This post was written by my good friend Abrahim Nadimi. Thanks Abrahim.

As you are reading this there are probably 14 emails, 2 magazines, 5 booklets filled with less-than-thrilling “save now!” offers, and 13 text messages being typed with your name on them. Yet it’s not just the marketers that are competing for your immediate attention – your tire is probably going flat and the food you ate two hours ago is about to make you run to the store for some medicine. Not particularly surprising in the world where “complexity” is the name of the game and multitasking is the only acceptable modus operandi.

I will not reveal any secrets when I say that with success comes resistance. Like a rock flying through air experiences more resistance the faster it moves, you too will find new and more challenging obstacles each step you move. I’ve experienced this time and time again. I’ve also figured out that I’m excellent at inviting new obstacles into my life. More stress is a good thing because it means I’m accomplishing things. Right?

While you might be accustomed to existing in perpetual chaos, it might be working against you. Just like an army going into battle, you have to have a well-organized base camp if you want to stand a chance to succeed. I’m talking about your castle and safe haven from the craziness of the outside word – your home. Like most of us, you probably spend the majority of your time at work and home. While painting the walls of your cubicle might be frowned upon, you have total control over the environment of your dwelling.

My friends can attest to the persistent “in progress” status of my house. I usually know the areas of the house I can’t stand and immediately start to tear them apart only to find that I have no clear idea of “what’s next”. Sometimes I figure out what I want to do and then decide I do not want to dedicate the funds to that project. Whatever the reason might be, I somehow ended up living in a half-finished house for years.

It wasn’t until I got new tile installed on the 1st floor over the summer (ending years of sexy unfinished concrete floors), that I realized how important the condition of my castle is to my mental well-being. Even though I’m still not nearly done with all my self-imposed “honey-do projects,” I enjoy my nest so much more. It makes me feel good to walk in and see the way the house looks now. I didn’t realize what a drag the mess was on my mood until the flooring project was complete. Now that my house is much easier on the eyes it has become a relaxing and welcoming place that I love to come home to. The mess, clutter and the general non-cohesiveness of different elements within my house were contributing to my general unhappiness.

First Step

Your first step should be clean-up: literal and figurative. Enlisting an interior decorator would be ideal, but who can afford them, amiright? So what to do? Give up? Of course not! Roll up your sleeves!

Forget complexity. Go for simple and uncluttered. Like a funny motivational poster says, “Aim Low. Achieve your goals. And avoid disappointment”.

DO NOT attempt to pull off a complicated design style like Baroque, Tuscan, or Old World. Leave fanciness to the professionals and embrace clean lines and fewer colors.

DO part with random objects that have no room in your new safe haven. That cool
talking Bass wall plaque is just as tacky as those fake flowers with four-year-old dust on them.

Declutter! This is the first must do if you are hoping to make HUGE difference.

• Get rid of ALL stacks of reading material. If you’re *actually* going to read it, put it in a book shelf. If not, then donate, sell or recycle.
• Do not invite another piece of paper into your house unless it has a purpose. Organize the bills and paper trails you need to keep in a file, or better yet – scan and save on your laptop/hard drive/cloud.
• Throw or give away all the useless mementos you bought at roadside stand or received from some cousin’s trip to Cancun. Unless it holds a special, dear memory, its better off in a trash can.
• Everything placed around your house on shelves, counters, and coffee tables must have a purpose. Collecting dust is not a purpose.
• Take down all wall decor that’s not unique, personal, or functional.
• Put away everything from your counters.
• Clean out your pantry. Throw away all the expired food and donate what you can to food banks.
• It’s better to not have pillows on the couch than worn out or dirty ones.

Step 2

After a thorough decluttering and some thorough cleaning you’ll have a simplified, clean, and peaceful home that is now ready to decorate.

Instead of typical art work you might see in Wal-Mart, buy or create a work of art that people will talk about. Enlist your artistic friends or scout antique shops. Unusual pieces of art or furniture make great conversation starters. It’s amazing how often I hear about my club door turn coffee table, which cost me less than most commercially produced pieces.

Involve friends with style. I was lucky to have been able to enlist my creative girlfriend as an awesome (free) resource, but I would have used another friend if she too was clueless. (Be careful who you ask for help because NOT all girls are good at decorating and NOT all guys are handymen.)

For ideas, check out contemporary home design magazines like Dwell or Google image terms like “Contemporary living rooms.”

Before you get started learn from my mistakes and make sure you:

1. DO NOT start a project you can’t finish
2. DO bite off only as much as you can chew at one time
3. DO research costs and set aside a specific budget for a project

Before you go away thinking I’m being unrealistic or unreasonable, I want to make sure I unequivocally state that I know giving away stuff isn’t easy and that you’ve probably developed a personal attachment to the things in your home. I’m actually very sentimental so I hear you loud and clear, but it’s so important that we know our limitations and don’t get in our own way. Remember that you own things – don’t let the things own you. Do something different and remember that Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It’s your life…remove the obstacles that are preventing you from kicking ass.

My Friend, Tony, has just started his first blog: Android Cowboy. He’ll be reviewing and posting about Android tablet apps. He is definitely one of the smartest people I know. He has a PhD AND studying for Postdoc in science now.

Check his site out and subscribe to his RSS.

Happy Iranian new year to all my Persian friends and all those who are celebrating it.

I’ve been looking into taking few non-degree distance learning management courses. Distant learning courses don’t appeal to me much but that’s the only option while I’m working full time. I definitely don’t want to sign up for an online only schools like University of Phoenix, etc. Hence, following is my research on which well known MBA schools around the country offer non-degree distance learning graduate level management courses. One of the useful resources was the BusinessWeek Business School Ranking Report.

• University of Texas at Dallas: They do offer non-degree online/live courses. Deadline has already passed though.
• SMU: Ranked in top 20 business school around the county and is in Dallas itself. Looks promising. It does cost about $1300 per credit though.
• Harvard: No distant learning
• Stanford: No distant learning
• Wharton: They do have non-degree programs but not distant learning
• Kellogg: No distant learning
• Purdue: Has a non-degree MBA program at $25,000 a module. Too expensive for me.
• Columbia: Has some really neat non-degree programs but are only offered locally in New York.

I’ll keep adding to the list as I do more research on this topic.

PdaNet is a tethering software (application) that allows your laptop to go online through your android phone (tether). Best of all, it is free. In fact its the reason I chose Android phone over iPhone and Blackberry.

I believe you can use it on iPhone too but you might have to jail break it first.

About two weeks ago (after one week of planning) Rockwell Automation moved me to Dallas, Texas area. I now live in Dallas itself and am starting to get to know the area. So far I love the city (far better than Cleveland or freaking Indiana).

So far I’ve been mostly traveling here to customers in Texas and Louisiana area. Sometimes I have to drive over 4 hours to a customer and 4 hours back which gives me plenty of time to finish my audio books (or re-listen to old ones).

I’m hoping to find some time soon, find an entrepreneur or web designer group/club around here and make some friends. Anyone from Dallas area that actually reads my blog?

Hookah is a water pipe type smoking device. It’s used for smoking flavored tobacco and rather popular in Middle East. I smoke a hookah every now and then (much less often now that I’m not in school anymore). It is relaxing and great for social events.

I bought my hookah from Buy Hookah website (a while ago) and couldn’t be happier with it. I bought the Scorpius Magdy Zidan hookah with Namoor hose. The hose makes all the difference.

My favorite flavor is (by far) Starbuzz Blue Mist, and Starbuzz Blackberry.

I still buy my tobacco and other occasional hookah needs from BuyHookah.com. The shipping is fast and I have no complaints.

To remove the markup comments in a Microsoft word 2007 follow the instructions below:

• Go to Reviews
• Change the drop down option on Final Showing Marking

My cellphone (Droid ERIS) was stolen last week from my hotel room and whoever stole it was uploading inappropriate pictures to my Facebook account using my phone. I reported the phone stolen and stopped the service on my account until I get a new phone. The phone was a Verizon phone so it can’t be used on any other account but my information on is now all stolen.

I did a little research and found a new app that allows you to find your stolen cellphone and allows you to wipe out all your phone’s data remotely if it is stolen. It’s called Lookout Mobile Security. Right now it seems to be free. I hope it stays that way until I get my new phone (Droid Incredible) in mail.

I had bought the stolen phone few month ago so I wasn’t eligible for a discounted upgrade and had to pay full retail price for the cell phone. Good news is the hotel agreed to reimburse me for the cost (a little over $550).

From today (Monday June 21st) for 10 days I will

• Run 5k every day after or before  work
• Finish two books: Linchpin & Why We Buy
• No alcohol

I’m doing this just because I want to. If I don’t finish all of the above I will donate $100 to a charity of your choice.