Does it seem like you are always dropping hints to your guy for romantic getaways you’d like to go on or gifts you’d love to receive for your birthday? Then, when the big day rolls around, you can’t help but be a little disappointed to receive another turquoise necklace or an IOU for a night out.

Women may think they are being obvious in their hint dropping to their male partners, but sometimes men can be pretty clueless. After several years of being in a relationship with the same person, it can be difficult to surprise your partner with presents, or come up with new, fun things to do together.

Men aren’t mind readers and sometimes they just need a little help in the right direction. Here are 4 ways to help your guy get a clue about what you really want for you next birthday, anniversary, or special date out.

1. Pinterest Boards

The Internet can help men and women out a lot in the gift-giving department. Create different Pinterest boards to help take some of the guesswork out of gift giving.

You can have a “gift ideas” board where you consistently pin things to it that you’d love to receive as presents, as well as a “bucket list dates” board where you pin various date and destination ideas. The visual nature of Pinterest can be extremely helpful in getting the planning process going and will kick start the gift giver.

Your partner can go on the board and view it at any time without you even knowing.

2. Jar of Dates

Some men are fantastic of thinking up creative, romantic dates for their loved ones. And for others it just doesn’t come that easy.

Keep a jar or bucket of date ideas in a common location, such as the bedroom. Each time you have an idea for a fun day or night out, write it down and put it in the jar.

Your guy can add his ideas too, so either one of you can take the initiative and plan a date together. You can include things like, “pack a picnic and walk to the park,” or “take the kayak out and go fishing early Saturday morning.”

Either one of you can choose ideas from the jar that your partner suggested and plan an entire date the other will love.

3. Amazon Wish Lists

Amazon Wish Lists allow individuals to set up and keep a year-round gift idea list. You can save items to your Amazon list directly from Amazon, or any other website with the Amazon button.

Gift givers can easily search and find your list with your name or email address and view the various items on that list. The list even includes things like price points, priority and where to purchase the gift.

Items can often be purchased directly from Amazon, making gift giving a cinch.

4. Just Tell Him

This is certainly the most straightforward way to communicate to your guy. By telling him exactly what your expectations are for your upcoming anniversary or birthday, you leave little room for error (As long as he follows through).

Some women may not like this approach if they want to have it be a surprise and some men may not like hearing instruction so directly. Use the “just tell him” method if you’re both okay with directness and without surprises.

See Also: See Also: The Truth About Why Men Aren’t Romantic Anymore

The longer the two of you are together, the better you’ll likely get at knowing one another’s likes, desires and wishes for special events. Until then, these tools help make special events less stressful for the gift giver and more enjoyable for the recipient.

The post Four Ways to Help Your Guy Get A Clue About Romance appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Traveling or working in a new place for a short period of time? Short-term rent is a fantastic idea worth considering.

Thanks to the Internet and websites that cater to your accommodation needs, short-term rental has exponentially increased in popularity. Simply put, short-term renting allows you to have your own “home away from home.”

While paying a lot to stay in a hotel is an option, short-term rental has an edge with its combination of comfort and affordability. Imagine this: having your own condo or apartment that you can personalize and feel at home in.

So, how do you go about getting the best deal? Learn from these 8 smart short-term renting tips.

1. It’s Smart To Plan Early

Planning early to find short-term rental can save you a lot of money and drastically reduce stress. The earlier you begin your search, the better the deals you can find.

Having a good headstart allows you to compare different potential places and tap into networks. It almost always ensures that you get the space you like because you’re not competing with everybody else at the last minute.

Because unforeseen circumstances can arise, planning early gives you the benefit to adjust accordingly. Short-term rental need not be overwhelming. Doing it ahead of time and booking far in advance before your trip will work to your favor.

2. Make Sure About the Location

Location can make or break short-term renting. It’s true when they say that location is everything.

If you’re on a tight budget, consider less expensive cities for housing options. This does not mean, however, that you pass up the chance of finding great deals in city centers.

What’s great about the rise in the demand for short-term rental is more condo or apartment owners have opened up their spaces for rent. It’s really just a matter of casting a wide net to find the place for you.

Check if the place is near establishments you’ll be frequenting. It’s also smart to check if it’s accessible via public transportation and how convenient it is to go around by foot.

3. Check Out the Amenities That You Can Use

Short-term rental is about having the most comfortable place that fits your budget. A huge part of that comfort are the amenities that you get to use during your stay.

“Foreigners opting for condo living”, for example, should have access to luxurious amenities similar to those in hotels—usually at a fraction of the cost. From fitness centers to swimming pools, you must know as much as you can about the amenities in the place you’re considering.

Not all condos or apartments for short-time rent are created equal, so it’s a matter of finding the one that can offer you the amenities to make your stay the most comfortable.

4. Set Aside Funds for Deposit

Expect to pay a deposit to the landlord. The amount of the deposit, however, varies. Seasonal rentals for a short vacation may require a large deposit that you need to pay upfront.

Also, it’s important that you know about certain rent conditions tied to deposit payment. For example, some owners may require you to shoulder cleaning expenses or settle all payments before you get back your deposit.

For longer stays, there are places that can require you to pay a one month deposit and up to two months’ worth of rent.

5. Are There Any Fees You Don’t Know About?

Is the amount you’re paying all-inclusive? Make sure that everything is clearly discussed with the property owner to avoid any surprises.

In most cases, you’ll likely be required to pay homeowners dues and other fees if you’re a traveler staying for more than a month. Although the property should be cleaned before your arrival, you can also be asked to cover cleaning expenses for more than a week’s stay.

Rent price can also slightly change depending on the time of your booking, much like the busy and lean season distinction in other accommodations.

6. Know All the House Rules

Familiarize yourself first with all the house rules before signing anything. This will give you ample time to negotiate the short-term rules and conditions.

Ideally, each listing should have a clearly-defined set of rules. However, it happens that some owners are unaware of the rules set by the condo management.

Pet lovers, take heed: not all properties allow pets inside the premises. The same goes for smokers and group arrangements.

Settle all matters with the agent or owner to ensure that your stay will not be restricted.

7. Get to Know the Owner

Whether you’re booking through an agent or directly with the owner, it’s important that you spend time with the person you’re dealing with. One benefit of short-term rental is that you have the power to choose the place and the landlord you’re comfortable with.

It’s safe to generalize that all renters want a reliable and trustworthy owner. You can make your initial assessment by paying a visit to or calling the agency or the owner. This will allow you to clarify matters fast and to gauge the character of the person. It can also be an invaluable opportunity to haggle over the rental price if possible.

See Also: 8 Sharp-witted Ways To Protect Your Rental Homes

8. Read and then Re-read the Contract Before Signing

Believe it or not, many people get too excited with property renting that they sign a contract they haven’t even read. For your safety and benefit, carefully read your booking contract before signing it. Glossing over important contract details so you can make a quick booking is not worth it in most cases.

The contract is important because it should contain all the terms you’ll be agreeing to, from the outline of the payment schedule to details such housekeeping, amenities, and security. Having a close look at the contract will also allow you better negotiate the terms.

See Also: Pros and Cons of Buying vs. Renting a home

While the benefits of short-term rental are surely enticing, you have to be smart about it. Use this guide to short-term renting to ensure the best accommodation that you deserve. Whether you’re foreigner or a local resident, having a clear sense of short-term rental allows you the benefit of staying in the perfect space that feels like home.

 

The post 8 Smart Tips for an Amazing Short-Term Rental Experience appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Olympic athletes inspire and awe us. They are the greatest athletes in the world. And every four years they get together to put their lives’ work on display for all of us to see at the Olympic Games.

And even if sometimes we feel like couch potatoes who can’t walk down the block without breathing heavy, there is much we can learn from these amazing athletes that we can apply to becoming top performers in our careers.

Below are 5 scientifically proven Olympic training secrets you can use to become twice as productive as your competition.

1. Work Deliberately

Olympic athletes don’t get to where they are without practicing. A lot.

The kind of practice Olympians engage in is what famed researcher Anders Ericsson calls “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice is focused work done without distraction and it’s right on the edge of one’s abilities. It’s mentally challenging and requires clear goals and objectives rather than just “going through the motions.”

Picture a gymnast practicing a new move – and falling on her butt over and over again – before finally getting the hang of it after hours and hours of struggle and effort. That’s deliberate practice.

If you want to perform your best at work, you need to adopt this same deliberate practice mindset. This means you must focus on your most important tasks without distraction.

In addition, you need to identify the actual skills needed to excel at your work and make efforts to constantly stretch your current skill levels. If you focus on getting just a little bit better every single day, you’ll make amazing progress.

See Also: Why You Should Forget Success And Strive to Fail

2. Get Feedback

Constant feedback is a requirement if you want to truly excel in your profession. All Olympic athletes work with expert coaches and mentors who provide them with feedback and guidance on their training. You’ll get the most out of your time spent doing your deliberate focused work if you’re also getting feedback along the way.

The inability to use feedback correctly is one of the main reasons why many people who seem to be working “hard” never get the amazing results they’re after. It does you no good to work hard if you’re working hard on the wrong things.

The best form of feedback is to work with an established expert in your chosen field who can provide you with coaching and guidance. Ideally, this is someone who has a proven track record of successfully taking people up the same mountain you want to climb.

See Also: 7 Reasons successful people have mentors and you should too

These days you can find experts to help you in almost any area you want to improve at. Sites like wyzant.com have thousands of experts that can help you with anything from gardening to aerospace engineering.

Now, if for some reason you can’t find or afford an expert or coach to work with, I suggest you reach out to a friend or co-worker whose opinion you trust for help. Practically everyone loves giving feedback so finding someone to help you with this should not be too difficult.

3. Stay Motivated

It takes a superhuman amount of motivation to become an Olympic athlete. Getting up at the crack of dawn every day, training hard for years and years and years, and making numerous other life sacrifices is not easy. How do they do it?

Great athletes reach a point where they enjoy practicing and working hard for reasons beyond the actual, immediate results. In his book the Talent Code, author Daniel Coyle calls this type of motivation “ignition.” Ignition is what allowed swimmer Michael Phelps, arguably the greatest Olympian ever, to make it to the pool to train 365 days a year without fail for a period of over five years.

There are two key elements of ignition.

• a strong vision of what the athlete wants to be and;
• an internal belief that it’s possible to attain this vision

If you want to be a top performer in your field, you’ll need be supremely motivated as well. Spend some time thinking about what your vision for the future is as it relates to your career and look for evidence that this vision is attainable.

The easiest form of evidence is to find others who have accomplished what you want to accomplish and use them for inspiration. If they can do it, so can you.

4. Meditate

At last count, there have been over 1400 clinical studies demonstrating the benefits of meditation from everything from stress relief, to improving the immune system, to improving the brain’s ability to focus. So it should be no surprise that in the field of high stakes athletics, where a hundredth of a second can mean the difference between glory and vanishing into oblivion, many athletes believe it’s just as important to spend time in the “mental gym” meditating as the physical one.

Meditation will also help us mere mortals get a leg up on the competition by reducing stress, increasing our will power, and increasing our ability to concentrate. The biggest reason why most people say they can’t meditate is because they “don’t have the time.”

The truth is, if you want to perform at peak levels at work, you don’t have time NOT to meditate. Twenty minutes a day is the ideal amount of time for most people. But if you’re just getting started, do whatever you can. Start with 5 minutes a day or even one minute and build from there.

5. Recover

Olympic athletes actually spend much more time recovering from their training than actually training. For example, Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall not only made sure he slept for at least 8 hours a night, he also scheduled 90 minute naps (which he described as “business meetings”) every afternoon.

Leading sleep researchers agree that we need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to perform at peak levels. This is true for Olympians as well as everyday people like you and me. If your engine is going at 100 miles an hour all day, it’s eventually going to burn out if you don’t let your foot off the gas on occasion.

In addition to getting enough sleep, you’ll also want to optimize your recreation time. Among the worst ways to spend your non-work recreation hours are surfing the Internet, playing on social media, and watching television. These things drain our will power and actually make it much more difficult for us to focus while on the job.

Instead, use your recreation time for things that will re-energize you. Go for a hike, spend time with loved ones, read a book or take up a new hobby. These things will not only make you happier, they’ll help you leave your work competition in the dust as well.

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