Holiday seasons come and go and I’m often left wishing that I had given more than I had received.  With big commercial pushes to shop and stimulate the economy, I will be the first to say that I had planned my Black Friday shopping months before.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to nab great wardrobe updating deals.  For instance, I landed a great sweater at forty percent off, perfect for comfy weekend days or belted over my skinny pants for work.  Also, I found a great holiday top for my company party discussed in my last post.  After my shopping indulgence (and yes, I did gifts for my family and friends too!), I knew I better start getting involved and accepting those invitations to give back to the community.

This year, my employer teamed up for the second time with the Make A Wish Foundation to raise money to help the local chapter and grant wishes for San Diego children with life threatening illnesses.  I received my boss’ email regarding the opportunity to volunteer for the event.  As it turned out, last year’s event was wildly successful despite having limited PR and social media exposure.  The event coordinator was hoping to top last year’s success and have a great social media campaign.  I emailed the coordinator immediately and set up a meeting to start strategizing: facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.  The more I thought about ideas the more excited I became to get others involved, to seek out donations, and to share the event invitation.

The event is planned for mid-April, so January through March will be months packed with community networking and outreach to get other organizations and individuals involved and hyped.  Volunteering for such a worthy cause certainly will create connections with others in the community on such a deeper level then any other networking event.  The opportunity to volunteer for MAW more or less fell in my lap, but it got me to thinking about the huge benefit volunteering helps the cause as well as the volunteer.

I think the key to forging longstanding relationship with a cause or charity is to really find one that speaks to you as a volunteer.  If you don’t understand the benefit of the cause or truly feel connected, the chances of staying committed and lending your free time are small.  Choosing a charity that directly benefits the community you live in also helps you staying committed because the results will impact people you know, places you go, or things that you do.

Finding volunteering opportunities is as easy as 1, 2, Google.  Using the word volunteer and the city you live in will populate several online sites to help you discover how you can give back to your community.  However, if there’s a type of cause you’d be interested in getting behind such as cancer research, park preservation, etc. then add that to your search as well.  Or just start by asking yourself, “What cause could I devote two hours a month to?”

–Cassandra Altmann

Maternity maven Liz Lange began her career as an assistant to a features editor at Vogue, but it never felt like the right fit. After meeting a struggling clothing designer, she caught the fashion bug, and begged him to let her apprentice. “I still didn’t have any intention of starting my own line,” she says. That is, until she saw her pregnant friends squeezing into regular clothes and became obsessed with an idea to create maternity fashions that were cuter, tighter, and stretchier than what was on the market.

First came her high-end line (loved by celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker) and several boutiques, then a wildly successful marriage with Target.  Having sold her company for a reported $50 million in 2007, her newest ‘babies’ are a non-maternity line for HSN called Completely Me, and a shopping newsletter with her sister called Shopafrolic.  “I’ve never written a business plan for anything I’ve done,” Liz says. “For me, it’s very organic—jumping on new opportunities that come my way.” Below, more work and life secrets from the designer and mom of two.

Currently reading: “My friend Alexandra Lebenthal’s fantastic page turner The Recessionistas and Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (the CEO of Zappos.com).”

Must-have make-up item: Laura Mercier bronzing gel. “I mix it with my moisturizer every morning to give my skin that tan, glowy look.”

On trusting yourself: “The first year of my business I was paralyzed. Some days I just lied in bed in a curled-up ball when I could have been getting things done! I was asking for validation instead of actually doing something—instead of just believing in my gut instinct and going forward.”

Can’t live without: Constant blow-outs. “My hair is my obsession and I just can’t do it myself. Embarrassing but true!”

Hiring m.o.: Passion matters more than a fancy resume. “One of my best employees ever was a girl who wrote me a very specific letter when she was still in college, describing her excitement for my brand and her experience working for a competitor. She started as an assistant, and was eventually our marketing director.”

Fave vacation spot(s): Palm Beach and the Mayan Riviera with the kids during the winter, Paris in the Spring, Capri in July

Holiday stay-slim secret: “All year long, I never just eat to eat; I only eat what I love. (Okay, and I work out with a personal trainer 3 times a week so that I can eat what I love!)”

Advice for recent grads: “Spend your twenties allowing yourself to try a lot of different things. If there’s some way you can focus on what you might love—something that doesn’t feel like work (at least not all the time)—chances are you’ll end up being very good at it and making money.”

Wish for the new year: Clarity and contentment

To learn more about Liz, visit her website, or check out her latest venture, Shopafrolic.

Juggling a busy life and hectic work schedule is challenging. Throw in a missed deadline, lost file, or an unexpected visit from the CEO and you are headed straight for Stressville! Minimize the chaos in your workday with these six simple tips:

Get a planner… and use it! Nothing is worse than showing up to a meeting late, unprepared, or worse- forgetting about it altogether! In her organizational book Organize Now! Jennifer Ford Berry suggests using one planner for both work and personal to avoid overlapped appointments. Decide whether an electronic or traditional scheduling book fits better into your lifestyle and refer to it daily.

Save time with color coding. Don’t be afraid to add a hint of color to your workspace in the name of organization! Highlight your schedule using a different color for tasks, meetings, functions, and deadlines to make items stand out and easier to locate. The same rule applies to file folders, notebooks, and even email contacts. The easier it is to find what you are looking for, the less time you will waste in your search.

Pass on the Post-Its! If you constantly find yourself sifting through scrap paper to find an important client’s contact information, your lack of organization could be hindering your efficiency. Toss the scraps and instead use separate bound notebooks for phone calls, meetings, and conferences. Next time you are looking for an important number, you won’t have to rummage through a sea of sticky notes to find it!

Tackle your task list. Write your to-do list in your planner so it is always easy to locate. Tasks should be listed according to their level of priority and when they must be completed – today, this week, or this month. Review your list at the beginning of each workday (and throughout the day if possible) to keep yourself on the path of productivity.

Clear the clutter. Take the minimalist approach to decorating your desktop- keep only the necessities in sight! Get into a regular routine of sorting mail and loose papers as soon as you get them and begin purging files at least once a year. Shred, recycle, and repeat.

Empty your inbox. Your inbox should not be a dumping ground for every email you have ever received.  Is yours emptied daily or is it at max capacity? If you answered the latter, it is time for you to set up an email organization system. Sally McGhee, founder and CEO of McGee Productivity Solutions, suggests tackling emails one at a time at a specific time every day. Use the “4 D’s for Decision-Making” model to process each incoming email as it is received by deciding whether you should Delete it, Do it, Delegate it, or Defer it.

Organization can lead you to a more focused and productive workday so you can focus less on the mess and more on your job! Additional tips can be found at JenniferFordBerry.com, Lifehacker.com and LifeOrganizers.com.

–Rosalyn Wik

Dear GGG, Can you clear up a holiday tipping rule? I’ve heard so many different things when it comes to hairdressers. Someone told me it’s the cost of one visit– but my highlights are $150– and if I tipped that much, I’d have almost no tipping budget left for anyone else this year! I’ve also heard that you’re supposed to take the cost of a blow-dry and double it. And what if your stylist actually owns the salon? Does the tradition still hold that you’re not supposed to tip the owner? Thanks! — Jane*, 36, Ft. Lauderdale

Hi Jane!

Few etiquette rules are as awkward as holiday tipping– and the hair stylist is at the top of the list. While some old-school experts still adhere to the “cost of an entire visit,” this measure is very confusing depending on what type of service you get (color vs. cut vs. regular blowdries). In practice, the custom is much more relaxed nowadays, especially given the economy. New rule: up your normal tip on your pre-holiday visit to about 50% from your normal 15 or 20%.  And while cash is king (!), many stylists told me that it’s common practice for clients to go for a more traditional gift such as a bottle of wine or gift card. About not tipping the owner, that’s also seems to be a rule that’s fallen by the wayside. Nowadays, if the owner is your regular stylist, go ahead and tip him or her!

For more info on whom to tip what this holiday season, check out some segments I did for ABC News and Good Day Atlanta on the topic.

In case you couldn’t tell by the voice of my last post, I am in a funk. For all my fellow dieters, I’ve reached my plateau. I was making progress in my job search, but now I don’t really know what my next step is going to be. So this week, I’m working on ways to get out of this slump! Here are my top 10 things I’m trying; some are personal and others came from the many career advice blogs I’ve been following.

1. Take a Break

Last week I was so worked up that the only way I knew how to come down from it was to not think about the job-hunt for an entire weekend. So, Friday through Sunday, I didn’t think about it. I didn’t visit job boards or look at my bank account. I simply enjoyed a nice weekend with my family putting up our Christmas decorations. Monday, I felt rejuvenated instead of defeated.

2. Change my vocabulary

“I feel like a failure” has been my motto for the past couple of weeks, and friends and family have been quick to correct me. From now on, failure will no longer be in my vocabulary. Along the same lines, I’m going to try to keep a positive attitude. I certainly don’t want future employers to be swayed by any negativity I may put off.

3. Change my routine

This article really spoke to me. I currently have a routine that is not only NOT working out for my job search, but not healthy for me personally. I wake up and go to bed later than I use to and some days don’t even get out of my pajamas. I need to set a routine so I’m not staring at the computer nine hours a day getting sidetrack because “I’ll have time to do that later.”

4. Stop worrying that I’m bothering people

I know how busy people are and how often they are probably contacted about a job, so I don’t like to be that pesky person that keeps emailing and calling until they don’t reply anymore. Usually I leave the ball in their court. If I send them an email and they don’t respond, I chalk it up to they are going in a different direction. I submitted an application last week and didn’t hear anything back. So, in an effort to get out of my funk, I emailed again asking the status of the job. This time, she replied back telling me she’ll pass my resume and writing samples on to her boss. This may seem like a no-brainer for some, but for me, it is a big deal!

5. Just start writing

I do love to write. I don’t do it very often, so to get out of my funk, I’m going to make it a goal to write something every day. Whether it’s a restaurant review on my blog, a chapter in the next great American novel I want to write or a Letter to the Editor of one of my favorite magazines.

6. Have daily goals

In the book A Piece of Cake, the author Cupcake Brown talks about her drug addiction. She said to get through it she had to take it one day at a time. I think if I start having small daily goals (say applying to five jobs in one day) my long-term goals will be easier to achieve.

7. Try to get in contact with people whose job I want

This could be a subheading of No. 4, but I’ve got to start talking to people I admire. I like to do things in person, but I shouldn’t be so shy. Advice is free, and most people love to give it!

8. Try bulk up my “Skills” section

This may seem like a gimme, but why not use this time to improve on my skills or learn something new. I took a class on HTML in college, but haven’t used it since. Now’s the perfect time to build back that knowledge.

9. Learn how to use social networking sites better

Yes, I’m on Linkedin.com, but I’m not sure how it is suppose to help me in my career. So, I’m vowing to learn to use these sites to help me.

10. Enjoy the holiday season

I may not be living in New York this season, but I cannot let that affect my spirits. This is such an important time to spend with family and I need to remember to be thankful that I get to spend it with mine. Plus, because I have more time, I’m now in charge of baking the Christmas cookies!

–Samantha Hyde

Samantha Hyde graduated from the University of Texas in 2009. During her time spent in Austin, she interned and contributed to Austin Monthly, Texas Parks & Wildlife and Texas Highways magazine. She served as president of the magazine club and editor-in-chief of a college magazine, burntORANGE. Her issue, “How to be a Longhorn,” won second place in general excellence at the 2009 AEJMC awards.