Here are some tips for improving your feelings of happiness and well-being:

1. Develop a strong social support network. Call your family members regularly. Make time to call and see your friends. Get involved in your community- coach a team, volunteer for a charity drive. Get to know your neighbors.

2. Acts of kindness – random or otherwise. Do these regularly. Hold door open for someone. Add change to someone’s parking meter. Drop off a meal for a family who is dealing with an illness. There are an infinite number of things that we can do for others every day, at little cost to ourselves, but with great reward.

3. Regularly write down things that you are grateful for. Have a special place for this- a journal perhaps- and write down top five things, small or large, that you are grateful for. Do this at least one time per week.

4. Eat well and exercise consistently. Just like your mother told you- lots of dark green and bright orange vegetables, at least 8 glasses of water per day, stay away from processed or fried foods, and eat sweet stuff only in moderation. Exercise does not have to be rigorous, but it should be consistent. Try to do at least 20 minutes of cardio 4-5 times per week. Park farther from entrance, take stairs. Every little bit helps.

Time is life’s most valuable asset and everyone is allotted same 24-hour day. How is it that some people can accomplish two or three times more in a single day than others? The answer is simple; they’ve mastered time management skills.

Have you ever noticed how much you can get done in a few hours when you really have to? Let’s use day before your vacation as an example. You make a list of chores that must be done before you can leave for airport: -Take dog to kennel -Go to bank -Pick up dry cleaning -Gas up car -Clean litter box -Water plants -Take out trash -Run and empty dishwasher -Mow yard -Cancel newspaper -Cancel milk delivery You have only 3 hours to complete all these tasks, yet when finished, you had time left over. How did this happen? You were organized and motivated. This is essence of time management.

Learning to use your time productively can reduce much of stress and frustration in your life, leaving you feeling more content. Not only that; but you’ll have more time to spend doing things you enjoy most.

Think-Plan-Organize-Execute-Reevaluate. Time management simply put, is working smarter. The first step in developing an effective time management plan is to determine where you need to spend time and where you do not. Below are just a few basic principles to get started:

1.Determine what time of day you are most productive. Are you more productive in morning or in afternoon? Schedule your most important daily tasks during this period. Save your more mundane chores like attending meetings, answering emails and phone calls for later.

2.Use technology to your advantage. Don’t return phone calls if sending emails can accomplish same thing. Return phone calls during noon hour and leave voice messages. This saves you many minutes of idle chitchat.

3.Get a clear picture. Don’t begin a new project until you have all of details and you completely understand projects goals and requirements. Get all your questions answered before you begin as there’s no sense in doing it twice.

4.Develop good decision making skills. Understand consequences of each decision you make; will it produce desired results?