Whether you’re fresh out of college and looking for work or trying to get back in the workforce, unemployment can be quite a predicament. Chances are, you’ll need all the help you can get. Make use of these lifehacks to make your unemployed life just a bit easier.

General

Make use of these general unemployment lifehacks.

1. Appreciate being unemployed: Enjoy your unemployment while it lasts.
2. Stay social: Make sure you keep putting an effort into maintaining a good social life.
3. Get a business card: This tiny tool can help you connect with others, especially employers, in a really big way.
4. Improve your mindset: Use unemployment as an opportunity to tackle problems in your life.
5. Join a support group: Get help with unemployment by seeking out libraries, churches, and other organizations that offer unemployment support groups.
6. Give yourself an assessment: Look at your strengths and think about what you really want to do now that you’ve left your old job.
7. Stay positive: Look on the bright side and take advantage of your time unemployed.
8. Make friends with your librarian: Visit your library for free entertainment, job hunting help, and great community resources.

Money

Use these lifehacks, and you’ll be able to stretch your money, hopefully until you find your next job.

9. Apply for unemployment benefits: Use unemployment benefits to help make ends meet, and apply as early as possible, as they may take time to come in.
10. Stay at home: Use free entertainment at home instead of going out, so you’ll be able to save money.
11. Get a grip on your finances: Take stock of where you are in your finances and adjust where needed-you never know how long you’ll be out of work.
12. Do not cash out your retirement: Just about anything’s better than dipping into your future.
13. Use your emergency fund: If necessary, dip into the cash you’ve been saving for a time like this.
14. Don’t waste anything: Make sure you use all of everything you purchase, not wasting any scraps.
15. Use envelope budgeting: Split your cash into categories to avoid overspending.
16. Ask for a temporary suspension of payments: If you’re working on a loan, let them know you need help and ask to suspend your payments.
17. Look for any costs you can reduce immediately: Take a look at your budget and spending to determine what you can cut out.
18. Stop catalogs and email announcements: Don’t be tempted to buy-just turn them off.
19. Conserve energy: Keeping your energy consumption down can save you big bucks.
20. Put your budget into survival mode: Make sure you can stay on top of your basic needs before everything else.
21. Keep your receipts: Use receipts to list and track your expenditures to find out where you are spending too much money.
22. Exercise at home: Cancel your gym membership and take advantage of local roads.
23. Do your research: Carefully research all purchases before you make them.
24. Put impulse buys on a 30-day list: Write down your gotta have it items, and revisit them in 30 days to see if they’re still important.
25. Use cash: Make spending more painful and real by using cash instead of cards.
26. Use cheap, nutritious ingredients: Get more nutrition for your money.
27. Temporarily block numbers from creditors: While you’re trying to ride out unemployment, it’s understandable that you may not be able to make every bill. Use tools that will allow you to stop the calls, even temporarily.
28. Stick to your grocery list: Before grocery shopping, make a list and be sure to not stray from it.
29. Lend and borrow: Give books, toys, and clothes you’re not using anymore away, and ask for what you need.
30. Cook at home: Eat healthy and cheap by cooking at home.
31. Learn how to haggle: Improve your bargaining skills to get a better deal just about anywhere.
32. Learn frugal habits: If you’re unemployed, you’re going to have to learn how to live on less, so pick up frugal habits.
33. Talk yourself out of purchases: Do your best to convince yourself you don’t need to make purchases.
34. Make small transfers to savings: Even while unemployed it’s important to save, so make small, frequent transfers that are less painful than lump sums.
35. Enjoy thrift stores: Instead of buying new, discover the joys of purchasing used.

Motivation

It can be difficult to find motivation to get things done while unemployed-use these hacks to turn things around.

36. Get a jumpstart: Plan to get up early Monday morning and get started on your productive week early on.
37. Squash negative thoughts: Negativity will kill your motivation and productivity.
38. Avoid bad habits: Don’t fall into bad habits like sleeping in late, staying on the sofa, and eating junk food.
39. Get up when you used to: Wake up at the same time as you did while employed, and attack the day like it’s a job.
40. Chart your progress: Track your progress for each goal.
41. Avoid multitasking: Keep yourself from multitasking so you can be most effective.
42. Accept setbacks: Know that setbacks will happen, and vow to learn from them to avoid letting them happen in the future.
43. Assign dates and priorities: Organize your tasks with dates and priorities.
44. Do a weekly review: Figure out what you need to get done by the end of the week, and what you’ve gotten done at the end of the week.
45. Don’t let yourself skip two days in a row: It’s okay to miss a day now and then, but make sure you’re staying on top of yourself to use your full force the next day.
46. Use a "later" list: If you have tasks you can’t get to this week, don’t write them off, just keep them on a different list.
47. Deal with failure: Take a rest, exercise, and build up your momentum for something new.
48. Write down what you want to accomplish this week: Choose your actions for the upcoming week that you’ll be able to complete.
49. Remove distractions: Do your best to keep distractions away, including TV, children, and online playtime.
50. Use mini goals: Accomplish small goals that lead up to a larger ultimate goal.
51. Keep a journal: Whether on paper or online, write about what you did that day.

Health Care

Without employer-sponsored insurance, health care can be incredibly difficult, so use these lifehacks to make things work.

52. Get long term medications filled before losing insurance coverage: Ask to get a year or two of medication while you still can.
53. Call ahead: Before receiving treatment from your doctor, call ahead to negotiate your payment, whether you have insurance or not.
54. Read your individual health insurance policy carefully: If you’re getting an individual policy, be sure to check out all of the details.
55. Go to dental school: If you’re in need of dental care, save money by going to a dental school for free or reduced cost cleanings.
56. Look for free or discounted health fairs: Keep an eye out for immunization events and more that can save you money on health care.
57. Take care of medical issues before losing coverage: Make sure to take care of exams and treatments you’ll need done within the next few months before your insurance coverage runs out.
58. Cut out fruit juice: Fruit juice is high in sugar and low in nutrients-just eat a real piece of fruit instead.
59. Exercise: By exercising, you’ll be able to stay healthier.
60. Self-diagnose online: Before you head to a doctor, check your symptoms online to make sure they really warrant medical attention.
61. Drink tea: Enjoy the many health benefits of green, black, white, cold, hot, or iced tea.
62. Ask for free samples: If you need a prescription, ask your doctor if you can take advantage of free samples.
63. At least get catastrophic insurance: If you’re thinking about going without insurance, consider getting catastrophic coverage in case of an accident or major illness.
64. Take care of issues before they become a real problem: Although you may be hesitant to avoid spending health care dollars, stopping problems before they get bigger can save you money.
65. Don’t skip breakfast: Avoid energy dips by packing in dietary essentials in your breakfast.
66. Take vitamin supplements: Make sure you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need by taking supplements.
67. Get more sleep: Without a job keeping you busy 8+ hours a day, you’ll have more time to make sure you sleep all of the hours that your body really needs.
68. Drink lots of water: Improve your health by staying as hydrated as possible.

Activities

These are useful ideas for what you can do now.

69. Make good use of your extra time: Now that you probably have more time than you know what to do with, take on fun and effective activities.
70. Create a job for yourself: Take on a meaningful project or work for free so you’ll avoid having a gap on your resume.
71. Go to free events: Visit art openings, free festivals, performances in the park to get out and enjoy yourself without spending any money.
72. Go back to school: Use your extra time to improve your life, resume, and experience with a new degree.
73. Get inspired: Use books, forums, friends, photos, and other motivators to find inspiration.
74. Improve your skills: Finish your degree, improve your skills, and impress new employers by investing in yourself.
75. Clean your house: Having a tidy house can do wonders to make you feel better about being unemployed and spending more time at home.
76. Write a book: If you’ve been putting off the creation of a novel, now’s the time to pick it up and send it off to a publisher.
77. Travel: Roam the world while conducting your job search.
78. Start a business: While you’re waiting to get a job, give self-employment a try.
79. Be creative: Have some fun and feed your creativity with your extra time.
80. Volunteer: Feel good about yourself, network, and gain experience by offering your services as a volunteer.
81. Learn a new language: Add a useful skill to your resume and give yourself a purposeful activity by studying a language.
82. Celebrate a little every day: At the end of the day, do something that makes you happy.
83. Connect with your family: Take time to spend more afternoons with your children, visit your parents, and check in on your grandparents.
84. Get a workout: Visit the gym or train for a marathon with your newfound time.

Job Hunting

Make use of these hacks to land your new job.

85. Don’t be picky: Don’t be terribly fussy about what you apply for. Even if you don’t take the job, just going through the process is great for practice, and you never know what doors you’ll open.
86. Update your resume: Make sure your resume is up to date and reflects you effectively.
87. Apply in person: Whenever possible, send in a physical resume, handed in personally.
88. Change your career: If the industry you were laid off from is suffering, take this opportunity to explore a new career.
89. Tailor your resume and cover letter: For each job you apply for, make sure that your resume and cover letter are perfectly representing you.
90. Accept a platform job: Don’t be afraid to take on a job that helps you pay the bills.
91. Tell your social networks: Let people know you’re looking, and you may score some temporary work or even the real thing.
92. Teach: Many cities will hire professionals as teachers, or you can take up temporary work as a substitute teacher.
93. Use company terminology: Make use of terminology that is used in the company you’re applying for, and you’ll get noticed.
94. Use a log: Keep a nicely organized spreadsheet so you’ll know when to submit your resume, follow up, and re-check job listings.
95. Treat your job search like a job: You should spend most of your day job searching, applying, interviewing, and connecting with helpful people.
96. Stay in touch: Keep connected with your old manager and former colleagues-those who maintain contact are more likely to hear about re-hire opportunities.
97. Use the rule of thirds: Apply to three dream positions, three realistic ones, and three fun, totally out of your norm jobs.
98. Blog about your industry: While looking for a job, maintain a blog about the industry you’d like to get into, so you’ll keep up with what’s going on and be able to network.
99. Save a copy of the job description: By the time you go in for an interview, job postings are probably down, so save a copy for later.
100. Practice talking about yourself: Talk about your life as if you’re always on a job interview, so you’ll be ready to go when the time comes.

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When traveling for business, you don’t always have time to plan out your trip the way you’d like. Depending on weather-related delays, deadlines, networking events and changes in your own office’s schedule, you may have to book and rebook travel and reorganize your itinerary even after you’ve left home. But with an iPhone, managing last minute changes is easy. Check out these 99 awesome iPhone apps for busy business travelers, from scheduling help to city guides to everyday utilities you’ll need on the go.

Schedules and Itineraries

Book travel, manage your itinerary and organize your trip with these apps.

1. Kayak Flight and Hotel Search: Use this travel meta search engine when you need to book a flight or hotel on the go.
2. TripCase: Get customized travel messages, flight status updates, security wait times, baggage information, gate changes and more with TripCase.
3. FlightCaster: Map out your Plan B with this app, which predicts flight delays based on weather and other qualifications.
4. Travelocity TravelTools: Save trip information and get flight schedules, gate information, security wait times, delay information and booking support with this tool set.
5. Expedia Itinerary Viewer: Expedia fans will be able to see their whole itinerary and travel confirmation numbers and bookings here.
6. LiveATC Air Radio: Get a heads up about delays straight from the source when you eavesdrop on air traffic control conversations.
7. Airfare: With Airfare, you can look up international and domestic flights, including multi-destination flights, flights on specific airlines, and more.
8. Trips: This travel manager, powered by TripIt, organizes confirmation numbers and e-mails, flights, hotels, car rentals, baggage information, meetings, flight status, weather, dinner appointments, and more.
9. MyFlights: Manage your flights with this app, which automatically updates them if any changes are made due to delays, weather or rescheduling.
10. WorldMate Gold: Organize every step of your trip, from flights to breakfast meetings to rental cars to lodging.

Maps and GPS

Make sure you know exactly where you’re going and how to get there with the help of these maps and GPS apps.

11. Google Earth: Access the user-friendly mapping technology of Google Earth on your iPhone for fast and easy local search, directions, and more.
12. ReSpotter: Network with other traveling associates and contacts when you locate them on city maps, from Shanghai to Paris.
13. World Tour (travelogue and map): Add pins to the map to annotate trips and store photos.
14. WikiPlaces: Get Wikimaps on your iPhone here.
15. Weather Radar: This interactive weather map will clue you in to delays, local weather and more.
16. G-Map U.S. East: If you’re going to be traveling anywhere in the eastern U.S., use this GPS system on your iPhone to get around.
17. OffMaps: View city maps offline, in landscape or portrait mode, and even when you travel abroad.
18. Traveling Companion: This app includes a compass, your GPS location, heads-up display, nearest street address, directions and more.
19. CoPilot Live: This app is pricey, but if you’re constantly on the go in the U.S. or Canada, you’ll find that the 3D and 2D driving maps, voice directions, auto navigation support, detour and alternative route options and other features are worth it.

Transportation

Navigate around your new city like a pro when you download these apps for metro stations, AAA and highway support, taxi services, and more.

20. Metro Americas: Business travelers who frequent major cities in the Americas, including Montreal, New York, Mexico City and Washington, D.C., will be able to get subway guides for all destinations here.
21. AAA Roadside: If you often travel by car, send AAA roadside assistance requests with your iPhone.
22. MetrO: Map out the fastest route using rail, bus, metro or tram for 400 cities around the world.
23. Cheap Gas!: Locate the cheapest gas wherever you drive in the U.S. and Canada with this GasBuddy.com-powered app.
24. Rocket Taxi: Order taxis with this app that works in 10,000 cities.
25. Transit Maps FREE: Get transit maps for BART, NYC subway, Queens bus, Philadelphia rail system, and plenty more.
26. London Tube Subway: Get the London tube map on your iPhone, which can also sync the transit guide to Google Maps.
27. New York Nearest Subway: Locate the closet subway station when you’re in New York using this app.
28. Traffic: Get traffic updates for most metro areas in the U.S.
29. G-Park: Record information and a photo about your parking location so you never forget where you left the car.
30. Airport Codes: This app will help you find shortcuts when booking travel and more.

Language Help

When traveling to places like China, the Middle East, South America or Europe, you might need some help communicating with locals. Each of these iPhone apps uses a different system to help you master the language, or at least get by.

31. Global Talk: With Global Talk, you can type in your question or statement, choose a language to translate to, and then show a native speaker the translation on your iPhone screen. Supports 42 languages.
32. Oxford Translator: You don’t need a Wi-Fi connection to use this translator, which lets you choose voice translations, and a build-and-repeat phrase system.
33. Translate It!: This translator lets you type in messages, which are translated into text bubbles using Google Translate.
34. QTranslator: This translator comes with preset sentences and lets you type in a phrase and translate it to over 40 languages, like Finnish, German, Hebrew or Thai.
35. iTranslate - Ultimate: For just $1.99, you can get basic language support for French, Spanish, German, Italian and English.
36. myLanguage Pro: Use this language app to copy/paste text, listen to translations, search offline, dialect pairing, and more for languages from Urdu to Hindi.
37. Linguo - Multilingual Translator: This user-friendly translator works for languages like Norwegian, Polish, Dutch, French and Russian.
38. Free Spanish Dictionary: Practice your Spanish with this side-by-side dictionary.
39. World Guide: Look up language information, climate, transportation tips and more for places in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and beyond.
40. English-Japanese Language Translator: This virtual phrase book lists English words and their Japanese translations — in character form — side by side.

News and Alerts

Stay on top of financial news, medical alerts and more with these apps.

41. Influenza A(H1N1): Get swine flu alerts that could impede travel with this app.
42. talk Radio: Connect to talk radio stations wherever you are for news and entertainment.
43. iNap: Arrival Alert: Feel free to take a nap when you set up this alert, which will wake you up when you reach your destination.
44. CDCAlert LE: Get medical alerts from the CDC here.
45. AccuWeather.com: Keep up wtih weather news and forecasts with AccuWeather.com’s app.
46. TerrorNews QuicknEasy RSS: If you’re going to be traveling to risky regions, keep up with terrorism-related news here.
47. Cell Phone Ban: Set up this alert to notify you when you drive through a cell phone ban region.
48. PortfolioLive Stock Quotes/Market Data : Get a finance news reader, NYSE and NASDAQ quotes in real time, plus market analysis.
49. iBusiness News: Use this app to get aggregated news from CNN, BBC, USA Today, and The New York Times.
50. The Wall Street Journal: Get news from The Wall Street Journal no matter where you’re traveling with this app.

Food and Lodging

Download these apps to make sure you always have a place to stay at night and a well-balanced meal in the morning.

51. Urbanspoon: This popular app can quickly help you decide on a yummy place to eat near your current location.
52. Hotels.com: Book hotels on the fly with Hotels.com, which can refer you to places based on your current location, nearby landmarks, reviews, and more. No cancellation fees are included, either.
53. LocalEats: Quickly look up local favorites for dining out, and get directions, contact information and price ranges in your results.
54. Yeerp Bed and Breakfast: If you’d like to stay in a bed and breakfast when you travel, use this app to find the closest one to your location. Supports six languages.
55. Zagat To Go ‘09: You don’t have to waste time in dead-beat restaurants, bars or hang outs when you have this dining guide on your iPhone.
56. HotelsByMe: This iPhone service will help you locate and book hotels, save your hotel list, view them on Google Maps, and pay in 17 different currencies.
57. Call a Hotel: Look up hotels and their phone numbers quickly with this app.
58. Rest Area: Locate quality rest areas in the U.S. with Google Maps and this app.
59. FoodMenus: If you want take-out or delivery when you’re out of town, use this app to find and store U.S. restaurant menus.
60. HotelPal: Major hotel chains are logged in this database that can help you choose your next night’s stay while you review photos, maps, amenities, and more.

City Guides

If you manage to get some downtime during your trip but didn’t have time to plan a personal itinerary before you left, turn to these travel guides for city specific assistance.

61. UrbanDaddy: Find cool things to do in cities like New York, San Francisco and Miami by plugging in the time, neighborhood, and keywords like "date" or "lounge."
62. SitOrSquat: Bathroom Finder: Find decent, clean public restrooms in a hurry with this app, that works for cities like Houston, Phoenix, Detroit, Boston and Seattle.
63. 7 Cities to See in Europe: If you have a little downtime when you travel to London, Istanbul, Barcelona, Rome, Prague, Paris or Dublin, watch one of the tourist videos on this app to find out what you need to see.
64. Travelhost: Learn about dining, shopping and entertainment attractions in different cities, and then save directions and listings to your iPhone whenever you have some free time.
65. GPS Points of Interest: When you’re trying to figure out what to do in a new city, use this app to get ideas and find directions to entertainment, food and more.
66. Smart Biz Traveler: With this app, you can find cabs, restaurants, hotels, entertainment and more, based on your current location.
67. Rome2Go: Check out the top places to visit in Rome.

Communication

With the help of these tools, you’ll be able to keep in touch with everyone back at the office, your family at home, and any contacts you can meet up with on your trip.

68. Wi-Fi Finder: Use this app to find Wi-Fi hot spots close by. It currently supports 270,000 locations worldwide.
69. Postcard Express: Create custom postcards without having to stop at tourist shops with this app.
70. Int’l Calling: Rates and Codes: Get international calling rates and codes for 243 regions, from Cape Verde to Greece to the UK to Canada.
71. TravelTrac Lite: Send back videos, journal entries, notes, photos and locations to the office or to friends and family as you travel.
72. Postman: Turn your iPhone into a virtual delivery service so that you can tweet postcards, post to your Tumblr blog, and more.
73. FriendWatch: Notify friends of your location so that you can meet up on business trips.
74. Boxcar: Let this one app send you notifications from your social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
75. Black Book: Manage all of your contacts’ information, including photos, social media IDs and more from this one list.
76. Loopt: Loopt is another tool that can help you find contacts, friends and colleagues wherever you travel.
77. Bluetooth Walkie Talkie: Turn your iPhone into an easy-to-use walkie talkie with this app.

Work Support and Organization

With these remote access tools, you’ll be able to keep up with work, organize your travel notes and save photos, text and more.

78. all-in Notes: Add photos, text, dates and voice recording for on-the-go note taking.
79. AirFloppy: Save files from the web to your iPhone with this app.
80. Overnight: Express Shipping, Tracking, Pricing: Use this app when you need to ship or receive packages while you’re out of town.
81. MobileMeiDisk: Access files and folders on your remote iDisk with your iPhone.
82. Trip Planning To-Do List: Keep up with your meetings and appointments, plus deadlines and other to-dos here.
83. LogMeIn: Log into your Mac or PC with this app.
84. Awesome Note (+Todo): Organize tasks, to-do lists, ideas, brainstorms and more with this app.
85. Hours Tracker: Keep track of billable hours even when you travel.
86. iTeamAgenda Location: Keep track of your location, meetings, parked car, and more as a way of staying connected to co-workers around the world.
87. Easy Attendance Memo: Record your attendance at and participation in meetings, conference calls and more across the globe.

Utilities

Turn your iPhone into a currency converter, alarm clock, tip calculator, packing checklist and more with these helpful apps.

88. Currency: This free app calculates currency conversions for over 90 different currencies in 100 countries.
89. Tipulator: Tipulator is a popular tip calculator that lets you split the bill and the tip.
90. Be Prepared to Travel: This travel checklist will help you remember to pack and update your passport, hold mail, get a house sitter, get a taxi, and more.
91. SplashTravel: This "all-in-one trip organizer" includes a tip calculator, currency exchange, world clock, time calculator, packing list and other tools.
92. Airline Bag Fees: Calculate bag fees by airline, including international carriers like Air Canada.
93. PackingPro: Manage multiple packing lists at once with this app.
94. Traveler’s Stain Removal: Get tips on how to remove pesky stains on the go.
95. White Noise Lite: If you need help falling asleep in strange places or on planes, use this app to simulate the noise of thunder storms, beach waves, rain or other noises.
96. Unit Calculator: Convert feet to meters and more with this unit calculator.
97. Gas Log: Use this app to log your gas mileage on business road trips.
98. Alarm Night Clock Lite: Turn your iPhone into a digital clock with date, time, day and other settings.
99. Send MMS: Send free photo texts home or into the office with this app.

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It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind of alarm clocks, commutes, meetings, office politics and dead-end jobs, but life doesn’t have to be that way all. Here, we’ve revealed 100 of the all-time best lifehacks for your workday, which will keep you motivated, productive and energized each week.

Waking Up and Getting Ready

Learn how to wake up on time and get moving each morning by reading these hacks.

1. Go to bed at the same time every night: A regular sleep schedule will help you wake up at the same time in the mornings, too.
2. Get up when your alarm goes off: Don’t kid yourself about wanting an extra 10 minutes. Before you know it, 10 has turned into 20 or 30, and then you’re late.
3. Put your alarm clock across the room: If you’re afraid of snoozing in, put your alarm clock across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off.
4. Open curtains or a window: Help your body wake up naturally by letting the sun and fresh air peek into your room.
5. Pick out your clothes the night before: Pick out two outfits — one should be a backup — to wear to work the night before. Bonus points for ironing and picking out your shoes and accessories, too.
6. Shower strategically: For your morning shower, use bath soaps that smell like eucalyptus, peppermint, spearmint or pine, which can help you wake up faster.
7. Exercise: Wake up 30-45 minutes early to get a quick workout in, which will help you wake up and get your exercise out of the way for the whole day.
8. Eat breakfast: Cereal, a banana, a granola bar or even yogurt will jump start your metabolism and give you fuel for your morning.
9. Pack your bag the night before: Get all papers and supplies (including umbrellas, shoes and jackets) organized the night before and set everything out by the front door.
10. Think of something to look forward to: For early morning motivation, think of something about the day ahead of you that will be fun or challenging.

Commute

Make your commute more effective and enjoyable by bringing distractions, having a back-up plan and sharing rides.

11. Check e-mail: If you ride the subway, train or city bus to work, use the time to catch up on e-mails and set up appointments.
12. Ride your bike: Make your commute doubly effective by getting a workout in, too. Plus, you’ll help the environment.
13. Bring your iPod: Tune out to music, an online course or audio book when you bring your iPod along for the commute.
14. Find the cheapest gas: Don’t waste time — and gas — driving around the for the cheapest place to fill up your car. Use a site like GasBuddy.com to look up the cheapest rates before you leave the house.
15. Carpool with reliable people: Make sure everyone in your carpool is punctual.
16. Have a backup plan: If there’s a strike, your bike tire is flat or your carpool partner can’t make it, always have a backup plan.
17. Keep up with car maintenance: Avoid unexpected car problems that can make you late by keeping up with car maintenance all year long.
18. Pack for a rainy day: Remember to pack an umbrella and any other supplies or accessories that will protect you from bad weather.
19. Consider cost: Calculate your commute’s cost and decide what ridesharing option is best for you.
20. Keep your cool: Distract yourself from obnoxious commuters, delays and bad weather by reading, eavesdropping on the right people, and playing games.

To-Do Lists and Deadlines

These hacks will help you organize, prioritize and work down your to-do lists each day.

21. Write a to-do list at the start of every day: Don’t wait until lunchtime to begin your to-do list: keep one handy for the entire day.
22. Break things down: Break projects down into individual action items that you can cross off faster.
23. Consider the essentials: If you don’t want your to-do list to overwhelm you, only include the essentials.
24. Delegate: Delegate "busy work" like fact-finding, data entry and photocopying to assistants and interns to give yourself more time.
25. Rearrange based on changing priorities: Your to-do list will need to change periodically based on new priorities and projects. Don’t be afraid to revise.
26. Color code your calendar: Color code your calendar so that it’s easier to identify projects, meetings, appointments and more.

Time Management

Avoid procrastination so that it’s easier to get out of the office on time every evening with these hacks.

27. Clean off your desk: Rid your desk of any distractions and allow your mind to focus on the project at hand, not the mess on your desk.
28. Hold office hours: Keep your door closed when you want to stay busy, and set aside "interruption" times for colleagues to come in and ask you questions.
29. Identify your distractions: Once you’re able to identify the websites, e-mails and phone calls that distract you the most, it’ll be easier to stay away from them.
30. Filter and file emails: Filter out spam and file away emails based on priority and subject.
31. Try time boxing: Instead of working on a project until you finish, work on it for predetermined time slots, like 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.
32. Make yourself accountable to someone else: If you’re leading a project or working on your own, make sure you’re being held accountable for deadlines and updates.
33. Do unpleasant tasks first: Breeze through unpleasant tasks when you have more energy.
34. Hire an assistant: If you can justify it to your boss, ask for an assistant or intern to help you with menial tasks, scheduling and organization.
35. Use shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts can make you navigate the web and your files a lot faster.
36. Use RSS: Subscribe to RSS feeds instead of checking news sites and blogs every 20 minutes.

Meetings

Make your meetings less of a nuisance by being prepared, taking breaks and following up a couple of days later.

37. Limit chat time: Chat time is sometimes necessary for brainstorming and letting off steam, but set a timer to keep yourselves on schedule.
38. Have an agenda and stick to it: Even if you’re not leading the meeting, jot down a few notes and questions you want to address, but save all the extras until later.
39. Hold silent breaks: After discussing or proposing a topic, have everyone be quiet for 2 minutes to mull it over.
40. Follow up: When you get back to your desk, take a few notes while your mind is still engaged, and then follow up in the next couple of days to check on everyone else’s status.
41. Schedule breaks: Allow people to check messages and go to the bathroom so that they retain focus and energy.

Break Time

Learn how to take strategic breaks that help you rebuild focus, stretch, and get a second wind.

42. Make better coffee: Sprinkle salt into ground coffee for a better taste.
43. Keep it short: All you really need is a 2 or 3-minute break to stretch, use the restroom and get some water.
44. Be productive during your break: You can take a break from computer but still stay productive by doing something physical, like running an errand, folding laundry (if you work at home) or making a phone call.
45. Vent: If you’re really upset about something, take 5 minutes to call a friend or write in a journal.
46. Don’t take breaks on the computer: Taking a break to check your Facebook page doesn’t count. You need to stretch and get some fresh air.
47. Take a personal day: When you’re heading towards burnout, take a personal day to relax, reevaluate and have fun.

Ergonomics

Protect your body by following these ergonomics hacks at your desk.

48. Analyze your work space: Evaluate your work space for ergonomics no-nos.
49. Have a padded seat: Keep your bum comfortable while elevating yourself at the appropriate height with a padded cushion.
50. Prevent eye strain: Consider things like contrast, brightness, screen height, dry air, dirty monitors and monitor closeness to prevent eye strain.
51. Take stretch breaks: Taking 1-2 minute stretch breaks every 20-30 minutes is recommended to prevent overexerting your body.
52. Support your back: Make sure your back is supported at the right angle.
53. Work out your neck: Try to keep your neck relaxed during the day but also take time to breathe in, rotate your neck from side to side and up and down.

Office Relationships

Here you’ll learn how to get along with your co-workers and your boss.

54. Watch your jokes: Keep un-PC jokes, bathroom humor and vulgar or offensive language out of the office.
55. Learn how to say no to your boss: You can say no to your boss if your extra work will compromise your other projects and clients.
56. Be the bigger person: Avoid gossip and learn to tune out annoying co-workers instead of being dramatic.
57. Be careful of office romances: Don’t get intimate with a co-worker just to cure the office blues and never let your relationship interfere with work.

Nourishment

Your diet can play a large role in your energy at work. These foods and snacking hacks will keep you focused and healthy.

58. Water: Keep yourself hydrated and productive all day by filling up a water bottle in the morning and drinking from it at your desk.
59. Bring three pieces of fruit every day: Set up each piece of fruit on your desk and eat it whenever you get hungry. This trick will keep you away from the vending machines.
60. Make popcorn: Popcorn seems like a junky snack, but snack-sized bags without butter are satisfying without being too indulgent.
61. Stock your desk: Keep your desk and office refrigerator stocked with healthy snacks, like small bags of nuts, rice cakes, baby carrots and hummus so that you don’t have to feel guilty about noshing.
62. Pack a lunch: Save money and calories by packing your own lunch. If missing lunch meetings hurts your image at the office, eat beforehand and order a small salad or side of veggies when you go out.
63. Drink green tea: Take a break from sodas and coffee to get a healthier dash of caffeine from green tea.
64. Eat lean meats: Bring a chicken salad or sandwich on whole wheat bread or a whole wheat pita topped with lean meats for energizing protein.
65. Try to influence the office: Ask for healthier catering options and take-out menus to make it easier to eat right at group events.
66. Oatmeal: Make oatmeal for a late afternoon snack or bring it for breakfast to avoid hunger pangs and drowsiness throughout the day.
67. Get a plate: If you’re eating at your desk, it’s easy to just reach for the box or bag to get your munchies on. But just because you’re not at home doesn’t mean you have to eat like a pig. Avoid mindless munching (and mess) by getting a plate or bowl.

Work-Life Balance

Don’t let work get the best of you: these hacks will help you achieve a work-life balance that leaves plenty of room for family and fun.

68. Pace yourself: Pace yourself each day and each month to avoid burnout.
69. Inspire your work space: Hang up inspiring pictures, listen to music and find a way to spoil yourself in your cube, all for the purpose of inspiring creativity.
70. Write down your priorities: List your top 5 priorities to help you reevaluate the amount of time you’re spending on each one.
71. Talk to your boss: If you’re feeling completely overwhelmed and are comfortable talking to your boss about personal issues, set up a meeting to discuss how you can make your work life less stressful.
72. Make every day feel like the weekend: Learn how to tune out the stressors and work at your own pace, just as if you’d come in on a Saturday.
73. Set up boundaries: Turn off work phones at home and give yourself a 10 minute window of personal time after lunch to create safe, "sacred" space.
74. Ask for help: Enlist the help of your spouse, kids and co-workers when you need help with a project, chores, or running errands.
75. Stop procrastinating: Sometimes the easiest thing you can do to ease your stress is to amp up your productivity.
76. Believe in yourself: Feeling confident about your job performance will help you deal with stress. Learn how to believe in yourself and shake off obsessive self doubt.
77. Let the small stuff go: You can’t be perfect all the time, at work or at home. Accept the fact that you’re human, and don’t let little mistakes get to you.

Goals

Don’t get too complacent with your job. Here you’ll discover ways to set and achieve career goals that will change your life.

78. Learn to think "from" your goals: Don’t think of your goals as something you’ll never achieve. Make a goal and act on it right then.
79. Consider how far you’ve come: Don’t just think about the future: consider how far you’ve already come when you need some extra motivation.
80. Review your goals every day: Remind yourself why you’re at work each day by keeping a list of goals nearby.
81. Embrace negative outcomes: When things don’t go your way, reevaluate the situation and find the positive.
82. Do your research: There’s a difference between goals and fantasy: Understand the reality behind salaries, job titles, and more before going after your goals.
83. Get your boss to pay for school: Find out if your boss will be willing to pay for your continued education.
84. Get on a committee: Build your reputation and increase your exposure by applying to sit on boards and committees.
85. Get a mentor: Find a mentor who can help you with networking opportunities and point you in the right direction.
86. Talk to your boss: If you want to move up in your industry, talk to your boss about taking on new responsibility.
87. Never stop networking: Network with old and new clients, on social media sites, and with everyone in the office.

Office Parties

Survive office parties by checking out these hacks.

88. Show up for a little while: Whether it’s in the office or off-site, you’re obligated to at least stop by. Make up an excuse to leave early if you want to.
89. Come up with a list of things to talk about: This includes networking topics and personal small talk.
90. Limit alcohol content: At the office party, it’s best to limit your booze if you have any at all.

After Hours

These hacks will help you unwind and get ready for the next crazy work day.

91. Leave work at the office: If at all possible, finish up at work even if you have to stay a little late.
92. Jot down a to-do list for the next day: Make it easier to pick up where you left off by jotting down a to-do list to get you started in the morning.
93. Write down what’s bothering you: Don’t let work stress dominate the rest of your evening: write down what’s bothering you so that you can pick it up again in the morning.
94. Escape: Escape in mindless TV, a good book, a glass of wine or an evening run.
95. Socialize: Quality time with people you enjoy — not the people you’re forced to see every day — can help you relax.
96. Have quiet time before bed: Get ready for bed by meditating and having some personal time to think.
97. Go easy on the chores: Don’t leave work just to work yourself to death cleaning when you get home. Do one or two chores each day.
98. Exercise: Leave the stress of work behind you by working out when you get home.
99. Clean up: Take a hot shower or bubble bath to clear your head and start fresh for the evening.
100. Go to bed earlier: Give your body and your mind time to recover and prepare for the next day by going to bed earlier.

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