Real wisdom can be found in overblown antidotes if you take them with a grain or two of salt. The solution is to turn self-help hype into real help by applying common sense to the pumped-up promises. Read three examples of how self-help fluff can become solid counsel.

Our aspirations are motivating, but unreasonable approaches are paralyzing. So we go back and forth between wanting something to happen and realizing we just don’t have what it takes to make it happen now. Each swing of this pendulum seems to confirm that we must lack the guts, the brains, or some elusive goal-manifesting power when the only thing we’re missing is a sensible game plan.

Technology will save you time (and your sanity and quite possibly your life, for that matter) if you recognize the limits of the average adult brain. Combining two activities requiring your total attention means doing neither activity well. Read this article for six tips for Sensible Multitasking.

Some people see their retirement as an opportunity to explore new careers, begin new businesses, and find ways to contribute more to their community. Hear Amy Wood discuss reinventing yourself in retirement.