Building your personal brand

Tips for working together as a team

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I love to write and create as an individual, but my energy lifts and flows when I collaborate with focused, tight groups. This includes my team work at Catalog University, and with the volunteer work I do – especially in the theater. My family is also a great team. We get a ton done and have fun doing it!

So I was super psyched when Charles Duhigg’s new book Smarter Faster Better (awesome read) took a dive into figuring out what makes a great team. Charles writes about how Google spent four years on this problem. First, they looked at who was on a team and could find no pattern. It was only when they looked at how teams worked that they found magic.

So what do the most productive teams have in common? Continue reading →

The disorganization habit

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Have you ever uttered these words?

  • I’m not messy – I’m creative
  • I’ve always been disorganized
  • Someone will remind me if I forget
  • I run late – people are used to it
  • Don’t mind the mess at my house – it’s my mess and I love it

Then you may be in the disorganization habit. And maybe it’s working for you. But if you’re reading this post, then maybe you’re looking for a change. Continue reading →

Being open to the BOOM

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , ,

I love having a to-do list, a calendar, a daily planner. Most days this works really well for me to get lots done. But other days, I start with a BOOM.

Some days the BOOM hits me as I’m waking up. Sometimes it hits in the shower. Sometimes I’m halfway up the stairs on the way to my office when I get an idea to do something that is definitely not on my list for the day. I feel my energy lift, a smile spreads across my face, and I dive in. Continue reading →

The plot thickens…

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the secret world that only you know, what does your ideal life look like? This isn’t the world that other people see for you. Or a world that everyone else wants. This is your world.

  • If you were writing the novel of your life…
  • What’s the plot line? Is this a historic novel? A romance? A mystery? High adventure?
  • What century is it? Are you in revolutionary war France? The wild west? Ancient Rome? Current-day America?
  • Where do you live? Is it warm or cold? Mountain or shore? Continue reading →

Could you live a simpler life?

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving is a great time to focus on what you feel grateful for.

If you aren’t feeling grateful this week, try brainstorming a list, or make a cool graphic like the one to the left, of everything in your life that brings you joy. Push yourself to make the list as long as possible so you remember to include the goofy things and the cool things – like chocolate. Or playing with your dog. Or sunrises.

Continue reading →

Election Recovery Ideas

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , ,

Two weeks ago, the US presidential election tipped our world and left many of us feeling anxious, uncertain of the future, and way out of balance.

Here are a few thoughts to help you get your balance back, focus on the good in the world, and be honestly grateful this week: Continue reading →

How do you spend your time?

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, 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 , , , , , , , , ,

How do you spend your time? Do you choose with focus and intent? Or are your days more random?

When you’re surfing the net or watching TV, is your energy up, or down? When you stop, do you feel lighter or heavier? Are you learning something? Sharing something?

Do your activities make a difference in your life or in the lives of others? Are you using your time well? Does what you’re doing affect you at a soul level? Continue reading →

We’re in this together

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Decision making, Meditation, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , ,

In times of uncertainty and divisiveness, it helps to be mindful of the people around you and to recognize that we’re all in this together.

Patriot’s Day weekend, 2007, I was at an Omega Institute class in mid-town Manhattan with Zen teacher Sharon Salzberg. The topic was mindfulness. At the end of the class, Sharon asked us to look around the room and imagine that we were going to be stuck in a subway car with this specific group of people – for eternity.

“If you know you’ll be with this group for eternity, does that change how you feel about them? Does it make you more curious? Are you going to get to know them? Or are they going to continue to be strangers?” Continue reading →

Getting grounded in self-care

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health , , , , , ,

When I give talks on Organizational Zen, I always end with a slide that says, “Take Care of Yourself”. It occurred to me recently to move this slide to the front of the pack because if you aren’t healthy, getting organized is the last thing you want to tackle.

“Take Care of Yourself” sounds simple, but we know it’s not. Are you careful about what you expose your body to? Are you getting enough sleep? How are you doing for exercise? Do you have quiet time each day to help manage stress?

How could I give this only one slide? 🙂

In this post, I’ll tackle my favorite part of self-care: Things you expose your body to.

Food
I’ll admit it: I’m a foodie. I read every ingredient label and agonize over the food I eat. Where was it grown? Does it include additives? Did anyone suffer from the collecting of this food?

Bottom line: Is it healthy for the planet, and for me to eat this? Continue reading →