BusinessVoice News Network

The average American spends five hours a day looking down at their phone and that can cause tight muscles and serious pain known as “tech neck.” The condition may require medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, or even surgery in the worst cases. The solution is to hold your phone at eye level as much as possible. Source Link

Doing your grocery shopping online could help you save money in several ways. It stops impulse buying in the store and lets you easily compare items from different brands. And you’ll have a better handle on what you’re spending because an online grocery cart keeps track of the total cost as you fill it. Source Link

How you answer your phone could put you at-risk for being hacked. Because scammers can easily clone your voice with a phone recording, don’t say “hello” when answering. Better yet, don’t say anything and let the caller speak first. The best defense is to not answer calls from unknown numbers. If it’s important, they’ll leave an email. Source Link

There are a number of simple ways you can fight a fever at home. Try lukewarm baths, stick to a single layer of light clothing and resist the urge to crawl under a heavy blanket when you have fever chills. And drink more fluids like water, juice, broth or decaffeinated tea with honey. Source Link 

Simple activities may help you cope with grief after losing a loved one. This could be completing a task, getting enough sleep, dining out, connecting with a friend, or spending time with family. Research showed that these uplifts helped just about everyone, regardless of age or financial status. Source Link 

The 90-90 Rule may help you declutter that overstuffed closet one season at a time. Ask yourself if you’ve worn an item in the past 90 days or if you plan to wear it in the next 90 days. If both answers are “no,” it’s probably a seasonal item you no longer need or something that needs to move out to make way for this season’s clothes. Source Link

Here are some natural ways to keep your home smelling fresh. Avoid the lingering aroma of fried fish by adding a dollop of peanut butter to the oil first. An open bowl of white vinegar can absorb many kitchen odors and a spray bottle filled with unflavored vodka can be used to kill odor-causing bacteria on smelly clothing. Source Link

Your smartphone has a built-in feature to help filter out noise from things like nearby office conversations. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Accessibility, and Audio and Visual to choose from Background Sounds to mask the noise. On Android phones, say, “Hey Google, play ambient sounds” or “play rain sounds.” Source Link

There are several ways to make a new habit stick. Think ahead and visualize the benefits and track progress, but not perfection to keep from discouraging yourself. Embrace the power of scheduling to carve out specific times to do your new activity and be ready to reevaluate and refine your goals to continue to make progress. Source Link

The way you charge your smartphone could limit the life of the battery. Don’t use cheap power cables, wall plugs or wireless chargers that may damage your phone. Don’t let the battery charge drop to zero and avoid keeping a phone on and charging overnight because both can be bad. Your battery works best when it’s charged between 20 and 80 percent. Source Link

Storing leftovers can stretch your food budget but be sure you’re using the right container. Glass won’t absorb odors or stains and is safe for reheating in the oven and microwave. Don’t put hot food directly in plastic containers that can leach harmful chemicals and don’t save hot foods in takeout containers that aren’t designed for storage or heat exposure. Source Link

Keeping down the dust in your home can help with allergies and there are steps you can take to make it easier. Cut down on knick-knacks and clutter to make surfaces easier to clean and keep indoor humidity to 35 to 50 percent to eliminate dust mites. And wash plush surfaces like bedding in hot water to reduce dust. Source Link

When can that drawer full of papers head to the shredder? ATM transaction receipts, financial offers and other junk mail can go right away, but save pay stubs for a month. After a year you can shred utility bills, bank and credit card statements and paid medical bills. Keep tax-related forms for seven years and never throw away birth, death or marriage certificates. Source Link

How can you know if you’re having a “silent” heart attack that happens without any of the typical symptoms? A silent heart attack may include indigestion, feeling like you have a strained muscle in the chest or upper back, or prolonged, excessive fatigue. Diagnosis after the fact is important because having a silent heart attack increases the risk of heart failure. Source Link

Here are some monthly maintenance tasks for inside and outside your computer. Delete files you don’t need using the Storage Sense feature in Windows that will erase temporary files and save space. Likewise, look at Installed Apps to see unused programs that you can delete. Clean those crumbs out of the keyboard and dust the cooling fans to prevent overheating. Source Link

How you lay when you sleep could have an impact on your health. Side sleeping is considered the best because you’ll reduce the risk of snoring or sleep apnea when sleeping on your back. Sleeping on your left side can help prevent stomach acid from moving up when you lie down, and sleeping on your right side may improve heart function for those with heart disease. Source Link

Many people are hard-wired to avoid idleness, but you can train yourself to do nothing. Start small and sit quietly for five minutes in a peaceful place with a view of something pleasant. Add five minutes to this routine until you can sit quietly for 20 minutes each day. And remember to turn off your phone and tablet or anything else that can send an alert. Source Link 

All food scraps don’t have to go down the garbage disposal or into the trash. Soak orange peels in a jar filled with white vinegar for two weeks to make a citrus cleaning spray. Do the same with cucumber peels soaked in water for five days to make your own cucumber water that’s great for feeding your plants. Source Link