5 tips to simplify your workday this fall

Photo: Andreea Avramescu/Unsplash

Family Features - Optimizing your workday through careful preparation and effective time management can create a more harmonious balance between your professional and personal life. Finding ways to simplify the day, both at home and on the job, can help you make the most of every minute, so you feel less rushed and better prepared to manage whatever the day throws your way. Make your workdays more manageable with these tips and find more time-saving ideas at BensOriginal.com.

Wake Up on Time

Starting the day with a bang, setting an alarm and sticking to it can be the secret ingredient to a super productive day. Hitting snooze not only makes you groggy, but it cuts into valuable time you need to start your morning routine. Plan to get up late enough to feel rested but early enough to accomplish important tasks, such as breakfast, which gives your body and mind the energy they need for a busy day. Consistent bed and wakeup times can improve the quality of your sleep, giving you the extra boost you need.

Grocery Shop at the Start of the Week

Use your weekends wisely with a smart strategy and foresight to plan ahead so you can save time when workdays get away from you. Planning and prepping meals and keeping your pantry stocked with easy-prep items ensures you’re fueling your body, keeping burnout at bay. For example, Ben’s Original Ready Rice products can be your go-to lifesavers as a delightful lunch that’s ready to serve in 90 seconds. Even when time’s ticking away, you can still enjoy a satisfying dish and keep your energy soaring high.

Keep Your Calendar Organized

Juggling deadlines, meetings and ongoing tasks can be an organizational hassle, but effectively mastering your calendar can make all the difference. Make it a habit to answer meeting requests and ensure they get logged into your calendar promptly. Then, like a pro, schedule other commitments around the meetings, blocking off time as necessary to ensure you leave adequate time at your desk to get your work done. Use your calendar’s labeling and organization tools to help keep you on track. For example, you might color code priority items differently than tasks or meetings that could be moved if necessary.

shopping cart

Photo: Markus Winkler/Unsplash

Simplify Workday Lunches

Bringing your lunch to work can be an ultimate time-saving hack. Enjoying a tasty dish in the breakroom gives you a change of scenery and lets you reset your brain without losing travel time by heading to the nearest drive thru. An option like Ben’s Original Street Food delivers convenience and is a perfect solution for those days when you’re short on time but craving a tasty lunch. It delivers convenience wrapped in a flavor-packed dish, ready to tantalize your taste buds. Look for flavors like Jamaican Jerk-Style Red Beans and Rice with Chicken, Gumbo with Chicken and Andouille Sausage, Fried Rice with Vegetables or a Bean and Rice Burrito Bowl to transport your taste buds around the world, right from the comfort of your office.

Condense Meetings

Whether scheduled or impromptu, meetings can quickly feel like they’re consuming your entire day. If possible, set your calendar availability so you’re only able to take meetings in the late morning or early afternoon. This nifty trick ensures you have ample time to kickstart and wrap up your day with top-priority tasks. Host standing meetings so participants are focused on the topic at hand and less likely to engage in distracting chatter. Prepare agendas for meetings so you can stay on track and handle off-topic discussions outside of meeting times.

Guest Commentary |
Living in peace and being good Americans

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Millions of Democrats went to the polls in state primaries to cast their votes for President Joe Biden. He was elected to represent the Democrat party once again. He didn’t have the official votes of the delegates from the convention but it was a given that he would receive them.

On June 27, Biden debated former President Trump and it didn’t go so well for Biden. He wasn’t his best during that debate and a ground swell of other Democrat leaders forced Biden to withdraw from the race.

How does this make you feel if you voted for him? What happened to the will of the people? What good did it do you to take time off from work to vote? Your vote didn’t mean a thing. It was totally wasted time if you voted for President Joe Biden. A handful of rich celebrities along with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Robert Schiff, and a few others made the decision.

Suddenly all we are hearing is that Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democrat challenger to Donald Trump. She hasn’t been elected by the delegates which doesn’t even come until the August convention which begins August 19th. A reported hundred million dollars has already been raised and she will likely be nominated. At this point, who does this party have to nominate? We have only a little over three months until the November election.

The brevity of time that Harris has to run as the Democrat nominee is unfair to everybody. It’s unfair to her. She can run as the assumed nominee but she’ s not the nominee yet. It wouldn’t make sense for Trump to debate her at this point because Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer might change their minds and ask someone else to run and pressure Harris to drop out.

Of course, a similar scenario could happen to the Republicans. Trump could have been assassinated and the Republican party would have had to make another choice.

Harris’s major theme that she has going for her in the eyes of millions of Americans is abortion. As many if not more Americans are for abortion than are against abortion. Harris is beating this drum every day wherever she speaks and it could be the single issue that elects her as President. Trump and the Republicans must come up with a plan that resonates with the majority of America’s women and young people or it could be the single issue that brings about his defeat.

There is a lot at stake in the November election. We hope our votes count. We hope that whoever we elect is the one who serves as President. Unlike what just happened with the recent Democrat primaries. Most of us hope that we can get through this election and still be at peace in our country. A house divided cannot stand. Regardless of who is elected it doesn’t do any of us any good to be fighting among ourselves. I hope that we all can resolve to live in peace, talk civil to each other and be good Americans.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Crystal Lake Park Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday

URBANA - Over 40 artists are expected to display their artwork and wares at the 6th Annual Crystal Lake Park Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday. The two-day event held at Crystal Lake Park is a collaborative organizational effort between 40 North and the Urbana Park District.

The art fair will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on both days. Vendor booths will be located along the park road adjacent to the Lake House and the large pavilion. Local and regional artists will be offering paintings, textiles, ceramics, photography, jewelry, glass, mixed media, and more for sale.

Featured artists include Champaign native Megan Hinds, an alumna of Illinois State University, where she specialized in printmaking. She graduated with magna cum laude honors in 2016, and her work has been exhibited at the Jan Brandt Gallery, Joe McCauley Gallery, Heartland Community College, 40North Gallery, Spudnik Press Cooperative's Annex Gallery, The Art Center, and Lincoln Land Community College. Recently, her artwork was awarded the Best-Emerging Artist award at the Ann Arbor Art Festival in 2019, the Best 2-D Artist award at the Naperville Fine Art Festival, and the Best Printmaker award at the Deer Park Art Festival.

If you're someone who loves the romantic side of life and is looking for artwork that reflects that passion, you might be interested in the work of Melanie Sartori. She is a self-taught artist and muralist based in Madison, WI, drawing inspiration from vintage items, travel, and adventure. Melanie often uses locally collected vintage and antique frames to create one-of-a-kind paintings, using the frames as a starting point for her creativity and to infuse her work with a sense of history and sustainability. Additionally, she creates unique jewelry collections as part of her commissioned work.

Cammie Meerdink, the artist known for her visionary work at Piper Pottery & Crafts in Mahomet, has been creating stunning and practical clay pieces for more than two decades. Her process involves incorporating natural elements, vintage artifacts, and contemporary influences to produce singular stoneware pieces. Meerdink has gained recognition in artistic communities for her imaginative and utilitarian pottery designed for both home and garden use.

2024 Crystal Lake Park Art Fair Artists

Unlocking homeownership with down payment assistance and savings plan

Photo: Jill Wellington/Pixabay

StatePoint Media - If you dream of owning a home but aren’t sure whether you have enough money for a down payment, take another look. You might already have enough or be closer than you think.

Down payment and closing cost assistance

Depending on your situation, you may qualify for a grant to help with your housing purchase. Grants can offer down payment and closing cost assistance. Some financing programs also allow qualified homebuyers to put down as little as 3%.

“Aspiring homeowners may want to talk with a mortgage professional to explore their options. They can help aspiring homeowners understand how much they need for a down payment and other upfront costs as well as for ongoing expenses such as insurance, homeowners’ association fees, and unexpected repairs,” says Ewunike N. Brady, head of African American Segment, Wells Fargo Home Lending.

If saving up to buy a home is your goal, how can you put more money away each month to get there sooner? Here are some savings tips to consider:

1. Pay down credit card and loan debt to save money on interest. This may also lower your debt-to-income ratio and increase your credit score, which helps when applying for a mortgage. Start with accounts with the highest interest rates, pay more than the minimum, make payments every two weeks instead of monthly, and consider setting up automatic payments.

2. Track your spending habits and evaluate what you can cut. Many helpful budgeting apps are available. Small changes can add up to big savings. For example, make your own coffee, pack a lunch, carpool, get your hair cut less frequently, or cook and watch movies at home instead of going out.

3. Reconsider subscription services and monthly memberships. How much do you spend per month, and do you use them enough to get your money’s worth? If you have gym membership, can you work out at home or enjoy public recreation areas? How many apps or streaming video or music services do you need?

4. Minimize account fees. Pay attention to when a bank account incurs fees so you can avoid them when possible – for instance, maintain the daily minimum account balance, use your debit card a specified number of times during the month, or stay below a maximum number of withdrawals from a savings account. And of course, avoid overdrafts.

5. Consider using automatic bill pay options through your financial institution or the billing entity, like your utility company. Then you’ll avoid accidental late payments and the fees that come with them.

While saving for a down payment seems daunting, it does not have to be. Understanding the facts about what’s required to buy a home and having a savings plan can put you well on your way to achieving your homeownership goal.

Commentary |

Project 2025's plan to do away with Medicad and Medicare

Fernando Zhiminaicela/Pixabay

While admitting that Medicare and Medicaid “help many,” the authors of Project 2025 nonetheless declare that the programs “operate as runaway entitlements that stifle medical innovation,

by Sonali Kolhatkar

Conservatives have done the United States a huge favor by explaining in detail what they’ll try to do if Donald Trump is reelected.

Project 2025, a “presidential transition project” of the Heritage Foundation, helpfully lays out how a group of former Trump officials would like to transform the country into a right-wing dystopia where the rich thrive and the rest of us die aspiring to be rich.

Declaring in its Mandate for Leadership that “unaccountable federal spending is the secret lifeblood of the Great Awokening” (really!), the plan focuses heavily on reversing social progress on the rights of racial and sexual minorities.

It also promises to decimate the most popular benefits programs in the U.S.: Medicare and Medicaid.

In a section dedicated to the Department of Health and Human Services, Project 2025 declares that “HHS is home to Medicare and Medicaid, the principal drivers of our $31 trillion national debt.”

This is a popular conservative framing used to justify ending social programs. In fact, per person Medicare spending has plateaued for more than a decade and represents one of the greatest reductions to the federal debt.

While admitting that Medicare and Medicaid “help many,” the authors of Project 2025 nonetheless declare that the programs “operate as runaway entitlements that stifle medical innovation, encourage fraud, and impede cost containment, in addition to which their fiscal future is in peril.”

To solve these imaginary problems, they suggest making “Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option” rather than traditional Medicare.

But Medicare Advantage (MA) is not a government-run healthcare program. It’s merely a way to turn tax dollars into profits for private health insurers. The more that MA providers deny coverage, the more money their shareholders make. There is no incentive for them to cover the health care needs of seniors.

There is plenty of evidence that MA programs not only fleece taxpayers by submitting inflated reimbursement bills to the government but also routinely deny necessary medical coverage.

In other words, they’re drinking out of both sides of the government trough.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research pointed out in a March 2024 paper that the “insurance companies that run these MA plans spend significant sums of money to blanket seniors with marketing” while relying on “heavily restricted networks that damage one’s choice of provider along with dangerous delays and denials of necessary care.”

But Project 2025 claims, without evidence, that “the MA program has been registering consistently high marks for superior performance in delivering high-quality care.”

Medicaid, the government program that covers health care for the lowest-income Americans, including millions of children, is also a major target of the conservative authors.

They want to add work requirements to the benefit, adopting the familiar conservative trope of low-income Americans living off tax dollars because they’re too lazy to work. And like the MA programs, they want to allow private insurers to get in on the game.

Calling Medicaid a “cumbersome, complicated, and unaffordable burden on nearly every state,” Project 2025 complains about the program’s increased eligibility while at the same time claiming to care about how it impacts “those who are most in need.”

But a June 2024 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concludes that Medicaid’s expanded eligibility rules have helped insure millions of Americans who would otherwise be uninsured and saved money in state budgets.

Most encouragingly, “the people who gained coverage have grown healthier and more financially secure, while long-standing racial inequities in health outcomes, coverage, and access to care have shrunk.”

Project 2025 claims to have the underlying ideology to “incentivize personal responsibility,” as if its authors simply want Americans to begin acting like responsible grownups. But they mysteriously don’t apply this same standard to wealthy elites — perhaps because that’s precisely who they are.

Sonali Kolhatkar is the host of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. This commentary was produced by the Economy for All project at the Independent Media Institute and adapted for syndication by OtherWords.org.

Commentary |
Bye-bye Biden, Incumbent presidential candidate drops from race

Khalil Bendib / OtherWords.org

The outgoing president's departure from the race may disappoint his rivals more than his admirers.

Spillin' the tea; drinking it regularly will help you live longer and healthier

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio/PEXELS

Drinking three or more cups of green tea a day has been proven to maintain and improve cardiovascular health.

by Matt Sheehan
OSF Healthcare

PEORIA - So, what’s the tea?

You may have heard that tea is good for you, but when walking through the grocery aisle and being confronted by a barrage of options, it can be hard to choose.

Ashley Simper, the manager of dietetic services with OSF HealthCare, has done the research and has some helpful guidance.

Photo provided

Ashley Simper, Manager
Dietetic Services

To start, it’s best to understand the different kinds of teas and where they come from. Simper says black, white, oolong and green tea all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal teas come from root, stems and flowers of various plants, and they all have different benefits.

What’s the overall healthiest tea?

Overall, Simper says green tea shines above the rest. But diving into the specific benefits of each tea can help people choose what’s right for them.

“Consuming three or more cups of green tea a day leads to the most health benefits when it comes to cardiovascular disease, cancer and the overall risk of mortality,” Simper says. “The research is a little stronger when it comes to promoting heart health. The consumption of three to five cups of green tea a day has also been shown to lower blood pressure, stroke risk, and LDL (bad cholesterol),” Simper says.

Consuming three to five cups of green tea or black tea has also been shown to lower the risk of developing diabetes.

In 2022, a large study in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that drinking black tea resulted in a modest reduction of overall death. A research team from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigated roughly half a million adults, ages 40-60, in the United Kingdom (UK), who enrolled in the UK Biobank study between 2006-2010. The researchers followed participants until 2020 and found a 9-13% lower risk of death among people who drank at least two cups of tea per day than non-tea drinkers.

What makes tea so healthy?

“The compound in tea that leads to these health benefits is polyphenols. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant, and antioxidants are linked to decreased inflammation and reduced risk of chronic disease,” Simper says. “The highest antioxidant compounds are in the green tea, followed by the oolong, black and then white teas.”

She adds that green tea and white tea contain an amino acid called L-theanine. Amino acids are the “building blocks” of protein, Simper adds.

“L-theanine has been linked to decreased anxiety, improved sleep and boosting mental clarity,” Simper says.

Green tea, high in antioxidants, offers the most health benefits. In beverage or dietary supplement form, it has been linked to improved mental alertness, relieving digestive issues and headaches, and assist with weight loss.

Photo: NipananLifestyle.com/PEXELS

Cancer: Mixed reviews, additional safety tips

“When it comes to cancer, the research is conflicting. People who drank higher amounts of green tea had a decreased risk of liver, ovarian, lung and breast cancers. But it is important to keep in mind, that if you’re drinking really hot tea, you have a higher risk of esophageal and gastric cancers,” Simper says.

To avoid the tea being scalding hot, Simper recommends allowing the just-boiled water to cool down for an appropriate amount of time before taking a sip.

Tea’s impact on the flu

“In lab and animal studies, they have found an antiviral effect with the consumption of green tea. In Japan, they did a study with kids that showed anywhere from one to five cups of green tea a day lowered the risk of flu,” Simper says. “There was also a study where they gargled green tea in a bottle, green tea extract or black tea extract, and there was a 30% decreased risk of flu.”

How to prepare your tea

As Simper mentioned, scalding hot tea can come with its own risks, more than just burning your mouth. But there are other ways, she says, to make sure you’re receiving the most benefit from drinking tea.

“They recommend boiling your own water and steeping it yourself instead of putting the water in the microwave to heat it up. They found you lose some health benefits if you microwave the water in your tea. Fresh is best, steep your own, and boil your own water. But let it cool down to a comfortable temperature before you consume it. “Freshly brewed tea with minimal additives, especially things like sugar and milk, is the way to go when it comes to adding tea to your daily intake,” Simper adds.

Benefits of herbal teas

Depending on which symptoms you’re dealing with, or health benefit you’re looking for, different herbal teas have different purposes.

Peppermint teas – Helps with upset stomach

Ginger tea – Helps with nausea

Chamomile teas – Can help decrease cardiovascular disease and some cancers. It can also help with premenstrual syndrome and help boost immunity, Simper says.

But what about all the caffeine?

“The caffeine in tea is about half the amount of coffee. You would have to drink eight or more cups of tea a day to get to that highest level we would recommend for caffeine. So, it’s not that much of a risk for people,” Simper points out. “However, if you’re going to start drinking three to five cups of tea a day, and you’re not normally a caffeine consumer, you might notice the effects of the caffeine.”

Connection to weight loss

If you’re looking to tea for weight loss, you might be waiting for some time, Simper says. She says the research is conflicting, and weight loss is minimal due to drinking tea. However, switching out caffeinated tea for sodas and coffees filled with sugar would be the healthier choice.