The magic of choosing with intent

February 8, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

Every presentation I give on organization starts with a discussion of intent. I ask people to take a quiet moment to think about why they came to the talk. And then there’s that awkward moment: If someone can’t think of a reason why they’re there, I suggest they step out. No one’s ever taken me up on this, but I’m serious! If you’re somewhere you don’t want to be, your focus and energy aren’t there. And other people pick up that which means you’re not only wasting your time, but you’re messing with the overall energy in the room. Continue reading →

Ring bells. Light candles.

February 4, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Meditation, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, Meditation tips, organizational tips, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

As much as I love organization, I’m not a big fan of organized religion. I hope you don’t take offense; I know many love the church. But I struggle with churches that: Continue reading →

When things go out of control

January 28, 2018December 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", Helping kids get organized, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

Do you ever have one of those days, or weeks, or months, where everything seems out of control? People tell you not to worry, that, “Mercury’s in retrograde.” And you’re like, “My life is in retrograde!”

When you’re faced with the overwhelming, it helps to picture your mind as a big sky – vast, and limitless. And this “thing” that’s happening? It’s such a small thing in that vast sky. The “thing” isn’t everything. It’s a tiny piece of a big sky. That’s everything.

And that immovable block? What can you build on it? Continue reading →

Making a new habit a priority

January 23, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

When you’re working on something you really connect with, you get more done. It’s weird to think that adding something to your “to do” list helps you do more – but it does. When you work on stuff you love:

Your energy goes up.
Your focus improves.
You manage your time better because you want to make sure you have time to get to your good work.
You’re more interesting to be around.
You feel better.

Quiet, mid-Winter days are a great time to ponder a new habit. Successful new habits start with intent – why do you want to do this?

Then you have to figure out how to make this new habit a priority. Doctor and author Lissa Rankin has a great exercise to help you figure out your priorities. Take a plain piece of paper and draw a stack of circles. Each circle is a core part of who you are. Each is something that makes you tick and makes you happy. Continue reading →

The importance of JOY

January 13, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips for kids, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

George E. Vaillant, a psychoanalyst and research psychiatrist at Harvard, directed a 30-year study on adult development. According to Vaillant, joy, love, compassion, happiness, and delight “help us to broaden and build. They widen our tolerance, expand our moral compass and enhance our creativity,” as well as help bind us to others. Vaillant’s experiments document that while negative emotions like shame, guilt, anger, and hate narrow our attention, positive emotions, especially joy, make thought patterns far more flexible, creative, integrative, and effective.

On the flip side, when you dwell on negative feelings, you damage your physical and spiritual well-being. Negative emotions cause stress on your body – and you’re less pleasant to be around so they can have a huge effect on relationships. Continue reading →

Did you have fun last weekend?

January 9, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Working with your guides

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

What’d you do last weekend? Anything fun? Anything “story-worthy?”

A common regret at the end of life is that you lived a life others expected of you and weren’t always true to yourself. That you had ideas but didn’t listen to your gut. Some of this comes from being raised to “get along.” And some comes from the ease of doing things that are expected rather than really thinking about what you like to do. And then having the courage to do it! Continue reading →

Nat Geo on happiness

January 1, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Planning impacts on your health, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, how do I exercise more?, organizational tips, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

I read a great article in National Geographic about places where people are happier than most. The article looks specifically at the effect of “place” and how your environment shapes you. But it’s never really the place, is it? It’s a package. And what Nat Geo was looking at was long-term happiness – not a simple “good time” vacation get-away.

In Costa Rica, happiness comes from strong family bonds, universal healthcare, strong faith, lasting peace, equality, time spent outdoors, and generosity. In the 1940s, Costa Rica elected a teacher as president. This resulted in a decision to provide free education for all, to eliminate the army, and to set up a universal healthcare system with a goal of keeping people healthy rather than trying to cure them after they’re sick. Continue reading →

The peace of the pause

December 21, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

I wrapped up a big theater project last weekend and Monday morning felt like I’d hit a wall – face first! Every step, every thought took effort. What was going on? I was exhausted after 3 months of intense work, 6-7 days a week. And I was sad. Ending a show feels like the end of summer camp. You’ve had a great time with a new group of friends you know you’ll never be with again in that same setting. And while everyone is still around, you grieve the moment that’s lost.

AND to make you crazy, the songs from a musical run in a continuous loop in your mind for another week or so! Torture.

So this week I’ve spent time meditating on the challenges we met, the fun we had, and the show we produced. I’ve sent out thank you notes to add closure. And I’ve tried my best to be quiet to give myself time to pause for a couple of days between projects. Continue reading →

No regrets

December 10, 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, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

In case you were wondering, I have to say something about my last post that started with the mysterious “444444444.” Does anyone else work on a computer where your cat stretches out between the monitor and the keyboard? And MOST of the time it’s okay? Yeah, well right as I hit “publish” last week, Flynn stretched out and added his little signature line, which is apparently, “444444444.” And once you hit “publish” in a blog post, there’s no going back. So from Flynn to you, I wish you a very happy “444444444.” And now on to to my current post 🙂

A common regret you hear about from people near the end of their lives is that they didn’t live a life that was true to who they were, and instead lived a life others expected of them.

You don’t want that! You want to go out a big smile on your face because you’ve done the things you’ve dreamed about. You want to think back on the opportunities you created. The people’s lives you touched. The energy you brought to the earth. Continue reading →