Even when we do set goals, many of us fail to meet them.  The reasons for these failures are many, but one of the most common pitfalls is setting goals that are two large or two ambitious.  Setting large and sweeping goals may seem like a good idea, but this practice can actually be counterproductive.  A large goal can seem unattainable and remote, and the result can be an unwillingness or inability to get started.

A better approach may be to break that large goal up into smaller and more easily attainable goals.  By creating a series of smaller goals it can be much easier to reach that larger goal in the end.

Setting smaller goals can also be a great way to combat procrastination.  Many people tend to procrastinate when the project before them seems too large, too complex or too difficult to attain.  When we face a difficult situation and a seemingly unattainable goal many of us will freeze in fear.  By creating smaller goals instead this tendency is averted.  As we attain the first small goal we gain the confidence we need to move on to the next and so forth.

So the next time you find yourself confronted with a seemingly impossible goal, consider thinking small.  Take a look at that goal and try to break it up into smaller and more manageable pieces.  This think small approach can yield big benefits and help you to set, meet and exceed your personal and professional goals.

Frugal living is a lifestyle not everyone would enjoy, but almost everyone would benefit from saving money on everyday purchases. Frugal living is about living well with what you have. It is living below your means, like living on only 80 percent of your paycheck instead of the entire thing. Frugal living is being conscious of your spending and making sure that a purchase is a need, not a want. It is about researching and comparing prices in order to get the best deal so money is never wasted. Frugal living is seeing an unlikely treasure in items using your creativity. It is not living a life you dread waking up to, it is not thinking that money controls you, and it is not about what only works for you. Everyone is different and so are frugal lifestyles. For instance, just because I live frugally, doesn’t mean you should. The way in which I live frugally may not be the same as someone else living frugally either.

Frugal living gives you the ability to own a vehicle rather than leasing one. Frugal shoppers rarely, if ever, shop with a credit card. If you are frugal enough and make wise decisions with your money, you can have nearly everything you want, without the stress associated with being in debt. Frugal living takes a lifetime commitment. You have to make it a part of your daily routine, always looking for ways to recycle, cut waste, and limit spending. The majority of frugal people accomplish this by setting goals and adhering to those goals, no matter what. In order to attain the goal, frugal people generally choose to maintain a strict budget.

One of the largest problems that many consumers face is shopping. With a frugal lifestyle, you make the conscious decision not to shop anymore on frivolous things but only for things you need instead. Frugal shoppers know exactly what they need and look at all of their options. Being frugal means that you make do with what you have. You use all of something before getting another. Contrary to what many believe, being frugal does not mean giving up on all the things you love. In fact, you can still enjoy the same luxuries, provided that those luxuries fit well within your budget. If not, you simply put it off until they do. Rather than going into debt for something, you wait until you can afford it without hurting your budget or putting off your main objective.

Being frugal is making the best of what you have, not what others have. Frugal living teaches us, and our children, self-control. Many people have become successful because the frugal life taught them how to sacrifice and exhibit self-control. Frugal living is not about doing without; it’s about doing better.

Article by Nikki Phipps

The most important component of one’s home gym must be the treadmill. Never underestimate the damage a sedentary life can do to your general health. As your metabolism slows down, toxins from normal bodily functions that should be dispelled regularly, start to build up. This toxic load sits in your cells waiting to be cleaned out. Cell space is limited. Instead of being able to absorb their full quota of nutrients for energy generation and repair, your cells are now partially filled with waste products. This competition can lead to energy depletion, a heavy sluggish feeling and general tiredness.

Aerobic exercise floods the body with oxygen and speeds up metabolism - thereby improving tissue repair and waste removal. The treadmill, with adjustable speeds and heights can be programmed to suit your exact requirements. Whether you are just starting out or are at a higher fitness level, the treadmill can cope with the entire spectrum.

When choosing any type of equipment it is best to do preparatory work first. Running and walking is the exercise of choice for millions of people. They devote a large portion of their exercise schedule to it. If you want to do the same, and have planned to work out an hour every day, then look for a more robust treadmill to cope with that amount of use.

If on the other hand you would prefer other aerobic apparatus to complement your treadmill, say, a rowing machine, then you’d purchase accordingly. You won’t need the best treadmill in the showroom if you’re going to use it twice a week for twenty minutes. Whatever you select for an alternative, still make the treadmill your number one purchase. Walking increases mobility and flexibility in knee joints and strengthens your ankles – all benefits of treadmill use.

When viewing equipment online be sure to ask questions of the sales team as to quality, guarantees and their return policies. This particularly applies to those of you who may be first time buyers. By dealing with a company that specializes in fitness equipment you will have the benefit of their experience in that field. It is quite a technical field. It involves your current health and fitness level and the technicalities of the equipment you’ll be using.

Owning a treadmill makes good health sense. Regular aerobic exercise is a key factor in your fitness programme. Using comfortable, well-made equipment will add to the pleasure of getting your body into better shape. Best of all, when it’s weather for ducks you’ll be snug inside your own home, revving up your metabolism and improving your energy levels.

Article by Annetta Holmes

What aspects of your life are most important to you? Take a few minutes to write out the seven areas you find most important, in order. (This may take a while. That’s okay. Give it as much time as it needs.) These could include Family, Spiritual, or Career. Where do you want your time to go?

Once you have that written out, spend some time thinking about where your time goes now. If you can, keeping a time map—writing down how long you spend doing things—can be an excellent way of determining where your time goes, to the minute. But if you simply don’t have the time to keep that detailed of a time map, then set aside a few minutes at lunch and at the end of the day, to write out estimated time spent on various activities. While nowhere near as accurate as a time map, this method can still be helpful.

Examine any discrepancies between your time map or your time blocks and your time goals. Are you spending 9 or 10 hours a day on your career, for example, when career ranks 6th or 7th on your list, or doesn’t rank at all? Of course you have to spend a certain amount of time working; that’s a given. But if you find yourself regularly spending an amount of time at work that’s disproportionate with the importance of your career in your mind, it may be time to cut back on your work habits. If career isn’t important to you, don’t treat it as though it was.

It’s easy to justify extra time spent at work. You want to put in overtime so that you can save up for that trip to DisneyWorld, for example, or so your kids can take ballet or horseback riding lessons. But stop and ask yourself if that time spent working in order to provide your kids with activities might not be better spent chasing them around the back yard with a garden hose.

It’s easy to point out career vs. family because that issue seems to be one that many people struggle with. But in fact, any area where you’re spending time can be a problem if it isn’t an area that’s important to you. Maybe you spend so much time doing things for your friends because you can’t say no that you consistently miss deadlines at work, even though you listed Career as more important than Relationships on your list. Perhaps Spiritual was high on your list, but you’re so busy taking care of your family that you never have time for it. Set your priorities, then bring your time into line with them, whatever they are. Some things, like sleeping and working, are a given. But even so, there will be time when you’ll have to choose how you spend it. Make sure those choices reflect your goals.

While shopping for a mortgage, pay attention to the number of points that the lender is going to charge for offering the mortgage to you. While spending money on points is often unavoidable, you might find that lenders vary in the number of points that they charge. Consumers can either pay the points up front at settlement or they can roll them into the cost of the mortgage. Adding the points into the mortgage will raise your monthly mortgage payment slightly.

Homebuyers can also request that the seller pay part of the settlement costs for them. If the seller agrees, this will effectively lower the amount of cash that the buyer needs to provide at the time of closing or settlement. While this sum might only be a few thousand dollars, it can make quite a difference to the homebuyer who does not have a ready supply of disposable cash.

Another way that homebuyers can save on costs is to shop around for title insurance. Lenders require title insurance before finalizing a mortgage. Although the title insurance companies that your lender recommends will probably be reputable, you might be able to realize a savings in cost if you shop around for the best price. Just be sure that the company you use is reputable first.

Below you will find several tips and tricks to help build your ability to concentrate. Most of them are simple and immediately effective. It’s just a matter of sticking with the techniques until they become second nature to you.

1. Stick to a routine that is efficient and well planned.
2. Use good posture and stay attentive to promote self-motivated interest in what you are doing.
3. Learn to block out external distractions that take away from your concentration on the task at hand. Be selective about what you are focusing on, only giving your attention to important information being said or the task you are completing.
4. Learn to maintain internal focus. This means learning to tune out distracting thoughts such as wayward thoughts, concerns and worry. This internal ‘noise’ can distract your focus and break your concentration. You want to try to push the ‘mute’ button in your mind on these internal distractions.
5. Be sure you get a good night’s sleep. Sleep is the body’s way of recharging itself and if that doesn’t happen, we can’t possibly perform or concentrate to the best of our ability. You need to strive for at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night.
6. Eat balanced meals. This doesn’t mean you have to eat three large meals a day. You can eat four to six small meals a day that are made up of balanced healthy foods. Your body turns food into energy and without that, you can’t maintain concentration, because you will more than likely have the internal distraction of an empty stomach protesting at you.

By taking care of your mind and body, you will find that being able to concentrate will come easier and easier over time and with some practice with the techniques of blocking out internal and external stimuli listed above, you will be well on your way to better concentration.

The main mistake that people make when writing a to do list is put everything down on it. Not just the essentials, but absolutely everything that they imagine might be possible to finish in one day. And this is usually completely unrealistic. It results in a list that can’t possible get done, not even half way!

Instead of writing down everything under the sun, you need to work out your priorities. Divide your list into three columns and mark them as follows: Necessary, Want, Wish. Under the first column, Necessary, you will write everything that must be done today. This would include urgent activities such as making dinner, finishing a work project that is under a deadline, etc. As yourself these questions to determine what needs to go in this column. What really needs to get done today? What can absolutely not wait until tomorrow?

The Want column is for things that you would like to get done and should get done, but the world won’t stop if you don’t make it. Things like laundry and vacuuming can usually go onto this list if your house isn’t a disaster. Try to list the jobs in this area in order of priority. For example, it might be more important to repair the VCR than to wax the floor.

The final column, Wish, is just that. Things you wish you could get done if you just had the time. This would include such delightful chores as cleaning out the hall closet, defrosting the fridge, etc. These are not chores that will change anything except get them off your list.

Now, when you get up in the morning, you can start with the highest priority list, Necessary. It is far easier to cross off just a few vital chores than to go through a major list of everything under the sun. Once you finish your vital list, move onto the lesser priority list and if you have time after that, get a couple of things crossed off the wish list. Anything that doesn’t get crossed off the last two lists is moved onto tomorrows to do list.

By creating a to do list that you can actually accomplish, you will be far more productive. The very act of having everything organized by priority means that you will be successful with this list. Even if you don’t finish the second and third column, the first is the one that matters!

We will be covering topics such as personal finance, self improvement, health and fitness, technology and a host of other subjects loosely covered by the term ‘life’.

We welcome content from writers who would like to contribute to this blog, if you’d like to share your writing with our readers then we’d love to hear from you.

Finally I’d like to say thankyou to these other blogs who have helped inspire us to create this new blog :

• Life Hack
• Life Hacker
• Dumb Little Man
• Life Clever
• Get Rich Slowly