Upon occasion, when a string of life sucks circumstances has happened one after another to me and/or my loved ones, I’ve referred to that period of time as a “Job Season.” I think most people would agree: This entire year (2020) has been a “Job Season.” Just when we think things might be looking up, […]
Boundaries 101 (aka: You shall not pass!)
Who’s driving you crazy right now? I can help. If you’ve read this blog for long, you know I’m a fan of boundaries: the concept and the book. In fact, in this blog post I ranked Boundaries #2 on my list of favorite nonfiction titles. It was my mother who taught me this concept. As I […]
Positivity 101: (aka–How to live life with more happiness and joy.)
Earlier this year, my writer friend, Brittney, messaged me with a blog post request: something on positivity, please. “How do you manage to stay so positive in a time when many people are very focused on the negative?” My positivity process is not difficult. But it’s not simple either. It’s not a one word, one […]
Money Matters 101 (aka 17+ Ways to Get Your Bucks in a Row)
Money matters. You know it. I know it. Now what are you going to do about it? You can do what I did and read a boatload of blog posts on money matters. Like this one I wrote a while back. Or you can just keep reading this post. Because I’m going to give you […]
Making Allowances (aka: A Chore System for Kids)
Have you established a chore system for kids in your house? If not, you should consider it. Years ago I attended a Mother of Middle Schoolers meeting led by Marya, a fabulous gal slightly further down the parenting path than me. That morning I learned that I stood alone in the I-do-every-single-thing-for-my-kids camp. “When did […]
How to Buy a New Car at a Great Price (without stepping inside a car dealership)
Last week I bought a new car for the first time since 1986. For decades I believed buying a new car was a really bad idea. Due to the tendency for a new vehicle’s value to drop 10% one month after you drive it home. But then a link in my Facebook feed began to […]
Time Management 102: 3 Steps to Getting Your Life Back (from 7 typical time-sucks)
In last week’s blog post on time management, I barely got started taming time. That’s why in today’s post, I’m going to drill deeper on the subject so you can reclaim some margin in your life. Step 1: Track Your Time. First of all, to grab your life back from the typical time-sucks, you need […]
Time Management 101: Because Time Is (Not) on Your Side
According to my recent reader survey (You can take the survey here.), a lot of people are struggling with time management. As I began looking for time management best practices, I came across this great quote by Susan Ward: “The focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors, not changing time.” She’s right, you […]