Five Ways to Balance Kids and Productivity

One of the most challenging parts of the COVID-19 pandemic for so many people has been balancing work with family.

It used to be that you’d send your kids off to school or daycare and then go to work, but now everything is happening in your home!

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The Productivity Hangup You Probably Have Too

lady drinksA few weeks ago I was invited to a dinner party to celebrate my book Listful Thinking.  My friend and colleague Joya Dass runs a women’s networking group called LadyDrinks and hosted the event.  

So I was thrilled when she asked me to recreate the magic with an afternoon tea theme in Princeton, NJ.  (You know how much I love tea if you read this blog regularly! So I was all in on this.)

Most of the women at the tea were professional moms who juggle careers in industries ranging from technology to medicine. They all had one question – “How can you balance everything?”

It’s not easy, I struggle with this too and it’s only me and my husband at this point!  

One of the pitfalls and mindset issues I noticed coming up time and time again as we went around the room chatting was the idea of setting boundaries. I think mothers who work outside of the home tend to feel guilty about not spending enough time with their families. And then they feel guilty about not working enough when they are with their families.  That’s a recipe for overwhelm and disaster.  

Taking time for yourself is super important for your productivity and for your sanity.  Here’s the fix: boundaries.  Read more

Productivity Tips You Learned in Kindergarten

kidsYou don’t really realize it when your a kid, but kindergarten was probably the most important year in your school career in terms of development. Of course, that school is essential, but we don’t really pay much attention to grades like Pre-K and Kindergarten, but they are important just like any other grade in school. It is where we begin to make our friendships and interact with other kids. A friend of mine learned this when her children started Pre-K and Kindergarten at a school similar to Ravens Croft (RAVENSCROFT.ORG). She reminded me that we learned so much during that time, and not just how to read and write, but believe it or not we also learned plenty of productivity skills!

Here’s a look back at some stuff you learned in kindergarten that you can still use today: Read more

Checklist to Overcome the End of Summer Blues

summerAs the summer draws to a close the cooling temperatures and waining sunlight can leave us feeling down. But it’s not over yet, there’s a chance for you to extend your summer experience and keep the good feelings going through into the fall.

Eat Summer Foods – While most summer foods are actually available all year round, they are undoubtably at their peak right now. So indulge in some tomatoes or strawberries while their still in season.   Read more

It’s Malala Day – Help Change The World

Malala Yousafzai speaks at World Bank headquar...

Malala Yousafzai speaks at World Bank headquarters on the International Day of the Girl (Photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection)

When I was younger I loved going to school and my passion for learning has never really left me. I’m always looking for new opportunities to find out more about a subject or research a new trend.  Whenever I fill in Buzzfeed quizzes, I always end up with the bookworm or nerd personality type.  I like to think of myself as curious but even still I’m a big fan of education, especially education for women.

Who is Malala? 

Today I would to share with you the story of Malala Yousafzai. Like me, she is a girl who loves going to school and learning. Unfortunately, some people around her did not want her to learn. They feared education would give her power. Those people had a meeting and decided to assassinate her in Pakistan, where she lived. On October 9, 2012, they walked onto her school bus, asked for her by name and shot her in the head.  The bullet hit her forehead and ran down the length of her face but did not kill her.  She is lucky to be alive.   Read more