The definitions are clear, the phrase Hair On Fire refers to a situation in which someone is impassioned, wild, crazy, filled with rage, frantic, and/or overwhelmed — but not necessarily out of control. You can probably remember one more realities in your life when you felt like your hair was on fire. You might have
Articles Categorized Productivity
Whither the Office Worker?
Long ago, before public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 sent workers home, about 50 per cent of Americans in the work force spent their days in an office, either in cramped open spaces or small cubicles spread out across a large room. During my early employment history, I worked in large desk-filled
Making Achievable New Year Resolutions
On December 31st did you, perhaps in an altered state, solemnly resolve, affirm, or swear that you would make positive changes in 2022? Last year 43 percent of Americans vowed to change in 2021; this year only 29 percent expected to take the plunge. Of those making new year’s resolutions, 80 percent will either fail
The Challenge of National Novel Writing Month
In 1999 writer Chris Baty, who specializes in helping writers, challenged his friends to write 50,000 words and produce a novel during the 30 days of November. That year, 21 aspiring writers accepted the challenge. Fast forward to 2017 when 306,230 participants from around the world officially accepted the National Novel Writing Month challenge. The
Too Much To Do? Simplify
Do you sometimes feel like you’re trying to juggle too many objects in the air? Forget sometimes. Do you frequently and often feel like you multitask more than is even remotely healthy? We’ve all been there, and many of us still are. It is a conundrum of our culture that we fill our mental and
Women’s History Month: An Unfinished Revolution
Fifty years ago, with some notable exceptions like Eleanor Roosevelt, women were invisible in history. White males led corporate America while secretaries took notes and made coffee. And marriage was the goal of most college educated middle class young women. Though many issues remain unsolved, Women’s History Month is an opportunity to celebrate positive changes
RESOLUTIONS: No. GOALS: Probably.
Last week I suggested everyone should ignore the annual guilt-ridden exercise of making resolutions. But it’s a hard custom to shake, which makes worth spending a little time analyzing the process. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Puritans spent their birthdays and January 1 in an exercise of intense introspection. During the process, they looked
BEING IN THE FLOW IS LIKE CATCHING THE BRASS RING
Welcome to the first week of 2020. Will you be setting goals? Or have you decided the annual ritual of introspection is an exercise in futility? This first year of a new decade, why not try something new, like catching a brass ring or being fully present in a state of flow? THE BRASS RING
Christmas Trees — Symbols of Hope
It’s December, and almost everywhere you look there are Christmas trees, evergreen boughs, and other symbols of this end-of-the-year “Season.” Long before Santa ever came on the scene, people in the Northern Hemisphere worried about the winter darkness. Some thought winter came because the Sun God was ill, and celebrated the Solstice because at long
My Writer’s Lair
This is the view from my writing desk, and I’m in the midst of assessing my writing space. It’s rainy this afternoon, so the skies are grey and cheerless, but at least light still comes through. On a clear day, I get a more joyful view. You can see a bit of my basic configuration:
The White Rabbit Needs a Cup of Tea
“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” Poor White Rabbit. He was under such stress, always looking at his watch and fretting. And we do exactly the same. Over-scheduling. Multi-Tasking. Running from here to there and back again. Texting while walking. Listening to podcasts while jogging. Fidgeting while waiting in the spa Quiet Room.
Three Monkeys & Four Agreements
As we settle into the new year, it’s as good a time as any to reflect on old and new wisdom. [The new wisdom is like the old, but with more directions.] This wooden depiction of the Three Monkeys sat on the bookshelf in my parents’ house. Presently, it’s on my fireplace mantle. It
The Positive Benefits of Routine
ROUTINE: Definition: a sequence of actions regularly followed. Example: Awaking after a lengthy sleep. RUT: Definition: Habit of behavior that has become dull and unproductive, but is hard to change. Example: “You’re in a rut.” No one ever says: “You’re in a routine.” In fact, the word rut is almost never said with a
Daily Planners, Digital PDA’s, and Bullet Journals
In the beginning of my calendrical life, there was a small book with twelve monthly calendars and the days divided into little squares. With tiny handwriting, one could fill in the squares. 10:00 Dentist. That sort of thing. There was often an address book in the back, and perhaps a couple blank pages for notes.
Be S.M.A.R.T This Year
Did you make any resolutions for 2018 — any promises to yourself to become a better person? A recent poll by Marist College in New York revealed 12 per cent of respondents resolve to do just that. An equal number want to lose weight, which may be their version of being a better person. Or
NANOWRIMO aka National Novel Writing Month
Writers are solitary people who play with imaginary friends. We function best in spaces where we can shut the door. If that isn’t possible, we’re known to wear noise-cancelling headphones. Ernest Hemingway famously said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” He failed to mention that