Every day, we head off to work, mentally creating our to-do lists as we take our commute and grab our first cup of coffee. The next thing you know, it’s 4 p.m. and most of the things on that to-do list haven’t gotten done. Yikes.

We live busy lives. And, with company meetings, lunch dates, social media, email, and myriad other distractions and intrusions on the work day, getting through a set of tasks can be a task in itself.

Black Enterprise has compiled a list of 10 tips that will help you have a more productive day. One example:

Follow orders. 

Each day, I make a number order for my daily activities and try to follow it as closely as possible, so the most important tasks get done early in the day and early in the week. Less pressing activities can be moved to another day, if my schedule changes.

These tips even include a few moments for a much-needed break. Read more on Black Enterprise…

The connected nature of the world is blurring the line between our public and private personas. Does privacy even exist anymore? This phenomenon can be seen in how celebrities are viewed. The public balks when they withhold the slightest detail about themselves. But, with personal and professional lives feeding off one another like never before, it is important to keep some things sacred.

Raven-Symone, a child star of Cosby Show fame that has since retired to the Broadway stage, became the topic of discussion when she responded to rumors surrounding her sexuality that were first ignited by the National Enquirer. Sources told the tabloid that Symone was living with a female love interest in her New York City apartment.

Raven took to Twitter to respond saying,  “My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I’m dating’s to know. I’m not one for a public display of my life,” an odd choice of words for someone who makes a living in the limelight. She’s not the only star to remain aloof about her sexual orientation. Queen Latifah has repeatedly told publications that her personal life is personal and she wouldn’t speak on such rumors.

Many articles on Raven’s situation focused on whether she should fess up to the rumors either way. Even when dealing with matters not as intimate as sexuality, the public scoffs when a public figure is not forthcoming about their personal life. Beyoncé’s decision to hide her marriage and go without her wedding ring for months on end only stoked the media’s interest in her marital status.

For celebrities, work-life balance takes on heightened importance. Maintaining a boundary between their personal and public life is an attempt to keep some part of their lives personal and real, without being tainted by public opinion. The average person requires the same courtesy, if on a smaller scale.

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What’s worse than when people make assumptions about you? Assumptions people make that affect your paycheck and ability to enjoy your life. Forbes reports on the top three assumptions made in the workplace that still need to be addressed. Take a look at the list and see if you can bring up any of these as talking points in the next office meeting:

Assumption 1) New mothers will only want to work part-time or not at all and she will no longer want to take on additional responsibility in the office or go on business trips. Wrong! Only about 29 percent of children have a stay-at-home parent. Unfortunately an article in the Atlantic reports that male supervisors often unconsciously look over women for promotions because of their assumptions of a woman’s dual role. To avoid confusion, discussions should be held individually with new mothers about work preferences.

Assumption 2) On the flip side, employers often assume men don’t care about work-life issues because they believe this is a women’s issue. As a result men often end up overworked and employers lose out on productivity and engagement due to high stress levels. Employers must keep in mind that all employees experience life transitions and have issues that require formal breaks as well.

Assumption 3) You can’t start a successful business and still have a life. The business world has lost a lot of great ideas from many men and women who chose not to act on their entrepreneurial dreams, fearing that it will take a toll on their personal commitments. The truth is that while there is no perfect work-life balance, it’s possible to have a successful business and still enjoy life outside of the office, and plenty of people are doing so.

The fact of the matter is no one has the exact same goals or outlook on life.  Everyone has different standards and expectations, and assumptions are never effective measures for conducting business.

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