In my case this revolves around:

• My portfolio
• Posts with real content
• Reading books
• Spending time with Theresa while she is down from that god-forsaken place North Bay.
• Aimlessly trying to catch up on my games

Now since only a couple of those are actually proactive (I’ll leave you to decide which) I have to pick and choose what and when I do these things. What is the result? Well to give you a glimpse, it’s almost 2 AM as of the start of this post. This is after I applied to many, many bursaries through my school. Who knew that working two jobs wouldn’t be enough to actually stay out of debt? Guess I’ll have to get some more!

My financial woes are not what I plan to talk about today though. I plan to talk about what I can take away from my first semester.

Okay, technically this would be my seventh semester if you are counting the six from the last time I was in school. That is also part of this so read on!

1. Being lazy sucks

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I was not always a star pupil. Oh no, in fact I used to revel in my ability to half-ass almost any project and end up with a 65-70 (that’s a C to a B- to the rest of the world) on any given assignment or project. If I didn’t like the course, I would try even less and be happy with a 55-58 (D to D+). My parents browbeat me, my teachers clucked their tongues and shook their heads, but I just breezed though my University-level (that’s Canadian fancy-talk for advanced) courses. By doing the University-level courses and applying to College, my average was bumped up considerably, and I got into College.

So you would think that since my parents were paying, and I had just managed to squeak by, that I would learn the error of my ways, straighten-up and fly right.

You would think wrong, of course.

By the end of my college stint, with the exception of a couple of classes (Web Development 1,2 and 3 pretty much) I was still hovering around that 70. The only thing that landed me the job that I got was through determination, charisma, and steaming piles of luck.

This kind of thing only works so well and for so long.

Working this job changed a lot of things. First, I learned how to stay up for long periods of time. Second, I learned to hate take-out food (don’t worry I’m getting better now). Third, it beat the lazy out of me with the Crowbar of Client Dead-lines. I learned that being lazy when people are paying you is a very good way to get your ass fired. I wasn’t fired, but believe me that there was no alternative to hard work. In many ways I am thankful for this.

When the opportunity came along for me to go back to school for something that interests me way more than keyboard-jockeying, I took it. With that decision came many things in quick succession:

1. Getting a second job
2. Saving like a bastard
3. Tuition, books, and other school bills
4. Losing my full-time, nicely-waged job
5. Homework
6. More goddamned bills
7. Tests, presentations, and apparently a video

If this had happened the first time I went through school, I probably would have killed myself, my family, or everyone I know in a murderous rage by now. Thankfully, through my on-the-job experience, I had learned how to organize my work, get it done, and still manage to find time to sleep.

I’d like to point out that because if this skill, I have managed to work two jobs while maintaining an average of 90% + overall so far. I don’t know how to explain this any better than I already have: being lazy sucks. If you have issues with being lazy, procrastinating, or otherwise messing-about, believe me that you have to work constantly against those urges. I have to all the time, but in the end you only screw yourself if you get lazy.

2. Keep your stuff safe

Dropbox. I love Dropbox. I could sing praises for this system for hours. Well okay, probably more like 15 minutes max, but that’s not the point here. Dropbox allows you to synchronize files within a certain directory (the Dropbox folder, shockingly) to their web servers. What does this mean? It means that everything in that folder can be accessed through their online web interface. and what does that mean? It means that if your are ever separated from your computer, your computer explodes, or anything in between you can still get to the files stored on their servers. You can also hook multiple computers into the same account, and it will sync the files between them as well. This allows you to share files between computers that may not be anywhere near the same network.

I’m not trying to sell you anything (it’s actually a free for the basic level), but it does assist in my point. Keeping your stuff safe is as important when it comes to school as it does ot your home. Thankfully, I didn’t have any horrible experiences with exploding computers or file separation, but it was still a good practice. By using this system, I safeguard myself against very bad situations. Colleges and Universities really don’t care all that much of your personal plights. In fact many teachers I’ve had I’ve overheard them say “well that sucks, too bad.”

You can’t stop every bad thing from happening, but you can take preventative measures.

3. Organization actually works.

I hate organizers. I still do! With their paper and their spiral binding, bah! Thankfully, I found alternatives that work. As it happens, I use Thunderbird. The nice thing about Thunderbird, much like Firefox, is the ability to use add-ons. Lightning (an add-on version of Sunbird) and a Provider for Google Calendars have allowed me to get my shit together without the use of those silly paper-based organizers.

Please note that I have met many people who prefer the paper-based organizers: I was basically born with a mouse in my hand, so I’m inclined to use technology whenever possible. It’s a failing I live with.

In any case, Lightning allows you to have a calendar built into Thunderbird. It also provides an interface to create tasks as well, though I don’t use those. The Google Calendar plugin allows you to use Lightning with Google Calendars. This means that much like the Dropbox argument, you can still access your calendars if your computer explodes. I have made a personal, work, homework/assignment, and school schedule calendars. For the first time, I actually know what things are due when, and how to schedule my time around work and other things. It’s silly to think that it took me this long to figure out that organizing things actually helps get things done faster.

If you don’t use Thunderbird, Google Calendars, or computers in general, you can still work to get yourself organized. I can honestly say that once I introduced the organizer strategy,

4.Go that extra mile

I spent five hours working  on a typography exercise that involved me making an apple. Five hours of tweezers, 12 point font, and rubber cement. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Well, it probably does but it also shows a determination to really put out something that is more than “alright.”

This one comes with at least some backup facts. I’ve only got three of my marks back (out of six), but everything has been above a 90. I’ve been known to spend hours and hours on things that others have put together in one or two. Does that mean I’m overdoing it? Very probably, I have no illusions that I may be going well beyond the call of duty here. That is also my point though: Spending that extra time can (in most cases) result in a more polished product.

This is something I’ve learned over time. Back when I was lazy, I was the master of doing everything last-minute. This wasn’t a lack of organization or anything, I chose to do everything at the last minute because part of me felt that I operated best under the pressure. As it turns out, I do alright under pressure and there is nothing wrong with that. But I do amazingly well, as it turns out, when I have the extra time to self-critique, improve, revise, and even experiment.

Is there anything wrong with only spending two hours on something and getting a 75% (B) on what you did? Not at all, if what you’re looking for is a 75%. Since that’s no where near what I want out of the education I am paying for (and it’s not cheap, though I’m sure there are some angry University students that would love to talk to me), I have to put in the extra time myself. I want to be the best I can, and school only gives you the tools in which to do that; it’s up to you to use them to the best of your ability.

5. Don’t be a Dick

Note: I am so sorry for the amount of times ‘dick’ comes up in this section. This is going to play havoc with my SEO.

This sounds simple, but it’s actually harder than one would think. The issue is that it goes two ways, and it’s easy to act like a dick when you don’t even realize:

Being the Dick

This is pretty simple. If you act like a dick, you are being the dick. Acting like a dick can be, but is not limited to the following:

• Boasting about any/everything you do.
• Trying to out-boast anyone else (they may be dicks, but you’re a bigger one).
• Rubbing marks in peoples face.
• Saying how awesome you are at something, and then criticizing the teacher (publicly).
• Being snooty, arrogant, or otherwise acting “better” than others.
• Making fun of people (grow the fuck up kthnx).
• Picking fights, either physical or mental.

When you do things like this, it may make you feel better. It may make you feel confident and self-assured. It will make everyone around you loathe whenever you open your word hole. Friends that you have will come to resent you, and you will end up with fewer contacts coming out of school, and less leway with people when it’s needed.

Returning the Dickness

This is the one people don’t realize. you may think that “an eye for an eye” is a good mandate to follow, but when other people want to start gouging your eyes out, there’s an issue. Here are easy ways to return the dickness without realizing it:

• Trying to shut up a dick by attacking their person, ability, etc.
• Trying to out boast someone to shut them up/put them in their place (once again, you are the bigger dick).
• Faux modesty (you’re not fooling anyone).
• Following suit with a dick (joining in with mocking, criticizing etc.).
• Being a dick to a dick because their a dick.

Some of those are fairly obvious, but a couple are less obvious.

Trying to act modest just annoys people. You’re really not fooling anyone. When someone gives you a compliment, take it, and return something in kind. Don’t elaborate on your greatness, nor say that you suck and don’t know how you got the mark you did. That will make them feel even worse, they’ll think you’re a liar, and you may even start to believe it yourself. Undermining your own self-confidence doesn’t help anyone.

When being a dick towards a dick, you may think you are giving them a taste (heh) of their own medicine. You may know what you’re doing, but those around you may not perceive it the same way; they may just see two dicks trying to out-dick one another. On top of that, the dick you are being a dick to may not even realize you are being a dick towards them. The result of this is that you look like a dick, but got none of the supposed revenge.

Not being the Dick

This should be fairly apparent, but for the sake of completeness, I will include a list for this anyways. I’m always a fan of things being full-circle. Anyways, how to not be a dick:

• Be helpful. When people ask for help, help them if you can.
• Give constructive criticism. “That sucks” isn’t doing anyone any good. “You could try doing this for this reason” will glean a much better reception.
• Be kind. Don’t rip on people when something isn’t good. You can be kind with constructive criticism as much as you can with compliments.
• Accept compliments, and return in kind.
• Don’t single people out to rip on them. It doesn’t help anyone.
• Be courteous. There’s nothing wrong with “please” and “thank you”.

Generally to avoid being a dick, you have to be a generally good and nice person. I’m not saying I exhibit all of these traits (far from, really); what I’m saying is that you should try to exhibit as many as you can. It’s a process of continuous improvement.

6. Do your work

This doesn’t even need a large section, and by all accounts it shouldn’t really have to be on here. Make time to do your work, and for crap sake, do your work. I can’t tell you how many people I know in my section that lost marks simply because they didn’t do assignment. Generally speaking, you cannot lose marks for trying. If you don’t hand something in, you get a zero. If you hand in crap, you can get a one. One is infinitely better than zero (quiet, math nerds), and handing assignments in can only help your cause.

It is this point that probably caused most of my lost marks. Many assignments in my last stint in College went completely undone; ignored for the sake of ignoring them. I can’t honestly say that I even had better things to do because I was just lazy back then. Teachers even told me that if I just handed something in, it would help my marks, but I scoffed at their wisdom, and ended up (in some cases) with a 58%. I have no defense for it, and now I understand what they were saying.

7. Figure out how to study

This one was probably the hardest for me, and of course it is also the point that gave me the most. It was by a freak accident that I found out how to study effectively. I was in the school lounge one day when someone asked me if I had studied for the test. “What test?” I responded (this is before the organizer thing). I then had two hours to learn 1/3rd of my textbook. It may sound insane, but I figured out a process of reading and constant quizzing is actually how I learned best. I’ve refined it a bit since then, and it now involves me writing the points down, highlighting them, force memorizing them, and having people quiz me on things in random order. By the end of the session I will have forgotten my name, my address, and how to drive, but God damn do I know the course material.

I never used to be this way. I used to depend entirely on my ability to recall from memory. As it turns out that works, but it’s not 100% for me. By combining my passive ability with active studying, I can make sure I know what I need to.

I’m not saying that this will work for you. Hell, some people would look at my method and crap themselves. Others would look at this (my girlfriend comes to mind) and say that it’s not nearly enough. I’m not here to sell my method, though if it works for you go nuts, I’m simply saying that studying is worth it in the end.  Find the best way for you to study, and go for it. It might take a couple takes to get it right, but there’s a way for everyone.

8. Take time to relax

At first glance, you would think that this point would directly contrast others that I have made. You would be wrong, but I can totally understand how you would do that. Let me explain:

Taking time for yourself is not being lazy, it is not skipping out on work, and it is not aiming for the average. It can be if your relaxation time is way too large, and causes those points to happen. It all comes down to balance with relaxation time. All work and no play make jack a dull boy. It’s very true, you know. When you don’t take time for yourself, you will eventually become frustrated, irritable, and probably end up shooting the mailman.

Taking time to relax and recharge has benefits that I don’t need to voice. I’m sure a brief search on the Internet will tell you more than I ever could. It makes you feel better, which will help you work better. It also takes your mind off of things, which can result in you having a flash of brilliance on a problem you were having. I’ve always found that taking an hour for a bath and a book (shut up, I don’t need to hear what a wuss I sound like) leaves me feeling way better.

I’m sure I’m missing many points that I could probably rig up, but after 3000 words, I’m running out of brain and witty banter. I hope that my points on my education can help, maybe even educate, some others. If you have your own points to add, feel free to comment with them.

As I’ve voiced my opinion over and over (and over), applied my own twist to things, and finally catching the ear of the designer at my current job, I’ve finally got my foot in the door for doing some graphic design work. Together, the designer and I were really going to blow away the old designs with a fresh look, new design rules to apply, and a good application of experience.

I was going to finally get my chance to do what I’ve been asking to do for almost two years! So why did I give it up?

The Paper

First and foremost, unless you’re a prodigy of design, the messiah of the layout, and the master of typography, people aren’t going to pay much attention to your opinion unless you’ve got some documentation backing you. It’s the sad truth, and it’s one of the driving forces behind my decision. You can be as good as you possibly can, but without that little “G.D” title under your list of can-dos, you have to work that much harder just to prove that your the designer for the job.

Once I complete my stint at Mohawk College, I’ll probably upgrade via a distance course so that I can work in the field and gain experience while upgrading my educational status. That part’s going to suck socially, economically, physically, and mentally but I’ll manage. I just remind myself that perpetual learning is the most important thing in life you can do for yourself and your community.

The Experience

I want to learn about design in a structured environment. I know I’ve been reading like a fiend since I started on this road, but reading books only gets you so far without proper application of knowledge. I’m hoping and somewhat expecting to get this foundation from school. I don’t want to be just another designer; I want to be a bloody-good designer. I want people to look at my work and say something akin to “Fuck. Yes.”

I know I won’t be able to do that without a strong foundation and understanding of the rules of design. School can help me with this.

The Direction

My work’s been rewarding. Sure I’ve worked 40 hour-per-day shifts, been sat behind the eight ball more times than I’m willing to count, and I’m sure I’ve lost hair from the whole ordeal. I’ve also been taught some rather good habits about how to work under pressure, know just what my abilities are and how to push them, and I know just how much I enjoy my work.

Having said that, being a code-jockey for the rest of my life is not what I have planned. I enjoy coding, and I like it being a part of what I do. I do not want it to be the main focus of my work because over the last two years I’ve come to the conclusion that I like design work more. It appeals to me, and I appeal to it. I would be short-changing myself if I waited too long before getting my formal education in the field.

As it turns out, my place of employment have actually offered me a part time job where I set my hours weekly. If I can’t work, it’s no big deal. They’re also willing to pay me my current rate of pay in an hourly format. That’s.. roughly 30 dollars an hour in a part time job. I admit that it’s tempting, and I’ve got to give that some thought.

The Drive

I want to do this. I want to become a designer and there’s nothing anyone can really say to dissuade me. I know becoming a designer will require a pay cut, at least at the beginning. I know that it’s a flooded field at the moment since everyone and their mother thinks that they can design. I know that it’ll be hard for me to stand out, but I will.

I will do this.

I will complete my schooling.

I will distinguish myself.

I will be a designer.

I will be proud of my work.

• Read Everything
• Grains of Salt are Heavy. And Salty.
• Hear Typeface, and Read Audiocasts
• Keeping an Open Mind is the Key to [insert something prophetic here]
• My personal Stash

Read Everything

This has been my life for the last several months. I’ve read more design articles then I can honestly count at this point, and I’ve only just begun. I’ve started subscribing to Podcasts so that while I’m at work I can listen to them. Yes, I can listen to Podcasts and work because I’m just that good (not actually that good). My Google Reader is growing, my participation in social networks is slowly expanding, I’m starting to look beyond what’s cool to try and understand the why behind it. This is progress, and this is what I want to share today.

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Grains of Salt are Heavy. And Salty.

In part one I talked about reading everything with an open mind and with an understanding that the authors of the articles you’ll read probably know more than you. After five months I still feel that way, and I’m glad for it. It proves that I know nothing in comparison to those living and breathing the field. Does that mean I’m stupid? No, at least I don’t think so. What it means is that there are people out there better than me, simple as that. It’s only a bad thing if you turn your nose up at them and decide not to learn from them.

A trend I have noticed amongst the Web, which is one I’ve noticed starting to bleed into real life, is the idea of collaboration; sharing information, tips, helpful tidbits, resources, etc. Instead of clinging to intellectual property and waving a searing iron of distrust at others, people are actually sharing their ideas. Though many business people will cringe at the idea, that’s the way things are headed and there’s nothing to be done about it. What does that mean for those deciding to learn? You are now being presented with a plethora of free information that is actually useful. To ignore this information (willingly or unwittingly) is an outright sin.

The problem with this flood of information is the fact that anyone and everyone (myself included) is writing it! All information is suspect at this point. Unless what you’re reading is coming from a known expert, you can never be sure if the article you are reading is legit. This is where the grain(s) of salt comes in. I implore you to read as much as you can about as many facets of design as possible, because information is power. I also implore you to take everything with a grain of salt. If you find something suspect or interesting: look it up, and find more on the subject. You can clear things up pretty quickly with one or two Google searches.

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Hear Typeface, and Read Audiocasts

Expand your media. I started off reading RSS feeds from random locations. Since then I have actively tried to find affiliates to those blogs to read new aspects on different subjects. I’ve started listening to Podcasts to expand my learning even further. Hell I’ve even watched a video or three about design topics. What I’m saying is that the Internet is full of different mediums, and I’d suggest checking out more then the three design sites you may be subscribed to.

When you do find yourself overwhelmed with your intake of information (everyone suffers from information overload) start to prioritize your inputs. If you know 5 sites, and a podcast always bring you the most consistent, well-formed ideas and articles, make the effort to read and hear and see those first. Don’t forget about the others, but when you only have so many hours in a day, It’s beneficial to yourself to keep your eyes on the prize.

So what happens to those neglected feeds? Read them when you have the time. Don’t let them interfere with your day to day life (some of us have jobs that consume their free time) and you can’t let yourself get side-tracked with a 40 minute podcast that ends up being rambling.

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Keeping an Open Mind is the Key to [insert something prophetic here]

I couldn’t think of a cool way to end the header, but the first part is golden. Keep an open mind about what you read. You will, in your travels, come across people who you disagree with. Maybe you have sound reason behind it, maybe you just don’t like the look of their display picture. Try and stay objective about it all.

If you disagree with something, figure out what it is you disagree with, and read up on it. It could be that the article is right on the money and it’s your perception that’s incorrect. The article could also be a total crock, in which case you were right to double-check things. If you feel strongly enough about the topic, I invite you to open discussion with the article writer(s) (if possible) and debate on the subject. Remember not to make personal attacks during these debates, because that just runs a good conversation/opportunity to learn right into the ground.

What I’m getting at here is that you shouldn’t shoot ideas down for pretty much any reason. Even the really, really silly-sounding ones should at least be discussed. Remember that people don’t always talk completely out of their ass. Sometimes, but not always. Discussions and debates allow for an expansion on the topic(s) at hand and everyone – or at the very least you – can walk away with even more knowledge then you would have had by simply reading the original post.

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My personal Stash

And I’m ending this article off with a list of every website I subscribe to, participate in, or otherwise know about. I assume that many of these will be common knowledge, but I hope that someone out there will be able to use at least one of these. Without further ado, the list:

Note: For the record these are not in order of preference.

• A List Apart
• Andy Rutledge: Design View
• Boagworld Web Design Podcast
• Design By Grid
• Digital Photography School
• Firetuts
• Hell Yeah Dude
• i love typography
• ideasonideas
• jQuery Blog
• markboulton.co.uk – Journal
• NETTUTS
• PSDTUTS
• Smashing Magazine
• Subtraction
• The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web
• The GoMediaZine
• TNTpixel
• Tutorial Dog
• Web Design Blog
• Young Go Getter

As for sites that I’m a part of, I’d like to state that though I am a member of some of these, I am not using them to their full potential. I’m working on it.

• Mixx
• Digg
• Design Float
• Chawlk
• 9rules
• design:related
• Behance Network

I would actually love anyone and everyone willing to contribute to comment on this post with their favorite Feeds, Blogs, Social sites, and/or other resources that you use to gain insight into the world of design.

This is the seventh and final part in an ongoing series of articles that depicts my process to becoming a graphic designer. I hope that anyone who followed along with this series can come away with something from it. I thank you for taking the time to read the ramblings of someone who happens to love design, despite having the official documentation to back it up.

Have fun, and keep learning.

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• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six
• Part Seven (Currently Reading)

Scope creep was rampant to a scale that I have not experienced since, and that’s saying something. I’ve had projects where I’ve been up for over 40 hours straight working because of scope creep, and I can assure that none of them fell anywhere near what I was supposed to do for this company. On top of that, every section had to have their own way of doing things, and I had to try and figure out how to fit it all together in one neat, little package.

Though the result is obvious already, I’ll press on. I swear I have a point to make with all of this.

I’d like to say that I worked as hard as I possibly could have, and that it all turned out great. I can’t, obviously, but I’d like to. Once the realization that the project could not possibly be done by someone with my abilities, i started to freak-out, which translated into slacking off. Like I stated previously, scope creep was everywhere, but it was not the only problem. The other major problem was a complete and utter fail at the effort estimates by both my employers and myself. Who knew that it took more than 4 months for anyone to make a CMS? Apparently we didn’t.

To add to this, I was younger, way less experienced, lazier, and my work ethic was roughly at the sub-par level. Throw in the fact that I had just started dating someone, and you get a bad collection of attributes to add to the already meaty mix of failure. I can admit to the fact that I did not work as had as I could have, and though that did contribute to the problem, even working at my best it was still a futile attempt. I’m not trying to lessen my blame or guilt here (I do feel it, believe me) I’m just explaining the situation.

Lets move forward in time to now. More specifically to last night. I was curious to see how they were doing. I logged onto the site in Firefox, and my eyes started to bleed. Then all of those repressed memories came flooding back, and I recalled how I just couldn’t get the damned thing to render in FF. Granted, FF was only in its 1.0 stage and had issues, but it all basically comes down to my lack of experience that lead to the horror that I was looking at. “My God, they’re using it,” I said to myself “they’re actually using it!” I looked around, and dear God they were still updating it too. So even after I did a piss-poor job with it all, they were actually using it.

It started eating me up inside. I couldn’t let that just sit there. I had the knowledge, the power, and the will to at least try and rectify the situation. I’ve gained so much experience over the last three years that I should be able to fix what I had done to the site in no time at all. I wouldn’t try making a CMS but damn it, I could fix that markup.

That’s when I realized how far I’d actually come since then. It’s only been three years (less, technically) and my experience is so much more superior to what it was then that my mind actually crapped itself a little. As I looked at that website, I realized I could remake the imagery and the markup in a couple days tops. It took me weeks back then. Even the way I did the CMS – such as it was – seems far simpler now then it ever did then. Hell, i remember spending days trying to figure out how the hell to do a recursive function to create the menu, as I hadn’t been taught them by this point. I eat recursive functions for breakfast now, though they all basically taste the same.

I’ll wait for the laughter to die down before I continue. If you didn’t laugh, you’re not a programmer or you don’t appreciate nerd humor. That’s your problem, not mine.

What I’m getting at here is that every once in a while you need to be reminded with just how far you’ve come. It’s sort of like looking at your grade 2 math homework, and laughing at how simple it is now. It’s like re-reading the first book you ever read, just to see how much easier it is now. Take a step back and look at what you do now. Look back a couple years and look at what you did then, and revel in how far you’ve come. Be proud of what you can do now, even if it doesn’t seem like enough for what you need to do.

You’ve got your goals, and that’s important. It’s also important to look at your progress to those goals to get that boost of confidence.

Oh, and for the record: I’m remaking the website imagery and markup, and I’m planning to email it to them. They can do with it what they wish, but at least I’ll feel better. As it turns out, I’m about a 3rd done, and it’s taken me about 3 hours of effort thus far. 3 hours versus multiple weeks.

I’m proud of what I can do now.

To achieve coffee shop-level relaxation, you need six things:

1. A Comfy Seat
   This is key, you cannot relax without a good, squishy, comfy seat to rest your bum on. I don’t think anyone can truly relax on a stone bench. I’m not saying you can’t use a bench, but I doubt you will hit your optimal relaxation point.
2. A Drink
   I’m not sure why but hot drinks tend to work better, even in warm weather. Try and get something that is as pleasing to smell as it is to taste. I’m a fan of French vanilla or raspberry flavours when I’m trying to relax. If you have to get something cold, try and something of the slurpy or slushy variety. They are more fulfilling to consume.
3. A Snack
   The snack is pinnacle to the whole system. It has to be something you can break apart with one hand, so it has to be smooshy or break-up-able. It can’t be messy lest you ruin whatever you are reading. It also has to compliment whatever you are drinking so that you don’t get conflicting tastes. My suggestion is a good blueberry muffin. Almost everything goes with Blueberry except and sort of anti-berry drink such as turpentine.
4. Something to Read
   A novel or similar one-handed book works best, though I’m sure you can still work it with a news paper or larger book. Try and avoid anything digital; not only is it harder on the eyes, but I find electronics stimulate too much of the brain. Make sure you’re reading something you are generally interested in. Just because you can read the dictionary, doesn’t mean you should. If you’re into that go for it, but I have a suspicion that you don’t get invited to many parties.
5. A Table or Or Other Surface to Place Your Stuff
   A table or similar surface is what I’m referring to. If you can get it on the side in which all of your non-book items are going, even better. The trick is to move as little as needed when going for your drink or food. Try and get one at a good hight too. Nothing is more annoying then having to reach too far up or down just to get to your food.
6. Ambient or White-Noise in the Background
   This is what really makes the difference. Coffee shops have people talking in the background, my work has a server and lots of key-clicking. Whatever is your backdrop noise, make sure it’s mild and pleasant. Try and avoid fast music or anything with a pronounced “Thump” beat.

If you meet these six conditions, you can actually become exceptionally relaxed merely by enjoying then in union. I managed to do it, and it’s probably the most relaxed I’ve been in a while; and at work no less! You’ll know when you’re relaxed when everything goes “wuanh.” I’m aware that that was a noise, and not an identifiable one, but when it happens that’s what you’ll feel. It’s the same sort of feeling when time forgets about you.

One more thing, remember that you cannot force it. If you try and make the relaxation happen, it wont. The trick is to get caught up in the moment, or the book, or both. You’ll be relaxing in no time.