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Keep An Open Mind

What have you been hoping for that hasn’t turned out as planned? Is it a goal, a dream, being in a committed relationship, or something similar? Why haven’t your plans materialised yet? It’s important we consider all possibilities because there could be other reasons things haven’t manifested the way we like. Sometimes the universe has a greater plan for us, which I equate to the game of chess. The moves must be calculated in the same way a Grandmaster considers all possibilities from the one chess move.

So, just because something hasn’t happened for you, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. In fact, it may happen better than you expect. You’ve got to be convinced of it and hold the belief things will get better. For example, you can’t be sitting around waiting for a relationship to materialise out of thin air. You’ve got to be working on yourself, so when a suitable person comes along, you are ready for it. Similarly, it might require more self-enquiry, such as healing wounds from the past or getting clear on why you want to be in a relationship.

After years of writing, speaking and coaching on personal growth, I strongly believe we live in a supporting universe. As long as we are aligned with our greatest self and connect with love, peace and harmony, everything we desire will come to us at the right time. What are your thoughts about this? You might disagree because experience has shown you otherwise, and that’s okay. It’s normal you feel this way now, and I’m not trying to convince you of something that isn’t true for you. But I ask you: are you willing to change your beliefs or entertain the possibility that what I’m saying could be true?

I’ve seen it in my own life and the hundreds of people I’ve coached over the years. I have no desire to make this stuff up, to get likes and shares. If these words don’t resonate with you, it doesn’t matter how often it gets shared around, it will be discarded. The proof lies in putting it to the test, to see if it works for you. It may work for some people and prove wrong for others. It’s a matter of testing new ideas and keeping an open mind. I don’t claim to be an expert on how the universe works. My research and study on the topic show the universe works in mysterious ways, and unbeknown to what we understand.

I’ve seen this in my own life where unexpected events took place. Some were blessings, and others were unpleasant surprises that challenged me to grow. But I’ve learned not to focus on the chaos, but to go through the storm and wait for the growth to show up. In fact, when I experience challenges, I welcome them because I know something wonderful is happening behind the scenes. I know that if the universe is pushing me to expand through pain and discomfort, there are wonderful lessons in store for me.

Maintain A High Bandwidth Of Positive Emotions

Therefore, just because that wonderful relationship hasn’t happened, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future. You’ve got to assign a deep belief that life can change unexpectedly. It happens every day; some people lose their job in a day. Others get married in a day. Fortunes are lost and gained in a day. The universe is mysterious and we ought to embrace it, not fear it. The same entity that brings us challenges also offers us wonderful surprises and blessings. It’s a matter of perception and how we look at our experiences. Are you comfortable with these ideas so far? Are you beginning to see that just because your circumstances are the same, it doesn’t mean it will follow the same trajectory forever?

So how can you use this knowledge in the future? How can you get through those times when nothing seems to be going right? It lies in your faith and patience. You’ve got to trust in a benevolent universe to bring you what you need because your desires are not separate from life. The fact you have a desire is born out of the same intelligence that gave you life. I’m assuming your desire is not to hurt others or contravene natural laws. If so, our desires will manifest once we are in alignment with the greater plan for our life. We don’t know what the plan is, but an indicator we are on the right path is by how we feel. Our emotions are our barometer, whether our desires are in alignment with universal laws or going against the tide.

Therefore, if you feel guilt, anger, disappointment, anxiety or sadness, there’s a good chance your desire is out of alignment with what is right for you. However, if you feel joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm and passion, there’s a good chance your desire is in alignment with what is right for you. It’s a matter of nurturing those emotions consistently. Having wants and needs isn’t selfish, but it’s important we feel good about them. So, if the idea of being in a loving and committed relationship makes you feel joy, love and peace, you are on the right track. It is a matter of staying in alignment with those emotions consistently.

That is all you need to do. The key is to get out of your head and into your heart and maintain a high bandwidth of positive emotions, without sabotaging it with negative thoughts. But being the meaning-making machines we are, we can’t help over-analysing when things don’t work out. Suddenly, we go from feeling good to negativity and wonder why our desires haven’t manifested. Knowing this, I invite you to write in your journal five things you want to manifest. In a column next to your desires, write what emotions come up when you contemplate achieving them? Is it love, peace, joy, happiness, etc? Focus on these emotions when you think of your desires. If you start to think of the reasons it hasn’t happened yet, thank your thoughts and shift your attention back to your positive emotions. Remember, the key is to quiet your mind and let your emotions guide you. Because our past needn’t dictate our future but can be a wonderful springboard to a life beyond our wildest dreams.

When working from home, the right gadgets can make a huge difference to your productivity. Not only do these help make work more enjoyable (not waiting 10 minutes for a computer to load up), but they also let you work in ways you otherwise could, and shave minutes off of your routine tasks. Here are some powerful work-from-home gadgets you might not have considered.

Echo Show

This device from Amazon is essentially a housing unit for the company’s digital assistant Alexa. The great thing about this one, is that it also has a camera.

The Echo Show can be an amazing tool for collaboration, thanks for the ability to “drop in” on family members to get a live-feed from their camera.

At the same time, an Echo Show will let you ask questions such as maths problems and get a quick answer without having to look up from the keyboard. Keep one in the office and you can also use it to set reminders.

Apple Watch

One of the best productivity gadgets is surprisingly the Apple Watch. While this device might not appear to do much that your phone can’t, the convenience of having it on your wrist, and the highly personal nature of the tech, makes it quite game-changing in this regard.

For one, an Apple Watch lets you put “complications” (widgets) right on your wrist. One of the best ways to use this is to show to-dos from Todoist here. By keeping these on your wrist, there is no way you can possibly miss them!

Getting notifications to your wrist also means you know whether something is important without needing to stop what you’re doing. And being able to talk to Siri on your wrist offers many of the same benefits as an Echo.

That’s before we talk about the indirect ways that health tracking can improve your productivity and performance.

GPD P2 Max

The GPD P2 Max is a surprisingly powerful laptop that is almost small enough to fit in a pocket. The reason this is notable, is that it gives you an option for typing up work that can be brought with you on a train, or that you can type on in bed without feeling like you’re glued to a massive laptop. This is perfect for when you just need to do some quick work, which can in turn make you productive at times you didn’t know you could be!

An interview is one of the most crucial points for a company to learn about a potential candidate for an open job position. Not only does it potentially understand the skills of an applicant, but also their personality, on how they approach problems, and how they carry themselves to name a few. Being an interviewer is an arduous task, not only will they be asking and explaining repeatedly, but they are the ones to scrutinize each and every applicant to be able to find the right person for the right job. Preparing for an interview is the next step to take after screening your job applicants. Numerous ways of holding an interview are now available for recruiters to choose from. Aside from personal interviews, there’s phone, video, or group interviews that you could use. Incorporating different methods of interviewing in your hiring stage is ideal. This helps the interviewers in selecting the right person to fill the position.

In this segment, we will discuss the different types of interviewing methods so you could choose which option is suitable for your company and your hiring stage. Choosing your interviewing method at the right stage is not a drawing straw game. Read on to further understand the significance of each interviewing method.

5 Interviewing Methods

1. Telephone Interview

This is usually the first stage of the interview process; why? Because this interviewing method can be set up for as short as 15 minutes – saves both the candidate and the recruiter’s time in the hiring process. The recruiter can prepare a questionnaire to better know the candidate and decide whether the applicant can move to the next stage of the hiring process.

At this stage, you can assess the candidate’s communication skills, confidence, work ethics, motivation and critical thinking ability. You may also check here if the applicant is a high-risk for attrition when hired. Questions such as what skills they are great at, how their day-to-day looks like, why they seek for a job change and what do they expect from you as a company.

2. Video Interview

Video interviews can be done live or by recording. You choose this interviewing method when you are not available to personally interview the candidate or you would like to review the applicant’s body language. This method is reliable when you want to read a candidate’s facial expression and determine their sincerity.

A pre-recorded video interview is very handy if you are not available to chat live or have other things attend to at the same time. Live video interviews are very useful on the other hand if you would like to assess a candidate for a managerial or executive position. Here, you can see their facial expressions, body language, and charisma.

Live video interviews are the same with the traditional personal interviews, the only difference is that you are doing it remotely through some online apps. There are several apps that employers use to hold video interviews. We have Skype, Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, Google Hangouts, FB Messenger, and FaceTime to name a few. It would be beneficial for both parties in terms of time of preparation, and travel time (for the applicant)

For pre-recorded video, also known as a one-way interview, the candidate answers the questions the interviewer has set for them to answer and reviews them afterwards. This video recording will then be sent through a link to the company email or a copy of the video can be forwarded as an attachment.

3. Group Interview

If you have few positions to fill and have received a massive number of applicants, it is recommended to use the group interview method. It is where the interviewer sets an interview between 2 or more candidates to fill one position only. This is normally used by employers who are looking for the right one with people skills, public speaking skills, collaborative approach, and a team player.

As the interviewer, it is suggested to prepare group questions and individual questions. This will help you gauge whether a candidate can articulate his thoughts, respect others while they talk, and their soft skills when expressing disagreement towards another’s opinion. Group interviews also save time and lessens turn over which results in saving money for employers thus, this method is included as the step two of their hiring process.

4. Panel Interview

In contrast to the group interview where the interviewer hosts an interview among more than 2 applicants, a panel interview is where an applicant answers the questions from a group of executives. This type of interviewing method is commonly used for filling managerial or executive positions. This is used when there are several opinions to consider and the position to fill is critical for the success of the company. One of the executives of the C-suite will act as the chairperson and the others will throw in their questions.

Panel interviews also assess the candidate on how they handle pressure and stress and their level of confidence and communication skills. Although this type of interview would affect more time out of work from various key positions of the company, this is a sure way to find the right one to fill in a position that is beneficial for all.

5. Individual Interview

This interviewing method is commonly done by the HR Manager or the Hiring Manager as the last step of the hiring process. This face-to-face interview allows the Hiring Manager to gauge whether this candidate profile fits in the culture and for some, check if there is a chemistry between them and the potential employee.

This stage is also where the candidate showcases and sells himself. It is therefore advised that the interviewer be more prepared in hosting this interview to spot whether the candidate deserves to set his foot in the company or not. Although this type of method is time-consuming, there is no other approach that is better than having a personal touch during an interview.

Knowing the different types of interview methods and your company needs is important when you are establishing a recruiting process for your company. Deciding the number of stages in your recruiting process is also tantamount to considering who should conduct the interview in each step. Your set of questions will also play an important role in screening who among the sea of applicants is deserving to fill the position.

Learning to play simple and fun songs on the guitar is easy. Many of my students have learned how to play Happy Birthday in their first lesson. Follow the simple steps below to learn this song in just a few minutes.

Learning to Play the Notes

To play Happy Birthday on the guitar, you first must learn how to play an open string (no left hand fingers pressing the string down to the fretboard). To do so, position your right hand over the sound hole and strike the first string (thinnest string) either with the tip of your right thumb or with a pick held between your right thumb and the outside edge of your right index finger. (You can also pluck the string with one of your right hand fingers by hooking the tip of the finger under the string and then plucking the string to sound the note.) Say “0” each time you sound the note because that is the number for the note played when you play an open string.

Except for open string notes, playing all the other notes requires holding a string down at one of the frets with the tip of a left hand finger. Press the tip of your left thumb to the back of your guitar and arch your left hand fingers so that you roughly make a “C” shape between your thumb and index finger. With the tip of your index finger, practice pressing the first string down against the fretboard with your fingertip very near each of the first four frets (closest to the head of the guitar) but not touching each fret. As you press the string down at each fret, sound the note the same way you did for playing the string open. In order as you play these first four frets, say the numbers one through four because those are the numbers for each of these notes.

Once you have learned to hold the string down at the first four frets to play notes one through four, move up the neck of the guitar and do the same thing with the next four frets. Say the numbers five through eight as you play these notes. Finally, move again to the next four frets and practice sounding these notes. Say the numbers nine to twelve as you play them.

Counting the string played open, you now can play thirteen different notes on that string and say the number for each note as you play it! You now know all the notes for playing Happy Birthday on the guitar. Most guitars are marked with a dot on the fretboard at the fifth, seventh, and twelfth frets, so finding the right fret for each numbered note is not hard at all with just a little practice.

Playing the Song

You will now learn to play Happy Birthday on your guitar in four groups of notes. Use your ear to guide you about the right timing as you play each group of notes. Play the first group of notes (0 – 0 – 2 – 0 – 5 – 4). Play the two open notes faster than the other notes. In fact, you will play the first two notes of each group faster than the other notes in each group.

Then play the second group (0 – 0 – 2 – 0 – 7 – 5). The first four notes are the same as in the first group, so memorizing the first half of the song is easy.

Play the third group next (0 – 0 – 12 – 9 – 5 – 4 – 2). Finally, play the fourth group (10 – 10 – 9 – 5 – 7 – 5). Practice the song until you can play it smoothly on the first string. With just a little practice, you can easily learn how to play Happy Birthday on the guitar by following these steps!

Playing in Other Keys

Because you are playing by fret numbers, you can play this song on any of the strings. Except for the sixth string, which has the same notes at each fret as the first string does, playing Happy Birthday on the other strings changes the song to a different key. You have now learned how to play Happy Birthday on the guitar in five different keys!

Soccer betting is now one of the most popular forms of betting and it is easy to see why. Before soccer betting on the internet became available it was just a case of having a bet at the weekend and again in midweek, that is if there was any matches being played in the middle of that week.

It is now possible to partake in soccer betting every day of the week, admittedly it goes a little quiet in the summer months when there isn’t a major tournament taking place but even then there is usually a soccer betting opportunity somewhere in the world.

Another big plus is that there are so many online bookmakers who are prepared to take your bets on the worldwide soccer matches that it is possible to shop around and get the best odds available.

There is also a wide array of bets available from who will score the first goal to who will be winning at half time and many, many more.

One thing to remember is that all of these types of bets can somewhat confuse matters and it is highly recommended to specialize in one area.

Before you know it you will have become knowledgeable on certain types of bet and you will be able to spot when a particular bookmaker has priced a bet slightly out of line.

It is often a good idea to take a look at some of the less obvious leagues around the world for your soccer betting activities, most people only think about looking at the obvious ones such as the English Premier League or perhaps the Series A in Italy, not many bother looking at the lower Argentinian leagues for example, which is unfortunate because it is places like that where value can often be found.

It is advisable to open a number of online bookmaker accounts so you can take advantage of the best prices available and there is also the added incentive that the majority of bookmakers will offer a sign up bonus for you to join them.

There are usually terms and conditions attached to these bonuses but they are always worth taking advantage of and at the end of the day they will add to your soccer betting profits.

It has never been easier to make money betting on sports. There are thousands of different websites designed entirely to help regular people win bets.

With all these people offering advice, it is of the utmost importance to find one that is truly a professional and can offer the quality advice they claim to. When searching for a good advice service, there are a few factors to consider.

First, the website should appear to be created by a professional. It should be appealing and have no misspelled words or grammatical errors. If the person who made the site was too lazy to read through the content and make sure it was well written, he or she must not be to serious and confident in their product. If they had an immaculate product that was going to help people win bets, their website should be pristine and attract people to use its service.

You should also make sure the site has a support system such as a phone number, email address or chat forum. The phone number and email address should connect you to a staff member or to the service’s creator. The chat forum is a great place to talk to other people that are using the service and can answer any questions you may have. Chat forums are rare but a great feature to have.

Finally, the website should have a help section. This will answer any last-minute questions people have as well as assist people in navigating throughout the website.

If a website contains all these element, you should feel confident you are getting some quality advice that will help you win bets and make money.

Everyone is looking for ways to improve time management. Whether it is the management of an organization looking for business improvement or an individual looking for ways to better spend their time, time management is important to both. Better time management can be achieved if goals have been set and then all future work is prioritized based on how it moves the individual or organization towards meeting the goals.

Many time management priority methods exist. The most popular ones are the A, B, C method and number ranking according to order in which tasks should be done. Both methods encourage looking at things that move one closer to meeting important goals as the highest priority to set. Things not related to goals would be lower priority. Here is a description at the three priorities and how they relate to general time management practices.

• High priority items (rank A or 1) are those tasks, projects, and appointments that yield the greatest results in accomplishing individual or organizational goals. For individuals, this could be related to goals of career advancement or small business growth and ties directly to promises made to customers or co-workers, or it could be unrelated to the job such as more family or leisure time goals and promises. For organizations, this would likely be related to increased profits, new business, key projects, and other strategic business items. High priority items should be the first work planned for each day and blocked into a time that falls within the individual’s peak performance period.
• Medium priority items (rank B or 2) are those standard daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, projects, and appointments that are part of the work that must be done in order to maintain the status quo. For individuals, this would relate to getting their standard work done, and might mean going to scheduled family or outside group activities as expected. For organizations, this is every day business items like project meetings, cost reduction, as well as regular administrative, sales, and manufacturing work. Medium priority work is scheduled after or between high priority functions, because this work does not require high levels of concentration, it can be done during non-peak periods as long as it is completed on schedule.
• Low priority items (rank C or 3) are those tasks, projects, and potential appointments that are nice-to-do, can be put off until another time, and will not directly affect goals or standard work practices. For individuals, this might mean learning a new skill or starting a new hobby that may seem like good ideas but are not directly related to most desirable personal goals. For organizations, this could be purging old files or evaluating existing work processes that currently run smoothly enough.

It does not matter if time management priority methods like A, B, C, numbering, or simply marking high, medium, low using a personalized coding or coloring method. It only matters that the practice has no more than three priorities used in moving closer to meeting important goals. More than three priority levels can bog the time manager in the process of prioritizing rather than doing valuable work.

Whether organization management or an individual looking for ways to better utilize their time, time management is important to both. Anyone looking for ways to improve time management, will benefit from establishing and following a priority setting method for completing work towards accomplishing goals.

We all hear the various statistics, data, models, and trends passed around in ever more sophisticated manners that promise new insights and new ways to fantastic business success. However, none – absolutely none – of these analysis or “expert” models get at or even talk about what has been, according to my tracking data of my organization over the last 15+ years, the number one killer of growth and by far the single biggest problem for cash flow and operations management: the divorce rate.

The popular statistic concerning the divorce rate is that 50% or thereabouts of all marriages will end in divorce. I tend to agree with that statistic but what this statistic masks – or what the media fails to report on – is that there are in very many cases children involved in these divorces who are themselves enrolled in things like ballet classes and other economic activity generators like private school, music lessons, cell phone use, so on and so forth. The real problem then is not just that divorce happens but that when it happens, at least 90% of the time, the two “adult” parties do not conduct amicable proceedings and so the child(ren) are caught in a vortex of uncertainty, as are any and all businesses that interfaced with this family or it’s children.

Years ago divorce still happened but there seemed to be active, deliberate efforts to minimize the impact on the children. This is borne out in our statistics because we show clear divorce trends back into the early 1990’s but it is within the last 5 years especially that the trend has gone from “stealth” or “smooth” divorces (wherein our organization would detect the divorce but only after it had happened and been settled but mean while the children of the family had continued their activities, had maintained a healthy focus, and did not appear traumatized) into “nuclear” or “armageddon” divorces where the proceedings are contentious, parents are obviously talking bad about each other in front of the children because the children turn around and mention these things in class, the children’s focus gets hazed-out and they become lackadaisical, and the financial structure needed to pay for activities like ballet class is totally disrupted resulting in at minimum ongoing account balances that are past due and usually ending up in financial failure and the student having to discontinue lessons.

What we have determined is that on a year-to-year basis, fully 30% of our client base will discontinue. Normally about 40% to 45% growth with new clients happens to offset this so our growth trend is still positive, but consider this: of that 30% loss, at least 75% of it is directly due to bad divorces. That is staggering. If the divorce rate went down to a more historically normal rate of 20% our year-on-year growth would not be 10%-15% but instead more like 25%. That is a huge difference. The “divorce factor” as we call it is at least as big a cost as our yearly insurance and utility bills plus about half of our advertising budget combined. What is worse is that unlike other cost factors which do facilitate business operations, this cost factor is completely negative, no positive side effects at all come from it. In fact, one could argue that as children are exposed to these “nuclear” divorces and the associated social trauma, later in life they become if not more prone then at the very least more accepting of this as a normal status which in turn would serve to amplify this already nefarious trend in society leading to further increases in the divorce cost factor for all businesses and organizations.

Now just what any organization or business can really do to effect a change of this trend is not at all clear, but one thing is certain: get the divorce rate down, and our data strongly suggest a dramatic rise in income would happen, across the board. A rise as large as if you could suddenly stop paying for insurance, all utilities, and no longer needed to advertise much. No other single cost factor even comes close to this outside of critical expenses like payroll or space rent. Therefore it is suggested by this author that businesses and organizations begin focussing mental energy and creative capital not on new ways to massage numbers, but on a fix to this ever rising, burdensome and real cost factor: the divorce rate.

What does it mean to parent mindfully with less stress? It can mean enjoying the time you spend time with your kids because you’re not always trying to change them. It can lead to making deliberate, intentional decisions about your kids with less worry. It can result in learning who your kids really are.

What does it take to parent mindfully? The attitudes and practices of mindfulness are available to everyone. They’re simple, but require practice. Seven basic attitudes, based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, follow:

* Being or Non-striving. Learn to “be,” without “doing.” Slow down, take time to breathe, focus, and be with your kids without distractions. It feels good to spend time with them without having a specific agenda. Turn the phone off and be fully present. See what comes up.

* Non-judging. Take in your kids as they really are, without allowing predetermined beliefs and desires to color your perceptions. It’s a lot easier to like and accept your kids when you’re not constantly judging them against your internal standards of right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, good and bad. Have curiosity and interest, without judging.

* Acceptance and Awareness. Be conscious of your thoughts but don’t let them define or control you. Focusing on negative thoughts leads to stress and worry. Be aware of your thoughts without letting them take over. Instead of worrying about why your kid is having difficulty with a teacher, notice and try to accept it. Your discomfort will decrease in its own time and any action you need to take will become clear.

* Letting Go or Non-attachment. After acceptance it’s calming to let go. You’ll have nagging, unpleasant thoughts, or situations that do not go as you’d like. You need not be attached to a particular outcome. If your kid is having peer problems, don’t push away the discomfort with immediate action. When you don’t have to change and fix things all the time, energy becomes available for other pursuits. Neither you nor your kids have to fix everything.

* Beginner’s Mind. As yoga instructors like to say, you’re practicing with the body you’ve come in with today. Let go of the memory of how things were yesterday, and expectations for how they ought to be today or will be tomorrow. Be open to seeing your kids as they are right now. When you look at them with beginner’s mind, you notice new things daily.

* Trust. Trust your ideas, your feelings and your intuition. Give yourself permission to stop worrying about everyone else’s opinion of your kids and your parenting style. Trust in others comes more easily when you follow your own wisdom. You may even start trusting your kids more.

* Patience. Patience is about knowing that things happen in their own time and cannot be rushed. It helps connect you to the present and reduces stress. Patient parents put less pressure on kids and show them, by example, how to be patient. Next time you’re in a rush, ask yourself, “What’s the hurry?”

Cultivating mindfulness involves practicing these skills. Pick one and try it three times a day; morning, noon and night take a moment to be aware of your thoughts and accept them without trying to change them. Or choose a few skills and use them in novel ways. Practice patience, non-judging and acceptance by taking three breaths every time you’re about to say something critical at the dinner table. Sit quietly for five minutes, just watching your kids, in order to practice being.

Adopting the attitudes of mindfulness, you will parent with less stress by bringing a calm awareness to your interactions with your kids. You will find you can respond to them deliberately, with clear intentions. You’ll enjoy them more and get to know them better.

Copyright, 2010 Judith Tutin, Ph.D.

It’s getting to be that time of the year where weather can have an impact on real life NFL games. As a fantasy football manager it is a concept that you simply cannot overlook. Yes I am going on the record and saying it. Checking the weather reports as a factor going into the process of setting your fantasy football lineup is required! This article will explore the impact of weather on fantasy football output.

It is necessary to realize that there are different categories of weather, all which need their own discussion. This article will focus on rain, snow, extreme cold, and wind. In the context of this article rain is defined as creating conditions where the field and ball are impacted, so a light drizzle would not count. Likewise for snow there has to be a significant accumulation on the ground that will impact the players footing. Extreme cold is defined as temperatures close to zero. Lastly, we will consider windy conditions defined as more than a light breeze, we are talking about those cold Sundays with wind gusts that have an impact on the quarterback’s ability to throw the ball.

Our first instinct would be to consider any bad weather condition to be a negative with regards to fantasy football output, however that is simply not the case. Rain and snow actually seem to have a negative effect on the defense more than the offense. Looking back at the 2008 season week 16 saw bad weather games in Buffalo, Chicago and Cincinnati. Those three games produced five 100 yard rushers. Note that these performances all came from the running back position, however quarterbacks and wide receivers can both excel in windy/snowy conditions. While the quarterback may not be able to grip the ball as well, receivers have a huge advantage on slick surfaces. Defenses are at a disadvantage with poor field conditions as it is harder to cut and maintain coverage.

While snow and rain are actually favorable to the offense, wind is another story. On days when the wind is gusting quarterbacks and wide receivers will be affected in a big way. All one has to do is remember the 2007 season when Tom Brady and Co. were simply rolling over everybody until they met mother nature in week 15. The only thing that could stop the Patriots offense that year was the wind. If you have a quarterback or wide receiver on your team slated to play in extreme wind I would suggest you find an alternative.

Lastly, there is cold weather. Some of the warmer weather teams are certainly bothered by the extreme cold giving teams such as the Green Bay Packers a huge home field advantage towards the end of the season. The cold weather also has an impact on kickers who lose distance on their kicks as the air pressure in the ball is affected. We came across an analysis that researched the effects of extreme cold that showed within a data set from 1998 that the home team won every extreme cold game. That’s right, undefeated at home in the cold! The take away is that teams not used to the extreme cold will see a negative impact to production.

In summary, weather is something to consider when setting your fantasy football lineup in the later months. Snow/Rain seem to favor the offense, particularly the running game. Stay away from defenses slated to play in rain and snow. Wind is another story as it can completely shut down the passing game. Extreme cold will affect kickers and away teams not used to those conditions. So remember, take a quick look at the weather before you set your lineup as it can give you the edge that determines the difference between winning and losing on NFL Sunday.