I Have a Book Coming Out!

I’m super happy to finally be able to announce that I have a cool new book coming out, Card Games for One or Two: 52 Games to Know and Play. It will be released on April 19th and pre-orders are open now.

Here’s more details from the landing page for the book:

In today’s high-tech world, sitting down with a deck of cards is a simple pleasure. With an engaging collection of beloved classics, this book is filled with 52 card games made for one or two players. 

What sets this card game book apart:

• Card games 101—Become a savvy player in no time with a rundown of everything from common card lingo to tips for winning strategies.

• Smart organization—This compendium is divided into solo and two-player games and organized by game type (capturing, trick-taking, etc.) so you can quickly find something that suits your mood.

• Clear instructions—Master the mechanics of any game and jump into play right away with help from simple directions and illustrations that are easy to follow.

I have been working on this book for a few months now and it is a big milestone for me to be able to have a hard copy of a book I’ve written. It’s been great working with my publisher and I greatly benefited from the structure they’ve given me.

I hope you’ll all check it out and let me know what you think!

Holiday Gift Idea

We all can use some help when it comes to gift ideas for all the important people in our life.

If you are looking for a fun, colorful, gift or stocking stuffer, knee high socks are a popular fashion statement that coordinates with almost any outfit.

Something to get everyone in the holiday spirit specifically are these awesome Christmas socks. They come in a variety of colors and styles and can help add a fun flair to your holiday party attire.

I love these socks and I know you will too!

Thoughts on Time & Space

As I come back to the world after winter break and a bit of hiatus with the podcast and the blog, I was reflecting on the clarity I feel like I had during this time. I didn’t have to do anything other than work and take care of the apartment, spend time with my wife and our friends, and hang out with our dog. It was great.

This down time was precipitated by my new job I got in August. It is a remote job and encourages working flexibly. We have team members and constituents all over the country, so it makes sense to sometimes plug in a little later if you’re on the East Coast to collaborate with West Coast folks. Also, we have to travel a bit for different things, so if you need to catch up on work at odd hours, it’s totally okay. There is also a unlimited PTO policy so as long as you’re not leaving everyone in the dark to cover for you, you can take any needed time for special occasions or just to unplug during the holidays for example. Lastly, I don’t have to commute any more, which is awesome just for the time saved but also the stress. Since the new job has a lot of moving pieces to learn and the flexibility I was looking for, I winded down some side projects so I could take a bit of a breather.

This is the context for the past few months for me. I feel ready to ease back in to some of these side projects I have now. It was funny that since I had more room in my life for other things, I was more thoughtful about what I filled it with. I had a lot of momentum filling my limited precious time with podcasting, writing, editing other people’s shows, etc. before I got this new job. But now that I was going to be able to be making more money and have more time on my hands, I figured I should step back to rethink my priorities.

There have been a lot of recent articles this past year examining burnout and self-care. They’ve made me think a lot about the things I should be focusing on and how I nurture my own energy. Something I say a lot is that you make time for what you want to make time for. This is how we subconsciously reflect our priorities in the choices we make and the actions we take. This can also be retooled as an intentional way of being. We must make time for the things that are important to us. Otherwise, we’re going to build up internal stress and pressure, and not be our best selves. This manifested for me when it came to playing games. I didn’t make it a priority and I was far more stressed most of time because of it. Now that my life has settled down and I have more space, I’m playing a little bit almost every day.

It’s all about values and how we value our own time. We can work all day and every weekend, but what do we have to show for it? Certainly not much in the short term. Often we’re salaried and not getting overtime. We’re setting unhealthy expectations about our availability that we have to work to undo. We also always have the opportunity cost of not being able to do anything else we could be doing with that time. The relationships with the people around us and our other obligations will suffer. And yes, this includes making time for the gym, going to the doctor, and getting other errands done.

I hope these thoughts on time and space are helpful to you. I wanted to write again and this felt the most salient as both a general update on what I’ve been up to and also what I’ve been thinking a lot about.

Hosting An Adult And Epic Games Night To Remember

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The World Cup is two days away. Whereas the jocks will be jumping with joy, we are less enthused. It’s soccer for God sake. It’s not even an American sport! One thing everyone has to admit though is that the WC is great for parties. Spain and Portugal are playing on Friday afternoon? Great, let’s all drink and watch the game. Those of us who aren’t soccer-mad don’t get the same privilege.

Still, it isn’t like we can’t throw a party, one that doesn’t involve soccer. And, it is going to be adult-themed and epic at the same time. Here’s what you need to know.

The Games

What to bring, what to bring. In short, it depends on the crowd. If there are sporty people there who prefer to sit and chill then exercise, then FIFA may be on the cards. But, if the audience is more traditional game orientated, then Halo and GTA and RDR never fail to impress. As a rule, mix it up so that there is a wide variety to keep you going throughout the night. And, make sure they are all interactive and involve more than one player. Otherwise, it gets boring sitting there watching other people play.

The Food

Gaming custom dictates that the host has to provide the grub. You’re not 12 years old any longer so forget about the strawberry laces and licorice candy treats. Instead, think like a party-planner and buy snacks that are mature and elegant. Yep, it sounds like a reach but it is possible! Https://ww.redbookmag.com has a range of 35 easy recipes if anyone needs inspiration. You probably won’t though as long as you stick to the classics. Finger food always goes down a treat, which is why sandwiches are the staple of any party. Of course, chip and dip are about the only appetizers that challenge its popularity.

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The Seating

This is where it gets complicated because there are rules and regulations. Everyone wants to sit down, but the gamers need the best seats. Being comfortable while playing is a must. But, any chair won’t suffice. The trick is to use the gaming seat you have as the focal point. To go the extra mile, you can buy another one off of https://goturback.uk/noblechairs-epic-series-review/. Then, use the rest of the furniture to make sure the rest of your guests are comfy and relaxed. Don’t worry about not having a seat for everyone because people stand up and socialize.

The Drinks

We all want to have a good time at a gaming party. There is an issue, however: performance. If you and your friends are competitive, the idea of getting wasted might not appeal. After all, some guest will want to be at their best so that they can win. Still, it isn’t a party without booze so you should buy a selection of drinks. Beers and wine will keep the majority of people happy, while soft drinks should suffice for the players.

Now for the big question – do you think anyone will forget your game night?

Organizing A College Graduation Party You'll Never Forget

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So, you’ve completed your courses at college, learned lots of new skills, and now someone has put you in charge of organizing the graduation party. While that might sound like a lot of fun, it’s also going to involve a lot of hard work. That is why you should appoint a team of other ex-students to assist you with the process. There is some advice in this article that should point you in the right direction and ensure you don’t overlook anything critical. With a bit of luck, you will manage to plan the perfect graduation party after reading this post.

Booking some entertainment

You managed to pay your way through college, so you should have reasonable budgeting skills. They are going to come in handy during this process. You need to make sure you book some suitable entertainment for the graduation party, and that usually means contacting bands or DJs. You could even book both if you think it will add to the event and ensure everyone has a fantastic time. There are agencies you can find online for hiring entertainers, and so you should take a look at some of their websites before identifying the ideal bands or DJs. Hopefully, your college has a budget for the party, and you can use that money to help cover some of the costs. Otherwise, you might have to sell tickets for the graduation ball in advance.

Arranging the catering

The people who graduate with you will want to fill their stomachs at the party you arrange, and so it is vital that you spend some time researching local catering companies according to sites like https://www.thebalancesmb.com. In most instances, a buffet or hog roast is suitable because most people won’t want to sit down for a full meal. The attendees will want to spend most of their evening dancing, and so they won’t want to weigh themselves down too much. Get some quotes from different firms, and then discuss the situation with your appointed team become making contact and arranging your booking.

Hiring some luxurious transport

Most people will want to arrive at the party in style, and so you should consider the idea of arranging some upmarket transport. According to specialists from http://fllimoride.com/, the prices you pay for hiring a limo could vary significantly. For that reason, it is wise to shop around and obtain quotes from multiple firms. That way, you should have some ammunition for negotiating a better deal when the time comes. The best thing about limousines is that you can travel to and from the party venue with lots of other people, and you’re sure to turn heads when you pull up outside.

If you manage to cover all the aspects mentioned in this article today; you should arrange a college graduation party that you’ll never forget. Remember to hire a professional photographer too, so that you can document the evening and provide guests with some images in the weeks following the event. The graduation party could be the last time you see some of your college friends, and so you should make sure it’s as thrilling and memorable as possible. Good luck with everything!

Putting Some Fun Into Your Business

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Most entrepreneurs don’t work hard at their ventures simply because they want to make money out of them. Instead, you work hard because you feel passionate about what you do, and you want to enjoy the career you build for yourself. Of course, though, along the line, it can be easy to forget about this important part of business. With all of the serious work you have to do, the lighter side of things will often slip by. It doesn’t have to be this way, though, and this post is going to be showing you what can be done to turn things around. Anyone should be able to make their business more exciting with an effort like this.

Before you start working on making your business fun, it’s worth putting in some time to figure out why this is important to you. On a personal level, this will give you a much higher chance to finding job satisfaction, as you will be happy with what you’re doing each day. Along with this, though, you also have to think about anyone who might be working for you. People will always work harder when they enjoy their job, and will often stay with your company long into the future if you can give them something enjoyable everyday.

Achieving a goal like this takes some very specific work. Your company is going to need to go through some changes, with protocols and other routines being adapted to make sure that they fit into your new needs. There are a lot of approaches you can take to add some fun to your business, though, and this makes it a little easier when it comes to choosing one. Below, you can find a long list of a range of the different changes which can be made to most workplaces to enhance the time everyone has in your business.

Light Targets

There are few things in the world which can motivate people like a bit of competition. Of course, when you’re at work, you don’t want this to be stressful, but you still have the chance to keep everyone on their toes. Light performance targets which employees can compare with one another will always be a powerful way to improve office morale. This can be easily achieved using a TV which posts people’s latest results, along with the targets which they should be meeting. While this will make people feel uncomfortable at first, it could make their working life a lot more productive.

The benefits of this sort of arrangement come in many different forms. For one, your employees will be happier with their work, as they will be able to see direct results in the form of targets being met. Along with this, you will be able to start using these numbers as a way to weed out the weak links within your team. Of course, along with these benefits, though, you have to be careful; being too intense with these goals will make people feel miserable. Striking a balance which makes this fund will be a challenge, and it will be worth listening to your employees to make sure they are happy.

Social Time

For a lot of people, one of the best parts of going to work at the start of the day will be the people they interact with. Likewise, you will probably be fond of the people working for you, or they wouldn’t be at your company. Social time while working is one of the best ways to make a job more enjoyable. People will have the chance to catch up, share ideas, and get help regarding their work, all without having to break any rules. This sort of system works best in places where people working around each other. Of course, though, it has to be handled correctly if you want it to work.

Over the last few years, there have been loads of studies into the impact of short breaks on people’s ability to work. Most have found that having breaks every twenty to thirty minutes can drastically improve someone’s productivity, while also giving them the chance to relax. These breaks don’t need to be very long at all. As a business, this will reward you with more work being completed, all the while keeping the people working for you happy, and making the business a lot more fun.

Games And Play

It’s hard to talk about having fun at work without thinking about games. Even when people are busy at their job, there is always a little bit of room for this sort of fun, and there are loads of different ways to add it to your company. Small sports tables are some of the best for this, with examples like football being very popular. While these activities are fun, they don’t make a big mess, and this makes them much easier to deal with. A lot of modern companies are also employing the power of games consoles to perform this role. Of course, though, this will be expensive, and it may not work well for your employees.

Having the chance to perform an activity which will occupy their minds without having to think about work will always make employees happier. As long as play time is kept separate from work time, this sort of idea can be great for your business. People will respond very well to the chance to have some fun like this, making it a great way to build your team, while also giving people something to do on the breaks. TV is very popular as a substitute for this, but will often make people feel sleepy and ready to go home.

Time Away

While embezzlement isn’t on your mind, there are a lot of ways in which a business owner can benefit from their work. Companies can buy their own property, land, and other large items, giving them a lot of power to make your life better. An executive condo Singapore, for example, would give you the chance to travel throughout the year, and it could be entirely owned by the business. Whether this is for simple fun or for actual business trips, being able to afford this sort of option will be a great boon, and will be worth working towards if you have the means.

Of course, if something like this is owned by the business, you’re not the only one who can use it, and this gives you a good chance to make your employees a lot happier with their roles. Having company vacations as a benefit on their job description will make a job much more desirable. Along with this, you will also get the chance to reward hard work, promoting it in the future. Most of all, though, as the biggest benefit you will receive, this will make everyone in the company a lot happier. There isn’t any reason to keep this to yourself, as you will only need it a couple of times each year, and this gives you a great way to make people happy.

Varying Work

Finally, as the last idea to consider, it’s time to think about the boredom which repetition can bring with it, and why you should be working to escape it. Doing the same work everyday will quickly become very tiring. Most people will feel bad about their career, slowly wearing on them until it doesn’t work anymore. Of course, though, when you run your own company, you have the chance to vary your work as little or as much as you want. One day, you could be working on your biggest project, completing work which is essential to the business. On the next, though, you could be doing some accounting, giving yourself the chance to enjoy a varied work week.

Like the other areas on this list, this sort of approach can also be passed down to the people working for you. Varying the work of your employees will always make them happier, as long as the work they are doing is worthwhile. Of course, though, it isn't just about happiness, as this can also impact the quality of their work. Even if they don’t realise it, your employees will get sloppy over time if they are doing the same work. Taking an approach which gives them unique tasks each day, you will keep them on their toes, and bad habits will struggle to form. Along with this, everyone will have a lot more fun.

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There are a lot guides around the web which are dedicated to teaching you how to better use your employees. From ideas which involve strict monitoring to ones which are much more free, there are loads of different areas which can impact this for an employee. Of course, as a big part of this, it’s critical that you consider yourself in the equation. Your business is there to serve you above all else, and this means that you should always be working to find new ways to make it work for you.

Can The New Year Bring In A New You?

The new year is a time of fresh beginnings, and there’s a whole year ahead of opportunities and unknown ventures. Yet, we often want to start the new year off with a bang and then keep the creative energy flowing by sticking to a few resolutions. So after the party is over, and you’ve cleaned up and had a few glasses of water, it’s time to start in on your plans. So if you know you want to make a change for the new year, but you just don’t know what you’d be able to keep up with, here are some ideas for you.

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Read More and More

Reading can do a lot for you, such as help you better your memory retention and practical knowledge. It can just teach you more in general! So, if you want something manageable for the new year, pick up a book on the first of January and don’t put it down again until you’ve read at least 3 chapters. Continue in this habit every day, and make some effort to grab yourself a bit of spare time.

If you’re the type of person who exhausts your eyes staring at screens all day, this is a good way to rest them without closing them and taking impromptu naps all the time. Similarly, you can also unwind from busy days at work or your new workout routine by settling in with a good story.

Getting into a Workout Routine

Instead of spending your time scrolling through the are they on steroids blog and comforting yourself that you don’t have to look like that (which you don’t!), you could instead use of a little of that inspirational energy to work on yourself! Even the feeling can be a step towards self improvement after all.

A workout routine doesn’t have to be hard to stick to when you enjoy it, and plan out what you want to do from the beginning. Something different works for everyone, so whether it’s kickboxing or a bit of zumba, try out a bunch of classes before you settle.

Try a Lower Calorie Diet

Calories are easy to ingest and they’re in everything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make an effort to chow down on the low cal foods we always see on the market. However, instead of just choosing to lose weight, aim to make yourself just a little bit healthier.

First of all, make a conscious effort not to squeeze in that last cookie, and save it for someone else or another time. Similarly, you can eat smaller portions at dinner and still feel full and energized by the end of it. Probably even more so, as your digestion isn’t taking up all of your energy anymore!

The new year is a perfect time for you to start working on yourself. Don’t let yourself put it off, and make it easy to stick to. Remember: you can always try out multiple things to see what works, and make it fun!

The Very Many Mental Benefits Of Online Gaming

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Video gaming has become such a popular hobby in recent years that almost everyone enjoys the experience. From long, strategically dense games to story rich games and online twitch shooters, the genre has never known such breadth, diversity, and incredible scope. Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry, and for good reason. No other hobby can provide such a range of experiences outside of reading books. The tactile feeling a great video game gives, provided it’s quality and directed, can be almost incomparable to any other form of media.

However, the detractors still exist. To some extent, this is wise. Not everyone is able to control their gaming hobby, and many people are addicted, clocking up hundreds of hours a fortnight playing the latest releases. However, this is often a fringe group, and many people enjoy gaming responsibly, and we’d say beneficially.

For our reasoning on this last point, read the following article on the many cognitive benefits of online gaming:

Co-operation & Socializing

Many online shooters, from the wildly successful PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS to Rainbow Six Siege all require solid co-operation, teamwork and careful forethought. Even more importantly, they develop your social ability, as conveying the most important information in a small timeframe is essential to success. Even those who are otherwise socially shy will find this a platform to develop their social training. Of course, random online teammates can be a mixed bag, but if you find a good community or environment to play in, you will be sure to experience some wonderful social experiences. Over time, you’ll find that your confidence in speech grows greater, and you use more brevity in your sentence structure.

Reaction Times

We all know that reaction times are one of the main benefits of gaming. Even someone with no experience of console and PC play could watch someone handling themselves in game and recognize the skill on show. Reaction times are important, and they’re trainable through this medium. Online twitch shooters such as Counter-Strike Global Offensive or Quake can help a person’s hand-eye coordination to a great extent.

Accomplishment

Winning team matches can be profoundly satisfying from an achievement perspective. To get to grips with the games, using a service such as ILikeCheats can prevent you from being stomped online. Once you develop your skill and understand the mechanics, winning team matches might come naturally. Playing in ranked lobbies helps match you against people around your skill level. Slowly raising the ranks after solid, good play can help you progress towards something. While some might consider this a superfluous method of goal orientation, there are major parallels you can draw to real life. Overcoming an objective when you’re doing badly requires critical thinking, fast responsive solutions, and even thinking outside of the box. There’s truly no better microcosm to learning the value of small challenge achievement than achieving things in a video game.

Learning Alien Systems

New video games are often quite deep. They have systems that allow you creative freedom and expression in how you play, no matter the genre. Learning these alien systems and becoming competent in them can help you develop that attitude of competence in all areas of your life. Getting good at the unknown helps you develop tactics to research, practice and execute new skills well. There’s nothing that procedure can’t be adapted to.

So purchase an online game and try it today! You might just have more useful fun than you originally thought.

Using Your Commute To Better Yourself

Who can honestly say that they like their commute? Commuting, is, unfortunately a part of life for most people, offering the same dreary drudgery on a daily basis. Time passes slowly, and your end destination is work. Instead of wasting your hours (and energy) lamenting the time spent getting to the office, why not use it as a time to better yourself? Your daily journey into work can actually be more valuable than you think, allowing you to get stuff done while also learning something new.

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Why not use your morning commute to better yourself? Take a look at some of the ways to do this below.

Read

Yes, reading is a popular commuting pastime, but how often do you read as you travel to work? Reading broadens your horizons, and reading books that are relevant to your job or career can help make you work better and harder as well as help to fuel your passion for your career. Take a look at the top business books of 2017 and create yourself a new reading list to feed your brain in the mornings.

Listen to podcasts

Love listening to music or the radio in the mornings? Swap them for a podcast instead! A great podcast is a fantastic way to enjoy comment and debate and give you some food for thought. There are podcasts available on all sorts of topics from managing your life and career to light-hearted and comedic podcasts. While music is great for helping to relax you, a podcast can offer a more educational experience that will make your commute more enjoyable.

Study

Why not use your morning commute to do some informal study? Use your time to learn a language or develop your knowledge on a range of topics. One morning you could be learning more about the history of World War One on Wikipedia, the next you could be learning about Bitcoin gambling with BitcoinGambling101.com. Reading the news and interesting articles will help keep your brain active, giving your mind a good warm up before you get into the office for a day at work.

Take care of life admin

Do you always complain that you don’t have time to carry out basic jobs because of your busy work/social life? Stop whining and start doing. Your morning commute is the perfect time to pay bills, manage your savings, tackle your expenses - whatever needs doing that you don’t normally have time to do. Even if you can’t complete all your tasks during your morning commute, you can at least make a schedule of when you’re going to fit things in to start being more organized and in control.

Commuting may feel like a drag right now, but it doesn’t have to be. Start using that precious time to yourself in a more productive way that will pass the time while also bettering yourself. It’s a simple lifestyle change to make, but one that could offer many benefits. Who knows, you might even start wishing your commute was longer to fit even more in!

Ol’ Reliable: Correctly Directed Trust In Business

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Businesses have a lot riding on the success of their products and services. You will need to be making money if you want to survive, and making money can be hard enough as it is. Throwing something like trust into the mix adds yet another layer of confusion to this job. So, to help you out, this post will be going through one of the easiest ways to build trust; time.

Regardless of whether you’ve known a person or a business for a long time, their age and time in the field will be a good indication of their success. It should be easy to find out this information when you’re first getting started. But, to help you out, you can find some of the reasoning for it below.

• Proven Success: If someone has been working for a very long time without any success, they probably aren’t the best option for you. But, if they have had loads of customers, they might be a winner, and you should be looking to work with them. Of course, you will probably have your own measure of success.

• Well-Known: Being around for a long time will usually make a company very well-known. Mcdonald's stock, for example, is very recognisable, and people will feel comfortable buying it from you. This sort of principle is especially important when you’re selling something, as it gives you an additional reputation to use.

• Long Record: Finally, when you’re thinking about the time someone has been working for, it’s best to be able to see a good record of their employment or business history. The more information you get here the better. Companies which have been around for a while will have more to share than anyone else.

Of course, building trust isn’t a simple matter of time, and there will be a lot more at play than you might think. Using the above as your foundations, you can use the areas below to craft strong relationships with those working with you. This sort of effort will almost always have some strong benefits.

• Education/Credentials: In the field of business, there are loads of rewards which companies will receive for good work. Along with this, education can be telling in someone’s ability to do good work and is an important factor to consider. This all ties into their past, though it’s an area a lot of people will ignore.

• Expedited Proof: Sometimes, a company or individual will rise from nothing over the course of nearly no time at all. In cases like this, these people are often very trustworthy. In fact, their name alone could be enough to do some good, and you just have to make sure that their success isn’t a fluke.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the time you put into the trust you build in business. Knowing when you should trust someone or not can be an impossible challenge. Of course, though, with the right effort, you should be able to make it a lot easier for yourself.