Abraham Maslow was wise beyond his time.

He created a simple hierarchy that categorizes the needs of every human being. The hierarchy indicates that the highest level of achievement is self-actualization. But it also reminds us of the necessity of maintaining our most vital physical needs.

On a most basic level, we are required to satisfy our needs for food, water, and air. It is only when these basic needs are met that we can turn our thoughts to higher needs, such as love and acceptance.

As each of these needs is fulfilled, some of us reach a point of restlessness. It is at this point that we begin to seek higher goals of personal fulfillment. We attempt to grow beyond what we currently are and we strive to fulfill our highest potential. This is what Maslow termed self-actualization.

It is self-actualization that many of us seek. Achieving this state of fulfillment, however, involves more than having success in the workplace or the admiration of others. It is a goal that each of us can achieve through different methods and with drastically different results.

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Is work slowly suffocating you? To-do lists, projects and random chores all piling up until they surround you? When this happens, your best strategy is to get ahead. Get on top of all your work and go beyond completing today’s tasks, complete more than you need to so you can have room to breathe.

How do you do this? When I face this problem, my answer is to take on what I like to call a Project-Kill Day. This is a day where I am at my most productive state. I set aside large amounts of time to kill off the projects on my to-do list and get ahead. I’ve found, if you plan it properly, you can make tomorrow up to 3 times as productive as ordinary days.

How to Set Up Your Own Project-Kill Day

I’ve done hundreds of these Project-Kill days, so if you’re looking to start your own here’s how:

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Alzheimer’s and Dementia are two of the cruelest diseases known and the ones that frighten me the most. I can’t imagine what it’s like to slowly slip into a fog and not remember where you are, who you are or be told the lady in the room you don’t recognize is actually your wife of 50 years.

It’s unfortunate that nursing homes are filled with people that barely recognize their friends and family that come to visit. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie “The Notebook”, you understand what I’m talking about. Is there anything we can do now to help prevent these diseases or should we sit and wait for science to develop a magic pill for us?

I don’t know about any magic pill, but there is research that shows there are things we can do to help ward off the effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. But, before I divulge the secret-sauce of mind disease prevention, I need to explain a property of the brain that may be contrary to what you already know.

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“Don’t settle”. These are the words from Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Speech that echo in my mind long after first having watched the video.

Have you settled for second best (or worse) in life?

This can be a difficult question to answer, as no one really wants to think that they have settled. I am a big believer, though, that being truthful with yourself opens the door to change. But even then, what if you don’t know or are unsure if you have settled? The following are 5 signs that may indicate that you have settled, whether it is in a relationship, a job, or some other way in life.

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Growing obesity and higher levels of personal debt are 2 different modern phenomenon. There is no obvious connection between the two, but both problems share many similarities. These ideas suggest that the solution to many of our problems share certain key characteristics.

Whatever we wish to achieve, the solution is rarely gained through looking for some miracle product. The solution invariably lies through a change in our attitude and frame of mind.

The Road is Paved with Good Intentions

It is good to have a hope for achieving our targets. But, to be successful, we need more than half-hearted good intentions. To make significant changes in our life we need to be focused and fully committed. Alas, we cannot reduce weight by talking about how desirable it would be. Nor can we reduce our debt through wishful thinking; it requires determination and continued commitment.

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Tuition costs are rising. Textbooks might as well be printed on gold. You’re contemplating selling a kidney on the black market to pay off your student-debt. Does learning have to cost that much?

Saving Money at School

Here’s some tips for keeping costs down at school:

Know your purpose before applying. Costs vary dramatically in tuition. Education quality also varies, but I believe it doesn’t usually match the cost. If your ambitions are entrepreneurial, picking the most expensive school might not be useful if the education is rated the same. Know why you want to go to school or the money will be wasted.

Used, New or Not at All? Ask past students of a course whether the textbook is necessary to learn or understand. Some classes teach almost entirely through lectures, while others come straight from the textbook. I’ve avoided buying some fairly expensive packages because I learned they weren’t necessary.

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Procrastination: To delay, stall, hesitate, put off, or lag.

We’ve all suffered from procrastination at one time or another. Probably the worst part about procrastination is its uncanny ability to rob of us time, while simultaneously making us feel miserable about it. As much as we may dread the task we’re avoiding, putting it off rarely provides much relief. We know we’re just delaying the inevitable – sometimes with serious consequences.

If you doubt this, let me refer you to a good friend of mine who kept putting off scheduling his vasectomy. It wasn’t until his family grew by “one more bundle of joy” that he finally had the guts (aren’t you glad I didn’t say balls) to schedule the procedure. Of course my friend loves his kids and wouldn’t change a thing. But now, more than ever, he understands that delaying action can sometimes have sobering outcomes.

One of the major challenges with overcoming procrastination is that there’s no single cause, and therefore no single solution. The key to moving beyond procrastination is learning how to clearly identify what particular type of procrastination is plaguing you. That way you can focus on the appropriate remedy.

Below I have listed 5 common causes of procrastination and strategies for conquering them:

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The statement, “You can do anything you put your mind to,” leads us to believe that all you must do is imagine what you’d like to accomplish, set your mind to the task, and wait for success.

To a certain degree this is true. Focused intention combined with action is a powerful force. But the statement is misleading because it fails to mention the difficulty and necessity of focusing your mind on a specific goal.

Most of us don’t know what we want. We think we do, but we really don’t. We only know what we don’t want. We don’t want a boring job. We don’t want to be poor. We don’t want to disappoint our loved ones.

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I spent over a year working in the call center for a bank. Just the other week, I used my knowledge of these strange beasts of the modern economy to save over $200 on a phone bill. And this wasn’t the first time my knowledge of how call centers operate has come in handy – there have been multiple occasions when I have saved myself not only money, but also a lot of time and frustration by sticking to 5 simple rules.

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As much as we hear a spiritual evolution is at hand, in many ways we still live in a very physical, down and dirty world. It can feel like you are competing in a 10K with a bum leg.

Whether you are kissing up to your boss or negotiating with your creditors, this is simply not the life you imagined for yourself. The truth is when people tell you how good life is, sometimes you just want to slap them.

You understand the concept of having a positive attitude — you are not a moron. But the reality is you have another mortgage payment due, and not enough money in the bank. Okay, let’s all agree, this sucks. You have people counting on you—you wife, you son, your ex-wife, your mutt, your IRS agent, your Mom, etc, etc.

Now that we are on the same page (facing the reality that life is not fair) what can you do about it? Here are five practical things you can do to ease the pain:

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