Living a hygge life

February 4, 2017February 4, 2017 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips for organizing your house, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, decluttering your life, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, Working with your guides

There are so many ways to get good work done. Getting grounded in a hygge atmosphere can bring you back to simple pleasures in life that are easy to miss in our over-planned, e-driven world. Hygge (hoo-gah) is a Danish word that has many, many layers – each one more inviting than the next.

I just finished reading Meik Wiking’s Little Book of Hygge. Here is Mike’s “Hygge Manifesto.”

How many of these elements can you invite into your life, praise them for being in your life, and talk about how cool they are to have in your life?

Atmosphere
Create an atmosphere at home and at work that’s warm and inviting. With lamps that create pools of light. Candles. Great music mixed with times quiet enough to listen to the weather outside. Natural wood and colors. Vintage furniture. Plenty of books. Plump pillows. Continue reading →

Sharing a bubble of happiness

February 1, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, Working with your guides

Close your eyes and picture the last time you were really happy.

[pause to ponder – I’ll wait!]

What were you doing?

Who were you with? Chances are you were with somebody because at our core, we’re social animals and being around people and animals we trust and can laugh with is a big part of what makes us happy.

When you picture that happy time, do you feel an energy bubble in your gut? Continue reading →

“The future has an ancient heart”

January 28, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, working on big projects, Working with your guides

“The future has an ancient heart.”

I love this line from Italian writer Carlo Levi. The thought is that you are who you are from the moment you’re born, and the future reveals what’s always been there.

If you’re struggling with where you’re headed, look back at where you were when you were 5, 10, 15, 20… Continue reading →

Deadline!

January 25, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Helping kids get organized, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips on using a planning calendar Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

Do you have something you really want to do but never seem to make time for? Here’s a simple idea: Set a deadline.

Right, you say. I’ll just break it if it’s my deadline.

How about this?

Get a clear picture in your head of what you want to get done.
Set a realistic deadline for when you could complete this awesome thing.
Tell a friend what you’re going to do and what your deadline is.
Write out a check that would hurt financially to pay to an organization that you’d HATE to contribute to.
Give the check to your friend.
Full of incentive, go do the work you’ve always wanted to do.

Continue reading →

Finish what you started

January 21, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused Big project ideas, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

If you’re having trouble staying focused on a project you started but can’t seem to finish, step back and think about what you’re doing. Is this something you really want to finish? If it is, then look at the situation because maybe that’s the problem. We think of ourselves as being consistent in how we work, but in truth, we shift gears on a pretty regular basis depending on the environment we’re in.

To get your best work done, you want to be jazzed up about what you’re doing AND you want to be energized about where that project takes you. Continue reading →

Choosing to be consciously cozy

January 13, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, decluttering your life, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizational tips for kids, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

Think about some of the best times in your life. How many of them were times you spent with family or friends, cozied up in a quiet place enjoying simple times with good people? Candles were lit. Maybe there was a storm outside. Maybe there was a game. There was definitely great conversation. Everyone felt included and everyone loved being part of the group.

If you’re like most Americans, these times “just happen”. In Denmark, hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), is about striving to create these times, to be “consciously cozy”. What an awesome choice in a time of uncertainty, unsettling change, and elitism.

Here’s how the Danes define hygge: Continue reading →

Getting to the BIG stuff

January 8, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner, working on big projects, Working with your guides

When you’re thinking of BIG things you’d like to do in this lifetime, block out some quiet time, do a little quiet breathing (in through your nose and out through your mouth helps you think more clearly!), and make a couple of lists.

List #1 is stuff you’re already working on that you want to do more of.
List #2 is stuff you’ve always thought of doing but have never dared start.
List #3 is an outrageous brainstorm list, weird stuff that is super compelling, that raises your energy just to think of it, and that you’ve never given much thought to – until maybe right now.

Set the lists aside and go about your day. These need to cook for a while. Continue reading →

The possibilities of tomorrow

January 5, 2017December 9, 2019 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, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, How do I use a planner?, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner

History is filled with facts which makes it really solid. When we look back, it seems like what happened was the only possibility, that what happened was inevitable.

But then there’s “today”. You look ahead. You wonder what will happen. And you know it’s not pre-ordained because there are so many potential threads. Tomorrow could take you south, or west, or north. It could be wild or calm. Big things could happen. Or nothing special could happen. Continue reading →

The importance of spending time alone

January 3, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

An artist needs time to create. A writer needs time to work out a story. A musician needs time to play and to compose. A saint needs time to pray.

Alone-time lets you refill the pitcher of your life from all the little daily leaks and keeps your soul from running dry.

Such are the musing of Anne Morrow Lindbergh in Gift from the Sea. Anne was married to Charles Lindbergh and was a fellow aviator and accomplished author. She survived the abduction and murder of her first child, went on to have five more children, and outlived her famous husband by decades finally passing at the age of 94. Continue reading →