Having some nice workout clothes can be a factor in your exercise motivation. Being comfortable and feeling happy with your appearance when working out is one barrier that can be overcome. Having good workout clothes can also help you identify yourself as someone who exercises. Have enough clothes that you can exercise daily and don’t have to resort to quick hand washing in the sink. Once you have some workout clothes and sneakers, be sure you don’t hide them away in a cupboard where they are out of sight and out of mind. Leave them somewhere visible so you have frequent visual cues and reminders to exercise.  You can also leave some exercise gear, such as dumbbells or a balance ball, in a prominent place. For example, you could put a pair of dumbbells by the sofa, and then when you sit down to watch TV you can prompt yourself to stand up and do some curls.  Leaving your gear around will help you keep exercise in mind, and help you to come to identify yourself as an active person. Music can be a good motivating tool to get you moving and keep you moving. The type of music can be anything that inspires you or gives you a buzz and some energy. Listening to uplifting music before and during exercise can really help. Getting a portable music player can be a good way to keep you motivated if you’re out for a run or are working out in the gym.  Music can also help keep you focused and in the zone by blocking out distractions. Choosing upbeat songs can give you subconscious encouragement to keep your pace up with the music. Gadgets that track your exercise habits and physical activity are becoming more and more popular. If you’re the sort of person who likes to monitor progress and be able to quantify what you are doing, a monitoring fitness gadget could be perfect for you. Something as simple as a pedometer can help you see how much or how little you walk in a day.  Research suggests that people who wore pedometers tended to walk a thousand steps a day more than when they weren’t wearing them.  You can also get simple apps on your smartphone that will help you monitor yourself and keep track of how much exercise you get.

Summary: Invest in some workout clothes. Leave your workout gear out. Consider getting a portable music player. Try an exercise gadget.


Make sure you take breaks to get up, walk around, and clear your thoughts at work when you're stressed. Don't work through your lunch break. Consider getting up to stretch or talk to coworkers to re-energize yourself. Also take regular breaks to get water. Try to create a workspace that makes you feel calm, capable, and motivated. This will reduce your stress load and help you feel more productive at work. You can:  Buy plants for your office or cubicle. Declutter your desk. Make sure your chair is comfortable and adjusted well. Wear noise-canceling headphones to give yourself some quiet while working. Sit near a window for natural light, which is better than fluorescent lighting. To better enjoy your job and reduce your stress load, know when to negotiate and when to ask for help. This will allow you to feel more empowered and less alone at work. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself for a raise or promotion. Don't be afraid to ask for help from colleagues, superiors, or clients. Seek out opportunities for supervision, consultation, or training. In order to keep better work-life balance and reduce stress, try to avoid taking any work home with you. This means avoiding taking physical work home, as well as avoiding thinking about work while you're at home.  If you work from home, schedule specified times for work-related tasks and don't let them interfere with home tasks. For example, after 5 p.m. make sure you stop checking emails or answering calls for work, even though you may technically be available. Keep a work space at home that's separate from your other spaces.

Summary: Schedule regular breaks. Make your workplace comfortable. Know when to negotiate. Don't take work home with you.


Simultaneous solitaire is a type of double solitaire that allows for as many players as possible. Make sure that each deck is different and distinguishable from the others to avoid confusion. Remove the 2 jokers from each deck. It's important to make sure that every player properly shuffles their deck. If not, 1 player could have a massive advantage over the others. To shuffle, you can spread all the cards from a deck out on a table faced down. Mix them up with your hands and assemble them back into a pile when you're finished. Don't mix more than 1 deck at a time in a single area. If you're spreading the cards out, it's very easy for them to get mixed together. Simultaneous solitaire is played by everyone at once and revolves around speed. To ensure that the game is as fair as possible, use a whistle or a clap to announce the start of play. Players must place lower numbered black cards beneath higher numbered red cards and vice versa. With your stock pile facing down, flip the top card on the deck. Look at the card and look at the tableau and assess your options. You must place the cards in alternating colors in descending numerical order. You can only place cards in descending numerical order on top of each other. You cannot place a black 8 above a red 7. However, if you have a red 7 in your stock pile and a black 8 on the tableau, you can place the red 7 below the black 8.  For example, a jack of diamonds or hearts can only be placed below a queen of spades or clubs. You can send cards that you can't place from the stock pile to the discard pile. You can take cards from the piles in the tableau and place them beneath other piles. If pile 1 has a 10 of clubs and pile 5 has a jack of hearts, place the 10 of clubs below the jack of hearts in pile 5. Flip the last card in pile 1 upwards after you've moved the 10.  As the game goes on, you'll be using the tableau more and more. You will also need to move the cards on the tableau so you can access the face down cards in the piles. It's customary in solitaire to place all the aces in their own section of the playing area. To finish a pile, you need to place all of the 12 cards of each suit on top of their ace. For example, you have an ace of spades off to the side and you find the 2 of spades. Place the 2 on top of the ace. Do the same when you find the 3 of spades and so on. The winner is the first person to complete all 4 piles. If nobody is able to finish the game, the winner is the person with the most piles completed.  A completed pile consists of 13 cards from ace to king in the same suit. You can keep playing after the winner finishes to find out who comes second, third, fourth, and so on.
Summary: Get a separate deck for each player. Shuffle each deck before play begins. Start the game with a whistle or clap. Make a move using the cards in your stock pile. Use the cards on the tableau to make a move. Place all aces off to 1 side when you find them. End the game when the first person has 4 completed foundation piles.