It may sound strange to think of your home in terms of a business, but we’re not talking about your home becoming an impersonal corporate machine. Rather, the idea is to apply business management practices to your household as a way of bringing order.  It’s useful to look at business management structures to see your role as “home manager” with a little more formality. You can follow a traditional hierarchy management style, where there is one “boss” who manages a few subordinates, who in turn manage those below them.  You can look at models of “flat” organizations who don’t let one person be on top, but rather share the top with others and have open communication with most subordinates. Once you have determined that a home management system is needed, it is necessary to designate a home manager (also called a “family manager”). This person will more than likely be the parent who is home more often, since their job will be to keep a close eye on the operations of the house.  It does not matter which parent takes on this manager position, as long as it gets taken. True, in many homes the mother is the likely candidate, but fathers are just as capable of taking on this role. The same applies whether both parents work or one stays at home to care for the children. Whoever is home more often will be best suited as home manager. If one or both parents work from home, the parent who counts as “home more often” is the one available to give their full attention to the family most frequently. Most home tasks can be broken down into six categories: family and friends, food, special events, time and scheduling, finances, and self-management.  You can be creative with how these categories get completed each week, but breaking household chores down into tangible categories makes running a home instantly easier. Making a separate to-do list for each category may help with organizing and prioritizing the household. You can organize tasks in each category in a number of ways. You can pick one category per day of the week and accomplish all tasks for that category each day. Or you can assign a category to each hour in a day, spending time on specific tasks until the hour is up—no matter how much is done, rather like periods at school. Do you like to delegate tasks as quickly as possible, or do you like to do everything yourself? Looking at the six areas of household management can reveal which style you prefer, and show you where this is working for the family and where it isn’t. Seek help for the areas that aren’t flourishing under your current style of task management. The fact is that no one style of leadership works all the time in all situations. A good manager is flexible, adapting to each situation as it arises. Not to mention that different people (your family members) respond differently to every management style. Once you have those six categories laid out, you can see where the family manager is strong and where he or she is weak. Noticing strengths provides clues to what motivates you and what drains you.  To determine the family manager’s strengths, look at the state of the house. Are they already good at completing everyday chores like laundry and dishes, or do they abandon that work in favor of creating fabulous meals? The family manager should use this knowledge to perfect what they are good at and seek help for where they are weak. This way there is balance in all the household tasks, not just one aspect of them. Once you see what you’re good at, you’ll notice where you need to improve. Having others balance your weaknesses will keep your household running in good order.  Is there clutter in family areas that makes it hard to relax? Find someone who is good at minimizing clutter and put them to work, whether they are a family member or a friend. Ask for help from your family members, but you can also read books and internet posts about how to be more flexible. You can also find friends who are good at the things you’re not, so you can learn from them.

Summary: Decide to run your household like a business. Choose who will manage the house. Break your tasks into categories. Decide your style of management. Determine your strengths. Figure out solutions for your weak areas.


If you think you may have postpartum psychosis, see your doctor or go to an emergency room or urgent care center right away. If someone close to you is showing signs of postpartum psychosis, do everything in your power to get that person treatment – she may be too disoriented or unstable to recognize that she needs help on her own. The doctor should ask for a complete medical history and a detailed description of any symptoms. Provide as much information as you can, and be honest – do not attempt to conceal the severity of your symptoms or act like you are okay when you are not. Note that if the person getting evaluated for postpartum psychosis is not you but rather your wife, partner, or friend, you may need to provide some or all of this information yourself. She may not be in a position to speak rationally or to give a detailed account of her symptoms. Some of the symptoms of postpartum psychosis can occasionally be caused by underlying medical conditions: a serious infection, a very high fever, or a neurological problem, for example. A doctor should evaluate symptoms and perform tests, usually including basic blood work, to rule out potential medical issues. Many women develop postpartum depression after the birth of a baby, and their symptoms can be very debilitating. Some of these symptoms – especially mood swings, extreme sadness, and sleep disturbances – are also indicative of postpartum psychosis. A good doctor will distinguish between these conditions by looking for evidence of psychotic episodes: hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, mania, and the like. Knowing exactly what’s going on is the first step to treating the condition and recovering completely. If the doctor rules out underlying medical causes and notes a psychotic component to the mental disturbance, he or she may diagnose you (or your wife or partner) with postpartum psychosis.

Summary: Get medical help immediately. Provide as much information as possible. Rule out potential medical causes. Distinguish between depression and psychosis. Get a specific diagnosis.


There are many different types of smartphones available with all sorts of different features. They come in a wide range of different costs too.  Decide what features you will actually use to determine what types of features you don't need.  For instance, while two different phones may both have a camera, the quality of the camera lenses (especially in terms of megapixels) may differ substantially. Another important specification is storage. If you want to store photos, music, and more on your phone, you’ll need a phone with more storage, which will increase its cost. Many retailers will offer financial incentive to trade-in your old phone. You can also sell your old phone to a third party to offset the purchase of your new phone. You can usually get the most money for an old phone from websites that will quote you a price, send you a postage-paid box, and send you money when they receive your phone.  Specific online programs include Gazelle, Amazon, NextWorth, uSell, and EcoATM. Stores that will buy back your phone include Best Buy and Radioshack. Be sure to check multiple stores/websites and get the most money for your old phone. Refurbished smartphones are often indistinguishable from new ones, and can costs hundreds of dollars less. You can get refurbished phones from carriers or retailers. Note that some refurbished phones are labeled “certified like-new.” If you know you want to purchase your phone through a carrier, compare the overall cost of the phone and service from several different carriers. Often, carriers will try to lure you into a contract by making the phone seem inexpensive.  It's important to understand that the cost of the phone is often built into the contract.  For instance, one carrier may offer the phone for "free" with a two year service contract, but charge $80/month for service. Meanwhile, another may charge you $300 for the phone if you sign a two year contract that costs $40/month. In the long run, the second option costs less ($300+$960 over two years = $1,260, compared to $1,920 over two years), though you have to pay more up front.
Summary: Determine what specific features you’ll actually need. Trade in your old phone. Buy a refurbished phone. Compare options from multiple carriers.