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
tips to stay healthy
Need motivation 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
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
Slowing down to be more productive
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
Is clutter blocking your energy?
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
The Joy of Color
I’m reading a great new book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee. Lee opens the book with studies and thoughts about what makes a moment joyous and settles in on something quite simple: color.
If you want to change a drab day, a drab building, or a drab party, add bright, warm colors and you add a pop of joy to the world. Think birthday party balloons. Chinese dragon parades. Maypole ribbons. Hot air balloon festivals. Fields of wildflowers. Can you picture any of these in black and white? No! Just thinking about these colors brings up a bubble of joy.
“Color is energy made visible.”
Lee believes that energy is all around us and that bright colors have high energy that’s contagious.
If you need a little pop of energy, you could try something as simple as… Continue reading
Improve your organizational skills by changing what you eat
If you aren’t feeling good about what you’re getting done, it might not be an organizational issue – it might be a matter of health. When we push our bodies to the limits, it’s not a surprise when the quality of our work suffers.
Here are some easy steps you can start this week to improve your health. Continue reading
Is singing the new exercise?
No matter what type of work you’re doing, finding a “like” community can help you accomplish more and have more fun with what you’re doing.
In Daniel Pink’s book, When, he writes about the benefits of choral singing – a unique kind of community. If you’ve ever sung with a group, you know how it lifts your spirit even more than singing solo. “Happy” countries, like the Netherlands, have regular gatherings where everyone sings. And I think group singing is why so many of us love theater – both participating in it and being part of the audience.
It’s not a stretch to think that singing makes you feel good. But check out the other benefits Pink lists for choral singing: Continue reading
Stay humble. Stay grateful.
As you may remember, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how important it is to take breaks and how hard it is for me to take a break. And if you saw my post from last week, you know that my refusal to take a break resulting in the Universe knocking me flat with a broken ankle. Won’t take a break? How about a nice, quiet week in bed?
I’m going to take a risk here and admit that as bad as I am at taking breaks, I’m also terrible about asking for help. I love being efficient and independent. I’m the one who is here to help you! You do not need to help me.
Except that I’m in a cast for 8 weeks and can’t drive!
Here are my organizational lessons, and lessons in humility, from the past two weeks: Continue reading
Organizational Habits 