I think regardless of how hard we try, in today’s society, addictions and habits are inevitable. For many, breaking habits is a new year’s goal that is rarely kept or completed successfully. So today, I want you to think about your addictions and, if you want, share them here.

Mine are smoking, caffeine, shopping for office supplies and belly dance gear, and planning. I cannot go without these things. If I do, I go crazy. The first two are terrible for me, and I am actively trying to break myself from them. Shopping is not too bad, because I rarely buy anything and it does not consume too much of my life. I consider window shopping and browsing online a recreational activity and treat it as such: I only do it when everything I need to get done is finished.

Finally, planning is a productive activity taken to the extreme. I have to-do list after to-do list and lists to show where my calendars are. I am completely obsessed with staying organized. As such, I am trying to free myself to the point where I can do things productively but not obsessively. I will let you know when that is done.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi

Once upon a time, there was a man who knew the world would never be the way he wanted it to be. That is, it would never change if he didn’t do something to change it. As such, he set out to do great things like peacefully ending the unfair rule over his country.

Gandhi said many wise things, but none ring truer to me than the quote above. How true it is that we must be the changes we wish to see. If you want peace, be peaceful. If you want money, start making it. If you want fame, start networking.

This month’s quote, I hope, inspires readers to do something to change the world. Right now.

David Shea’s The Printable CEO (or PCEO, for short) is probably one of the most revolutionary tools for productivity and organization a small business owner—anyone, really—can have in their toolbox.

The PCEO is a collection of 5 printable worksheets for goal tracking, task tracking, daily planning, planned versus unplanned tracking, and individual task tracking. (More about each after the jump.)

Shea came up with this amazing set of working because he didn’t have the ability to focus on moving his company forward:

[It] comes from the idea that a good CEO should focus primarily on those things that move the company forward; since I can’t afford to hire my own CEO, being able to print one out seemed like the next best thing! :-)

It’s about that simple to use PCEO: print, fill out, conquer. Read more about The Printable CEO »

Rather than have a personal finance post this week, I would like to give some link love to one of my favorite blogs: The Simple Dollar. Trent has written an interesting post asking readers how they spend their time and how they spend their money. The point is that there are some areas, like gym memberships, where we may spend a lot of money, but not very much time. There are others, like cooking, where we spend a lot of time but have not invested very much money.

The Simple Dollar is always a great place to look for realistic advice for saving money and using it wisely. If you want a good read, check it out.

I write a lot about how to do things, but so far, I have not really shared how successful I have been with the challenge I set forth for all of you. I realized this recently and decided to change it. What better way of doing this than to write a personal post about how I keep up with all the tips and ideas I spew out here?

Medication

I maintain my mental health in a number of ways. To be honest, this includes medication, because I am bipolar. It also includes taking fish oil and a multivitamin because I do not have the best diet ever. I have admitted to myself that, for now, I need help keeping healthy. I am okay with this and I would hope my readers would be as well. To me, it is far better to be healthy and happy with help than to be unhealthy and in denial.

Scheduled Posts

I am definitely the opposite of a morning person. Actually, I’m more of a mid-afternoon productive type. But I want to have a post first thing in the morning for my American readers. Because of this, I schedule nearly every post you read on this site.

Jewelry

Yes, even a silver pendant has something to do with my routine. Every time I leave the house, I put on an om necklace I got as a gift for a little over $20 on Amazon. It is a constant reminder throughout the day to remain balanced, polite, and in a good mood.

I Have Friends

I have made friends during my life who have similar goals to my own, who want to remain in touch with their spiritual sides and treat others kindly and respectfully, and who have some ideas for how to go about it. They have helped me immensely.

I Have a Role Model

I have a person in my life who is the epitome of how I want to act, and seeing this person interact with others never fails to inspire me to be a better person.

I also have a new mentor, who I think will provide me with direction in my college and work careers.

Whether it is a necklace or a best friend, there are little things in my life I like to keep around in order to help me stay healthy and sane. What are some of the methods you use to stay balanced?

Almost all people have to have jobs at some point in their lives. Similarly, almost all people working with others will face the occasional painful acquaintance: that person who thinks he’s hilarious, or pokes fun at others and causes emotional distress, or just cannot get things done. Coworkers can be some of the hardest people to be around, but unfortunately, many people spend a third or more of their days in close proximity. Handling obnoxious coworkers is a challenge, but it can be done with some practice and patience
Read more about Handling Obnoxious Coworkers, Part 1 »

Setting goals is an effective way of getting many things accomplished. However, for personal finance and similar activities, there is an even more important task at hand: setting priorities. Prioritizing is a process similar to goal setting, but there are some subtle and conspicuous differences which are important to know and master.

Read more about Setting Priorities »

There are few things in life that come for free and the vast majority of those that do are completely worthless. Whether something costs money, energy, or time does not matter, only that there is some marginal cost for a benefit. Such is the law of responsible consumerism: something should only be bought if its benefits outweigh its costs. Just like everything else, being a balanced person comes with great benefits as well as great costs, which are sometimes not always in balance themselves. Read more about What it Takes to be Balanced »

Google is famous as one of the best places to work in the technology industry. Stellar benefits, great pay, flextime, and many more qualities make Google home to some of the best and most coveted jobs in the world. One of the most well-known parts of working for Google is a sort of recreational free time during which employees are allowed to work on whatever they please without supervision. Creativity begins to flow, productivity increases with morale, and employees are happily generating new and fantastic ideas for the company to mull over and release to the public, creating more revenue and prestige for the behemoth.

Google has seen great success with this program and so will most companies, not only in IT. Allowing creative and imaginative time keeps brain power refreshed and at full supply, which can be very important in demanding environments including (but certainly not limited to) technology and software, accounting, and marketing. Let your employees roam and you will see new ideas for the company, increased productivity and morale, and definite loyalty. After all, if somebody enjoys his or her job, why would changing jobs become an issue?

I encourage all managers out there to take this chance to make a change in the workplace. Give your employees an hour one day next week to feel free to let their minds wander. See where it takes you. Increase the time spent gradually, until you have a fair amount of time for creativity and exploration.

Personal finance advice often creates two camps: those who oppose credit cards and those who support their usage (with responsibility, of course). I fall into the proponent camp, because I think building good credit is a great way to finance a car or house without paying in cash, which is difficult for most to accomplish. Additionally, cash back and rewards cards are a nice way to generate a windfall. As long as credit usage is within reason, it is an easy way to get more out of shopping.

This does not mean, however, that I encourage all to go out and sign up for credit cards. College students, low-income families, and newly hired, entry-level workers often fall into the pitfalls of 0% APRs with the promises of fortune. This article contains guidelines for making the decision as to whether or not you are ready to take on a credit card. I think it will be useful for both those with no credit experience and those who are looking to take on a second or third (or more) credit card.

Can you get it?

The first thing you need to know is whether or not you will actually get the credit card for which you are applying. Sometimes, having a low income, little experience, many inquiries on your credit report, or being young will negatively affect your application and result in rejection. Before wasting an inquiry on a card, decide if you have good odds of getting it. I was rejected from a Shell card recently, and this was disappointing and lowered my score for nothing.

What kind of card is it?

Is this a cash back or rewards card? An introductory 0% purchase APR card? A balance transfer card? How are you going to use it? Depending, but especially if this is a card with a low introductory rate, consider how much you are going to be racking up in debt. 2011 will come quickly.

Is the card good?

A good card is defined with the following qualities: No monthly, annual, or otherwise “membership” fee*, few asterisks in the explanation, low interest rate (below 20%), good grace period for payments, and a free rewards program. Examples are Chase’s Amazon.com Visa, which is my personal credit card.

* The exception is for prepaid cards, which almost always have a fee. These are for people who cannot get a regular credit card, but still want to build their credit.

If you get into trouble with your credit card, who will be paying for it? What is your contingency plan, should you become unemployed or disabled? Are you buying things on credit, or are you planning to pay off the card at the end of every month?

A guideline: If you can’t afford it now, you can’t afford it later. Trust me.