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Laura Earnest

Modern life can become a frantic exercise to get everything done. But life isn’t about doing. It’s about making deliberate choices with the limited time and energy you have so that you can live your life to its fullest. This blog will show you in weekly articles the successes – and the failures – as I explore techniques and offer tips.

brown fountain pen on notebook
Featured Post

Saying Farewell: October 2026 from LauraEarnest.com

LauraEarnest.com Deliberate Living Made Simpler. VIEW IN BROWSER Saying Farewell I’ve been blogging in the productivity space for over 20 years under four different domains. That’s a really long time. And while I have enjoyed doing this, it is time to move on. In January I start a masters program that will require a lot of time and energy. So I will be taking a step back from the blog. Here’s what you can expect: I will not be producing new articles on the blog I will not be sending...

empty black rolling chairs at cubicles

LauraEarnest.com How I Stay Productive When I’m In the Office Staying productive in the office when you’re used to working at home is possible with a few smart systems. Here’s how I make it work in real life. Read More 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe · Preferences

brown fountain pen on notebook

LauraEarnest.com Deliberate Living Made Simpler. VIEW IN BROWSER Writing Notes for My Future Self The team made an effort last month to clean out the backlog of tasks. We divided everything up with the goal of seeing if things were still a problem, and determining the impact of the issue. One of the problems is that the descriptions are so sparse that we’re not really sure why it entered the backlog at all. One of them in particular I wrote, and I clearly recall why it was entered, but there...

silhouette of trees

LauraEarnest.com Simple Evening Habits That Make Tomorrow Easier A better evening can lead to a better morning. Try these simple evening habits to make tomorrow feel easier from the start. Read More My 2026 Reader Survey is open! If you take the survey and leave your email address, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. The survey drawing closes at midnight Eastern on 30 September 2026. Take the Survey 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe ·...

People stand inside a clock on the water.

LauraEarnest.com 3 Ways I Handle Interruptions Without Losing My Day Interruptions happen, but they don’t have to derail everything. These simple strategies help me recover faster. Read More My 2026 Reader Survey is open! If you take the survey and leave your email address, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. The survey drawing closes at midnight Eastern on 30 September 2026. Take the Survey 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe ·...

white mountain covered with snow with clouds

LauraEarnest.com Deliberate Living Made Simpler. VIEW IN BROWSER The Meeting Avalanche I recently took a week off from work. With a weekend conference at one end, and then traveling to DC for a concert, I spent the rest of the week relaxing and helping my daughter get ready to move for grad school. I looked at my work calendar on Thursday because someone asked about a meeting time. And I realized that all the meetings from my week off had been moved to my Monday. I was heading into a day of...

a city at night

LauraEarnest.com The Hidden Cost of Being Too Busy Being too busy has a cost: stress, distraction, and less clarity. Explore what overload really does to your days. Read More 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe · Preferences

Footprints trail across warm, golden beach sand.

LauraEarnest.com What Deliberate Living Means to Me Deliberate living is about making intentional choices with your time and energy. Here’s what it means to me and why it matters. Read More 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe · Preferences

macbook pro on brown wooden table

LauraEarnest.com Deliberate Living Made Simpler. VIEW IN BROWSER “Don’t Do Speculative Coding” It’s intern season at work. This year we have two thoughtful and mature interns who are quick to pick things up. Working with interns can be a challenge, because it is typically their first exposure to the “real” world. One of our interns is making a system to keep our source data in sync by centralizing our retention policies. That means that we won’t come in to find that half of our data is gone...

LauraEarnest.com Why I Have So Many Pens: A Lesson in Impulse Buying I break down my pen obsession, impulse buying, sunk costs, and how I learned to stop chasing “better” for good. Read More 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246Unsubscribe · Preferences