My son loves playing sports. There was a lull between baseball and soccer season this year. By the time soccer season rolled around, he was practically bouncing with excitement. He had really missed the fun and camaraderie of weekly practices and games.

But not all kids love team sports as much as my son ... and that's OK. Any activity that they enjoy is beneficial for their health and good for their social skills. I'm not a believer in pushing kids into activities they don't want to participate in. But making the sport more fun and encouraging your child can be a great thing ... for both of you.

My son and I have a habit of practicing the soccer drills he learns in practice in our backyard. We also go down to a local soccer field and I blast kicks at him so he can work on his goalie skills, then he takes a turn aiming for different areas of the net to improve his ability. (Admittedly, I don't present much of a challenge as a goalie.)

Whether you love your job or you, er, don't love it so much, there are almost always times when you're going to be a bit bored at work. Maybe you're just not into the project you're working on or perhaps you can't keep your mind on things because it's beautiful outside or you've got a holiday coming up that you'd rather be planning. Whatever the reason, it is vital to find ways to keep yourself interested and busy, because being bored for 8 hours a day can turn your mind to mush.

I've just returned to a job after a few months on a holiday-hiatus and believe me, it was tough to come back after weeks and weeks of excitement while traveling. The first thing I did when I got back was ask for a lot more things to do. I didn't want my brain to numb due to repetitive tasks. Being able to mix-up my daily responsibilities has been a big help.

Asking for more to do, is one of 10 helpful tips on staying interested at work from the folks at AskMen.com (don't worry ladies, the tips apply to you too). The suggestions range from volunteering to work on tasks that aren't related to your job to furthering your training. Not only can the tips help keep you from getting bored, they can also help with gaining extra skills and knowledge that may eventually help further your career. So the next time you find yourself under-stimulated, rather than spend your afternoon wasting time on Facebook, try out some of ideas on the list.

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