Crafty Book Uses Lists to Learn about You

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Declaration of You

I’m not a particularly crafty person, but enjoyed the creative, artistic aspects of The Declaration of You, written by creativity experts and fellow bloggers Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward.

As the title claims, this book is all about embracing every aspect of your personality and openly acknowledging all your positive attributes. The best part is, this book uses lists to help get you there!

The Declaration of You is divided into 8 different sections, each devoted to a differently-themed declaration. As the authors explain the importance of each declaration, they prompt their readers to develop lists about themselves, such as “Things I Might Want to Try.”

True to their creative ways, Jessica and Michelle include a craft project in each of the sections, but don’t get scared off! These projects are simple and fun. The first project is even a vision board — much like the one I make every New Year.

Through crafts and lists alike, The Declaration of You encourages its readers to begin some self-reflection and discover new aspects of themselves. If you want to hear more, check out their website and begin your declaration. Who knows what you might find?

Cross “Meet Giada de Laurentiis” Off My Bucket List

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Me & Giada at BEA in NYC

I have to share a really fun “bucket list” item with you.  I met Giada de Laurentiis!  Every year I attend Book Expo America (BEA) at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC for work.  It’s a huge gathering of book publishers, publicists, authors, potential authors, librarians and book lovers.  I set up several meetings with publishers and get the skinny on the new books coming out in the next few months so I can set up interviews.  It’s always a fun and enlightening event.  But this year was the best yet!   Read more

5 Things You Never Knew About Saving Money

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moremoneyI thought I knew a fair amount about how to have healthy finances. I know how to make money, save it and spend it…so what else is there to know? Apparently a lot! A fellow blogger and friend, Scott Gamm, just wrote a book called “More Money Please: The Financial Secrets You Never Learned in School.” And he’s only 21! Yes — that’s right!

The book is written from the perspective of a college kid who knows more than most about finance. Scott started a blog called HelpSaveMyDollars.com for young people to get their money issues under control. Many people struggle to save and often run out of money quicker than they make it.  Anyway, this book is geared towards 20-somethings, however, I think people of all ages, including parents and professionals, can benefit from reading it. Here’s some of what I learned: Read more

10 Ways to Cut Out Paper Clutter

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I have a confession to make…I can sometimes be a paper hoarder. I keep things because I “might need them.” I’ve gotten better now that a lot of records and statements can be found online. But when the mail comes sometimes it hard to part with some of the pieces “just in case.”

But I’ve been getting better thanks to my organizational friends like Bonnie Joy Dewkett. She’s a professional organizer and owner of The Joyful Organizer. These tips will help you tackle any pile of mail, bills, magazines or flyers in a flash!

Top 10 Paper Organization Tips

By Bonnie Joy Dewkett

Paper is one of the biggest problems we have as a society. Here are ten quick tips to get you organized and keep you that way!

1. Have a big pile of paper? Flip it over and start sorting at the bottom. Chances are that most of the stuff on the bottom is old, expired, or no longer valuable to you. Read more

Morning is the Most Productive Time

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Good mornig,guys! Why don't you drink with me?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I haven’t always been a morning person but with a “regular” 9-5 schedule – I didn’t have a choice. So I’ve embraced it. Every morning before work I:

1. Read two newspapers

2. Practice yoga

3. Sip green tea

4. Eat a healthy breakfast

5. Read through and respond to several emails

6. Listen to news radio for 15 minutes

7. Check my Twitter and Facebook feeds

8. Take a shower and get ready

9. Walk for 15 minutes

Most people barely have enough time to jump in the shower, take the dog out for a walk and scarf down some breakfast before they get to work. I don’t do all of the things on that list because I HAVE to – I do them because I WANT to.

My husband thinks I’m crazy but I wake up at 6:05am every morning so I can do all of those things before work. It’s hours before I have to get to work but I love that time to be productive and do the things I want to do for myself.

I recently read an e-book called, “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast” by Laura Vanderkam and it turns out a lot of successful people do exactly the same thing as me. They meditate, exercise, read, practice hobbies and do anything that they like way before they get to work.

As it says in the book — if you do things before work in the morning there’s a higher chance you’ll actually get those things done and out of the way to feel much more accomplished and productive before you sit down at your desk. You’ve all been there… you procrastinate, make excuses and get tired by the end of the day so you may never get to the gym. For me — I don’t like to be rushed. I like to give myself enough time to get ready and wake up.

Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project” gets up an hour before her family to check email and headlines and start her day.  I like to do the same thing so that when I actually get to work – I can start working right away and only have a few emails to distract me.

So what do you do in the morning?