If your blood sugar is low, your energy is low too. By eating a hearty meal in the morning, you are “breaking fast” and giving your body an energy boost in the morning. Try to eat healthy, nutrient-dense foods to promote stable energy levels. Sugary cereals and pastries may sound appealing, but they can cause a crash after the initial surge of energy. Get your body moving in the morning, however you can. If you have time to exercise in the morning, that’s great. If you don’t have time for a full workout, some gentle stretching can do the trick. By moving around and stretching out your body, you get your heart pumping and blood flowing to your brain. You may also get a burst of endorphins, the “feel good” chemicals that are released during physical exercise. It is normal to feel sleepy and lethargic while your body gradually gets used to your new schedule. However no matter how groggy you feel, don’t let yourself nap. Sleeping during the day will make it harder for you to fall asleep at night, and you’ll undo the hard work you did by waking up early.

Summary: Eat breakfast. Stretch. Refuse naps during the day.


Your referees, should they agree to be your referees, are doing you a favor. Give them at least two weeks to prepare and, if necessary, write you a letter of recommendation. There is some disagreement about the best way to ask someone to be a reference. Asking someone in person or over the phone is more personal, but you run the risk of making someone uncomfortable. Asking someone in an email is less personal, but it gives the person a chance to consider the request. Use your best judgment.  Whether you ask for a reference in person, on the phone, or in an email, give the potential referee the option of saying “no.” Ask the potential referee, “Do you feel that you are able to give me a strong reference?” If a potential referee does in fact say “no,” be grateful. It’s far better to have someone who really wants give you a reference on your side.  Be polite. Let your potential referees know how much you appreciate their efforts. And let them know that you’re available to answer any questions they might have. Supply them with job ad itself. You should also come up with your own description of the position. Remember the lists you made when you were deciding who to ask? Now’s the time to use those lists again. Make an effort to draw connections between your potential referee’s qualifications and the position for which you’re applying. For example, you might say, "Since you are a successful business owner, I thought that Business University's School of Business would value your opinion of me." Be very upfront about what you want your referees to say about you. You might say something along the following lines: “Given our history, I think you’re the right person to talk about my abilities in these areas…”  You can offer them anything from a simple list to a full-blown draft of a letter of recommendation. The more specific and thorough you are, the more grateful your referees will be. Give your referees explicit permission to add or delete parts of your guide as they see fit. This will let your referees know that you trust their judgement. You can say, “This is just a guide. I hope that you will make whatever changes you think are necessary.” Remember: an updated resume is far more useful than an out-of-date one. Once you’ve submitted your application materials, be sure to send thank-you notes, and keep your referees in-the-loop about the progress of your job search. A quick email that begins, “I wanted to give an update about the job I applied for.” Whether or not you end up getting the position for which you applied, maintaining contact with your referees is a smart idea. You might need to call on them to provide references for other applications. And they might be able to alert you to job openings.

Summary: Ask early. Decide how you will ask. Tell your referees about the position. Explain why you’re asking them. Offer a guide. Give your referees a copy of your resume. Follow up.


Most bottles will be covered by a label and you may want to remove that label so that your message in a bottle is not mistaken for trash.  To remove the label, place the bottle in hot water and let it sit for at least one hour. The hot water will loosen the glue on the label and make it easy for you to peel the label off. You may need to scrape some of the glue off of the bottle. Fill the inside of the bottle with warm soapy water and cover the opening of the bottle with your hand. Gently shake the bottle up and down for at least 30 seconds to remove any substances from the inside of the bottle. Pour out the soapy water and rinse the inside of the bottle with warm water. Once you have removed the label and cleaned the inside, place the bottle upside down in a strainer and allow it to dry. It will take about one hour for the inside of the bottle to completely dry, depending on the temperature in the room. You can also allow the inside of the bottle to dry overnight.  To dry the inside of the bottle more quickly, place it in the oven on low heat at 150 °F (65.6 °C) for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Be cautious when removing the bottle from the oven and allow it to cool off before continuing with the process.   Another alternative for drying the inside of the bottle is rolling up a paper towel lengthwise and placing it inside of the bottle. Be sure to leave a portion of the paper towel on the outside of the bottle so that it can be easily removed.

Summary: Remove the label (optional). Clean the bottle. Dry the bottle.


Make a monthly newsletter that tells potential customers something that they may want to share on social media or with their friends. Include social media links and a “Forward to a Friend” button on your HTML email program, such as Mail Chimp. Try a tutorial, expert tips or industry trend information. Ask experts in your company to craft these emails. The best way to increase an email list is to create quality content that is only accessible by people who have an account. The customer will give you their email in exchange for free, valuable content.  Create a landing page on which you can capture users and sign up new accounts. Once the account is created, the landing page should lead to the content. You may need to enlist the services of a web programmer to do this. Valuable website content may be in the form of an eBook, video, tutorial, free template or free download. Announce the free content offer on social media sites, your website, monthly emails, in print ads and in Google ads or other links. Start a Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and/or Instagram account. Share your valuable content and lead people to the landing page on your website. Your email program may provide you with a coded button that will allow people to enter their emails to sign up for your list. If you are sending out valuable content, new people will want to join your list. Create a landing page where people can enter the contest by providing their email. Make sure you have a valuable prize and that you follow contest legal guidelines that are dictated by state commerce agencies. You must keep a schedule of sending valuable information to your email list in order to keep the list growing. Once you are set up to capture emails through your website, social media accounts and email management program, you can move on to more advanced list-building strategies.
Summary: Create valuable email content. Create valuable website content. Use social media to share the valuable content. Post a “Join our Mailing List” box on your homepage and email signatures. Host a contest. Remain consistent.