Can you believe it? One quarter of the year is in the books! Whether you thought March was a productive month or an inefficient one -- thirty-one days of ample highs or far too many lows -- it's time to press the reset button and look forward to bigger and better things in April. Perhaps you're aiming to lose weight, start your own business, travel to a new destination, or learn a new language. No matter your goals, April presents a fresh opportunity to pursue them with renewed vigor. Some people say it's ridiculous to see the first day of the month as affording an opportunity to start anew, but I find that, mentally, it is advantageous, especially if you had a rough go in the waning days of the prior month. Sometimes the mere thought that the last month is behind us -- that a new month brings new promise -- puts us in a positive frame of mind, fueling us with increased energy and ambition. This month, I aim to read more, write more, and smile more than I did in...

If I were to tell you to think of things that increase productivity, what would you say? Chances are you'd mention working harder and building better time management skills. While these efforts can certainly boost productivity, I've found -- as have many others -- that music works wonders in helping me get more done in less time. You're probably wondering how music factors into increased productivity, but it's pretty simple. Whether I'm trying to get more reading done, put in a longer workout at the gym, or make a long drive more bearable, music motivates me to keep going and going. At some point, we've all gotten so into a song that we become impervious to our surroundings. Research shows that music makes us happier and keeps us engaged. It can make the difference between being in a good mood for hours on end and having a lousy, forgettable day. When reading a book, even one I find mildly interesting, there comes a point where I get tired and distra...

I have found that two-day weekends are hardly enough to do everything on my To Do List -- and I don't even have kids!  I can only imagine my time being cut a lot shorter with a little one running around. My wife and I recently bought a condo and here we are, two months later, still in the process of moving in and getting settled. I don't know whose idea it was to have people work five days a week and have only two days off, but I think working four days and having three off seems a lot more fair. After all, once we leave work each day, many businesses -- like insurance companies and banks -- have either closed or are a couple of hours short of doing so. How nice would it be to have Fridays off? That would give us an extra day to run errands so that we have two days left over to spend with our loved ones. I suppose this could be problematic, though, because if those in private industry are off Fridays, that means many of the people working for the companies providing the ser...