It’s September 2.
WTF?
2020 has been a wild one, no?
Here are a few things I’ve been leaning into to get me through — an app, a read, a resource, a distraction and a song. Maybe they’ll work for you, too. (None of these are sponsored links, BTW.)
A Recommended App
I first downloaded it for the daily guided meditations. Now, I use the morning and post-workout stretches, the sleep stories when I am wide awake at 3 a.m., the background music, you name it.
I have a handful of guest passes left to give out. Email me if you want one; first come, first served.
(As I typed this, Calm pinged me to take a breath. Good advice.)
A Recommended Read
The Power of Low Stakes Productivity by Leah Fessler
This short New York Times article looks at the benefits we get from recognizing and celebrating little wins in our day. It takes a lot from the research of Harvard Business School’s Teresa Amabile co-author of The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work. (Which I haven’t read.)
In the article, Amabile says:
“…huge achievements are much less likely than small wins, and if we wait for them to feel good about our work, most of us are going to suffer through vast deserts of tedium.”
Skipping the tedium is one of the principles of On Fridays, We Write (see below). After each working sprint, we celebrate what we got done. Gold stars are bestowed. Acknowledgement! It’s so rare.
What have your small victories been this week? Share them on the 4.23 Facebook page.
A Recommended (Self-Promoting) Resource
If you can’t think of any accomplishments, maybe you need some extra support to get stuff done. Join me for On Fridays We Write: Co-working, Accountability and Connection.
A group of us get together every Friday to co-work our way through writing, and other work that needs to get done for our businesses. It’s often the most productive part of our weeks!
You should join us. Details here.
A Recommended Distraction
I was way too late to this ridiculous and amusing sitcom, but now I cannot get enough of the Rose Family, formerly filthy rich and now living in a small town they once bought as a joke.
So many things make it special but I am partial the wig collection and outlandish turns of phrase of the matriarch Moira (Catherine O’Hara) and the facial expressions and sweater collection of son David (Dan Levy.)
A Recommended Song
Julia Fordham’s “Where Does the Time Go?”
Because when the going gets tough, I crank the tunes. My first choice was "Time the Avenger" by The Pretenders, but Chrissy Hynde singing "that tiny little tick, tick, tick, tick." wasn't exactly soothing. Julia's vibe is a lot more chill.
Take good care of yourself out there.