What Are Internal Distractions? (With Examples) | LifeHack

August 3, 2023August 2, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Ever tried to focus on a task, but found your mind wandering to that uncomfortable conversation from yesterday? Or maybe, right in the middle of an important presentation, you started planning what to cook for dinner? We all face the siren song of distractions, constantly luring our minds away from the task at hand.

It’s easy to point fingers on external distractions – the constant ping of our phones, the lure of social media, the colleague dropping by for a quick chat, or even the too-cold air conditioning in your office space.

But often, the culprit isn’t something outside of us; it’s within. It’s what we call internal distractions.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into understanding how internal distractions cleverly hijack our focus, often unnoticed.

As solar panels wear out, this massive recycling plant in Yuma, Arizona | Fast Company

August 3, 2023August 2, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Sunlight beats down on a graveyard for dead solar panels in Yuma, Arizona, hundreds stacked in neat piles, waiting for their next life. The great majority of worn and damaged panels are still dumped in landfills. But with more and more piling up, many people know that needs to change.

In this desert city where Arizona, California, Sonora, and Baja California meet, North America’s first utility-scale solar panel recycling plant has opened to address what founders of We Recycle Solar call a “tsunami” of solar waste. Plans to address climate change rely on massively scaling up clean, solar electricity.

The panels, stacked and banded, come here from the company’s main collection warehouse in Hackettstown, New Jersey, plus six other locations across the country.

How to Hire Seasonal Workers | AllBusiness.com

August 2, 2023August 1, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

With the unemployment rate remaining low throughout the country, small business owners continue to grapple with the labor shortage, making it especially difficult to find and hire employees. And if your business experiences seasonal ebbs and flows, attracting employees interested in temporary or seasonal work is even more challenging.

But finding seasonal workers is not impossible. To get insights and advice about seasonal hiring, I talked to Natalie Dopp, chief people officer at HireVue, a hiring technology company.

How to hire seasonal workers

Can an Employee Call in Sick on Friday and Still Be Paid for Labor Day? | AllBusiness.com

August 2, 2023August 1, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The last big weekend of the summer is traditionally Labor Day weekend. Many employees may be hoping for one final trip to the beach before the fall arrives. You have approved all of the requests for time off, but you know that if it is especially sunny and warm that weekend, someone on your staff is likely to develop a “last-minute stomach bug.” So do they need to be paid for Labor Day?

Holiday pay for non-exempt employees

Many employers include a specific provision in holiday pay policies that employees must work the scheduled day before and after a holiday in order to be eligible for holiday pay. No sweat if the employee is non-exempt, eligible to earn overtime, they don’t need to be paid for the Labor Day off. Make sure the policy is in writing and don’t issue it on the day after the holiday.

IRS to End Unannounced Visits to Taxpayers | Small Biz Trends

August 1, 2023July 31, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced it will cease the majority of unannounced visits to taxpayers. This move aims to decrease public confusion and improve safety for taxpayers and IRS employees alike.

The change, which takes immediate effect, will replace spontaneous visits by IRS revenue officers with scheduled meetings organized via mailed letters, marking a significant break from the IRS’s decades-long practice. Revenue officers, who are tasked with visiting homes and businesses to aid in resolving account balances, often through the collection of unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns, will now be armed with prior appointments instead of surprise visits.

The adjustment comes as part of a larger effort to revamp IRS operations following the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act last year and the introduction of the new IRS Strategic Operating Plan in April.

American consumers in no mood to give up daily coffee | Food Truck Operator

August 1, 2023July 31, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Good news for restaurants and food trucks offering a cup of joe — American consumers are in no mood to go without their daily pick-me-up: coffee.

That’s according to the most recent National Coffee Trends Study Specialty Coffee Report sponsored by the National Coffee Association.

“Inflation is on everyone’s mind,” said Samantha Evans, senior research manager at Dig Insights, during a webinar on the study. “It’s impacting everything everywhere, and seemingly all at once, including how Americans drink and purchase coffee.”

While inflation has come down from 7.5% in January of 2022, people remain worried about personal finances, Evans said. This isn’t surprising as interest rates have increased dramatically in the past year.

“It’s really starting to take a toll on consumers and their finances,” she said.

The ABCs of Running Your Own Business | Business

July 31, 2023July 30, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Find out the meaning of more than 100 important business terms.

Running a business means grasping the intricacies of accounting, marketing, inventory, people operations and many other responsibilities, and each new responsibility comes with its own jargon. As a business owner, you’re likely to come across terms ranging from A/B testing and accounts receivable to Zapier and zero interest. Below, we dive into the ABCs you need to understand to succeed.

What You Can Learn From Infamously Bad Bosses | Business

July 31, 2023July 30, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Executives at Disney, Yahoo, and other companies show what NOT to do.

Being the boss comes with a lot of responsibilities. They’re the person everyone else looks to for leadership and direction. But what happens when the boss is caught doing things they shouldn’t be? That’s when scandals can hit – and public relations nightmares begin.

A great boss – whether a business owner or C-suite executive – is often not only a role model inside a company, but also the public face of the business outside the office. The person in this role is usually skilled at building brand awareness and bringing positive attention to the organization. Sometimes, however, company leaders make news for all the wrong reasons. Here are some notorious examples and what small business owners can learn from them.

You can now ‘expand’ images in Photoshop using AI | Digital Trends

July 28, 2023July 27, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Adobe is updating its Photoshop app with a new AI-powered feature that will allow you to easily make an image larger and add context to the image based on its original subject.

The feature, called Generative Expand, is now available to Photoshop beta users. You’ll be able to expand images in any direction and generate an additional scene for the space with a combination of traditional app tools and AI. It uses Photoshop’s crop tool in conjunction with a text field for a prompt to create the details for the image you want to add.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Motorola Razr Plus | Digital Trends

July 28, 2023July 27, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Samsung has finally added a big cover screen to its Flip lineup with the Galaxy Z Flip 5. After years of offering tiny cover displays that are good for widgets and notifications, but nothing more, the Flip 5 is a major step forward.

Since its launch, we’ve hailed the Motorola Razr Plus as the best user experience on a clamshell foldable because it allows you to get things done without opening the phone — and in a very seamless manner. But with the addition of a 3.4-inch cover display on the Z Flip 5, has it finally bridged the gap between the two flip phones? Here’s a full comparison between the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Motorola Razr Plus.