Getting out of the nest

February 12, 2019December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, organizational tips, State of "flow", working on big projects, Working with your guides

I stumbled on this quote from Pema Chodron in a book I was reading this week:

“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.”

Isn’t that counter-intuitive? When you’re organized and doing good work, doesn’t that mean you keep control of your time and your days? And when you’re truly engaged with your work, isn’t that when you feel fully alive and awake? And when you’re “continually thrown out of the nest,” doesn’t that feel crazy and chaotic? Continue reading →

Walking the Artist’s Path

January 17, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, working on big projects, Working with your guides

I met last night with a group of 11 women to start working our way through the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I read this book about 20 years ago with a couple of friends. Reading it got me back into the theater – first teaching it to kids. That lead to getting back on stage. Then I started writing for the theater, and now I’m writing, directing, and running a theater group. All good. All high energy!

What I like about The Artist’s Way is that it assumes that creativity is part of everyone’s nature but that it can get lost in the day-to-day shuffle of life. The book has fun, simple exercises that help you remember who you are and get you back to practicing “the art of creative living.” Continue reading →

Free Meditation Challenge with Zen Master Sharon Salzberg

January 11, 2019December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Getting started, Meditation, Planning impacts on your health, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Meditation tips, organizational tips, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

Sharon Salzberg offers a 28-day meditation challenge each February. If you’ve been thinking about starting a meditation practice, Sharon’s prompts cover a lot of territory which is a great way to find something that works for you. Recent studies show short-term and long-term benefits from meditating even for short periods of time each day. Meditation helps you be calm. It helps you focus. It helps you detach from the day-to-day crazies. And it helps your body heal itself. What’s not to love!?

And when you do something for 28 days, guess what? You’ve formed a new, healthy habit. Yay!

I met Sharon over a decade ago at a weekend retreat in NYC. The irony of having a meditative retreat in the heart of NYC is not lost on me. :). When I signed up for Sharon’s meditation challenge this year, I remembered why I like her so much. I’ve told you this story before, but here it is again. Continue reading →

Taking a healthy step into the New Year

January 4, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Staying focused Changing habits, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy

Painting by Mark Compton

“All beginnings wear their endings.” – astrophysicist Chet Raymo

As we start into a new year, please remember that if you don’t take care of yourself you can’t do your best work. You may get started with a great idea, but you need to be healthy to get to the end.

Here are 9 reminders from a Washington Post article on a recent London study on ways to practice wonderful self-care. Continue reading →

Building Community Wherever You Find It

December 11, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, tips for being kind, tips to stay healthy

There’s no warmer feeling that being accepted for being who you are in a community you love. So why not build more of those? At home, at work, in your volunteer work, with organizations you belong to… What can you do to make sure everyone feels included and appreciated? Continue reading →

Need motivation to get more sleep?

December 4, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get more sleep, how to get organized, How to stay focused, impact of lack on sleep on your health, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy, ways to get more sleep

Deborah Kris had an article in The Washington Post last week on the importance for teens to get enough sleep. The thing is, sleep isn’t just important for teens! More and more research is being done on the impact of sleep deprivation across all age categories.

We’ve all experienced periodic lack of sleep and you know the feeling.

Your cognitive functioning is impaired.
It’s hard to focus, to concentrate.
Your body feels heavy, achey, and clumsy.
You feel grumpy and might have head spins and negative thoughts.
You feel more sensitive and impatient.

One teen in a recent study summed it up beautifully: “When I don’t get enough sleep, everything is harder.” Continue reading →

Slowing down to be more productive

November 14, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused Changing habits, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, tips to stay healthy

I just finished Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee, a product designer and student of JOY in the world. One of Lee’s last studies in the book is on the joy of being in nature. Participating in a natural life helps you slow down. It keeps you grounded. It helps you be meditative and at the same time lifts your energy. And it makes you feel healthier and happier which helps you be more productive.

Think about when you were a kid and everything outside felt new and exciting. I’ve been thinking about elements of nature and what we can do to be more observant of them to appreciate them more to get back some of that kid-energy. Continue reading →

Grouping items to create harmony

November 6, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering Changing habits, decluttering your life, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting organized, organizational tips, Tips on decluttering

If you have a place in your house that feels scattered or drains your energy, try introducing a little harmony.

Think about how different a scattering of single leaves look compared to leaves grouped together on a tree. Or how loose petals of a flower look compared to the look of a full-headed flower. Or the look of singular flowers versus the look of a sweeping field of flowers.

You can create harmony by placing similar items together. By putting prints on a wall in matching frames. By grouping items together that are the same or complementary colors. Continue reading →

Is clutter blocking your energy?

October 30, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering Changing habits, Decision making, decluttering your life, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Tips on decluttering, tips to stay healthy

I challenge you this week to look around your house and clear one area that has gotten a little cluttered over the summer. We get busy and things pile up and stagnate. Putting things back in order takes a little time but you’ll feel calmer in your space. You can breathe. You can settle in. Your energy will lift just looking around.

Perhaps there’s a counter with supplies out at the ready. A table with this week’s mail. A nightstand with tissues, hand lotion, and a few unread books. An entryway filled with boots, coats, and umbrellas. A bookshelf packed to overflowing. A desk with open files, a coffee cup, and surplus pens. A closet filled to overflowing. Continue reading →