Self-employed entrepreneurs need stress management too!

It seems that everywhere I turn there are articles and news stories about how companies are rewarding their employees during these trying times in order to reduce stress and increase morale. But who provides these perks to the self-employed? Often we entrepreneurs are putting our every waking moment into our work in order to build our business and ensure our success. That can mean endless hours at the computer, non-stop phone calls, end countless worries, and financial stress. So here are some ways to take care of your #1 employee without taking out a small business loan:

1. Get a massage! Many massage schools offer student massages for a very low rate, and the students who are giving the massages are usually near the end of their education and have quite a bit of experience. You’ll find that a monthly, or even weekly student massage can help relax your mind and unwind your nerves, along with many other health benefits.
2. Move that body! If your work involves sitting in front of the computer all day long, then it’s more important than every to sneak a little exercise in! Make it a point to walk your dogs. Watch a tutorial or the news or your favorite webcast from the treadmill. Ladies, don’t forget your kegals too!
3. Fuel yourself for success! Talkers, have a cup of hot tea in the morning. Snackers, supply yourself with a small variety of healthy snacks. Avoid high sugar and caffeinated drinks as they can cause you to crash and burn.
4. What’s gonna work? Teamwork! Keep in contact with at least one other person in your field that understands the challenges you face. This can be either in person through friends and colleagues, or online through the many social networking tools. Just understand that this works both ways. Listen, share ideas, and ask for help when you are stuck. Just because you work alone, doesn’t mean you have to do it by yourself.
5. Call the shots! Set your own hours and change where to hold meetings and lunches. Pick your own favorite restaurants or coffee shops instead of always getting together in an office. A change of scenery or pace can make work more fun.

I’m sure there are dozens of other ways you can de-stress your day and I’d love to hear them so please leave ideas in the comments below!

Annoying refrigerator odor? Offensive litter box odor? Fridge-It and its’ family of activated carbon odor absorbers is your answer!

I recently moved into a rental house and like so many others, found that once the smell of fresh paint wore off, the house had a few surprises for me. This included a refrigerator that no matter how much I cleaned it, still had a wet, musty smell inside as well as a lingering odor of cat urine in the family room. After trying many different products to get rid of the odors I was ready to chip in on a new fridge and replace the carpet. I was getting headaches from the fragranced air fresheners I was using and I could STILL smell the offensive odors underneath!

That’s when a friend of mine gave me a 2-pack of Fridge-It Cube odor eliminators. I thought she was joking when she said that these little purple cubes worked better at eliminating odors than any candles, powders or sprays. She explained that the fridge-it cube isn’t designed to cover up odors, it’s filled with activated carbon which is designed to trap the particles that make up offensive smells within the cube so that they are removed from the air completely and permanently. I did my homework and found this video which explains how activated carbon works to adsorb odor particles:

Armed with an education, I hung one cube in the back of my fridge near the air vent, and another underneath a side-table in the worst corner of my family room. Within an hour or so my refrigerator smelled like new! The family room took about a day to lose the odor since it was a larger space, but I was absolutely floored! These little purple cubes had saved me a lot of time, money, headaches, and hassle!

I followed the name on the cube and found that the Fridge-It cubes are available online at www.innofresh.com and are generally inexpensive at about $20 a six-pack. They have a whole line of odor absorbers for your home, pets, cars and more.