Claire Tak

Can We Talk About Me?

July 15, 2018July 15, 2018Claire Tak

Recently, I was in the crosshairs of a first-date situation at a local wine bar.

You know when you’re sitting a little too close to the people next to you because it’s crowded and you end up listening to their conversation without really meaning to? Guilty.

So let’s set the scene. They’re seated at the bar, the guy looks like he’s in his mid-thirties and the girl maybe slightly younger. They could’ve passed for boyfriend-girlfriend and actually didn’t look bad sitting together. The wine and cocktails flowed… unfortunately, their conversation did not.

Life Is Good: Time to Downsize

June 1, 2018Claire Tak

My article was originally published on GoBankingRates.com. I’m in their influencer network — Smart Money Squad.

I’ve always been fascinated by minimalism and simplifying. On a recent trip, I picked up Cait Flanders’ memoir, “The Year of Less,” and devoured it in a day. In the book, Flanders recounts her journey to get rid of things she no longer wanted or needed, to stop shopping, pay off her debt and save more than half her paycheck each month.

I was utterly inspired to live with less and save more. I was reminded that saving money isn’t about how much you earn, but how much you keep. I knew I needed to be more strategic and intentional with saving money and make it an integral part of my life.

To read the rest of the story, go to My Income is Up But I’m Downsizing — Here’s Why.

A Year of Solopreneurin’ It: What I Imagined vs. The Reality

May 6, 2018May 8, 2018Claire Tak

My, how time flies! I almost can’t believe I’ve been solopreneuring it for a year now. I started my company last year because I wanted more flexibility and autonomy over my daily routine. I also wanted to make travel a big part of my life, which is why I went on an adventure once a month for the entire year (fueling the flames for my travel blog, ClairesHoliday.com).

I’ve passed the one-year mark and I’ve learned so much about what it takes to hustle, work with an ever-rotating number of teams and companies, face uncertainty, stress, a daily structure, and sometimes, loneliness.

5 Ways to Travel & Work Remotely So You Can Actually Enjoy Your Trip

March 6, 2018April 1, 2018Claire Tak

When I’m at home, I think about traveling. When I’m traveling, I think about work. Huh?!

When you work remotely and then tack on traveling on top of that, there are obvious logistical, productivity and motivational hurdles to get over when you’ve just landed in an exciting new place but also have deadlines and meetings looming.

After traveling and working for the last year, I’ve learned a thing or two. Here’s what’s worked for me when I travel.

3 Biggest Takeaways from Every Single Job Rejection I’ve Faced

August 7, 2017April 1, 2018Claire Tak

Sometimes, rejection forces you to see things about yourself — the ugly, insecure, weak parts you normally try to improve but not to focus on.

The biggest career lessons I’ve learned was through rejection and lots of it. My 20something, thin-skinned self would’ve hated talking about rejection because it highlights failures and inadequacies, but today’s me has learned to do a shoulder shrug and move on.

What to Read and Listen to Before You Start Your Side Hustle or Business

June 29, 2017August 7, 2017Claire Tak

“How do I make money online?” I hear this a lot. It sounds so scammy, but this is how people make their living now.

I also hear lots of complaints from people who simply don’t make enough money at their current job but are scared to leave for various reasons: job security, they don’t have enough money in their savings, they have a family, the list of why this strikes fear in their hearts is endless.

9 Awesome Ways Get Sh*t Done at Work

June 26, 2017August 7, 2017Claire Tak

I used to equate working long hours with being productive. While I’d put in the hours, I’d still feel frazzled at the end of the day. I felt as if projects weren’t being completed fast enough, and ultimately, my time, focus and energy were all over the place.

I was trapped in the hamster wheel of just trying to stay on top of my day-to-day tasks, and not dedicating enough time to creative, meaningful projects.

I help startups and entrepreneurs achieve their content goals.

June 3, 2017March 16, 2018Claire Tak

ClaireTak.com specializes in content marketing, strategy and writing for small companies and personal brands.

Simple Tricks to Make Your Meetings Useful So You Can Stop Wasting Everyone’s Time

June 3, 2017August 7, 2017Claire Tak

Today I Googled the word “meetings” and just as I would expect, the first few articles that popped up addressed the fact that meetings are problematic. There was an article from Entrepreneur about why “Meetings Are the Worst Rituals. Ever.”

Another one gave tips on how to survive them. Why do we have to learn how to survive meetings? When I think of the word “survive,” I imagine homesteaders in Alaska hunting for deer on horseback, or a naked couple shivering in a cave on some Discovery show, not a meeting at work.

5 Work Hacks to Give You More Time to Build Your Business

May 14, 2017August 7, 2017Claire Tak

Note: These were the beginnings of my productivity hack research. I started with small, actionable moves I could make, before diving deeper. Since this time in my life, I’ve learned so much more about how to be productive, efficient with time and just get it done. More to come on that…

Back in 2012, I was working 60-hour plus weeks at a very demanding job in the entertainment industry while at the same time, starting my online side business of selling vintage clothing. Because of the long hours, I had very little time for myself, much less my business.