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​We often spend much of our time and energy dwelling in the past and waiting for the perfect future while the present moment slips away.
 
Writing this on National Carpe Diem Day is a beautiful reminder to live in the present, as Carpe Diem means Seize the Day. We often place happiness on hold for 'someday,' delaying using new or treasured items or perhaps postponing action on resolutions until next January.

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How often do you think about systematically removing information from your physical and digital files?
 
Several years ago, I worked with a local manufacturing company after a new HR Director came in. She hired me to conduct an Office Renewal Event. During this event, a team has the time, permission, and resources to eliminate anything from the workspace that can be tossed, recycled, shredded, or deleted.

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As we hurtle down the runway toward the most hectic time of year for many of us, both personally and professionally, let's take a moment to keep things in perspective.

Recently, as I attempted to set my priorities for the day, I became acutely aware of my sense of overwhelm regarding what the next 8 - 10 weeks would bring. That's right. I felt profoundly overwhelmed even with my fancy-schmancy task management system and my weekly review.

​[3 Minute Read or Listen Below]

How often do you say to yourself (or others), "there aren’t enough hours in the day?"
 
Time management is a popular term. It conjures visions of stopping clocks and herculean feats of efficiency, squeezing in one more task or commitment. In reality, it's less about managing time and more about managing ourselves and our decisions. We know that ineffective time management results in stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, burnout, low self-esteem, and low confidence. Arguably, nothing we want.

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I know this about myself and suspect many can relate - sometimes, I have an all-or-nothing mindset. If I can't complete something from start to finish in one shot, I procrastinate starting at all.
 

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A quick Google search of life's top stressors returns arguably positive events such as getting married, starting a new job, retirement, and moving to a new residence.
 
One might expect the positive nature of these events would negate their stressfulness. However, their persistent appearance on stressor lists contradicts this theory. At first glance, one explanation may be these life events create fear or concern about the unknown. A few of these events also involve daunting project management.

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I had a Zoom video meeting scheduled on my calendar. These days, who doesn't, right? Shortly before start time, the person messaged me saying their computer had gone into an unexpected update, they couldn't access the Zoom link, and they would have to reschedule.

​[4 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Before you even get started, do you hang your head in defeat when you look at your to-do list? I've been there, and no doubt many can relate to that feeling. 
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To-do lists are fantastic for capturing random tasks you think you'll remember, but let's be honest, if you don't write them down, you forget them 10 seconds later. To-do lists help map out the individual steps and the necessary order of those steps for projects. They're a great tool, whether paper or digital, but they can get overwhelming.

[8 Minute Read or Listen Below]

When you hear the word clutter, what comes to mind? If you're like most people, you envision stacks of unfiled paper, old take-out menus, and closets full of clothes that no longer fit.
 
But clutter goes beyond the physical. It can also accumulate in the form of digital and emotional clutter.

​[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Those who know me know I'm not a fan of new year resolutions. I've stated before there is nothing magical about January 1st, and far too much emphasis is placed on declaring resolutions. That may sound ridiculous coming from a productivity coach, but I will say instead I am a huge fan of goal planning. You may think they're the same, but they’re not.

​[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below]

In a post almost two years ago, I confessed avoidance and fear of my weekly review. At the time, I celebrated the completion of an unprecedented streak of two consecutive reviews. Two weeks doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but it certainly was for me.

[4 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Times of transition can be upsetting, frustrating, and overwhelming. Even if the change is positive, we feel we've lost our footing and cannot regain our balance. A variety of situations can make us feel this way: a job change, a residential move, a corporate acquisition, just to name a few.

​[2 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Have you experienced a moment so perfect it's fixed in your memory? I recently found myself absorbed in just such a moment.

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Monotony has set in, and I need to do something about it. How about you?
 
I believe monotony is the reason why, for several months now, I've had the urge to rearrange my office. The world's COVID-19 roller coaster has taken a toll on our collective mental and emotional well-being. For many of us, concerns for our health or the health of loved ones, the sudden shift to remote work, and the resulting feelings of isolation continue to leave us feeling unsettled.

​[2 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Are you a people manager? In a previous post, we talked about the impact overwhelm has on your cognitive function. In today's post, we'll talk about the effect your overwhelm has on your team.
 
At a time when more than half of employees surveyed in North America plan to look for a new job this year, it's a critical and timely topic.

[3 Minute Read or Listen Below]

​I have a close friend who is struggling. About three months ago, she started a new job that has taken her way outside her comfort zone. 
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A contributor to this struggle is that the job description wasn't accurate in conveying her duties. But we'll leave that inaccuracy for another discussion. My focus today is the even more significant reason for her struggle - her negative self-talk.

My friend is intelligent, progressive-thinking, resourceful, and extremely capable. To hear her describe herself, you would think she's talking about a completely different person. Often, the hardest sell is convincing ourselves of our attributes. More often, we focus on our perceived negatives.

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If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed, raise your hand.
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There are a lot of us raising our hands! A Harvard Business Review article supports this, stating most of us feel constantly overwhelmed with the demands, increasing complexity, and frantic pace of work. On top of that, we also have personal and family commitments. The toll this takes on us emotionally, not to mention the hit to our productivity and relationships, is staggering. We're paying the price with our mental health, our self-esteem, and shrinking downtime.

​[2 Minute Read or Listen Below]

Does your email inbox stress you out? Is it the number of unread messages or the total volume that concerns you?

Some folks have thousands of emails in their inbox, and it doesn't bother them a bit. And that's fine if they're staying informed and are responsive to those who need answers. Although, in today's age of screen sharing on video calls, if others see a large count of unread emails, their credibility may drop a few notches.

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For years, I wanted to start a handwritten gratitude journal. But, the blank page of a journal staring back at me was always so intimidating. I felt this incredible pressure to have something profound to say, or it wasn't worth commemorating. Not to mention the intensity of finding something to write about every single day, or there would be a gaping void to remind me of my failure as a journaler. I also thought, who will have the slightest interest in my thoughts in the future?

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It seems like January 1st gets all the glory. We throw big parties, when we aren't in the middle of a pandemic at least, and many of us delay working on our goals so we can call them our new year's resolutions.

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I love what I do as a Productivity Consultant and Coach, and as a Human Resources Professional. Having two rewarding careers is more than many people ever experience.
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However, as one who wants to be sure the people I serve are taken care of, I sometimes don't know when to shut down, or I feel I can't shut down from work.​

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​In January, I wrote a post titled "Note to Self: Nix the Ostrich Method," where I confessed avoidance and fear of my weekly review. At the time, I had just completed an unprecedented streak of, count them, two consecutive weeks. Two weeks doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but it certainly was for me.

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​​How many times have you said, "I'm always busy, but nothing seems to get done"? Maybe you feel like there are too many things to do, and not enough time to do them. All the while, you're missing out on what's important to you because the only apparent solution is to work more hours.

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​Prompted by a recent article from Barbara Hemphill regarding the overwhelm of our "to read" piles, I did stop and think about it.

So many information sources surround us - television (and all its forms, i.e., Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.), radio (broadcast, satellite or streaming), videos, emails, podcasts, smartphones, tablets, magazines, newspapers, social media, instant messaging, etc. We live in a fantastic age of information.

(2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below)

​Have you ever faced a challenge alone, believing you were the only person experiencing such a predicament? Or, perhaps, you were too embarrassed to share your difficulty with others.
 
Recently, my husband and I attended the funeral of his Aunt Mary, who served 62 years as a nun. We witnessed the dedicated care she received from her fellow Sisters as her health declined. And as we celebrated her memory, I felt a heightened appreciation for the sense of community she experienced throughout her life of service.