How Often Should I Cut My Lawn?

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Regardless of whether you are the kind of person who loves working in your yard and wants to be out there all the time or are the kind of person who wants to spend as little time working in your yard as possible, you have probably wondered at one point or another how often you are supposed to cut your lawn. If you do hate working in the yard, the answer to the question is not likely to make you thrilled, as you should cut your lawn "often"; but if you are the kind of person who loves working in your yard, "often" might not be quite as often as you think.

The health of your grass will be largely dependent on how frequently you cut your grass, as it will need regular trimming in order to be healthy and will also need to be kept at a certain, ideal height in order for it to thrive. When it comes to exactly how often "often" is, the basic rule of thumb is that you should cut your grass no more frequently than once every seven days, and you should cut it no more infrequently than once every ten days!

Even though this might seem like quite a bit of work, you will actually save time in the long run by mowing every seven to ten days, as this will keep your lawn from growing so tall that mowing becomes a difficult task, and will also keep your lawn healthier - which means you will need to spend less time trying to rescue it. You will also find (especially if you mow your lawn on a specific day every weekend) that you will get into a routine with your lawn, and when this happens, things will become a whole lot easier.

When you mow your lawn in this manner, you will be able to experience the rewards of a healthy lawn - without having to worry about how long your grass is getting!

Working On A Long-Term Project

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For many people, one of the most difficult things in school or at work is knowing how to tackle a long-term project; of course, most people approach a long-term project with plans to work on it a little bit at a time each day until the project is complete, but this plan often evaporates, until the deadline for the project is right around the corner and they have not worked on it at all - and it is for this exact reason that understanding how to properly conquer a long-term project is so important!

When faced with a long-term project, the first thing you should do is break the project down into sections, and then separate these sections into even smaller pieces; take a bit of time to estimate exactly how long each of these smaller pieces will likely take to complete, as this will give you a good feel for how much time you will need to spend on the project as a whole (and make sure you are overestimating rather than underestimating, as it is better to have some extra time left over than to not have enough!).

With the project broken down into sections in this way, you should set a deadline for when you should have each section completed; once you have "due dates" set for each section, you will be able to take a closer look at your calendar and decide when you will work on the smaller pieces that will build up to the completion of the section.

And at this point, one problem a lot of people face is that they fail to look at their self-set deadlines as if they are real deadlines; while you are certainly not required to turn in your work at these self-created deadlines, you need to realize that these deadlines are important to you if you hope to complete the project on time - so as you work toward these deadlines, treat them as if they were assigned for the project itself, as this will encourage you to keep up with them and complete the project on time.

The more often you apply this approach, the better you will become at taking care of long-term projects - and there is no better time to get started on this approach than the next time a long-term project comes your way!

Exploring Three Mistakes To Avoid When Approaching Literary Agents

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If you want to get a book published (regardless of whether you are wanting to publish a novel, a nonfiction book, a book of short stories, or just about anything else!), you will need to have a literary agent – but anyone who has ever gone through the process of trying to land a literary agent has found that this can sometimes be the most difficult obstacle of all in getting published! The biggest reason why so many people find it to be borderline impossible to land a literary agent is because they do not know the mistakes to avoid (the mistakes so many writers tend to make!), but when you take these steps, you can avoid these mistakes yourself.

Because landing an agent can sometimes take such a long time, a lot of writers think that they should “get the ball rolling early,” contacting literary agents before their work is complete; this is an absolute “No,” however – not only should you wait until your manuscript is completely written before approaching agents, but you should also wait until you have thoroughly edited it, so that it will be ready to send if an agent shows interest.

Learn more from the Complete Idiots Guide To Getting Published.

Another mistake many writers make is “trying to save time” by approaching a lot of agents at once – sending out a mass email, and/or addressing their emails as “Dear sir or madam”; take the time to approach each agent individually, and you will have a much greater chance of success.

Trying to be "cute" or "gimmicky" in your query letter to literary agents is always a bad idea; your goal should be to display good writing, and to get an agent to your sample pages as quickly as possible with an idea as to what the story is about – nothing more than this!

You would also be wise to study some of the more valuable resources online if you are serious about getting published; one such resource is Query Shark, which is one agent’s edits of query letters that have been sent to her, and the blog post The Biggest Mistakes Writers Make When Querying Agents, in which the poster emailed over fifty agents to get their response to this single question.

How To Take Care Of Cichlids

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You are in for a real treat if you are thinking about setting up a cichlid tank! Cichlids are known for their beauty and for the great entertainment they provide. Cichlids are among the most interactive fish you can buy as well, as each cichlid has its own unique personality. At the same time, however, cichlids can be temperamental, and can be difficult to take care of. You will risk the failure of your cichlid experiment as long as you do not know what you are doing. On the other hand, if you take the time to learn how to take care of your cichlids, they can be very rewarding pets.

When you purchase cichlids, one of the first thing you should know is where they came from. Each region where cichlids come from is slightly different from the other regions where cichlids come from. The biggest difference is the type of water that each region has. You will be unable to keep the water just right for all your cichlids if you mix cichlids from different regions. Instead, you should make sure you get cichlids who all require the same water type.

Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing cichlids is that they are territorial. Put too many cichlids in a tank together, and you will find that you have a disaster on your hands! It is up to you to make certain each cichlid has enough space to mark their own territory inside of the tank. Furthermore, you need to take the time to make sure there are plenty of distinct areas in the tank. There should be a lot of hiding places and foliage in the tank, instead of a lot of open area at the bottom of the tank. Cichlids will feel safer and more comfortable with this setup, and it will also help them each to set up their boundaries.

Also, if you want to have a cichlid tank, you must make sure you fully understand cichlid maintenance. For instance, a healthy cichlid tank needs to have its water closely monitored. Cichlids also require a regular feeding schedule, and must be fed three times each day. Your beautiful, engaging fish will not last very long if you do not know how to maintain their tank properly and effectively.

If you know what you are doing, taking care of cichlids can be both fun and rewarding. But before you start your cichlid tank, take the time to make absolutely certain you know how to take care of it correctly!

Freeing Up Extra Money For Yourself

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Many people often find themselves complaining that their money situation is extraordinarily tight, and a lot of people who complain about this even find that the problem is not solved if they pick up an extra job or work more hours at their current job; of course, those who face this situation tend to never take a long, hard look at their spending habits to see what they can change, but were they to take a close look at their finances they would find that there are actually a lot of places where they can change their spending habits and free up a lot more money for the things they truly enjoy.

Clothes are among the biggest costs for many people, and while clothes are certainly necessary, they do not have to be a big-ticket item; rather than trying to keep up with all of the trends and latest fashions, realize that you will actually be able to save a lot of money if you simply stick with the classic look that will continue to look good on you year after year.

Another place where you will be able to save a lot of money is on food, and as is the case with clothing, the fact that it is a necessity does not mean that it has to be something you spend a ton of money on; start getting in the habit of cooking your food at home instead of eating out, and keep these meals simple and healthy, as this will not only save you money but will also help you to feel a whole lot better.

And another place where a lot of money goes for many people is gym memberships, or other memberships that these people hardly ever use; while something such as going to the gym is certainly good for you, as it will help you to be healthy and stay in shape, realize that you can work out and stay in shape at your own home or outdoors just as easily as you can at the gym - while saving a lot of money!

When you begin to make small changes to your spending habits, you will soon find that you have more money for the things you enjoy - and will not need to pick up a second job or work extra hours in order to do so!

Give Hydroponics a Try!

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Hydroponics can be an interesting project to try at home. People may be familiar with the term hydroponics as it refers to tomatoes grown primarily in water. It is a misnomer that plants must absolutely have soil to grow and survive.  Plants can grow in water if the water contains enough nutrients in it for the plant to absorb. To get a good understanding of hydroponics a great book to read is Hydroponics for the home gardener.

There are a lot of plants that you can grow in hydroponic set ups such as Hydrofarm grow light system. Many herbs and vegetables are prime candidates to grow in hydroponic systems. Typically you still need a medium for the roots to be in little clay beads known as Hydronton is one such medium. Hydroponics basically uses no soil in the pot. You can submerge a pot filled with these clay beads into a Tupperware container containing two to three inches of nutrient rich water for a quick and easy way to create a hydroponic system. You can also use gel such as crystal magic soil.

Hydroponics are used by growers for a number of reasons.  First of all you know exactly what is in your water. It is very easy to track what you put into your water and in what concentration. Another reason that some people like hydroponics is because some people think that veggies grown in hydroponics taste better. As stated earlier there are such wide range of plants that can be grown with hydroponics. Tomatoes, herbs, celery, and lettuce all make ideal plants to start with. Remember you are not limited to veggies! You can share house plants with your friends when you use hydroponics to propigate your plants. Plants like devils ivy would take very well to using hydroponics for multiplying them.

If you can grow plants traditionally, you really should give hydroponics a try. This can be a fun system for growing plants so you can have fresh herbs year round and maybe even fresh tomatoes off of the vine. The initial investment can be very cheap if you set up your own system.

Finding A Creative Hobby That Is Right For You

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It can feel like your life consists of nothing but your job when you are regularly going to work, coming home, and doing nothing in the evenings that you truly enjoy; on the other hand, when you come home and do something that you truly enjoy, you will often find that you forget about the fact that work is even part of your everyday life! When you are on the lookout for something you can truly enjoy after work, there are certainly lots of options, but one of the best things you can do is to find a hobby that you get pleasure out of – and when it comes to finding a hobby to indulge in, creative hobbies are often the most enjoyable and most rewarding!

Art: The best thing about engaging in a creative hobby after work is that you do not have to be great at it – you do not have to “have talent” in the area in question – in order to enjoy it, and one of the most enjoyable (and most therapeutic) means of creative output is art; whether it is through drawing, painting, or something more abstract, you can tap into a lot of fun by engaging in art.

Music: The idea of "music" still tends to bring up thoughts in people's minds of playing an instrument or singing a song, but with the introduction of such programs as Garage Band (which is now available on the iPad as well!), you can create music without any instruments and without any musical background!

Writing: Writing is a great way for you to relax your mind as you pour stories, poems, or even simple explorations of thought on the paper; the more time you spend with the proverbial pen and paper, the more enjoyable writing will become!

Of course, "creative output" is not the only thing you can do to make the most of your evenings, but if you are looking to maximize your time in the evening with something productive and creative, try these three options and see which one excites you the most!