to avoid any confusion

These are just some of the activities for the close of a lesson. There are at least 22 additionally powerful closure activities. This video shows the summary phase of the same lesson:

In the comments section below, please share your own tips and tricks for helping students understand math.

Key lessons center on connecting and modeling.

Danfeng Koon’s voice is measured and empathetic as she tells me, “I appreciate the positive feedback, but I need you to be more specific and ask reflective questions in order for me to improve my practice.” I am a novice principal at a new, small public high school in San Francisco. Before me sits Koon, an excellent math teacher who has left a teaching job in the Bronx to join our start-up.

She continues, “What if you said, ‘When I saw you give a warning to Patrick, I noticed that he focused himself for a few minutes but then quickly regressed. What other strategies might you use to keep him on task?’ I think that sort of thing might help me more.” Balance specific feedback with reflective questions — it is a lesson I will never forget.

High-quality coaching lies somewhere near the crossroads of good teaching and educational therapy. Done well, coaching can help you sort through your pedagogical baggage, develop or hone new skills, and ultimately find your best teaching self. Done poorly, it might turn you off to the entire notion of support. But what if it’s not done at all?

In my six years of teaching English and social studies before becoming a principal, I never received any real coaching. Did I undergo the requisite annual administrator drop-in and evaluation? Of course. But these painfully brief “assessments” of my practice never pushed my thinking or helped me realize my potential.

In my seven years of coaching teachers — as a mentor, as an administrator, and now as an instructional coach — I made as many mistakes as I made inroads. Despite stumbling through the process at times, I solidified some core concepts that now shape my practice.

Here are some key lessons I gathered along the way:

Build Relationships and Trust

Like students, teachers need to know and trust you in order to enter willingly into a coaching compact. When we coaches fail to invest time in building relationships, we may unwittingly undermine our best efforts. As a first-year principal, I experimented with several strategies to cultivate trust with my colleagues.

Before the school year began, I met with each teacher one-on-one to ask questions and understand their hopes, fears, and support needs in the upcoming year. By choosing to listen rather than to talk, I conveyed that I saw my primary duty as supporting good teaching.

Throughout the school year, I helped run off-site professional-development retreats, where our founding staff of eight built a sense of community by sharing stories. In June, we used grant funds to rent a beach house for two nights, where we cooked, laughed, and planned the opening of school together.

At another midyear retreat, I hired a masseuse to provide half-hour sessions for the teachers so they could relax and feel pampered. These small gestures helped offset the stress we all inevitably experienced as we launched a new school with few resources. They also gave me a foundation of trust and collegiality with most of the teachers I coached.

Help Teachers Plan with the End in Mind

At one of the schools where I coach, a ninth-grade teacher (who requested not to be named) felt overwhelmed and frustrated. With 125 students and a new curriculum, he was drowning in a sea of student work and lesson plans. Our coaching time focused on developing a strategy for the spring semester.

The teacher expressed anxiety about curriculum mapping, noting aloud that it was not how he typically thought or planned. Rather than reject his adapted style, I tried to build off of it. We sat before a whiteboard in his room, pondering the visual cluster of ideas he had drawn with a dry-erase marker. Using this brainstorm as a rich starting point, I helped him to map these ideas into a tight, disciplined curriculum map, which included big ideas, specific learning outcomes, and assessments to measure student understanding.

After a couple of meetings, he had articulated a powerful set of goals for his students and knew how he would measure them. More importantly, he expressed a renewed sense of self-confidence in his ability to plan.

Model Best Practices

Like good teaching, effective coaching often involves the modeling of best practices. Giulio Sorro, a trained history teacher at another school where I coach, was suddenly charged with creating a humanities (English and social studies) curriculum. He knew that he needed to develop his practice of scaffolding — modeling a learning strategy or task, then gradually shifting responsibility toward the students — for his reading and writing instruction, but he lacked the training to do so.

As his coach, I sought to model, little by little, some strategies I had learned on the job, such as literacy-building techniques, structuring controversial debates, and charting student discussions on the board for visual impact.

After identifying the literary concepts he wanted students to explore in a complex poem — imagery and allusion — we planned a lesson in which he would do a “think-aloud” of the first stanza for students, repeat this process for the second stanza, and stand by them as they practiced their fledgling analytical skills on their own.

Connect Teachers with Resources

As a fourth-year math teacher, Crystal Proctor felt stuck. Despite her best efforts, she knew that her students weren’t getting the math on the deep level they needed to. But she wasn’t quite sure how to adjust her practice. I arranged for her to visit an excellent math teacher at another school, hoping she might find inspiration.

In our discussion the following week, Crystal said she found the observation helpful because the veteran teacher was so explicit in his teaching. When pushed a step further, she explained that she often took for granted what her students already knew, but watching the other math teacher taught her to break down words and concepts into smaller parts and analogize them to familiar markers in her students’ lives.

“For example, yesterday I was talking about how steep an angle is,” she shared. “I realized they might not understand the meaning of steep, so I asked them to consider the streets they climbed to reach school and to compare the steepness of various grades. They got it!”

I was reminded that good coaching is not about dynamic coaches serving as heroic educators, but rather stems from the simple habits of connecting teachers to resources and asking them reflective questions.

“But I Hate Math!”

Most children are not fond of math. Math is boring simply because children find it hard to understand. Math means solving problems – but learning math itself is becoming a problem. By incorporating more games, innovative assessments, and a good attitude you can change the spirit of your math class today.

It Makes Number Sense

Teachers must help children who struggle with math lessons. The best way to support a child’s learning of math is to have fun with numbers. Children should know that math is not abstract, but has a role in daily life. Here are few practical tips:

• At the end of every math class, raise a simple mental arithmetic problem or a number puzzle for the children to work on overnight. Motivate children who come with the right answers the next day. Children will begin to eagerly await math class.
• Choose one day a week to play math games in class. Memory power is important to develop math skills. Weekly math games help students exercise their brains too.
• Thegame winners should be awarded small gifts or bonus points.
• Display in the classroom a small bulletin board to write out a Weekly Math Challenge Test. Keep posting a new mathematical puzzle in that space every week. Observe carefully the number of students solving these puzzles. For that matter, you can keep a track of students solving puzzles in the weekly challenges and the weekly winners can be given some special marks. If it turns out that a particular Math Challenge Test is too hard, offer more clues or hints to help students so they do not lose interest.
• Do not impose some math formula or methods on the children- but instead provide them a lead and then let them come out with their own suggestions and opinions. Make the math class interactive and thus entertaining. This way, the teacher teaches less and the children excitedly learn more from one another.
• Think of several novel ways of teaching math and experiment with different methods in each class. Variety is fun and children will also become curious and eagerly wait to know what will happen in the next class.
• It is essential that the teacher enjoys math. The math teacher must prepare lessons with imagination and make them appealing. Encourage a spirit of healthy competition among children by having games in the classroom to teach new math skills.
• There are a number of web resources active today in guiding parents and teacher about math learning tips and tricks.

Create Exciting Math Tests

Children are likely to hate anything that is dull but will love things that amuse them. As a teacher makes math class amusing and sets children up with some simple, yet seemingly difficult problems they gain interest. Here are a few examples:

• Find a way to incorporate their interests into the math test. If they love basketball, use basketball examples. If they love Playstation 3, then use that. Ask them what they love and use their interests to interest them, crazy idea, right?
• Have students figure your age by giving them a complicated math equation. Have them guess the number of kids you have in the same way.
• Do your very best to figure out real world examples of the applications that you are talking about. Kids love it when they see math applied_._

Final Word

Math teachers are not required to strain their imagination. There are excellent online and offline sources available for getting math puzzles, mental arithmetic, math problems, math games and math brain teasers. Computer labs and Internet have plenty of ideas for enriching programs for children. Many sites offer games, math puzzles, math riddles and simple but exciting math problems.

References

• Image Credit: Making Math Learning Fun – Symbols

This post is part of the series: Making Math Fun

Learn ways to make math an exciting adventure for your students and get the engaged.

You don’t have to be a math teacher to know that a lot of students—and likely a lot of parents (it’s been awhile!)—are intimidated by math problems, especially if they involve large numbers. Learning techniques on how to do math quickly can help students develop greater confidence in math, improve math skills and understanding, and excel in advanced courses.

If it’s your job to teach those, here’s a great refresher.

Fast math tricks infographic

10 tricks for doing fast math

Here are 10 fast math strategies students (and adults!) can use to do math in their heads. Once these strategies are mastered, students should be able to accurately and confidently solve math problems that they once feared solving.

1. Adding large numbers

Adding large numbers just in your head can be difficult. This method shows how to simplify this process by making all the numbers a multiple of 10. Here is an example:

While these numbers are hard to contend with, rounding them up will make them more manageable. So, 644 becomes 650 and 238 becomes 240.

Now, add 650 and 240 together. The total is 890. To find the answer to the original equation, it must be determined how much we added to the numbers to round them up.

650 – 644 = 6 and 240 – 238 = 2

Now, add 6 and 2 together for a total of 8

To find the answer to the original equation, 8 must be subtracted from the 890.

So the answer to 644 +238 is 882.

2. Subtracting from 1,000

Here’s a basic rule to subtract a large number from 1,000: Subtract every number except the last from 9 and subtract the final number from 10

Step 1: Subtract 5 from 9 = 4

Step 2: Subtract 5 from 9 = 4

Step 3: Subtract 6 from 10 = 4

The answer is 444.

3. Multiplying 5 times any number

When multiplying the number 5 by an even number, there is a quick way to find the answer.

For example, 5 x 4 =

• Step 1: Take the number being multiplied by 5 and cut it in half, this makes the number 4 become the number 2.
• Step 2: Add a zero to the number to find the answer. In this case, the answer is 20.

When multiplying an odd number times 5, the formula is a bit different.

For instance, consider 5 x 3.

• Step 1: Subtract one from the number being multiplied by 5, in this instance the number 3 becomes the number 2.
• Step 2: Now halve the number 2, which makes it the number 1. Make 5 the last digit. The number produced is 15, which is the answer.

4. Division tricks

Here’s a quick way to know when a number can be evenly divided by these certain numbers:

• 10 if the number ends in 0
• 9 when the digits are added together and the total is evenly divisible by 9
• 8 if the last three digits are evenly divisible by 8 or are 000
• 6 if it is an even number and when the digits are added together the answer is evenly divisible by 3
• 5 if it ends in a 0 or 5
• 4 if it ends in 00 or a two digit number that is evenly divisible by 4
• 3 when the digits are added together and the result is evenly divisible by the number 3
• 2 if it ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8

5. Multiplying by 9

This is an easy method that is helpful for multiplying any number by 9. Here is how it works:

Let’s use the example of 9 x 3.

Step 1: Subtract 1 from the number that is being multiplied by 9.

The number 2 is the first number in the answer to the equation.

Step 2: Subtract that number from the number 9.

The number 7 is the second number in the answer to the equation.

6. 10 and 11 times tricks

The trick to multiplying any number by 10 is to add a zero to the end of the number. For example, 62 x 10 = 620.

There is also an easy trick for multiplying any two-digit number by 11. Here it is:

Take the original two-digit number and put a space between the digits. In this example, that number is 25.

Now add those two numbers together and put the result in the center:

The answer to 11 x 25 is 275.

If the numbers in the center add up to a number with two digits, insert the second number and add 1 to the first one. Here is an example for the equation 11 x 88

There is the answer to 11 x 88: 968

7. Percentage

Finding a percentage of a number can be somewhat tricky, but thinking about it in the right terms makes it much easier to understand. For instance, to find out what 5% of 235 is, follow this method:

• Step 1: Move the decimal point over by one place, 235 becomes 23.5.
• Step 2: Divide 23.5 by the number 2, the answer is 11.75. That is also the answer to the original equation.

8. Quickly square a two-digit number that ends in 5

Let’s use the number 35 as an example.

• Step 1: Multiply the first digit by itself plus 1.
• Step 2: Put a 25 at the end.

35 squared = [3 x (3 + 1)] & 25

35 squared = 1225

9. Tough multiplication

When multiplying large numbers, if one of the numbers is even, divide the first number in half, and then double the second number. This method will solve the problem quickly. For instance, consider

Step 1: Divide the 20 by 2, which equals 10. Double 120, which equals 240.

Then multiply your two answers together.

The answer to 20 x 120 is 2,400.

10. Multiplying numbers that end in zero

Multiplying numbers that end in zero is actually quite simple. It involves multiplying the other numbers together and then adding the zeros at the end. For instance, consider:

Step 1: Multiply the 2 times the 4

Step 2: Put all four of the zeros after the 8

200 x 400= 80,000

Practicing these fast math tricks can help both students and teachers improve their math skills and become secure in their knowledge of mathematics—and unafraid to work with numbers in the future.

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Do you wonder what your preschooler should work on before going to kindergarten? This post is part of a series on how to successfully teach your preschooler at home. Today we’re talking about math concepts.

Here’s what your preschooler should work on in math before kindergarten:

Patterns and Relationships:

• Sorts by color, shape, and size
• Orders several objects based on one attribute
• Recognizes simple patterns and can duplicate them

A very easy way to teach sorting is with using apples. Check out this post on sorting and graphing apples.

• Counts to 20
• Counts objects with meaning to 10 (one-to-one correspondence)
• Matches numerals
• Identifies by naming numerals 0-10

A great activity to help with identifying and ordering numbers is this balloon activity.

Using magnetic pom-poms practice one-to-one correspondence is easy and fun for little ones. This post includes a free PDF for you to use.

• Identifies 4 shapes: circle, square, triangle, and rectagle
• Demonstrates concepts of directional concepts (up/down, right/left, high/low, over/under, in/out, behind/in, beside/between, front of, above/below, inside/outside, far/near)

This activity we did earlier this week focuses on learning three simple shapes.

Tommy the Triangle is also a fun activity!

• Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more)

We haven’t done any lessons on measurement yet, but I’m sure I’ll incorporate it into our activities.

Do you have any ideas on teaching math to preschoolers?

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Love these ideas! We’ll have to try a few of them! Thanks for visiting the blog! We are actually in Des Moines also – our farm is Indianola, but right now we live in Des Moines. Your blog is so great! Hope to visit again soon! 🙂

Thank you! That is so fun. My husband’s family lives in Indianola on a farm!! Maybe they are neighbors?!

Great ideas here about the math skills preschoolers need! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, Katie! I hope it is helpful for you!

Manipulatives! Some of the more popular ones we use in my preK classroom are the “sorting bears” unifix cubes (for counting, sorting, patterning), links, and more recently we have been using magnatiles for math (ex. how many little triangles make the big square).

I agree! Thank you for this suggestion. I used many manipulatives as a 4th grade teacher and loved them. Sorting bears is on my list of things to do with my oldest. I love the idea of magnatiles for math. Thanks again for your suggestions!

So many fun ideas for getting little ones excited about math. Just pinned!

Thank you, Vicky!

I like teaching graphs at an early age-it takes away the mystery aspect! Tommy Triangle looks fun definitely something to do with my little one.

Yes, I agree! Graphs really can be a lot of fun, especially when you start young. Thanks for your comment!

Debbie @ http://kidsbibledebjackson.blogspot.com/ says

There are some really great ideas! Thanks for sharing at TGIF!

Thank you, Debbie!

Troy is going to be super advanced! These are the things we’re learning in Kindergarten! 🙂

Haha! I think he’s a smart little boy and he really loves learning. I don’t think everyone can master all of this before going to Kindergarten, but it’s a good goal. Hope you’re having a good day!

Hi, our kids aren’t kindergarten but did come out of school for home ed because of some special needs. So, we can steal some of your ideas! We teach numeracy all the time, we use adding and tables to work things out in the real world so that they can see the point of math. They are really proud of the skills they have and find being asked for that sort of help amazing.
I love the thing you have done with the graph, my daughter has a lot of trouble with abstract ideas until she has seen things a few times but then she suddenly has it and graphs we have been around and visited and left but she would benefit from such a concrete activity.
They learnt odds and evens by using house numbers in our street. ‘Is it in the 2x table, no! Odds!’ The local old ladies think my noisy kids are very funny. Come to think of it I think they learnt to count with house numbers and use them for currently working out how to say 117 as ‘one hundred and seventeen’ etc. I love when they self-teach things like that and they learn faster when they are doing it because they want to.

Thank you for sharing, Gina. That is great that you can be their teacher and teach them through every day learning! That is so neat! I love the idea of learning even and odd numbers through house numbers. I’ll have to do that with my kids! Thanks again for your comment.

Key lessons center on connecting and modeling.

Danfeng Koon’s voice is measured and empathetic as she tells me, “I appreciate the positive feedback, but I need you to be more specific and ask reflective questions in order for me to improve my practice.” I am a novice principal at a new, small public high school in San Francisco. Before me sits Koon, an excellent math teacher who has left a teaching job in the Bronx to join our start-up.

She continues, “What if you said, ‘When I saw you give a warning to Patrick, I noticed that he focused himself for a few minutes but then quickly regressed. What other strategies might you use to keep him on task?’ I think that sort of thing might help me more.” Balance specific feedback with reflective questions — it is a lesson I will never forget.

High-quality coaching lies somewhere near the crossroads of good teaching and educational therapy. Done well, coaching can help you sort through your pedagogical baggage, develop or hone new skills, and ultimately find your best teaching self. Done poorly, it might turn you off to the entire notion of support. But what if it’s not done at all?

In my six years of teaching English and social studies before becoming a principal, I never received any real coaching. Did I undergo the requisite annual administrator drop-in and evaluation? Of course. But these painfully brief “assessments” of my practice never pushed my thinking or helped me realize my potential.

In my seven years of coaching teachers — as a mentor, as an administrator, and now as an instructional coach — I made as many mistakes as I made inroads. Despite stumbling through the process at times, I solidified some core concepts that now shape my practice.

Here are some key lessons I gathered along the way:

Build Relationships and Trust

Like students, teachers need to know and trust you in order to enter willingly into a coaching compact. When we coaches fail to invest time in building relationships, we may unwittingly undermine our best efforts. As a first-year principal, I experimented with several strategies to cultivate trust with my colleagues.

Before the school year began, I met with each teacher one-on-one to ask questions and understand their hopes, fears, and support needs in the upcoming year. By choosing to listen rather than to talk, I conveyed that I saw my primary duty as supporting good teaching.

Throughout the school year, I helped run off-site professional-development retreats, where our founding staff of eight built a sense of community by sharing stories. In June, we used grant funds to rent a beach house for two nights, where we cooked, laughed, and planned the opening of school together.

At another midyear retreat, I hired a masseuse to provide half-hour sessions for the teachers so they could relax and feel pampered. These small gestures helped offset the stress we all inevitably experienced as we launched a new school with few resources. They also gave me a foundation of trust and collegiality with most of the teachers I coached.

Help Teachers Plan with the End in Mind

At one of the schools where I coach, a ninth-grade teacher (who requested not to be named) felt overwhelmed and frustrated. With 125 students and a new curriculum, he was drowning in a sea of student work and lesson plans. Our coaching time focused on developing a strategy for the spring semester.

The teacher expressed anxiety about curriculum mapping, noting aloud that it was not how he typically thought or planned. Rather than reject his adapted style, I tried to build off of it. We sat before a whiteboard in his room, pondering the visual cluster of ideas he had drawn with a dry-erase marker. Using this brainstorm as a rich starting point, I helped him to map these ideas into a tight, disciplined curriculum map, which included big ideas, specific learning outcomes, and assessments to measure student understanding.

After a couple of meetings, he had articulated a powerful set of goals for his students and knew how he would measure them. More importantly, he expressed a renewed sense of self-confidence in his ability to plan.

Model Best Practices

Like good teaching, effective coaching often involves the modeling of best practices. Giulio Sorro, a trained history teacher at another school where I coach, was suddenly charged with creating a humanities (English and social studies) curriculum. He knew that he needed to develop his practice of scaffolding — modeling a learning strategy or task, then gradually shifting responsibility toward the students — for his reading and writing instruction, but he lacked the training to do so.

As his coach, I sought to model, little by little, some strategies I had learned on the job, such as literacy-building techniques, structuring controversial debates, and charting student discussions on the board for visual impact.

After identifying the literary concepts he wanted students to explore in a complex poem — imagery and allusion — we planned a lesson in which he would do a “think-aloud” of the first stanza for students, repeat this process for the second stanza, and stand by them as they practiced their fledgling analytical skills on their own.

Connect Teachers with Resources

As a fourth-year math teacher, Crystal Proctor felt stuck. Despite her best efforts, she knew that her students weren’t getting the math on the deep level they needed to. But she wasn’t quite sure how to adjust her practice. I arranged for her to visit an excellent math teacher at another school, hoping she might find inspiration.

In our discussion the following week, Crystal said she found the observation helpful because the veteran teacher was so explicit in his teaching. When pushed a step further, she explained that she often took for granted what her students already knew, but watching the other math teacher taught her to break down words and concepts into smaller parts and analogize them to familiar markers in her students’ lives.

“For example, yesterday I was talking about how steep an angle is,” she shared. “I realized they might not understand the meaning of steep, so I asked them to consider the streets they climbed to reach school and to compare the steepness of various grades. They got it!”

I was reminded that good coaching is not about dynamic coaches serving as heroic educators, but rather stems from the simple habits of connecting teachers to resources and asking them reflective questions.

For our purposes, math facts are the basic number combinations for the different operators. from 0 + 0 to 10 + 10, from 0 – 0 up to 20 – 10, 0 x 0 up to 10 x 10 or 12 x 12, and 0 Г· 0 up to 100 Г· 10 or 144 Г· 12.

Why is it important to memorize, to become fluent, or to achieve automaticity in the basic math facts? Let’s make an analogy to reading. In reading, phonics are the basics, and knowing what sounds the phonemes, or basic letter combinations make, is key. A student who is weak in them takes so long to get to the end of a sentence, that by the time they do, they’ve forgotten what the sentence was about in the first place. The same thing holds for math facts. If a student is not fluent in them, when a teacher is explaining a “math sentence,” if the student has to figure out the answer to each basic math fact, they will get so far behind that they will forget the purpose and steps of what they are doing. Math facts are the “phonics of math.” Except instead of only 44 phonemes from 26 letters, there are 121 facts for addition, another 121 for subtraction, etc. A total of 580 facts if you go up to 144 Г· 12! No wonder it takes so much practice!

The most important thing when starting to memorize the basic math facts is that the student must fully understand the operator they are studying. Research shows that fluency practice will actually be harmful if they don’t understand the operator concept. For example, they should be able to show you addition and subtraction with blocks, and explain what is being represented.

Now some advice:

1. Don’t overload. Students’ brains can only hold 3 or 4 things in short term memory at a time, maximum. Adding more things will just cause others to “leak out.” So introducing and beginning to work on the 3’s all at one time, for example, is introducing 15 new facts. If you only consider fact families, it’s still 8 fact families. Just adding 1 or 2 facts at a time is much more effective. Select the most connected facts with the quickest too slow time. (Computers time to the millisecond, and are really good here.) Try to make the list of not-fluent facts shorter by pointing out the symmetric property of equality; if 2 x 3 = 6, then 3 x 2 = 6. Also when the difficulty level is getting too high, mix in enough fluent facts to reduce the strain. The zone of proximal development is 90 – 95% accurate.
2. The process of becoming fluent starts with being able to get the answer. This could be counting on fingers, remembering a story, using dots, etc. Now the answer is known. It becomes fluent through repetition of retrieval. The more the answer is retrieved, the more likely it is to move into fluency. However, at some point, the crutch, such as counting on fingers, should go away. As good software moves toward fluency, it won’t give students time to count on their fingers
3. The more connections there are in the brain to a fact, the easier it is to retrieve, or find the way back to the answer. If the related facts around it are all known, a story is constructed, and something is done to make the fact more concrete, whether it be having 3 marbles in the left pocket and 2 marbles in the right, or having a piece of paper in a pocket with 2 + 3 = 5 on it, the fact will be easier to memorize. Be creative
4. No pain, no gain. Memorizing is hard work. The brain has to do the work of retrieving the answer on its own. If someone blurts out the answer before the brain gets to it, no learning has taken place. Multiple choice answers are not as good, because the brain doesn’t have to work as hard to get the answer.
5. Mnemonics have been shown to help learning disabled students, however, they help with getting the right answer more than they help with understanding why. There are websites and books to help with this. Math Facts Pro has some mnemonic videos on the site.
6. Practice needs to be good practice. Often when a student practices flashcards on their own, the practice readily degrades until it is not helpful. When students check their own work, seeing a wrong answer can be remembered and cause confusion later. It’s been said that the way to Carnegie Hall is to practice, practice, practice. But in reality, only perfect practice will get you there. Computers can be helpful here.
7. The results are directly related to the quantity of practice. Students are wired to resist boring things. If we can make it fun, we will increase engagement, learning, and thus fluency. Games and competition are good for this.
8. Timed paper/pencil tests aren’t very good math fact assessment tools. Doing a group of facts correctly in a certain time limit is helpful. But a student can go super fast on the fluent, easy facts, to make up for how slow they go on their non-fluent facts. So the tests don’t reveal to the teacher which facts still need practice.

Yes, Math Facts Pro was designed with these concepts in mind. (I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming.)

Let’s talk about how Montessori teaches math, shall we?

I’ve talked about the Golden Bead Material, the Spindle Boxes, and the Zero Game. Those articles gloss over how specific Montessori materials that are used to teach math.

I’d like to go, though, into a little more detail, for those who may be on the fence about whether or not they want their child to learn math the Montessori way.

Dr. Montessori surmised that our minds are naturally mathematical. This makes sense, as we wouldn’t have progressed as a species without the practical application of math.

And math is, and will always be, a part of our every day lives.

When our kids want to share half of their sandwich with their sibling; that’s math. Or when we set the table and we have to figure out how many plates are needed; that’s math.

Montessori also believed children crave order and precision. Walk into any proper Montessori classroom and you will see how the Montessori environment and materials contribute to the development of a child’s mathematical thinking.

The materials are placed in a certain sequence. Even the objects on the trays are placed in the order in which they are to be used!

Montessori math and the developing brain

Maria Montessori felt that, given the proper foundation and the freedom to explore and experiment, the understanding and excitement of math is sure to follow. Her materials were designed with Montessori math in mind.

The foundation for Montessori math comes from other Montessori activities.

Practical Life activities help children develop a sense of order and logical thinking. Sensorial materials help kids develop visual discrimination.

Culture and science materials help the child learn to explore and inquire. Language activities help the child prepare for later math by emphasizing sequence, classification, and matching….amazing!

Most importantly, every Montessori activity has the child using their hands.

Dr. Montessori believed, and many researchers since have concurred, that learning by manipulating objects and learning through the senses (touch, in this case) creates stronger connections in the brain.

How Montessori teaches math

Montessori teaches math in order from concrete to abstract. For those new to Montessori, an example of “concrete” is a child holding three marbles.

A step toward abstraction is telling the child, “You are holding three marbles.” The reason this is taking a step toward the abstract is because the number three was an abstract concept until the child got to experience what “three” was.

So, now the child is connecting number symbols with the quantities they represent!

From here, the memorization of math facts can be slowly introduced.

Memorizing math facts is more meaningful when a child who has had the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time becoming familiar with quantities, through the use of manipulatives.

Is Montessori math effective?

Montessori math gives children visual and tactile representations of the numbers they are working with.

With this foundation, children as young as 4 can be observed in a Montessori classroom working out addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with numbers in the thousands!

In fact, Montessori math doesn’t begin with simple addition. Here is an example of one of the first addition problems a child might see:

What is the reason for starting children working with such large numbers, you might ask? For someone not familiar with Montessori, this might seem like unnecessary pressure on a young child.

But, the answer is so simple and makes so much sense…

The child who completes this math problem has done 4 simple addition problems, essentially.

That’s a lot of practice!

And because Montessori has children using the Golden Bead Material along with these math problems in the primary years, children are aware of the quantities they are working with. It’s not rote memorization.

This means less intimidation as the child advances.

12+75 is a piece cake after working with numbers in the thousands!

Are you following?

Children who learn math the Montessori way are more confident in their math skills, they have a deeper understanding of quantities, and they feel free to experiment and make errors, as the process is emphasized over the product.

This is what makes Montessori math effective.

So, this was an overview on how Montessori teaches math and why it’s such an effective method.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! I have a few more Montessori math activities to present to Madeline (5) and then William (3) will be old enough for some Montessori primary lessons at home!

I’m excited to see how different children (Trust me…they are very different!) take to Montessori!

Whenever I talk about Guided Math, I get A LOT of excellent follow-up questions. I am excited for this blog series and the opportunity to tackle some of the most frequently asked questions. We’re starting with a question that, once answered, removes the biggest mental hurdle teachers have when considering Guided Math in their Classroom. Are you ready? Let’s answer it: Can Guided Math work with my curriculum?

Guided Math is Not a Curriculum

Teachers often worry that having a mandated curriculum means that they cannot “do” Guided Math in their classroom. This is typically based on misconceptions about what Guided Math actually is.

Guided Math is not a script that tells you what to teach to each group and when. Guided Math cannot be packaged this way because it’s not a curriculum. It cannot be purchased. Guided Math is a framework for how to deliver curriculum content.

What’s beautiful about the Guided Math framework is that it can work with almost any curriculum. What on earth do I mean by that?

Guided Math takes our curriculum or scope and sequence and uses it in a way that is responsive to the students in front of us. We’re not modifying or extending a single lesson to teach to all students on the same day. Instead, we are meeting students where they are in their understanding of a topic and building from that place.

How To Use Curriculum within the Framework

Let’s imagine we are about to begin teaching coins in second grade. Instead of starting with lesson one of our curriculum and spending time and effort differentiating EACH lesson as we progress, we can approach it differently. First, we can assess our students to determine where they currently are in their understanding of money and coins. From there, we will look at our curriculum and decide which lesson will support which students at this time.

Some students will be further along in their understanding and ready for lesson four of the unit. Some will be ready to start with lesson one of the unit. Others may need to build prerequisite skills prior to beginning the unit in order to be successful. This is how we can build our small groups.

Students progress through the unit at their own pace, and because we are working in small groups, we can provide more targeted instruction that will help our students make bigger gains.

When we have students who are further along in their understanding and make it through the lessons in our unit, it doesn’t mean that we necessarily move on to the next unit with them. Instead of going further, this is our opportunity to go deeper into the content with them.

When Does Guided Math Not Work?

Unfortunately, some teachers find themselves in a position where they have little to no flexibility with how they teach their curriculum. When teachers are forced to read from a manual and their grade level team is expected to teach a specific lesson on a given day and then turn the page, Guided Math is not feasible.

What I most recommend to these teachers is that you and your colleagues work to advocate for change. Discuss the needs of your students and how a one-size-fits-all curriculum approach is a disservice to ALL students. These shifts usually take time, but don’t give up! A book cannot tell you about the students in front of you, and the expertise teachers bring to the content should be seen as your school’s biggest asset.

I hope this first part of our Guided Math Q&A was helpful! If you have any other questions about Guided Math, please ask them in the comments and I will try to answer, or perhaps even dedicate a new post in the series to it!

Are you looking to learn EVEN more about making Guided Math work in your classroom?

Be sure to get on the waitlist for my online professional development course called Guided Math Academy.

Guided Math Academy is an on-demand (think Netflix style) course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! It includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

This course opens every June. Be sure to get on the waitlist so you don’t miss out!

Guided Math Academy Waitlist

A bingeable course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! Includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

Guided Math Academy Waitlist

A bingeable course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! Includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

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Reader Interactions

2 Comments

Mimi

What are some different ways that you keep track of students and skills that are mastered, need remediation, extension…standards for your groups, checklists? I’ve tried different formats but haven’t found one that is fairly simple and I really like. Hard copy or digital. Thanks

Jillian Starr

Hi Mimi! I include all of the data forms that I use to keep track of skills in my Guided Math Academy course. I haven’t made them available on TpT because the work we do in GMA includes how to use them. Basically, they’re hard copy forms that include the standards and checklists for each student and group with places for anecdotal notes to keep track of ALL THE THINGS. If you want more information on GMA, just let me know. I’m happy to talk about it with you.

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This is an exciting time to be a mathematics teacher-educator.

In the past two decades, we have developed a much better understanding not only of how children learn math, but also of how to teach math – and how to prepare teachers to teach math. A short (though incomplete) list of teaching practices that we know work to support student learning includes posing challenging tasks that connect to children’s prior understandings and out-of-school experiences, providing opportunities for children to make sense of and talk about mathematics, and promoting the use of mental mathematics based on patterns in our number system.

Yet it is also a challenging time to be a mathematics teacher educator because these teaching practices are not being used in most classrooms and schools. Further, there are many constraints limiting the use of these practices — ranging from high-stakes testing to crumbling schools.

Here, I am advocating for an approach to mathematics teacher preparation that takes seriously our responsibility to support novice teachers in making small changes in the status quo of mathematics teaching while working together with teachers to create more transformational changes.

“The best mathematics teachers will be the ones who have been prepared to empower their students as mathematicians and to teach students that mathematics makes sense.”

At the level of the individual teacher, we have found that preparing teachers to make small changes in status quo practices and tools can be a successful approach that is both manageable for teachers and meaningful for their students. In my work with novice teachers, the small changes I emphasize most include:

1) Ask students “why” at least once every day. Why did that strategy work? Why does that strategy make sense? Why would this work for all numbers?

2) Instead of looking only for whether a student’s answer was right or wrong, focus on what was right in the student’s work. Then build on what the student did understand in your next discussion and next task.

3) Use your textbook as a tool. Find meaningful tasks in the materials — or tasks that could be meaningful and accessible for students with small changes in numbers or contexts.

4) Provide at least one opportunity each day for students to solve and explain problems mentally (without pencils, paper, calculators, or computers). This promotes students’ sensemaking, creativity and, most importantly, their sense that they are mathematicians.

At the heart of all of these changes is the idea that children learn best when they have opportunities to explore and make sense of mathematics and when teachers have opportunities to hear and respond to children’s ideas.

While these kinds of small changes can help teachers develop their teaching practices and can lead to increased learning for their students, classroom-level changes will ultimately only lead to, at best, incremental change in the status quo of the larger systems of mathematics education in the United States. However, expecting teachers to have the sole burden for changing these systems is not only ineffective, but also ethically problematic.

Thus, as teacher educators, we must also work together with teacher candidates and teachers to advocate for systematic changes in systems that continue to perpetuate oppression in mathematics education, that allow for the same groups of students to be denied opportunities to learn rigorous mathematics year after year, and that are silent in the face of crumbling and unhealthy school buildings.

To this end, teacher educators and teacher preparation programs must engage together with prospective and practicing teachers in work that: values advocacy skills and a sense of agency as important aspects of teaching; insures all students have access to relevant high-level curriculum; utilizes assessments that reflect the content and practices that we want all students to know and be able to do and supports students in reaching those goals; and understands schools are just one part of communities and that schools and students cannot be healthy unless and until their communities are healthy.

I began this essay noting that this is both a challenging and exciting time to be preparing teachers to teach mathematics. The challenge is that the goal of providing meaningful and equitable mathematic education to all students has been a persistent, yet elusive, goal in the United States for many decades.

The excitement comes from the knowledge that we know what to do — in both K-12 and higher education — to prepare teachers to teach mathematics in meaningful and equitable ways. It should go without saying that the kinds of work described above require teachers who know their mathematics content well. However, the best mathematics teachers will be the ones who have been prepared to empower their students as mathematicians and to teach students that mathematics makes sense.

We know how to do this, but we need to be willing to work together across all of our communities to make the kinds of instructional practices and systemic changes described above accessible to every teacher and every student in the United States.

Corey Drake is associate professor of teacher education and director of teacher preparation at Michigan State University’s College of Education. She would like to thank Tonia Land, Tonya Bartell, Erin Turner, Julia Aguirre, Mary Foote, Amy Roth McDuffie, and Terry Flennaugh for pushing her thinking and work in mathematics teacher preparation.

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Corey Drake

Corey Drake is associate professor of teacher education and director of teacher preparation at Michigan State University’s College of Education. More by Corey Drake

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Whenever I talk about Guided Math, I get A LOT of excellent follow-up questions. I am excited for this blog series and the opportunity to tackle some of the most frequently asked questions. We’re starting with a question that, once answered, removes the biggest mental hurdle teachers have when considering Guided Math in their Classroom. Are you ready? Let’s answer it: Can Guided Math work with my curriculum?

Guided Math is Not a Curriculum

Teachers often worry that having a mandated curriculum means that they cannot “do” Guided Math in their classroom. This is typically based on misconceptions about what Guided Math actually is.

Guided Math is not a script that tells you what to teach to each group and when. Guided Math cannot be packaged this way because it’s not a curriculum. It cannot be purchased. Guided Math is a framework for how to deliver curriculum content.

What’s beautiful about the Guided Math framework is that it can work with almost any curriculum. What on earth do I mean by that?

Guided Math takes our curriculum or scope and sequence and uses it in a way that is responsive to the students in front of us. We’re not modifying or extending a single lesson to teach to all students on the same day. Instead, we are meeting students where they are in their understanding of a topic and building from that place.

How To Use Curriculum within the Framework

Let’s imagine we are about to begin teaching coins in second grade. Instead of starting with lesson one of our curriculum and spending time and effort differentiating EACH lesson as we progress, we can approach it differently. First, we can assess our students to determine where they currently are in their understanding of money and coins. From there, we will look at our curriculum and decide which lesson will support which students at this time.

Some students will be further along in their understanding and ready for lesson four of the unit. Some will be ready to start with lesson one of the unit. Others may need to build prerequisite skills prior to beginning the unit in order to be successful. This is how we can build our small groups.

Students progress through the unit at their own pace, and because we are working in small groups, we can provide more targeted instruction that will help our students make bigger gains.

When we have students who are further along in their understanding and make it through the lessons in our unit, it doesn’t mean that we necessarily move on to the next unit with them. Instead of going further, this is our opportunity to go deeper into the content with them.

When Does Guided Math Not Work?

Unfortunately, some teachers find themselves in a position where they have little to no flexibility with how they teach their curriculum. When teachers are forced to read from a manual and their grade level team is expected to teach a specific lesson on a given day and then turn the page, Guided Math is not feasible.

What I most recommend to these teachers is that you and your colleagues work to advocate for change. Discuss the needs of your students and how a one-size-fits-all curriculum approach is a disservice to ALL students. These shifts usually take time, but don’t give up! A book cannot tell you about the students in front of you, and the expertise teachers bring to the content should be seen as your school’s biggest asset.

I hope this first part of our Guided Math Q&A was helpful! If you have any other questions about Guided Math, please ask them in the comments and I will try to answer, or perhaps even dedicate a new post in the series to it!

Are you looking to learn EVEN more about making Guided Math work in your classroom?

Be sure to get on the waitlist for my online professional development course called Guided Math Academy.

Guided Math Academy is an on-demand (think Netflix style) course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! It includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

This course opens every June. Be sure to get on the waitlist so you don’t miss out!

Guided Math Academy Waitlist

A bingeable course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! Includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

Guided Math Academy Waitlist

A bingeable course for teachers who want to learn how to teach ALL their students WITHOUT adding hours of prep! Includes a step-by-step blueprint and incredible bonuses to help you AND your students.

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Reader Interactions

2 Comments

Mimi

What are some different ways that you keep track of students and skills that are mastered, need remediation, extension…standards for your groups, checklists? I’ve tried different formats but haven’t found one that is fairly simple and I really like. Hard copy or digital. Thanks

Jillian Starr

Hi Mimi! I include all of the data forms that I use to keep track of skills in my Guided Math Academy course. I haven’t made them available on TpT because the work we do in GMA includes how to use them. Basically, they’re hard copy forms that include the standards and checklists for each student and group with places for anecdotal notes to keep track of ALL THE THINGS. If you want more information on GMA, just let me know. I’m happy to talk about it with you.

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This is an exciting time to be a mathematics teacher-educator.

In the past two decades, we have developed a much better understanding not only of how children learn math, but also of how to teach math – and how to prepare teachers to teach math. A short (though incomplete) list of teaching practices that we know work to support student learning includes posing challenging tasks that connect to children’s prior understandings and out-of-school experiences, providing opportunities for children to make sense of and talk about mathematics, and promoting the use of mental mathematics based on patterns in our number system.

Yet it is also a challenging time to be a mathematics teacher educator because these teaching practices are not being used in most classrooms and schools. Further, there are many constraints limiting the use of these practices — ranging from high-stakes testing to crumbling schools.

Here, I am advocating for an approach to mathematics teacher preparation that takes seriously our responsibility to support novice teachers in making small changes in the status quo of mathematics teaching while working together with teachers to create more transformational changes.

“The best mathematics teachers will be the ones who have been prepared to empower their students as mathematicians and to teach students that mathematics makes sense.”

At the level of the individual teacher, we have found that preparing teachers to make small changes in status quo practices and tools can be a successful approach that is both manageable for teachers and meaningful for their students. In my work with novice teachers, the small changes I emphasize most include:

1) Ask students “why” at least once every day. Why did that strategy work? Why does that strategy make sense? Why would this work for all numbers?

2) Instead of looking only for whether a student’s answer was right or wrong, focus on what was right in the student’s work. Then build on what the student did understand in your next discussion and next task.

3) Use your textbook as a tool. Find meaningful tasks in the materials — or tasks that could be meaningful and accessible for students with small changes in numbers or contexts.

4) Provide at least one opportunity each day for students to solve and explain problems mentally (without pencils, paper, calculators, or computers). This promotes students’ sensemaking, creativity and, most importantly, their sense that they are mathematicians.

At the heart of all of these changes is the idea that children learn best when they have opportunities to explore and make sense of mathematics and when teachers have opportunities to hear and respond to children’s ideas.

While these kinds of small changes can help teachers develop their teaching practices and can lead to increased learning for their students, classroom-level changes will ultimately only lead to, at best, incremental change in the status quo of the larger systems of mathematics education in the United States. However, expecting teachers to have the sole burden for changing these systems is not only ineffective, but also ethically problematic.

Thus, as teacher educators, we must also work together with teacher candidates and teachers to advocate for systematic changes in systems that continue to perpetuate oppression in mathematics education, that allow for the same groups of students to be denied opportunities to learn rigorous mathematics year after year, and that are silent in the face of crumbling and unhealthy school buildings.

To this end, teacher educators and teacher preparation programs must engage together with prospective and practicing teachers in work that: values advocacy skills and a sense of agency as important aspects of teaching; insures all students have access to relevant high-level curriculum; utilizes assessments that reflect the content and practices that we want all students to know and be able to do and supports students in reaching those goals; and understands schools are just one part of communities and that schools and students cannot be healthy unless and until their communities are healthy.

I began this essay noting that this is both a challenging and exciting time to be preparing teachers to teach mathematics. The challenge is that the goal of providing meaningful and equitable mathematic education to all students has been a persistent, yet elusive, goal in the United States for many decades.

The excitement comes from the knowledge that we know what to do — in both K-12 and higher education — to prepare teachers to teach mathematics in meaningful and equitable ways. It should go without saying that the kinds of work described above require teachers who know their mathematics content well. However, the best mathematics teachers will be the ones who have been prepared to empower their students as mathematicians and to teach students that mathematics makes sense.

We know how to do this, but we need to be willing to work together across all of our communities to make the kinds of instructional practices and systemic changes described above accessible to every teacher and every student in the United States.

Corey Drake is associate professor of teacher education and director of teacher preparation at Michigan State University’s College of Education. She would like to thank Tonia Land, Tonya Bartell, Erin Turner, Julia Aguirre, Mary Foote, Amy Roth McDuffie, and Terry Flennaugh for pushing her thinking and work in mathematics teacher preparation.

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Corey Drake

Corey Drake is associate professor of teacher education and director of teacher preparation at Michigan State University’s College of Education. More by Corey Drake

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Majority of the adult learners learn basic math with frustration. Disappointing experiences from the past with math create justifiable barriers for a number of adult learners. However, maths is the only skill that you can use in all aspects of life, whether you realise the fact or not. You should start with teaching maths in a manner that it does not feel like math class. Some adult people have frustrating experiences of learning facts and solve complex problems.

Therefore, teachers can concentrate on the subject as a tool for communicating plans and for solving everyday problems such as taxes, interest rates, bills. A math teacher who can successfully aid students know where they are already using math concepts help learners get more interested in their math objectives.

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Instructions

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Important reading for math teachers

Try to change the way you teach the subject. Math instructors should restructure and rethink math instruction. The approach to teaching the subject should involve an easy to read and good format in order to help the students. You need to know that the book does not need to be covered right from the start to the last page.

However, you have to begin reading at the beginning, and then teach the important and more significant topics to the learners. Also concentrate on basics. Moreover, to match your learners’ skill objectives, you must be aware of what you want to get across to the students.

Detailed approach in teaching

Before starting the tutorials, you should consult senior members to talk about the students you’ll be teaching along with their needs, skills and objectives. If you are teaching, the student’s advisor will discuss his test results with both parties. This will tell you the areas the learner lacks and needs to improve his skills. You also need to have a skill checklist for the learner’s present level.

This will give you the skills required by the student to learn the next step. It is important with adults to use contextualized tutoring that will interest them and that they can relate to their normal life.

Method

Then choose a book for basic math that covers examples and practice questions. Begin with addition and subtraction. After that, teach him multiplication and division. Furthermore, tutor him with concepts such as fractions, percentages and decimals. Also, teach him the emphasis of these in everyday life. Lastly, make him measure things with the help of a ruler.

How To Press Pants, by Classic Cleaners

Pants and skirts look amazing when they are freshly pressed. It projects an image of professionalism and displays pride and thought in your appearance. But, who likes to hunch over an iron for hours getting the perfect press?

Of course, we’d love to perfectly press all your pants and skirts for you. But, we know there will be days in which after constructing the perfect ensemble, you’ll discover the pants or skirt needs ironing pronto.

When this happens, follow these easy tips:

• Read the care label and always select an iron temperature and setting consistent with the pant fabric.
• Test on a small hidden area such as the pocket bag or waistband inside before pressing the entire pant.
• Press on a long flat surface, preferably a padded ironing board.
• Turn the pant or skirt inside out, pull out any pockets and press them flat first.
• Pull the waistband over the end of the ironing board and press the band area, rotating it around the end of the ironing board as you go.
• Continue pressing the upper pant section down to the crotch curve, being careful not to over press.
• To press creases in the legs, fold the pant legs in half carefully matching the inseam and out-seam, and lay both legs along the length of the ironing board up to the pant crotch level.
• If the pants are cuffed, be sure to firmly press the crease through the cuff/hem area.
• If the pants (or skirt) have pleats, keep them positioned as stitched and lightly steam into place.
• Press the pant legs only in the lower hem area if the pants are flat-front (no pleats or darts at the waistline) to help the legs hang properly.
• Press along the entire leg length if the pants have pleats or tucks. Creases may be pressed firm to the crotch area then softer as they join tucks or pleats at the upper pant.
• When pressing creases, use a lifting motion with the iron. Sliding and pushing the iron may stretch the leg crease area and cause distortion.
• Let the pants cool after pressing each leg before changing legs. This will help set the crease-line.

Additional Tips:

1. If you accidentally press the creases in the wrong place, dampen the crease-line with a spray bottle of water and re-press them in the proper position.

2. To help with the longevity of pant creases, you can set them with a solution of one part white vinegar and one part water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and dampen a press-cloth (don’t spray the pants directly). Place the damp cloth over the crease-line and press until it’s dry, then respray and move to the next area. The solution helps give the fabric memory.

3. Store your pants from a pants hanger or folded over a hanger keeping them in the creased position. Store your skirts hanging from a pants hanger, careful not to crowd them in the closet to avoid wrinkles and smashing.

When you’re not in the mood to iron, we’ll press your pants and skirts to perfection for you. Just bring them to any of our locations or if you are part of our free pick up and delivery service, just leave them for your route driver.

October 22, 2019

When you were young, these types of issues didn’t worry you. You didn’t even care about going to school with torn, wrinkled jeans , or care about ironing pants .

Unfortunately, you gain responsibilities over time and you realize that looking good, making a good impression and having a good work image is a necessary and fundamental part of adult life.

At this stage, you’re probably no longer living with your parents, so you need to do your own ironing. We will give you some steps to follow about ironing pants.

How to iron pants

Let someone else iron for you

Ironing is one of those chores which can be complicated and take up a lot of your time which could be spent with family or friends .

At Mr Jeff , you can find an ironing service tailored to you, whether it’s an ironed item, a washed and ironed item or even a half dozen/dozen ironed items . Here’s a gift to encourage you to try it!

1. Have everything you need to iron a pants

Have everything ready before you start: an ironing board, an iron, a spray bottle of water and your wrinkled pants .

Being careless with these items can result in burned clothing or an unexpected fire. We recommend:

• Only plugging in the iron when you’re ready to use it and adjust the heat according to the item being ironed.
• Make sure the iron has enough water in it.
• Always move the iron, don’t let it fixed on a single area to avoid burns

2. Check the label before ironing your pants

Before washing or ironing any item , check the label to make sure you give it the correct treatment. Some items are ironed, others are not. Some are ironed with steam, others don’t need it. Some labels also state the required temperature. Following these instructions will help your clothes last.

How to iron a pants

3. Iron the pockets and waistband first

Contrary to what you may think, pockets and waistbands should be ironed first . Place the pants on the ironing board, turn the pockets inside out and iron.

When the pockets are done, turn them the right way around and make sure the fabric doesn’t wrinkle, which would affect the rest of the pants when being ironed .

The best way to iron the waistband is to press the iron on it without moving it. Ensure the fabric is stretched so that there are no folds which could result in wrinkles.

How to iron the jeans

4. Ironing the legs of pants

This is where we learn that ironing pants isn’t so complicated. Take one of the legs and spread it on the ironing board with the seams on each side, and iron the center of each leg .

If your pants hasn’t been in the basket for a long time waiting to be ironed, there won’t be many wrinkles. When ironing, make sure the fabric is stretched so that it’s ironed as smoothly as possible.

How to iron a pants

5. How to iron pants with a crease

Some pants, especially dress pants , have a marked crease along the center of the legs. To iron them, you must hold both seams of the leg on the ironing board sideways (one leg at a time). Make sure both seams are together to ensure it’s as straight as possible .

Press the iron down at the top of the pants to the bottom, and then iron the rest of the line between the ironed points, so that the two points come together. The crease should stop at the bottom of the legs .

How to iron a suite pants

6. Final step before your pants are perfect

There is no step 6, just repeat the same steps for the other leg. Once both are ironed, let the pants cool down before you store it. If you store it while it’s still warm, it can easily get wrinkled again.

Like everything else, it gets faster with practice.

Remember that the best option for getting perfectly ironed pants is to leave it with the experts. Place your order with Mr jeff by choosing the ironing only or washing and ironing option and have all your clothes ready to wear. You can also choose a dozen/half dozen ironed items so that you’re always ready to go the office or out with friends.

1. How to Get Pants Like Denim Stiff
2. How to Get Wrinkles Out of Denim Material Without Ironing
3. How to Fade Raw Denim Jeans
4. How to Get Wrinkles Out of Khakis
5. How to Get Skinny Jeans to Be Less Tight

There are two ways that you can iron your jeans — the easy right way or the hard wrong way. Slipping into bad clothing-care habits is easy to do. Although you may not realize it, a lapse in your attention to details, such as iron temperature and the direction in which you run the iron on the fabric, can cause serious and permanent damage to your favorite jeans. You can avoid the unpleasant consequences of improperly ironed jeans, such as scorching and stretching, by refreshing yourself on ironing basics.

Step 1

Read the garment care tag attached on the inside of the jeans to determine what type of material they are constructed from and adjust the the iron temperature setting accordingly. Adjust the temperature to high for cotton denim, medium-high for wool and wool blends.

Step 2

Plug the iron into an electric outlet and set the ironing board to the upright position. Allow the iron to heat for five minutes.

Step 3

Spray the jeans with a medium starch to help them retain their shape — use heavy starch to give the jeans extra stiffness. Roll the jeans loosely and leave for five minutes to help the fabric better absorb the starch.

Step 4

Place the jeans lengthwise on the ironing board and stretch the legs until they lay flat on its surface. Press the heated iron on the material and run it over the hems, pocket seams and waist first, then iron the legs with smooth up and down motions until the wrinkles are removed from the hip to the hem.

Step 5

Flip the jeans over and repeat the ironing process on the back of the leg and seat.

Step 6

Fold or hang the jeans and store them in a cool dry space.

Add to List

Just one press cloth is not enough.

Just as no single outfit suits every occasion, one press cloth isn’t right for all your sewing ventures. Knowing how to choose the correct cloth from a wider selection of press cloths protects your fabric and enhances pressing techniques.

I use a press cloth every time the iron touches the fabric’s right side. I wouldn’t go out in the hot sun without sunscreen, and I wouldn’t put a hot iron on fabric’s face without a press cloth.

Here, I’ll tell you how to match the correct cloth to the pressing at hand; my collection includes muslin, silk organza, cotton shirting, worsted wool, cotton canvas, and flannel. I’ll also share my technique for preparing long-lasting press cloths that are easy to keep handy and neat.

Finally, I know the correct press cloth refines results, but I also know everyone has faced catastrophe at the ironing board. I’m going to share how I’ve learned to salvage some common disasters. On to the ironing board and better results!

Worsted wool

A wool press cloth is the best choice when tailoring wool garments. Worsted wools in particular are spun from combed wool using a high twist. This makes the fibers flat and strong.

Wool has the ability to hold vast amounts of water, even when it feels dry to the bare hand, which makes it great for delivering steam where you want it. A wool press cloth keeps the fabric from becoming shiny. The highly twisted worsted wool yarn’s strength also withstands heavy use.

Cotton canvas

Look for heavy, tightly woven canvas or duck in a plain weave. (Don’t get a twill weave, as the diagonal pattern may transfer to the fashion fabric). The thick cotton fabric’s weight and high heat tolerance make it an excellent protective layer for sensitive fabrics.

Canvas cloth’s density causes heat to be evenly distributed through the fibers. The iron soleplate’s direct heat is diffused as it penetrates the cloth. You can put more pressure on the iron and more time on the seam—resulting in flat, smooth seams. Canvas press cloths are also a good choice for leather and fabrics with a low melting point, such as nylon, coated fabrics, or other synthetics.

Muslin

Muslin for pressing is an inexpensive, plain-weave, unbleached cotton fabric. Poly-blend muslins are available, but they are not appropriate for press cloths.

Muslin has a high heat tolerance and can be used for general pressing, but the texture can emboss delicate fabrics. I use two muslin press cloths while applying fusible interfacing, because the interfacing’s adhesive can ooze out during pressing, and the muslin protects the pressing surface and iron. Place one cloth on the pressing surface. Lay out the fabric and interfacing, and then put the second muslin press cloth on top. Spray the muslin with water, and apply pressure with the heated iron until the cloth is dry.

Cotton shirting

Swiss or Italian cotton shirting is an example of this long-staple fiber, plain-weave fabric. The long-staple fibers create a textile that is smoother, finer, and stronger than other cotton fabrics.

I use this type of press cloth when heavy steam is needed to set the fabric. The cotton absorbs the steam burst from the iron and can be misted or dampened to add moisture to pressing. This fabric’s fine yarn, flat weave, and high heat tolerance deter changes in the fashion fabric’s texture.

Cotton flannel

Brushed or hairy fabrics can get flat or shiny when ironed. Made from a medium-weight plain weave with a napped or brushed surface, a cotton flannel press cloth protects these fabrics.

I use a cotton flannel press cloth with wool flannel, camel hair, bouclé, or pinwale corduroy. Use the iron with light pressure or hover and steam over the flannel and finger-press seams in place.

Silk organza

Made with fine silk filament yarns, silk organza is a transparent, plain-weave fabric.

I use it for general pressing because it has a high melting point and can be used at any iron temperature. The fabric is sheer, so you can see through it to place the iron exactly where you need it. Organza’s fine texture eliminates weave texture transfer to the fashion fabric.

For more great press cloth tips and techniques, see the full article in the APRIL/MAY issue of Threads, Issue #154, p. 44.

by Jacque Goldsmith excerpted from “Make a Press-Cloth Wardrobe,” Threads #154, p. 44

Made with fine silk filament yarns, silk organza is a transparent, plain-weave fabric.

1. How to Put a Permanent Crease in Trousers Using Glue
2. How to Iron Dress Blues
3. How to Starch Collars
4. How to Hem Pants Without Sewing
5. How to Make a Jacket From a Sweatshirt

A sharp, crisp crease in the pant legs of your dress pants or slacks adds an air of professionalism to your overall look. Those who wear suits often may find themselves constantly working to put the creases back into their pants after washing them. However, if you create a sharp, permanent crease in your pants, you can avoid having to iron them in each time. Ironing the crease with a vinegar mixture, or adding fusible thread to the crease, are simple ways to create long-lasting creases in your good pants.

Fill your iron with water. Turn on the steam and set the proper heat level for the type of fabric your pants are made of.

Fold the pants in half so that one pant leg is lying on top of the other on the ironing board. The seams should match up properly.

Combine equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle.

Spray a cloth with the mixture until it is damp.

Press the damp cloth on the folded front edge of the pants, starting from the pocket area.

Press the iron over top of the damp cloth, moving the iron in a circular motion until the cloth is dry.

Lift the cloth and dampen it again, then press it to the next section and repeat the process. Continue to spray the cloth and press it over the crease line all the way down the length of the pant legs.

Turn the pants over together and repeat the process on the other side.

Allow the pants to dry and cool down completely to help set the crease.

Fusible Thread

Turn the pants inside out and fold them so the legs are lying one on top of the other.

Iron the front edge of the pants to make a crease.

Cut fusible thread long enough to fit the crease length of your pants.

Lay the fusible thread at the very edge of the pressed crease line, then iron over it. This will melt the thread into the crease, holding it in place.

Tackle These Fibers With Steam and Cloth

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The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

• Working Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 – 45 mins

• Skill Level: Intermediate

Warm, snuggly, and durable, wool clothes are made from natural hair fibers with wonderful resilient qualities when knitted or woven into fabric. These fibers, which come from goats, sheep, alpacas, or llamas, are composed of protein, just like human hair. And, just like human hair, wool needs to be treated with special care—especially when ironing, as it doesn’t do well under excessively high heat.

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Steam iron
• Padded ironing board
• Pressing cloth, mesh, or another piece of white cotton fabric
• Sturdy hanger
• White bath towel (optional)
• Spray bottle or mister (optional)
• Drying rack (optional)

Materials

• Distilled water
• Emery board (optional)
• Hydrogen peroxide (optional)
• Distilled white vinegar (optional)

Instructions

Arrange the Ironing Board

Use a sturdy, padded ironing board when pressing wool.

Gather Ironing Supplies

You’ll have the best results by using a steam iron. It has a well to hold water and vent holes that allow steam to escape from the iron and penetrate fabrics.

When ironing, use a pressing cloth to prevent shiny marks and scorching on the wool. This piece of fabric is used as a protective shield between the face of the iron and the item you’re ironing. You can purchase a pressing cloth at a fabric store or online.

Choose the Iron Setting and Temperature

Put the iron’s setting on “wool.” Make sure that you have water in the steam iron well. If your iron doesn’t have a wool setting, select the right iron temperature for wool (300 degrees Fahrenheit).

Turn the Garment Inside Out

Always turn your wool garment inside out and press on the wrong (opposite) side of the fabric, even when using a pressing cloth.

Place the Pressing Cloth

Lay a dry pressing cloth over the wrinkled section that needs attention.

Apply Moist Heat to the Fabric

Never iron wool with dry heat only because the fabric will easily scorch, so make sure the steam setting is on. Iron on top of the dry pressing cloth; use steady pressure, and don’t leave the iron in one spot for more than 10 seconds. Keep moving the pressing cloth to other wrinkled areas as you iron the entire garment.

Hang the Garment to Dry

When you’re finished, turn the freshly ironed garment right side out. Hang it from a sturdy hanger, or place it flat on a drying rack to dry completely before wearing. Laying flat or hanging will help prevent deep wrinkles that form in damp wool worn before drying.

How to Fix a Scorch Mark

Excessive heat can cause the surface of the wool to become shiny or scorched. First, shiny marks develop because the wool fibers are fused, creating a sheen on the surface. Scorching is the next, more damaging step caused by a too-hot iron that begins to burn the fibers. But not to worry: There are three ways to fix a scorch mark.

Sponge With Vinegar

If you forgot to use a pressing cloth and your wool fabric has shiny marks, try sponging white distilled vinegar onto the affected area on the garment’s surface to help lift the fibers. After sponging, rinse the area thoroughly by blotting with a cloth dipped in water, and then allow the garment to air-dry.

Buff It Away

If the wool is slightly scorched, stop ironing, and allow the fabric to dry completely. Start by lightly rubbing the scorched area with an emery board to buff away the burned ends of the wool.

Dilute and Remove

A diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide and water may help remove scorching for light-colored wool. Don’t use this on dark-colored wool, however, and test the solution on a hidden area, like a seam or hem, first to be sure there’s no color change. Mix 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide with 1 cup water. Use a clean white cloth to scrub the area gently. Rinse well by blotting with clear water. Allow the fabric to air-dry completely, and repeat if needed.

How Often to Iron Wool Clothes

If a wool garment is only lightly rumpled and wrinkled, it can often be revived with steam alone. If you don’t have a clothes steamer, simply hanging the garment on a sturdy hanger in a humid environment like a steamy bathroom may be enough. The heat and moisture will help the fibers relax and release the wrinkles. However, if wool clothes have deep creases, ironing is necessary.

Storing Ironed Wool Clothes

Allow freshly ironed wool clothes to dry completely before storing to prevent problems with mildew. Hang in a closet with plenty of room for air circulation so you won’t crush the clothing. For long-term storage, cover with a cotton bag to prevent dust from settling on the shoulders of the garment.

1. Ironing a Pleated Skirt
2. How to Press Jeans
3. How to Supercrease Pants
4. How to Iron a Pleated Skirt
5. How to Iron My Air Force Service Dress Pants

Dress blues are a dress uniform worn on formal occasions. They are traditionally associated with the blue uniforms of the Marines and other military service units. Dress blues are termed such because they comprise a blue pant set. They are often worn adorned with metals and other service-related military honors. As etiquette dictates, they are always worn freshly and perfectly pressed.

Stand up the ironing board, and ensure you provide yourself with enough room to iron.

Pour water into the iron using a measuring cup with a pouring spout, and plug the iron into an electrical outlet. Turn the selector of the iron to the cotton, also known as the “high,” power setting.

Turn the shirt of the uniform inside out and lay it lengthwise on the ironing board. Iron the sleeves first by applying two strokes of the iron to each, and then spray a bit of starch on them before applying two more strokes to both.

Divide the rear flap of the shirt into three equal parts, and iron the creases in the flap, making them crisp and defined.

Iron the remaining rear of the blouse around the creases, misting starch on the material as you iron to make the shirt crisp.

Flip the shirt over and fold the flap directly in the middle, positioning the shirt perfectly straight and even, and then proceed to iron the front of the shirt, again using sprays of starch to achieve the proper effect.

Hang the shirt on a hanger to ensure that it stays wrinkle-free.

Turn the trousers inside out and place one leg onto the ironing board sideways so as to create a crease when ironing. Iron each leg one at a time, starching them while you do so.

Iron the front and rear of the material of the trousers directly above the pant legs by hanging them on the edge of the ironing board to smooth them out before you apply the iron.

Fold the pants along their crease and hang them on the straight rod of the hanger beneath the dress shirt.

Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications.

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Many people aren’t sure how to iron pleats or think that it is extremely difficult. It only looks hard. Whether the pleats are in pants or a skirt, ironing them correctly can make your outfit look perfect. If they’re not ironed, it can ruin the whole crisp look that clothing with pleats is supposed to have.

How to Properly Iron Pleats

Follow these tips to iron pleats with ease:

1. Turn on your iron and set it to the appropriate setting for your fabric type.
2. Have your iron’s sprayer filled or a spray bottle of water handy if needed to use during ironing.
3. Fold and/or arrange the pleats the way they are supposed to appear. As you hold them in place, you must iron over the arranged pleats beginning at the top of the pleat and working your way downward. For stubborn fabric, it may be necessary to pin the pleats in place. However, do not iron over the pins. Pull them out one at a time as you iron. Remember to iron in a top-to-bottom manner.
4. Another way to get a crisp finish is to separate the pleats and run the iron up the material hidden by the pleats. The pointy side of the iron should get up into the intersection of fabric that forms a V due to the pleat stitch. Then arrange the pleats they are supposed to appear and go through Step 3, so you can emphasize the intentional folds in the pleats with the iron.
5. When you are done ironing pleats, hang the item from its top to keep the pleats hanging straight.

More Tips

If you’re ironing a skirt that has pleats the entire way around, work each pleat at a time until you go all the way around and are done. Iron the waistband first so you don’t mess up the pleats after you iron them.

For pants, you may want to iron any pocket lining first. If that lays flat, your pleats will have more of a chance to do the same. Flip the pant leg off of the board so you are ironing one leg at a time. Make sure that one inseam is on top of another, perfectly centered on the flat leg. Then press the crease to reinforce its appearance.

Some materials like wool and viscose can shine when they are ironed. Ironing can cause irregular marks where the cloth is folded underneath. Prevent those irregular marks by not pressing too hard as you iron. Or cover the area you are ironing with a thin, damp cloth. You can also iron a garment inside out to prevent the sheen, but that can be harder to do.

1. How to Press Jeans
2. How to Starch Dress Shirts for a Professional Look
3. How to Stretch Out Sweatpants
4. How to Stretch Cotton Pants
5. How to Peg Jeans

Pants tend to lose their body from washing or everyday wear and tear, causing them to drape limply and sometimes become misshapen. Denim jeans in particular get softer as they wear. You can use heavy spray starch when ironing to freshen up both jeans and dressier pants. Heavy starch is similar to regular starch, but is a particularly strong solution that combines corn starch and silicone to give clothes more body and an extra stiff finish.

Step 1

Plug an iron into an electric outlet and adjust it to the temperature setting that corresponds with the fabric content of the pants you plan to iron. Bring an ironing board to the upright position within easy reach of the iron.

Step 2

Lay the pants flat on the ironing board. Spray both sides of the pants with heavy starch.

Step 3

Grab the waist of the pants and tightly roll them lengthwise. Allow the rolled pants to absorb the starch for three to five minutes.

Step 4

Unroll the pants and lay them flat on the ironing board surface. Run your hand along the pant leg to smooth out bumps and wrinkles.

Step 5

Press the heated iron against the material and move it slowly up and down the pant leg until all of the wrinkles and creases are smooth. Flip the pants over and repeat the process on the back of the pant leg, then apply the same technique to the other leg.

Step 6

Try the pants on or feel them with your hands to determine their stiffness. Apply another layer of heavy starch and repeat the ironing process until the desired stiff texture is achieved.

Not everyone is fond of ironing clothes. However, is it not good to see clean, crisp, and tidy clothing? In theory, ironing is easy. However, applying direct, high heat on textiles is intense and must be done with caution.

To dive in the depth of detail, ironing clothes takes the same course except when for some materials, texture, and patterns that require extra attention. Below are some of the quick methods and tips to consider when ironing your pants and shirts.

What Do You Need?

• An ironing board
• A clean iron, free from rust or burnt starch
• Water in a spray bottle
• Some light starch (optional)

An ironing board is necessary, although any old flat surface can do in a pinch as an emergency measure. Ironing boards are meant to make ironing easier. They are also wrapped in special material that is breathable and flame-resistant to prevent accidents like fire.

It is also crucial to keep your iron clean because its sole plates can become dusty, sticky, and oily. For cleaning, you may scrub it using baking soda mixed with water, newspapers, vinegar, nail polish remover, or detergent.

Tips to Consider Before Ironing Your Clothes

• Before you iron your pants and shirts, you have to read the fabric label first. The tag will tell you if the item can be ironed and which setting you should use.
• Test the fabric by ironing a small area. Generally, cotton and linen are safe to iron and they look perfect when ironed damp. You can spray small amounts of water before pressing.
• Never iron velvet, wool, or corduroy in any setting.
• It is also best to iron items inside out in case it leaves a mark.
• Be careful when ironing beads, sequins, and other embroidery. If the iron is too hot, it could melt the hardware. You may also press the embellishments into the fabric, leaving marks on the other side. The use of a pressing cloth can be helpful.
• For delicate or embellished fabrics, place a cotton pressing cloth between the iron and your clothing. Flour sacks work best for this purpose.

How to Iron A Shirt

The proper ironing of a shirt should take only a maximum of 3 minutes as it is the simplest piece of a garment to do.

The best way to iron a shirt is to start with the sleeves. They can just hang off the sides of the ironing board while you iron the rest of the fabric. Doing it the other way around will cause wrinkles in other parts of the shirt that you have already ironed.

Do not forget to open the cuffs and the collar and lay them flat. This is something that newbies get wrong all the time. This will allow you to iron the whole sleeve and collar perfectly.

Afterwards, hang the shirt for a few minutes to cool down. As ironing heats the fabric to an extremely high temperature, the “flatness” of your garment will start to show during the cool-down phase. Wearing it immediately can negate some of the hard work you just put into ironing your shirt.

How to Iron Pants

Have you heard people say “press” instead of “iron” for pants? It is the gentle pressure and steam that will do most of the work and not the heat and motion of the iron itself.

When ironing pants, you have to ensure that you end up getting a perfect crease. You can do this by laying it flat on the ironing board in a way that the leg seams match.

The crease should go all the way up the leg, which is approximately 6 inches below the waist. Always set the front crease first. If your pants need pleats, have the creases reach the pleats.

If you have pressed in a crease, hang your pants by the waistband for at least an hour or two. Otherwise, allow them to cool down for a few minutes.

Ironing pants and shirts can be an easier task if you follow the right procedures for every garment, considering their fabric and design. All these factors will determine the right amount of heat and pressure to use to get the best results.

Keep your pants and shirts maintained with these easy ironing tips. However, if you still do not know how to iron shirts and pants correctly, then taking help from expert ironing services is the best recommendation. We, at Kelly’s Dry Cleaners, use the best steam irons with incredible features to ensure that your garments are well taken care of and will last a long time. If you’re in Durango or Farmington, call us at (970) 903-1642 or (505) 564-3333, respectively.

Introduction: How to Make Wrap Pants

These pants are great for any shape and at any length.

Step 1: Supplies

I am using a king size sheet and any pant pattern

Thread and bobbin

Iron & ironing board

Long straight edge

2” strip of sew of Velcro

Hip and waist measurement

Desired pant length

Step 2: Iron Fabric

Fabric should be pre-washed to avoid any shrinking.
With most cottons, use the steam setting to get out all wrinkles.

Step 3: Lie Out Fabric

Lie out fabric two layers, right sides together:
You want to use the finished edges of the sheet to your advantage.
I use the bottom of the sheet for the hem, and the side of the sheet for the back because back will be on top with a finished edge.

If you use the top of the sheet for the hem the pattern might be upside down and the hem would be 3 or 4 inches wide.

Step 4: Mark Hip Width

Take hip measurement; mark this for the width of the fabric.
When using common fabric you can only get 45″ wide.
I would finish all sides of the fabric first if you are not using a finished sheet.

Step 5: Mark Center

Mark center of fabric.
If you prefer, on your second pair of pants you can move the center over towards the front. This will give you more of a wrap around the back. Or move it towards the back for more wrap around the front.

Step 6: Place Pattern

Place pattern with back hip on the left side towards the finished edge of the fabric and crotch at center mark.
Place front pant leg so that the front crotch touches the back crotch.
Make sure bottom of pant legs are flush with bottom hem of fabric.

If you are making knee length pants mark a perpendicular line to the grain line on the pattern where you want the length to be.

Step 7: Mark Top of Pattern

Mark a straight line perpendicular from the right edge of fabric touching the high point of pattern piece
(this point may vary depending on pattern used).

Step 8: Mark Crotch Curve

Trace crotch up to perpendicular line.

Step 9: Cut Out Pattern

Cut out the right side you marked as the hip width, the top and the crotch curve.

Step 10: Sew Crotch Seam

Sew crotch seam. I use my presser foot as a guide for the seam allowance. You can pink the seam allowance, if you prefer.
Normally I use an over lock stitch then seam, but may people do not have a serger.

Step 11: Press

Press seam open.

Step 12: Make Waistbands

Cut two stripes for front and back waistbands 5” wide

For the front: take waist measurement and add 5”

For the back: take waist measurement and add 12”

Step 13: Press

Press both waistbands in half width-wise with right sides together.

Step 14: Sew

Sew all four short ends.

Step 15: Turn and Press

Turn and press both waistbands.

Step 16: Turn Under

Press front band under ½” on each long side

Step 17: Turn Under Back

Press back band under ½” gradually making the ends of the band as wide as D-ring (trimming band width if necessary

Step 18: Insert Waistbands

Find and mark both bands in the center.

Sandwich the pant front and back into the waist bands, lining up centers. Pin.

Step 19: Sew

Sew front and back waistbands to front and back pant, staying close to the ½” fold.

Step 20: Insert D-rings

On back waistband place both D-rings on one end and fold back 2” as shown and sew end towards the wrong side.

Step 21: Place Velcro

Place Velcro on front extension, one on right side of the fabric, and the other on the wrong side.

Step 22: Sew Velcro

Sew down Velcro around all four edges.

Step 23: Cut Threads

Cut all loose threads.

Step 24: Put on Front

Put on pants: wrap front around back and Velcro.

Step 25: Put on Back

Wrap back around front and slide tapered end of back waistband into both D-rings, tighten, then slide end between the D-rings.

Step 26: Enjoy

Enjoy finished wrap pants.

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11 Comments

We used these for belly dancing too! If you make them of a lighter weight material and a bit too long, you can tie them at the ankles to make them a bit poufy.

Also, if you reverse the overlap they don’t ‘flap in the breeze’ when you walk, but it’s also more secure if you use ties on both sides. It is easy to reach in at the front to untie them for those bathroom visits, then just bring them back under the front overlap and tie again at the front waist. Make sure your overlaps are straight and you’re done!

Just working on ‘wrapping’ my head around this one.
I actually have a pattern from Birch Street patterns that came without the ties in the pattern.
Apparently, it’s possible to tie both front and back?
Just trying to remember how this works for the bathroom.
Long ago, again in the ’70’s, I had some kind of wrap around skirt/dress thing.
Lots of ideas here, and
Thanks.

10 years ago on Step 6

how much did you add to the back pattern? I can see it’s wider than the front one

Reply 10 years ago on Step 6

Half of your waist plus enough over lap in the front, 6 inches, three on each side

A men’s fashion blog to show others how they can up their fashion game by giving tips, tricks, how-to’s, and any other relevant bits I’ve picked up along the way. Weekly posts on Sundays as well as the occasional Quick Tip Tuesday

Having your pants fit correctly is important! I’ve covered how they should fit in Fit Is Everything – Part 2 (The Pants). After doing the How To Tailor A Shirt article and video, I’ve had a lot of requests for a tutorial on how to tailor pants, so this week we’re going to learn how to hem dress pants.

Note: Before I begin, let me say that this is a little complicated. There is also a video that I made at the end that might clear somethings up if you have any questions. Also, don’t be afraid to comment if something doesn’t make sense!

The first step is to fold your pant leg inside to see how much you want to take off. When you’re happy with the length, pin it.

Next, turn the pants inside out and iron a new crease.

Take out the pins and unfold.

Using a seam ripper, rip the old hem seam.

After you do that, unfold the pant leg all the way.

Since the distance between the two creases was perfect, I just cut a 1/4″ from the end of the crease so it would fold over nicely. If your distance between creases isn’t a good amount, you can iron yourself a 1/4″ crease to fold over.

Fold the pant leg back up with the 1/4″ crease tucked below. Now you’re ready to sew.

Using thread that is the same color as your pants, cut about 24″ of thread and tie a couple of knots in one end so the thread doesn’t slip through the fabric. What you want to do is go through the “cuff” and then only through about 2 threads of the outside of the pant in a looping motion. That way only the tiniest bit of thread will show on the outside.

This is what it will look like on the inside when you’re finished.

This is what it looks like on the outside when you’re finished. No seam!

If you are more interactive, here’s a video that I made with probably even more detail.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to write them in the comments section. I know this was a tad complicated. I’d love to help or talk about your experiences!

“One hem doesn’t work on every pair of pants. If you tell a tailor to make your jeans the same length as your pleated trousers, you could wind up looking like Pee-wee Herman.” – Kayleen Shaefer

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2 thoughts on “ How To Hem Dress Pants ”

Do you ever tailor the waist or seat? I’m thin and can very rarely find 28/32 or even 29/32 pants (the only stores that consistently sell these sizes are high end and very pricy). I’m often forced to buy 30/32 to get the appropriate length. This leaves me with unsightly waistline buckling under my belt. I’ve gotten comfortable bringing in my shirts (thanks for that post, by the way, it was excellent!) I’m also comfortable changing the hem on pants. But the waist and seat are trickier and I have yet to find a good online tutorial. Any suggestions? I have a tailor I like who is good and his price is reasonable, but still more than I can afford on a regular basis. I use him for really special items but for more everyday stuff I’d like to learn to do it myself (I know my price isn’t prohibitive!) Thanks!

Unfortunately altering the waist and seat is more complicated. :/ I’ve never even attempted… The only advice I can give you for that is on dress pants that have the blind stitch like in this article, there is extra fabric hidden in the leg that you could make the pants probably an inch longer with. So instead of cutting off fabric, you could let out the fabric and make a new blind stich really close to the bottom.
The other piece of advice I guess I have for you is try shopping at thrift stores. (If you haven’t already, check out my post on thrifting). If you can get the pair of pants for $5 or $10 then paying a tailor won’t seem nearly as bad.
Also glad you like the shirt post. It’s one of my favorites as well.

• Linen pants (and clothes in general) – are very comfortable, especially for hot summer days;
• Wrinkles on linen clothes are a very common characteristic, however not all people love it;
• In the article below we will show you some short and simple ways of getting wrinkles out of linen pants and clothes.

Linen clothes are everyone’s go-to for warm, humid, and especially hot weather. They are exceptionally breathable and moisture-wicking. Not to mention how lightweight and comfortable they are.

Wrinkled linen sheets or curtains are loved by people because they look very natural and authentic. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly the case for linen clothes – if really wrinkled, linen pants can easily get a look of pajamas.

It would be a lie to say that linen is an easy fabric to iron – simply set the iron to a specific program will probably not make your linen pants completely wrinkle-free. It takes a little more time, patience, and effort.

Anyway, there are some really untroublesome methods to get the wrinkles out of your linen clothes fast and easy. Even if you don’t have an iron!

Let’s say you have an actual iron and you want wrinkle-free linen clothes. Below is your plan of action.

Get the Wrinkles Out of Your Linen Clothes With Iron

1. Get your ironing board and lay your wrinkled linen shirt or pants or dress (or whatever) on it.

2. Dampen your old cotton towel or shirt with tap water. You can simply wet it under running water. It should be damp but not super wet. Then, lay it over your linen fabric.

TIP: Any fabric that’s soft and made of cotton would be the best. Just not terrycloth.

3. Turn the iron to the highest heat and steam and start ironing your linen fabric over the damp piece of cotton.

TIP: Make sure there is only one layer of cotton

4. After ironing, take the top cotton layer away. At this moment, the wrinkles from your linen should be gone.

Getting Wrinkles Out of the Linen Fabric Without Iron

Air-drying Linen

It is possible to get wrinkle-free linen pants even if you don’t have an iron. However, this way you’ll need much more time.

1. Wash your linen clothes in the washing machine or, if they are dry – dampen with a spray bottle of clean water.

2. Hang your wet linen clothes outside in the fresh air.

3. Leave it for the fresh wind to gently air-dry your linen.

TIP: Make sure linen fabric is unfolded completely while it’s still wet to avoid any wrinkles.

A pot instead of an Iron

I know it sounds like the method used by students on campus. But, believe it or not – it does work! (Not like a real iron, but still)

1. Fill in the pot entirely with the water and boil it.

2. When the water is hot – pour it out.

3. Lay your linen clothes on a hard surface (like a table) and iron them using the bottom of the pot which is still pretty hot.

TIP: As the pot is really hot, be careful!

Other Tips for Ironing Linen Pants and Clothes Successfully

• Dampen linen clothes before ironing them. Moisture the fabric enough to loosen up the linen fibers. This should be done 5-10 minutes before ironing.
• Make sure the iron is filled with water and its bottom is completely clean. When ironing the linen, use the special linen/cotton setting and the highest heat.
• Move the iron gently and continually – keeping the hot iron in one place can damage the linen fabric irreparably.
• Don’t fold the linen clothes after ironing them. It’d be best to hang them in a roomy enough space for it to dry completely. Let it hang like this for at least 15 minutes before wearing it.

Here you go, now you know at least 3 different methods of getting wrinkles out of your linen clothes easily. And not having an iron is not an excuse! If the tendency to wrinkle fast was the reason you don’t wear linen – think again!

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Taper your pants for a custom fit.

I need to taper the leg width of a pants pattern that fits well otherwise. Is this more complicated than just trimming down the leg seams? Do I reduce front and back equally? –Judi Davies, Ellkford, BC, Canada

Karen Howland replies: If you simply taper the seams on an existing pants pattern or on ready-to-wear pants, you’ll typically find that there’s still more fabric below the seat and under the belly than you want. Here’s how to take out part of the width from the side and inseams and part from within the pattern, in both front and back.

Start by noting the widths you want at hem and knee levels, then measure the distance from hem to knee line. Fold both front and back patterns in half lengthwise, matching the inseams and outseams. This establishes the creaseline and center on each piece, which should be parallel to the grainline. Correct the grainline if it isn’t.

Unfold and cut both pieces horizontally at the knee. We’ll alter the lower-front pattern first. To make sure the hem allowance fits inside the tapered leg, fold the pattern on the hemline before marking and trimming. Refold the pattern piece on the center line, measure the total hem width you want, subtract 1 in., then divide the number by 4, and mark along the hem from the fold toward the seams. For example, if you want a 17-in. opening, subtract 1 from 17 to get 16 in., then divide 16 by 4. Do the same thing at the knee using the knee width you want (minus 1 in., then divided by 4), then connect the marks from hem to knee, add seam allowances, and cut away the excess.

Now, repeat the entire process for the lower-back pattern piece, this time adding 1 in. to the knee and hem widths before dividing by 4. Adding and subtracting 1 in. ensures that the pattern follows the usual ready-to-wear practice of making backs wider than fronts (which improves the hang of the garment).

Tapering Pants: Steps 1 and 2:

Step 1: Divide front and back at kneeStep 2: Alter lower pieces

The only exception to this procedure is if your figure is so flat in front that you don’t need a front waistline dart. If this is the case, don’t separate the front pant pattern at the knee, just alter to the knee as described above, then true the inner and outer seamlines from the crotch level down to meet the knee. Split the back at the knee and alter as described below, checking the front crotch curve against the altered back to see if it needs any additional truing.

Next, we’ll reattach the upper patterns to their respective lower parts, starting with the fronts. Align the creaselines of the upper and lower sections.

The top will extend beyond the corrected seamlines on both in- and outseams, and we’ll correct each side separately, starting with the outseam. First, slash the upper pattern along the creaseline from the knee to just below the waistline dart, then cut through the center of the dart to meet the creaseline slash, leaving a little uncut section at the dart point to pivot with.

If the front or back darts aren’t centered over the creaseline (the back darts probably won’t be), just angle the slashline(s) from the knee level to the dart. Because this is a temporary alteration line, it doesn’t matter if it’s not perfectly on grain.

Keeping the inseam/crotch side of the pattern stationary to maintain the grainline, pivot the outseam section so it overlaps the center line by half the excess width at the knee, then slide the top pattern upward slightly so that the outseam stays the same length, as shown at center above. Notice that pivoting opens the dart at the waist. This wider dart builds a portion of the tapering into the actual shape of the pattern piece, causing the pants to angle inward from the belly to the ankle when viewed from the side. Trim away the other half of the excess at the outseam after truing that seamline from the hipline down to match the lower, corrected outseam.

Now for the inseam. Slash (or fold a tuck) from the center of the unshifted knee line to the crotch seam until the excess width at the inseam lines up with the corrected inseam below. Notice that this straightens out the crotch curve, which you’ll want to clip opposite the slash to allow it to spread. This is an inevitable result of tapering the legs using any method. For instance, if you had just tapered the entire inseam front and back, the crotch curve would need to be trued back to a smooth curve, which flattens it similarly.

Tapering Pants: Steps 3 and 4

Step 3: Alter upper pieces
Front only is shown; alter back same way.

Step 4: True crotch curve
Tapered seams create a bump in crotch curve, which needs to be trued..

Repeat this process for the back pattern, which may require more or less tapering based on how much rear fullness is built into the pattern already, or because of other alterations. The widening that this builds into the rear dart will help the pants to cup under the rear, reducing fullness in proportion to the amount you taper the legs.

To increase the width of the leg, do the same thing in the other direction, expanding the lower leg, then spreading the upper pieces to match. This reduces the dart widths and increases the crotch seam curve, appropriate for pants with straighter, looser legs.

Karen Howland is a custom clothing maker in Chillicothe, IL.

Getting clothes to properly fit an online shopper on the first try is a holy grail for retailers. Depending on the estimate, anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of fashion e-commerce purchases are returned. That’s a remarkable inefficiency that can likely be improved.

If shoppers could find the right clothes more easily, they’d probably buy more online and return fewer items, which is exactly what merchants want. Brick-and-mortar stores will always have an advantage of letting customers actually try on items, but technology could help close the gap for online retailers.

PhiSix, a recent eBay acquisition, seeks to apply the digital effects you see in blockbuster films to e-commerce. The same technology that helps a computer-generated character in a film look realistic can help the average shopper find clothes that fit better.

While shoppers can’t yet benefit from the technology — eBay is still determining how to integrate PhiSix into its retail innovations efforts — it appears possible that it will eventually make the online shopping process better for consumers.

Let’s say a customer wants to buy a pair of pants online.

He or she could share waist size, inseam, height, weight and body build. PhiSix then would pair the body type with one of 20,000 mannequins. The clothing item a customer is interested in is then worn by the mannequin. PhiSix can provide a heat map as well, to point out where a snug piece of clothing will be most uncomfortable. Another feature shows a mannequin in motion — such as swinging a golf club — so one can see how a garment acts in real life.

To make this happen, clothes need to be scanned and uploaded into a database. PhiSix places the clothing item on graph paper and takes a photo of the front and back. A reference object — such as a CD or credit card — is included in the image to ensure the software knows the exact size of the clothing. This method allows it to quickly scan a significant amount of clothing.

Just as this technology could improve the online shopping experience, there’s potential in the world of physical retail as well. PhiSix co-founder Jonathan Su shared with me how it could make shopping at a mall easier and more enjoyable.

“I just ripped my pair of jeans. I need to go buy a new pair now,” Su said. “I care how I look but I don’t necessarily want to spend my whole day at a mall. You know my favorite pair of pants. Curate for me the 10 pair of pants that would fit in my entire mall. I’ll go try them on.”

He recalled hating going to the mall as a child with his mother to shop. What if she had all his measurements and could see the clothes on a 3D mannequin that’s exactly his size? Perhaps one day, boys and men around the world who hate the typical mall experience can happily stay at home.

Nothing screams “UNPROFESSIONAL” like wrinkly dress pants. Domestic CEO demonstrates how to iron dress pants the right way.

How to Iron Dress Pants

Nothing screams “UNPROFESSIONAL” like wrinkly dress pants. Would you trust your stock broker if he showed up looking like his pants had been on his floor for a week? How do you think he would manage your money if he can’t even manage his laundry? No matter what profession you are in, if you wear dress pants on a regular basis, you need to make sure your pants are always clean, pressed, and looking sharp.

Now, some people may opt to take their pants to the laundry each time they wear them, but this really isn’t necessary. Most pants, unless they are stained, can be worn 2 or 3 times before they need to be washed. For the times in between washing, you may need to do a little pressing at home to keep the pants looking good.

Don’t be intimidated; Ironing dress pants is actually quite easy and can be done in just a couple of minutes. Take a look at the video posted below and let me know if you have any questions on the technique.

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One of the most classic prints in history is plaid, and I have always loved how polished and professional it looks for the office! In today’s post, I am partnering with one of my favorite brands, Express, to share 3 workwear looks that each feature a great pair of plaid pants! Since plaid is somewhat of a bold print, I know it can be a little intimidating to style, so I hope sharing how I would style plaid pants for work is helpful to you!

Express is currently promoting an awesome sale this weekend (up to 50% off women’s styles!), and I have an EXCLUSIVE discount code that you can use on top of their sale!! Pretty darn good time to build your fall and winter workwear wardrobe (and maybe a few cute sweaters and jeans while you’re at it)! You can use the code 9024 for $25 off $100 in-store and online, which expires 11/15/2019!

I no longer work in an office setting, but when I did, Express was always one of my go-to shopping destinations for business casual looks when I worked in an office setting because of their awesome workwear selection. From dress pants, to dress tops, suits, and the jewelry to add some flair, Express has you covered. Hope you were able to find some outfit inspiration through this post for your own workwear wardrobe and are able to take advantage of the awesome discounts this weekend!

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Ribbed Turtleneck Sweater (color is Ivory, TTS, wearing a S) | High Waisted Plaid Ankle Pant (runs large, sized down to a 2)

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Zip Front Chelsea Pop Over Top (color is Olive Green, runs large, sized down to XS) | Ruched Sleeve Boyfriend Blazer (TTS, wearing a S) | High Waisted Plaid Ankle Pant (runs large, sized down to a 2)

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Lace V-Neck Banded Top ( color is Berry, TTS and wearing a S ) | High Waisted Plaid Ankle Pant (runs large, sized down to a 2)

Other plaid pants from Express that I’m loving:

A big thanks to Express on partnering on this post! As always, all opinions and selections are my own.

Even with wash-and-wear fabrics, freshly ironed clothing displays success and confidence. Using the best techniques for garment pressing makes creating a good impression easy. Proper pressing also extends the life of your garments. Before you begin, always take note of the tag on your clothing to ensure your iron is set to the correct temperature. Follow our easy step-by-step instructions for success in ironing shirts, pants, dresses, and skirts.

How to Iron Shirts

Cuffs and collars don’t need to intimidate you. Approach pressing shirts with these easy steps and you’ll be finished in no time — with results that show!

Step 1

Iron the underside of the shirt collar, starting at the center and working out toward the edges, then back toward the center.

Step 2

Work on the back shoulder yoke, draping one side of the yoke over the narrow end of your ironing board. Work the iron from the shoulder toward the center of the back. Then iron the other shoulder using the same technique.

Step 3

Iron the inside of the cuffs of conventional shirts. For French cuffs, use a sleeve board or roll up a towel, insert it in the cuff, and iron directly on top of the cuff.

Step 4

Iron the sleeves, working from the cuff toward the shoulder. Iron the outside of the sleeve, then the inside. Repeat on the other sleeve.

Step 5

Tackle the shirt’s front panels, ironing one front panel at a time. Press the back from the center to the bottom hem.

Step 6

The final touch is to re-press the collar top.

Editor’s Tip: After you iron a shirt, place it on a hanger and set it aside to cool. A warm shirt creases when you put it on. A cool shirt is more likely to keep its fresh, crisp look.

How to Iron Pants

Pressing slacks and pants, with a crease or without, gives your outfit a boost of style. Follow these steps to get the look you want to show the world.

Step 1

Begin by turning your slacks inside out and ironing the pockets. If they are not attached to the body of the pants, lay the pocket on the ironing board to iron. If the pockets are attached to the side seam, pull the pant top over the narrow end of the ironing board and iron the pocket flat.

Step 2

Turn the pants right side out and iron carefully around the waist and top by draping the top of the slacks over the narrow end of the board and working around the waist. Iron lightly over pockets to prevent pocket lines from showing.

Step 3

Lay the pants flat on the ironing board, one leg on top of the other. Align inseams with outer seams. Fold back the top leg and iron the inside of the bottom leg. Flip and repeat to iron the other side.

Step 4

For a center crease in your slacks, simply align the inseam and outer seam, and lay the slacks on your board. Press the front side of each leg, using a burst of steam set the crease.

Editor’s Tip: Avoid a shiny look when pressing dark or wool fabrics. Use a press cloth or clean cotton dish towel to press your garments.

How to Iron Skirts & Dresses

Skirts seem simple enough to press, but the complications of pleats, ruffles, or gathers can make it more challenging than you expect. Dresses might have both the collars and cuffs of shirts and the ruffles and gathers of skirts. Both are easy to press to stylish finishes with these steps.

Step 1

For dresses with sleeves and collars, begin by following the directions for ironing a shirt: collar, yoke, cuffs, and sleeves, then the top side of collar.

Step 2

For the skirt, start at the bottom and work your way toward the waist.

For skirts with gathers and ruffles, iron the inside surface of the skirt, beginning at the hemline and moving toward the center. For pleats, start at the bottom of the inside of the pleat, then move to the outside of the pleat. A burst of steam can help set the pleat.

Step 3

If the garment has delicate buttons, iron around them or protect them with the bowl of a spoon. If the garment features embroidered designs, lay it embroidered side down on a terry cloth towel or pressing cloth and press with a burst of steam from the other side.

Editor’s Tip: Skirts and dresses made of delicate fabrics are more likely to scorch or be marred by steam. Check the label before setting the iron, and test in an inconspicuous area to ensure good results.

While everyone has their own list of sewing tool must-haves, it’s always good to hear from other crafters about what they like to use, as it may teach you about a new sewing tool you can’t live without or other essential sewing tools you want to add to your collection. ZJ Humbach shares one of her favorite go to sewing tools — the pressing cloth.

How to Make a Pressing Cloth: Expert Tips

Pressing both fabric and seams are generally a part of any sewing project, no matter what you are making. While some fabrics are known to take to pressing better than others, one thing that can help when pressing almost any type of fabric is a pressing cloth. ZJ shares the brand and type of pressing cloth that she likes to use and shows how it can be found. She explains that pressing cloths can be found in a variety of different sizes and that the size of cloth you choose to use can depend on the project you are making and the seam and/or fabric you are pressing.

She then explains what the cloth is made of and demonstrates how easy it is to use. She also explains the different types of project techniques and fabrics that can benefit from using a pressing cloth. Some of these techniques include things like applique where any kind of fusible may be used to hold layers of fabric together. This cloth protects the iron from potential reside that could stick to the iron. These cloths can also help protect fabric, whether it is a fabric that has a pile to it that can be damaged with direct pressing or it’s a thicker fabric where seam allowances can cause fabric indentations when pressed.

Once you’ve learned all about the pressing cloth, check out 5 tools every sewer needs to see if there are additional helpful sewing tools that you can add to your sewing space.

2 Responses to “How to Make a Pressing Cloth”

Did you know that if you saturate the cloth with vinegar, you can press in permanent creases? I learned that years ago when making plants and back when you wanted a crease down the front of the pant leg.

In this video in the background as decoration, there is a wire looking small dress form.
I would like to know what it is called and where I may purchase one?

Sewing Room Organization Tips: Index Cards

Leah Rybak presents a fun and easy tip to help you stay organized. See how helpful this tip can be for remembering unique ideas for the future as well as remembering what gifts you have given to friends or family in the past. Find out how organized you can be with index cards.

Reverse Applique Tutorial

Ashley Briggs demonstrates how to make reverse applique as well as how to add elements to your projects through utilizing reverse applique. Use these helpful tips and techniques to advance your projects and create a successful product. Ashley demonstrates how to apply reverse applique to a bag. Find out how to properly stitch your applique…

Organizing Your Machine Stitches

Tara Rex provides helpful tips on how to best organize your machine stitches. You will find these tips will save you time and potential frustration. Find out what classes are available to assist you with understanding your sewing machine. Learn the many stitch options your machine has. Use these tips to ensure a successful and…

How to Use a Tracing Wheel with Tracing Paper

Nicole LaFoille shows you great techniques on keeping your tissue from tearing open. Learn how to use a tracing wheel with tracing paper to prevent your tissues from tearing! See how much easier this technique is with these tips!

On fashion, style and life!

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Dress over pants is quite debatable. I remember I would question why people couldn’t just wear the efffin dress. Guess what, I was a judgemental prick and I have no qualms in accepting that. Now I know what other people choose to do is none of my business. Anyway, thanks to being more aware and understanding not only the new trend of people wearing pants under their dresses, but also the need that sometimes, thanks to a lot of other reasons, you need to wear pants and of course, you still want to buy that pretty dress, right? I know because I come from a place like that.

Dress over pants is definitely a risky affair. But there still might be a reason why you may want to try it. One of the following?

1. You want to be updated with latest trends ’cause I mean, how could you not!
2. You have way too many clothes.
3. You are a layering pro.
4. Your mom gives professional lectures on how women’s legs are sacred and are supposed to kept under covers.
5. Your you have a dirty neighbour.

So I decided to give it a try because I do have a dirty neighbour. Here are a few things you might want to keep in mind-

1. Midi dresses work the best.
2. Honestly, just think of your dresses as long tops.
3. Keep it minimal, going overboard might not work.
4. Do whatever the fu*k you want. Trust me!

I tried two looks. Look one had me wearing a white midi and a pair of jeans fringed at the hem. I chose to pair of with white slip-ons and white bag to complement the white dress and a half bun for the hair. I felt like an off-duty Japanese warrior.

Second look was kept more playful with another midi that I decided to knot at the front to give a cinched waist look. A pair of loose fitted jeans and Adidas did just the right job of giving the outfit a hint of sporty!

So, are you going to try this sometime? Do tell me!

Outfit details

White dress: Gift

Fringed jeans: Tokyo Talkies, Myntra. (fringed by self)

White slip-ons: Koovs.com

White bag: StalkBuyLove.com

Purple dress: Janpath Market, Delhi

Jeans: Tibetan Market, Nainital

White Shoes: Adidas

Gold rope bag: Actually a planter

Just so, how do you make a military crease?

1. Press the crease into the fabric in the position you want it.
2. Place a pin at the point where you wish to stop stitching the permanent crease at the top of the garment.
3. Place the pressed fabric into the sewing machine at the bottom of the garment, positioning it to sew 1/16-inch away from the folded edge of the crease.

One may also ask, how do you crease a shirt? Turn the shirt over to the front. Starting with one side of the shirt, fold the button side over until it reaches the side crease. Iron over the fold, creating a crease on the front of the shirt, underneath the pockets. Repeat the process on the other side of the front of the shirt.

Beside this, what is a military crease in pants?

Military creases, or military press, are a set of razor-sharp creases ironed on the sleeves, back and body of a uniform shirt. Starch was heavily used to facilitate the packing of thousands of military apparel.

How do you put a permanent crease in your pants?

Turn the pants inside out and fold them so the legs are lying one on top of the other. Iron the front edge of the pants to make a crease. Cut fusible thread long enough to fit the crease length of your pants. Lay the fusible thread at the very edge of the pressed crease line, then iron over it.

Continuing our popular How To Pack It series with: dress pants. And just a quick note. Although I’m using the term “dress pants” for this post, the way we’re showing you how to fold dress pants to pack in a suitcase (or carry-on) can be applied to jeans, chinos, or any other kind of trousers you can think of!

Use the slideshow for our step-by-step guide and read on for answers to some commonly asked questions.

| FIVE SIMPLE STEPS | There’s really not much to it. Browse the slideshow for the full play by play. | PHOTOGRAPHY | by Rob McIver Photo

Why not fold in quarters instead of thirds? Won’t it save space?

Good question. You certainly can fold in quarters instead of thirds, but by adding an extra fold in there, you’re adding an extra crease to remove once you get to your destination.

Is it possible to pack in such a way so the pants don’t wrinkle?

As we mentioned before, you can attempt to lessen the amount of wrinkling by placing the garment in a sealable plastic bag after folding it. However, it’s still going to require some ironing/steaming once you get to your destination. I recommend investing in a travel steamer.

How long does it take fold with this method?

Less than a minute.

I need to pack shirts and a blazer too – how do I do that?

We’ve got a guides! And here they are: How to Fold a Blazer and How to Fold a Dress Shirt.

You can stretch your pants to fit, and avoid a trip to the tailor.

After we shared how to unshrink your clothes , we were asked if it was possible with pants—s o, naturally, we went to find out. Adjusting your pants’ waistline is especially helpful if you’ re someone like me, whose waist tends to sit right in between most factory-grade sizes. Of course, y ou can work with a tailor to get custom-made pants or get your store- bought pants let out a little, but if you just need a little more room, you can try stretching them out at home for a little more breathing room.

How to stretch the waistline of elastic band pants

Elastic waistbands have a lot of stretch in them, but they also have a limit. If that limit is just a tad too tight, you can use an iron to stretch the elastic band a little more . Kipkis gives detailed instructions on stretching them out—a ll you need is an iron, ironing board, and a couple of washcloths.

First, you want to pull the elastic pants around the ironing board so they stay taut. Feel free to use pins if that helps keep the pants in place. Then, t urn your iron to the highest setting and place a warm, damp wash cloth on the elastic band. Press the iron down for about ten seconds, then let the pants rest for another ten seconds. Repeat that process for five to ten minutes, working your way around the waistband. The waist will have stretched, and you can start the process again and as many times as needed to stretch them as far as they’ll go .

How to stretch the waistline of your slacks

Slacks are a bit different than an elastic waistband, as t he fabric might be flexible but not nearly as stretchy as sweatpants or leggings. They’ll vary widely, but you can still use an iron to loosen the waist.

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Begin the same way you would with elastic waistbands by stretching the pants on the ironing board. You can also use the back of a chair, a cutting board, or another hard heat-resistant surface. Dampen the pants with a spray bottle or sponge so that they’re visibly damp, t hen p ut the iron on the steam setting and iron along the waistline. At the same time, tug and pull on the pants’ waist, stretching them as you go along. Try on the pants to check the size, and repeat as needed .

How to stretch the waistline of your jeans

Denim is an even tougher material than slacks, but it still stretches with a little help. Tips Bulletin shows several ways to stretch out the waistline of your jeans, including going the uncomfortable route of getting in the bathtub with them and wearing wet clothes .

If you want to go that route, f i ll the tub with warm water and get in with your jeans on and buttoned, and m ake sure your pants are completely soaked before getting out. Afterward, towel dry and walk around for half an hour doing lunges, squats, or anything else to stretch out the pants and waist.

You can also try the same ironing technique used for slacks, which is probably a lot less uncomfortable. Just put the jeans on and moisten them with warm water using a spray bottle or wash cloth . Then take the jeans off and stretch them around a hanger inside their waistline, making sure the hanger is wide enough to stretch out a little . Let your pants dry on the hanger, and try them on for again and r epeat with a larger hanger, if needed.

Wearing pants that suit properly would make each of the big difference in how you glimpse and feel. Pants that are already as well large may possibly glimpse unprofessional and trigger one to glimpse bigger then you certainly are. Pants that are already as well tiny can trigger chafing, pores and skin irritation and ensure it is complicated to acquire safe at any time you sit. Measuring boys and guys to the best suited pant dimension is basic and will permit one to stroll into most any store and effectively take place throughout a pair of pants that appears great and feels comfortable.

Find the waist dimension belonging toward dude or boy utilizing a measuring tape. Most guys and boys pants possess a organically grown waistline about three to 4 inches above the hip bones. Lay the measuring tape toward their skin color and wrap it near to their waistline right up until the carry out overlaps.

Pants that suit just best suited possess a waist that’s neither as well tight nor as well loose.
measuring waist image by PinkShot from Fotolia.com Align the carry out belonging toward measuring tape using the portion of tape that’s wrapped near to the waist. appear throughout the quantity that lines up using the measuring tape carry out to determine waist measurement.

3
Measure the boy or man’s inseam by finding him preserve one carry out belonging toward measuring tape in the inside portion belonging toward upper thigh in which it meets the crotch area. deliver one other carry out belonging toward measuring tape down, along the leg, stopping a few inches under the ankle bone.

4
Write equally the waist and inseam measurements on an index card. preserve the card within your wallet to help in finding the correct-sized pair of pants. Most men’s pants are sized based on waist and inseam and boys pants ordinarily possess a dimension chart to coordinate waist and inseam with pant size.

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Altering the length of trousers or other pants is easy for any beginning sewist and you don’t even need a sewing machine! Learn how to hem pants and you’ll always have the fit you need.

Whether you want to change the style of a pair of pants or your height makes buying off the rack difficult, or even if you need to alter some hand-me-downs, learning to sew a hem is an important home sewing skill.

Gather Your Materials and Prepare the Hem

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Igor Golovniov / Getty Images

To hem a pair of pants, you need a few basic sewing tools.

• seam ripper
• pins
• full-length mirror (if hemming yourself)
• sewing gauge or measuring tape
• iron and ironing board
• matching thread
• sewing kit or sewing machine

If you are shortening the hem, you may be able to do so without doing anything to prepare the hem, but you can unpick the original hem to reduce bulk. When lengthening the hem, you’ll always need to start by unpicking the original hem. Use a seam ripper to carefully remove the stitching.

Try on the Pants

To determine the correct length for your pants, you need to wear them. It’s also important to wear the type of shoes that you intend to wear with the pants. That’s because almost any shoe adds height, which affects the length of the pants.

For example, if you measure the hem while barefoot, when you go to wear shoes the pants will end up much shorter than you wanted.

Pin the Hem to the Correct Length

Fold the hem up to the correct length and pin in place. Be sure to use the length at the back of your foot for your measurement, as the front will set or break on top of your foot. You want the hem to be straight!

It’s helpful to have someone who can do this for you because it keeps the length even. Bending to pin it yourself alters the length. That said, you can pin the hem and then stand up and check the length in a mirror. Adjust as needed, and repeat.

Measure and Pin Around the Hem

After you remove the pants and working on the inside of the fabric, use a sewing gauge to measure the length to which you folded the hem.

Measure all the way around both legs to make sure that the fold is even, pinning as you go. Press the hem with an iron to crease the bottom edge.

Fold the edge of the fabric under to make it a double-fold hem.

If there is a lot of extra fabric from shortening the hem, you may want to trim the excess first. If you do this, be sure to finish the edge of the fabric to prevent fraying.

Hand Sew the Hem

There are several ways to sew your new hem, but hand sewing is easy enough to learn.

Thread a needle and tie a large knot at the other end.

Note: These photos show light-colored thread so it’s easy to see, but you should always use matching thread so the stitches don’t show as much.

Bring the needle up through the top edge of the folded hem. Sew with blind hem stitch, making tiny stitches through the fabric on the outside of the pants and longer stitches through the folded fabric on the back.

Finish Hand Sewing the Hem

Sew around the entire hem, keeping the stitches small and even. As you can see, even with contrasting thread, the stitches are barely visible. With matching thread, you won’t even notice them, but you will be proud of your beautifully finished pants!

More Ways to Hem Your Pants

If you don’t want to hand sew the hem of the pants, you can try these other methods!

Machine: Use a standard straight stitch to sew the new hem in place. Keep the stitching straight and even for a professional finish. If you’re familiar with the different stitches on your sewing machine, you can also sew with a blind hem stitch by machine. The look is similar to the hand-sewn version.

No-Sew: This isn’t usually a good permanent solution, but there are several types of adhesive tapes designed for hemming. Some are iron-on and others are a peel-off tape. Be sure to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions before you use these materials.

Palazzo pants, also known as vast-leg or gaucho pants, flare immediately from the hip, and are mainly worn by females. They ended up built common in the ’70s, but are still worn these times, primarily as formal and semi-formal gown in and are biggest built out of silky or comfy product, this kind of as rayon, tulle, jersey, stretch materials and some other folks. It is not tricky for everybody with some sewing know-how to make her personal pattern and make her really very own palazzo pants. Alternatively, most large outfits pattern corporations supply you styles for palazzo pants, which are provided specifically wherever materials are marketed, and come with particular instructions

Pointers
1. Publish down the measurements about your hips, midsection to ground, and crotch to ground. Lay the newspaper out flat, getting a member of it if needed so that it will healthy both equally the front and back again yet again pattern things alongside one a diverse.

two. Draw the pattern onto the newspaper as follows: Make a mark two inches beneath the prime remaining corner of the paper and just one inch to the right. Shifting straight to the proper, measure 1/3 of your hip measurement and mark it. Measure a single far more 1/12th of your hip to the perfect and mark it. At each mark, draw a line correct down the paper, all the way to the bottom. From the quite very first mark in the vicinity of the remaining best rated corner of the paper, measure the measurement of your midsection-to-ground measurement and make a mark at the bottom. Draw a horizontal line in the course of to the correct to the one/12th line. Measure up the one/12th line the dimension of the crotch to flooring measurement minus one inch. Make a mark. Draw a “J” formed curve from this mark up to the 1/a few mark. You now have the entrance pattern piece.

3. Generate the again pattern piece alongside and to the appropriate of the entrance pattern employing the identical procedure. Prolong the ideal horizontal line all the way throughout the paper. Commence at the one/12th mark and shift a few inches along the line and make a mark. Measure just one/eighth of your hip measurement and make a mark, then measure one/3 of the hip measurement and make a mark. Draw vertical lines from every to the bottom of the webpage and measure the duration of your waistline to flooring and make a mark on the one/3 line. Observe the identical approach as you did for the entrance pattern by marking the bottom of the pant legs on the one/eighth line and marking your crotch to floor measurement, then chopping a “J” formed curve to the greatest.

four. Fold the cloth in fifty percent. Lower out the pattern components and pin them onto the materials. Reduce near to them, incorporating a seam allowance of one/two inch on the sides, furthermore one 1/two inches at the pant leg bottoms to allow for a hem, and two inches at the leading for the elastic casing. Distinct absent the newspaper pattern, fold it, and shop it for foreseeable long term use. You will now have two entrance pieces and two once again parts.

five. Pin the entrance pieces together at the “J” and stitch, with the accurate sides of the cloth together. Repeat with the back yet again parts. Commencing at the crotch, be a portion of the inside of seams. Sew the facet seams jointly. At this stage you can in shape the pants and alter the factor seams if they are also baggy by producing much more substantial seams, and measure the hem length. Hem the legs. Fold the major additional than two moments and stitch to make a casing. Thread the elastic by implies of the casing and measure to in shape your waistline, then stitch the ends jointly. Iron and gown in.

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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Wrinkled, rumpled clothes are not a cute look, unless it’s an intentional look, I guess, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. We’re here to talk about what to do with clothes that are wrinkled when you would like them to look pressed — or, at least, not weirdly creased. In service of not appearing weirdly creased, here are 10 ways to deal with wrinkled clothes.

Get a Steamer

Handheld or standing steamers are both great options and good investments for people who truly hate ironing. Plus, they can do things — like deodorizing a stale-smelling jacket or cleaning a mattress — that irons can’t do. Using a steamer is as easy as heating the thing up, hanging the wrinkled item on a sturdy hanger, and steaming away. After steaming, let the garment dangle on the hanger for 10 or so minutes to allow the wrinkles to ease out, post-steaming.

Use the Old Shower Trick

This is an oldie but not necessarily a goodie — steaming clothes in the bathroom while the shower runs to create steam, works… but not that well. In a pinch, though, it’s an option worth employing, especially if you remember this tip: You can make shower steaming more effective by laying the clothes you’ve just steamed on a flat surface and smoothing the fabric out firmly with your hands.

De-Wrinkle in The Dryer .

Speaking of steam, you can create a steam cycle of sorts by tossing a wrinkled garment into the dryer along with something damp, like a hand towel. A 5 to 10-minute spin in the dryer will create steam out of the damp item that will eliminate wrinkles in whatever else is in there with it.

… Or Dry Smarter to Prevent Wrinkles in the First Place

Here are a few things about loading a dryer that can help prevent a load of clothes from coming out wrinkled: First, don’t overstuff the machine. Your clothes need room to tumble about! After clothes have come out of the washing machine, they tend to be twisted from the torque of the final spin cycle; shaking them out before they go in the dryer will help to cut back on wrinkling. It will also speed up the drying time, which is a nice bonus. The setting you use is also important — permanent press is a medium-heat drying cycle with a cool-down period at the end that helps to release wrinkles, so that’s a good one to use.

Fold or Hang Clothes Straight Out of the Dryer .

I know you’re not going to like this one, but I’m honor-bound to tell you that folding clothes immediately after removing them from the dryer is crucial to preventing wrinkling. Similarly, hanging clothes like dress shirts straight out of the dryer will help keep them looking crisp and cut way back on the amount of steaming or ironing they’ll need.

…Or Skip the Dryer Entirely and Hang Wet Clothes to Air Dry

This is particularly true for dress shirts, which do well when they’re hung to dry after being machine washed, rather than run through the dryer. If you’re a person who regularly irons her shirts, this is an especially good practice — ironing the shirts when they’re just out of the wash and still quite damp will result in a really nicely pressed look.

Spritz Wrinkles Away With Water

It’s insane how well this works: Fill a spray bottle with water, spritz the wrinkled garment, and either hang or lay it flat and smooth it out using your hands. As the water dries, the wrinkles will disappear.

Use a De-Wrinkling Spray, or Make Your Own

I have a friend who swears by Downy Wrinkle Releaser when she travels — while it’s a good option even if you’re not on the road, it really is especially convenient to throw in a suitcase or carry-on. If you have liquid fabric softener in the house, you can make your own wrinkle releaser by combining 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle.

Up Your Ironing Game

Some people really dig ironing. Most people do not. But the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it, and the less hideous a chore it will be. Here are some tips to help you on your way: The first is to use YouTube. It’s hard to explain ironing techniques in writing, but YouTube is full up on videos of ironing demonstrations, and they’re actually super helpful in terms of understanding how best to maneuver a wrinkled garment and iron around an ironing board.

There are some techniques that lend themselves to the written word, the little things that can make a big difference. Use a towel, placed between the board and the garment being ironed, to protect buttons. On the other side of things, placing a press cloth between the iron and the wrinkled fabric can help to prevent scorching, as well as the development of shiny spots that can sometimes be caused by a hot iron. You can buy a press cloth or you can use something like a white cotton t-shirt, which will work just fine as a press cloth.

Use Starch or Sizing for Longer-Lasting Results

If you’re going to go the ironing route, the use of starch or sizing can help to make it easier and also make the effects last longer. Sizing is kind of like “starch lite” and is best used on fabrics that are ironed at a lower temperature, while starch will create a stiffer feel that will last longer. And if you’re going to go to all the trouble of ironing your clothes, I think we can all agree that extending the results of your hard work is a thing we can get behind!

Too short and you’ll expose too much leg. Too long and you might even step on your pants. Why is it that the hemming men’s pants is such a tricky thing to master? If you want to get the perfect length for your pants, here’s what you need to know.

Where Should The Hem Fall?

The primary reason so many men get hemming wrong is that they don’t know where their pants should fall. That might be because there’s so much debate in the world of fashion about your options for hemming men’s pants.

Depending on the type of trouser you’re wearing or your individual taste, you might opt for one of the following pants hem options:

• Single break. This is the look of trouser pants that just slightly go over the top of the show, creating a single crease—but not billowing up with multiple wrinkles. For dress pants and suits, this is typically your aim.
• Cuffing. Rolling your hem up and creating a cuff is all the rage these days, not only because it creates a better-fitting hem but because it has the look of “work wear,” so often paired with denim. Avoid doing this with dress trousers like our Wool Flannel Flat Front.
• Multiple breaks. Typically, this is a sign that your pants are simply too long: they don’t stop at the shoe so much as fall down in a pile of wrinkles.

You also have one more option. Simply find a pair of pants that will fall to the top of the shoe without even causing a break—no hem required. This is another good aim to keep in mind, and a good “middle ground.” But go too high and it could throw the whole look off.

Know Your Inseam

Take a measurement of your leg—or, better, yet, go to a tailor and have them do it—in order to know how long your pants need to be. Knowing the inseam will help you when you buy from a trouser source online that allows you to customize these numbers, as we do at Berle. If you know the proper length, you may not have to hem your men’s pants at all. Of course, many men opt for hemming their pants to produce a more fashionable look. But to ensure you get the right hem style for your needs, you’ll still want to know how much length you’ll need to work with.

What’s the “inseam”? Simply put, it measures the length of the pants from the bottom of the “seat,” or crotch, to the bottom of the legs, or the hem. This means that the “seat” of your pants also has to fit properly, otherwise it can throw off the look of the hem. If you still wonder what fits you best, contact a tailor and ask for a custom measurement.

Complimentary Hemming At Berle

At Berle, we’re proud to offer complimentary hemming on all pants orders. Get the perfect length, every time!

When you custom order your trousers, there’s no reason they shouldn’t arrive at the precise length you need. But even if they don’t, you should at least have the confidence of complimentary hemming for men’s pants. We offer that service to you at Berle fwith our tailored men’s trousers because we know that a pair of pants doesn’t truly fit unless the break is just how you like it. Browse our collection today.

Combat creases in clothes, accessories, and linens the easy way with this little-known laundry appliance setting.

By Manasa Reddigari | Updated Feb 11, 2020 11:45 AM

Q: I’ve always been pretty simple with my laundry settings—hot water for whites, cold water for darks—and haven’t taken advantage of the other less-than-straightforward settings on my washer and dryer. What is Permanent Press, and when do I use it?

A: Think of the permanent press setting on your washer and dryer as your first line of defense against unwanted creases in your favorite fashions. The setting—which evolved from the 1950s-era invention of permanent press fabric that was chemically treated to ward off wrinkles—sets in motion a wash or dry cycle that removes existing wrinkles in fabric and prevents new ones from forming. That alone reduces the need for manual ironing after a load, which can fade, shrink, or burn fabric over time. And, since the cycle is gentler on laundry than a Regular wash or dry cycle, it also maintains the color and condition of your clothes, accessories, and linens and prolongs their usefulness. But the setting is better suited for some clothes than others, so read on to learn how it works and how best to put it to use.

In washing machines, it uses a combination of warm and cold temperatures as well as a fast wash and slow spin to de-wrinkle the load.

The permanent press setting is more commonly found on traditional washers with agitators (spindles that twist and turn to remove dirt) but it’s also available on some high-efficiency washers that house fin-like impellers instead of agitators to remove dirt. Set the machine’s dial to “Permanent Press,” and the 30-minute cycle—which is five minutes shorter than the average Regular cycle—will wash your load in warm water and rinse in cold water with fast agitation. The warm water relaxes and removes creases in clothes, while the cold prevents color fading and shrinking. Then, during the spin (water drainage) phase of the cycle that occurs after the rinse phase, the washer transitions to a slow spin, which prevents the formation of new wrinkles in the laundry.

In dryers, Permanent Press leverages medium heat to de-wrinkle laundry.

Throw in five pounds of wrung-out laundry, turn the dial to “Permanent Press” or “Perm Press,” and the dryer’s setting will kick on at medium heat (usually between 125 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit) for either all or the majority of the 30- to 40-minute cycle. That’s both 10 minutes shorter and 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the average Regular dry cycle, a combination that helps smooth creases as the clothes dry. If your dryer includes a cool-down phase at the end of the permanent press cycle (not all dryers do), the dryer will transition to a cool temperature toward the end of the cycle to prevent fading and shrinking of laundry.

This cycle is ideal for wrinkle-prone fabrics made of synthetic fibers.

Permanent Press is best suited for washing and drying fabric made with synthetic fibers—e.g. polyester, nylon, acrylic, rayon, or knitwear; permanent press (no-iron) fabric; or fabric made with a blend of synthetic and natural fibers. While you can still safely use the permanent press setting to wash or dry fabrics made with purely natural fibers like cotton or jute, avoid using it on delicate fabrics like lace, cashmere, or silk. These delicates call for cold water, slow agitation, and slow spin throughout the wash cycle, and low heat during the dry cycle, which makes the gentle or delicate wash or dry cycle the best choice for washing or drying them.

It’s most effective on lightweight, moderately soiled laundry.

Since the slower agitation and spin rate at the end of a permanent press wash cycle are gentle on clothes, accessories, and linens, you should reserve it for lightweight clothes and accessories: dress shirts and pants, dresses, t-shirts, sweaters, scarves, socks, and bed sheets with light to moderate soiling. Heavy-duty clothes and linens like jeans, blankets, or towels—particularly those that are heavily soiled—need the faster agitation and spin of a regular or heavy-duty wash cycle to get clean. These heavy-duty wears also take longer to dry, which is why you want to put them through a longer and hotter regular or heavy-duty dry cycle. Put heavy-duty wears through a permanent press dry cycle, and they may come out slightly damp and require another dry cycle to get fully dry.

Your load will require less ironing and, a bonus, less de-pilling.

Synthetic fabrics are not only more prone to forming wrinkles but also pills, those balls of fiber on fabric that take a steady hand with a razor or an electric pill remover to shave off. The longer these fabrics stay in the washer or dryer, the more pills they develop. Thus, the shorter duration of a permanent press cycle results in clean, dry fabrics with fewer pills and wrinkles!

Know this: Permanent Press won’t magically banish every wrinkle.

While this wash or dry cycle will smooth the majority of visible wrinkles in a load of laundry, it won’t necessarily clear every crease. If you continue to spot wrinkles in clothing following a permanent press dry cycle, use these tips to finish the job:

• Manually iron the piece on an ironing board using the heat setting specified by the ironing symbol on the label of the piece. The good news: It should only take a touch-up!
• Spritz warm water from a plastic spray bottle directly onto the wrinkled fabric, then dry with a hairdryer on low heat. Hover the dryer over the wrinkle no closer than two inches from the fabric until the heat smooths it over.
• Spray a store-bought wrinkle remover like Downy Wrinkle Releaser over the offending wrinkles in the fabric, then let the fabric hang-dry completely to eliminate the crease.

Proper loading and unloading of laundry can also help minimize wrinkles.

To ensure that a permanent press wash or dry cycle results in as few wrinkles as possible on laundry day:

• Loosely pack items in the washer or dryer so that the appliance is no more than three-quarters full. Laundry is more likely to crease when it has no room in the washer or dryer drum to move freely during the permanent press cycle.
• Never wrap items directly around the agitator or impellers of your washer; they can get caught on them and wrinkle or tear.
• Transfer laundry from the washer to the dryer immediately after the permanent press wash cycle ends (this is when it will be in its most wrinkle-free state) and start a permanent press dry cycle.
• When a permanent press dry cycle ends, immediately retrieve the laundry from the dryer drum and hang or fold it. Left in an unfolded pile, items at the bottom of the pile are likely to develop creases under the weight of the pile.

Travel Tips

Long roads ahead don’t have to mean boredom. (Photo: road trip image by Blu-Mu from Fotolia.com )

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Keeping entertained during long trips in the car is a a matter of good planning and choosing the right traveling companions. A good attitude and determination to make the trip fun also can go a long way in making your long road trip as successful as possible, with a minimum of monotony.

Items you will need

• Travel companions
• CDs
• Satellite radio (optional)
• Cooler
• Food and drinks
• Portable DVD player
• DVDs
• Travel games
• Books and magazines
• Camera
• Pillow and blanket

Step 1

Travel with people whose company you enjoy and with whom you wouldn’t mind spending a lot of time. This will be a key element in keeping entertained in the car, as you can pass the time much more quickly with good companions. Take the time to talk to one another, tell jokes or play games during your road trip. You might end up getting to know one another better than you’d have expected.

Step 2

Take turns driving to add some variety to your long car trip and allow yourself to get a different perspective on your surroundings. Changing up who drives can be a good way to break up the monotony of hours on the road, as well as giving drivers a chance to get some much-needed rest.

Step 3

Pop in a mix CD that you’ve made for the road trip, your favorite music, or a comedy CD to keep your mind off of the long trip. Take a vote on which CD your passengers want to listen to and sing along with whatever is chosen. You also can download podcasts from your favorite radio shows or bring along an audio book, both of which can provide hours of entertainment. Consider subscribing to satellite radio in your car if you don’t already, since this service provides hundreds of channels suited to different tastes, including highly entertaining comedy and talk radio. For passengers, a portable DVD player and a stack of DVDs can be another excellent, if more costly, way to pass the time.

Step 4

Munch on prepared snacks and drinks stored in a cooler, as this can money and time during long car trips. If you’re driving, have one of your travel companions hand you a snack that’s easy to eat using one hand. Not only will snacking help you pass the time, it’ll also cut down on pit stops at roadside convenient stores. Bring along some bags that you can use for garbage.

Step 5

Play car games to keep yourself entertained. There are a variety of games you and your fellow travelers can play without any other material (see Resources for ideas), or you can pack some travel-sized editions of your favorite board games or a pack of cards. If you’re not into games, spend your time on the road with a good book or magazine, crossword puzzles, or a camera to snap pictures of the landscape. For kids, this step tends to be doubly crucial, as their boredom can put a major damper on the trip.

Long road trips can be a blast—or they can be boring, exhausting endeavors. Here’s how, with a bit of preparation , you can make sure you survive your trip with your sanity intact .

How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip

It’s that time of the year again: time to pack your friends or family in the car and hit the open…

Quora user Jon Mixon offers some advice for traveling alone, with your significant other, and with coworkers.

When You’re Traveling Alone

1. Set a limit to how many hours that you will drive that day and stick to it. I will only drive 10-12 hours a day maximum during winter and 12-14 during summer (as there’s more daylight). I don’t care for driving alone at night. Even if I make better time than expected, I will not drive any farther in a single day.
2. Choose the music that you want to listen to before you leave. If you don’t want to hear it, don’t bring it (or create your playlist ahead of time), as it will distract you while you are driving.
3. Stop at truck stops, not rest areas. Most truck stops have bathrooms, food, drinks, medicine, a place to eat, gas, auto supplies, a restaurant (or at least fast food) etc. Rest stops have. bathrooms. Also, rest stops are often isolated, which might feel less safe if you are a lone traveler.
4. Buy an extra cell phone car charger and keep it in your glove box. Trust me, you are eventually going to forget your charger and having one that is always available can (literally) be a lifesaver.
5. Stretch every time that you stop. Riding in most cars for hours isn’t comfortable, so every time that you stop, stretch your legs, arms, and back. They’ll thank you for it.
6. Get AAA (If you are in the United States or Canada). For $50-125 a year, it will be the best investment that you can make, especially when you’re traveling alone. From the maps and travel guides they offer, to the discounts that you can get a hotels/motels to the three to four free tows per year (up to 100 miles—the total number depends upon which package you choose), if you drive frequently it’s a great value.
7. Drive with comfortable, hard-soled shoes or boots on. Seriously. Whether or not bare feet or flip flops are “more comfortable,” if you are in an accident, your feet will be lacerated and possibly even amputated without adequate protection. Also, if your vehicle breaks down and you have to walk, having shoes on will make walking much easier.
8. Take three flashlights of varying sizes and batteries for all three. While I don’t recommend that you drive at night if you don’t have to, it’s better to have several lighting options for a host of reasons rather than just your car.
9. Take at least 2-3 days worth of food (dried or easy open cans) and a case of water with you, in addition to your normal road trip food. This will easily fit into your trunk or rear storage area and it may prove to be a lifesaver to you if you find yourself in an unexpected situation. High energy foods (proteins and carbs) are the best. Don‘t worry about your diet; this could potentially be a matter of survival that trumps any diet that you are on.

Father’s Day CBD Bundle

Send Dad flowers
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When You’re Traveling as a Couple

If you’re traveling with a significant other, the above tips still come into play, along with the following:

1. If you are angry before your trip, work it out before you go. Being angry will distract one or both of you, which will make the drive truly awful (not to mention distractions while driving can be fatal).
2. Bring music/audiobooks/podcasts/etc. that either you both like or that you can at least tolerate. Nothing ruins a trip (and distracts you) like arguing over what you are going to listen to while on a long drive. The idea is to have a fun, safe trip and get where you are going in one piece.
3. No shortcuts. I know that they are tempting, but shortcuts can easily turn into “long-cuts” or they can cause arguments which may distract you while driving. Unless your “shortcut” is a well-lit interstate or four lane highway, just stick to major roads.
4. Stop when one of you wants to. It’s foolish to get angry that one person wants or needs to stop more than you do. Unless they want to see everything along the way (which is something that you should work out before you make the trip), if they ask or hint that a stop is good, then stop.
5. Decide on who is going to drive where before you leave. Unless your partner cannot drive, it makes no sense for a single person to drive the entirety of a lengthy trip. Split it up evenly ahead of time and you’ll both have time to relax.
6. Keep your driving “advice” to yourself. Nagging or correcting someone who is driving isn’t helpful, and it only gets more annoying on a long trip. Of course, if you are scared of the person’s driving abilities, perhaps traveling by bus, train, or airplane is a better option.
7. If there’s a subject that usually provokes disputes, avoid it. Do you really want to be stuck in a vehicle for hours with a person who you are angry with or who is angry with you?
8. If your companion is ill or tired, stop. You are going to arrive at your destination when you get there. No sooner. No later. No point in potentially ruining a nice trip by pushing things too much. Stop either for a while or for the night and continue on again later.
9. Make your reservations before you leave. You have a rough idea (barring issues with your vehicle, illness, and the weather) of how long it will take to get your destination. Call ahead, have the motel/hotel reserve a room for you and then you’ll be able to rest (and not argue) when you get your destination. Never assume that there will “some place” that has rooms. That usually does not work in your favor.
10. Stay in the nicest place that you can afford. You aren’t saving money if you stay in a place where people are partying, where your car gets broken into, where you are concerned about walking out to your car at night or where the police can be found outside questioning someone. If that means you have to part with a few extra dollars, then so be it.

When You’re Traveling with Coworkers

Lastly, when you’re traveling with co-workers, include all of the above tips as well as:

Tips for Having Fun While Driving Alone

• Crank Up the Music. Cranking up some tunes on the radio is a time-honored trick of drivers traveling in solitary splendor.
• Enjoy Audio Books.
• Explore Topics of Interest with Podcasts.
• Log Your Thoughts in a Journal.
• Challenge Your Brain with Driving Games.
• Enjoy a Little Conversation.

How do you survive a 12 hour drive alone?

Travel Checklist for Surviving a 12+ Hour Drive – 7 Tips

1. Never Forget your Driving Essentials.
2. Keep the Basic Must-Have.
3. Pack Things to Keep Your Trip Cozy.
4. Gather Your Entertainment Essentials.
5. Prepare a Bag for Necessary Clothing.
6. Load Some Food and Eating Accessory.
7. Don’t Forget To Take a Car Wedge Cushion!

How do I prepare for a 6 hour drive alone?

How to Drive Long Distance Alone (and not go crazy)

1. Set a limit to how many hours that you will drive each day and stick to it.
2. Make a playlist before you leave.
3. Stop at truck stops, not rest areas.
4. Stretch every time that you stop.
5. Buy an extra cell phone car charger and keep it in your glove box.

How do you not get bored on a long car ride?

15 Things to Do on a Long Car Ride (Besides Playing ‘I Spy’)

1. Listen to a podcast.
2. Or try an audiobook.
3. Play the state license plate game.
4. Take a rest.
5. Play Mad Libs.
6. Watch a movie.
7. Have a snack.
8. Connect with each other.

Is a 12 hour drive too long?

As a general rule, a 12 hour drive is not safe for most drivers. Plan to drive no more than 8 hours in a day. 12 hours can comfortably be completed in a day by two drivers or a professional driver who covers long distances frequently. If you attempt a 12 hour drive, have a back up plan if you need to stop and sleep.

How can I drive for 10 hours?

8 General Tips for Road Trips

1. Take turns driving, if possible.
2. Take a break every few hours.
3. Prep before you go.
4. Make sure your vehicle’s up to the task.
5. Keep cash on hand.
6. Eat smart.
7. Start with a clean car.
8. Consider keeping extra water and gas in the car.

How do you do a 10 hour drive alone?

Top 10 Tips for a Road Trip Alone

1. Know your limits. I can drive up to 12 hours in a day, but not two days in a row.
2. Set your schedule. Getting the pace right is a big part of a trip’s success.
3. Use multiple tools to map your trip.
4. Know the highlights you want to see.
5. Book your accommodation.
6. Make sure you’re covered.

How do I prepare my body for a long road trip?

How to Prepare Mentally and Physically for a Long Distance Drive?

1. Reserve your sleep time. Before you begin with the journey, know that it is going to be exhausting.
2. Fuel up. Fuel up your energy and ensure you are feeling fresh and energetic.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Plan your stops.
5. Chew gum.
6. Use good scents.
7. Sit up straight.

Is it OK to drive 10 hours straight?

As a general rule, it’s safe to drive for no longer than eight hours a day, taking breaks of at least 15 minutes every two hours. This means you can safely drive for around 500 miles, not taking into account external factors such as slowing for tolls, traffic, travelling with children, and tiredness.

Is it weird to go on a road trip alone?

A solo road trip is a special experience. Being totally spontaneous, turning or stopping where you want to, staying longer or going further down the road on a whim, meeting more people because you’re alone and more approachable and having that quiet time to think and process life: a solo road trip is amazing.

Is a 9 hour drive too long?

You should not drive for more than 9 hours a day, excluding breaks. For every 4.5 hours driving you should take breaks amounting to 45 minutes. For long-distance driving, this means you can drive around 500 miles safely in a day.

How can I drive for 8 hours straight?

These tips for long drives will help you down the road.

1. Get plenty of sleep before your drive. Think about exhaustion before you begin your journey, not after.
2. Bring healthy road trip snacks.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Plan your rest stops.
5. Chew gum.
6. Use energizing scents.
7. Sit up straight.
8. Keep passengers entertained.

How long can a car be driven continuously?

A car can drive continuously for approximately 8-9 hours before it will require refueling, depending on its tank capacity. There is no mechanical limit on how long a car can drive without stopping, provided it is well maintained, refueled, and has sufficient engine lubrication.

How often should you take a break when driving long distances?

Take a break approximately every two hours. If you are driving on an interstate highway, state sponsored rest areas will provide you with a great place to stretch your legs, grab a snack, and use the restroom. Other great places to take a break from a long drive include gas stations, local restaurants, and parks.

How can I make my long car ride more comfortable?

9 Road Trip Tips For a Safe and Comfortable Drive

1. Get plenty of sleep before your drive. Think about exhaustion before you begin your journey, not after.
2. Bring healthy road trip snacks.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Plan your rest stops.
5. Chew gum.
6. Use energizing scents.
7. Sit up straight.
8. Keep passengers entertained.

Why do I feel dizzy after a long drive?

The answer is absolutely. Vertigo can be triggered by driving, certain head movements, and general irregular motion. If you’re riding and you’re over the age of 45, a few changes in your inner ear may result in vertigo and a dizziness that will stick with you long after you’ve hopped out of your truck.

Can you drive a car for 12 hours straight?

Cars do not need to rest under normal conditions. As long as they don’t heat up you can continue driving. It’s important to monitor the temperature of the engine to make sure it doesn’t overheat in very warm weather conditions.

Patricia Magaña

Always on the lookout for value-oriented travel, Senior Editor Patricia Magaña has trekked throughout the States, Latin America, and Europe. Follow her on Instagram @PatiTravels.

Since joining the editorial crew in 2005, Magaña has pounced on incredible deals to Amsterdam, Madrid, and San Pedro Sula—each for less than $300. Her favorite travel experiences involve discovering street art while meandering a city, chatting up locals, and day drinking.

Her stories have appeared on USA Today, Huffington Post, Yahoo!, TripAdvisor, AirfareWatchdog, and other publications.

When you hit the road, don’t rely on rumble strips to keep you alert and on target. Here’s how to stay awake while driving no matter where your next road trip might take you.

Drink Something Caffeinated

Whether you brew your coffee at home or buy it on the road, drink it black if you can tolerate it. The coffee’s bitterness will provide a quick jolt before the caffeine even enters your bloodstream. As a backup, keep something like a 5-Hour Energy drink or NoDoz pills in the glove compartment.

Eat Healthy Snacks

Keep a few snacks within reach, but make sure they’re not just empty calories. Treats with less sugar and more protein tend to distribute energy at a more constant, even pace—rather than a jolt followed by a food coma. Examples include trail mix and protein bars.

You know that saying, It’s the journey that matters, not the destination? Clearly, whoever came up with that one has never sat in a car with two bickering kids in tow. Family road trips are often advertised as a bonding experience, complete with sing-a-longs and heartfelt conversations. But as any parent who’s actually done one knows, sitting in the car for more than 15 minutes with your brood is its own kind of torture. In fact, the only thing worse than hitting the road with little people is dealing with flight delays, lost luggage and crappy airplane food. So this summer, you’re hitting the road. Don’t fret—we have 15 ideas for how to make the time fly by. Here are the best things to do on a long car ride with kids. (Psst: They’ll also work great on a quick trip to the grocery store.)

1. Listen to a podcast

2. Or try an audiobook

You were so excited to read the entire Harry Potter series again, but this time sharing the world of Hogwarts with your kid. The only problem? Those books are long. And by the time you snuggle up to your mini at night to read him a bedtime story, he can only manage a couple of pages before passing out. Well, a long car ride is the perfect opportunity to relive the magic. Download the wizarding series and so much more with our pick of the ten best audiobooks for the whole family.

3. Play the state license plate game

You might remember this activity from when you were a kid and that’s because a classic never goes out of style. To play, make a list of all 50 states either beforehand or while in the car (for an extra challenge, see if your little geniuses can name all the states without looking them up). Then as each kid finds a plate from a new state, they get to cross it off their list. The first one to complete all 50 states (or get the highest number of states crossed off) is the winner. Extra bonus? Your kid will practice his geography and memorization skills.

4. Take a rest

If your road trip is really long and you have small kids with you then naptime is a must. But what do you do if your child is resisting? Make the backseat as cozy as possible to increase the chances of a snooze. Think: dimming the lights (maybe even investing in one of these window shades), playing some soothing tunes, supporting their head and bringing a favorite toy along.

5. Play Mad Libs

6. Watch a movie

Whatever guilt you have about screen time, leave it at home. A well-chosen show or film can save a disastrous road trip and make into something actually enjoyable (for everyone involved). From short cartoons to laugh-out-loud comedies, here are our favorite family movies that you can rent or download in advance of your trip. Hey, you may even get that family sing-along you were dreaming about (to Let It Go, obviously).

7. Have a snack

A hungry toddler is a terror wherever you are—backseat of the car included. Be sure to pack a selection of healthy snacks for your trip and dole them out when you sense your kid is getting peckish. We like to whip up a batch of cherry-almond granola bars or mac-and-cheese bites before traveling but you can also buy a couple of pouches or string cheese to take with you. This will also help ensure you don’t go crazy at the gas station and load up on chips and candy (because a kid hopped up on sugar is never a good idea).

8. Connect with each other

Sure, you see each other every day but how often do you really sit down and open up to each other? Use this car ride as an opportunity to re-connect with one another. How? By asking thought-provoking questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Here are some ideas: What’s the best thing that’s happened to you? What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you? If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

Most people enjoy a little solitude. Spending a lot of time alone, however, can set the stage for boredom, distraction, fatigue, and depression – and frankly, not everyone can handle it. As a truck driver, spending large chunks of time alone is part of your job description. What can you do to stay effective, alert, and sane while you put in your hours behind the wheel? For starters, you can make having fun while driving alone a part of your regular routine.

Tips for Having Fun While Driving Alone

Obviously, there are certain limits to how truckers can entertain themselves while driving. After all, you’ll want to keep your attention on the road so that you can perform the task safely. In addition, you must respect the rules of the road and maintain your assigned schedule. Fortunately, that still leaves several possibilities for having fun while driving alone.

Crank Up the Music

Cranking up some tunes on the radio is a time-honored trick of drivers traveling in solitary splendor. Whether you sing along, tap out the beat on the steering wheel, or just enjoy the sound, playing music is a great way to entertain yourself and avoid loneliness and boredom. With MP3 players and satellite radio, gaining access to a playlist of your favorite songs has never been easier. To help fend off fatigue and boredom, switch up your musical selections. Alternating between styles and moods of music will help to keep your energy level up and your mind entertained.

Enjoy Audio Books

Reading while driving is a terrible idea, but it is possible to safely tick items off your reading wish list while on the road. Listening to audio books allows you to learn about something new, dig deeper into a hobby, solve a mystery with your favorite sleuth, or follow the adventures of your favorite hero, all without taking your eyes off the road. Choose from books on CD or browse the listings over at Audible, an app that allows you to download an amazing variety of audio books. Having fun while driving alone is simple if you can use the time to finally tackle a book on your to-read list.

Explore Topics of Interest with Podcasts

Podcasts are digital audio files that can be downloaded from the Internet to a mobile device of your choosing and played back while you’re driving. In many ways, they’re like radio chat shows. You can find podcasts about every topic under the sun, from the very broad (sports, politics, movies, fitness) to the very specific (Seinfeld, genealogy, puppetry, and even pens). There are also fiction podcasts, like the acclaimed Welcome to Night Vale.

Whether you are looking for a good laugh, want to explore a new topic, or are simply eager to stay up to date with current events, you can find a podcast to accomplish your goal. To dip your toe into the medium, check out some of the most popular podcasts around, like This American Life, Radiolab, and Stuff You Should Know. Listening to your preferred podcasts is a great way to have fun while driving alone.

Log Your Thoughts in a Journal

Much like reading, writing is not an activity that you can normally indulge in while behind the wheel. However, advances in technology are offering a new, driver-friendly alternative in the form of speech-to-text apps that translate what you say to written words. With the right writing app, you can keep a journal that logs your thoughts, put together material for a blog about your adventures, or even write a book. The technology isn’t perfect, so you’ll probably need to do some serious revising before you share your writing with anyone, but speech-to-text apps certainly make it possible to write a rough draft without ever taking your hands off the wheel to put pen to paper.

Challenge Your Brain with Driving Games

Research on memory indicates that challenging your brain is important for your health. Playing driving games provides the opportunity to get a mental workout and entertain yourself while driving alone. Search out the letters of the alphabet in road signs, see how many license plates from different states you can spot, choose an item to count, or make up a new game that’s all your own. The rules of the game aren’t important so long as it allows you to have fun without interfering with your driving capabilities.

Enjoy a Little Conversation

While talking on a handheld cellphone when you’re behind the wheel is illegal in many states, it’s generally acceptable to talk on the phone using a hands-free device. Chatting with friends and family back home allows you to nourish the important connections that enrich your life while also engaging your mind.

Having fun while driving alone might be a bit of a challenge, but it is far from impossible. There are several strategies that you can utilize to ward off boredom and fatigue and keep yourself entertained while you’re in the driver’s seat.

Spring and Summer can mean warm days, sunny memories, and maybe even cross-country road trips. Long distance driving is dangerous and normally very tiring. So, how can drivers stay safe when driving long distances?

Read on for twelve tips for driving long distances to stay alert and get to your destination safely.

1. Don’t hog the Wheel

It seems obvious; the best way to stay safe driving long distances is to give up the wheel to another driver and take a break for a few hours. According to experts, the safest amount of time a driver should be behind the wheel is ten hours, total, each day. This means even if you are sharing the drive, you and your co-pilot will still need a good break for rest.

2. Set reasonable daily distances

There’s no need to rush, is there? One way to stay safe is to set realistic goals when you are driving long distances; don’t set tight time limits and expect to make up lost time by speeding or pushing yourself too far. Always plan for the unexpected; if you have set a certain time limit each day for your trip, add an hour or two for traffic and unplanned rest stops. Factor in rush hours, road construction and detours when planning your drive.

3. Make sure the car is ready for the drive

A few days to a week before the big trip, take the car in for servicing. Oil change, tune-up, and topping off the fluids are all important points to check, but also have the tires checked and rotated. The day before you leave, check all your fluids again and make sure you have an emergency road kit in your trunk, including flares, as well as a spare tire and jumper cables. Place an empty gas can, a few quarts of oil, and a gallon of water in the trunk just in case. Driving long distances is an invitation for your car to break down if it isn’t checked before your leave.

4. Keep all documents in a safe place

Make sure all of your documents, such as registration and proof of insurance, are in one place in case they are needed. Place all of your change or expected toll money in a cup in the console so you can grab it easily as you approach the tolls; being distracted as you approach a toll booth can lead to an accident.

5. Take frequent rest breaks

Even if you aren’t tired, make it a point to pull over every two hours or so to stretch your legs. Grab a snack, use the restroom, or check your maps; you need to take a mental break frequently to keep you safe while driving long distances.

6. Don’t program your cruise control

Using cruise control when driving long distances disconnects you from the road and your surroundings. It can relax your mind to the point of losing your concentration and cause driver fatigue quickly. Cruise control is handy for short periods but exercises extreme caution when using it for long distances.

7. Watch what you eat

Heavy foods, like pasta, make you sleepy. Some foods are known to cause fatigue, like turkey, but others may surprise you. Cheese, chicken, and even fish contain tryptophan, the amino acid responsible for your post-turkey couch coma. Be careful indulging your sweet tooth at a gas station rest stop; candy, just like heavy carbs, will boost your blood sugar quickly but will cause a rapid crash when the initial “high” wears off. Avoid fast food and opt for frequent smaller, healthier snacks to keep hunger at bay and keep you alert on the road if you’re driving long distances.

8. Dress comfortably and address back pain

You’re not on parade for your road trip, so dress comfortably. Flat shoes and loose-fitting clothes will keep you focused on the road. If your back tends to hurt from driving long distances, use a travel pillow and make sure your seat is high enough and angled appropriately to keep pressure off your back. Heated seats will help ease back pain, but if that isn’t an option, you can purchase products that are designed to be placed directly on your back for heat therapy. If that isn’t enough and you take many long-distance trips, you can shop for heated seat covers to ease your back pain. Comfort is one of the most important things to consider when you are planning your road trip.

9. In with the new

Fresh air is an important factor for staying alert and safe driving long distances. Even if your car is air-conditioned, crack the windows an inch or two to circulate fresh air throughout the car. You may want to consider shutting down the AC and opening the windows for a few minutes every hour to allow fresh air in.

10. Avoid distractions

It may seem self-explanatory, but in order to stay alert when you are driving long distances, you should avoid distractions. Do not answer your phone while driving, and don’t let your passengers become too distracting. It is a balancing act to stay focused and alert with pointed distractions, such as road games or upbeat music on the radio and allowing your kids to argue or become too restless in the back seat.

11. Let others in on your plans

When you are setting out for your trip, make plans to contact someone intermittently throughout the trip to let them know where you are and where you plan to be before stopping your day’s drive. Let them know your hotel destinations, and approximate time you will be checking in each day.

12. Obey the laws

When you set out on your trip, you’re excited. You treat every other car on the road with respect and courtesy, follow speed limits, and exercise caution. As the trip continues, you may start finding yourself road-weary and begin speeding, tailgating, passing improperly, or losing your patience with other drivers. If you feel yourself becoming road-weary, let someone else take the wheel for a while, or, if that’s not an option, pull over early for the night and get a good rest before continuing the next day.

Road trips are exciting, but they can also be tiring and stressful. Plan carefully, stay aware and follow these tips to help you stay safe when driving long distances.

An idle mind is not just boring, but also unhappy.

Human beings are different from other lower-order animals in several ways. Humans are the only species with the ability to imagine, which allows us to “time travel” (that is, reminisce about past events and imagine future ones) and to conceive of things (products, ideas) that currently don’t exist. We are also the only species to be aware that we are going to die, which, according to some psychologists, is the primary reason we have traditions and culture.

A third way in which we are different from other species is that we are the only ones to feel the need to be busy. Most lower-order animals would presumably be perfectly satisfied to idle their time away. Give a lower-order animal sufficient quantities of food, love, and shelter, and the animal will likely grow to be fat and happy; the animal would have no issues about lazing around and frittering away the rest of its life.

How would humans react to doing nothing for the rest of their life?

Recent work by Hsee, Yang, and Wang suggests that most humans would find such a life utterly miserable. It appears that human beings have a desire to be busy. However — here’s the catch — we can’t be busy for the sake of being busy. We need a reason for being busy, even if it is only a flimsy one.

In one study, Hsee and his co-authors asked participants to fill out a survey. They told participants that the completed survey could be dropped at one of two locations. One location was nearby, while another was far away (a 12-15 minute round trip). Participants could thus deliver the survey to the nearby location and wait out the remaining time in the experimental session (the idle option) or deliver the survey to the faraway location, return, and then wait out any remaining time (busy option). For reasons that will become clear shortly, participants were told that, as a token of appreciation for completing the survey, they would be given a piece of candy.

Which option did participants choose? Would they choose to deliver the survey at the nearby location and confront the boredom of being idle or would they spend time and energy to deliver it to the faraway location?

The answer, it turned out, depended on whether the participants had some — even if only specious — justification for walking to the faraway location. One set of participants were told that the candy they would get as a token of appreciation was the same at both locations — either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Participants in this condition thus had little justification for walking the longer distance to submit the completed survey. Another set of participants, in contrast, were told that they would get different candies at the two locations: milk chocolate at one location and dark chocolate at the other. Participants in this condition had some justification for choosing the faraway location — walking the longer distance would afford them the opportunity to consume a different candy.

Results showed that, in the same-candy condition, only 32 percent of participants chose the faraway location. In contrast, in the different-candy condition, 59 percent did.

A second experiment by the same authors showed that people who are forced into busyness are happier than those who are forced into idleness. This experiment’s set up was similar to that of the first experiment, except that the participants were forced to deliver their completed survey at either the faraway location or the nearby one. Once participants had delivered the survey to the assigned location, they waited out the rest of the time in the experimental room, and then, were asked to report their happiness levels by responding to the following question: How happy did you feel in the last 15 minutes?

Results indicated that participants forced to deliver the survey to the faraway location (that is, those forced to be busy) were significantly happier.

What do these results imply for human behavior?

First — and this is the most straightforward implication — they suggest that an important tool in our arsenal for being happy is to stay busy. So long as we have some — even if it is only a flimsy — justification for doing something, we are likely to be happier doing it than not doing it.

Second, they suggest that an important reason why most of us do what we do — build highways, invest money, teach at schools, etc. — is to stay busy. If busyness enhances happiness, then there’s an important reason why people seek employment and engagement in activity beyond earning money and paying the bills. It is to maintain a positive emotional state.

A final implication that emerges from the findings is the following: It seems plausible that the happiness people get from being busy can potentially blind them from examining the intricate web of consequences, both good and bad, that emerge out of their actions. To me, this implication is somewhat disturbing, since it suggests that people can be made to engage in tasks that are not just menial or meaningless, but even in those that are harmful to themselves or to others.

Could the need for busyness be part of the reason why people engage in war and other types of harmful actions? Could the root of evil lie not just in money and greed, but also in boredom?

Travel Tips

Keeping your children busy is the key to avoid problems during a long road trip. (Photo: Noel Hendrickson/Digital Vision/Getty Images )

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• Travel Accessories for Kids

Overview

Family road trips are stressful enough without the added challenge of keeping kids entertained during a long, boring car ride. When your child is no longer interested in coloring, spotting license plates or playing yet another game of Old Maid, it may seem as though you have run out of distractions. Fortunately, plenty of other choices exist to keep your child busy enough to let you concentrate on the road ahead of you in relative peace.

Window Decorations

Children can use window cling sets and washable markers to decorate car windows, draw pictures and play games such as tic-tac-toe. Cling sets typically contain multiple pieces that can be arranged and rearranged in a variety of ways. Remember to pack a cotton cloth in the back seat so that the kids can erase their creations and start again. These activities are only appropriate if each child can safely reach a window while traveling and decorations do not limit the driver’s visibility.

Travel-Size Games

Popular games such as Battleship, Candy Land and bingo are available in smaller sizes made for travelers, and allow children to play their favorites while on the road. These games feature smaller boards and fewer parts, and some even feature magnetic pieces that reduce the chance that a crucial game piece will become lost. Hand-held video games can also keep children busy for hours, particularly if parents buy a new game just for the trip.

Books and Videos

A stack of new or old books will keep children engrossed for at least part of your road trip. Even children who are not particularly fond of reading may enjoy looking at comic books. Books on tape or CD are a good choice if reading books while riding in a car triggers motion sickness. Books on tape are available for purchase at bookstores or to download online, and libraries often have them to check out for free. Watching videos on a laptop, tablet or portable DVD player can help children pass hours of a long car trip, particularly if parents bring or download favorite movies or a new movie that the children are interested in watching.

Use maps of the United States to track longer journeys. As you enter a new state, the children mark off the state on their maps. Maps of the specific states you will be traveling through can be drawn before you leave, enabling your children to make the game more interesting by marking off each city or town you pass through.

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts don’t require any special supplies and can keep kids busy for hours, though it’s a good idea for parents to plan ahead by preparing a list of items to search for before the trip begins. Your list can include such things as cows, particular types of cars, churches, road signs and other items you are likely to see on a road trip. As they spot these things, children can mark them off on their lists.

• KidsHealth: Road Trip Boredom Busters
• Columbus Parent: How to Keep Kids Busy During Travel

Working at a humane society allowed Jill Leviticus to combine her business management experience with her love of animals. Leviticus has a journalism degree from Lock Haven University, has written for Nonprofit Management Report, Volunteer Management Report and Healthy Pet, and has worked in the healthcare field.

Driving anxiety is an unreasonable fear of driving. It is usually due to the fear of losing control on the road. It comes in different levels. Some people may refuse to drive while others can develop phobia altogether.

Driving anxiety, however, leads to no long-term illness. Even more, is behavior that is learned hence can easily be unlearned. Here are some basic facts about driving related phobia and nine steps on how to overcome this life-crippling anxiety while driving.

Causes Of Driving Anxiety

Experience:

if you were involved in a car accident, witnessed one, or experienced a “close call,” you may have fear of driving due to post-traumatic stress disorder. It is usually because your subconscious mind is being protective.

Low blood sugar:

Anxiety is one of the signs of a hypoglycemic reaction. However, if the panic attack happens when you are driving, you may wrongfully associate the anxiety with driving itself. The causes of low blood sugar are starvation or eating a meal that is high in simple sugars. It is also common among people with a history of hypoglycemia or diabetes.

Avoidance:

You heighten your panic attack issues with you choose to avoid driving altogether. The more you opt not to drive the harder it becomes to drive. Finally, it develops into a full-blown driving phobia.

Symptoms Of Driving Anxiety

The following are signs that you may experience anxiety while driving;

• Increased heart palpitation
• Sweaty palms
• Confusion
• Dizziness and shortness of breath
• Dry mouth, although not always, can also be a sign of driving related anxiety
• In case of a phobia, someone may feel like they are going to run insane or die.

Whatever anxiety symptoms you have, one thing is clear – you can overcome driving anxiety or avoid panic attacks in one of these 9 simple steps below:

9 Steps In Overcoming Driving Anxiety

The following steps you can take while you are behind the wheels to help relieve your panic attack,

Eat well:

Food is good for your mood as well as controlling your sugar levels. Foods rich in simple sugars such as soft drinks, white bread, and pastries are most likely to driving trigger anxiety or panic attacks so avoid when you plan to drive. Drinking the previous night also causes sugar imbalances in your system.

Minimize coffee intake:

Coffee is known to trigger anxiety or panic attacks. Cut down on your consumption or stop it all altogether.

Positive affirmations:

Instead of thinking of you anxious about tomorrow’s drive, tell yourself you can handle it. Always get rid of the fear & scary thoughts in your mind with positive self-talk.

Desensitization:

If you cannot even bring yourself to drive, start with exposure therapy such as sitting in a parked car. From here, you can sit in the car with the engine running, and then do little driving stunts such as parking the car and driving on the back road. With such incremental exposure, soon enough you’ll gain enough confidence while behind the wheel and overcome driving anxiety. A driving instructor or family member may be of much help. Others may also find virtual reality exposure therapy as the best place to start to over this anxiety or panic disorder.

Face it:

It becomes impossible to overcome fear until you choose to face it. Accept you have driving anxiety but decide not to let it deter you from taking the wheels. If you can garner the courage to drive, do not stop driving. Avoiding driving only confirms your fears and strengthens them. So do not stop.

Avoid anxious situations when driving:

The last place to be when trying to solve your driving anxiety or panic attack problem is a troubling environment or anything that can distract your driving. Make sure your vehicle meets minimum safety driving standards. Avoid freeway driving, check the blind spots, and signal when turning or changing lanes. These things help in reducing anxiety. Do not put yourself in situations that may make you a victim of road rage as this will only increase your problem.

Drive safe areas:

Try driving in secure areas such as an empty parking lot, around the house, or on roads that have less traffic. It will overcome your fear. The more you drive around, the easier you will find to cope with the anxiety. As the tension subsidizes, you will start noticing that driving is boring. This is a sign you have improved.

Control your emotions:

You need to be able to control your feelings when you get anxious. Learn to calm down when you feel you have gripped the wheel too hard or is shaking. Staying calm, though a piece of fairly simple advice, is one of the effective relaxation techniques for dealing with driving anxiety and can also improve your reaction to driving emergencies. Brush off dangerous thoughts with positive affirmations. Pay attention to all signs of your anxiety and handle them until you are relaxed.

Seek help:

Overcoming driving anxiety or fear by yourself can be impossible especially if your anxiety has developed into a driving phobia. In such extreme cases, the help of other people especially a mental health provider is necessary. The mental health therapist will recognize the cause of your fear and develop a program that suits you.

Doctors may prescribe drugs to help you. Ensure you understand the side effects of these drugs and their use as some can be addictive while others can react dangerously with some food types or prescription drugs.

Anxiety should not Bar you From Enjoying this Luxury

Stressing situations always cause anxiety disorder, and driving can be very stressful. However, above steps will help you overcome your driving anxiety and regain your independence behind the wheel.

Katie Dillon is La Jolla Mom and has been keeping her daughter entertained on trips since she was 4 weeks old.

Katie Dillon is La Jolla Mom and has been keeping her daughter entertained on trips since she was 4 weeks old.

Patience on road trips or running errands can run thin on parents and passenger kids. One way to curb fuss is by keeping those in the backseat entertained for as long as possible. Here are some ideas for road trip activities for kids that span beyond the tablet and smartphone.

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Boogie Board Jot LCD Writing Tablet

The cool thing about LCD writing tablets is that they totally erase with the touch of a button. We’ve always been fans of the Boogie Board, but its newest version finally has what was lacking previously — a built-in stylus holder.

Kids can draw, make lists, use the tablet as a homework helper and play games like hangman or tic-tac-toe as road trip activities. It’s light enough to slide into a purse or backpack. I’d recommend that you also buy its sleeve for safekeeping.

Skip Hop Style Driven Activity Tray

Activity trays are must-haves as kids get older and are coloring, drawing, and playing in the car.

This one by Skip Hop has a pocket on the side for crayons and rounded edges for safety. The whole thing can be wiped down.

License Plate Game

Kids can play the license plate game even when driving around town. Melissa & Doug’s version can be kept in the car perhaps for kids to complete throughout the normal course of driving or for a road trip activity.

Wikki Stix Lil’ Traveler Playset

A pack of Wikki Stix alone can be good for hours of fun but this kit comes with sheets for tic-tac-toe, road trip bingo and more. These bendable sticks are super fun for kids and also don’t leave a residue.

Games on the Go

This little set of cards (5×6″) can make downtime fun for the whole family. It’s full of word games, trivia, memory exercises, and more. You could even attach it to a backpack or some activity trays.

Kids’ Audio Books

Children’s audiobooks are a fantastic road trip activity. Kids’ Bible stories, nursery rhymes, and even Harry Potter books are all available in audiobook form. You can even try them out first to see how the kids like them with a free Audible trial.

Kidz Bop

When lyrics on the radio aren’t yet suitable for kids, but they’re desperate to hear the latest Top 40 song, this is where Kidz Bop comes in. These are CDs that transform the lyrics of current songs into G-rated ones that are also sung by kids. Truthfully, these CDs are more enjoyable for adults than you might think.

You can also subscribe to the Kidz Bop channel on Sirius XM radio.

Kid-Safe Headphones

Maybe you’re not in the mood to hear Kidz Bop or an audiobook. This is where keeping kid-safe headphones in the car will help let them enjoy favorite road trip activities while you play your own tunes on the radio.

Good headphones also prevent kids from becoming frustrated by your music interfering with whatever they’d like to listen to. Many, many professional quality review sites like Wirecutter recommend Puro headphones as the best on the market for protecting young ears.

Backseat Cooler and Organizer

No matter the age, a hungry kid can wreck your ability to run errands or a road trip. Pack a stash of snacks and water that can sustain them when things take a bit longer than usual or in case of emergency.

Truthfully, I know adults who would enjoy this kind of backseat setup complete with a cooler.

DIY Solutions

A car lap desk can actually be something as simple as a cookie sheet pan if you think the kids can hold onto it. Most of them are magnetic (look for ones without Teflon), so why not stick some alphabet letters or other favorite magnets on it?

I also do know people who turn their cookie sheets into chalkboards using spray paint or chalkboard inserts. You can then let the kids have at it withchalk dustless washable chalk (if you think they can keep the chalk on the pan, that is).

Be sure to also have a look at my popular list of best travel games and long list of knock-knock jokes for kids. What road trip activities do your kids like in the car?

Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).

Are you heading away somewhere for a getaway? Are you anticipating a long car trip, or have kids who won’t stop asking “are we there yet?” To lessen the boredom, and keep your kids (or yourself) occupied, try one of these car ride games to keep you entertained on your journey.

Find ways to entertain yourself and your family or friends on your next car ride.

The Alphabet Game

Objective: Find all the letters of the Alphabet on signs or places seen while traveling in the car, in order

How to play: This game is for two or more players. You must start at the beginning of the alphabet, and find letters of the alphabet on things you see while on your trip. You can use signs, buildings, or anything besides a license plate. When you see a letter, you must call it out with alliteration, i.e. “A as in Apple!” The first person to make it to “z” by the end of the car ride wins.

The Geography Game

Objective: To be the last person to name a place anywhere in the world

How to play: One person starts off by naming any city, country, state, or province, anywhere in the world. The next person has to think of a place that starts with the last letter of the previous place. For example, the first person starts off by saying “Arkansas” and the next person says “Shanghai” and the third person says “Ireland” and so on. There are no duplicates allowed, and every place named has to be a real place. Play continues on until everyone is stumped, or the car ride is over.

Try one of these games for your next boring car ride.

While You Were Sleeping

Objective: To convince someone to believe your lies

How to play: For this game, someone first has to fall asleep. Much like the first person to fall asleep at the sleepover party gets things drawn on them, this game too capitalizes on one’s exhaustion. When the person falls asleep, the rest of the car comes up with an outrageous story of something that happened while the person was sleeping. If you’d like to keep score, you can assign each member a portion of the story and award points based on how believable each individual storyteller is. Mostly though, the fun lies in getting your friend or family member to believe your lies.

The License Plate Game

Objective: To spot the most states

How to play: This ages-old car trip game is pretty easy. You try to spot the most out of state license plates seen while on your trip. You can keep score by writing a list and

tallying at the end how many states each player saw first.

The Sign Game

Objective: To get some laughs

How to play: All you need is a fertile imagination and some pen and paper. You create signs for the cars that pass you on the road and see if you can get any reactions. For example “I’m naked from the waist down” on a sign will get you some pretty funny looks. Depending on the actual sign subject, this game may be more suitable for adults. And as a safety precaution, make sure to never hold up signs to drivers, only to other passengers.

Punch Buggy

Objective: To be the first person to spot a buggy (aka a Volkswagen Beetle)

How to play: The first person to see a buggy while on the road yells out the color of the vehicle and punch buggy, as in “green punch buggy, no punch backs!” They then get to punch everyone in the car, without being in danger of getting hit themselves. This game may be best avoided if the car has some overzealous punchers.

Padiddle

Objective: To be the first person to see a car with one headlight out

How to play: Keep your eyes on the road and scan all around the vehicle while on the car ride. You want to be the first person to spot a car with only one headlight. Once you spot it, you need to simultaneously touch the roof and yell out “padiddle.” Each of these actions awards you one point each, so if you don’t complete them both, you only get one point for the activity completed. The game continues until you reach a pre-determined score.

Twenty Questions

Objective: To guess the subject the person designated “it” has come up with

How to play: One person is selected to be “it.” They then have to think of a noun (aka a person, place or thing) that the other players try to guess.The other players only have 20 questions before they have to guess the secret subject. The questions can only be yes or no questions, and no repeat questions are allowed. If you guess correctly, you win, and then you are the next person to be “it.”

These are just a few classic selections from the time before cell phones (or BC). Maybe you remember playing some of these games as a little kid, or maybe you are trying to teach some car ride games to your own kids. Do you have any other ideas that haven’t graced the list? Let us know on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram at @effective.coverage. Or perhaps you are in need of an insurance policy for your car? We can help you with that, along with any questions or needs you have regarding your insurance. Feel free to contact us anytime at (800)892-4308 or click to get covered – whether you need renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!

Effective Coverage offers the nation’s only completely mobile platform to quote and purchase renters insurance right from your phone or tablet in just one minute. Get an online renters insurance quote today and protect your family.

Driving in large metropolitan areas presents a unique set of challenges. For drivers who are not used to the busy streets and slower pace of city driving, the experience can be quite frustrating. Here are several tips that can help make driving on city streets a little easier.

Learn How to Drive in Large Cities

Understand that city drivers encounter traffic jams, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and herds of pedestrians and cyclists on a daily basis. If you are unfamiliar with city driving, it is important to understand that the other motorists surrounding your car might not be as cautious or concerned as you are.

If possible, avoid driving in cities during rush hour. Typically, rush hour traffic is at its peak during the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Try to stay off of metropolitan roadways during these times unless it is absolutely necessary. Rush hour traffic not only increases the time it will take to reach your destination, it will also subject you to a higher chance of an accident, more frustration, and the wrath of city drivers who encounter all of the time.

Stay in the right lane. Whether you are driving on a busy metropolitan expressway or a downtown avenue, staying in the right lane will put you in the company of slower, more cautious drivers.

Watch out for crosswalks. Crosswalks are much more common in metropolitan areas, particularly in city centers. Remember that pedestrians always have the right of way on a cross walk.

Depending on which city you are driving in, you may encounter a large amount of cyclists. Bicycles are a common way for residents of large cities to travel without having to navigate a car on busy streets. Although cyclists are supposed to obey the same traffic laws as drivers, many do not. Keep an eye out for cyclists and always maintain a safe distance from them. Also be aware that many cities have specific bicycle lanes to the far right of their streets. Never steer your vehicle into these lanes for any reason.

Taxis are common obstacles in large cities. In an effort to respond to someone hailing a cab, taxi drivers often make sudden swerves to the edges of roadways. Keep a safe distance from taxis. Watch out for passengers entering and exiting taxis parked on the side of the road.

When stopped at a traffic light, be aware that pedestrians have been given a walk signal and will be hurrying across the street while your light is red. Some pedestrians may be slower than the walk signal or may attempt to cross the street even though the don’t walk signal has been employed. Always look both ways for pedestrians before going after the light has turned green. Never drive around a person walking across the street, even if they are jaywalking.

Many metropolitan roadways have parallel parks on both edges. As a driver, you must take precautions to avoid vehicles being parked and people entering and exiting their parallel parked vehicles.

Remain calm. Large metropolitan areas are notorious for stressful situations that cause road rage. Take your time, pay attention, and employ a passenger as a navigator.

These are American cities with the worst traffic. Check if the city you are traveling to made the list:

Whether you are visiting a large city for a family vacation or must drive to an appointment at a downtown office building, navigating metropolitan roadways requires a heightened sense of awareness and the ability to remain calm enough to focus on the task of driving.

By Becky Mansfield · Published: January 24, 2014 · Last Updated: June 16, 2014 · 18 Comments

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We have taken a lot of trips lately: Disney, Hilton Head Island, etc… and we are driving 6, 10 and 12 hours without access to the internet on our laptop, until now. Now we can connect all of our devises to the internet while we are on the highway!

I figured out how to ‘ Connect laptop to the internet while you are in the car ‘ (I googled this over and over, without any answers, until I finally called Verizon and figured this one out!)

The kids iPods stay connected and my laptop is connected- all at the same time- and all while we are in motion on the highway!

Here is how you do this. (I will be explaining how to do it using your iPhone)

1. First off, it doesn’t cost any extra money, as long as you have a data package that will cover the usage. We upgraded our account to 6 gigabytes before we left for our trips to be sure that we had plenty of data available (if you are streaming movies using Netflix, etc… this will use extra data.) So- we did have to pay $10 more a month for this, but if you have enough data, its free.
2. Upgrade your iPhone. You have to have the latest update that was available in 2013 – to the iOS7 (if you have an iPhone 5 or later, you should already have this). You just have to do this to find your personal hotspot.
   TO UPGRADE:
   I did it by connecting my phone to my computer & then it upgraded on its own. It asked me if I wanted to back it up, but I don’t have too many things on there, so I didn’t do that & everything was still there after the upgrade.
3. Find the personal hotspot. IF YOU DON’T UPGRADE, YOU WONT HAVE THIS OPTION TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET WHILE YOU ARE IN THE CAR:TO find it, go to SETTINGS…

1. Here is my phone homepage:
2. After you get into your settings… Next, you need to go to the one that says “Personal Hotspot” – I highlighted it in pink for you. (mine says 2 connections at the top because right now my laptop is connected using the phone and our son’s iPod is also connected to my phone’s personal hotspot.

3. Next, you will turn your Personal Hotspot to ON. You can also change your Wi-Fi password by clicking on it. (It starts out with a lot of numbers & letters). The directions next (on your phone) will tell you how to connect it.

4. It is relatively easy to connect. You just turn on your laptop or whatever it is that you want to use and click on the network settings & find your iPhone. If you plug your phone into your laptop, it will be even easier.
When it is connected, it will change from the little rainbow signal that you normally get when connected to the internet, to now showing little chain-links. Here is a screenshot from my computer… do you see it? To the left of the volume & battery power icons.
That’s it! Easy, right?

I hope that this was helpful! Now you can work, watch a movie or do whatever you want while traveling! (We even set up our laptop on the arm rests between the middle of the captain seats and our kids watched a Netflix movie. It worked out perfectly!)

Network Drive is a virtual storage device that is mapped to your computer that usually located on a server or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. You can access this mapped network drive using LAN from within a business or home. If you are working in a corporate environment then you may familiar with network share drive, you may have access to the company network drive, to share company-related files. Network Drive is like a hard drive but the data is shared among the LAN Network. In Windows to access any Network Drive first you have to Map a Network drive, mapping a Network Drive means accessing a Particular Shared folder on a network, Sharing folder means that particular folder is accessible by another computer over the network, this can be achieved by FTP protocol.

Sharing can be applied to any folder or drive. If you want to access any files or folders from another computer you can directly enter the network drive location in run command and hit enter. Know more about mapping a network Drive . Accessing Documents and files on a Network Share drive is completely based on network, so if you have a fast connection then you can access or copy the file from the network drive quickly. If you are facing slowness while accessing documents or files on a Network Share drive then this article will guide you to fix slow access to Network drive.

Table of Contents

Fix slow access to Network drive:

If you faced any slowness while accessing files and folders from the network shared drive which mapped to your computer in windows 10, apply the below-mentioned solution one by one.

Check the Network Speed:

As I mentioned above the Network drive speed depends on the network speed, if you are having a slow internet connection then you will feel slowness while accessing Network Drive, There are many ways to check the Network speed, most of them use Google for internet speed test. Check your network speed here .

Using Registry Editor:

Note: Modifying the Registry is risky, and it causes irreversible damage to your OS Installation Follow the steps correctly. Friendly advice Before Modifying Registry Creating Restore Point is recommended.

Open Run command by pressing Windows + R and type Regedit and hit enter this will open the registry editor console.

Now Navigate to the following path

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters

From the left-hand side click on the Parameters registry key, then from the Right-hand side search for DirectoryCacheLifetime DWORD.

If you are not able to find that key then you have to create it, Right-click on the empty area, and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) value. Name the DWORD to DirectoryCacheLifetime.

Double click on DirectoryCacheLifetime and modify the value to 0 and click on OK.

Restart the PC once to make it effective. If you are still facing Slowness then you have to modify the value for the additional two SMB cache values which is mentioned below.

• FileInfoCacheLifetime
• FileNotFoundCacheLifetime

If you are not able to find these DWORDs then you have to create it. Follow the above-mentioned steps to create it and set the Value to Zero 0. Find More about SMB cache Values .

Do you know what a following interval is and how to determine it? If not, you’re in luck ’cause we’re about to drop some following interval knowledge and driving tips.

A following interval (or following distance) is the distance between you and the car in front of you. This defensive driving technique is useful for maintaining a safe following distance when you’re driving behind other cars and for avoiding tailgating. People used to determine proper following distance using the number of car lengths between them as a reference. Now, the best way to make sure you’re not following others too closely is to use the second rule.

Basically, all you do is count the seconds between when the car ahead of you passes something stationary (a road sign, a tree, the guy selling watermelons on the side of the road) and when you pass it. You want to try and hit that second following interval sweet spot of 3 – 5 seconds. If it takes you 3-5 seconds to pass an object after the car ahead of you has passed it, you’re at a safe following distance. You’ll need more space the faster you’re driving, so keep that in mind. If you follow any closer than 3 seconds, you’ll be tailgating the person in front of you, like a big jerk.

You also want to increase your following interval to more than 3 seconds if the weather is bad. In bad weather (rain, snow, etc.), your tires lose traction with the road, so you need to give yourself more distance to stop. Increase the duration of time between passing objects to 5 or 6 seconds so you can feel more confident in your ability to hit the brakes in time. Don’t forget, only jerks are tailgaters. Give the person in front of you plenty of space. Give yourself plenty of space. Space, man.

Once you pass your permit test and start traffic school, you can practice mastering perfect distance following in your driving lessons. Use your best judgment and remember the distance rules. If you’re nervous you might not be able to stop abruptly without hitting the person in front of you- back. it. up.

Make sure to check out the rest of our safe driving videos for more tips to keep you in control on the road!

If you unplug a USB external drive before making sure it’s safe to do so, you’re courting disaster. The sudden, unprepared removal of a storage device can corrupt files. I’ve even heard stories of it bricking flash drives.

Here’s how to remove the drive safely, even when Windows tells you it’s not safe. Try these five steps in order until one of them works.

1: Use Windows’ own tool

Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area, then click your device. Wait until a message pops up. If the message says “Safe to Remove Hardware,” remove the hardware.

But if the message that pops up tells you that “This device is currently in use,” you need to go on to step 2.

2: Make an educated guess

Think about what you’re running and what might be holding on. Did you load a portable program from that drive? If so, make sure it’s closed. Same with any document, photo, or other file on the external drive.

If you opened a document in, say, Microsoft Word, and then closed the document, try closing Word. Sometimes an application can hold onto a file even after you closed it. You shouldn’t have to close Windows/File Explorer to remove external storage, but sometimes it helps.

You can also open Task Manager (right-click the taskbar and select Start Task Manager) and examine both the Applications and Processes tab to see if anything is hanging on.

3: Use a third-party utility

I tested a number of free programs that are supposed to help with this problem. None of them did. So I’m going to recommend USB Safely Remove, even though its $20 pricetag (after a 30-day free trial) seems a bit steep.

Once installed, it replaces Windows’ own Remove Hardware tool and behaves very much like it.

But when it can’t safely remove the drive, it tells you what program is causing the problem, and offers to stop the program or even force it to stop.

All of which brings up another issue: Why doesn’t Windows’ own tool offer this capability. I don’t have an answer.

I strongly suspect that if you buy USB Safely Remove, you’ll never have go to step 4 or 5. But if you don’t want to spend the money…

4: Log off and on

Logging off your account will close every file and program you’ve opened, including whatever is holding on to the external drive. But it’s annoying and time consuming. You’ll have to save and close all of your open files.

And after you log back on, you’ll have to open everything up again.

Besides, it might not work. If another user account is running on that machine, it just might be holding onto something on the external drive.

So you may have to go to the one trick that always works:

5: Shut down the PC

This is every bit as much a hassle as logging off and on, and takes even more time. But it will work; no question about it.

Just shut down PC, remove the external drive, then boot your computer. Hopefully, you’ll find another solution before this one.

Turning right can be challenging for a learner driver due to hesitation and not being confident or fully understanding when they should wait or go.

The driving test will of course involve many right turns on quiet residential or country roads, up to high speed national speed limit roads. Understanding the correct routine, rules for making right turns, the correct position and when to give way to oncoming traffic is essential.

This tutorial explains this along with any right turn road signs that may be encountered.

Locating a right turn

As with left turns, locating the right turn at the earliest opportunity will give you plenty of to prepare and take appropriate observations. Check for right turn road signs, but some turns can be difficult to see.
To help, look for gaps in houses, bushes/trees or parked cars that may indicate the right turn is ahead.

Right turn rules for the driving test

There will be many right turns that you will be taking during the driving test. Each of these, you will be expected to use the MSPSL (Mirror, Signal, Position, Speed and Look) routine. Starting at the bottom of the diagram, we shall follow the correct rules for making a right turn during a driving test.

How to make a right turn

Mirror

Upon locating where the right turn ahead is, look into the interior mirror, followed by the right wing mirror.

Signal

Signal to the right immediately after the mirrors.

Position

Position your car just to the left of the centre of the road. If there is a centre road marking, ensure you do not position your car on or over the line.

Speed

Speed is dependent on whether you need to stop and give way to oncoming traffic and how clear (open or closed/blind) the right turn you wish to take is. If you do not need to give way and the right turn is open, usually taking the turn in 2nd gear at around 10-15 mph is sufficient. If the right turn is closed, and difficult to navigate, 1st gear at around 5 mph may be appropriate.

You must look to determine if the right turn is open or closed and also to ensure the junction is free from cyclists and pedestrians before making the turn. If there are pedestrians or cyclists crossing, wait at the point of turn position before turning.

FOR A MORE IN DEPTH LOOK INTO THE THIS ROUTINE, SEE:

Turning right point of turn

Line the very front of your car up with the centre line of the road you intend on taking. The point of turn will eliminate making the turn too soon. Taking the right turn too soon will result in cutting the corner and driving on the wrong side of the new road. This will fail a driving test and is dangerous for oncoming vehicles coming out of the right turn. The point of turn will also eliminate the potential of taking the turn too late and possibly hitting the kerb or even mounting the pavement, both of which is likely to fail the driving test in this situation.

Give way to oncoming traffic

If you need to give way to oncoming traffic, ensure you stop at the point of turn. It can be difficult for a learner driver to know when to make the turn safely when confronted with oncoming traffic. As a guide, think of yourself as a pedestrian standing in the road exactly where you are sitting at the point of turn. When, as a pedestrian you feel it is safe to walk to the other side of the road to the right, would be a good indication that it is safe to make the turn in your car. This technique is only applicable to residential and city roads that have a speed limit of 30 mph.

Right turn hazards

Turning right may of course involve giving way to oncoming traffic, but in many respects it can be easier than turning left. Your view of the road you intend to take is much clearer when making right turns and therefore spotting hazards is easier.

Be careful of hazards whilst turning right

Hazards to be aware of are pedestrians crossing the road at the junction lines and cyclists that can often be difficult to see. Also look out for narrow roads that may have cars parked close to the junction line as you may need to give way soon after you have made the right turn.

Making a right turn tips

• Try to locate the turn as soon as possible by use of signs, road markings or gaps in trees and houses.
• Use the MSPSL routine on the driving test.
• Stop at the point if turn to eliminate driving on the wrong side of the road or hitting the kerb.
• Check for hazards such as pedestrians crossing the road, cyclists or parked cars before making the turn.

Right turn signs

Whilst driving, especially during a driving test, locating a right turn in plenty of time will provide you with more time to prepare. The examiner may possibly ask you to take the next available road on the right. Be careful as the next junction on the right may be no entry and will have a sign similar to the no right turn sign below. Obviously making a right turn in this situation is illegal and would fail any driving test. Examiner aren’t trying to trick you into making a mistake, they simply want to ensure you are taking notice of all road signs.

Right turn junction ahead warning sign No right turn ahead sign

It’s never too late to find confidence behind the wheel

by Jessica Press, AARP, April 10, 2019

Alamy Stock Photo

En español | At some point in their lives, up to 12.5 percent of Americans suffer from a phobia — an irrational fear that interferes with their lifestyle — according to the National Institute of Mental Health. One kind of fear that can seriously limit mobility is a driving phobia, which experts say can come in the form of a fear of bridges, tunnels, freeways or intersections, or just from being behind the wheel in general.

Michael Valentine, a counselor in New Rochelle, N.Y., and the creator of the Anxiety Path blog, helps clients with phobias, anxiety and other mental health issues. He says his compassion for his patients comes from having a serious phobia himself: For years Valentine suffered from bridge phobia, a condition that kept him essentially landlocked — restricted in where he could attend college, find employment and travel. He suffered panic attacks, a sensation he describes as an overwhelming sense of fear coupled with a rapid heartbeat and the loss of sensation in his hands and feet, until he started working with a therapist who helped him overcome his phobia.

“People suffer so much and I know it, I experienced it,” Valentine says. “We have to reach those people and we have to let them know they’re not alone [and] that there is help.”

Older Americans who have found ways around their fears — a partner who drives, staying close to home, an on-demand car service — can find their phobia resurfacing later in life when, say, grandchildren move farther away or a companion can no longer be the designated driver.

Some nervousness about driving can be legitimate, especially as our skills decline with age. That’s why it’s imperative to discuss your driving concerns with your physician, who can refer you to a driving evaluation, occupational therapy or additional resources.

Take the AARP Smart Driver course online or find a course near you

But if your fear isn’t based on any physical issues or cognitive impairment, you can likely overcome it — with work. “The wonderful thing about phobias is that patients really respond very well to treatment,” says Patricia Marino, a psychologist at the Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian. The most effective treatment is exposure: quite literally, facing your fear (see tips below).

Many therapists are happy to get in the car with patients, to help them on the spot; some communities will send a police escort to accompany fearful drivers through a challenging situation such as a bridge or tunnel.

Edmund J. Bourne, a psychologist in California and Florida and the author of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, has advice for anyone hoping to overcome a driving phobia:

Expect it to be hard

“I always tell my clients that exposure is like taking on a job — it’s not a recreational activity,” Bourne says. “You need to be willing to tolerate some discomfort, which is likely to come up.” That said, you can minimize the stress of the process by taking it slow.

Take baby steps

It’s a misconception to assume that diving right in, or “flooding,” as it’s called in therapy, is the most effective way to overcome a phobia. Instead, experts recommend approaching your fear in hierarchical steps. “It’s important to break the phobia down into a series of incremental steps of exposure, to minimize the initial anxiety a person feels when they’re first taking on something they may have been avoiding for a long time,” Bourne says. Whatever your phobia, start by simply writing down your hierarchy — an exercise that he calls “the heart of the procedure for doing exposures.” Maybe your first step is sitting in a car without even turning it on, before progressing to turning the key, driving down the block and so on. For a fear of bridges, your first step could be as simple as looking at pictures of bridges online.

What is parallel parking?

Parallel parking is a technique of parking parallel to the road, in line with other parked vehicles and facing in the same direction as traffic on that side of the road. To do this, you pull up parallel to the vehicle in front of the parking space and slowly back up into the parking space.

Try this interactive parallel parking simulator below: click #1 in the image.

Congratulations!

You are now a parallel park master.

Steps to Parallel Parking

Many drivers go to great lengths to avoid having to parallel park. While parallel parking is a little tricky and takes some practice to master, there is no reason to be nervous about this driving skill. Depending on where you live, you may be required to demonstrate your ability to do parallel parking during your driver license examination. Practice your skills before your road test or before you are required to parallel park on a busy roadway. Place two plastic cones or other objects approximately fifteen feet apart to simulate the standard size of this type of parking space. Use the following directions as a guide for practicing parallel parking for the first time.

You’re reading one of our “Beginner Driver’s Guide” articles. Need to practice for your upcoming exam? Take our free sample driving test – no registration required! ✨

Note: If you are practicing in a simulated parking space or an empty parking lot, assume that you are maneuvering around two other cars.

Passing your driving test shouldn’t be hard

Be fully prepared in days, not weeks with Premium.

How To Parallel Park Properly:

Follow these steps to proper parallel parking

Position your car

Slowly steer your car so that it is parallel to the car parked in front of the empty space. Your car should be 2-3 feet from the side of the parked car.

Check your mirrors

Check your rear-view mirror, as well as your left and right side mirrors for other traffic. Once you are certain that there are no other vehicles in your blind spot, shift your car into reverse.

Start backing up

Slowly begin to reverse your vehicle along the side of the parked car. Begin to turn your steering wheel to the right.

Straighten the steering wheel

As your car moves into the empty parallel parking spot, slowly straighten your steering wheel as you continue to move backwards towards the parked car at the other end of the parking space. As you are maneuvering your vehicle, continuously check all mirrors and through your windows and front windshield to ensure you are not in danger of hitting either of the vehicles bordering the parallel parking space.

Begin turning your steering wheel to the left

Once the front of your vehicle has passed the back bumper of the vehicle in the parking spot in front of you, begin to turn your steering wheel to the left.

Check how close you are

Continuing to inch backwards in reverse and while beginning to straighten your steering wheel, look into your rear view mirror to see how close your vehicle is to the car in the parallel parking spot behind you.

Adjust your position

Once you have your vehicle straight and as close to the curb as possible, you may need to shift into forward to position your car so that there is an equal amount of space in front and behind your vehicle.

Don’t forget to pay before you leave

Many parallel parking spaces are assigned a parking meter. This is particularly true in major metropolitan areas. Make sure that you remember to feed coins into your parking meter after you parallel park your car.

Put the car into reverse

To exit a parallel park, first put your car into reverse and back towards the car behind you. Back as close as you reasonably can without putting yourself in danger of hitting the other vehicle.

Turn your steering wheel to the left

Next, turn your steering wheel to the left and shift your car into forward. Check for traffic in the lane you are about to enter. Making sure that you are not too close to the back bumper of the vehicle parked in front of you, slowly drive out of the parallel park.

The ability to perform parallel parking is an extremely useful driving skill.

Being confident in your ability to parallel park with ease will save you from having to search for a regular parking space in which to place your vehicle. With a few tries, you should be able to get the feel of parallel parking and impress your driving instructor.

We still get quite a few questions about when and how to optimize storage devices. Easy answer: The care and feeding of storage devices is either taken care of automatically by Windows, or it’s simply unnecessary. Mostly.

[Have a tech question? Send your query to [email protected].]

Defragging

Defragging hard drives (not SSDs) has been of limited benefit since Microsoft switched to the NTFS file system. Why? Because to a large extent, NTFS is self-optimizing. Add Windows’ various tricks such as pre-fetch, better ordering of files, and hard-wiring important files to set locations, and there’s rarely any noticeable degradation in hard drive performance even after years of use.

That said, many external drives come formatted to FAT16, FAT32, or exFAT. These might benefit from optimization after a lengthy period of heavy use. Whether the time you save during normal use after the fact adds up to the time you spend optimizing the hard drive, or the additional wear and tear on the drive are worth it, are debatable.

Back in the days of FAT, DOS, and slow 80MB hard drives, there was a noticeable uptick in performance after a defrag. Now, not so much. Additionally, the last few iterations of Windows automatically take care of what little defragging or optimization is required. We suggest you leave it alone.

Should you not take our advice, there’s major caveat—NEVER defrag an SSD. SSDs work in an entirely different manner from hard drives; spreading data over multiple channels to multiple chips. Attempts to defrag do nothing but use up precious write cycles (sometimes as few as 1,000), prematurely aging the SSD.

Checking for errors

Microsoft is telling the truth, if there’s hardly ever any need to check for errors anymore. And most of the time it’s external media that may have been removed before writes were finished.

The Scan drive command and CHKDSK (the command-line variant) are another matter. They are very useful after system crashes, blue screens of death, and the like. So much so, that Windows generally lets you know when you need to do it. You can scan or Chkdsk an SSD (right-click a drive letter, then select Drive Properties > Tools > Check), so long as you don’t scan sectors, which again, due to the way SSDs operate—is nothing but a waste of time and write cycles.

Running CMD as administrator, CHKDSK is still a handy way to check drives after a power failure. You can do the same thing under Drive Properties.

Note: If you run CMD/CHKDSK and you get a permissions error, you’ll need to run CMD as Administrator. Type CMD into the search Windows field, then right-click on Command Prompt to reveal that option.

Optimize and TRIM

Windows uses Optimizing as a catch-all phrase to cover both defragging hard drives and trimming SSDs. The Optimize console is available by right-clicking a drive letter in Windows Explorer, then selecting Properties > Tools > Optimize. With hard drives, Optimize will do a minor defrag or file system check; with SSDs it forces the TRIM command.

Windows automatically takes care of optimizing both hard drives and SSDs for the most part.

Sending a TRIM command to an SSD simply tells it that it’s time to clean house. Normally, you’ll only find the command by that name in the utilities that accompany SSDs, such as Samsung’s Magician shown below. Trimming erases cells and blocks of NAND that no longer contain data, and consolidates data into fewer locations.

Because these operations take an eternity in computer terms (anywhere from a couple of seconds to a minute), they are often deferred until the drive isn’t busy. Or in many cases, until explicitly invoked via the TRIM command. Forcing TRIM can restore most of your SSD’s missing performance, but if you want all of it…

Secure Erase

For hard drives, secure erase is simply a way to erase all the data in a largely unrecoverable manner. That is, not just deleting and creating a new partition, or reformatting but overwriting previous data. It can take a very long time.

For an SSD, a secure erase deletes all the data, but also zeroes the lookup tables and takes the drive back to its virgin, out-of-the-box performance. Or at least as close to it as you’ll ever get. We never seem to get quite the same numbers after testing and a secure erase, but we get much closer than after a simple TRIM.

Samsung’s Magician software and its secure erase feature. This erases all data on the drive, but can bring back the drive’s out-of-box performance. Or almost.

SSDs are generally so fast that you should do a secure erase only if the drive has been operating close to full capacity for quite a while, or you’re noticing a significant degradation in performance, which is rare these days.

You’ll will want to perform a secure erase before you give away or sell the drive to make sure the data is recoverable only by the most prohibitively expensive forensic methods.

Final advice

For most users, the Windows Optimize console set to auto-pilot is all that’s needed. However, for advanced users, manual TRIM on SSDs and defragging a hard drive can occasionally be useful. Just be sparing, and in the case of secure erase, make sure you have a recent backup.

Parallel parking can be frightening for any driver. You are oftentimes forced to park in a tight parking spot in-between two cars. Your goal is not to hit any of the vehicles around you while not parking too close to the road, curb or any cars. Also, you may be trying to parallel park in a busy street, which can trigger anxiety.

With all these different factors at play, parking parallel can be difficult. However, there are parallel parking rules and a specific process that will help you understand how to parallel park . Additionally, there are 34 states that have a DMV parallel parking section in the driving test , so knowing how to parallel park perfectly is crucial. Learn about the process, tips and places where you can and cannot park below.

The Process of Parallel Parking

Trying to learn how to parallel park can be tough. It is something that many drivers are not forced to do on a daily basis. Also, it is a parking method that is difficult to learn because of all the specific steps that must be followed.

If you are preparing to take your driving exam or just want to improve your parking, the parallel parking guide below will help you. If you follow each step, you will learn the easiest way to parallel park .

Find a Parking Spot

Find a parking spot where you can safely park in without damaging your vehicle. The parallel parking measurements are something to consider.

You want to find a space that is approximately nine feet long and 20 feet wide. Also, make sure the location that you find is a legal parking area and not a tow-away zone.

Check Your Mirrors

The second step in the parallel parking instructions is to check your rear-view, left and right side mirrors for traffic as you approach the parking spot.

You want to ensure that there is no vehicle immediately behind you. As you begin to approach the parking space, slowly brake and use your turning signal.

By doing so, you are letting drivers know that you are trying to park. If another vehicle comes up behind you and is not going around you, let them know that you are parking.

Position Your Vehicle

You want to position your car with the vehicle that is parked in front of the spot you want to park in. The best way to parallel park is by aligning your bumper with that adjacent vehicle’s bumper.

Make sure that you do not get too close or far from the automobile. You want to be two feet away from the car. This will allow you to have enough room to back into the parking spot without scraping the other vehicle.

Put Your Car in Reverse

Make sure that there is no traffic, bike or pedestrian behind you before parallel parking . Once you see the road is clear, put your vehicle in reverse.

Look over your shoulder towards the space and slowly begin to reverse into the parallel parking space . Once you see your back seat is aligned with the front car’s bumper, turn your steering wheel quickly towards the parking space.

You want to slowly continue to reverse until your car is at a 45-degree angle entering the spot.

When your tire is near the curb, you must turn your steering wheel back towards the road and slowly move backwards. You want to continue driving in reverse until you are close to the vehicle parked behind you.

Move Forward and Center the Vehicle

Put your car in drive and align yourself in-between both vehicles. Once your vehicle is straight and you are in the parking spot, make sure your parallel parking distance from the curb is no more than one foot.

You do not want to be far from the curb, as that increase the chances of a passing vehicle scraping the side of your car.

How to Exit a Parallel Parking Space

Now that you know the steps to parallel parking , it is just as important to know how to exit the parking space. You cannot just turn and drive out of the parking spot. There is a guide that you must follow to leave as well.

Put Your Car in Reverse

When you are ready leave, it is important to make sure there are no pedestrians behind your vehicle. Once your surroundings are clear, put your car in reverse and get as close to the car behind you as possible without hitting it.

Put Your Car in Drive

You now have to turn your steering wheel all the way to the left. Before driving off, you must put your turning signal on. This will indicate to other drivers that you are leaving the parking spot. Once there is no traffic or pedestrians in the area, make sure you have enough room from the car in front of you and drive out of the parallel parking space .

Where to Practice Parallel Parking

Now that you are familiar with the parallel parking guide , you are probably wondering where to practice parallel parking . If you are looking to practice parking parallel for the first time, you can train on your driveway.

You do not want to practice parking in between two cars right away because of the possibility of an accident. Instead, place two cones 20 feet away from each other and start practicing.

Once you are comfortable enough, you can begin to park in between vehicles. Also, you can train in an empty parking lot or any area that will allow you to place cones. Furthermore, it is important to avoid practicing in a location with heavy traffic.

Where You Cannot Parallel Park

You are not able to parallel park anywhere you would like. Just because you see an open space on the side of the road does not mean you can park there. You cannot park:

• Near a fire hydrant.
• Within 30 feet of a stop sign.
• In a train or bus lane.
• Where curbs are marked red.
• On a crosswalk or bike path.
• On private property
• On another person’s driveway without consent.

If you find a parallel parking spot that is not in any of the locations listed above, you can probably park there. Just make sure to follow this parallel parking guide .

Wondering how you’re going to keep the kids entertained on the next family road trip? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together a list of the best road trip games for kids that will make the next car adventure seem like a breeze.

View Table of Contents

So, if you’re having a hard time thinking up ways to pass the time, keep reading. We’ve done the research and compiled a list of fun road trip games to play with the kids.

You can also check out our guide to planning the ultimate road trip for more fun things to do in the car. See our suggestions below!

22 Best Games to Play in the Car

1. Name the Artist

The first person to name the artist or group when a song comes on the radio gets a point. Keep playing until you reach your destination and whoever has the most points at arrival, wins. Need a great playlist? Check out our dance party tracks on Spotify here.

2. The License Plate Game

The goal is to spot as many license plates from different states as you can. Whoever sees a plate first and calls it gets to color it in on their map. The person with the most states colored in at the end, wins.

3. The Grocery Game

Choose your first player and ask them to think of an item you can purchase at the grocery store. Everyone else in the car takes turns guessing what it might be by asking a question. Is it something you would find in the frozen food aisle, perhaps? No? Guess again!

4. What Color is It?

Have the adults in the family list a bunch of things that are the same color. For example, they may say “fire engines, apples, stop signs…” They should keep going until the kids yell out, “Red!” Remember, road trips are long. The more items you list, the better!

5. Alphabet Game

Keep an eye out for road signs! The objective here is to find a word on each sign you pass that begins with each letter of the alphabet, starting from the beginning (“A” for Arby’s, and so on). Call them out as you drive by. First one who gets to Z, wins!

6. Road Trip Scavenger Hunt

Print out our Scavenger Hunt game card, one per player. First one to complete their card wins.

7. Punch Buggy

An ol’ fashion road trip favorite! See who can spot the most punch buggies, also known as the Volkswagen Beetle, on the road! When you see one, shout it out and include the color of the car (Yellow punch buggy!). Those kinds of sightings are worth one point.

Classic bugs are worth 2, and vans worth 5. Rare models, such as “Herby the Love Bug” are worth a whopping ten! Whoever has the most points by the time you reach your destination wins. Remember, the game doesn’t end until the car is parked!

8. I Spy

Because this one is already so well known, it won’t take a lot of instruction to learn how to play. The first person selects something either on the road or in the car without revealing what it is to the rest of the players in the car. Then they must repeat the phrase, “I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter …” as it relates to the answer.

The other passengers then try to guess what it might be. While it’s not the most complex car game out there, it is a great way to help young kids develop their spelling and grammar skills, particularly those who are still getting familiar with the alphabet.

9. 20 Questions

We’ll admit that when driving through long stretches of rural area, “I Spy” might not be the best choice to entertain the kids with. 20 Questions, on the other hand, offers endless opportunities for road trip entertainment and is a great choice for games for long car rides.

Pick out a person, place or thing. Everyone in the car can take turns asking yes-or-no questions about what it is, or who it is, you may be thinking of. No two people should ask the same question, and no one can answer more than 20 questions.

Whoever guesses the mystery object first goes next!

10. Triple Threat

Next on the list of road trip games to play on car rides is the Triple Threat. Here, the adults must choose three nouns, like “plate,” “monkey” and “snow,” for example. The kids have to create a story that includes all three things. Be warned: things will get very silly, very fast.

11. Category ABCs

As far as games for a car ride go, this one is pretty straightforward. Have the first player choose a category and name something that begins with the letter A.

The next person does the same, only their answer should begin with the letter B. The next person is in charge of letter C, and so on. Some examples for the “food” category include Apples, Broccoli, Cookies…

12. Car Color Search

A perfect game for younger kids. Print out one game card per child and let them circle the car colors as they spot them.

Author: Dr. David Thorpe

Truck driver health has always been an issue given the nature of the job. Despite the fact that truck drivers suffer many similar conditions common in the general population (heart disease and diabetes for example), they suffer these conditions more frequently and with greater severity. The question one might ask is why? Many possible causes can be identified from dietary concerns, stress, the physical demands of driving a truck and more. One common issue that leads to a higher incidence of chronic medical problems, common to all types of professional drivers is prolonged sitting.

The effects of prolonged sitting are considerable and most drivers are not aware of how just “sitting” for so long could lead to a number of diseases and other medical problems that can affect their ability to stay healthy and on the road making a living! I know, many people think that sitting for long periods of time is not stressful. That a person, whether they be a truck driver or anyone else who sits all day, could possibly have more problems. The facts and the research however indicate that it is actually very stressful to the human body to sit for prolonged periods of time on a regular basis.

WHAT ARE THE AFFECTS PROLONGED SITTING?

Research has linked sitting for very long periods of time to a number of health concerns and other health related issues. These concerns include obesity, heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. These conditions are very prevalent in the trucking industry, and impact not only the driver’s health, but also their ability to stay on the road. As we are all aware, many of these conditions can lead to delays and disqualifications when a driver goes in for their re-certification exam so that they can stay driving.

Other issues can also develop. Did you know for example, that truck drivers can suffer more frequently from chronic leg pain, varicose veins and swelling in their legs as a result of sitting as much as they do? This is caused by something referred to as venous (veins) congestion or pooling of blood in the legs due to the lack of movement necessary to keep blood moving efficiently from your legs to your heart.

More acute medical problems can also be the result of prolonged sitting also. For example, sitting too long can lead to blood clots forming in your legs. These blood clots, also known as a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), will not only keep a driver out of work for at least two months (the waiting period associated with this condition in the medical guidance), but also they can be life threatening.

How about back pain? Back pain is also very much associated with sitting too much. Numerous studies show that sitting is actually more stressful on a person’s lower back than standing is (about 20% more stressful). As a matter of fact, the greatest reason associated with back pain in truck drivers, does not relate to heavy lifting on the job, but prolonged sitting and one other factor known as whole body vibration (from the truck engine).

WHAT CAN TRUCK DRIVERS DO TO DECREASE THE EFFECTS OF SITTING?

First and foremost make sure what you are sitting in is designed for prolonged use. Custom seats with good shock absorption features can reduce some of the negative effects of sitting, and also significantly decrease whole body vibration that is a contributing factor to so many medical conditions and problems. They can offer varying degrees of support for your back and neck and improve circulation in your legs through various adjustments and other features.

If it’s a company truck there are still many things you can do to improve your seat. Using a low back support cushion or even a rolled up towel positioned to support the lower back can be a big help. A towel or a small pillow placed behind the neck can add support for your neck and upper back. Adjusting the seat height, seat back and distance from the pedals will allow you to conform to the ideal position, and also allow you to change the position a few times a day and provide some variation of the stress points that your body undergoes from sitting too long in one position.

The simplest advice for combating the health risks of prolonged sitting for a driver is to stand up frequently. If it is stopping for lunch or to gas up, spend a minute or two extra, and at least walk around the rig before you get back in. If you have a little more time, do some exercises that help improve circulation, and that are good for back health. Things such as toe ups, stair steps, back bends etc. are some examples.

If you can’t get out of the seat, you might have to become more creative however. Do some neck and shoulder stretches while you driver. Something simple that will allow you to maintain your focus on the road, such has simple head rotations and shoulder shrugs. Also, to decrease the risk of forming blood clots or a DVT in your legs, research has shown that even by taping your feet, such as tapping to music, you will increase circulation in your legs.

Also watch your posture as you drive and avoid leaning into the wheel while driving. Don’t keep a wallet or anything lumpy in a back pocket as it can not only throw your spine out of alignment, but can lead to pressure on the nerves going into your legs (causing sciatica).

Lastly, be sure to stay hydrated! Hydration might not seem related to sedentary lifestyle issues, but it is. To begin with it will help keep you spinal discs more healthy. Additionally, a steady intake of water will help maintain the balance of electrolytes in the human body as well as improve kidney function and counter act some of the other issues of sitting too long.

Whether it’s getting behind the wheel at night, driving in heavy rain, or tackling a busy road you’re not familiar with, driving can be stressful.

If you’re feeling worried about getting in the driving seat, you’re not alone. In fact, a fear of driving is the fifth most common phobia in the UK, according to a survey by Anxiety UK.

Specific triggers can spark panic. Take joining the motorway, for example. Around eight million of us hardly ever drive on the motorway and around 380,000 never do, according to research from the RAC.

However, there are simple steps you can take to help you regain your confidence and reduce your anxiety while driving.

1. Joining motorways

Motorways are safer than many people realise. As they’re well-designed and engineered, they’re much safer than single carriageway A roads.

But many people are fearful of dual carriageways. Simon Williams, spokesperson for the RAC, says: “Those who are loathe to drive on the motorway often find it daunting because of the speed everyone is travelling at, while some believe they are at greater risk of being involved in an accident; and, of course, there are others who simply don’t have the confidence to do so.”

In reality, this kind of driving doesn’t need to be avoided and “with the right instruction and advice, plenty of care and practice, it is possible to overcome motorway confidence issues,” says Simon.

Motorway driving is not required in UK driving tests, but you can now practise in your lessons. There is also the Pass Plus course, which offers motorway driving and may also help with lowering your car insurance costs, although its price is usually around £200.

2. Reverse and parallel parking

Parallel parking is the trickiest of all driving manoeuvres, according to the AA, and it can bring both seasoned and first-time drivers out in a sweat.

If parallel parking or reversing fills you with dread, get out and practise as much as possible. Choose a quiet street or empty car park to start with and try out the manoeuvre as many times as you wish until you’re confident in the basics.

You can then go to a slightly busier area and keep practising, building up your confidence slowly by gradually choosing areas where there are more cars.

3. Busy cities or unknown roads

If you’re driving somewhere for the first time, the fear of getting lost may be very real, especially if it’s busy.

Ian McIntosh, chief executive officer of RED Driving School, advises taking it slow, studying the area beforehand to get an idea of where you’re going, and making sure you keep a map in your car at all times in case your sat nav or smartphone loses signal or battery.

“Give yourself plenty of extra time to get where you need to be so that you can take your time. If it’s estimated it takes an hour to get from A to B, allow 90 mins so you won’t get stressed in heavy traffic,” he adds.

4. Driving at night

Another pinch point for nervous drivers can be driving at night but, the more you practise doing this, the easier it will become.

“A good way to ensure that you feel confident when driving in the dark is to check, before you leave, that all your lights are working, and your windows and mirrors are clean,” Ian advises. “This will maximise your visibility and help you feel more confident on the road,” he adds.

5. Children in the back

If driving with children in the back makes you anxious, then make sure you’re as prepared as you can be and have done all the relevant safety checks.

This includes making sure you have the correct car seat or booster for your child.

With older children, plan activities for them in advance to keep them entertained and to stop them distracting you. There are lots of car games they can play and remember to schedule in regular breaks.

6. Bad weather conditions

Driving in bad weather can be daunting even for the most experienced driver. Ian advises being as prepared as possible before you set out.

He says: “For a lot of people, driving in bad weather, such as rain or snow, fills them with fear.

“To overcome this and to feel more prepared for your drive, before leaving the house de-ice your car and make sure that the engine is warmed up.”

Checking the route you’re taking and looking at the local weather forecasts before you set out will also help you to be more prepared for any eventuality. Also, keep in mind that if the weather gets too severe, you can always pull over and wait for it to clear.

Where can I get extra help?

If your anxiety is preventing you from getting behind the wheel, read more at anxietycare.org.uk/.

There are a number of courses designed to help motorists regain their confidence when driving, which provide refreshers on the basics.

Before you book a course, ask to speak to the instructor and explain your situation, then ask for a quote. This will give you an idea of how the course will work and if it’s right for you. It’s worth checking a few different companies before committing to make sure you’ve picked the one which best suits your needs.

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When people are looking for a role model and feel that they can’t see anyone around, they feel lost and lonely, especially when times are tough and every news headline discusses yet another fallen role model.

The complication, if not the key problem, is that by searching for a role model, we in fact expose ourselves to greater insecurity and problems. To grow more independent by yourself and to be happier with how you are now is ultimately the bigger goal.

Fortunately, there are ways to look a little deeper, both to find people who may inspire you, but also how to find out how you can be your own role model and can be a source of inspiration to yourself and others.

Balance your emotions and well being. When you start to look within, you will start to be able to see your emotions as they come and go. The need for a role model is but one of these same feelings that comes and goes, so you can address the feeling when it arises. The other advantage is seeing the root cause of that feeling, which is a desire for things to be other than they are.

It is a skill to let go of thoughts and feelings, but as the opposite side of sorrow is happiness, the opposite of desire is generosity. Like in a mathematical formula, when you add a positive to a negative they can balance or cancel themselves out. It is a difficult skill to develop to seek this balance actively as it retrains the mind to use more tools whenever unhappiness or dissatisfaction is present and gives you more self-direction. Deceptively often, when we are unhappy we wanted to be unhappy and it is this subtle desire that needs to be balanced to improve well-being. Some examples to consider are:

• Be optimistic when you feel cynical. (One caveat: don’t allow this to be blind hope––be realistic even while chasing your dreams.)
• Practice (or think thoughts related to) appreciation for all that you have achieved, for what you do have and for the people who are already in your life when you feel that you’re unsuccessful.
• Practice goodwill when you’re angry with others, or yourself.
• Practice compassion when you feel crushed under a burden.
• Be creative when things seem dull. This may be to decorate your home, write poetry or a story, cook a meal, gather some flowers from the garden, paint or draw (etc).
• Consider that we grow by leading and we grow by learning from others, so a wise person grows by both leading and following. If we are one-sided, seeking only to be a leader or only to be a follower, we can limit ourselves from great creativity and experiences.
• Consider practicing mindfulness and perhaps even meditating. A mindful approach to life has been shown in scientific studies and throughout the ages to improve your well-being and sense of place in the world.
• Consider turning your moments of silence and solitude into opportunities to develop an interior life, through prayer, reflection and self-study of mystic literature. Reach out to mystic traditions of various faiths. Open up to inner guidance.

Talk to other people, but choose a person who you feel has sufficient insight and understanding. Human interaction is very useful to be able to share ideas, and sometimes it is simply a case of leaving the house or taking tea with colleagues to get some quality talk time into your life. With those persons whom you feel may scorn you or judge you unreasonably, it is wise to be selective about the subjects you discuss in their presence––keep it simple and sweet is the best advice here. Moreover, you do need to ask the question how you know when another person is being reasonable in criticizing your actions. That’s something each person needs to consider on their own as well as with others.

Be conscious of the fact that it’s not easy to tell another person when they’re causing their own problem, so it is only someone who truly cares for you who will tell you honestly when you’re making a mistake. We often reject these people as we feel the need to be independent and not need other’s help, as well as feeling uneasy with the idea that we could make such mistakes. Asking for help is often a huge challenge but it’s part of being a social being.

Counsellors can give support, but if they don’t give you anything you can use to be able to use as a tool to help your own case, then they’re not going to help you resolve your problem. Avoid over-relying on any form of therapy; it is a guidance tool, not a substitute for your own efforts. Ultimately all counsellors try to guide you to a state of understanding that only you can improve your mental well being.

Looking for a new job is filled with constant emotional highs and lows. Battling the fear of the unknown (will you ever find a job?) is enough to make anyone feel frustrated, anxious, and downright bummed.

Job hunting is an intense process that can seriously mess with your mood. For most people, your career is closely linked to your identity, so you may feel like searching for a job is like searching for a piece of yourself—and until that piece is in place, you can feel unsettled and incomplete.

Or you may feel that by being unemployed, you’re letting others down—like your parents, mentor, or significant other—which only exacerbates the roller coaster of emotions you’re on.

And to add to all that, looking for a new job is a constant lesson in dealing with rejection. No matter how many people tell you not to take it personally, rejection stings every time and can take a major toll on your motivation to move forward with your job hunt. You can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with you that’s preventing you from getting hired.

It’s normal to feel additional stress and anxiety during the job search process—but it’s also a difficult cycle to break. So when you’re feeling down about your job search, how can you cope? The good news is there are proven ways to better manage your mood during your job search, so you can rock your interviews and land a new role you love.

1. Create Structure

As humans, we naturally crave order and control, so it’s no wonder why the uncertainty associated with job searching can make us feel uneasy.

Creating a schedule and boundaries for your job search can help add that sense of control to your life, which can sustain your motivation and keep you thinking positively. For example, you might set aside one hour each morning specifically to work on updating your resume or set a goal to attend three networking events per month.

By incorporating structure into your daily job search, you’ll accomplish small wins each day, which helps foster positive feelings of self-efficacy—that is, a sense that you are capable of finding a new job. Knowing that you’re able to accomplish goals you set for yourself can help revive your waning motivation and flip your mindset around.

2. Stay Organized

The more organized you are, the less likely you are to become overwhelmed and fall victim to worst-case scenario or defeatist thinking (e.g., “They’ll take one look at my resume and laugh me out of the room” or “Why bother, I won’t get this job anyway”). So, create step-by-step plans for tackling each piece of the job search like it’s any other work assignment.

For example, for one opportunity, you may need to find contact information for setting up an informational interview and then draft an email to send. For another opportunity, you may have already landed an interview, so your next tasks would be to research the company, organize your notes, and lay out your interview outfit.

Breaking down the job search into smaller, more manageable tasks can help a big, daunting process feel less overwhelming and more within your control. (If you’re looking for a way to keep track of everything, try this job search spreadsheet.)

3. Take a Hiatus

Lining up as many interviews as you can fit into a short period of time may seem like the best strategy to land a role quickly, but when you’re feeling unmotivated and burnt out, it’s important to pace yourself.

In fact, you may even want to take a break from interviewing or job searching altogether. The length of your recovery will vary depending on your individual circumstances, but generally, the more detached and listless you feel, the more time you’ll need to disconnect and recoup. By taking occasional breaks, you’ll give yourself time to do an internal audit of your physical and emotional well-being and replenish your reserves as needed.

Use this time to physically rest and work on other priorities that may be tangential (but still beneficial) to your job search, such as setting up coffee dates (or Zoom calls if you can’t meet in person) to deepen networking connections or investing effort in finding a mentor who can support you when you pick your search back up again. While getting a job is important, keeping yourself healthy in the process is also an essential long-term investment.

4. Seek Out Emotional Support

The job search can stir up challenging emotions, fears, and limiting beliefs that can keep you up at night. If you bottle up those reactions, you’ll perpetuate the production of stress hormones throughout your entire body, which will continue to bring you down.

Instead, take these emotions as a signal to make a change in your behavior or outlook. A great way to do this is to turn to a friend or family member, who can provide a helpful reminder that you are loved, cared for, and a person of tremendous value despite the challenges you’re currently facing.

Simply talking through things with another person can be an effective way of processing messy, challenging emotions. Engaging with a trusted friend, family member, or therapist can also help you uncover limiting beliefs that are holding you back and learn how to turn those around.

5. Know Your Triggers

Ask yourself: What situations make you feel the most bummed out or trigger stress? For example, maybe you’re sent into a tailspin of uncertainty when you don’t hear back right away after an interview. The longer you experience the silence, the less motivation you have to continue your search—and you might even self-sabotage by canceling other interviews.

If you can identify situations or people that trigger your frustration, you can anticipate your reaction and create emotional buffers to help you cope better. For instance, you could ask your interviewer directly when you can expect to hear back—which can lessen the impact of that trigger.

The road to landing a job can seem endless and can take a major toll on your emotional well-being. But just like you wouldn’t go into work if you had the flu, you can’t go through the interview process without caring for your physical, mental, and emotional health. By following these tips, you can weather the storm and expedite your path to employment and happiness.

Melody Wilding is a writer, licensed social worker, and workplace success coach for sensitive high-achievers tired of getting in their own way. Her first book, Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, is available now. For The Muse, she’s covered topics ranging from work relationships to mental health. Her writing has also appeared on Forbes, Business Insider, and Quartz, and her expertise and advice have been featured in The New York Times, The Oprah Magazine, and NBC News. Named one of Business Insider’s “Most Innovative Coaches,” her clients include executives from companies such as Google, Citibank, and IBM. She also teaches human behavior at Hunter College.

“How people treat other people is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves.”

By nature, I am a happy, optimistic, idealistic person. I have always been one to look on the bright side and see the good in people. My usual philosophy in life is that the world is full of brightness, love, and possibilities to seize.

Recently, though, my philosophy began to fade in the face of a mild depression.

I began to cry a lot and retreat into myself rather than being social and opening up, which only furthered the problem. I felt alone, miserable, and, try as I might, I could not regain that feeling of the world being beautiful.

I felt like something had crawled into my brain and flipped all the positive switches off and the negative ones on. I felt hopeless, like it was more of a disease than a feeling.

Before the depression, I was a kind, gentle, and compassionate person. Sometimes I was even too gentle, afraid to bring up anything that might offend someone else or damage our relationship.

I didn’t understand how other people could be mean, rude, or offensive toward strangers or friends. I took it personally when people affronted me or were curt with me, believing they were truly out to get me for something I’d done.

When people were mean, I figured it was a personal choice, that it was a conscious decision to stop caring about other people’s feelings and opinions.

When I became depressed, though, my temper shortened and I felt far more irritable.

I had little patience for anything, and I lived in a constant state of anxiety about social interactions. Whenever I engaged in conversation with someone else, I assumed they found me boring, annoying, or self-obsessed, and it sent me even further into my sadness.

I started to become rude and unkind myself. I lashed out at people, or, more commonly, gave them passive aggressive excuses for distancing myself from them.

I even became prone to insulting people as a way of protecting myself if they didn’t like me.

I didn’t make a conscious decision to be mean. I didn’t wake up in the morning and think, “Today, I am going to hurt someone’s feelings.” It just happened in the moment when I was feeling especially down on myself.

Most of the people I was rude to were actually friends of mine, people I liked and had nothing against.

This is no excuse for rudeness, offensive behavior, or being unkind to other individuals. I am not proud of the way I’ve acted, and I’m not suggesting you follow in my footsteps, but it did give me a new perspective on other people I come across who are less than kind.

When someone is rude for no reason, especially a stranger, it’s rarely a personal assault, even if you accidentally did something to irritate them.

People aren’t mean for the sport of it, or because they are against you; people are mean to cope.

Being unkind, more often than not, is a reaction to anger with ourselves or our perceived inadequacy. When I was rude to other people, it was because I was afraid they wouldn’t like the nice me. I didn’t mind if they were angry at the fake, unkind me, because it really wasn’t me.

I felt unlovable, undesirable, and antisocial, and I needed a way to cope with these feelings by giving myself an alter ego that deserved to be disliked for reasons I could understand.

When you find that people are being rude to you in your everyday life, they are really being mean to themselves.

They have likely convinced themselves that they are unworthy of love, and that is the biggest tragedy of all.

You don’t have to tolerate it when others are not nice, but it’s not something to take personally.

You don’t have to internalize the meanness as a fault of your own. You can simply recognize that the person being rude is struggling with their own problems, and needs a way to cope with them.

You cannot control the actions and behaviors of others, only your personal reactions to them.

If you yourself are the one who has been unkind, it is time for self-reflection. Why do you attack people? What are you trying to protect yourself from?

In my case, I got depressed because I felt socially awkward and I began losing friends. After that, I shied away from social gatherings, only augmenting the problem.

I constantly thought negative things, such as “Nobody likes you,” “Who would want to be your friend?” and “You are not worthy of the friends you have.” I created a toxic environment inside my own head, and it wasn’t based in reality.

I knew I had to change my outlook, so I pushed myself to see the good in myself and the reasons why I’m likable; as a result, I began to see the good in others again too.

It’s not an easy process, and for many, it requires therapy and months of time. However, you can begin your journey back to kindness by being kinder to yourself.

Listen closely to your destructive, self-critical thoughts. Are they based in reality, or are you fabricating them?

If you criticize yourself because you feel guilty about things you did in the past, work on nurturing self-forgiveness, just as you’d forgive a loved one for those same mistakes.

If you criticize yourself because you were raised to believe you were a bad person, recognize this isn’t true, and know that you can choose to heal and challenge this belief as an adult.

Try to look at yourself from an outside perspective and remind yourself of all the unique and beautiful qualities you possess and have the ability to share with the world.

With enough time and effort, you will begin to see the pattern in your unkind behavior and its link to your own anger at yourself.

Once you can home in on your feelings about yourself, you can begin to make conscious decisions to be kind to others instead of lashing out as a coping mechanism.

I have always unfalteringly held the belief that people are inherently good, and only do bad things in reaction to bad situations.

The most important thing to remember, whether you are receiving or giving unkindness, is that you are inherently good, too, and deserve to be loved, no matter what you or someone else tells you.

About Avery Rogers

Avery Rogers is a high school student in California. She aspires to be an author, spiritual writer, and neuroscientist when she grows up. She is the creator and host of the Brainstorms Podcast, a neuroscience podcast for teenagers. She also runs a personal blog about love, spirituality, and the meaning of life at on her blog Pluto’s Journal.

Happiness is a complex topic. Why are some people happy in spite of bad circumstances, while others are always unhappy in spite of good circumstances?

What role does attitude play in happiness? Let’s take a look at 7 reasons why people can’t always be happy.

1. They Simply Choose not to Be

This is a tough one to swallow, but many people are unhappy because they simply have made the decision to be that way. Doesn’t everybody know at least one person who is always upset or angry, and who has a negative outlook? Until somebody like this changes their mind or attitude, they will never be meaningfully happy.

2. They Have Life Circumstances Beyond the Obvious That Impact Their Happiness

Some people choose not to be happy. On the other hand, there are people who, based on appearances should be happy with their lives, but they aren’t. This is because they are enduring inner struggles that interfere with their happiness. All too often, this isn’t easily noticed by others.

3. They Are in the State of Growth or Change That Challenges Their Balance

When people are going through periods of growth and change, their world views change. The result is a feeling of uncertainty and imbalance that can block feelings of happiness or joy until things balance out again.

4. They Are Struggling with Mental Illness

This is another situation where appearances contradict reality. If somebody is struggling with mental illness, their circumstances may appear as if they should be totally happy. In fact, they may not be dealing with any external struggles at all. Unfortunately, what they are dealing with are internal struggles due to depression or other issues.

5. They Have not Taken the Steps to Create Their Own Happiness

Another reason why people can’t always be happy is that some individuals are often in an in-between state. They haven’t decided to be unhappy, but they haven’t been able to get themselves to take the steps required to be truly happy.

6. Happiness Is Not an Entitlement

Some people have a point of view that happiness is something that is owed to them. In this case, it is not simply that they don’t work to find happiness, or that they have decided to become negative and sabotage their own happiness, these are people who are pathologically resentful that others do not actively work to make them happy.

7. They Have Yet to Recognize Their Blessings

Finally, there are people who aren’t lazy or ungrateful or entitled. These are simply the people who cannot see all of the reasons that they have for being happy. The good news is that if these people can see their blessings and get some perspective, they can almost always become generally happy people.

From these reasons why people can’t always be happy, we can see how happiness is impacted by circumstance and attitude. However, what may be most interesting is how eager people are to presume to know whether or not somebody should or should not be happy.

More money. A better job title. A bigger house. A nicer wardrobe. We all want more. It’s human nature, really. Even if you aren’t a restless perfectionist who’s constantly trying to push herself to the next level (I’m blushing and putting my face down on my desk over here), most of us usually aren’t willing to completely stagnate. We all have at least some desire to keep moving forward.

But, let’s face it—living our lives with a ceaseless yearning to constantly get our greedy little paws on more (whether that’s money, fame, or success) can be downright draining. And, if you want to feel even the least bit content on a daily basis, you need to learn to go against the grain and be happy with—gasp!—less.

No, I’m not saying that you need to sell your home, keep only one pair of shoes, and live an extreme minimalist life in a 20-foot trailer (although, more power to you if that sounds like your jam!). However, there’s a lot to be said for finding happiness right where you are—rather than being so obsessed with where you’re going.

Easier said than done, right? Believe me, I’m right there with you. But, learning to feel satisfied with what you already have is definitely doable—it just takes a little conscious thought.

1. Stop Falling Into the Comparison Trap

All too often, I find myself chasing after something not because I actually want it, but because I feel like I should have it. Why? Well, because other people have it.

Comparison has become all too easy today. Like everybody else, I’ll blame that on social media. One minute, I’ll feel accomplished and successful in my career—until I log into LinkedIn and see that a colleague was recently published by The New York Times. I have zero complaints about my cute little house—until I see that one of my Facebook friends has just purchased this ridiculously gorgeous home on a giant wooded lot.

See how easy that trap is to fall into? I won’t even bother getting up on my high horse and preaching to you about this one, because I compare myself to others more frequently than I’d even care to admit—it’s natural.

But, it’s important to remember that someone else’s success isn’t your failure. And, beyond that, you don’t have to have (or even want) everything that other person already has within her grasp. You’re different people with different lives. So, do your best to stay focused on your own path, and forget the rest. In the end, what everyone else is doing has little to no impact on your own success and happiness.

2. Think About Your Reasoning

Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with seeking improvement—as long as you have legitimate reasons for doing so. Maybe you want a better job because your current one makes you absolutely miserable. Perhaps you’re chasing after more money, because you find that your family is strapped for cash month after month. Those desires to be better can actually be motivating, and that’s a good thing!

But, if the only reasoning behind your longings are, “I just want it,” you’ve got a little more thinking to do. So, take a magnifying glass to your yearnings to amass more, and determine what exactly is feeding those desires.

If you find that you actually have solid justifications for why you simply can’t feel content and settled with your current circumstances? Well, you’ve lust landed on some awesome inspiration to keep moving forward. However, in contrast, if you discover that you’re only chasing your tail and driving yourself crazy for the sake of bragging rights or keeping up with the Joneses? You know you need to reevaluate and focus your attention on being happy with what you already have.

3. End Each Day Feeling Grateful

“Be happy with what I have?” you’re likely thinking now, “OK, that sounds great, but how exactly do I do that? That’s the hard part!”

You’re right. That is the hard part. And, I’m going to resist the temptation to spout out a bunch of those cliché, “It’s about the journey, not the destination” lines at you. This isn’t a high school commencement speech, after all.

But, do you know why that advice is so popular? Because it’s true. Oftentimes, we can be so laser-focused on what we want, we totally neglect to appreciate what we have. Don’t feel guilty—we all fall victim to this ungrateful attitude.

So, what do I do to try to combat that? Every night, I think of five things from that day that I’m grateful for. Whether it’s my family (my husband and my dog usually end up somewhere close to the top of that list) or a great accomplishment from that workday, I spend some time reflecting on all of the things that made me crack a smile.

It might all sound a little to mushy to you—and I can’t blame you there. But, I promise, it works. This technique pulls your attention off of all of those things that you don’t have and those slipups that didn’t go quite right throughout the day, and instead makes you remember all of the things (both big and small!) that you should appreciate.

Instead of falling asleep obsessing over the career trajectory of my college roommate’s friend, I rest easy thinking about all of the positives in my life. Dozing off while remembering how adorable my dog is? Well, there’s no better way to end the day.

We all want more. And, to some extent, that’s a good thing. But, if you spend every spare moment only thinking about all of the things you don’t have yet, you’re setting yourself up for a life of stress and discontentment.

It’s important to learn to be happy with what you have right now. And, as you now realize, that’s totally possible. Use these tips to feel pleased with where you are at the moment, and you’re sure to feel more satisfied, more fulfilled, and more accomplished on a daily basis. That’s right, you can actually have more with less.

Scott is obsessed with personal development. For the last ten years, he’s been experimenting to find out how to learn and think better. Read full profile

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“There are two ways to increase your wealth. Increase your means or decrease your wants. The best is to do both at the same time.” – Benjamin Franklin

Misery shouldn’t be the price for ambition. Somewhere I believe many people got the idea that to want more, you have to be dissatisfied with what you have now. Believing this, your choice is either to dampen your passions or become miserable with what you have.

I think this is a false dichotomy. You can be satisfied and ambitious. And while many self-help books have covered the topic of ambition, fewer cover the idea of becoming immensely satisfied with what you’ve already got.

Beyond affirmations and beliefs, I think there are some practical tips to do this. Engineering your daily life can be a great way to maximize your current fulfillment. Best of all, it isn’t incredibly difficult to do. Here are some tips I’ve found useful in becoming happier with where I am:

1 – Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Investors understand that diversification keeps one bad fall from ruining you financially. Keeping your interests diversified, ensures that one slip won’t make you miserable. Tying your entire life into only one area isn’t just obsessive, it’s dangerous.

Life balance has become a bit of a cliche. Balance implies a weak compromise where efforts are juggled. But the alternative to balance doesn’t need to be obsession. Having several areas of focus at a time will help smooth out the fluctuations in your experience. Pick 3-5 things that are critical for you and a dozen more you feel are important.

2 – Engineer Your Day

Spend a bit of time reorganizing how you run your daily life. Looking over at the horizon it can be easy to miss what is under your feet. Focusing on improvements of your routines, habits and environment can make a huge impact in your current satisfaction. Even if they have little influence on your bank account or GPA.

Start by doing a run down of how you invest your time. Carry around a notepad with you for a day. Record every time you start or stop an activity. This will give you a detailed look at how you spend your time. It should also give you an idea of where you can make improvements.

The goal isn’t to have the most productive day possible or one that is devoid of all “bad” habits. Your objective is simply to experiment with changes that might make your day more interesting, fun or fulfilling.

3 – Break Comparisons

If you are like most inhabitants of industrialized nations, you are richer than most medieval kings. You are free of most diseases that plagued our ancestors. You have far more human rights. And you are far less likely to die a violent death. By such a comparison, you should be overjoyed compared to your great-great-grandparents. Why doesn’t this feel like the case?

The answer is because most people base their satisfaction on comparing themselves with others. You may be fabulously wealthy compared to your forefathers, but you also have to compare your life to people who are far wealthier, healthier and more attractive than you.

Breaking comparisons with other people will make you happier, but it isn’t easy to do. There isn’t an OFF switch in your brain for competition. However, there are a few ways you can make adjustments to your life that help avoid the competitive misery:

• Diversify your social life. If you only associate with people from one class, you will always struggle with comparison. My suggestion is to broaden the groups of people you associate with. Not just in terms of income, but age, experiences, culture and background. The more diversification, the more difficulty you have nitpicking.
• Shut off the media. If information isn’t helping you make decisions and only makes you feel miserable, why are you consuming it? Surrounding yourself with celebrity magazines and television shows featuring spoiled rich kids can fuel that urge to compare.
• Find your talents. Emphasize the things you are good at and make you unique. The more you cultivate a unique identity, the less chance you have of making linear comparisons between your life and your friends.
• Cultivate abundance. Competition is largely based in zero-sum. The idea that someone else’s gain is my loss. Rarely is this the case. Focus on how the effects of another’s win can become your own gain. Emphasizing an abundance mindset can help you avoid the comparison that inevitably comes from thinking scarcity.
• Focus internally. Perhaps the most important tip at all is to put less focus on external results. If you build a stable inner world, you can survive the storms of the outer world. Focusing on the intangibles of your passions, challenges, bonds and purpose will lead to a greater current satisfaction.

Don’t Make Yourself Miserable

It took awhile for me to realize that happily working towards a goal gave the same results as stressed frustration. The stereotype that the high-achiever needs to be an obsessive maniac is a good one to make you feel miserable.

It is easy to look at outside problems as the source of your misery. But too often you bring it upon yourself. Ambition is important, but don’t see it as a trade-off for appreciating what you have. When you trade today for tomorrow, you might realize you have nothing left.

May 11, 2020 5 min read 2 Comments

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

What is happiness?

We all know the sensation of it in our bodies. We know what it feels like to be in a state of happiness. We understand the difference between being happy, and being in an altogether different state. We crave its presence and feel we deserve its existence in our lives.

But what exactly is it?

Some things in life are simply undefinable, unexplainable without using subjectivity to support an understanding of them.

We all have ideas about the things that “make” us happy.

For some, happiness results from spending time with family. For others, happiness is the result of contributing to society. For many others, happiness comes from sitting at home relaxing with a book or watching TV.

What’s more is that the things that make us happy are not static. What once made us happy in the past may not create the same feeling in us now. If we’re really being honest, what made us happy 5 minutes ago might not even touch us in the same way now. Others can help guide us in discovering what truly makes us happy, like if you talk to a therapist.

Though regardless of how it comes to be, if happiness is what we crave, the questions we have to try and answer are whether we can cultivate happiness – this unexplainable feeling we each intimately have come to know, and how we can achieve its presence in our lives regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Step One: Stop defining what has to happen for you to be happy

One of the main reasons we don’t maintain a stable sense of that unexplainable feeling we all so deeply want to feel the presence of in our lives is the fact that we continuously condition it upon things happening in our lives.

By the very act of saying and living as if you will be happy when some event or circumstance appears in your life, you are creating a distinction between being happy and not being happy that becomes an absolute reality.

Have you ever noticed how young children don’t need anything to make them feel joyful?

Everyone has basic needs that have to be met in order to create the possibility of overall well-being. Babies cry when they need their diapers changed, when they’re hungry, when they feel pain, when they need warmth, etc.

Outside of these basic needs, feeling happy – content – satisfied – is a state that is characterized only by subjective ideas about what it is.

As we grow up we’re taught through imitation and suggestion by others that happiness is something we should crave. We don’t see that by the very act of craving something, we create an actual lack of whatever it is we say we want.

So long as I identify circumstances in which I will be happy, I cannot cultivate a sense of content with where I am in life. I will forever be chasing the very thing I crave.

Step Two: Become Happiness

“If you ask a tree how he feels to know that he’s spreading his fragrance and making people happy, I don’t think a tree looks at it that way. I am just like that, and it is just my nature to be like this.”
― Sadhguru

Happiness is a way of life. It is an attitude.

I want you to think about your current situation, the circumstances that surround your life in this moment. Now think about everything you think of as “good” or “bad” in your life.

Here’s the very simple truth.

You are exactly the way you look at the events that are occurring in your life. The way you see a circumstance as good or bad, as beautiful or ugly, is who you are. That is the true secret to finding yourself, and to transforming your entire reality.

We take for granted that we know ourselves.

In reality, we are how we give our attention to the things that happen in our lives.

There are always multiple ways of looking at something, and we each bring a different type of attention to the discussion of any given topic. The fact that we each have differing viewpoints about what brings happiness is direct proof of this. All we share in terms of what happiness means is the common feeling and sensation that comes with the word.

Some of the ways we bring attention that rob us of feeling happy are:

• Comparing ourselves with others
• Choosing to see what’s bad about a situation rather than the potential for learning from it
• Thinking about how things could be better rather than worse
• Dwelling on past events we identify with negatively

Becoming the happiness you seek is about understanding what type of attention you bring and realizing that there is a possibility of transforming your relationship to the things that happen in your life. It is a real work, it isn’t something you turn on and have it be present forever. Bringing an attitude of happiness to your situation requires constant effort, constantly remembering that you ARE your attitude.

But ultimately, if happiness is the thing we all say we want, what’s more important than working towards it?

Step Three: Understanding That What Goes Up Must Come Down

The third aspect of cultivating an attitude of happiness within yourself stems from an understanding of one of the truths about life. Nothing is permanent. Nothing is fixed. Things are always evolving and degenerating both outside of us and inside of us.

Accepting that our emotional states aren’t constant, but rather are continuously changing is one of the keys to staying separated from the consequences that come with all negative emotions.

If you can begin to faithfully understand that life flows in a pattern characterized by movement upwards and downwards, you can learn to find a balance and happiness in this complete movement of change that is always happening inside of you.

Simply remembering that feeling hopeless, lonely, angry, frustrated, anxious, and sad are never permanent because life is always changing and how we feel about life is always changing is the only healthy method for staying separated from negativity that we feel.

Life is too short to waste it with an attitude that hurts. Choose to see beauty and opportunity in everything that comes your way, regardless of your circumstances, and you will become the very happiness you want to feel.

You have everything you need to be happy right now.

This article was co-authored by Chloe Carmichael, PhD. Chloe Carmichael, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who runs a private practice in New York City. With over a decade of psychological consulting experience, Dr. Chloe specializes in relationship issues, stress management, self esteem, and career coaching. She has also instructed undergraduate courses at Long Island University and has served as adjunct faculty at the City University of New York. Dr. Chloe completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York and her clinical training at Lenox Hill Hospital and Kings County Hospital. She is accredited by the American Psychological Association and is the author of “Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety” and “Dr. Chloe’s 10 Commandments of Dating.”

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In a world where “more” and “better” are so often emphasized, it can be tough to just be happy with what you’ve got. There’s a lot of pressure to have the perfect relationships, the most expensive material items, and a life that appears to be in order. However, there truly are so many things to be grateful for in your unique day-to-day life. In order to become satisfied with what you currently have, work on developing a positive attitude, interacting with others, and embracing simplicity.

25 Things That Happy People Do

by Terry Heick

Is the world changing? Urgently, yes.

What is the relationship between change and that happiness? That’s a kind of context for this post.

While not a post purely about pedagogy or education technology, if you think of one goal of learning as being the ability to live a meaningful life, and happiness being a kernel here, it’s not such a stretch. In fact, happiness, joy, curiosity, and purpose could be considered a significant part of what’s missing in formal education. Just as academia separates content from “real world” and authentic contexts, separating teachers and students from their human emotions–narrowing their reality to a set of indexes to be measured and “increased”–should be more than a little suspect.

Connecting & Happiness

Is happiness something that can be caused, or is it primarily the result of a fortunate genetic sequence that can only be adjusted in small degrees? Nature. Nurture. Social conditioning. Cortisol levels. Lead in the paint. Yoga. What a fantastic mess. I’ve written recently about my own struggles with anxiety. They’re not fun, and I’m going to write more soon about mental health in education–and society–soon. There’s a lot to this that is way beyond my expertise, b ut I do have experience to share, and questions to ask–most immediately, is there a pattern to happiness, and what does technology have to do with it?

The answer to the latter bit seems pretty clear–very little. Well, not so fast maybe. Technology can lubricate the processes that lead to habits and patterns of happiness–the things that happy people tend to do–but it’s not the the catalyst.

Connecting is the catalyst, and is timeless.

To what, when, and why–that’s the tech part that’s fluid. Technology shifts how we view ourselves–a little rectangle of a window to one version of ourselves we want the world to see. It also changes what we value. When our contexts change, we as participants in those contexts are forced to adapt even as we change the contexts. The tools we use to communicate, and our habits we use to do so are always new. They lose credibility as they age.

Take the rapid normalization of social and digital media. For many societies, these are no longer ‘emerging’ and ‘exciting’ ways to share information, whimsy, and thinking, but the new normal for doing so. Like it or not for many, technology is no longer a tool, but a standard. We refract our thinking towards and through technology so that technology itself becomes the schema for the world rather than the other way around. Not always, and not for everyone. But if our (apparent) contexts and values are fluid, what does that mean for us as participants in these contexts? And as causes and effects for human emotion–happiness, joy, and contentment? And is it causation or correlation? Studied as cycles, certain rhythms may emerge.

So below are 25 things I’ve noticed that might be considered causes of happiness–things that, no matter the prevalence of technology, rate of change, or scale of access to information, are timeless in their utility.

With Or Without Technology: 25 Things That Happy People Do

1. They connect meaningfully with other living things.
2. They are playful–in whatever form they choose, they create and take advantage of opportunities for “Deep Play” (see Diane Ackerman).

Humanizing Ourselves: 25 Things That Happy People Will Always Do; Humanizing Ourselves: 25 Things That Can Make You Happy; 25 Things That Happy People Do image attribution flickr user hdtpcar

Eight ways to appreciate what you have right now.

“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” —Oprah Winfrey

If we are being honest with ourselves, most of the time we aren’t walking around thinking about how fortunate we are for the good things going on in our lives, like being alive. Sometimes, I experience moments of realization of how lucky I am for all that I have like my health, family, and friends. It’s like a cool wave of gratefulness washes over me, cleansing me of my worries, stress, and problems.

This week, I had such an experience. Although externally, there was nothing out of the ordinary, in my mind, thoughts were flowing of how much I have going on that is great in my life. I am generally not a complainer, though sometimes I find myself so lost in the negatives of life that I forget about the good. All of us have struggles that seem impossible to bear at times, though we also have blessings that can easily go overlooked. We get used to our circumstance all the while forgetting the overall picture of how good we really have it. That’s why it’s important to take a moment to appreciate what you already have, what you have achieved, and how far you have come. It’s a shame to have so much beauty if we don’t take a moment to look around and truly see what is there already.

I appreciate the ocean that I could see from my bedroom window.

I appreciate my health and ability to walk.

I appreciate that I have delicious food to eat.

I appreciate that I have a home.

I appreciate my daughters.

I appreciate being alive and experiencing it all.

As I think about all that I have to be appreciative of, I’m curious: Why is it that such moments are rare? What stops me from tapping into this state of mind more often? I think we are always driving for the next thing, looking at what others have that we don’t and that we take for granted what we have already. We spend so much time focusing on what we are lacking in our lives. We focus on being, doing, and having more than what we have already. When we focus on more, we become blind to all we are already. This leaves us chasing the next thing that will make us happy. But what if we could be happy with what we have already? And what if the path to happiness is appreciating what we already have rather than chasing more?

I will be the first to admit that it can be challenging to appreciate the little things when we are dealing with difficult situations or trauma. However, I suspect that most of us lose sight of our blessings, not because of trauma, but simply because we’re focusing on everything we want but don’t have. To deepen the appreciation of what we have already, we have to remind ourselves of what we are grateful for, even if it seems silly.

The fact is, you are here right now. Your eyes have the ability to read this article. This is all while your autonomic nervous system has been regulating your bodily functions, including your breathing and heartbeat, all without your conscious effort. There’s no limit to what we can appreciate if we’re paying close attention. Think about it, what do you appreciate in your life? What is it that you are grateful for? Here are eight ways to appreciate what you have right now:

Dylan is Lifehack’s Motivation Expert specializing in self-development, with extensive experience working for life coaches and startups. Read full profile

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When you cultivate relationships with new people that forge a lifelong bond, it is doubtful that you are going to try to change that person. You’re not going to make them feel that they are any less of a person because of who they are, what they like, or what they pursue in life. We all know that this isn’t the right way to make connections with another human being.

Yet when we approach ourselves and continue our relationships with ourselves, there seems to be a desire to change, punish, or alter ourselves to meet certain expectations. If you were doing this to another person, this would be seen as unacceptable! We shouldn’t treat ourselves any differently.

The simple truth of life is that your only stable and lifelong relationship is with yourself. Because of this, it is the most important one you are going to have and, one that you will need to nurture if you want to lead a happy life. True, you will want to change some things but there is a massive benefit to simply accepting and moving forward from there.

If you have a hard time settling down with you, here are some tips on how to accept yourself so that you can start living a life that others dream of!

1. Take Some Time to Sit With Yourself and Discover Who You Are

The major problem that many people face when it comes to self-acceptance is that they have yet to engage in self-discovery. Many people may feel purposeless and lost, which is ultimately due to a lack of self and an unclear understanding of who you are and what you want.

Self-discovery is a necessary first step but it is one that comes with a lot of work and is ever-changing. Starting your own self-discovery journey may consist of the following:

Discovering Your Purpose

Each of us may feel like we are called to do something at some point in time that will help to grow others as well as ourselves.

What are you passionate about? What gets you fired up and makes you forget about everything else? What is something that you could picture doing for the rest of your life?

Sometimes, the best way to discover purpose is simply to go out and do until you learn more about where your passions lie.

Learning More About Your Values and Beliefs

Values and beliefs, which may stem from childhood or, may come from experience in recent years, help to set up structure in our lives and drive us towards the things that matter most to us.

Are you someone who has strong ties to family? Do you rely on honesty and integrity to live your life? What are your spiritual or religious beliefs? What type of community do you want to build or belong to?

These are some important questions to ask as these questions dictate what choices you make along your path.

Journal and Keep Track of the Day-to-Day

Even if you are unsure of who you are, what you do on a regular basis will certainly tell you everything you need to know.

What are some things that you like to do? What are things that are not necessarily fun for you? What are some habits that you have cultivated, healthy or otherwise? What are your dreams? Ambitions? Goals?

We all have things that make us unique. Take the time to learn more about those aspects of the self.

There’s this misconception that acceptance goes hand-in-hand with a refusal to change but that’s not true. Acceptance starts with recognition and embracing who that person is. You will then go on to nurture them and to change some of those unhealthy aspects, so that you can become who you want to be. [1]

2. Accept What You Can’t Change

You are who you are. You love what you love. There are some things that you will be able to change in your life (for the better) and, there are some things that will simply be for the rest of your time here on earth.

Expending mental energy on wishing you can change things that are never going to change is a waste of your time and will inevitably lead to sadness. Whatever it is that you wish you could change, know that you are a worthy human being regardless of what it is you are insecure about.

Take time to be kind to yourself, let your guard down and embrace these things, and learn how to overcome that inner voice that tells you that you’re not good enough. In order to be happy with who we are, we must allow ourselves to be accepting of all aspects of the self.

The biggest barrier for most people, however, is learning how to cultivate acceptance of the self. If you are struggling at this point, here are some tips that will allow you to tackle the project easier:

• Practice positive self-talk and challenge any negative thoughts that come out of you as they are released.
• Choose to be loving towards yourself and your flaws, rather than trying to hide them away or ignore them.
• Accept that everything that has happened has led you to this point and will carry you to your goals as you work towards them.
• Spend some time with yourself engaging in enjoyable activities so that you can bond with yourself and fall in love with that person.
• Know that you will have easy days as well as hard days. Take them as they come.

It may take time but in the end, you are going to be grateful that you put in the effort to cultivate self-love. [2]

3. Change What Needs to Be Changed for Your Benefit

Not all change is good change. Some change can be harmful and that change needs to be avoided.

However, some change can be beneficial and that change is the type that helps to grow you as a person and allows you to blossom into the person you want to be.

Acceptance and acknowledging of yourself and the world around you is great but, you need to understand that acceptance can be both a tool of dissatisfaction and happiness. Things you can’t change must be embraced and you need to love those things; but things that can and must be changed require your immediate attention.

You are a growing and constantly evolving person and, everything that you do needs to be done in your best interest. For example, let’s say that you have made a number of bad choices in your past that have impacted your social and financial life. While you need to accept that these choices have been made and accept the experience that got you there, you shouldn’t accept your situation.

Knowing what needs to be changed and what needs to be embraced boils down to one thing: does it allow you to live a happy life?

If it is (realistically) impacting you in a negative manner, it needs to go.

If it impacts you but it is a result of negative self-image and is not something that would need to be changed otherwise, embrace it.

If it is something that you are still going to change regardless, proceed with caution.

All paths should ultimately lead to happiness. [3]

Final Thoughts

You are you and that is something that is never going to change. When you learn to accept yourself and work towards the best version of you that you can be, you set yourself up for a life that has an abundance of happiness and progress.

Need some extra help implementing the tips that you learned above? Take a look at these articles:

A passionate writer who shares lifestlye tips on Lifehack Read full profile

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We’ve all heard the phrase “money can’t buy happiness.” Modern society has done everything it can to refute this notion; I can’t count how many commercials advertising luxury items I’d never be able to afford have been shown on TV since I started writing this a half hour ago. It also doesn’t help that I’m watching Sportscenter reporters discuss multi-million dollar contracts for people whose job it is to throw and catch a ball.

But it’s easy for society to skew your perspective. Turning off the TV for a moment, pawing through a National Geographic, it’s easy to find examples of happiness sans material possessions across the globe: children living in slums, playing with a makeshift soccer ball, never pausing to wonder about the things they don’t have. Women walking dozens of miles a day to get clean water for their families, and doing so with pride. Men working for pennies to feed their children, and finding happiness in having shelter from the weather.

The happiest people are not those who have the most money, the biggest house, or the most “stuff.” People all over the world (who some would consider to have nothing) believe they have more than they’ll ever need. The richest people in the world could learn a lot from the poorest citizens in the poorest countries. Being monetarily poor is not synonymous with being emotionally bankrupt. Being happy is not about what you own; it’s about your mindset and outlook toward life. Most of the items on this list probably apply to you, and are 50 reasons you have to be grateful every day of your life.

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.” — Carl Jung

It’s a given, we want to control the irrepressible parts of our life, believing we will attain happiness then.

I liken the thought to catching fireflies at night, certain you have caught them all. It is only later you realise there are more around and so you concede defeat.

I wish to emphasise one important key principle in this article. The rest is details:

Happiness = Accepting what is and letting go of what you cannot control.

It sounds simple right?

Then why aren’t we happy?

Because what looks easy is often difficult to apply in real life. We want happiness to fill a void in our lives, but we don’t want the struggle and difficulties that go with it. Yet the pain and struggle serve as a reminder to stop influencing circumstances beyond our control.

I often remind others to stay in your lane. Meaning, you have no business poking around in matters outside your control because life is bigger than you and will impose itself upon you each time. It has many millennia of experience and a toolbox of tricks, compared to your humble few decades of life.

“If you believe the outer circumstance is yoked inevitably to your story about it, then you will surely be at the mercy of whatever is going on in your life,” explains author Jan Frazier in The Freedom of Being: At Ease with What Is.

I’ve researched countless books on happiness over the past decade, including attending seminars by respected psychologists and concede that happiness is much simpler than we think. Whilst I do not discount their tireless work and research, I am of the opinion happiness is accessible once our thoughts are in harmony.

It is our thinking that gets in the way of achieving happiness, not having a bank account full of money, fancy cars or luxury homes. Whilst these are good things to have, they wear off after a while and are meaningless if you cannot find peace and contentment within.

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell

Man is responsible for his problems because he creates them through his thoughts. Nothing outside you has meaning save for the meaning you give it. Your brain assigns meaning to life’s events to make sense of what takes place.

Tony Robbins says: “Meaning equals emotion and emotion equals life. The meaning you give your experiences will always change how you feel — and the emotion you feel always becomes the quality of your life.”

Yet the meaning you give can be inaccurate if viewed through a distorted lens. For example, if you’ve been cheated on in a relationship, the meaning you ascribe to future relationships will be based on a lack of trust. This is neither right nor wrong, but one aspect of the picture.

Robbins says: “Are your patterns helping or harming you? It’s vital to remember that our perceptions are creative in nature — if we define something as negative, that’s the message our brain receives and responds to by creating an emotional state to reinforce that reality.”

This is an ideal point to reinforce the main point of this article. Your happiness lies in reframing events to accept what is and let go of what you cannot control.

Psychotherapist David Richo writes in The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them: “We can learn to accept life on its own terms. We can even find its terms satisfactory. We do not have to shake our fist at heaven. We do not have to demand an exemption or take refuge in a belief system that muffles the wallop of the givens by promising a paradise without them. We can craft a sane and authentic life by saying yes to life just as it is. Indeed, our path is “what is.”

Referring to our earlier example where your trust was squandered through infidelity, the lesson gained is that you are likely to choose a trustworthy partner in your next relationship, given its relationship to your happiness. Contrast helps to shed light on what you value most and will be important to you.

To further emphasise the point, you accepted your previous partner’s transgression, noting you may have played a role in co-creating an unbalanced union. Note, I am not implying you consented to the unfaithfulness, however as a complying party you are still responsible for the events that took place.

Therefore, your lesson is to accept the dissolution of the relationship and release all judgement, anger and hate by healing and forgiving yourself and your former partner.

“Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” — Denis Waitley

To continue harbouring anger and resentment ties you to the other person and does little to help you heal. In fact, you are likely to bring the toxic emotions into the next relationship, repeating the damage of the past and labelling future relationships as toxic.

Robbins reaffirms the need to reframe how we interpret life’s events: “Reframing is the difference between being constantly disappointed and being consistently satisfied.”

Amid the backdrop of acceptance is the invitation to let go of what you cannot control.

In this example, you cannot control other people’s actions.

You cannot control whether they will return your love.

You cannot control if they will be faithful to you.

However, you can control your response to what happens.

You can control the meaning you give to the event.

You can control the lessons gained from the experience and carry them into the next relationship.

You can control whether you remain a victim or an ambassador for inner peace and harmony. These are powerful lessons, yet we ruminate on what went wrong in the past rather than how to carry the lessons forward.

George Bernard Shaw wrote: “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

I’m not saying it is easy and it may take years to achieve. It is a more worthwhile path than being a victim to your circumstances.

Dr Alex Lickerman says in The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self: “Approaching painful internal experiences with an attitude of acceptance, in contrast — accepting that sometimes we’re weak — paradoxically may be the key to our becoming strong.”

It is a given whilst we cannot control the circumstances of life, we can control how we respond to what happens to us.

This is a measure of our commitment to accept life as it is and let go of what we cannot control.

In life, it is important to understand that not anyone can get anything, and everything based on their choices. Many a times, it takes a lot of time and patience to on something and in several cases, we may need to let go off the things that are probably not meant for us. One should be happy and contented with what he or she has got and that is absolutely important to overleaf your reasons of sorrow.

Satisfaction and contentment are two of the biggest factors in determining our happiness. It is only because we are not satisfied with what we have achieved that makes us feel sad and spend hours after hours in suffering. The moment a person learns to be happy with whatever he or she has got, life will automatically become much easier.

At the same time, being happy does not mean that you should not want something more than what you have actually got with you. If you stop wanting things, you will gradually become stagnant at your place and stop growing. Therefore, it is important to understand the thin line difference between your reasons for being happy and contented as well as at the same time, decide your wants to grow bigger.

A person who is excited to gain more will only be able to succeed in his or her life. The moment you pack up your hands and decide to stop working just because you have had enough with you, your willingness to walk the extra mile will diminish automatically. One must understand the point when he or she would become happy and satisfied with all that he or she has got.

In order to illustrate this statement, are you better like to say that one should become contented and satisfied only when the requirements are met, and you have nothing to do at your place to get more. Greed should not dominate you by any chance. This is because it is only our greed that pushes us to do things out of the way.

One should let greed dominate so much that you even get ready to take up the wrong way just because you want something. However, you should be excited regarding your desire because that is the only way through which you will get the motivation to work harder and achieve them.

The word “happy” has many meanings. Why does that matter?

Posted May 10, 2013

Happiness is almost a national obsession these days. The self-help shelves of bookstores are filled with entries that promise to help you find or achieve happiness. The field of positive psychology has highlighted the importance of subjective well-being, which is the general sense people have of their good feelings and life satisfaction. Businesses are focused on the idea that happy employees are productive employees and that the goal of most businesses is to surprise and delight consumers.

In this context, we rarely think about what the word happy really means. If you are a native speaker of English, then you probably assume that you know what it means to be happy. You probably also assume that people around the world share a similar idea of what it means to be happy (though they may differ in what makes them happy). Finally, you probably believe that the general concept of happiness has been similar for humans for eons (though, again, the particular things that might have made people happy a few thousand years ago are not the same as the things that make people happy now).

A fascinating paper by Shigehiro Oishi, Jesse Graham, Selin Kesebir, and Iolanda Costa Galinha in the May, 2013 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explores what it means to be happy both across cultures/languages and over time within the United States.

This work demonstrates that there are big differences across cultures in what the term happiness means. There has also been a drift in the meaning of happiness for Americans over the past 200 years.

To explore the meaning of the term happy, the researchers collected the term (or sometimes terms) for happiness that are used in 30 different countries. Many of these countries represented different languages (French in France, Chinese in China), but there were several countries in which there was a common language (English is spoken in both Australia and the United States; Spanish is spoken in Argentina, Ecuador, and Spain). They got these terms from informants who provided the best word (or words) used to describe the concept of happiness. The researchers also provided their sense of the most authoritative dictionary in that country.

Research assistants than explored aspects of the meaning of the words for happiness across languages.

A striking observation is that in 24 of the 30 countries, there was a strong element of luck associated with the meaning of the term happiness. In English used in the United States, there is minor use of the term to mean luck (“That was a happy accident.”), but generally happiness in the US refers to an individual emotional state. Other countries also had a component of the meaning of happiness that referred to the positive emotional state.

Another interesting observation from this analysis was that the further countries are from the equator, the more that the luck aspect of happiness emerges. The authors speculate that in colder climates, the environmental conditions play a bigger role in success and well-being than in milder climates.

Two other analyses examined changes in the use of the term happy in English over the past few hundred years. One analyses demonstrated that the use of the words happy and happiness in State of the Union addresses by US presidents has declined over the years. In addition, there has been a shift. In the 1800s, when Presidents talked about happiness, they were referring to luck and prosperity. By the mid-to-late 1900s, though when Presidents talked about happiness, they were referring to the positive emotion of satisfaction.

A second analysis looked at how often books in the United States talked about a happy nation versus a happy person. That is, if happiness is a circumstance associated with luck and prosperity, then we should talk about it in reference to groups like the country. If happiness is an internal emotional state, then we should talk about it related mostly to people.

To explore this question, the researchers searched for the phrases happy nation and happy person in the books in English books published in the United States in the Google digital database between 1800 and 2008.

In 1800, people were much more likely to talk about a happy nation than a happy person. The number of references to a happy nation decreased steadily throughout the 1800s, and by 1900, it was relatively rare. Starting in about 1925, there was an uptick in the use of the term happy person.

There are two interesting aspects to these data analyses. First, there has been a shift in the US from a focus on happiness as a state that is caused from the outside through luck and prosperity to an internal emotional state that is under the control of the person. Second, the view that happiness involves strong elements of external forces like luck is still common around the world, even if it is not common in the United States.

This issue is important, because much of the scientific world uses English as the basis for describing key psychological states and processes. If English is a little quirky in the way that it uses one of these terms, that can have a profound influence on what science believes it should be studying.

Finally, even if you are not a scientist, it is important to realize that there are many components to happiness. If you are feeling sad, then you may be prone to focus on what is wrong with you that makes you unhappy. When you realize the role that life situations play in happiness, though, it helps you to see how changing your environment can also change your outlook on life.

For most of us, work is a requirement. Until we uncover or create the opportunity that allows us to work our passion, we may be in a job that’s just, well. a job. Accepting your 9 to 5 is just a job works fine until you finally start listening to your passion and purpose. Once you begin to acknowledge your purpose and feed your passion, your “day job” may begin to feel like a burden.

So, how do you make it through the 40+ hours a week without feeling like you are serving time for a crime you didn’t commit? Here are nine tips on how to be happy at a job you hate:

Ways To Be Happy In A Job You Hate

1. Stay out of drama. Keep away from contentious people.

2. Initiate a new project. Tie it to a new skill you want to learn or practice.

3. Choose a better perspective. Look for opportunities and wins instead of shortcomings and faults.

4. Find a buddy. Research shows people who have friends at work have a higher rate of career satisfaction.

5. Learn something new. Read a book, read an article, take an online course. Find a way to get new information and let it inspire you.

6. Practice gratitude. Be grateful for what you do have and what you have the potential to create.

7. Stop talking about how bad things are. Lift the weight of your environment by speaking positively about your work, your co-workers, and your company.

8. Keep working towards your passion. Whether it is five hours or five minutes, find a way to incorporate what you are passionate about into your routine.

9. Get a life. If you are pouring all of yourself into work that’s not satisfying, create a better balance by adding more “extracurricular” activities.

Bottom line: You don’t have to be miserable even if you are in a miserable job. Taking responsibility for creating your own happiness at work puts you back in the driver’s seat of your career where you belong.

Unhappy in your career? We can help.

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This post was originally published at an earlier date.

You’ve probably heard people reference – and make jokes about – happy ending massages. But they aren’t just a myth. Happy endings really exist. The meaning of a happy ending massage is simple – it’s a massage that ends in a hand job (if you’re a man or person with a penis). Traditionally, they’ve been thought of as something for men, which is why people often wonder, do women get happy ending massages too? Yep, they certainly do.

For women and people with vulvas, a happy ending involves fingering and/or clitoral stimulation. While some first-person accounts tell of massages ending in blow jobs or penetrative sex (sometimes referred to in the industry as ‘The Business’), that’s not strictly the definition of a happy ending massage. So, here’s everything you need to know, from how to find a happy ending massage to how to ask a massage therapist for a happy ending.

What happens during a happy ending massage?

The specifics will change depending on which massage therapist you have, as each service will have its own set of protocols. But this is what you can likely expect from a happy ending massage.

Step 1: Preparing for the massage

Like with any massage, you’ll be taken to the location (most likely a room) and asked to remove your clothes and lie down on the massage bed. It’s common courtesy to shower beforehand. Typically, massages will start with you lying face down. Some masseuses will explain clearly whether to remove your underwear and cover up with a towel, which is known as draping. If you’re unsure, just ask.

Step 2: A slow and sensual start to the massage

Your massage therapist will begin working on your back. They may use hot oils or lotion, and you may be asked what you prefer. They could be clothed, topless or in some cases, naked. This may be discussed beforehand, with you stating your preference. You might notice your masseuse slowly and gradually incorporating your erogenous zones into the massage. A full body massage can last anything from 30 minutes to 90 minutes, with the length likely to be agreed beforehand.

Step 3: The massage is taken up a notch

Halfway through the massage, you’ll be asked to turn over onto your front. This stage of the massage may involve your neck, face, thighs, chest or breasts. They may clearly ask for your consent when moving towards your erogenous zones, or they may look for non-verbal cues from you such as moaning and opening your legs slightly, for example.

Step 4: The happy ending

This tends to happen right at the end. If you have a towel covering your genitals, a hand job or clitoral stimulation/fingering can be given underneath the towel. Some people may be asked/ask to wear a condom. Do not touch the masseuse unless they have given their clear and enthusiastic consent. Many first-person accounts admit this bit is usually over pretty quickly. The point of a happy ending massage is sexual gratification and pleasure, so orgasm and ejaculation are expected (no pressure though!)

Step 5: Freshen up

Once your happy ending is complete, you may be handed a towel to clean up with. Your masseuse may leave the room to allow you to do this and get dressed in your own time. Pop the towel and/or condom in the bin.

Step 6: Tipping

Tips are customary. Tipping expectations vary depending on the service you use and the location, so use your best judgment. And most importantly, don’t forget to say thank you!

Related Articles:

Who are happy ending massages for?

While the stereotypical happy ending massage client is thought to be an older man, usually single, divorced or unhappily married, this isn’t strictly true. As sex-positivity and sexual wellness become mainstream, the stigma around happy ending massages is being challenged. And with that, more people – of varying age, gender, sexuality and relationship status – are getting happy endings.

Why do people get happy endings?

There are many reasons why people get happy endings, as massages (and orgasms, naturally) come with loads of great health and wellbeing benefits.

• Improves emotional wellbeing
• Relieves tension
• Boosts your mood
• They just… feel good
• Relieves stress and anxiety
• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps you sleep
• Promotes body confidence
• Can help with premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction

Do I have to ask for a happy ending massage?

Each masseuse or massage service is likely to operate slightly differently however there are ways to identify if a happy ending is an option. Some therapists will be upfront and discuss your needs and expectations beforehand. Others may expect you to ask outright, by asking if they offer ‘extras’.

There are also code words associated with happy ending massages. If a massage is said to finish with a ‘release’ that is likely to mean it will be a happy ending. Gentle touch, light touch and body rub are phrases often associated with happy endings, too. You may even be offered a Nuru or Body to Body massage. Although happy ending massage is different from tantric massage as it’s more about temporary gratification, some massage therapists may offer what they call tantric massages which are actually happy endings.

Whether you choose to clarify beforehand, deploy code words or ask outright, remember to be respectful at all times. And do not ask for sex.

Where can I get a happy ending massage?

Are happy ending massages legal? Well… Engaging in sexual activities in exchange for money is legal in the UK, the laws covering happy ending massages – and how you advertise and sell them – are confusing. There are also many issues surrounding the licensing of massage parlours and prostitution. This is why you don’t tend to see flashing ‘happy endings here’ neon sign outside of massage parlours. And hence the code words.

While it is possible to find an independent erotic masseuse or to get a happy ending massage from a massage parlour, this can be risky. Bad practices and unhygienic settings are rife if you go to the wrong places. To ensure the best experience in a clean, professional and discrete setting, it’s recommended that you book your massage via a tantric massage agency, such as Karma Tantric, who use only highly-trained, specialised tantric massage therapists.

Guarantee a happy ending with Karma Tantric

And if you’re looking for a tantric happy ending, book in for a Karma Tantric happy ending massage. With a tantric happy ending massage, the masseuse will gradually grow your arousal. They will build your pleasure up and down again, increasing your erotic energy until the final release. Karma Tantric masseuses are trained and can tend to your needs in clean, luxury environments.

• English (US)

Unfortunately that reply would not sound natural to me.

It’s great to be here
I’m happy to be here
Thank you for having me here

Without knowing what the situation is, I can’t really say what works best, there may be other things you could say as well.

• English (US)

Unfortunately that reply would not sound natural to me.

It’s great to be here
I’m happy to be here
Thank you for having me here

Without knowing what the situation is, I can’t really say what works best, there may be other things you could say as well.

@vz9002 Thank you for your quick and polite reply. “I’m happy to be here.” is what I wanted to write.

• If someone asks me “How are you” and I said “Great” Does it sound natural? not alitte bit boastfu.
• Does answering “Have a good night” with “Have a good one, too” sound natural for you?
• Is it unnatural or not common to say “I’m fine, thank you, and you?” to answer “how are you?”?
• Do you really answer “I’m fine” by being asked about your well-being? Or are there some more natu.
• “How it’s going? -Fine, fine, thanks” Does it sound natural ?

• Does anyone in the US understand the expression watchamacallit?
• Does the vampire culture very popular in the western countries?Any cartoons concerned?
• Which Does it make you always happy to have children ? sounds the most natural?

• 1.) I could go to the party yesterday because I had a car. And 2.) I could go to the party. Do.
• Does this sound natural? Sorry, I’m late! The literature class drgged on for thirty minutes.
• What does ‘Simple as that’ mean? Is it like ‘There’s no reason, apart from it’? I need to finish.
• Is this sentence natural？ My 5 months daughter never have had diseases since she was born, but.
• Does this sound natural? I want to use the phrase ‘work out’ I hope things will work out for them.

• “I wish there would be no Covid-19 at this time next year.” ←Is this correct? I was taught we don.
• “Is childcare available on location?” This question was posted on a shopping mall page. (Som.
• what does implication mean in your own simple words please
• “Food coma” means people feel tired after meals?
• could you give me a note on the pronunciation 😅

• what is correct? Where are you study? Or Where do you study? Thank you.
• How to respond to “I hope you are doing well”?
• what should I answer with “How’s your day?” “How’s It going?” example plz can I say “pretty good”?
• If you are not the correct person, please direct me the correct one. Does this sentence sound nat.
• Which one is correct ? “thank you for checking up on me” or “checking in on me”? And is it a pro.

• How do you say this in Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)? おなかがすいた
• Please show me example sentences with what is the diff between ..what happened and what has happe.

The Language Level symbol shows a user’s proficiency in the languages they’re interested in. Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren’t too complex or too simple.

Has difficulty understanding even short answers in this language.

Can ask simple questions and can understand simple answers.

Can ask all types of general questions and can understand longer answers.

Can understand long, complex answers.

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( 30,698 )

“If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.”

Lifestyle. Opportunities. Wealth. Just think how far we’ve come in the past 100 years—especially when you look at what we have today compared with our great grandmothers’ generation.

My great grandmother married very young, lived in the same place her whole life, and had 11 children. She never had a “career” and never got a chance to go on a vacation. Her life was hard, poor, and lacking in any real opportunity.

I wonder if she ever dreamed about moving to another city, or transforming her life, or about seeing the world with just a backpack. I bet she did, but back then there weren’t as many opportunities as we have today.

Thanks to technology, the Internet, and an improved society, our lifestyles are completely transformed. We have choices. We can live pretty much anywhere we want. We can travel and see the world.

We can secure jobs on the other side of the planet. We can start our own businesses and serve clients thousands of miles away. It’s definitely an exciting time.

But when there is a wealth of opportunities, choices, and places where we could choose to live, you’d think we’d all be happy, right? Wrong.

You see, the problem with having choices is that we become restless. We can’t settle on what we already have or be satisfied with what we’ve got because we’ll always be wondering about the next big thing.

It’s called “the grass is always greener” syndrome. We think someone else is having a better time elsewhere. We make ourselves miserable by constantly thinking about the unknown in an endless quest to find happiness.

We lie awake at night torturing ourselves over what we should do next, wondering if we’re missing out on something big. We feel we’re wasting our lives if we’re not doing something more important.

There’s also this sense of time pressure, particularly with my generation who had the saying “The World is your Oyster” drilled into us from a young age.

This means there can be a sense of urgency, because we feel like we’re running out of time and should be doing something greater or somehow we’ll fail.

We also think we’re special and that our lives are destined to be adventurous, thrilling, and hugely successful. And when they’re not turning out that way? We become depressed. We want more. We get “grass is greener” syndrome.

That’s when we become unhappy and spend all of our time and energy on focusing on what we don’t have rather than counting our blessings.

Some of us might start to move around a lot—often to find the “perfect” city or town, somewhere we can call “home,” somewhere we’ll be happy. Others might jump from one job or relationship to the next, never fully committing to anything.

But once we’ve made that leap to the other side—once we’ve moved to where we thought the grass would be greener and where we’d be happy—we discover that it is no different. We start to wonder about the grass being greener elsewhere.

We are never truly happy when we have “grass is greener” syndrome. It’s a fact.

Focusing on things we don’t have is a recipe for disaster. It only leads to a miserable existence and causes us to forget what’s most important—and that’s what’s happening right now.

As John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” And that’s certainly true.

We all seem to be victims of ignoring what’s actually happening right at this very moment, which is only natural when we have so many choices and opportunities available to us.

We can all forget the whole point of happiness, and that’s peace of mind, acceptance, and mindfulness. Essentially, it’s being happy no matter where you are in the world, or what you’re doing, or whom you’re with.

Being mindful quiets the mind and brings us a sense of peace that no other quest for a “perfect life” could ever bring.

Mindfulness helps you to appreciate life as it happens. It stops us from agonizing over what might’ve been or what could be. It just brings us back to the present.

Don’t get me wrong—opportunity is a marvelous thing and I only wish my great grandmother had the choices I enjoy today. But I’m slowly coming to realize that my great grandmother might’ve been just fine with her lifestyle.

She was quite possibly happier than me. Her life was simple and perhaps there’s a clue in that. Maybe the simple life is where we can all find peace.

Yes—embrace everything that comes along. Yes—go out and see the world and enjoy everything this life has to offer.

But whenever you feel yourself losing focus and wondering about where you’ll be happy next, bring yourself back to the present, look at what you already have, look around you and enjoy the moments that are happening right now.

Find peace in reading a good book, doing some gardening, going for a walk in the countryside. Take in the sights, smells, and sounds and breathe deeply. Start to notice what is happening right now, and I guarantee you’ll find peace.

Because happiness isn’t about where you live or the things you do. It isn’t about being on an impossible mission to do everything, see everywhere, and accomplish everything you ever dreamed.

Happiness is a state of mind.

How you achieve it is by building a life around your current location. Making new friends, settling into a routine, finding ways in which to enjoy “the moment” rather than dwelling on all the things you could be doing or the places you could be visiting.

Remember that all we ever have is right now. Forget about the past. Don’t worry about the future. Take each day as it comes, and most of all, stop thinking that the grass is greener, because it never really is.

About Katy Cowan

Katy Cowan is an author, journalist, and marketing professional based in the UK. She runs her own digital agency in Manchester and during her spare time she loves to help other creatives via her creative industries magazine Creative Boom.

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel”

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had issues with the way I look. Back when I was at school, I stood out, being one of the only Asian students in a small English village. This heightened my awareness of how different I looked in relation to my peers and started my obsession of comparing myself with others.

It is often stated that adolescence can be a painful period in everyone’s life, and mine was no exception. By the age of thirteen, I suddenly sprouted into a gangly, long-limbed teenager with greasy hair.

I retreated into my world of loud and angry rock music, pretending not to care about anything but secretly in a spiral of self-hatred and loneliness.

I’d always assumed I’d naturally grow out of feeling down about my looks, but I have now come to realize that insecurity about one’s appearance should not be underestimated and simply shrugged away as an “adolescent phase.”

By seventeen my self-hatred had intensified, and I began working in a part-time job to start saving for plastic surgery—the only thing I decided would make me happy about my appearance.

I became scarily obsessed with how I looked, excusing myself every half hour at work to check my face, and I have countless memories of crying in desperation at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

I realize now that all of this clearly foreshadowed an eventual breakdown of some sort, but I was still shocked when it happened. After my first month of college, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and left.

It seemed as though everything was suddenly changing for the worse. Amid all this chaos, my insecurities and anxieties became so overwhelming, I felt unworthy of looking after myself. I ended up suffering from insomnia and lost over fourteen pounds within a month.

I now see that a shock to the system was needed to make me open my eyes to what I was doing to myself.

I had hated myself for so long but had repressed my feelings, sure that with time I would suddenly “get better” without actually addressing the real problem.

I could blame the media and the narrow perception of beauty it promotes. I could blame all the people that ever made hurtful or thoughtless remarks, in most cases unaware of the anguish they would cause me. But I won’t.

It all starts with feeling good about who you are. Because I so clearly didn’t, I became a magnet for criticism and negativity from others and allowed it to affect me to my detriment.

It took a conscious, concerted effort to feel more confident about my looks. And believe me, it’s not just about “looks” on a surface level—the way you feel about your looks is a key signifier of the way you think about yourself.

No “quick-fix” solution is going to make you feel better.

There is no one definition of beauty. I’ve learned that the hard way. Obsessively fixating on how you look is limiting beyond belief and prevents you from appreciating everything that is beautiful about you.

Things that helped me in my quest to feel better about myself:

1. Practice self-care.

It’s amazing how feeling bad about yourself can make you neglect your body and spirit, turning your back on a nutritious diet, exercise, and relaxation.

This will only serve to perpetuate a downward spiral of negativity. You feel bad about yourself so you don’t take care of yourself, which makes you feel even more negative as you deprive yourself of enough good attention—whether this be by taking time out to meditate or read books or articles that will inspire you.

2. Realize that everyone is beautiful.

Once you believe this, you will witness beauty in infinite forms. While the media chooses to represent one image as the beauty ideal, this is a skewed and warped perspective, fabricated by those with vested interests, such as certain fashion houses.

Perfection does not exist—everyone you see around you has their own problems, insecurities, things they feel they could improve. You may not realize this since you can’t hear people’s thoughts.

There is beauty in everyone. Look for it in others and tell people when you find them beautiful.

Note that beauty isn’t always about the physical. If someone has a lovely smile, why is it lovely? Probably because it radiates warmth and gives you an insight into their friendly and approachable nature.

To identify how you are beautiful (and you are), try keeping a gratitude journal, and ask someone you trust to give you some positive feedback on what they think your best qualities are.

While physically beautiful things are lovely to look at, looks fade, whereas beautiful actions positively affect those around us and can last a lifetime.

3. Recognize and limit external factors that spark feelings of negativity.

Know your triggers—the things that immediately leave you feeling bad about yourself. These may be certain celebrity magazines or social media websites like Facebook. Identify them and take steps to limit their role in your life.

4. Discover the root cause that makes you feel bad.

You may hate an aspect or more of your appearance, convincing yourself “If only I had a thinner body, I would be happy/successful/fulfilled.” However, more than likely, the real reason for your unhappiness lies under the surface.

For example, your fixation on getting a better body may stem from an insecurity of never being “good enough.” If this is the case, you will always find an aspect of yourself to criticize, whether it’s your weight or your hair color.

Identify the root cause and acknowledge how it’s led you to feel this way. Then remind yourself that it is an irrational insecurity that makes you feel bad about yourself and how you look.

5. Focus outward.

While it’s always important to work within oneself, it can also be helpful to turn your attention to helping others. Let’s face it: there are far more important things in the world than looks.

Volunteering in your local community, for instance, is a great way to feel positive about doing something beautiful for others and increase your confidence. It can really help to put your hang-ups in perspective.

To finally be at peace with how you look is no easy feat, especially if you have suffered from low self-esteem in the past.

There are times when I feel awful and my old feelings of self-consciousness creep back to haunt me. However, by taking small steps to work on the points above, I can effectively manage irrational negative thoughts and appreciate the beauty in myself and others—flaws and all. You can do this too.

Do you feel like you are not getting the most out of your life? Are your emotions constantly changing? Maybe you think that you cannot always be happy, or you are unsure of how to be happy? Do you want to know how to be happy and live a happy life?

It can be hard to be happy all the time, however, there are many ways to help with this. There are certain things that can be done that will help you to achieve happiness and live a positive life. I am going to be sharing with you 5 things you need to do in order to be happy, but first let’s take a look at exactly why being happy is important.

Why Being Happy Is Important

When you are happy, a number of things can change your life. When you are truly happy with yourself and life in general, you are much more likely to want to achieve your goals and go after things in life you have always dreamed of doing.

Your self-confidence can improve a lot when you are happy as well as you will be less negative towards yourself, and others too. Being happy can be contagious, your energy and attitude can affect those around you too. Most importantly, being happy can be the best thing you could do for yourself and others, if you are happy, you may be constantly growing, achieving and learning new things, as well as feeling better in yourself and your goals in life.

5 Things You Need To Do To Be Happy

Now that we have spoken about why being happy is important in life, I want to share with you some ways to help you achieve happiness in life. Everyone is different, so once you have found what works for you, you can start to put them to practice in your life.

As I have mentioned, in order to live a positive, fulfilled life, it will benefit you a lot to learn ways that will help you to be happy. Let’s have a look at what you should be doing to start being happy.

1. Find The Positives In Everything

Focusing on the positives in everything that you do is a great way to help with being happy. Once you can start doing this, any situation should be a little bit easier to look at in a positive way.

If you fail at something or make a mistake, try not to look at it as a negative thing. Mistakes and things that you fail at the first time are experiences that teach you.

You learn from mistakes and if you are able to see that you should be able to start accepting and even appreciating any mistakes you may make in life.

This can ultimately lead to a happy and fulfilled life as you will feel motivated when you fail and eager to improve and learn more.

2. Give Yourself Self-Compassion

If you constantly beat yourself up or judge yourself you are not likely to be very happy. Happiness does come from within and if you are not being compassionate to yourself, you are likely to feel very miserable.

When we are negative towards ourselves, we are holding ourselves back from growing, improving and learning as we can start to feel like we are not good or worth enough.

You need to give yourself compassion and look after yourself in order to start being happy, challenge your negative thoughts and focus on being compassionate and positive to yourself.

3. Challenge Yourself

Challenging yourself is great for your confidence, self-esteem, and your mind. If there is something you have been putting off for a while, such as running that marathon you’ve been wanting to do, do it.

Challenge yourself and go for your goals, even though it can be scary at first you have to think of the end result, how you will feel when you have achieved something that you have been aiming for. Aiming for your goals and trying new things keeps you motivated and constantly aiming forward, which should help you to stay happy and positive about your life.

4. Create A Gratitude Journal

Being grateful for things in your life can help you keep aware of all the good things that are happening to you right now.

Creating a gratitude journal is a great way to focus all of your energy on the positives in your life and everything that you are thankful for. Before you sleep, or in the morning, write down 5-10 things that you have been grateful for that week, or day.

You can also reflect back on these when you are in a negative mindset so that you can remind yourself of everything to be thankful for and to be happy about. Even if you do not necessarily want to write them down, you can just repeat them to yourself in the morning, so you are still aware of your gratitude and you will also be bringing positivity into your life.

5. Do Not Compare Yourself To Others

When we compare ourselves to others, we can be damaging our self-esteem and confidence. It’s easy to find yourself constantly comparing but your main goal should be to love yourself.

Instead of focusing on what others have and what you don’t, start telling yourself what you do have and what is great about you. Take care of yourself and love yourself; in order to be happy in life, you should be happy with yourself first.

Work on your self-esteem by being nice to yourself, like you would to a friend. Be happy for others, but do not compare yourself, you are a unique person and we all have different things about ourselves that are great and beautiful.

If you want to explore further what true happiness is and how to embody it then let these quotes about being happy from inspirational people show you how.

Clear Negativity From Your Life Today

If you want to promote positivity long term, be sure to remove any negative influences in your life.

This free ebook reveals the powerful technique for identifying and clearing limiting beliefs.

Inside you will discover an in-depth guide to the Ho’oponopono method and advice from The Secret‘s Joe Vitale.

So, if you are ready to break through to your best self, be sure to download your copy today.

Photo: TarcherPerigee

Staring at your phone wondering if you’re being ghosted (again) can be draining, even for the most confident person. Sure, being single has its pros—being able to take up the whole bed, for one—but it isn’t always easy. And that goes double when you really, really want to be in a relationship.

Certified clinical psychologist Jennifer Taitz has been there. (Yes, even therapists have dating woes.) After a broken engagement, she started wondering if she would have to settle to, well, settle down. Spoiler alert: She didn’t, and she ended up marrying a guy she’s still crazy about.

In her aptly titled book, How to Be Single and Happy, Dr. Taitz doles out science-backed hacks for living your life without stressing over your relationship status. Easier said than done, right? But it’s certainly more pleasant than the alternative—you know, obsessing over how many more awkward first dates you have to go on before you meet someone who recognizes how freaking amazing you are.

Keep reading for five tips on how to be single and happy, sourced from science.

1. Immerse yourself in meaningful activities—and enjoy the moment

“Researchers that study happiness are pretty clear that happiness is more about how you spend your time and [your mindset] than if you are in a relationship or not,” Dr. Taitz says. After all, you can be lonely or depressed and still be coupled up. “Living a happy life is a combination of doing meaningful activities, having social support, and practicing mindfulness,” she says.

By mindfulness, Dr. Taitz means being present in the moment, enjoying what you’re doing as it’s happening. “You could be at the coolest concert ever, like front row seats to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, but if you’re preoccupied by feeling like everyone else is prettier than you or something else, you won’t enjoy the moment,” she says. “People often think first comes love then comes happiness, but it’s actually first comes happiness—and then, the more likely you are to couple.”

2. Recognize that not all your thoughts are facts

Breaking a negative thought cycle—aka I’m never going to find love or All the people worth dating are already taken—can be tricky. Something that helps, Dr. Taitz says, is to remember that not everything running through your head is based in reality.

“When you start to have thoughts like that, remind yourself that not all mental thoughts are true. Rather than choosing to believe something painful, take note of your negative thought patterns and [believe] the opposite of those thoughts,” she says. “That is what will give you the most momentum to move forward.” Repeat after me, even if you think affirmations are cheesy: I’m surrounded by cool, single people—and today could be the day I meet someone amazing.

3. Don’t wait to be in a relationship to pursue your life goals

Dr. Taitz tells her unhappily single clients to ask themselves one question: How would being in a happy relationship change your life? “Maybe you’d carry yourself with less shame. Maybe you’d give yourself permission to relax. Maybe you’d stop getting eyelash extensions. Whatever those behaviors are, start doing those things now,” she says.

That applies to bigger life goals too, like having kids. “I also want to validate how incredibly challenging it is to be single when you want to have a family,” Dr. Taitz says. While she doesn’t pretend that being a single mom is easy, she says if one of your big life goals is to be a parent, it’s worth exploring the options for doing it solo—especially if you’re in your late 30s or early 40s. “I discuss egg freezing, adoption, and fostering with my clients,” she says.

4. Use your past to inform—not sabotage—your future

“I can’t even tell you how many of my clients are so scarred from past relationships or breakups that they can’t think positively about finding love again,” Dr. Taitz says. So what should you do if your painful experiences are stopping you from trying again? First, Dr. Taitz says you need to do everything you can to stop thinking about your ex. That means unfollowing them on social media (no orbiting allowed) and putting an end to talking about them with your friends.

Next, avoid comparing your ex to the next person you go out with. “Maybe, yes, your ex was more attractive than the person you’ve started seeing now, but the new person is kinder and you actually like to be around him more,” Dr. Taitz says. “It doesn’t help you to think back to how hot your ex was.” What does help is thinking of the qualities your ex had that are important to you. (Like, if she was super smart, realizing that’s a value you want in a future partner.)

Dr. Taitz also warns against viewing the past through rose-colored glasses. “Our memory plays tricks on us,” she says. “We often remember the good parts and forget the bad.” That’s definitely not going to do you any favors, either.

Photo: Stocksy/Guille Faingold

5. Don’t put your date on a pedestal (but go ahead and hop up there yourself)

It’s great to be excited about a date—you should be excited, in fact! But Dr. Taitz says there’s a fine line between looking forward to meeting someone new and being overly hopeful that your date is The One. “Fantasizing about a date can be just as harmful as thinking back to painful experiences, because it can cause you to make false assumptions about the person,” she says. If you desperately want your date to be your next boyfriend or girlfriend, you could be blinded to some serious red flags. Instead, she says to focus on the now. That way, you can truly gauge if the person you’re out with is right for you or not.

There’s also another tip Dr. Taitz shares, and this one, she says, is a biggie: Don’t think you have to change yourself just to be dateable. “There are so many dating books out there that tell you that you have to make over your appearance or personality.” That, she says, is not the path to happiness. “The kinder you are to yourself, the happier you’ll be.” And what potential partner could resist that?

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Want to be happier and more successful? Commit to doing one kind thing for yourself every day for a month.

Want to be happier? Begin by being good to yourself. That may sound self-evident, but too many people skip this step and try to make themselves happy by chasing ever-higher goals, or holding themselves to ever-greater standards of perfection.

Ironically, being good to yourself instead will bring you closer to achieving those lofty ambitions, says Daylle Deanna Schwartz, speaker, columnist, and author of 15 books, including “The Effortless Entrepreneur.” “The more you value yourself, especially at work, the more you build confidence,” she says.

In fact, the happiest people go out of their way to treat themselves right and they do something nice for themselves each day. They set appropriate boundaries and take care of themselves by saying no to things when they need to. “When you love yourself, you understand that saying no to something you don’t want to do is an act of kindness, and you don’t walk around with negative feelings toward the person who asked you to do something you didn’t want to do,” Schwartz says.

Not only is being kind to yourself good for your career, it’s good for your relationships too, she adds. “The more you build self-love, the more you have to give to others.”

Here are 11 acts of kindness happy people perform for themselves–and so should you:

1. Commit to doing one nice thing for yourself every day.

Schwartz invites visitors to her site to sign a 31-day pledge to “do my best to do something loving for myself, however big or small.” Whether you feel like signing or not, making the commitment means you’ll remind yourself on a daily basis to treat yourself with loving kindness.

Keeping that commitment will bring real benefits, she says. “It motivates you to take better care of yourself, go after your dreams, and not let people treat you poorly.”

2. Listen to yourself.

That is, listen to how you talk to yourself, and the internal tone of voice you use. (Mine tends to resemble my mother’s in a lecturing mode.) “We often criticize ourselves in our own heads and that brings down our confidence,” Schwartz says. “When you love yourself, you know you’re good enough that you have to stop talking to yourself in negative terms.”

3. Forgive yourself.

“Forgiveness is a big part of it,” Schwartz says. “It’s hard, because most of us have been getting angry at ourselves for all the things we do wrong all our lives. People get into trouble because they try so hard to be perfect and then they beat themselves up when they’re not. Loving yourself means accepting that you’re stuck inside your own imperfect skin.”

Schwartz recommends this exercise to start forgiving yourself: “Look in the mirror and say, ‘I love you and I forgive you.'”

4. Accept yourself as you are right now.

For starters, that means accepting the body that you have today. “Body image is a big stumbling block, and so is age,” she says. “When you love yourself, you try to be the best person you can be in the body that you have, and that’s as much as you can do.”

Self-acceptance also means accepting your income and success level as they are, she says. “It’s OK not to be making a certain amount by the time you get to a certain age,” she says. “Entrepreneurs get a lot of criticism when people say, ‘Why are you wasting your time doing that?’ or ‘You’re not successful enough!'”

Instead, she recommends asking yourself a simple question: “Am I happy with what I’m doing?” She herself sold a successful summer recreation business when she found it was becoming too stressful. “I wound up with less income but I was happier.”

5. Eliminate toxic people in your life and workplace.

This may be easier said than done, but avoid tying yourself to clients, business partners, investors, or employees who make you unhappy. It’s obviously harder to take the same approach with family members, but Schwartz says there’s no reason to put up with people saying or doing things that are unkind. “If people say mean things to me, I let them know if they talk to me like that I’m going to walk away or hang up the phone,” she says.

6. Prioritize your health.

“I take supplements and vitamins, I exercise, and I recently cut out sugar for seven weeks as an act of self-love,” Schwartz says. But be careful–don’t let caring for your health turn into a reason to beat yourself up if you slip. “Yesterday, I had Twinkies,” she says. “I’ve been wanting them ever since they temporarily stopped selling them. So I bought some and I ate them. I don’t beat myself up when I have a treat.”

7. Stop skipping meals.

“People say, ‘I’ve been so busy I had no time to eat today,'” Schwartz says. “That’s a very unloving thing to do. Grab something, even if it’s just a salad.”

Neuroscience tells us that letting your blood sugar sink sends stress signals to your brain. So if you truly can’t stop and grab a meal, make sure you have healthy snacks at your desk.

8. Breathe!

Don’t forget that when you’re feeling stressed, overworked, or upset, simple breathing exercises can up your happiness quotient dramatically, Schwartz says. “If you do some deep breathing during the day, you can calm yourself down and not let stress get to you or make you sick.”

9. Give yourself a welcoming space.

For years, Schwartz never made her bed, simply throwing the covers over it. Now she makes it every day for a simple reason: “Walking into my bedroom when my bed is made makes me smile.”

Take the same approach with your workspace, she advises. Make it as orderly as you can. Neatening up your workspace and getting rid of stuff you don’t need will make you feel calmer and more in control, she says. But don’t limit yourself to just decluttering. “Make sure you have your environment and office space the way you like it and that it’s a pleasant place for you to work,” she says. “Have fresh flowers on your desk. Take it seriously.”

10. Get some sunlight.

“A lot of people work in dark spaces. That’s very unhealthy and unloving,” Schwartz says. Try to work in a place where you have access to natural light, she advises. If that’s not possible, invest in full-spectrum light bulbs. Either way, make sure to get outside for a walk as often as you can.

11. Buy premium products for yourself.

Does this sound like you? If you’re bringing a bag of coffee to someone else, you pick out a luxury brand in a nice package, but if you’re buying it for yourself, you pick the store brand or another inexpensive option. That’s fine if you’re one of these people to whom all coffees taste alike. But if you prefer the more expensive brand, you should go for it, Schwartz says.

“Very often we spend money on others but we’re cheap with ourselves,” she says. “The better brand is only a few dollars extra, and every time you use it you’re reinforcing to yourself that you’re worth more.”

“Happiness is a way station between too little and too much.”

The vast majority of my life has been a giant race to get things I’ve assumed would make me happy.

More money so I could do what I want when I want. A more meaningful career so I could feel both fulfilled and proud of myself. More connections so I could feel loved and worthy. And mostly, more distractions so I could avoid acknowledging why I was unhappy with myself.

“I’m making progress,” I’d delude myself. “I’m pushing myself to accomplish big things that will help people all over.”

While those things may have been true, what I was really doing was chasing the possibility of happiness as it existed in an elusive tomorrow.

Tomorrow, when I’ve made a name for myself. Tomorrow, when I can be proud of making a difference. Tomorrow, when the stars align just right.

Though I still have to make a conscious choice to root myself in today, I’ve realized nothing I want will ever bring me joy if I consistently attach happiness to something just out of my reach. In fact, more often than not, attaining those things will just make me feel emptier because it will remind me of the void nothing can fill—nothing, that is, except me. Perhaps you can relate. Have you ever attached all your hope and energy to something specific you wanted? A job, a home, a date? Maybe you let the act of striving consume your days—your thoughts, your conversations, your actions—and then plowed ahead, thinking all you had to do was get there.

When you finally did, for a fleeting moment the chase seemed worthwhile. Like all your plotting, pushing, and delayed gratification was worth it for that moment when you got what you wanted.

But somehow, the euphoric feeling didn’t last. When you got the new job, you realized you have a lot higher to climb before you make it (though it’s kind of vague where it is.) When you bought the house, you realized it came with a list of new challenges—taxes, renovation needs, and responsibility in general.

Most of us know on some level there’s no reason not to be happy now, even though things aren’t perfect; and yet we consistently find excuses why right now isn’t good enough.

I’ve identified four steps to challenge your instinct to always want more, and actually feel happier because of it, not deprived or limited in any way.

1. Identify what you assume.

So you want to be rich (you and billions of other people). Why do you want to be rich? Do you need copious amounts of cash for a specific reason that’s meaningful to you, to start a business or fund Cancer research, for example? Or do you simply assume being rich, in itself, will make you happy?

The crazy thing about beliefs is that they aren’t always based in fact. Just because you think you’ll be happy when you have money, that doesn’t mean you will, especially if you’re used to delaying happiness to some day when everything is perfect.

Identify your exact expectations so you can look at them more closely.

2. Question your expectation.

Next is to question whether getting what you want will really give you what you expect. Just because something is true for other people (if it is at all) that doesn’t mean it will be true for you.

This requires you to know what’s most important to you in life, also known as your core values. For example, mine are family, independence, freedom, adventure, and meaning. Having money, in itself, won’t create happiness for me unless it supports all the different things that matter to me.

Wealth accumulated through a seventy-hour workweek in a corporate job wouldn’t be valuable to me because it would narrow my time with people I love, restrict my schedule, limit my options for adventure, and potentially tie me to work I find unfulfilling. However, I can likely live a life in accordance with all my core values without ever becoming rich.

3. Look closely at your now.

Sometimes you have desires and goals created to improve legitimately challenging circumstances—when you want a different job because you don’t enjoy yours, or a bigger house because your family needs more room.

There’s nothing wrong with having goals. In fact, research shows people who set and pursue goals are happier than people who don’t.

But it’s important to be mindful about your intentions; whether you’re pursuing something that will enrich your life, or something that’s a distraction from the discomfort of acknowledging what’s really bothering you. Not just the circumstances of your life, but who you’re actually being in life.

Have you chosen to fill your time with things that matter to you? Are you actively pursuing a path that fulfills you? Do you maintain healthy relationships that make you feel good about yourself?

If your choices create a now that feels unbearable on some level—and you indulge a victim mentality that makes you feel powerless—it’s only natural you’ll want to escape the present moment with a fantasy for tomorrow.

4. Be the change you’re seeking.

That happiness exists in the future is an illusion. Whatever it is you think you need to be happy, instead of waiting to get it, create it right now.

If you think having more meaningful work would make you happy, volunteer somewhere and find out. If you think you need more connections to feel happy, call a friend, make some plans, and open yourself up to new people.

If you assume more money is the key to happiness—well, you can’t manifest that instantaneously. But you can find a way to create whatever it is you’re trying to buy. If it’s adventure, join an adventure club. If it’s travel, look online for an affordable travel package.

When you’re willing to be creative and proactive, you have immense power to live a life that feels fulfilling right now, in this moment—not some day, in a very specific reality you’ve attached yourself to creating.

It’s unrealistic to think you’ll ever stop wanting things. I, for one, am glad. When people want change, they innovate, improve lives, and sometimes even save them.

But at the end of the day, yours is the life you have the most power to steer. It all starts with how you think, what you believe, and what you do right now. Not just to get closer to your goals, but to live purposely and joyfully in the present, with whatever you already have.

About Lori Deschene

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She’s also the author of Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal, Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, and other books and co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. For daily wisdom, join the Tiny Buddha list here. You can also follow Tiny Buddha on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Aaron Johnson is a fact checker and expert on qualitative research design and methodology.

Mladen_Kostic / Getty Images

Divorce is an emotional rollercoaster. Getting “out of the habit” of being married can be an overwhelming time in any person’s life. If you’re going through the process of divorce now, happiness may seem far, far away. However, while a bright future may not seem possible right now, a happier life after a divorce is more realistic than you might imagine. To start moving forward and learning how to be happy again, consider the following tips.

Develop Emotional Intelligence

Accept your emotions and let go of the feelings. Accept your emotions and let go of the feelings. Research shows that initially accepting your raw emotions after divorce helps you positively move forward and it reduces negative emotions later on.

Mark Banschick, MD

I think it is important not only to recognize but also [to] acknowledge how you feel. We don’t want people just suppressing things or criticizing themselves constantly because then there’s a lot less [of a] chance that we can grow from those experiences.

Join a Support Group

It’s so important to talk about what happened in your marriage. You’ll feel less isolated if you make friends with people who can relate to and understand how difficult it is for you now that things have changed. A therapist, divorce support group, or a supportive friend will help you work through thoughts and feelings which may be causing you anxiety.

Focus on Loving Yourself First

To put it simply, you need to love yourself before loving someone else. There is absolutely no better time than now for self-care and nurturing your needs. Remember that the old adage “selfless people are selfish” holds true in this case. Because your mental state and physical health impact how you show up as a partner or spouse later on, it’s important to work on these things for yourself first.

Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast

Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how you can learn to be kinder to yourself.

Set Some Goals

Now that you’ve entered a new phase of your life without your spouse, it’s a perfect time to reassess your personal goals. You might want to consider whether you’re on the right career track, if you need to upgrade your skills or seek out more training, or if you should be looking for a job that allows you more flexibility.

Also, start by making a list of all the things you enjoy doing. For example, maybe you enjoy:

• Playing music
• Painting
• Sculpting
• Jogging through the woods
• Spending a day at the beach
• Visiting museums or art galleries
• Going to pubs and clubs with live music performances by local bands
• Taking part in outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, canoeing, and camping trips

You might have forgotten what you enjoyed during the last years of your relationship. Rekindle those interests and make time for them.

Move Forward as a Single Parent

If you have children, accept that the divorce is final and you are now a single parent. This might be the hardest step for you. You don’t want to let go of your hopes that your marriage will one day get better. Or, if you have decided divorce is best for the children and yourself, know that it won’t be easy either way. You are ready to face a new life as a single parent as soon as you accept this fact.

Unfortunately, divorce affects your children going forward. Do your best to communicate well with the other parent and never talk badly about them in front of your children.

Older children can be told what is going on and given a choice of living with one parent or the other. Younger children don’t know how to process what is happening and will need lots of reassurance that they are still loved. They should not be forced to choose between mom or dad.

Expect to Lose Some Friends

When you go through a divorce, it’s natural that some relationships become strained. It’s okay to lose some friendships; you can’t keep the same friends that you did before your divorce if they’re not respectful or supportive of your decision.

Seek out new friends who don’t know about your divorce; they’ll be able to provide emotional support without judgment.

Join an Online Dating Site

After your divorce, you might not feel like getting elbow-deep in another relationship. You might want to try something different, like meeting people online instead of going out and trying your luck at a bar or party.

The internet is an excellent way to meet new people who share your interests. You can find things in common with these individuals very quickly without having to go through the awkward phase of going on first dates and trying to make small talk.

Buy Yourself Something Nice Every Once in a While

Chances are that you haven’t spent much money on yourself while going through your divorce. While you still don’t want to break the bank, consider buying yourself a little something every once in a while.

Remember, you won’t have gifts coming from a spouse now (if you even did before), so treat yourself like you would a friend or partner. Be your own best partner for the time being until you have someone else in your life to treat you well.

Stop Feeling Like You Should Have Made it Work

You may feel as though your divorce is the worst thing that’s ever happened in your life, but you should really take a step back and evaluate it. You might notice some things about yourself or even more importantly, about your spouse, that clearly show they would have never been able to make this work no matter what you did for them.

It’s fine to mourn the relationship but not fine to let that drag on indefinitely. When that happens, you are not only putting yourself through unnecessary hardship and pain, but also affecting your children (if you have them), and everyone who cares about you and wants to see you happy.

It’s okay to feel good again with your life even though you got divorced. You deserve all that the world has to offer to you.

A Word From Verywell

If you’re really struggling with the aftermath of your divorce, seek professional help. Remember that the decision to end your marriage was not made lightly. It came after years of trying, talking, and counseling. You are not a failure if your relationship didn’t work out. There are good things ahead in your future if you can hang on and get through the roughest times. Above all else, it’s more important that you move forward from your divorce as a happy, healthy person.