Oops! Video link added: Are you an “active couch potato?”

September 22, 2022September 23, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Business tips, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Take care of your precious self! active couch potato, Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, Gretchen Reynolds, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize, organize your life, organized zen, organized zen now, take stretch breaks, tips to be more productive, tips to get organized, ways to improve your health

A new study out of Finland shows that even if you exercise for a half-hour to an hour each day, you can negate short-term and long-term health impacts of that activity if the other 23 hours of your day are spent sitting still.

The study showed that short activity breaks throughout the day help to lower cholesterol, reduce body fat, and lower your blood pressure. What’s cool about this study is that it shows you don’t have to do a lot during the day – but you need to do it often.

So set your alarm to remind you to take more breaks. And then make a list of things you can do to keep moving throughout the day. Want some ideas? How about take a coffee or water break. Tidy up. Take a walk. Make a call while you walk. Play with your pet. Or simply get up and stretch!

Organized Zen is about getting to your best work. To do that, you want to live a long, healthy life. Taking little breaks each day to keep your body moving is a simple way to help you get where you want to go today and WAY down the line.

What’s a baby step you can take today to get started?

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Time to stretch with a little Social Exercise!

September 2, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Community building, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, David Brooks, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, get more energy, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, open up your energy, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize your life, Organize your time, organize your work, organized zen, organized zen now, social exercise, tips to be more productive

Don’t you love it when you’re new to a group and someone makes an effort to get to know you and helps you feel welcome? We are a social species, and when someone is friendly, kind, warm, and welcoming we take a deep breath and are grateful.

In a recent article by David Brooks at the New York Times, Brooks cites a study that shows how much people underestimate the impact of talking to strangers. We underestimate how open most people are to having a conversation, how much we’ll enjoy a conversation, and how much we can learn.

I am a big proponent of trying out new things. So why not practice a little Social Exercise this week and see if you can be that warm and welcoming person in a group you’re part of at work, school, in your neighborhood, or at home?

Organized Zen is all about getting to your best work. Sometimes a stranger is just the person you need to help you figure out how to do that.

Click here for more thoughts.

How’s your work-energy balance?

August 26, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Take care of your precious self! Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, energy builders, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, increase your energy, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize your life, organize your work, Tips for work, tips to be more productive, work-life balance

Does the work you do for pay or as a volunteer boost your energy? Or drain it? Organized Zen is all about getting to your best, high-energy work. So what do you do if your work drains you?

I spent most of my career in the “creative” departments of two large direct marketers, but my work was far from creative. I excelled in my career choice because of my organizational skills. I was paid well. And I met some really terrific people. But my energy was drained by the work I chose. I needed something with a deeper connection and I needed to be more creative.

I filled those needs and lifted my energy through volunteer work, first at a Grieving Center, and then running a children’s acting workshop. The cool part about energy is that once you find it, it spreads. In my case, doing volunteer work that touched my heart helped me stick with energy-draining but lucrative professional work until my kids were raised.

In this talk, I share an exercise to help you figure out where and how you get energy. Then I encourage you to ponder ways to bring more energy into your life. Our time here on earth is limited. Today would be a great day to take a baby step that helps you bring out the best of what you have in you.

Cheers!

What gives you energy?

August 17, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Take care of your precious self! Changing habits, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, organization, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize, organize your life, organized zen, organized zen now, tips to be more productive, ways to lift your energy

I came back from working on an opera in Maine ready to write, bike, run, spend more time at the Smithsonian museums, hang out with friends, sew, and sing! (That last one is not so surprising.)

Have you ever noticed that energy begets energy? That when you do something that charges you up, you find a surprising amount of energy to do more?

Here are more thoughts on this! I hope you are having a great August!!

10 tips to vacation right where you live

August 9, 2022 organizationalhabits Changing habits, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Take care of your precious self! Changing habits, cheap travel, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, stay-cation ideas, tips to be more productive, traveling tips, vacation at home

How much do you know about the town you live in? What can you do there for fun that you’ve maybe never done before? If someone was coming to visit you, what would you recommend they do? Then why not do that yourself!?

Taking a vacation is important as a way to reset your brain and is a great way to add energy to your life. With Covid rampant again, airlines unpredictable, and gas prices making even car travel expensive, taking advantage of all your town has to offer is a great way to take a break without breaking your wallet or your sanity!

In this talk, I’ll give you 10 tips for ways to vacation right where you live. I hope you have fun with the content. Happy summer!!

Getting in sync with your core self

June 29, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organization, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize, organized zen, organized zen now, tips to be more productive

You were born with unique gifts to share with the world. When those gifts sync up with what you do on a daily basis, the positive energy of getting to your best work makes you productive and joyous – and we all benefit from that!

This talk challenges you to figure out what your unique gifts are, and to compare that to how you spend your time. Is there stuff in your core you never get to? And/or are you spending time on fun or work that doesn’t touch you at a core level?

More thoughts here!

If this is helpful, please like, share, and subscribe.

“Grow wild according to thy nature.” – Henry David Thoreau

Create connection by asking questions!

June 21, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Community building, Organizational Exercises building community, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, organization, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organize, organized zen, organized zen now

There are opportunities to build community all around you. My latest was last weekend when I was out kayaking on the Shenandoah River with a Meet Up group of 50 strangers.

When you are on the path to Organized Zen to joyously get to your best work, having a community around you is a delicious support system. And getting connected can start with a smile and a simple question: Where are you from?

Then maybe follow that with: What brought you here today? Where did you grow up? What do you do for work?

You start to build community from the moment you introduce yourself, ask a question, and listen to the answers without jumping in with your own story. You build on that community when you connect one person to another where you find commonalities. And the circle is complete when even the outliers within a group who struggle to start a conversation, are welcomed in and feel seen and heard.

I love this quote from Ross Gay in his new book The Book of Delights: “The more stuff you love the happier you will be.”

Loving the people around you and finding a connection to them is a great step to finding that happiness. I hope this is helpful and that you take a daring step this week to reach out and bring someone new to your community.

Here are my thoughts from a wonderful kayak day on the Shenandoah River.

Your brain would like you to travel!

June 15, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Planning impacts on your health, Take care of your precious self! brain health, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, organizational advice, organizational tips, organize, organized zen, organized zen now

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

~ T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets

I took off to travel for two weeks starting in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee on a solo camping trip. I would have no showers, internet, or GPS access, but I wanted to see the synchronous fireflies who only breed in this area for about two weeks a year. And I wanted to experience some of what I’m writing about – traveling overland in 1861. I was sure a temporary loss of productivity would be rewarded with a unique glimpse of nature. As I headed south, I felt myself shift from “super-charged, get-it-done” to slow-mode as I prepared myself for the experience.

What I wasn’t expecting was two solid days of drenching rain that delayed the fireflies and changed my learning to cook over an open flame plans. Oh, and then there was my camping neighbor – a black bear hiding out in a tree to avoid being relocated beyond the campground perimeter. After two days of wet, I packed up my soggy gear and continued my trip south.

So was camping a disaster? No. I loved being off the grid with no plans but to “follow my nose.” I got some writing done about what it’s like to live outside in torrential rains. I started and finished reading a book. And I squeezed in some biking through a misty mountain cove. And as odd as the circumstances were, I had time to relax and reflect, to be humbled by nature, and to practice all of my flexibility skills!.

And here’s a cool thing about that. Neuropsychologist Paul Nussbaum, an adjust professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says that we’re not just changed while we’re traveling, but we’re also slightly different when we get home. That traveling can help us be more creative, open-minded, and trusting. He says that some of that change is because your brain likes having to puzzle out something novel and complex. The trick is to push yourself a little outside of your comfort zone. Or to just go a little slower for a change by choosing a place to travel that has few options for how to spend your time.

Click here for more thoughts on this intriguing subject. Then maybe, maybe, plan your next trip and see how that might open you up to some new personal magnetic north.

What do you want to be known for?

June 10, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused build your brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, Get organized, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organized, organized zen, organized zen now, tips to be more productive

I recorded this short video before taking off to travel for a couple of weeks. Traveling tests your mettle – it takes your brand and shakes it up! But more to come on that in my next post.

In the meantime, here are some thoughts and questions about who you are and what you stand for. Are you 100% guaranteed?

Organizational Habits

Simple, practical tips and exercises to help you get organized