After prioritizing the interior of the offensive line over the past few months, the Vikings continued that trend on Thursday night, selecting Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson when they were on the clock at No. 24.

The decision to stick and pick came as a surprise on the surface as the Vikings felt like a candidate to trade down to garner more draft picks.

The biggest issue with trading down is that the Vikings might have had to sacrifice Jackson in the process. They felt there was no point in adding more draft capital if it cost them the player they coveted most at the time.

How did the Vikings grade out in the eyes of experts?  Not many were in love with it. Nobody hated it.

Here’s a round up of grades from the first round:

NFL: B

Analysis: “Minnesota continued to remodel its interior offensive line with the selection of Jackson. He impressed by moving from left guard to left tackle during the Buckeyes’ championship run last season after the injury to Josh Simmons left a vacancy on the blind side. Jackson will move back to the interior in the pros. He’s a solid player who will be a sturdy pass protector and strong run blocker for years to come.” — Chad Reuter

USA Today: B

Analysis: “With Minnesota entering the draft with a league-low four picks, this spot seemed ripe for a trade. Nevertheless, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sticks with his first choice and continues to bolster his interior front after adding Will Fries and Ryan Kelly in free agency. Jackson might have been a somewhat surprising candidate to complete the effort, but the 6-4, 320-pounder showed off impressive pass protection skills when he kicked out to left tackle due to Josh Simmons’ injury to power the Buckeyes’ national title run.” –Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

CBS Sports: B

Analysis: Jackson is a good player who can play guard and tackle, but will be a guard for the Vikings. Minnesota needed to upgrade the interior of the offensive line and they will do it with Jackson. Teams loved his demeanor. I like the pick.” — Pete Prisco

Fox Sports: B-

Analysis: This is one of the stunners for me, given how the Vikings invested so much in free agency on interior offensive linemen. That said, I really like Jackson, one of my favorite blockers in this class because of his size, strength, durability and versatility. Protecting J.J. McCarthy is the top priority and the Vikings clearly are focused on that.” — Rob Rang

Sports Illustrated: B

Analysis: “Jackson is a mountain of a man at 6′ 4″ and 315 pounds, and started 40 games for the Buckeyes including nine at left tackle after Justin Simmons tore his patellar tendon last autumn. Going forward, Jackson is expected to kick back inside where he spent the bulk of his college career. He’s a two-time, first-team All-Big Ten selection and last year was named a second-team All-American.” — Matt Verderame

The Ringer: A+

Analysis: “I really like this pick for the Vikings, who bolster their offensive line with a tough and versatile bruiser in Jackson. An excellent hand fighter who plays with balance and football IQ, he completes the team’s makeover at offensive line this offseason. Dropping him in at left guard alongside Christian Darrisaw, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill gives Minnesota the chance to field one of the best offensive lines in the league. That will be a massive boon for J.J. McCarthy.” — Danny Kelly

Bleacher Report: B

Analysis: “Jackson will immediately slot into the final guard spot as a ready-made starter despite the difficult circumstances he faced last season during the Buckeyes’ title run. Ironically, he’ll now be blocking for a Michigan man in J.J. McCarthy, who needs a strong pocket as a first-year starter since he missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus.” — Brent Sobleski

By ALBERT STUMM, Associated Press

Starting with brushing his teeth before 4 a.m., influencer Ashton Hall says he also swims, meditates, journals, rubs his face with banana peel, lifts weights, submerges his face in ice water and accomplishes much more every day before breakfast around 9:30.

A video of his morning routine has racked up millions of views on social media, while sparking reactions that range from disbelief to awe. It also jumpstarted the conversation online about how best to start the day, even if a six-hour regimen is ambitious to say the least.

Don’t worry, said Kamalyn Kaur, a psychotherapist in Cheshire, England. You don’t need to start your day with dozens of activities to improve it. But she said it is a good idea to reevaluate how you get going because setting up a relaxed, structured morning will pay dividends for your energy and mood.

“It just sets the tone for the rest of your day,” said Kaur, an anxiety expert who advises new clients to start by reevaluating how they spend the morning. “If you set yourself up and you start your day properly, you start off feeling good, you feel organized.”

The case for establishing a morning routine

As a professor of workplace psychology at The University of Oklahoma, Shawn McClean has spent years studying how work life is influenced by the rest of your life.

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He said accomplishing tasks in the same order every morning is helpful because people have limited mental bandwidth before they have to recharge. The brain subconsciously reserves resources for tasks that require higher-level thinking, so routines are a type of mental shortcut.

“We’re cognitive misers,” McClean said. “We don’t like to use our mental energy on things that aren’t important.”

His research has found that employees perform better and are more calm throughout the day when they complete their morning regimen uninterrupted. Conversely, employees with disruptive mornings report higher levels of mental depletion late in the day.

“When it comes to routine disruptions, it throws off your whole day,” he said on a day when he was playing catch-up after having forgotten about his daughter’s show-and-tell. “You get to work and you realize you didn’t brush your teeth.”

What is a ‘good’ morning routine?

Most people already have some kind of routine in place, but few consciously decided on it before it became automatic, McLean said.

It’s hard to define what a good routine is, and there is no formula that is best for everyone.

“It’s going to be idiosyncratic to each person,” McLean said. “It’s what helps them function. Now, can we have destructive routines? Yes.”

Rushing around in the morning to shower, eat and get out the door just on time is an example of a destructive morning routine, Kaur said. The stress of a rushed morning produces extra cortisol, which is a necessary hormone that helps regulate the circadian rhythm, she said. It’s what naturally wakes you up and makes you alert in the morning.

Too much cortisol in the bloodstream, however, creates a feeling of restlessness and anxiety that can be similar to drinking coffee on an empty stomach, Kaur said.

Where should you start?

People who often have hectic mornings should consider setting their alarm 30 minutes earlier — and resist the urge to hit the snooze button, Kaur said. For many people, snoozed sleep is disrupted sleep that might leave you more groggy.

Kaur recommends adding at least two or three quick activities to your morning that have been shown to improve mood — starting with making your bed. Research shows that clutter foments anxiety, and completing a task first thing in the morning promotes the secretion of the feel-good hormone dopamine, she said.

Next, have a glass of water. If you’ve gotten a full night’s sleep, you’ll likely be slightly dehydrated after not consuming liquids for eight hours. And try delaying caffeine until after eating to avoid being jittery.

At some point within the first hour of waking up, expose yourself to natural light, preferably by taking a quick walk, Kaur said. Even if it’s cloudy, daylight is another trigger for the circadian rhythm that promotes alertness first thing in the morning.

“These habits are important,” she said. “It gives you the optimum chance and the optimum conditions to function better throughout the rest of your day.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

By HOLLY MEYER, Associated Press

Speculation surrounding a conclave to elect a pope is a time-honored tradition. But for the impending conclave following the death of Pope Francis, the ranks of armchair Vatican experts have swelled thanks to Hollywood.

“Conclave” the film, a moody 2024 political thriller, introduced many laypeople to the ancient selection process with its arcane rules and grand ceremony, albeit with a silver screen twist packed full of palace intrigue and surprise.

Though it has its critics, the film treats the gravity of a papal election with respect and accurately portrays many rituals and contemporary problems facing today’s Catholic Church. But Vatican experts warn the movie doesn’t get everything right.

Here’s a look at what “Conclave” does get right — and wrong — about conclaves. (Spoilers ahead.)

FILE – Cardinals leave St. Peter’s Basilica after the funeral for late cardinal Angelo Amato in at the Vatican, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

Scenery and aesthetics

The movie excels at re-creating the look and feel of a conclave.

“The film gets a lot right. They tried to reproduce the mise-en-scene of the Vatican accurately,” William Cavanaugh, a Catholic studies professor at DePaul University in Chicago, said in an email. “They show that a lot of the drama is around the preconclave conversations among cardinals.”

It’s not a perfect re-creation, according to the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst with the Religion News Service and a Vatican expert.

He called the movie’s production values “marvelous,” but noted slight discrepancies in the cardinals’ dress.

FILE – Cardinals walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, at the beginning of the conclave, April 18, 2005. (Osservatore Romano via AP, File)

“The red in the cardinals’ garments was a deep red, while the reality is more orange. Frankly, I like the Hollywood version better,” Reese, a Jesuit priest who wrote “Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church,” said in an email.

Papal protocols

The movie aligns with real-life expectations for a quick conclave, said Massimo Faggioli, a historical theology professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

“A long conclave would send the message of a Church divided and possibly on the verge of a schism. The history of the conclaves in the last century is really a story of short conclaves,” he said via email.

Reese pointed out other discrepancies. While the voting process was depicted accurately, he said, the ballots are burned not after each vote, but after each session, which is typically two votes.

Holy plot holes

There are a few particularly egregious errors that, if corrected, would lead to a very different movie.

A key character in the film, the archbishop of Kabul, Afghanistan, arrives just before the conclave with paperwork declaring the late pope had made him a cardinal “in pectore” — “in secret” — allowing him to vote for the next pope.

“The biggest mistake in the movie was the admission of a cardinal in pectore into the conclave,” said Reese. “If the name is not announced publicly by the pope in the presence of the College of Cardinals, he has no right to attend a conclave.”

Cavanaugh agreed and noted that while the movie’s twist about the Kabul archbishop was far-fetched, it does point to a certain truth about conclaves.

“The cardinals do not always know who they’re getting when they elect a pope,” he said. “If the cardinals knew how (Jorge Mario) Bergoglio would be as Pope Francis, many of them wouldn’t have voted for him. Pius IX was elected as a liberal and turned into an archconservative. John XXIII was supposed to be a jolly caretaker pope, and he unleashed Vatican II,” a series of modernizing reforms.

Another of the movie’s more outlandish storylines involves the dean of the College of Cardinals breaking the seal of the confessional by revealing to another cardinal what a nun confessed to him, said Reese.

“He committed a mortal sin and would be automatically excommunicated. Such an action would be egregiously wrong,” Reese said.

In addition to that, a cardinal paying for votes, as shown in the film, is unheard of in modern times, said Cavanaugh, and the politicking is exaggerated.

And so are the politics.

The movie errs in making cardinals into either liberal or conservative champions, said Kurt Martens, professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington.

“Those labels don’t help us,” he said because cardinals are very cautious in expressing their opinions and “even someone we think is a liberal cardinal is pretty conservative by secular standards.”

And he added that even in an unusually large conclave like this year’s, the rule requiring the next pope wins at least a two-thirds majority of the vote ensures that “whatever we call extreme” likely won’t get enough votes.

Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto and Nicole Winfield contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

Over on Reddit, a user recently asked for budgeting advice. After itemizing their current budget, the user was hoping to make cuts to their monthly spending and find a way to save more money.

The user said they brought in just over $3,300 in a month and spent about $2,600 on fixed costs, such as rent and insurance, along with line items for groceries and entertainment. The rest was for debt payment, leaving nothing for savings.

Applying the 50/30/20 budget — which suggests that 50% of take-home pay should go toward needs, 30% toward wants and 20% toward savings and debt payments beyond the minimums — the user was right on track, except for the savings and debt payments category.

Reddit responders had some good money-saving ideas, including switching to a cheaper cell phone plan and cutting back on extras, like car washes, electronics and fitness classes.

We turned to financial experts for their thoughts on the topic.

Prioritize an emergency fund

The financial experts we interviewed agreed that a budgeter’s top priority should be building an emergency fund.

“It’s very risky to have such a tight budget if you don’t have an emergency fund saved up,” says Kristen Vernace, certified financial planner and founder of Pathways Financial Planning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

“If you don’t have the cushion, one unexpected expense can throw everything off,” she adds.

Filip Telibasa, CFP and owner of Benzina Wealth in Sarasota, Florida, agrees. He suggests pausing extra debt payments beyond the minimum to focus on setting aside at least one month’s worth of emergency savings.

Then, if there is a rainy day event, it doesn’t put you into a deeper hole, he says.

Once one month’s worth of expenses is set aside, you can consider prioritizing high-interest debt before accumulating an even bigger savings cushion.

Putting those savings into a high-yield online savings account can provide additional motivation, because you see the interest payments accumulating, Telibasa says.

“You might be increasingly motivated to add more money to the account,” he says.

Spend less, even if just temporarily

To build up that emergency fund, we need to find a way to adjust spending to throw more into savings each month, Vernace says.

“It’s hard when almost all your income is earmarked for something and you don’t have any wiggle room,” she says.

To overcome that problem, she suggests combing through every single line item on your credit or debit card statements to find areas to trim.

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Ideas include asking your internet or cable provider for a better rate, cancelling some subscriptions and even switching to a lower-cost housing rental.

These measures don’t need to be permanent, but just until you achieve a more financially stable state, says Daniel Milks, CFP and founder of Woodmark Advisors in Greenville, South Carolina.

“My suggestions would be to really buckle down for a short period, maybe six to 12 months, and get aggressive about cleaning this up,” he says.

Canceling all non-essential subscriptions and memberships is a good place to start, he adds.

“This doesn’t have to be a forever lifestyle. It’s about making short-term sacrifices now to create long-term flexibility later,” Milks says.

Aggressively pay off high-interest debt

With a basic emergency fund taken care of, high-interest debt can be a higher priority, Telibasa says. He says if the interest rate is in the double digits — which is common with credit card debt — then you’ll want to prioritize paying it off as soon as possible.

“The whole idea is opportunity cost. Do we feel we could earn more than the interest rate if we put these funds elsewhere, like a 401(k) plan or a Roth IRA or a savings account?” he asks.

If the interest is in the double digits, then the answer is probably not.

Bring in more income

While the idea of  bringing in more income can be daunting, Vernace says it’s sometimes a relatively easy lift. One of her clients babysits dogs while she’s working at home, which is work she enjoys, and brings in extra cash.

Vernace suggests looking for side jobs that allow you to retain control of your schedule, such as those you can do from home.

“It can take you from a tight situation to one that’s comfortable and give you more breathing room,” she says.

Look ahead to new habits

Establishing new saving and spending patterns can be a “learning opportunity,” Milks says.

“You can take it as a wake-up call and make lasting changes to avoid falling into the same trap again,” he adds.

Reddit is an online forum where users share their thoughts in “threads” on various topics. The popular site includes plenty of discussion on financial subjects like saving and budgeting, so we sifted through Reddit forums to get a pulse check on how users feel about trimming spending. People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances.

Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.

The article Asked on Reddit: How Should I Trim My Monthly Budget? originally appeared on NerdWallet.