March 2008

Multitasking Doesn’t Work. Slow Down!

by MomGrind

slow-down Multitasking doesn’t work. Research on multitasking shows that the human brain is not equipped to do more than one thing at a time.

Switching between tasks takes significant amounts of time – several tenths of a second – which can add up when people switch back and forth repeatedly between tasks.

In other words, while multitasking may seem more efficient, it may actually slow you down.

Like many moms, I am the queen of multitasking. Most of my attempts at accomplishing a few things at once involve doing something – anything – while also listening to my kids.

I drive the car while managing their fights in the backseat. I alternate between answering email and helping them with their homework. I cook dinner and listen to their stories. During dinner, as much as I try to teach them to take turns speaking, I often find myself listening to the two of them talking at the same time.

At work, I constantly move back and forth between open applications on my computer because it always seems like my computer is too slow. I tackle a large project at work while periodically checking my email. I talk on the phone while typing.

Most of the time, I seem to manage all of this just fine. But once in a while, especially when two people are talking to me at the same time, I feel that my brain is going to explode and that I just can’t handle it anymore. It is too much.

Now that I have read the research, I know why: multitasking doesn’t work.

Weaning yourself off the habit of multitasking may not just boost your productivity. It may also help you achieve a more relaxed, peaceful existence. Leo of Zen Habits is a big proponent of single tasking and of doing just one thing at a time.

The temptation to jump back and forth between different activities is huge. The information overload that characterizes modern life has addictive properties. At times, it seems almost impossible to relax and slow down. In fact, as I am writing this post, I am very guilty of periodically checking my inbox for new emails. As with everything, I should probably set small, realistic goals for myself.

My first goal is to sit down with my kids every day when they get back from school and just listen to them, focusing on what they have to say, without attempting to get anything else done at the same time. Unpacking of lunchboxes and washing dishes can be accomplished after I spend at least half an hour, uninterrupted, listening to my children.

Multitasking doesn’t work. Slow down!

Photo credit: fatboyke

Flattering Plus Size Swimwear

by MomGrind

The best plus size swimwear plays up your best features while downplaying the areas you’re less happy with.

If you are fuller on the bottom, look for a one-piece swimsuit or a tankini that is darker on the bottom and brighter on the top. This draws attention to the parts you want to accentuate.

Another way to highlight and enhance cleavage and draw the eye upward is to choose a swimsuit with a low-cut neckline. Boy-cut bottoms are another good choice because they are not only comfortable – they will also minimize large hips and give an illusion of a smaller rear end. It’s best to avoid revealing bottoms that will make you uncomfortable.

Take a look at this colorblock swimsuit (available in sizes up to 24W). It’s easy to see that the style does draw the eyes to the model’s upper body:

colorblock-swimsuits1

Swimsuits with halter-tops or molded under-wire cups with a wide band are a great option for a bigger chest.

A flattering halter top swimsuit, available up to size 16W:

halter-top-swimsuit1

While a one-piece swimsuit is an obvious choice if you want to cover your tummy, tankinis with a longer top give you a young, modern look and still provide tummy coverage.

A feminine, sexy Halter Tankini Swimsuit, available up to size 24W:

tankini31

A very flattering longer-top tankini with a modest bottom:

pink-tankini

The best plus size swimwear is comfortable. This is in fact true for any swimsuit, regardless of the size or who wears it. If you keep tagging at your swimsuit in an attempt to get more coverage, or if you look painfully uncomfortable in your swimsuit, you will not look attractive. So if you need to go for a larger size, just do it.

The right fit is far more important than the number on the tag. No one will be reading the size on your tag anyway and hey, you can always cut it off. Your mission is to find a swimsuit that makes you feel comfortable and feels like YOU.

Teach Your Kids To Call 911

by MomGrind

child-on-phone1 Teaching kids to call 911 could save your life. Kids are more resourceful than many of us realize.

I was amazed at the resourcefulness of the three years old Australian child, who called emergency services when his mother had an epileptic fit.

The child told the operator that his mother was asleep on the floor bleeding. He was at home with his nine-month-old brother.

Police and ambulance officers raced to the house and took the mother to the hospital for treatment. Police said the woman was unconscious and the boy’s actions may have saved her life.

Australian emergency authorities said, “this is a positive reminder to teach children at a very young age what is required in the case of an emergency.”

Children are often more resourceful, and more resilient than we give them credit for. When I talked with my own children (ages six and eight) about a scenario in which I, say, fall down the stairs, lose consciousness and need them to call for help, they started crying.

I felt bad about making them sad, but I knew that such a scenario is completely possible and that they need to be able to call for help. We taught them how to use the phone and made sure they knew to run to the neighbor’s house, or call 911, in case of an emergency.

Of course, an important part of teaching kids to call 911 is emphasizing that they should only ever call when there’s a true emergency.

Photo by pinqu1963

More Money, Better Health?

by MomGrind

money-on-plate Money and health are very much connected. Research shows that socioeconomic status has a profound influence on health. Obviously, good genes and good habits, such as eating right and exercising, matter.

But according to research, other factors that influence a person’s health are her income, job title, education, address and race. So, even if you don’t smoke, but you live in a shady neighborhood with lots of fast food and no supermarkets, that would adversely affect your health.

In other words: rich people are healthier.

An overview of some of the factors that connect money and health and make rich people healthier:

Race

In the United States, health disparities, defined as gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, are well documented in minority populations such as African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos. When compared to whites, these minority groups have higher incidence of chronic diseases, higher mortality, and poorer health outcomes.

Health insurance

Wealthy people’s health concerns match those of the general population. The biggest worry cited by those with over $1 million in assets: accidents, followed by cancer and heart disease. But the rich can afford good health insurance and preventative care. In many cases, money means longevity.

Obesity

New research at the University of Washington showed a correlation between financial power and obesity level: those inhabiting chic neighborhoods with high property values are less prone to obesity than those living in under-privileged zones.

Financial Stress

Stress is a condition that results when an individual perceives a discrepancy, whether real or not, between the demands of a situation and her own resources. There is a strong link between stress and health.

In a review of the scientific literature on the relationship between stress and four well-known diseases, the authors found that stress plays a role in triggering or worsening depression and cardiovascular disease and in speeding the progression of HIV/AIDS, and commented that additional studies across a broader range of cancers are needed before fairly evaluating the role of stress in cancer.

If you have little control over your work life; if you are constantly worried about money, housing and safety; and if, on top of it all, you live with the lifelong stress of racial discrimination, your health will suffer.

Obviously, rich people stress too. But it is often not the overwhelming, all-consuming stress of people with less money. Stressing over losing money in the stock market is very different than stressing over the possibility of foreclosure or not being able to buy groceries or pay the bills.

The tight connection between money and health, and the phenomenon of health inequality, are not new. But with a looming recession, researchers worry that the health of our nation as a whole will suffer.

Photo by wai.ti

Vaccinations: The Controversy

by MomGrind

Childhood vaccinations were given routinely to children in the past, but more and more parents today are refusing to vaccinate their kids. The result: childhood diseases are making a comeback.

In an outbreak of measles in San Diego in January and February of 2008, twelve children became ill.

Nine of them were not vaccinated against the virus because their parents objected, and the other three were too young to receive vaccines.

The parents who objected to their children receiving vaccinations are among a small but growing number of parents who take advantage of exemptions to laws requiring vaccinations for school-age children.

Measles is a significant infectious disease because, while the rate of complications is not high, the disease itself is so infectious that the sheer number of people who would suffer complications in an outbreak amongst non-immune people would quickly overwhelm available hospital resources.

Most children recover from measles without any complications, but the disease causes death in one out of every 1,000 cases, and serious complications such as retardation in others. According to the World Health Organization, measles is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable childhood mortality.

Few deny the vast improvements vaccination has made to public health. Childhood vaccines protect children from a range of serious diseases. A more common concern is their safety. Controversies in this area revolve around the question of whether the risks of adverse events following immunization outweigh the benefits of saving children from tragic outcomes of common diseases.

Paradoxically, the very success of vaccinations in eradicating common childhood diseases may cause a generation, that never saw the possible tragic outcome of these diseases, to object to vaccines. Public health officials say they are concerned about the growing number of school-age children being exempt from being vaccinated and insist that there’s no solid evidence linking vaccines to autism or other neurological disorders. Critics say that lack of evidence of harm is not the same as evidence of safety.

The problem: incomplete vaccine coverage increases the risk of disease for the entire population, including those who have been vaccinated. One study found that doubling the number of non-vaccinated individuals would increase the risk of measles in vaccinated children anywhere from 5–30%. In several countries since 1960, reductions in the use of some vaccines were followed by increases in the diseases’ morbidity and mortality. Some parents who refuse to vaccinate their kids say that they are aware of putting other children at risk.

The vaccine debate has reached mainstream TV in 2001, when NBC’s television drama ER contained a highly controversial story line about a family that chose not to vaccinate their children. One of the children contracted measles and died from complications. The episode portrayed the parents’ decision not to vaccinate as irresponsible and negligent.

My own kids are vaccinated. I completely understand parents’ fears: the possibility, even if remote, even if unproven, that choosing to vaccinate your children would cause irreversible damage to them and ruin their life is devastating. But my husband and I felt that in a situation where the benefits of vaccinating are proven but the risks are not, we simply cannot take the risk of NOT vaccinating. We also felt that it would be unfair to choose not to vaccinate and rely on the fact that the majority of parents still vaccinate.

Currently, 20 states allow personal-belief-type exemptions from vaccinations. My guess is that if the number of non-vaccinated children will continue to grow, and if, as a result, common childhood diseases will start making a comeback, more and more states will stop allowing these exemptions.

Sources:
Health risk rises as parents reject shots
More Parents Refuse to Vaccinate Kids
Kids’ skipping vaccines worries health officials
Autism – Still Not Vaccines
Measles, Vaccine Contoversy

Photo by BlueGoa

How To Protect Yourself Against A Recession

by MomGrind

A recession seems like a very real possibility right now. The good news: there’s still time to prepare. Start by following these eight tips for protecting yourself against the recession:

Save Aggressively

1. Cut your expenses. Create a realistic budget and stick to it. Prior to any purchase, whether it’s a new TV set or a Starbucks frappuccino, ask yourself, do I really NEED this item, or do I just WANT it?

2. Generate a little extra cash. Declutter your home and sell stuff on eBay. Put ads on your blog (don’t have a blog? Start one. Read this article on How To Blog) and try to place them in a way that will optimize click-through rates.

recession 3. Pay off debt more aggressively. Consider taking advantage of current low interest rates to pay off as much debt as you can, especially credit card debt.

4. Create an emergency fund. Try to keep between three and six months’ worth of living expenses in short-term investments. This is especially important during an economy slowdown, because people do lose their jobs more often during a recession. Your emergency fund should be held in an FDIC-insured account, or in short-term treasuries.

Protect your portfolio

You don’t necessarily need to make any changes to your investment portfolio. I don’t plan on changing my investment mix: our portfolio is quite conservative as it is. We have an emergency fund, a good mix of stocks and bonds, and reasonable exposure to foreign stocks. So I pretty much plan to stick with my convictions and wait out the recession.

However, if you feel you might be too exposed to a slowing stock market, here are a few things you can do:

5. Change your asset allocation. Don’t pull out of the stock market entirely, because you do want to benefit from the eventual upturn, but this might be a good time to unload the losers in your portfolio and use the money for buying quality municipal bonds or treasuries.

6. Diversify.

6.1. Allocate part of your investments into international stock. The standard formula calls for 15%, but we choose to be more aggressive and keep around 25% of our stock portfolio in foreign stock. We’ve been very happy with DODFX (no load, expense ratio 0.66%). In addition, we have some exposure to emerging markets, China, Japan and Europe.

6.2. Make sure you don’t have more than a small percentage of your portfolio in any one company. Specifically, many financial advisers recommend that employees invest no more than 10% of their retirement money in their company’s stock.

Protect your job

7. Do your best to keep your current job. Especially if you work at a large, stable company. Make sure you are perceived as valuable at work. Ideally, you want to be at the top 10% of your company to avoid the layoffs, which ARE more common during a recession.

8. Prepare for layoffs. Put more effort into networking. If you lose your job during the recession, the best way to get a new one quickly is through your network of friends and colleagues. LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking sites are great for maintaining and expanding your network. Keep in touch with people and help them as much as you can, without expecting anything in return – for now.

—
I am not a financial adviser. The information provided here about protecting yourself against a recession is general in nature.

Photo credit: Anders V

← Previous Entries

March 2008

Multitasking Doesn’t Work. Slow Down!

Flattering Plus Size Swimwear

Teach Your Kids To Call 911

More Money, Better Health?