Why Timing is Everything

Timing is everythingWith the New Year around the corner, wouldn't you like to make better life choices for next year? Mark Di Vincenzo, author of Buy Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at 4:00, joins Easy Does It Host Ereka Vetrini to share some timing tips that can make all the difference.

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According to Di Vincenzo, timing is crucial because "if you know the best time to buy things, or do things, or go places, you can save a lot of time, you can save a lot of money, and you'll just look smarter." He offers the following timing tips, covering everything from shopping and social media to asking your boss for a promotion:

• Buy shoes online on Wednesday to save up to 40 percent.
• Send tweets or retweets between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., when the most people are using Twitter.

Related: Time management tips for busy moms

• Begin a weight-loss program in the winter, when the cold weather causes your body to work harder to burn more calories. "We have this thing called brown fat in our bodies. Brown fat burns calories rather than stores them, and it works in overdrive when it's cold outside. That's why in the winter we're in a really great position to lose weight," explains Di Vincenzo.
• "The best time of day to read to your kids so that the information will sink in is starting at 8 o'clock," says Di Vincenzo. He notes the theory behind this is that "at this hour, we start to pay more attention to what we find informative and interesting, so we remember it more."
• Di Vincenzo also recommends starting to teach children about math at 14 months, even if it's just counting to ten. Studies show that by the time those children get to school, he says, they are further ahead than those with parents who have not exposed their kids to numbers.

Related: How to ask for a raise

• As for scheduling a job interview, Di Vincenzo says that the three best times to choose are 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. to get the interviewer's full attention.
• And for those who are looking to ask for a promotion or a raise, Di Vincenzo says to do it in the month of January. Why? He says, "At the end of the year--November--companies are figuring their budgets for the next year. And in December, they're trying to scrimp and save as much as they can." Meanwhile, January is usually the beginning of the fiscal year, he notes, and companies are under less pressure to save money and may be able to offer a promotion or a better raise.

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