• It’s not cars
• It’s not bars
• It’s not pars

But it is Zippy and Rachel’s newest endeavor and I wanted to show it off. Feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested. While most of the articles are for women, we found some GREAT CBD products to help with the after-golf aches and pains, as well as a very cool CBD drink that I tried. I’m also a HUGE fan of Zippy’s Nachos (as you can tell by my LACK of waistline) and those EARBUDS? Well, they are mine now (and I refuse to tell her where I hide them when I’m not using them).

Ah….married life.

In 6 months I will turn 69. That’s too close to 70 for my own comfort, but there’s little that I can do about the physical years that pass. Having been retired since my mid-50’s, I have learned that it’s very easy to let yourself slide down that watch TV, take a nap, eat schedule that I found quite appealing at first. But, I realized that while I was relaxed, I was not as sharp as I used to be. I realized that it’s natural for your brain to change as you grow older, but did you know that you can protect your cognitive fitness at any age?  Your lifestyle plays a major role in how well you think, learn, and remember.

Unfortunately, failing brain health is a public health epidemic, according to the American Heart Association. Their research shows that 3 out of 5 Americans will develop a brain disease in their lifetime.

I took my brain for granted but finally came to realize that the “use it or lose it” motto was important, besides your quality of life depends on it. Keeping your brain in top shape will help you to overcome obstacles, develop relationships, and complete your daily activities.

Try these suggestions for showing your brain some love, you’ll be glad that you did.

Taking Care of Your Mental and Physical Health:

1. Exercise regularly. Physical activity delivers more oxygen to your brain and helps form new neural connections. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, as well as training for strength.
2. Eat healthy. Studies suggest the MIND diet slows brain aging by almost 8 years and cuts your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a combination of the popular Mediterranean and DASH diets, focusing on vegetables, fruits, and meat-free meals.
3. Sleep well. Your memory and learning capacity grow stronger while you sleep. Go to bed and wake up on a regular schedule and talk with your doctor if you have trouble falling asleep on a regular basis or feel tired most days.
4. Quit smoking. Tobacco affects more than your lungs. Brain scans show that smoking thins your cerebral cortex, which is responsible for many important thought processes.
5. Treat chronic conditions. Many physical health issues can impact your brain. That includes obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Get regular screenings and follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Staying Connected:

1. Make plans. It’s easy to get so busy that you lose track of family and friends. Block out time for family dinners, date nights, and weekend outings. Social ties help to slow the rate of memory decline and enhance many other mental and physical health outcomes.
2. Be kind. Do you want to feel more valued and connected? Being generous and warm will draw others to you. Volunteer in your community and brush up on your listening skills.
3. Use technology. Face-to-face interactions are usually more meaningful but going online can be an alternative when social distancing or travel keeps you apart. Use video calls and Facebook to stay in touch.
4. Ask for help. Healthy relationships are mutually supportive. Let others know your boundaries and when you need assistance.

Managing Stress:

1. Take time to relax and reflect. Relaxation reduces inflammation and helps your brain to work more efficiently. Find forms of contemplation that work for you. Savor the present moment. Let go of judgments and expectations.
2. Slow down. Pay attention to one thing at a time instead of trying to multitask. Take a break from technology each day.
3. Express your creativity. Making art raises serotonin levels and enhances brain function. Experiment with different crafts and hobbies to find something you enjoy. Have fun and remember that the process can be beneficial regardless of your skill level.
4. Cultivate gratitude. Recognizing and appreciating your blessings makes you more resilient. Start a gratitude journal. Thank others and look for the positive aspects of any situation. Give back to your community by donating your time and money.
5. Change your self-talk. Lighten up on yourself. Make your inner dialogue compassionate and encouraging. Give yourself credit for taking risks and trying new things.

It’s so important to reduce your risk of cognitive decline. Keeping your brain healthy will help you to lead a longer and more rewarding life. Take that 70!

I do. For me, it’s usually an old TV show. It would be fine if it was something that I hadn’t seen before, but I get pulled in to shows like Matlock or Perry Mason on a daily basis, and yes, I’ve seen some of these episodes 2- 3 – or even 4 times before. That got me to thinking that it might not just be me.

Check out the 5 most common ways you waste time every day.

Do you find yourself doing any of them? I’ ‘ll be dollars to donuts that you do. That’s why I’ve also included some time management strategies that can help you become more efficient and productive and be able to get the most out of your day. Let’s get started.

5 of the Biggest Timewasters of Your Day

Even if you’re one of the more dedicated and organized people out there, you still waste time. Whether you work from home or in the office, we’re all guilty of getting distracted and losing focus. It may not be deliberate and you probably don’t even realize you’re doing it until it’s too late.

Here are 5 ways you might be wasting time every day. See if you can relate.

1.      Social Media/Emails/Texts

It’s become a vital part of our lives. But the world won’t stop turning if you don’t look at your social media for 15 minutes.

Another big distraction is hearing that too familiar ‘ding’ that comes with a new email or text message. It prevents you from finishing the task at hand because you keep looking at your phone every five minutes.

Picture this scenario: you’re in the middle of work when your phone beeps. You reach for your phone to see your incoming message. So, you go from message to email to Facebook to Instagram. Then, when you’re done, you notice that 20 minutes have gone by.

Research shows that each time you get distracted, even for a couple of minutes, your brain needs more than 20 minutes to refocus. Imagine how much wasted time that amounts to at the end of the day!

The Fix: Avoid randomly checking social media, emails, or texts. Instead, set up a certain time during your day for doing just that. In the meantime, turn off any notifications or mute your phone.

2.      Organizing and Preparing

You’re probably wondering: how is this a time-waster? But too often we fall down the rabbit hole of ‘organizing’ our day. Sometimes, we take too far that we actually run out of time to do any of the things on our list.

The Fix: Find an online planner and to-do-list. Then, pick one day out of the week where you plan out the whole seven days in advance. Schedule work-related projects, meetings, and deadlines. You can also include a workout schedule and get-togethers with friends.

3.      Multitasking

Multitasking: another thing that we do to trick ourselves into believing we’re being productive. Yet, the sad truth is, multitasking wastes a ton of time.

It’s counter-productive when your attention is divided among several tasks at once. In other words, it’s just another form of distraction.

The Fix: It’s simple. Just put all your attention and focus on one task at a time. When you’re done, move on to the next task, and so on.

4.      Checking the News

In this day and age, it seems something is happening in the news every five minutes. So, it’s easy to use the news as an excuse for procrastination. After all, we all want to be in the loop when it comes to politics, sports, and local news.

The Fix: Force yourself to stay away from checking news updates every half hour. You can use sheer self-discipline, or you can use a site blocker.

One great example is the Stay Focused Chrome app. It helps you ‘hide’ certain websites for, say, 45 minutes. Then, tell the app you want to spend 20 minutes on the so-and-so website. After the 20 minutes are done, the app will block you again until your next break.

5.      Errands and Chores

The problem isn’t with the errands or chores themselves; it’s when you do them. Running errands during rush hour is one of the biggest time wasters ever!

Doing chores is another. You might be sitting at your desk, working away when you notice a dusty shelf or a cluttered drawer. So, you do the responsible thing and start dusting and decluttering.

You tell yourself that it’ll only take five minutes. Then, when you’re done cleaning the entire room/office, the day is over! And you still haven’t finished what you’re initially working on.

The Fix: Plan your errands ahead when you know there’ll be less traffic. Also, try to do your shopping when you know the stores won’t be as crowded and they’re in their least peak hours.

As for chores, set up one or two days during the week when you do all the dusting, cleaning, and decluttering. This way, even if you see catches your attention, you can push back in your mind and wait until ‘chore day’ rolls around.

A Final Note

We all get the same amount of time each day: 86,2400 seconds, 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours. It’s up to you to figure out how you’re going to spend that time. Sadly, many of us spend our days doing things that don’t really add any value to our lives—or anyone else’s for that matter.

The good news is you can train yourself to focus more and have fewer distractions. Make a conscious effort to add purpose and value to your life and follow through. You’ll soon notice you’re getting more done during your day than ever before!

People like us who love golf will tell you they love the challenge, they love the fresh air, and the relaxed pace a round of golf offers.  While golf and investing might seem like opposite activities, they actually share a LOT of similarities. If you can improve at one, it’s likely you can improve at the other. All it takes is a little….practice.

1. It takes time to develop the skills. Becoming a good golfer requires a lot of effort and time. All of that time at the driving range helps. So does becoming a skilled investor.
2. Both golf and investing require expert instruction to reach your potential. Even the best golfers have a coach that they work with. You might not hire expert instruction directly for your investments, but you can purchase books, subscribe to blogs, podcasts, and other sources of information.
3. It’s easy to get into trouble quickly. One golf shot into the water or out of bounds can be disastrous. One poor investment might not destroy your portfolio, but it can come close if you don’t handle the mistake quickly and properly.
4. To be successful, it’s important to focus your thoughts. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thoughtful and intelligent. It means that emotions can force you to make poor decisions. Nearly all investors have made at least one terrible financial decision from an emotional purchase.
5. Be patient. Quickly made decisions are quite often poor decisions. Take the necessary time to make a good decision. Rushing a golf shot rarely turns out well. Jumping to conclusions about an investment leads to very similar results.
6. Fancy tools are not the answer. Golf technology improves by leaps and bounds each year. Courses that held professional tournaments in the past are frequently too short for the great new clubs and balls. That being said, the average player doesn’t seem to improve his score even WITH all of the advanced technology. Investing theories, tools, and software get more sophisticated each year, too. All of these fancy tools have never been shown to improve the results of the average investor.

7. Short-term results are not always an indicator of long-term results. One great shot doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a great golfer. One horrible game doesn’t suddenly mean that you’re a horrible golfer. Just because a stock has gone up 10 times in the last several years doesn’t mean it can’t go even higher!

8. It’s always about risk management. The best golfers are great at hitting the ball, staying cool, and managing risk on the course. It’s not always easy to decide whether to lay-up or to go for the flag. Risk is a significant part of investing, too.
9. Casual advice is often bad advice. Every golfer has had a friend, stranger, or playing companion provide advice on his swing. The casual investing advice from a well-meaning friend is about as useful. If you’re going to take advice, be sure to take it from a real expert!
10. Know exactly where you want to go. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you end up in a good place? Each shot on the golf course requires a target. This target is chosen based on the obstacles and the location of the hole. Your investing must have a target as well. Ask yourself “what are your investing goals?”

Golf and investing might not seem to have a lot in common at first glance, but they actually do share many similarities. The same ideas that allow a golfer to become great will allow an investor to do the same. Planning, patience, and expert instruction are a great way to improve your odds of success.