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1 min read
Fill your cup first
I was privileged to be featured as a guest on the Fill Your Cup First podcast, which "puts self-care where it belongs, at the top of your...


2 min read
Stick to the list
I write most blog posts in the morning. I'm fairly disciplined about it, and I haven't missed a Monday or Thursday post in 2 1/2 years,...


2 min read
Clarify expectations
"When do you need it?" These five words have been game-changing in my client interactions. Here's how my brain used to work when I'd...


2 min read
Be prepared
Many students here in PA head back to school today. Over the last few weeks several people have asked my kids and me countless times,...


1 min read
Take a break
We just returned from a 5-day getaway, first visiting family and friends in northeastern Ohio and then exploring Pittsburgh for the first...


2 min read
Find a buddy
Two weeks ago I posted on my personal Facebook page: Anyone looking for “getting up early” mutual accountability? I’m trying to fight my...


2 min read
Work backward
In January 2010, I had been in my Toastmasters club for about fifteen months and had given only five speeches during that time. I wanted...


1 min read
Plan ahead
For many families I know, particularly those with school-age children, May is a pretty intense month. Proms, concerts, games, field...


2 min read
Ease in
One strategy for children learning how to speak without stuttering is to ease in to what they're about to say, so they don't get hung up...


2 min read
Group similar tasks
Have you ever been in the middle of the grocery store when you realized you forgot something in the produce aisle? And then remembered...


1 min read
Immerse yourself
I was absorbed, mesmerized, transfixed. By the time the singer, the incomparable Liz Longley, came out for her encore, I felt renewed and...


2 min read
Prevent distractions
One of the biggest challenges facing most of us is lack of focus, due to constant interruptions from so many devices, notifications and...


2 min read
Put everything in its place
When you cook, particularly if you cook often, you likely don't get out one ingredient and put it in the pan, then get out another...


1 min read
Establish a streak
I really wanted to tell Alexa to snooze again, but then I would have ruined my streak. Today is the last day of January, and every...


4 min read
Design a strategy
Twenty years ago I was a first year teacher, renting my first apartment. I had to figure out a way to remember to pay my rent on the...


1 min read
Figure it out
I have a friend who changed her iPad password months ago to keep someone out, and immediately forgot that new password. She's been locked...


2 min read
Do what you want
Saturday I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. I was practically giddy! What was I so happy about? Going on a shopping spree?...


3 min read
Play to your strengths
If you are planning a special event, you probably don't want me on your team. I am disinterested in menu planning. A terrible cook. A...


1 min read
Reboot
It was an inevitable response. My computer would be doing something annoying or worrisome, and I would call over our de facto IT guy (the...


1 min read
Track it
My daughter just bought a planner for 2019. One of its neatest features is the opportunities it provides to measure progress. For each...
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