6 Tips to Simplify Your Finances and Keep Good Records

When life gets hectic, it’s easy to let your finances get too complicated. Suddenly you realize it’s been weeks since you even thought about paying bills, reviewing account transactions, or filing mountains of paperwork. But being unorganized and losing control of your finances is a surefire way to lose money!

In this post, you’ll learn tips to simplify your financial life and stay organized. I’ll also review what financial records to keep and for how long. Streamlining and decluttering can help you stay focused on what matters, reach your financial goals, and reduce stress.

6 Tips to Simplify Your Finances and Keep the Right Records

1. Go Paperless.
2. Know Which Paper Documents to Keep.
3. Streamline Your Taxes.
4. Create a Digital Filing System.
5. Use Online Banking Services.
6. Consolidate Financial Accounts.

Use these six tips to simplify your personal finances and maintain more control over your money.

1. Go Paperless.

One of the best ways to streamline your finances is to eliminate or drastically reduce incoming snail mail, such as bills, account statements, and receipts. Every time you open your physical mailbox and see paper inside, make a note to log on to your online account or contact the merchant and request to go paperless, when possible.

Continually pare down what you receive each month and throw away as much existing paper as possible so you keep only what you really need. Not only does a paperless system save trees and many other environmental resources, but it saves your time and attention.

Going digital saves storage space in your home and keeps your documents safe from theft, fire, or water damage.

Going digital saves storage space in your home and keeps your documents safe from theft, fire, or water damage. But there are some vital paper documents you still need to keep and I’ll cover those in a moment.

When you receive paper documents that you can easily find online, such as a utility bill or an insurance policy, don’t keep them. After reviewing the information, destroy any document that contains personal information—such as your name, address, account number, Social Security number, and especially pre-approved offers for credit cards—with a cross-cut shredder that turns it into confetti.

Here’s a tip if you get a lot of junk mail for pre-approved offers of credit or insurance that you don’t want: opt out at optoutprescreen.com. This is the official, centralized site where you can choose to be removed from the offer lists provided by the major national credit reporting companies.

Even something good, like a paper check, could be direct deposited into your bank account instead. Some companies even charge less or offer financial incentives when you choose direct deposits or e-statements.

Remember that as you make the transition from paper to e-documents, you can always print out digital versions when necessary. And don’t wait to go paperless until after you deal with your existing paper. You can pare down your existing files later.

Just get started now with a zero-accumulation rule. Create a streamlined digital system that’s simple to maintain going forward. You’ll feel great about helping the environment, saving time, saving space, and cutting clutter in your home.

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2. Know Which Paper Documents to Keep.

First, let’s cover which paper documents you should keep. Never throw away these originals, even if you have a digital copy:

• Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and medical directives
• Promissory notes 
• Loan documents 
• Titles or deeds 
• Documents with raised seals and notarized signatures 
• Home closing documents 
• Receipts for home improvements 
• Receipts for expensive items 
• Birth, adoption, and death certificates 
• Marriage and divorce certificates 
• Military records 
• Sentimental documents like handwritten notes 
• Any financial document you can’t access online

Some financial institutions may only offer free access to online documents for a limited period. If you need them later, they may not be available or you might have to pay for access, which is why it’s easier to download and save them as you go.

Consider keeping vital original documents in a secure place, such as a bank safe deposit box.

Consider keeping vital original documents in a secure place, such as a bank safe deposit box. You can get a small storage box for less than about $100 a year at a local bank or credit union. If you have an attorney, they can also keep records for you.

Another option is a home safe or a filing cabinet that locks, if they’re fire and flood resistant. Put all key documents in an airtight plastic bag, just in case. Plus, keep digital backup copies of these documents in the cloud, just in case the originals get destroyed. I’ll cover more about digital filing in a moment.

3. Streamline Your Taxes.

You might be wondering what to do with your old tax returns. The IRS allows you to keep digital copies of returns and supporting documents for the income, deductions, and credits you claim.

Generally, you need to keep old tax files as an individual for a minimum of three years. However, if you have complicated transactions, such as the purchase or sale of investments or real estate, I recommend holding taxes for seven years so you could answer any questions that could arise in an IRS audit.

4. Create a Digital Filing System.

A key part of going paperless is making it easy to scan documents that you don’t need to keep in physical files, so you can shred the paper and file the digital copies.

Try a free scanning app, such as Genius Scan, on a mobile device. It’s loaded with image enhancement features and allows you to export documents as JPEG or multi-page PDF files to email, text, or cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Evernote.

If you have stacks of paper to scan, a traditional flatbed scanner with a document feeder will save time. Many inexpensive printers have built-in scanners that send files to your computer or email. There are portable scanners that even integrate with a variety of services and accounting software, such as QuickBooks and TurboTax.

Create a digital filing system, such as folders and sub-folders on your computer desktop, plus at least two backup locations.

Create a digital filing system, such as folders and sub-folders on your computer desktop, plus at least two backup locations. You might save digital files on an external drive and use a free cloud service. Those backups will be a lifesaver if your computer dies or disappears.

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Yes, storing sensitive information electronically means you could be hacked. However, the advantages of digital docs far outweigh the downsides, especially when you take smart precautions like password protection on your devices and external drives.

Remember that identity theft commonly occurs when thieves steal snail mail and paper containing confidential information. So, going digital can also reduce the likelihood of a thief intercepting your sensitive information.

Once you create a plan for what paper and digital documents you’ll store where, make sure your family or loved-ones know how to find important documents if you weren’t around.

5. Use Online Banking Services.

Once you’re in a routine of processing your incoming documents digitally, it’s time to focus on outgoing documents, such as your payments. I hope you’re not still buying, writing, and mailing any paper checks. Not only are they costly and time consuming to write and mail, but they can be stolen from your mailbox or at the receiving end.

Just about every large or small banking institution offers free online bill pay. You can enter any company or person and the service will send money electronically or print and mail a paper check to the payee. All you need to know is a payee’s name, mailing address, the amount you want to pay, and the date you want your payment to arrive.

For recurring bills, such as rent or a car payment, you can set up automatic payments or enter them manually every month. Many banks can request e-copies of your bills and act as a centralized hub for all your necessary payments. At a glance, you can see your pending payments and the history for each biller in your account.

If you can’t get funds directly deposited into your account, deposit paper checks remotely.

You can create customized email alerts to inform you when a bill has arrived or remind you about the due date. That’s a handy way to make sure your bills are paid on time so you eliminate late fees and boost your credit score.

Additionally, consider other transactions you can put on auto-pilot, such as transfers to savings and retirement contributions. Let technology give you a leg up so nothing falls through the cracks.

Another key banking task that you can simplify is making deposits. If you can’t get funds directly deposited into your account, deposit paper checks remotely. Most bank apps have a remote deposit feature that allows you to use a mobile device to snap a picture of the front and back of the endorsed check, and hit the deposit button. Doesn’t get any easier than that!

Be sure to never access any financial account from an open wireless network, like in a coffee shop or a library. By monitoring your account activity and setting up strong passwords that you change on a regular basis, you can reduce the likelihood of fraudulent activity.

Use a password manager, such as Roboform or LastPass, to end the vicious cycle of resetting forgotten passwords. They store and encrypt your login data and automatically fill online forms. You can try a limited number of passwords for free, but they are well worth purchasing.

See also: How to Invest Money in Your IRA or 401k Retirement Account

6. Consolidate Financial Accounts.

Having fewer financial accounts can greatly simplify your life. Consolidating makes your money easier to monitor, cuts paperwork, and reduces the paper trail at tax time.

Paring down investing, retirement, bank, and insurance companies can also cut fees and qualify you for discounts. Most people only need one checking and one savings account. If you have 401(k) and 403(b) plans at old employers, do direct rollovers to a single IRA.

Even the investments you choose inside retirement and investing accounts can be simplified. You might put all your money in the same fund family or choose a low-cost index fund or exchange-traded fund. Also consider a target-date fund, which is a type of diversified mutual fund that automatically shifts the mix of assets as you approach retirement.

Make getting financially organized a priority right now. You’ll feel more in control of your finances, eliminate expenses, and save time—so you can spend it doing something you enjoy.

See also: Are You Making Investing Too Complicated?

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The Tips and Tricks of a Mediterranean Diet

Chef Antonio Locchi of Zoe's Kitchen joined the Clever Cookstr to share his experiences with the Mediterranean diet, which is known for increasing the longevity of life and serving as a successful strategy for healthy weight loss, and how the Mediterranean food philosophy fits into today’s trending diets, including Paleo, Keto, and Whole 30 diets.

Growing up, Antonio was surrounded with fresh produce, lean proteins, healthy fats, and other ingredients and techniques that are staples of the Mediterranean diet. But to him, they were simply the normal way to eat.

Now, as head chef for Zoe's Kitchen, Antonio is tasked with fitting these Mediterranean values into a fast-paced, modern lifestyle through fast-casual food. Learn how he does it, and pick up his tips and tricks for enjoying Mediterranean food in your home kitchen. Listen in the embedded audio player for the full interview.

Image of salad © Shutterstock

What to Eat to Prevent the Flu

This has been one of the worst flu seasons in a decade—and there are plenty of nasty coughs and colds going around as well. Is there anything you can do—nutrition wise—to bolster your defenses?

Does Red Wine Protect Against the Flu?

For example, you may have seen the story that went viral last week claiming that drinking wine can keep you from getting the flu. Alas, this was another example of headline writers run amok. In fact, after I posted their original headline (“Drinking wine will stop you from getting flu”) as a particularly egregious example, the UK’s Independent updated their headline to one that’s slightly less untrue. (“Drinking tea and wine could keep flu at bay”). But only slightly.

Guess what the study in question did not involve? Wine. That’s right. No wine was harmed (or even consumed) in the course of this particular study. No tea, either, for that matter. The researchers were testing the effects of resveratrol, a compound found in wine but also in tea, grape juice, and peanuts. The experiments were being done on mice. And the resveratrol did not keep the mice from getting the flu, because all of the unfortunate mice in this study already had the flu. But the resveratrol did seem to help the mice fight off the infection.

This is not the first study to suggest that resveratrol might be useful in fighting influenza and other viruses, by the way. There’s even research to suggest that moderate consumption of red wine could reduce the chances of catching the common cold.

See also: Is Drinking Alcohol Good For You?

But should you come down with the flu, drinking wine is not recommended. For one thing, you’d probably die of alcohol poisoning long before you got to the amount of resveratrol tested in these studies. Meanwhile, drinking alcoholic beverages will dehydrate you, which is going to make you feel worse, not better. If you want to increase your resveratrol, drink tea or grape juice or eat peanuts. It may not help, but it probably won’t hurt.

Can Vitamin D Protect Against the Flu?

Taking a vitamin D supplement could offer modest protection against the flu. Examining studies involving more than 10,000 people, researchers found that taking a vitamin D supplement reduced cold and flu infections by about ten percent. Among those who were low in vitamin D, however, taking a supplement reduced infection by a much more encouraging 50%.

Vitamin D is inexpensive, exceedingly safe, and has other benefits such as helping build strong bones. And low vitamin D levels are extremely common, especially during winter—otherwise known as flu season. Although it’s not a magic bullet, I’d say a vitamin D supplement is a no-brainer.

Can Probiotics Protect Against the Flu?

Probiotic foods and supplements might also offer a bit of extra protection. A review of about a dozen studies found that probiotic supplements could cut your risk of cold and flu almost in half and trim a few days off your recovery to boot. The caveat here is that the available studies aren’t of the best quality. Also, they weren’t all testing the same probiotic. There are thousands of strains of friendly bacteria out there, and they don’t all have the same benefits. Some might be better at protecting against infection than others.

This is why my strategy is to eat a variety of probiotic foods, including yogurt, kefir, miso, and fermented vegetables. The more different probiotic foods you consume, the wider the variety of microbes and the better your chances of getting the right ones. In fact, some studies suggest that the diversity of your gut population may be more important than which specific bug you have on board.

But once you’ve stocked the pond, you need to be sure to feed the fish (as it were). And that’s why it’s important to eat plenty of prebiotic foods as well. Those include legumes, nuts, whole grains, and other sources of fiber that provide sustenance for those friendly bacteria.

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The Most Important Way to Protect Yourself

Whenever flu season comes around, I get lots of questions about which foods and nutrients will help build up our immune response. But I think we often focus too much on bolstering our immune system and not enough on reducing the number of bugs our immune systems will need to protect us from.

By far, the most effective strategy for reducing your risk of getting sick is to limit contact with sick people. This is easier said than done. Unfortunately, a lot of people continue to go to work and school, attend social events, concerts, and movies, and board planes, even when they aren't feeling well. If you are getting sick, you can do your boss, clients, customers, students, teachers, friends, and neighbors a huge favor by staying out of public—especially during the first three or four days of your illness, when you are likely to be most contagious.

My strategy is to eat a variety of probiotic foods, including yogurt, kefir, miso, and fermented vegetables.

If someone in your household gets sick, there’s only so much you can do to keep your distance. But at least you have the advantage of knowing that they are sick. Try to avoid sharing cups, glasses, and even hand towels and dish towels. Keep a canister of disinfecting wipes on the counter in the kitchen and bathroom and wipe down surfaces regularly until everyone is feeling better.

How Employers Could Help Reduce Flu

Employers, teachers, and pastors could help reduce the rate of flu infection by actively encouraging people not to drag themselves to work, school, or church when they are sick. You are not a hero for showing up to the meeting and infecting everyone there. I also wish businesses with strict cancellation policies would consider a more lenient policy during active flu season, so that people aren’t showing up sick for their appointments in order to avoid forfeiting their fees. I realize that this clemency could be abused. But I think having employees and customers show up sick ultimately costs businesses way more than having a couple of healthy people calling in sick.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees it this way. And a good percentage of the people you will come into contact with this week are going to be sick. Flu and cold viruses travel through the air, so if you notice someone coughing or sneezing, try to keep your distance. If they are not polite (or aware) enough to cover their coughs and sneezes properly (that is, NOT with their hands), then try to cover your nose and mouth with a scarf or tissue.

Germs can also be transferred from contaminated surfaces to your nose, mouth, and eyes via your hands. Hand sanitizing gels are better than nothing but, believe it or not, careful hand-washing is the best way to decontaminate your hands—so take advantage of every opportunity. And take heart. The flu season usually begins to abate in early spring, which is just a few weeks away.

Image of woman with the flu © Shutterstock

Is It Ever Too Cold to Exercise Outdoors?

 

It may surprise you that scientists have actually suggested that no temperature is too cold when it comes to exercising outdoors. It’s true. Almost everyone is safe to work out in cold weather. You should probably choose some heat generating high-intensity workouts instead of a more chill workout like yoga, but your body will do its darndest to maintain a core temp of 98.6 degrees no matter what you choose to do—as long as we follow a few necessary precautions.

In fact, according to Dr. Castellani, lead author of a 2012 paper on Health and performance challenges during sports training and competition in cold weather, it turns out that even though cold can be thought of as dangerous and uncomfortable, more people are injured exercising in the heat than exercising in the cold.

One of the great thing about our human meat sacks is that when we exercise, our bodies generate enough heat to make us feel much warmer than it really is

One of the great things about our human meat sacks is that when we exercise our bodies generate enough heat to make us feel much warmer than it really is outside. Research suggests no matter what the thermometer says, the body will work hard to maintain the healthy and happy temperature of 98.6˚F. That work backfires on us a little since it can lead to a higher level of perceived exertion, but we’ll get into that later.

What Happens When We Get Cold?

When your core (or your torso) is nice and warm, it allows blood to flow to the extremities. But when your core gets too cold, your body stops sending as much blood to the extremities and hoards it for your vital organs and brain. So, what is the best way to keep your hands and feet warm? Heat up your core through physical activity!

It’s not just the core heating up that keeps us safe either. The body has many mechanisms that protect us from the cold. Even that runny nose is helping to keep you safe. When you are cold, the inside of your nose moistens itself to help humidify the cold, dry air that you are inhaling. The runny nose part comes from the excess fluids that end up dripping out of your nostrils.

We’ve all probably heard a story of someone’s cousin’s friend who froze their lungs while exercising outside. Well, please don’t give any credence to that tale or worry about icy cold air hitting your lungs because it is basically impossible for cold air to damage your lungs. Kenneth W. Rundell, the director of respiratory research and the human physiology laboratory at Marywood University says that no matter how cold the air is, by the time it reaches your lungs, it is body temperature.

Interestingly, a thing called exercise-induced asthma is something that some people claim to get from working out in the cold, but that irritation of the respiratory tract is actually caused by dryness, not by the cold. The coincidental thing is that cold air also happens to be quite dry, so those same people would likely have the same problem while exercising in equally dry but hot weather.

Before I get into the Tips part of the Quick and Dirty topic, I want to emphasize that although cold weather exercise is safe for almost everyone, you may want to be careful if you have certain conditions. Conditions such as asthma, heart problems, or Raynaud's disease, may require a check-up with your doctor to review any special precautions due to your condition or your medications.

Dress Appropriately

The rule of thumb is to dress in layers.

The first layer should be a synthetic fabric that will wick moisture away from your skin.

• Polyester - wicking (low water absorption)

• Nylon - wicking (low water absorption)

The second layer should provide some insulation or Loft (which we will talk about later)

• Fleece (non-lined or lined) - almost no water absorption, high Loft value

• Pile - low water absorption, rain resistant, wind resistant

• Wool - low water absorption, rain resistant

The third layer (usually a type of shell) should be windproof and waterproof.

• Gore-tex - the industry standard for being both waterproof and breathable

• Gore XCR - same a Gore-tex but lighter

• eVent - similar to Gore-tex

• SilNylon - a mix of silicon and nylon, wind and rain proof but with low breathability

• DWR - durable water resistant coated fabrics, rainproof, usually windproof as well.

Pro tip: Avoid anything that is made of cotton. Cotton loses its warming power the instant that it gets sweaty or wet. I have actually had cotton shirts get sweaty and then freeze to my skin in the past. That patch of skin has never been the same since.

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Extremities Matter

When we exercise and when we get cold, blood flow gets concentrated in your muscles and core, and that leaves your head, your hands, and your feet to fend for themselves. If it is really cold, find a thin pair of gloves (or glove liners) made out of a wicking material and wear those under a heavier pair of gloves (or mitts).

Pro tip: Make sure you put your gloves on before your hands get cold. It is much easier to keep them warm than it is to get them warm.

Your head is where your thinking happens, so you don’t want to damage that! Make sure you wear a toque, wool hat, lined helmet, or (if it’s not too cold) a headband to at least cover your ears. If it is super cold, you may want to invest in a balaclava, neck warmer, or gaiter. My neoprene balaclava gets a lot of use especially in high windchill sports like cycling or skiing.

Pro tip: Buy your winter workout shoes a half size bigger than usual to allow for those awesome thick thermal socks. Don’t bother double layering your socks if they are cotton or nylon, get some appropriate socks if you want to keep your toes intact.

Rain and Wind Are Evil

A serious windchill can be dangerous. It can quickly make the outdoors feel much colder than the thermometer indicates.

Your body will have an extremely hard time maintaining its temperature if it is wet. Water draws heat away from the body 25 times faster than air because of its higher density and heat capacity. We use this to our advantage in the summer months to keep us cool, but it works against us in the winter.

Similarly, a serious windchill can also be dangerous. It can quickly make the outdoors feel much colder than the thermometer indicates. Interestingly, the wind doesn't change the temperature outside, but it does change our skin temperature because the wind steals body heat by blowing away any warm air that surrounds the skin (the Loft). Wind chill is generally measured by meteorologists in watts per square metre, ranging from 1,000 to more than 3,000 but is calculated into degrees for ease of use and understanding for us non-science types.

The term Loft refers to the distance between your body and the outside air. Just like a loft in your house. This space is usually created with layers of clothing. The greater that distance (or Loft), the greater the insulating power, and the toastier you will stay.

But Loft is only effective if the distance it creates remains trapped. If air flows through the loft, warm air is washed away and will fail to keep you warm. In order to trap the air, outer layers should be wind resistant or windproof. Maintaining some breathability is also important because excess moisture must be allowed to escape. There are many newfangled fabrics that achieve wind resistance and breathability.

Be Cold at the Start

It should be no surprise to any of you fit folk that your body warms up once you get moving, so don’t be afraid to feel cold when you first start your chilly outdoor workout. We had a rule of thumb in my running group that you should dress for weather that is ten degrees warmer than the thermometre is telling you.

As you can imagine, performing high-intensity activities can lead to excess sweating, especially if you are overdressed, and that will cause your body and your clothes to get wet. As I said before, water draws heat away from the body 25 times faster than air so there is an increased risk of hypothermia. Or at least discomfort.

Know the Dangers

Speaking of hypothermia, it begins when your core temperature falls to 95 degrees. That is when the shivering starts, followed by a rise in blood pressure. If your temperature drops to 85 degrees, you can lose consciousness and if it goes lower, you could die. One key trick to avoiding hypothermia is to keep moving. “As long as you keep moving you are not going to die because you generate so much heat,” says Dr. Tim Noakes in his paper on exercise and the cold.

The bigger risk for most of us is frostbite because it is quite sneaky. The first sign of frostbite is numbness, then a tingling or burning sensation. The risk of frostbite is less than five percent when the air temperature is above 5 F (-15 C), but the risk increases when the windchill kicks in. With a windchill below -18 F (-28 C), frostbite can occur on exposed skin in 30 minutes or less. So keep that skin covered!

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Eat Warming Foods

What you eat and how hydrated you are can affect your warmth slightly as well. We all know that our bodies create heat by burning calories but did you know that if you don't have adequate calories available to burn it can be harder to stay warm?

Please notice that I said adequate calories. There is no evidence that overfeeding yourself will help you keep warm but fuelling appropriately is a little more important when below freezing temperatures are involved.

Some spicy foods naturally raise the metabolism and speed up the heat making process (ginger and capsaicin are good for this). Food that is already warmer than your body temperature (like soup or a hot cocoa) won't actively take heat away from your body, so it will, in essence, keep you warmer.

Being adequately hydrated is also helpful when trying to stay warm. Water is quite good at retaining heat, so it is thought that by keeping your body well hydrated there will be more moisture in your body to retain the warmth.

Can You Acclimatize?

There is a myth is that you have to acclimatize to cold, similar to the way you do with heat. It is absolutely true that you can adapt to hot weather and I put this to the test while training for an Ironman Triathlon in Thailand. Acclimating yourself to hotter temperatures than you are accustomed to can improve performance, make you sweat more efficiently, help you sweat out less salt, and actually increase your body’s blood volume.

Your body uses a significant amount of energy to keep you warm and to humidify the air you breathe and this can be reflected in your heart rate or your perceived exertion.

Sadly, exercise physiologists don’t see similar adaptations to cold weather. The body’s main responses to cold which is simply constricting the blood vessels that are near the skin, shunting blood to the body’s core and shivering do not seem to improve by spending more time in the cold. That is true whether you are a sedentary couch surfer or a hard-charging Winter Olympian.

“Right now, we’re not sure if there is any degree of habituation,” says Robert Kenefick, of the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. "We have all kinds of adaptations to heat—we sweat more, our sodium levels go down, our heart rate goes down. But we don't appear to adapt as well to cold." So, it appears that the reason some of us are OK with cold showers and running in negative 20-degree weather is simply a matter of mindset, not some superhuman genetic mutation.

Increased Exertion

Finally, your body does use a significant amount of energy to keep you warm and to humidify the air you breathe when you exercise in the cold and this can be reflected in your heart rate or your perceived exertion. Not to mention that cold weather is often accompanied by snow on the ground which means unstable footing.

The amount of effort a runner, for example, may need to exert to run the same route in the winter vs. the summer can be as much as 10-20% higher simply due to the stabilization that needs to occur with every step. You can compare this to the difference between trail running and road running, you will likely see a 20% increase in your heart rate when running at the same speed on a trail as you would when you are running on the road. Couple this with the other “keeping warm” factors and you will likely get pooped-out faster in the cold.

So, there you have it. As someone who grew up in the most northern city in Canada with a population of over 500,000, a drippy nose, watering eyes, frosty eyelashes, and puffs of condensation wafting out of your mouth are all points of pride in my world. I hope I did a decent job here today of bringing you over to my side of the argument of making outdoor workouts, despite the frigid weather, more appealing. Or at least less intimidating.

Look at it this way, every four years we gather athletes from all over the world to celebrate the fact that cold weather exercise can be both fun and impressive. If the Winter Olympians can do that, surely we can get out on our fat bike and enjoy some snowy trails. 

For more cold weather info, snowy tips, and to join the chilly conversation, head over to Facebook.com/GetFitGuy or twitter.com/getfitguy. Also don't forget to subscribe to the Get-Fit Guy podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Play or via RSS.

Image of couple working out in the cold © Shutterstock

Lessons on Early Aviation with Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman was the first woman of Native American descent (specifically part Cherokee) and the first black woman to hold a pilot’s license, which she earned in 1921. At the time, there were no opportunities for African Americans, Native Americans, or women to fly planes in the United States, nor teachers willing to teach them, so she traveled to France after saving enough money to study there.

Coleman was born to sharecropper parents in Texas in 1892 and died only five short years after earning her pilot’s license in 1926 when she crashed her plane while testing a new aircraft. Commercial flights did not begin in earnest until the late 1920s and early 1930s so pilots like Coleman—or “Queen Bess” as she was popularly known—often made their living as stunt pilots in air shows. Her demonstrations involved figure eights, loops, and dips that took her close to the ground.

In honor of Bessie Coleman and Black History Month, let’s take a look at what flying was like in the 1920s and '30s, as well as the basic theory behind why planes fly.

Basic Theory of Flight

Planes fly thanks to the principles of what is called heavier-than-air flight. (Lighter-than-air flight, like that of hot air balloons, works under different principles like buoyancy and density.) A very, very simplified picture of the heavier-than-air flight that keeps planes—and birds—soaring through the air is a perfect balance of four forces on the aircraft, namely lift, weight, thrust, and drag.

While the plane’s weight pulls it down to Earth, lift is a mechanical force that opposes this weight and can thus overcome gravity. Lift is generated by the motion of air over a surface which means every part of the plane can contribute to its lift, but most of the upward force is generated by the wings. The relationship between the speed of the air and the pressure differences the motion creates are part of the Bernoulli’s equation, named after the Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli and a key contribution to our understanding of flight.

The drag force is the resistance the plane experiences against its forward motion. If a pilot mentions a strong headwind, your plan is experiencing a higher drag force at work to slow it down. Thrust works against drag to propel the plane forward. The thrust produced by the plane’s engine relies on thermodynamics and other physics to keep the plane moving forward.

Early Challenges in Flight

As early aviators and engineers learned how to create lift most efficiently, lightening the weight of an aircraft as much as possible was crucial. Early planes were first made from lightweight materials like wood and canvas like the spruce and ash muslin-covered frame that made up the Wright Brothers’ first plane. Unfortunately, these planes tended to be less durable. To strengthen planes against the elements and other stressors of flight, aircraft were eventually made of aluminum, as was the Ford Tri-Motor plane, one of the first passenger planes in 1928. Aluminum is lightweight, strong, and doesn’t corrode as easily as steel.

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Another challenge to reducing the weight of an aircraft was the heaviness of its fuel. Charles Lindbergh made his historical 33.5-hour flight across the Atlantic—the first transcontinental nonstop airplane flight—solo because he opted to carry more fuel instead a navigator. Amelia Earhart is thought to have run out of gas while searching for a landing spot, causing her to crash into the open ocean, although confirmed wreckage from her plane Electra has yet to be found.

Early pilots had to navigate their flights without, of course, the help of a GPS. This made tracking precise locations along with changing weather conditions and wind patterns difficult, and mid-air collisions even occurred. In the US, the federal government did not become responsible for establishing airways and flight navigation (not to mention flight safety rules) until the Air Commerce Act was passed by Congress in 1926.

The federal government did not become responsible for establishing airways and flight navigation until the Air Commerce Act in 1926.

We often grumble today about the standard commercial flight experience with its lack of leg room, shoulder room, or tasty food. But flights today are luxurious compared to what passengers experienced in the 1920s and '30s. Early passenger flights had to navigate around mountains, could not fly at night and frequently had to land to refuel. One of the earliest commercial flight routes across the continental United States took 20-30 hours and it was often still faster to travel across the country by train. Passengers sometimes wore goggles and even helmets, along with ear plugs to drown out the deafening sound of the rattling, uninsulated metal that surrounded them. Before cabins were pressurized in the late 1930s, passengers also had to chew gum to keep their ears from popping.

The plane crash that ultimately took Coleman’s life was thought to be caused when a wrench left by the plane’s mechanic (and fellow pilot who also died in the crash) became stuck in the control gears. Coleman, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the plane just before it crashed.

Audiences of all races admired Coleman for her skill as a pilot, but she served as a particularly important role model for the African and Native American communities. As noted by Lieutenant William J. Powell, another black pilot in the early era of aviation and founder of the Bessie Coleman Flying Club in Los Angeles, “Because of Bessie Coleman we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream.”

Until next time, this is Sabrina Stierwalt with Everyday Einstein’s Quick and Dirty Tips for helping you make sense of science. You can become a fan of Everyday Einstein on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, where I’m @QDTeinstein. If you have a question that you’d like to see on a future episode, send me an email at everydayeinstein@quickanddirtytips.com.

Image courtesy of shutterstock.

How to Make Great Progress Using Accountability

My name is Stever Robbins, and I am self-employed. As a self-employed doobie, I’m my own boss. There’s no one but me to hold me accountable for getting the right things done at the right times. Unfortunately, my boss is a really nice guy. Too nice. He’s very understanding. Too understanding. Multiple responsibilities sometimes collide. For example, someone on the internet is wrong, and I simply must correct them, instead of writing the client proposal that’s due. There goes an hour of my day, and my boss, darn him, doesn’t say a word.

Over the years, I’ve tried setting appointments with myself. I break them. I’ve tried rewarding myself with Oreo Ice Cream cake. It melted. I even tried punishments, only to discover that being covered in olive oil and tickled with Ostrich feathers was actually… kinda hot.

What Works is People

Throughout all the procrastination, the delays, the distractions, and the interruptions, I’ve noticed one thing that happens over and over: people take precedence.

When I’m interrupted, I generally drop what I’m doing to take care of the interruption. Why? Because the interruption almost always comes from a 'people.' 

When there’s a two-hour time block on my schedule for a meeting with myself to work on an important project, and in comes a request for a meeting that preempts it, I take the incoming meeting. Why? Because it’s a people. (Yes. The singular 'people.')

It’s known that our brains are hard-wired to recognize human faces. We are also hard-wired to behave in ways that make society work. We reciprocate when people give us gifts, we learn through imitation, and we click the Like button when we see a little picture of our friend next to an advertisement for treating grease stains. Maybe, just maybe, we are also hardwired to fulfill social obligations in a way that’s more powerful than willpower.

Use People for Hourly Accountability

If you want to have a phenomenally productive day, you can engage other people to make it happen. There’s a really simple format. Make some friends. Get somewhere between three and ten of them to join you for a super-productive day. Then get a group conference line. I use Uberconference.com.

At the same time each hour, call into the conference line, and have each of you share what you did the previous hour, and what you plan to do the next hour. Then hop off the line and go do it. There should be no judgment during the checkins. No brainstorming what to do differently if someone didn’t meet their last hour’s goal. Just be present and accountable. Live. I call these Do-It Days and run them for free several times a year. 

Use People for Punishment/Reward Accountability

You can also engage your people in helping you with rewards and punishments. Rewards and punishments didn’t work for me because I did them alone. Sure, I had Oreo Ice Cream Cake, olive oil, and feathers to motivate me. But without another people there, it was way too easy to skimp on the rewards and punishments. Witnesses would have made a difference.

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That’s where Stickk.com comes in. It’s a website developed by behavioral finance geeks. With Stickk, you set a goal, and you establish a financial commitment. For example, if you don’t stick to your goal, you pledge to donate $500 to a cause you consider truly horrible, like a cause that goes directly against your values. For example, a commitment contract might be “I will work out three times a week for the next six weeks or donate $500 to the People’s Liberation Front For The Elimination of Oreo Ice Cream Cake.” As you can imagine, I’m highly motivated to not donate that $500.

But Stickk adds one more diabolical element. You designate a human being to referee your commitment. Not only do you get motivation from the terrible rewards and punishments, but now you have Another Human Being Who Sees Your Failure. You better believe it’s motivating! Rewards and punishments work, and they work even better when you get a people involved.

Use People to Monitor Your Progress

You can also engage people in helping you take regular actions. In the episode on keeping resolutions, I share a technique by executive coach Andrew Thorn, presented by Marshall Goldsmith, in how to use daily check-ins with an accountabilibuddy. You share your major goals with each other. Then you choose measurements that let you know you’re making progress towards that goal. If your goal is to write a book, you might set a daily goal of writing at least 500 words. Then you do a rapid check-in with your buddy every day and run through your list of measurements, scoring yourself on whether you met each one. 

When it comes to fighting the monsters of procrastination, people are your secret weapon.

I do this daily with my accountabilibuddy Timmy, who I’ve written about before. You simply serve as a witness for each others’ goals. No fixing things, judging, or rewards are needed. Just knowing that someone is aware of your successes and your failures pushes you to Make Progress on What’s Important.

When it comes to fighting the monsters of procrastination, people are your secret weapon. You can get a people to help you power through projects on a Do-It Day. You can use Stickk.com and use a people to be part of your rewards and punishments (it will make the olive oil and feathers a lot more fun). And you can use a people to swap daily accountability on what’s most important for you.

This is a lot to cover in one episode, so you can find links to detailed episodes about these different techniques at GetItDoneGuy.com/accountable. And now that I’ve said GetItDoneGuy.com/accountable, and I know that people are counting on that link working, I’m going to go put that page together, pronto.

I’m Stever Robbins. Follow GetItDoneGuy on Twitter and Facebook. Want great keynote speeches on productivity, Living an Extraordinary Life, or entrepreneurship? Hire me! Find me at http://SteverRobbins.com or join my personal mailing list by texting GETITDONE to 33444. You’ll also get a free copy of my secret book chapter on how to build relationships that help you succeed. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave an honest review on iTunes at itunes.com/getitdoneguy. Reviews really help, a lot! 

Image of people being held accountable © Shutterstock

5 Ways to Deal with Difficult Grandparents

For the five-plus years I tried to become pregnant, not only was I disappointed for my husband and I, I was also hurting for our parents—because I knew they were incredibly anxious to become grandparents. They supported us every step of the way through our challenging infertility journey, and the moment we became parents I honestly think they were more excited than we were.

Grandparents are a warm, loving extension of parenthood. When I became a mom for the first time nearly 25 years ago, my own mother was beyond elated, and she stated then (and now) that being a grandparent is one of life’s most amazing joys, even better than being a parent.

I couldn’t agree more! Having loving grandparents to share in all the special (and difficult) moments of parenting is a true gift. They love unconditionally, are ready, willing, and able to lend a helping hand, babysit whenever we need them and of course, spoil them rotten. It all sounds so fairytale perfect. That is, until parents and grandparents disagree on how to raise our special darlings.

Grandparents have had a pivotal role in the lives of their grandkids for centuries, but despite this special relationship there have been many an instance that these dynamics can become complicated and confrontational when parent and grandparent go head to head in the delicate balancing act of raising a child.

Mighty Mommy has navigated this terrain for over two decades and has five tips to help families stay on a happy and loving path when grandparents and parents just don’t see eye to eye about the kids.

5 Strategies in Dealing with Difficult Grandparents

1. Be Clear on Deal-Breakers
2. Be Upfront When Boundaries Are Crossed
3. Consider Their Perspective
4. Don’t Put Your Kids in the Middle
5. Find a Happy Medium

Let’s explore these in more detail.

1. Be Clear on Deal Breakers

Just as we do with our kids and other relationships such as that of a boss and employee, it’s important to establish clear expectations, as early on as possible, about what you as the parent deem acceptable in terms of rules and behaviors. For example, my husband and I were adamant that my mother-in-law not give them soda for every drink (we’re talking gallons!) when our kids visited, and we insisted on their using the magic words when they had a request. “Grandma, can we please go outside and play?” as opposed to “Take me to the playground, I’m bored here.” 

Decide on your deal-breakers and talk it out with your grandparents. If they’re not aware of these, they really can’t be blamed when they make a mistake. Perhaps they feel unsure of what you want or don’t want from them. Let them know how they can be helpful to you. Help them feel included and needed because most grandparents truly just want to share their love and time with their grandkids.

2. Be Upfront When Boundaries Are Crossed

Sooner or later, it’s going to happen—a well-intentioned (or sometimes “pushy”) grandparent is going to cross the line and say or do something in regards to your parenting that will make you cringe. Try not to get defensive, but instead calmly and matter-of-factly share your thoughts. For instance, my mother-in-law was a firm believer that the kids should run the show when they were visiting at her house. After letting them physically run throughout her home, tear into any set of toys they felt like playing with (and not clean them up!), they could then turn her into a short-order cook and have any culinary delight whipped up for them on demand. And then—there was the soda. She had it poured the minute our car pulled in the driveway. The word “no” was simply not in her vocabulary. Talk about sending mixed messages to our young tribe of eight kids—they loved going to “Club Grandma” as often as possible. When we returned home, we had to work twice as hard to get them back on track with the structure we provided them on a daily basis. We finally had to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with Grandma about the situation.

We explained our great appreciation for how much she loved and spoiled the kids, but with a large family like ours, we had to be consistent with rules and expectations wherever we went. I’m a diabetic so I was able to use that as a pre-cursor as to why they just couldn’t have all that soda—one of them could be next. She had lots of wisdom to share, which we were happy to hear, but when it came to how the kids ate and behaved, she had to stay the course with how we were doing it. This didn’t happen overnight, but we were consistent in giving her friendly reminders about what we would accept and eventually she got the message. We started letting her take them to some of their practices after school or help with carpools (we were always outnumbered so what a gift to have this kind of help) and that gave her an important role which she truly cherished. It was more important for her to feel valued than to go against our wishes and let them get away with things just to be liked.

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3. Consider Their Perspective

When grandparents get involved with our kids, whether they are babysitting, coming for a holiday, or celebrating another family occasion, it's best to keep in mind that they truly do love their grandkids. When they do things we might not approve of, they’re probably not trying to be hurtful or cause a problem. When a conflict does arrive, try to put yourself in their shoes and attempt to understand the issue from their perspective.

If the baby was crying when you put her down for her nap, nana may have thought she was being helpful by picking her up thinking she needed a burp or a diaper change. When you tell her that you’re letting the baby cry it out so she can learn to fall asleep on her own and hear the sarcastic barb that she never did that with her babies and they all turned out fine, you’ll have to lovingly but firmly tell her that you're taking recommendations from your pediatrician, but you appreciate that she cares.

You as the parent need to be consistent and not send mixed signals once you’ve painted the picture of what you want your parents' role to be with your kids.

In our case, when Grandma loved feeding our kids sugary drinks and made them any meal they wanted no matter what time of day it was, as aggravated as we were we knew she was just excited to spend time with our kids and wanted to appease them in every way possible. We understood that and wanted her to be able to spoil them but there had to be some balance. She asked if she could take them out for ice cream after one of their practices rather than keep candy and such in the house, and we were fine with that.

For more difficult matters, however, such as if a grandparent steps in and tries to discipline your kids or tries to overrule one of the boundaries you have in place, try and figure out why they are acting as they do rather than being confrontational right off the bat. My mother didn’t like to hear one of my kids groan or sigh when they were asked to do a chore so she would make a sharp reply to my son such as “Get in there and unload that dishwasher right now.” It wasn’t her place to get involved, but I knew she was trying to help because she didn’t want the burden of all the household chores falling on me. I took her aside and thanked her for trying to help but asked her to let me handle it directly with my son.

4. Don’t Put Your Kids in the Middle

Most kids are simply crazy for their grandparents. They serve as other adults in their lives who offer unconditional love, enjoy reading and playing games with them, and simply have time to just hang out with them without being rushed.

When contentious situations arise, don’t use your kids as a bartering tool. If the matter doesn’t compromise anyone’s safety, try to find ways that your kids and their grandparents can still spend time together. We went through a rough patch with my husband’s parents many years ago and truthfully, we realized we needed a little space. During this time we made sure we still had our kids connect with them via phone a couple times a week as well as encouraged outings like having grandma take the kids to the library for story hour and then to the playground. Activities like this allowed them to have time to bond and be together while we worked through our issues. It was a win/win for all of us.

5. Find a Happy Medium

Once you’ve set expectations with Grandma and Grandpa you’ve got to keep a few things in mind. First, you as the parent need to be consistent and not send mixed signals once you’ve painted the picture of what you want your parents' role to be with your kids. If you are steadfast that your kids must still follow the same bedtime routine you have implemented on a school night, don’t tell Grammie that she can decide if Tommy can stay up past his normal time if she feels like it. Parents and grandparents need to be on the same page.

If you continue to have unresolved issues such as a grandparent making offhand remarks about your parenting style from time to time or not always following some of the behavioral guidelines you’ve discussed with them, try and find a happy medium where your family unit can still enjoy eachother’s company. Kids and grandparents need each other. A recent study by Boston College showed that close grandparent-grandchild relationships are extremely healthy and help provide close family ties. Work together to make it the best it can be for all involved.

How do you manage tense times with grandparents? Share your thoughts in the comments section at quickanddirtytips.com/mighty-mommy, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com. Visit my family-friendly boards at Pinterest.com/MightyMommyQDT

Image of grandparents with grandchild © Shutterstock