Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO®, blog, time management tips & strategies

Emergency Preparedness Lessons from Power Grid Failure During Texas Winter Storm

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | February 25, 2021 |

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. But guess what? Emergencies happen year-round. And once an emergency event hits, it’s hard to get what you need. This is why emergency preparedness during all seasons is important. My husband and I consider ourselves nerdy planners. We’ve always felt like we’re prepared for whatever will come our way.…

7 Productivity Hacks That Don’t Work

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | February 18, 2021 |

In last week’s post about whether or not productivity hacks actually work, I shared why so many hacks don’t work. This week, here are 7 productivity hacks that seem helpful, but aren’t – unless you implement them effectively and efficiently. 1 Relying on Reminder Systems How many times have you set a reminder for “later”…

Do Productivity Hacks Actually Work?

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | February 11, 2021 |

Productivity hacks and time management hacks are popular search terms on Google. Productivity and time management are topics that millions of people are interested in because they want to know how to be more effective and efficient with their time. Is there a better way to work? Is there a way to do more in…

Chinese New Year 2021

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | February 2, 2021 |

What is better than a New Year’s celebration? Why, that would be two New Year’s celebrations! The entire world celebrates New Year’s Eve on December 31 and New Year’s Day on January 1. It’s a time when we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the upcoming year. Some people make New Year’s…

Recipe – Keto Mexican Wedding Cookies / Hojarascas

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | January 28, 2021 |

Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 12-16 minutes Total Time 46 minutes Servings 36 cookies, roughly 2 ½” in diameter Ingredients 12 TB butter (soft, but not melted – 30 min at room temp) 2/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (ex: monk fruit) 3 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 pinches salt (if using unsalted butter; if you don’t have…

How much time should you spend on email?

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | January 21, 2021 |

A writer for Better Homes and Gardens contacted me with questions about how much time should be spent on email. Here was her request: “For one of the illustrations, we would like to show a five-day calendar with periods of time scheduled for responding to emails. How much time do you recommend people block off…

Do This to Prevent an IRS Headache

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | January 12, 2021 |

If you want to avoid an IRS headache when you need to make an estimated tax payment, take heed. Last week, a client told me his saga about tracking down the whereabouts of his payment to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), then disputing two delinquency letters he received from them. He estimated he’d spent nearly…

The Secret to Productive Meetings

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | January 5, 2021 |

A company called Yoyo Meetings interviewed me about the secret to productive meetings. Here is a summary of our interview: What are some tips on how attendees can prepare for a meeting to ensure a productive meeting? The first tip is to check on the meeting agenda. If there is no agenda, there’s already a…

1 Small Habit to Prevent Stress

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | December 29, 2020 |

Have you ever met anyone whose life is so stress-free that they have absolutely no interest in learning how to prevent stress? I haven’t either. I know some very calm and balanced folks, but even they are open to continuous learning. Recently, writer Janette Novak was curious about small habits that increase productivity and reduce…

Sugar and Spice Pecans Recipe

By Helene Segura, M.A. Ed., CPO® | December 22, 2020 |

Pecans are definitely not my favorite nut, but I was willing to give this recipe a try because of the story behind it. Betty Lifshutz shared this recipe with her community when she was in her 70’s and included the following story with it: “When we got married, I gave Archie the choice of having…