If A is a success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z, where X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.” -Albert Einstein. This tart statement by no less than Albert Einstein ties in perfectly to this week’s column on when to know the value of keeping one’s mouth shut.

When Spring Break arrives, for many, everything else in life comes to a halt. We drop our normal routines. Our schedules become more relaxed, and not much may get done. And that's the way it should be. This goes along with the old saying, "Stop and smell the daisies."

Learning our way around a kitchen is a necessary skill for basic survival, really. While no one needs to become a gourmet cook, learning basic cooking skills and proper nutrition is a valid use of one's time. This can begin at an early age. When my children were about 3 years old, I had them help in the kitchen.

My last column discussed teaching order by having young children learn to organize their toys and rooms. This time we go to the next step of keeping track of schoolwork and the accompanying papers. This can turn into a lifelong concern, as "papers" seem to plague the world and challenge even the most organized individual. Learning how to circumvent the problems early on makes sense.

After my last column on Teaching Our Children, which was based around learning to do laundry, the next logical subject seemed to be organizing skills of a more general nature. With all the toys, clothing, and school items that young ones are surrounded with daily, these young years are a wonderful time to impart the concept of order.

Yes, that's what I just said, "Do the laundry" to aid your child in learning and success. There are many excellent skills learned in doing the laundry. Let me explain...

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my clients (and myself actually) get stuck between keeping something a little longer or knowing that it’s past its prime, shall we say.

I had the opportunity to interview Spencer Shulem, a young man who has developed two very successful productivity apps for Apple and might just be living proof that the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree (he’s my son).

This being my last column of the year 2013, I thought it useful to focus on preparing for the New Year by checking in with intentions made last year.

The holidays offer us the opportunity to dig out many items we only use annually and see what we have. Might I suggest a little “cleaning up” while you are starting to “set up” for the holiday season?