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The year 2008 is the latest in the long line of leap years. In the Gregorian calendar, the calendar used by the United States and most of the world, a leap year usually occurs every four years. During leap years, an extra day is added to the month of February, making the month have 29 days instead of 28 days.
Filing taxes is a chore that few people look forward to doing. Not only can it take a lot of time, it’s easy to make mistakes while filing. Additionally, it’s extremely common to miss tax break opportunities if you are filing your taxes by yourself.
Luckily, there is an abundance of online tax software. The tax software can make the filing process faster and can help you eliminate any errors you might otherwise make. Also, you may be able to find tax breaks that you didn’t know existed.
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Laptop bags aren’t just your basic black leather bags anymore. You can now find an assortment of bags that are both fashionable and functional.
These days wireless Internet is everywhere. Therefore, it’s no wonder that more people than ever are taking their laptops on the go. If you want to carry your laptop in style, you need to get a great laptop bag.
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LASIK eye surgery is a procedure used to correct a person’s vision in order to reduce or eliminate his/her need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. LASIK is a refractive correction surgery which is performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthetic eye drops. The patient remains awake and the actual time for the surgical procedure is just a few minutes.
If you are a video game nut, you have no doubt heard about Guitar Hero craze that has engulfed the video game scene over the last three years. Millions and millions of gamers have played the Guitar Hero video games and it has common one of the most successful series of video games in history.
Whether you’re an acolyte of GTD or just want to get things done, we could all use some help in being more productive. Following are some useful websites to help boost your productivity and some software and web tools to help you along the way.
Websites
Zen Habits is a blog about setting and achieving goals. Topics include Productivity and organization, Finance and family, Happiness, Health and Simplicity. Site author Leo Babauta has taken David Allen’s GTD (Getting Things Done) system and created his own, more minimal system known as ZTD Zen to Done. A sample:
1) GTD is a series of habit changes. This is the main reason why people fall off the GTD system — it’s a bunch of habit changes that are attempted all at once. If you’ve read Zen Habits long enough, you know that focusing on one habit at a time is best, and guarantees the most success. In addition, GTDers don’t apply proven habit-change methods (the ones I talk about on this site) to change their habits.
Solution: ZTD focuses on one habit at a time. You don’t have to try to adopt the entire system at once — it’s overwhelming and it’s too hard to focus on your habit changes if you do too many at a time. Instead, focus on one at a time, and adopt the system in phases. Use proven habit-changing methods (30-day challenge, commitment, rewards, motivation hacks, etc.) to successfully adopt each new habit.
is a blog about Andrew Mason’s personal experience following the strategies laid out in David Allen’s GTD.
Lifehack.org bills itself as a “daily digest digest [with] pointers on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks.” It covers a broad spectrum of topics from eating healthy on the cheap to starting a fitness regime. Recent posts include: “Beat blank page syndrome: 10 tricks to getting your writing started,” “Five ways to pick up the exercise habit again,” and “12 steps closer to your ideal work day.” Topics covered are productivity, communication, lifestyle, money, technology and management.
Lifehacker covers “tech tricks, tips and downloads for getting things done.” An excellent resource for getting the most out of technology, Lifehacker features posts on downloads for Mac OS or Windows–what’s out there, how to use it, whether it’s worth getting as well as how to stories such as how to clean your computer and how to keep it clean.
Getting Things Done is another blog about David Allen’s method written by someone calling himself gtdfrk.
Dumb Little Man offers weekly tips to increase your productivity, save money “or simply keep you sane.” The offerings cover a wide variety of topics from getting ahead in your career to losing weight. Recent posts include: “14 simple steps to convert your sedentary lifestyle,’ “I was passed up for a promotion … what’s next?” and “35 things to avoid at your job interview.” Many seem like common sense, but everyone knows common sense isn’t all too common.
LifeClever offers tips for design and life. Non-designers can appreciate posts such as “The seven deadly sins of resume design”–avoid “fancy paper,” Times New Roman and excessive decoration. Posts on parallel parking, dressing like a Mac–the guy in the commercial–and “5 ways to instantly find cheap gas” make this a helpful site for anyone.
Black Belt Productivity is a blog focused on productivity, beginning with a primer on David Allen’s Getting Things Done.
Web Worker Daily offers tips and advice for people who use the web for work, which covers just about everyone these days. Subjects include hacks, software apps, tips & tricks, workplace trends and personal organization.
Life coaches blog bills itself as a personal development blog that offers strategies for living.
43 Folders covers “productivity and time management tips, life hacks to improve efficiency, ideas about ways to improve your life and reduce stress and shortcuts that make life a bit easier.” It’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that. A series, Inbox Zero, looked at “the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way.”
Is too much stuff getting you down? Unclutterer has the answer. This blog is not just “for the helplessly disorganized who would lose their head if it wasn’t attached to them, and pack rats looking to put their stashes on a diet, but also for obsessive compulsive neat freaks looking to squeeze even more order into their lives. We hope we can make getting and staying organized fun and informative.” The site features an uncluttered workspace of the week, a weekly look at ludicrous single-use items (a dedicated pizza oven, anyone?) in addition to tips on organizing your home, office or home/office.
Productivity tools
Before you go any further, check out the comparison of many of the productivity software available. Here are some other tools:
Children and collectors around the world have fallen in love with Webkinz. Webkinz are soft plush toys that are in the shape of different animals. While they are similar to Beanie Babies, many things sets Webkinz apart.
On February 17th, the 50th running of the Daytona 500 will take place in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona 500 is basically to stock car racing as the Super Bowl is to professional football. It’s the most important race of the year and it’s the one race every racer would love to win. To be considered great, you need a Daytona 500 win on your resume, otherwise you never climbed the sport’s biggest mountain.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, you may be thinking about proposing. You’ve seen those proposals on TV, the ones where a guy proposes via the Jumbotron at a sports stadium. Or maybe he gets down on one knee in a public place. Your intended couldn’t possibly turn you down in front of all those people, right? Think again.
In life as in love, timing is everything.
Valentine’s Day is the holiday celebrating love. On Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on February 14th, lovers exchange love notes, gifts and mementos that express their love. While Valentine’s Day is now a mult-billion dollar industry, its roots date all the way back to the Middle Ages.
While the exact origins of Valentine’s Day are disputed, most historians agree that Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the Roman Empire. Fertility festivals were held on February 14th and those festivals eventually evolved into what we see today and celebrate as Valentine’s Day.
Nowadays, many customs and traditions are involved with Valentine’s Day. If you are in a relationship, it’s customary to give your significant other a Valentine’s Day greeting card. These greeting cards can bought in stores across the country and contain are meant to express your love for the person.
If you don’t want to purchase a store bought greeting card, it’s also acceptable to make your own Valentine’s Day card. The card should contain a personalized note expressing your love. It can also contain drawings, photographs or anything else that can symbolize how much you love your significant other.
In addition to greeting cards, it’s become customary to give your significant other candy on Valentine’s Day. Most candy given on Valentine’s Day is chocolate candy. In fact, over a billion dollars a year is spent on chocolate candy for Valentine’s Day.
Flowers are another Valentine’s Day favorite. Like chocolate, billions of dollars are spent on flowers on the days surrounding Valentine’s Day. It’s quite common to buy your significant other a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of your love.
To further celebrate Valentine’s Day, many couples opt on a night out on the town. The night out can include a dinner at an upscale restaurant and then attending a movie. There are also social gatherings on Valentine’s Day in nearly every city that couples can attend to celebrate their love.
If you don’t have a significant other, you aren’t out of luck on Valentine’s Day. In fact, Valentine’s Day is a good day to try to meet another single person. Asking someone out on a Valentine’s Day date is just as much of a tradition as any other Valentine’s Day event. If you dating or married on Valentine’s Day, you can use a Valentine’s Day date as a way to get to know someone better who you may be interested in.
An oftentimes overlooked aspect of Valentine’s Day is Valentine’s Day is also a great time to express to your friends and family how much you appreciate them. Some people make the mistake of thinking Valentine’s Day is all about your significant other or trying to line up a date, when in fact it has a much broader scope.
Valentine’s Day is a day to let people know that you care. If you have family that you don’t speak to often, use Valentine’s Day as a reason to call and express your feelings.
Valentine’s Day also isn’t just for adults. At schools across the country, kids exchange Valentine’s Day cards. Games and parties are also planned on Valentine’s Day on schools across the country. The difference when kids celebrate Valentine’s Day is they do it as a group event instead of on a one-on-one basis. Typically, it isn’t until high school that Valentine’s Day takes on more of a one-on-one meaning.
Over the years, various symbols have become synonymous with Valentine’s Day. Perhaps the most popular of these symbols is Cupid. Cupid, in Roman mythology, is the god of love. Depicted as a smallish figure with wings and a bow, the legend is that whomever Cupid shoots with an arrow will fall in love with the next individual that the person lays their eyes upon. A person in love around Valentine’s Day is said to have been “shoot with one of Cupid’s arrows.” Cupid is often depicted on Valentine’s Day greeting cards as an overall symbol of love.
While flowers in general have meaning on Valentine’s Day, roses are especially symbolic. If you give someone a rose, the color of the rose has become an indication of your interest level. Red roses are given as a symbol of deep love and passion. White roses are similar to red roses, however they are used to indicate long-lasting, true love that has withstood the test of time. Pink roses are used to symbolize a bond that could blossom into love, while yellow roses are friendship roses. Sadness or loss can be shown by giving a black rose.
Another symbol that is seen everywhere when Valentine’s Day approaches is the heart with an arrow through it. The arrow, which is obviously one of Cupid’s arrows, is used to indicate that your heart is in love with someone. Additionally, the heart shape is popular in many other forms including heart shaped candy and heart shaped Valentine’s Day greeting cards.
Certain animals are also traditionally used on Valentine’s Day. Lovebirds and doves are perhaps the two most popularly used animals. According to various legends, February 14th marked the day that birds found their mate, which ties right in with Valentine’s Day. Other animals, such as puppies and kittens, are used to symbolize caring and compassion on Valentine’s Day.
The United States, while arguably the most active country on Valentine’s Day, isn’t the only country to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Countries from all around the world commemorate Valentine’s Day, with each country having their own customs and traditions.
Finland’s version of Valentine’s Day is known as “Friend’s Day” and, as the name suggests, it’s a day more geared toward being with and honoring your friends. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is when females buy chocolate and flowers to men, while men return the favor one month later. People in Norway tend to forgo most of the Valentine’s Day activities, however it is customary to eat a dinner with a loved one. In Slovenia, Valentine’s Day also marks the day that flowers and plants begin to grow their roots.
In addition to separate customs and traditions, some countries celebrate a Valentine’s Day type event on a different date of the year. Brazil celebrates their version of Valentine’s Day on June 12th. Romania celebrates on February 24th. In Jewish culture, a Valentine’s Day type date takes place in late August.
While countries may celebrate Valentine’s Day differently or even celebrate it on a different date, February 14th is becoming more and more a universal date of love. Almost all countries around the world have seen an increase in the publicity and notoriety given to the American date and traditions associated with Valentine’s Day. Over time, Valentine’s Day, as those in the United States know it, has become a more of a worldwide holiday.
With all the customs and traditions involved in commemorating Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to forget the main purpose of the holiday – which is to let the ones you love know that you love them. If you are in a relationship, don’t forget to let your significant other know how much you care. Whether you decide to get a Valentine’s Day greeting card, flowers, candy or anything else related to Valentine’s Day, the thought is what counts the most.
photo credit: butterflysha, vintage collector, jstick