1. Don’t leave surfaces empty. Empty surfaces invite us to leave things there. That’s fine as long as we pick it up quickly. The problem is we can leave a book, a laptop, or coffee mug there for days. Limit your “surface space” and you will prevent yourself from putting things on them. If you have bare surfaces, try putting something decorative there, like a lamp.
2. Make a designated place for everything. Clutter is made of the things without a home. Have a place for you to empty your pockets, and ONLY empty your pockets there. It will also help prevent you from losing your keys!
3. Have a “spot check” time every day. If you leave cleaning for the weekend there will usually be pile ups so big you’re going to want to put it off another week. Instead set a ritualized time everyday, either right before bed, or as soon as you wake up to scan your home for anything left in the wrong place. It make take awhile at first, depending on the size of your home, but it will train you to not leave a mess. Soon you are your family will leave less and less trash around and have a perpetually clean home.
4. Get rid of the useless stuff! Clutter are things that sit in the same place for long periods of time. Things sit for a long time if you don’t use them. If you don’t use them, you don’t need them. Spend a day looking through all the stuff that “doesn’t have a place in the home.” The only things worth keeping are financial records, photos, and seasonal items. If you haven’t used it within a year, trash it! (Or have a yard sale.)
5. Store it. For those items you absolutely positively must keep (again really only should be sentimental and financial items,) get it out of your sight. That’s the next best option to trashing it. Put them in boxes and stow them away. If you don’t have an attic or basement, it may be worth it to pay for storage. The few bucks per month can save you millions-worth in mental clutter. Clear home, clear mind.

1. Remember your big desire. Eating cupcakes, drinking alcohol, watching garbage TV, speaking gossip, these are all small desires. They give you a hit of pleasure, but lead to long term unhappiness when done in excess. When confronted with the opportunity to pig out on junk, remember what you want your body to look like and how good it feels to be someone who doesn’t pig out on cupcakes. If better health is a bigger desire than the pleasure of a few cupcakes (which it should be,) it will be easier to put it down.
2. Find something else that’s more fun. When we have cravings, it usually means we’re bored. Our real craving is for stimulation. Find something fun. The best replacement activities are those involving people.
3. Consciously fulfill the craving. The key word is consciously. Think about what is actually being desired. Did watching garbage TV really satisfy a desire, or did it just distract you from thinking before bed? You may notice that you’re not actually being satisfied by fulfilling the craving. Keep this as a reminder for your next craving.
4. Help someone with something. Service to others not only makes you feel good, it also gives you the feeling of control. It’s easier to control the urge to go on a shopping spree when you’ve given a homeless person food. This is because when we take responsibility for another person, our selfish needs seem much less important.
5. Tell someone about it. Usually the craving can be satisfied just by voicing it. Cravings rarely are for the actual thing craved for. We what we really want is to feel good. Having someone listen to your craving and understand it usually is good enough.

1. Physiological. If you’re alive than these needs are being met. Oxygen, food, water, sleep, excretion. The Physiological needs are those that are absolutely necessary for the human body to operate.
2. Safety. If you live in civilization, these needs are probably being met as well. This the roof over your head. Safety ans security from predators (both human and natural.) Safety also includes having some sort of social circle or family. Unemployed loners never feel safe. The Safety needs are having some sort or existence in society.
3. Love/Belonging. To be more than just a cog in the machine is the third need. For Love to be satisfied, we really need to feel like we belong to a group. We want to know that we matter to people on some level. We need friendship, family, romance, and intimacy. The “Would anyone show up to my funeral?” question is a Love/Belonging concern.
4. Esteem. Once we feel loved, we want to be respected. People concerned with this need often feel the call for leadership and service. Here we really desire the validation of peers. We want to move beyond “the crowd” and into new arenas.
5. Self-Actualization. This is where all our survival and social needs have been met and we start to approach the spiritual. A person on the path of Self-Actualization thinks a lot about the meaning of life, and more importantly the meaning of his or her life. This is the only need that isn’t simple “satisfied.” Self-Actualization not in just finding, but in living one’s purpose. All the other needs are simply stepping stones to this.

Leader

This is the obvious one. A group without a leader won’t have a direction. In a formal group the leader usually has a title, but those with the title of “leader” are not necessarily playing the role in reality. In a formal group, the leader is the person that everyone is overtly following. In any group, the leader is whom those look to for advice, guidance, and, when effective, overall mood.

Supporter

This is the leader’s favorite person. The supporter puts energy in the direction that the leader chooses. Supporters do more than give fuel to the leader’s fire. The supporters allow the group to be the leader’s audience. Without the audience that acknowledges the leader as “the leader,” there is no leader.

Control-Problem

The control problem is the pain in the neck for the leader and supporters. They are the person who will complain about everything wrong with the leader’s direction. One important note on Control-Problems is that they don’t actually want to change the direction of the group. They just want to voice problems. Many leaders may wish to silence the control problems because they make leading more difficult. The control problems are actually some of the most valuable people to the leader. They point out all the ways the direction can be improved.

Saboteur

This is the person the leader should really be concerned with is the saboteur. This person usually doesn’t openly question the leader the way the control problem does. The saboteur will often covertly try to change the direction of the group and maybe even become the new leader. Control problems and saboteurs often get mixed up, but the difference is significant. For example on a road trip, control problem w

1. Brown noser. We all know this one. He is devoted to the boss and constantly is seeking favor. The butt-kissing usually isn’t as much to move up in the company as much as this per (See Dwight from the office.)
2. Work husband/wife. This one isn’t a type of person as much as a role in your work life. This is the person, usually of the opposite sex that you confide in, get coffee with, and maybe even flirt with. The work husband/wife relationship is an unusual American phenomenon. 32% of Americans say they have a work spouse.
3. Loner. This person doesn’t talk much. He or she keeps to him or herself. She usually is very efficient at work and hates interruptions. He or she may be a really kind person who happens to be shy. He or she can also just be a jerk who hates people. The irony is that you can’t tell because this person never talks.
4. Elder. This person is the opposite of the Brown Noser. This is the man of woman who’s been around the longest. Usually more of a specialist than a manager. Being outside of the chain of command allows this person to be objective about the company as a whole. Everyone loves and respects this one. You go to this person for advice on work itself and to complain about the boss.
5. Joker. The office schmoozer. He or she is constantly cracking jokes. The good version is a social butterfly who keeps the office mood light-hearted with jokes and funny stories. The bad version is the guy who won’t stop telling stories no one cares about.

If you work in a populated office, you probably have one of each. Everyone falls into one of these categories at some point. Which one are you?

1. Avoid Heat Producers. Switch from incandescent to fluorescent bulbs for less emitted heat. Your oven, dishwasher, and clothes dryer produce a lot of heat and release it into your home as well. This is a whole lot of extra work for your cooling system to do. More work for your air conditioner means more money for the electric company.
2. Unplug Electronics. There’s a demon in your house. Vampire Energy! It’s the energy that get’s “sucked”  by your outlets while they are off. If you leave for vacation for a month and leave all you electronics plugged in, you can come back to find a surprisingly large bill. We like to think that the amounts are minuscule, but you can be surprised how much it’s costing you. GOOD Magazine estimated that one plasma TV plugged in and never turned on will cost you over $150 in  year.
3. Consider a Fixed Bill. Contact your energy supplier to see their fixed bill options. Especially if you know that you’ll be cranking the cooling during the upcoming hot months, it may be a good idea. Project the numbers first. You’ll have to pay a bit extra per kilowatt-hour, but if you expect large spikes of usage, it may save you quite a bit.
4. Get Energy Star Equipment. You already should know the importance of this. Not only do many energy-efficient appliances pay for themselves in the long run with their energy savings, its great for the environment.
5. Prevent leakage. Check your home for drafts. Poor insulation will cost you on the winter end too when all that heat gets lost to the environment. You can get a professional to inspect your home if it’s worth it to you.

1. 

   latte art

   Latte: Espresso to milk with a 1:5 ratio. The foam allows baristas to make latte art which is done either by carefully pouring the milk, or simply drawing on the foam.

2. Mocha: A latte with chocolate on top. Usually in the form of syrup.
3. Cappuccino: Similar to a Latte but with more hot foam on top.
4. Cortado: A stronger version of a latte, usually without foam. The ratio of espresso to hot milk is 1:1 or 1:2.
5. Flat White: A latte with texturized milk instead of foam or steamed milk. The milk is poured from the bottom of the jug allowing a velvety texture and less of a milky taste.
6. Americano: Hot water with a shot of espresso.
7. Red Eye: A cup of drip coffee with a shot of espresso. Named for its high caffeine to keep you up. Also known as a “Shot in the Dark.” A double shot in the coffee is known as a “Black Eye” and a triple shot is a “Green Eye.” They are not as popular because people prefer to not have their eyes blow out.
8. Cafe au Lait: French for “Coffee with Milk.” That’s exactly what it is at a 1:1 ratio.
9. Macchiato: Means “Stained milk.” It’s a latte with 1/3 the espresso. It’s basically coffee-flavored milk.
10. Ristretto: It’s a shot of espresso. Really only for hardcore coffee-drinkers but you can use it to impress your friends at the cafe.

1. Smoothies. Avocados smooth texture makes it excellent for smoothies. As long as it’s ripe, it will blend into creaminess similar to adding milk to a smoothie. It also goes great with either fruits or veggies.
2. Fruit salad. Similar to melons, avocados have a subtle flavor that can complement almost any fruit. They make an excellent base and can be cut into large chunks. They also end up mushing in a good way and can become some what of a dressing that adds an oil base to any fructose-intensive salad.
3. 

   Bacon + Avocado = Awesomeness

   Fill it! The bachelor/lazy man’s one minute meal. Slice the avocado lengthwise and pop the pit out. You can fill the hole with just about anything. That’s the real beauty of it. Fill with cottage cheese for high protein, honey or nutella for dessert-style, or get creative. You really can go nuts. The pit hole makes it the perfect eat-while-walking snack, and you don’t need a plate!

4. Guacamole/Dip. Avocado in any dip will give it more body. Does the presence of avocado automatically turn it into Guac? The answer is not important. What’s important is that guacamole is important. There’s a reason it costs more at Chipotle.
5. Sandwiches. Let’s face it guys, lettuce tastes like nothing and has very little nutritional value. We add lettuce because sandwiches seem empty without it. Avocado is the answer. Turn a boring sandwich into a power sandwich with either avocado slices or a spread.