(Mention shipping boxes in regards to advertising of delivery products and subscription boxes)

With this weekend’s culmination, the next two teams to head to the Super Bowl have been determined. Say what you will about the way the Rams and Saints game ended and talk as much smack as you want about the Patriots, but none of that will change the outcome of who our next contenders will be for this Super Bowl: the Rams and the Patriots.

A lot of times, people like to meet up with friends, family, and even coworkers to watch the Super Bowl. Finger foods are prepared and thoroughly enjoyed, fans become ravenous for a win, and those who aren’t invested in the game wonder why the heck it’s such an American tradition to watch the silly game.

But perhaps one of the biggest things people talk about concerning the Super Bowl in the last decade or so is commercial presence.

Super Bowl ads become hugely discussed in early February simply because of how many people watch the game each year. It’s a no brainer for companies to spend tons of money just to secure a spot, but it ends up paying off big time considering the tens of millions of eyes who are watching their commercial.

So this year, we wanted to make a game out of the commercials. Count how many times you see shipping boxes throughout the 3 to 4 hour event.

Some companies like to show their national and even international presence by showing packages shipped to new areas. Others are simply showcasing their brand identity through their shipping boxes. And even other companies want to highlight the presence of a new fad: monthly subscription boxes.

I’m here to say that I fully expect to count at least ten instances of cardboard boxes showing up in Super Bowl commercials. With at least 50+ companies slinging their ads at your eyes, you’re bound to see some of the things I’ve mentioned. Just keep your eyes peeled and watching for the likes of parcels and packages on the go.

And no matter what happens, enjoy the game for what it means: bringing together friends and family. It’s a good way to follow up the winter holidays and will tide you over to those on the horizon. Considering there aren’t any major holidays for awhile, a lot of Americans like to regard the Super Bowl as a faux holiday. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t as well.

Getting started on goals, be they life changing or minor goals you want to get yourself to conquer, can be tough simply because it means going away from your daily routine to tackle new things. And for the most part, the majority of people fail their set goals because they never even attempt them in the first place.

But who can blame those people? That’s the normal thing to do. With good intentions in their minds, they write down goals and feel all excited about what they’ve written down. They feel good about getting the pen to paper. But when it comes down to it, they say they don’t have enough time, enough money, or enough energy at the end of the day.

Excuses. These are excuses to get out of accomplishing a new goal. It does take more time, more money, or more energy to get ahold of a new task, wrestle with it, and defeat it. It does, and that’s the whole point. You’ll never accomplish goals by conserving time and energy. Never. You have to go above and beyond and dedicate more of yourself to grow yourself. That’s the entire point of it all.

If you have to grab a roll of tape or other shipping supplies just to tape up a to-do list to your fridge or cabinets or wall (anywhere visible, really), then do it. Get messy, cheap, or dirty, it doesn’t matter. Those shipping supplies will be the best things you ever had so long as your list of goals are visible to you every single day. Multiple times a day. Whatever it takes, get it in front of your eyes so that those goals are staring you down every single day.

When you think about it, who out there ever felt good about accomplishing a task they put no effort into? No one. If you didn’t do it yourself, put in the sweat and blood, then there’s not much reward or payoff in terms of feel-good emotions. You may feel efficient, sure. But it doesn’t feel as good to finally get there.

So I’m here to tell you that accomplishing your goals is hard work and that’s why most people don’t ever get around to it. Because they don’t change up the way they’re living. Don’t be a part of the minority, though. Do it for yourself and because you know it’ll feel all the sweeter once you’re done.

Goods that are shipped across the country and internationally are something relatively new in the history of trade. It was only a century ago that most things were bought and sold in a brick and mortar shop. Sure, people would send items long distance, but those were almost exclusively to friends or family members, not for business.

The problem wasn’t that we didn’t have the technology to ship containers or boxes or parcels. It was the technology of payment that was lacking. Think about it. Why would a company want to send you a product if you couldn’t pay them until after you received it? Similarly, why would you want to pay for something across the country and only be sent it after they received your check or cash?

The internet, however, has solved this problem. Credit cards make it easy to put in your payment information in a matter of seconds, and before you know it, your items are being packaged in shipping boxes and loaded up in a truck to start their journey to your house.

It’s taken quite a bit of time for our conception of trade to evolve to the state it has, but it begs the question: What will our business model be like in another 50 or 100 years? Will shipping be twice as quick? Will things remain as they are since our transportation is pretty high speed and efficient as it can get as is? It’s too early to tell what will happen, but I can bet that autonomous vehicles will be a cog in the system that speeds the process up even more. Sure, everyone seems to be a bit timid or even afraid of the idea of vehicles driving themselves, but by taking the human component out of the model, business is actually faster, more efficient, and more objective. (Yes, we’re gonna leave the whole can of worms that is jobs vs. AI out of this article.)

So, what do you think? Will our idea of shipping boxes evolve in the next century, too? Will cardboard be outdated by a newer, cheaper, sturdier substance that is just as eco-friendly? Will shipping become a cheaper thing overall, or will prices rise simply because the efficiency will increase?

If only we could peer just a few decades into the future, I’m sure a lot of these questions would be answered in short fashion.

The new year marks a great time to restock on a lot of your supplies within your office or your home. At this point, you’ve probably neglected a lot of your stock anyway or run out completely without having noticed.

Just think about the times when you’ve run out of staples or other essentials. It kind of sucks when your lack of supplies forces you to make a trip to the local office supplies store, right?

Well, you’re not alone in the masses. Whether or not you realize it, a lot of households shirk their duties to keep up-to-date on office supplies in the home. The thing is, you can use these items in a lot of different ways outside of the office. Whether you’re intending to ship something to a distant family member during their birthday or just keep your office space tidy for work at home, you’re sure to benefit from this list of essential shipping supplies items. Here are three essential items you need, especially for the new year:

Packaging tape. A staple in any home, packaging tape seals the deal when it comes to remedying a lot of things. No matter what, though, it allows you to wrap birthday gifts, seal up boxes to be put in storage, and tape up items to be shipped off at your local shipping store. Having some strong packing tape handy is one of the most important items to have stocked in your office.

Black markers. No matter if you’re reading this and think you don’t really “need” most of these items for shipping, everyone can benefit from a black marker. Bottom line: These things are what everyone (mostly!) uses during the holidays to address a gift to someone else, especially because you can write it directly on a package.

Manila envelopes. You can send random items in these things. You can apply to jobs with them. You can store important documents in them. Whatever the case, almost everyone past the age of 18 has used a manila envelope. As a bonus, they’re useful for shipping smaller packages to distant family members around the holidays.

While this list is great for the holidays, you can definitely benefit from having a surplus of shipping supplies year-round. Whether it’s for the office, your kids’ school endeavors, or simply keeping in touch with the family, keeping your desk at home or work office stocked with the appropriate supplies is important.