January News from LauraEarnest.com: Finding the New Normal!

The New Normal

Expectations trip me up every single time. When I ended my active cancer treatment, I expected that my energy would gradually return. I did not expect the roller coaster of energy that leaves me feeling able to tackle a full list one day and needing several naps on others. I expected that my body would react the same way every day to the new medications I am now taking. I did not expect that each day would have its own reaction where I had to adjust how I approach my day.

So there is a new normal, and that new normal is governed by inconsistency, randomness and “dang, didn’t know that would happen.” I have to make sure that I do what is best for my body and mind and have alternate activities ready to go.

The good news is that I have a lot of productivity techniques, and I am dusting off a lot of things that I haven’t had to use for years. The other good news is that I am finding ways to make life simpler and easier to deal with the ups and downs.

It is going to be a great year!

Blog Articles This Month:

The Importance of Completely Finishing Projects

I learned to define "done" more clearly in my personal projects after discovering many unfinished tasks. By checking if a project is truly complete before starting the next one, I avoid accumulating almost-finished work and reduce mental clutter.

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Recovering From Hard Times

When I get overwhelmed and fall behind, I use a simple 4-step process to get back on track. First, I move everything to a separate list. Then I purge unnecessary tasks, tackle quick wins, and slowly integrate the backlog into my daily routine. This approach helps me recovering from hard times without guilt.

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Resolve To Make No More Resolutions…and Do This Instead

I believe that making multiple resolutions at once sets us up for failure. Instead, I suggest focusing on one goal per month, starting small and building sustainable habits through consistent tracking and realistic expectations.

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The 10 Tenets of My Personal Productivity

I've developed 10 core productivity tenets that guide my work and life organization. These principles help me maintain a streamlined system where everything has its place, processes are automated when possible, and all my information is easily accessible across devices while keeping things beautifully simple.

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What Patrons Saw

If you want exclusive articles from me, consider supporting me on Patreon. For the cost of a cup of coffee, you can get two articles per month, and exclusive access to patron-only events. Check out Patreon for more information.

Taking On Long Term Projects

I share my methods for tracking long-term goals like learning German and Python through daily practice and milestones.

Recognizing and Closing Open Loops

I walk through my house identifying open loops, create a system to track them, and restore order to my space.

Review: The Lazy Genius Way

I was intrigued when a few women I know told me about “The Lazy Genius Way*”. At last, I thought, a productivity book that recognizes that people, particularly women, don’t stop doing stuff when they leave the office.

It’s a big hole that I have seen in the modern productivity space, and I was glad to see that someone has stepped up to fill it.

This book is geared toward working mothers. It .addresses the overwhelming “shoulds” that populate our lives. It is perpetuated by social media and carefully curated images of lives that appear there. No one has those perfect lives - even those that post those pictures - and very few people are willing to admit that their lives aren’t perfect.

The main strength of the book is that it gives a framework for deciding what is important. And it’s not a one-size-fits-all set of rules, either. It is about determining what is important, and finding better ways to do things based on their importance.

It’s a refreshing take on cutting back on things that just aren’t important to an individual.

It’s nothing earthshaking or new, just productivity based on the concept that we can’t do it all.

*Denotes an affiliate link. If used, I will earn a small commission. It does not change your costs.

Quote of the Month

'No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.'

Buddha

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