How to stay focused

A well-organized miracle

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , , ,

I just wrapped up production of the musical Brigadoon in Freeport, Maine. I have loved this musical since I was in it in high school and jumped at the chance to direct it for the theater group I run. We pulled together a cast that included some of the best singers in the area, and put on a wonderful, mysterious show. I hope being in Brigadoon provides awesome lasting memories for the cast and crew, and know we touched the hearts of our audiences.

Toward the end of the run, I kept hearing one line from the show run over and over in my head: that the mystery of Brigadoon is a “well-organized miracle.” I have decided to carry that line with me as I head out next February to travel and write. I want to get everything as organized as possible – thinking through where I’m going and what I’ll need and won’t need in the car, to make order out of chaos so I use my time well. And I’m going to trust that along the route, I will encounter miracles that shape the direction I go and the words I write. Continue reading →

5 Tips for Juniors and other humans

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused , , , , , ,

I loved, loved, loved these 5 tips from teacher Emily Brisse in today’s Washington Post. Emily writes a ton of letters to colleges in support of her students. If you want to stand out to Emily as a student, she asks that you give her something to write about and advises the following: Continue reading →

Dissolving into the core of YOU!

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Staying focused , , , , , , , , , ,

This beautiful chrysalis, hanging from a birdbath in one of our gardens, got me thinking about how magical it is when ideas grow and flourish.

We’re letting more and more wild milkweed grow in our yard to give the monarch butterflies a place to lay their eggs and to give the emerging caterpillars a place to eat. And we grow a ton of flowers for the butterflies to dine on in between. We’ve seen lots of butterflies and caterpillars over the past few months, but this is the first chrysalis I’ve spotted.

So how does this tie to organization? Continue reading →

Creating an inspiring work environment

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ideas need a healthy environment to thrive. Organizational skills need a strong environment to thrive. YOU need a healthy environment to thrive!

If you’re struggling bringing your cool ideas to life, take a look at your work environment to see if that’s an issue.

Ideas are kind of like the DNA in your body. Each of the 37 trillion cells in your body has a little road map of DNA in it. But DNA is triggered by the environment the cell lives in; the DNA by itself can’t take action. In a healthy environment, a cell thrives. In a toxic environment, a cell dies.

If you want to avoid catastrophic illness, you strive to create an environment where your cells thrive. You eat well, watch your weight, exercise, meditate, and you’re happy. Healthy living isn’t a guarantee you won’t have to deal with illness, but it gives you the best shot at keeping cellular proteins wrapped tightly around potential DNA triggers that can harm you. Continue reading →

Share what you know

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , ,

How much do you know of your family history?

You most likely know back one generation to your parents. Maybe you knew your grandparents. And maybe you were lucky enough to know your great grandparents. After that, things usually get a little fuzzy. But how much do you know about any of them – even those who have been part of your life? Continue reading →

Are you participating, or visiting?

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Decision making, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , , ,

I’m traveling this week spending time with family at a quiet beach on the “forgotten coast” of Florida. My work consists of chatting, eating, kayaking, biking, walking, writing, and reading. It’s bliss :).

Here’s a quick reminder from poet Mary Oliver about how important it is to participate, truly participate, in your life. Thanks to Jonathan Fields at The Good Life Project for posting this earlier this week. Continue reading →

Eyerolls and sighs

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 , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m a big believer in following a high energy path with anything you’re working on. If you don’t feel energy at the center of your body when you think about next steps in what you’re doing, it may be time for a change.

Eye rolls and sighs are your body’s clue that you’re on a low energy path. Sometimes these are obvious – oh, my! But sometimes only you can see and hear them like maybe when: Continue reading →

The importance of being playful

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Finding your "why", Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , , , , , , ,

We had Christopher Phillips in as a speaker at the library this week. Chris is the author of Socrates Cafe and Democracy Cafe which we used to model some of our programs at the library. Chris is an interesting, engaging, fun guy so we asked him back to talk about his latest book, A Child at Heart: Unlocking Your Creativity, Curiosity, and Reason at Every Age and Stage of Life. 

Here are some of my favorite take-aways from Chris’s talk: Continue reading →

What do you do?

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Decision making, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , ,

For those of us who have a number of jobs, it’s tricky answering the simple question, “What do you do?” People like clarity and telling someone “what you do” helps them understand who you are and how you fit within the community. If you hesitate answering, you see them smile and take a step away. People who can’t say what they do are suspicious!

But what if you’re retired? Then you end up explaining “what you used to do.”

What if you don’t have a job? How do you define yourself then?

And what if you do volunteer work. Is that “what you do?”

And how about when the job you have doesn’t define you in any way? “Well, this is what I do but I don’t really like it.” Continue reading →