Tackling a very tricky to-do list this fall? Practical advice from the pros for a very different September
Whether you're debating selling your home or scheduling that checkup you put off, this expert advice will help
Continuing to work from home but your ergonomic situation is far from ideal?
"A lot of Canadians have recently made a shift to working at home. While most of us know that plopping ourselves on the couch with a laptop on our legs isn't the most ergonomic choice, few of us have much experience in setting up our own workspace or the right furniture and equipment on-hand….
"We reached out to Dr. Stuart McGill to find out how we can make the shift to working at home while minimizing the chance of injury."
Read the full article: Tips for avoiding back pain and injury while working from home
"Bad posture is one of the many causes of back pain, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time bent over keyboards. Although a lot of people would like to improve their posture, it's not easy to say exactly what this means. What's the perfect posture? Should we focus on pulling our chests up or our navels towards the spine? Chin up or chin back? Should we be using standing desks or sitting on yoga balls?....
"We put these questions to Stuart McGill, Professor Emeritus in Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo and founder of BackFitPro."
Read the full article: 4 posture fixer-uppers for reducing everyday back pain and stress
Need a little help landing a new job?
"Job searching during this recession — whether you're entering the workforce for the first time, looking for a new opportunity, or are one of the estimated 5.5 million Canadians who have recently either been laid off or had work hours significantly reduced — can feel like a daunting prospect, especially when many businesses remain closed and there are noticeably fewer job openings available….
"To help jobseekers who are looking for how to proceed in this challenging time, we reached out to two Canadian recruiting pros — Rowan O'Grady, Hays Canada President, and Kaitlyn Jiang, a career coach and Randstad RiseSmart corporate recruiter — for their insights and advice."
Read the full article: How to make your job search more successful — even during a recession
Need extra cash flow, now?
"To help you identify 'hidden money' in your budget, we reached out to three Canadian experts — finance writer Renee Sylvestre-Williams, personal finance commentator Preet Banerjee, and Liz Schieck, a certified financial planner at The New School of Finance — for their budget-trimming ideas, downgrading how-tos, and other spending (and savings) strategies for these unprecedented times."
Read the full article: We asked personal finance experts how to find 'hidden money' ASAP
Thinking about selling your home?
"If you're looking to buy or sell residential property this year, you may already know that it's a quickly moving market with many regional differences — and the process looks quite different now than it did at the start of the year or even a month ago. With that in mind, we reached out to real estate experts in four different provinces for their market insights and best advice on everything from staging a virtual showing to getting a mortgage approval."
Read the full article: Buying or selling your home right now? Here's what the real estate landscape looks like these days
"Canada's housing market came roaring back in a big way in July, smashing the record for the most homes sold during the month, and average prices rising 14 per cent from where they were a year ago."
Read the full article from CBC News: Average Canadian house price rose 14% in year up to July, CREA says
Have medical needs and appointments you've been putting off because of the pandemic?
"Telemedicine has been rapidly adopted in many clinics across the country, making it easier for us to connect to our health-care providers with the tap of a touchscreen — or the buttons on our phone. Here's how to best prepare for a virtual visit with your doctor during this pandemic."
Read the full article: A doctor's advice for how to get the most out of your virtual health appointment
"If you feel alone, overwhelmed or in crisis, there's always someone you can call (or text) for help. Here are just some of the free, confidential resources available in Canada, depending on your needs."
Read the full article: How to access free mental health and emotional support during the COVID-19 crisis
Struggling to pack a work lunch that doesn't need to be kept in the kitchen?
"If you're looking for ideas for lunches to take to work, you may find it especially hard right now. Between social distancing in the office and perhaps wanting to limit your trips to the communal kitchen, lunch takes more planning than it used to."
Read the full article: Work lunches that don't make use of the office kitchen
Need tips for making working from home actually work?
"If you see yourself working from home for the long-term, you may be wondering how to deal with the challenges you'd hoped would be short-term! To help you tackle concerns around maintaining productivity, managing expectations and work-life balance, we reached out to productivity and remote-working experts for their best advice for these times."
Read the full article: How to make working from home a little better — if it looks like you'll be doing it a lot longer
"Wondering how to fairly share common spaces with roommates while working from home? Get your kids to behave while you're on a conference call? Not make your partner cringe with your co-working quirks, especially when you're together 24/7?"
Read the full article: Helpful advice for how to work from home — together
Wearing a mask, but struggling with 'maskne' and other skin irritation?
"Face masks are a crucial measure in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 — no question — but that doesn't change the fact that for some, they can cause skin issues, like dryness, irritation and what some experts are calling "maskne" (mask acne)."
Read the full article: How to keep your skin as healthy as possible under that face mask!
Finalizing your fall nuptials?
"If you're currently engaged, have plans to get married this year or next, or have already had to postpone your spring 2020 wedding, you probably have a lot of questions and concerns around what your nuptials may look like, and when you may be able to have the celebration you want."
Read the full article: Wedding planners share their best advice for anyone getting married soon
Limiting your trips to the grocery store and need a multi-tasking grocery list?
"What I've discovered is that there's an assortment of resilient ingredients that'll easily get me through to the end of a second week sans grocery shop, and it's a lively week of eating if I spin them right."
Read the full article: This 15-ingredient grocery list yields a ton of mix-and-match meal ideas
"Already worn those out? We've got a follow up list here to ensure you've got delicious and interesting meals to cook even in this time when you can't get to the store much."
Read the full article: 15 more ingredients for your grocery list — and the mix-and-match ways to use them
Need to travel but have questions about safety and protocols?
"As domestic travel slowly begins to open up across the country, many Canadians are revisiting existing travel plans or looking into new, last-minute bookings for the remainder of the summer season and fall….
"But just how safe are overnight accommodations?"
Read the full article: Health experts sound in on vacation rental safety and COVID-19
"These days more of us are travelling — sometimes between provinces and even on airplanes. Here are some of the questions we've been getting about travel."
Read the full article from CBC News: Why can't we just get tested instead of isolating after international travel? Your COVID-19 questions answered
Hoping to manage your stress better this semester?
"We spoke with George Radiotis and Heather Ross to get two different perspectives on student mental health in general and depression in particular….
"Radiotis and Ross told us what makes university life so challenging, and what students (and everyone else) can do to make themselves more resilient."
Read the full article: Advice for managing the stress of academic life
"We've all felt it, even if we didn't know exactly what it was. Your work/life balance becomes totally out of whack, you find your to-do list is barely completed (if at all) and you get the sensation that you're mentally and physically "hanging on by a thread"....
"Burnout has increasingly become a more distinct and dire concept and now, thanks to the World Health Organization (WHO), it's considered a legitimate syndrome."
Read the full article: Burnout is real and here's how to handle it, according to experts
Returning to the office after months at home?
"Staying healthy as work resumes for some and others leave their homes for more formal work settings is going to require employees to not only strictly adhere to preventative measures — like hand hygiene and physical distancing — but to know their rights, say experts in infectious disease and occupational health and safety law."
Back-to-school got you mulling over meal planning?
"Cook one meatless meal on Sunday and serve it alllll the way to Wednesday. It's as simple as reworking the leftovers so you don't get one complaint."
Read the full article: 4 meat-free and mostly make-ahead meal plans... for the back-to-school crunch
