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 →

The gift of time

January 31, 2019December 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, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive

I drove my daughter to NYC this weekend and helped her move into a new apartment in Harlem. The time I had with Bea got me thinking about the gift of time. Most of us don’t know how much time we have here on earth so it’s easy to waste it. It seems like we have an unlimited amount of time so why worry about it? 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 →

Looking back at the path you’re on

December 27, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, working on big projects, Working with your guides

December is a great time to look at the path you’ve been on over the last year. If you want to shape the direction you’re headed, it helps to look back at where you’ve been.

If you can find a quiet moment this week, take out a clean sheet of paper and jot down the big events that happened to you this year. Brainstorm first, then think month by month to help spur your memory.

What events did you experience this year for… Continue reading →

5 steps to complete any project

December 18, 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, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering, Tips on using a planning calendar Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, decluttering your life, Defining who you are, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, Tips on decluttering, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

The number one question I get when I give talks on organization is about finishing projects. This might be something big like writing a book. It could be losing weight or starting an exercise program. Or it could be a nuisance task – like clearing boxes out of the basement or cleaning out a closet.

No matter what you’re working on, here are five steps to help you complete a project. 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 →

Welcoming conflict as an opportunity

November 27, 2018December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, 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 tips, tips to stay healthy

When you’re trying to get something done, the last thing you want is something, or someone, standing in your way. But sometimes conflict is exactly what you need to stop, to reconsider the direction you’re heading, and to make a change.

I’m in the middle of a great book called Sacred Instruction by Sherri Mitchell. Here are some of Sherri’s thoughts on the beauty of conflict. Continue reading →