Our brains are really facinating. We often feel like we’re in control, yet we can see ourselves making decisions that we know we will regret tomorrow.

Yet thinking about that regret, and knowing that it’s a bad decision still does almost nothing to change our behavior.

Why is that? Perhaps the problem is what we are focusing on.

A recent study by Deborah MacInnis ,the vice dean for research and strategy at USC gives us some insights on how what we focus on can help us act differently. In the study, they placed subjects alone in a room, with a large piece of chocolate cake, utensils, and water. (Why they didn’t use milk, I don’t know. Maybe it would have made the cake even more irresistible.) They told them to eat as much or as little as they wanted, but first they were told to focus on the pride they’d feel when they resisted the cake. Another group was told to focus on the shame they would feel if they ate it, and the third group was given no instructions at all.

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Have you ever had a sneaking suspicion that retailers seem to start their Christmas promotions just a little earlier every year? This year, you’d be right in thinking so.

Desperate to beat tariff implementation, many retailers ordered ahead and shipped in advance to beat tariffs on consumer goods which came into effect on September 1. With inventory piling up in warehouses, many marketers were forced to launch their holiday season promotions even before Halloween.

But shop-window Santas jostling for space with grinning pumpkins isn’t the only impact of the U.S.-China trade war for retailers and shoppers. For the first time, tariffs are expected to deal a direct blow to consumer spending in the run-up to Christmas, with price increases hitting Chinese-made goods from toys to televisions.

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As important as the right plants are, they can’t do ALL the work for you. A great garden still requires a lot of preparation and maintenance to develop. Before you begin planting in the spring, here is a checklist of the 8 steps you should take to prepare your garden for a successful season:

1. Get your shed in order.

Go over your tools. Sharpen blades, oil hinges, and think about expanding or upgrading your collection. Use a mill file to sharpen blades, then add penetrating oil to remove and prevent corrosion. You would be surprised how much easier it is to dig or cut with a sharp, well-oiled implement; the right tools will make the whole season much easier!

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