I admit it. I’ve spent the last several months ignoring this blog and others, feeling unable to commit to a direction or purpose. I enjoy thinking and writing about projects, planning, creativity and productivity, but it is hard to do when I am not personally being very creative or productive. It rings false – to…
Category: life
homemaking, personal growth, food
now is not the time to stay in bed and watch tv
More people than usual are unemployed right now. I not only lost my day-job, but I seem to have a cold. Which is totally uncool (the virus part, that is). The urge is strong to wrap myself around a bottle of Nyquil and hide. I am resting and drinking water and taking vitamins and hot…
the inevitable
It was only a matter of time before “the economy” caught up with me. As of Monday, I joined the ranks of the unemployed. And if I’m honest I’m quite glad about it (in betweeen waves of terror). Now is the time for me to push forward plans that have been floating around for some…
the essentials
So much noise and clutter. It’s surprising we can still function at all, and this is surely much of the reason that suddenly we are seeking out “productivity systems” to help manage our daily lives. We are immersed in tiny decisions about what to look at or think about. And no matter how minuscule the…
facing the fear of economic collapse
I’ve been alive long enough that I have seen many degrees of economic downturn. I remember the crisis in the late 70’s when I first learned what recession meant. I remember high gas prices and friends & relatives losing their jobs. I remember discussions about being more frugal and conserving energy and water. I remember…
pointless creative work is not pointless
My mom bought me a cassette by Harry Nilsson when I was about six. Besides being an excellent example of 70’s folk-rock, it is also a narrative about Oblio, a boy born with a round head in the land of Point. Oblio is eventually banished to the Pointless Forest where he soon realizes that everything…
speaking the truth, sharing wisdom
There are a lot of blogs out there that want to help you toward productivity, simplicity, abundance, good habits, etc etc. And they are, for the most part, well written and insightful. Or at least kinda insightful. There seems to be a lot of recycling of the same old principles… take a little buddhism, add…
The Great Depression Really Wasn’t so Great
Today I saw a headline on the newspaper about how people got through the “first” Great Depression and I immediately thought – with a bit of dread – of a book my grandma had when I was a little girl. It was a big musty hardcover book published in the thirties with recipes and tips…
is it possible to make an honest living?
And by honest, I mean HONEST. I have been looking at how people, especially creative people, make a living. Call it a personal research project. I am interested in what people do to make money, because I think that this is the one area where people tend to have the greatest cognitive dissonance. As in,…
the moleskine and the brain dump
One of the most powerful tools in any productivity system is getting the details out of your head. The true art of task management comes in when you figure out how to make sure once the stuff is out of your head you are able to find and use it. And then of course the…
Plumb Wonderful 