Take a breath

February 9, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Changing habits, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, forming a new habit, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, State of "flow", tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

I’m loving listening to Sharon Salzberg’s free daily meditations this month. I met Sharon in 2007 when she was speaking at an Omega Institute Conference in NYC. Of all the classes I took that weekend, Sharon’s is the one that has stayed with me the longest. Sharon lives a Zen life, and her advice and teaching are always about finding the middle path – not too relaxed and not too tense!

In her meditation prompts this week, Sharon focused on breathing, something we barely notice and yet… try not taking a breath! I start each of my talks on Organizational Zen with quiet breathing. This is a great way to help you feel focused. And I like how even five minutes of quiet breathing helps transition you from one space, or project, or idea, to another.

Here are a few of Sharon’s exercises to get you breathing. Start each of these sitting quietly in a comfortable chair or on the floor. Make sure your back is straight. There’s something magical about having a straight back when you breathe. Your backbone is like an antennae to the Universe! However you sit, you don’t want to feel either too tense or too relaxed. You want to feel attentive and alert. Continue reading →

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 →

Secrets revealed

January 23, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Working with your guides getting things done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

I’m reading Tiny, Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. The book is a compilation of advice Cheryl offered in her column, “Dear Sugar”. As I read, I’m struck by the number of people who reveal a secret, a doubt, a fear, or a wish. And I’m struck by the fact that most of the secrets, doubts, fears and wishes are the same ones we all have.

When I worked as a volunteer at the Center for Grieving Children, I saw secrets of grief revealed every week. Grief is a weird, hidden thing. We think if we don’t talk about it the loss will hurt less. We don’t talk about it because it makes us cry. We don’t talk about it because we don’t want anyone to worry that we’re still sad. We keep grief bundled up and secretly tucked away, and it feels huge. 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 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 →

Lessons from “Creative Week”

December 29, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Using a planner, Working with your guides

The week between Christmas and New Year’s tends to be quiet for business, so I decided to christen this “Creative Week”. I have a number of projects I love to do that I don’t make a top priority – so they don’t get done. I thought this week could be rich for creative production – layered in with just two hours of work-work each day.

Normally, I set an intent for what I want to carry out, plan in time, and track what gets done – but that didn’t feel right for Creative Week. However, working on a complete whim was too big a challenge for a planner/tracker, so I brainstormed a list of creative stuff I wanted to get done. This included everything from running and meditation, to practicing the guitar, to making beaded bags, to reading, to writing for long periods of time. Continue reading →