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?

Keeping Track of Your Book Lists

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A recent comment by fellow list producer, Katie C., on my blog about “Keeping a Book List” peaked my interest. Katie told me about a website called LibraryThing.com that she uses to list her favorite books. So I decided to check it out.

She’s right – it’s a great website. It’s a social cataloging site that lets you keep track of your favorite books, wish lists, etc. You can read other user’s reviews and it connects people who like the same types of books. It gives you suggestions about what to read next and can be accessed from anywhere – including your cell phone. So when people ask you “what should I read?” you’ll have all the information at your fingertips!

Basically it’s a social media site for book nerds. Well, I’m in! There are a bunch of other sites and even an application on Facebook that does similar things. But what I like about this site is that it searches the Library of Congress, Amazon sites and more than 80 libraries all over the world. It lets you organize your collection however you’d like – even by using the Dewey decimal system.

Signing up is free but it allows you to only catalog 200 books. That’s fine by me– I probably won’t need more than that. But if you’re a real bookworm you might want to get a paid account that costs $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime! Seems like a small price to pay to get your “nerd on.”

What other book sites do you like to use to keep track of all your reads?

 

Lists Can Tell Stories

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Your lists can tell so much about you. Where you’re going, what you’re doing, how much you have left to do, if you need milk, etc.

More Than a Grocery List

An artsy guy named Bill Keaggy collected a bunch of grocery lists in his blog and book, “Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found.” People from all over sent in their lists or ones that they found and the results were pretty telling. There were normal grocery items like milk and eggs.  But some offer strange combinations like the one that includes hair detangler and Prozac. Bill’s commentary always makes me laugh.  Check it out for a chuckle. Read more

Hunger Games: Will the Movie Beat the Book?

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By now you’ve heard of the Hunger Games I hope. It’s a trilogy that was originally written for teens but has a cult following with adults — both men and women alike.  I for one, am hooked.  So are all the women I work with.  We just can’t get enough.  I plan on seeing the movie soon but wonder if it will live up to the excitement in the book.

Here’s a list of some other books that were made into movies and my vote on which one won:

The Book Is Better

  • Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
  • Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
  • Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
  • My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
  • Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
  • The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
  • Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

What a Great Movie

  • Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
  • The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
  • Donny Brasco by Joseph D. Pistone
  • Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
  • The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
  • Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (original)

I Can’t Decide — It’s a Tie

  • The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  • The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kidd
  • The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

What are some of your favorite books that have been turned into movies?

Being Organized Helps Beat Stress

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One of the things I love about being a health producer is that I get to cover “news you can use.” From the newest super food to a cutting-edge surgery — we often learn about it first.  Not only does this information help people but it makes me look really smart at cocktail parties.

That said — I had the opportunity to produce a segment with life coach and author Margaret Moore (a.k.a. Coach Meg) about her book “Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life,” where she gave all kinds of tips and tricks for being less overwhelmed, less stressed and more productive.  Love that!

Take a look at the video and accompanying article here for some ways to tame the frenzy in your own life.  Here are some of my favorite Coach Meg tips:

  • Think about what puts you in a calm state and do it!
  • Set small goals to focus your attention (say to yourself for 30 minutes I’m only working on x)
  • Turn off your cell phone and/or email to get more done
  • Even super organized people can overload — build in breaks and time to relax
  • In the end you are the only one to hold accountable for your productivity