Organizational Exercises

Oops! Video link added: Are you an “active couch potato?”

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A new study out of Finland shows that even if you exercise for a half-hour to an hour each day, you can negate short-term and long-term health impacts of that activity if the other 23 hours of your day are spent sitting still.

The study showed that short activity breaks throughout the day help to lower cholesterol, reduce body fat, and lower your blood pressure. What’s cool about this study is that it shows you don’t have to do a lot during the day – but you need to do it often.

So set your alarm to remind you to take more breaks. And then make a list of things you can do to keep moving throughout the day. Want some ideas? How about take a coffee or water break. Tidy up. Take a walk. Make a call while you walk. Play with your pet. Or simply get up and stretch!

Organized Zen is about getting to your best work. To do that, you want to live a long, healthy life. Taking little breaks each day to keep your body moving is a simple way to help you get where you want to go today and WAY down the line.

What’s a baby step you can take today to get started?

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Time to stretch with a little Social Exercise!

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Don’t you love it when you’re new to a group and someone makes an effort to get to know you and helps you feel welcome? We are a social species, and when someone is friendly, kind, warm, and welcoming we take a deep breath and are grateful.

In a recent article by David Brooks at the New York Times, Brooks cites a study that shows how much people underestimate the impact of talking to strangers. We underestimate how open most people are to having a conversation, how much we’ll enjoy a conversation, and how much we can learn.

I am a big proponent of trying out new things. So why not practice a little Social Exercise this week and see if you can be that warm and welcoming person in a group you’re part of at work, school, in your neighborhood, or at home?

Organized Zen is all about getting to your best work. Sometimes a stranger is just the person you need to help you figure out how to do that.

Click here for more thoughts.

How’s your work-energy balance?

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Does the work you do for pay or as a volunteer boost your energy? Or drain it? Organized Zen is all about getting to your best, high-energy work. So what do you do if your work drains you?

I spent most of my career in the “creative” departments of two large direct marketers, but my work was far from creative. I excelled in my career choice because of my organizational skills. I was paid well. And I met some really terrific people. But my energy was drained by the work I chose. I needed something with a deeper connection and I needed to be more creative.

I filled those needs and lifted my energy through volunteer work, first at a Grieving Center, and then running a children’s acting workshop. The cool part about energy is that once you find it, it spreads. In my case, doing volunteer work that touched my heart helped me stick with energy-draining but lucrative professional work until my kids were raised.

In this talk, I share an exercise to help you figure out where and how you get energy. Then I encourage you to ponder ways to bring more energy into your life. Our time here on earth is limited. Today would be a great day to take a baby step that helps you bring out the best of what you have in you.

Cheers!

What gives you energy?

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I came back from working on an opera in Maine ready to write, bike, run, spend more time at the Smithsonian museums, hang out with friends, sew, and sing! (That last one is not so surprising.)

Have you ever noticed that energy begets energy? That when you do something that charges you up, you find a surprising amount of energy to do more?

Here are more thoughts on this! I hope you are having a great August!!

10 tips to vacation right where you live

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How much do you know about the town you live in? What can you do there for fun that you’ve maybe never done before? If someone was coming to visit you, what would you recommend they do? Then why not do that yourself!?

Taking a vacation is important as a way to reset your brain and is a great way to add energy to your life. With Covid rampant again, airlines unpredictable, and gas prices making even car travel expensive, taking advantage of all your town has to offer is a great way to take a break without breaking your wallet or your sanity!

In this talk, I’ll give you 10 tips for ways to vacation right where you live. I hope you have fun with the content. Happy summer!!

Getting in sync with your core self

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You were born with unique gifts to share with the world. When those gifts sync up with what you do on a daily basis, the positive energy of getting to your best work makes you productive and joyous – and we all benefit from that!

This talk challenges you to figure out what your unique gifts are, and to compare that to how you spend your time. Is there stuff in your core you never get to? And/or are you spending time on fun or work that doesn’t touch you at a core level?

More thoughts here!

If this is helpful, please like, share, and subscribe.

“Grow wild according to thy nature.” – Henry David Thoreau

Create connection by asking questions!

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There are opportunities to build community all around you. My latest was last weekend when I was out kayaking on the Shenandoah River with a Meet Up group of 50 strangers.

When you are on the path to Organized Zen to joyously get to your best work, having a community around you is a delicious support system. And getting connected can start with a smile and a simple question: Where are you from?

Then maybe follow that with: What brought you here today? Where did you grow up? What do you do for work?

You start to build community from the moment you introduce yourself, ask a question, and listen to the answers without jumping in with your own story. You build on that community when you connect one person to another where you find commonalities. And the circle is complete when even the outliers within a group who struggle to start a conversation, are welcomed in and feel seen and heard.

I love this quote from Ross Gay in his new book The Book of Delights: “The more stuff you love the happier you will be.”

Loving the people around you and finding a connection to them is a great step to finding that happiness. I hope this is helpful and that you take a daring step this week to reach out and bring someone new to your community.

Here are my thoughts from a wonderful kayak day on the Shenandoah River.

What do you want to be known for?

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I recorded this short video before taking off to travel for a couple of weeks. Traveling tests your mettle – it takes your brand and shakes it up! But more to come on that in my next post.

In the meantime, here are some thoughts and questions about who you are and what you stand for. Are you 100% guaranteed?

Find the Heat!!

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People who are sure of themselves and love their work energize any room they come into. There is a joy to being around highly energized, grounded people, so why not be one of them?

When you tap into the “heat” in your life you find that energy. And maybe not just once. We’re not limited by decisions we’ve made in the past. What’s your heat today? What project, work, art, friendship, or ridiculous endeavor would you like to take on?

This talk was inspired by a weekend writing workshop with Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, and Tiny Beautiful Things. Cheryl’s writing is inspiring and you could feel the heat in the room at each session. Plus she’s funny and that’s always a bonus :).

Cheryl shared this quote from Maya Angelou that sums up this talk and is a great point to ponder: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Cheryl’s talk was on writing from the heart – but you can apply the heat test to any aspect of your life. Please don’t leave something you have to offer the world undone!

In this talk, I’ll give you ideas about how to tap into your heart to find the hot spots and take a baby step in a new direction. I hope this brings you inspiration to take a baby step today that sets you off on a new, HOT path.