(Photo credit: B Tal)
The average American spends 1,700 hours a year at work, and unfortunately for you and me that means it’s a statistical inevitability that something embarrassing or awkward will happen while you’re at work. I don’t know about you, but it always seems to happen to me at the most inconvenient time, like spilling coffee on yourself right before a big meeting.
Here’s a checklist of ways to deal:
Barbara Walters retires May 16, 2014. (Photo Credit: deadline.com)
If you were to visit my parents on Long Island and ask to see my high school year book, next to my photo you would find the words, “hopes to become the next Barbara Walters.” What an overachiever I was, even then! Truth is — I’ve always looked up to Barbara Walters. I remember watching interviews she had done in my college journalism classes and learning from the best. I try to use her techniques even today when I do my own interviews. After reading her memoir, “Audition” I felt compelled to write her an email — and she actually wrote me back! I’m happy I got the opportunity to tell Barbara that she is one of my greatest teachers.
Today is her very last day of work after 50 years on television. She’ll finally be able to enjoy some well-deserved downtime. To help her out, I made a to-do list of things she should enjoy during her retirement that will keep her up to date with the times:
1. Get a Netflix account: In a recent interview, Barbara said one of the first things she wants to do during her retirement is go to a movie. What she may not realize is that with a Netflix account, she’ll be able to watch as many movies as she wants whenever she wants… in her own home!
2. Get an Instagram account: After 50 years on television, it may be hard to adjust back into the “real world.” But she doesn’t need to cut out the entertainment industry completely (and she’s not—she’s still going to be executive producer for The View!). With an Instagram account, she can stay up to date with some of her favorite people she’s gotten to know over the years by “liking” their posts as they attend numerous events and award shows. And I would love to continue seeing what she’s up to!
3. Go through her old wardrobe: Barbara is in luck—fashion trends are starting to repeat themselves. Rather than have to update her wardrobe, she can just go through her closet and bring out her old favorites. Or use the extra time to clear out clutter and do a bit of a fashion show with all the garments she’s worn through the years on big interviews.
4. Travel: Since her budget won’t be going towards an updated wardrobe, Barbara can spend all her money towards travels. I even have some recommendations on my Pinterest board for places to go!
5. Learn how to take a selfie: Lets face it– we’re all going to miss seeing Barbara on our television screens everyday. It’s going to be weird not knowing what she’s up to! But once she learns how to take the infamous selfie, we’ll be able to stay updated. She can post it to her Instagram account!
6. Have lunch with me! I had to throw it in there because I’m sure we’d have tons to talk about. I’m available whenever you are Barbara!
Happy Retirement!
Certain characters always seem to stick with us. Beyond the quirky characteristics and clever one-liners, our favorite TV characters can reveal more about our personalities than we might think. For me — I tend to be drawn to the characters who are overachievers, organizers and outspoken. Hmm…now that I think about it — I admire all of those skills.
So what do your favorite characters say about your productivity?
Dexter Morgan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dexter Morgan from Dexter: Everyone’s favorite serial killer is dedicated to details. Each and every episode he tirelessly plans every single nuance of his latest kill. It sounds morbid and like something that I would hate but I was hooked on the series immediately. If Dexter is your type of character you probably have a very organized closet and your morning routine is the same everyday, down to the minute. Read more
Television remote control (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“Binge Watching” = The act of consecutively watching television shows online for hours.. many, many, hours.
I’ve fallen victim to this illness various times, and I know I’m not alone! I mean how can you not binge watch when Netflix has every episode of the best shows ever – including one of my personal faves Breaking Bad? Even ABC Go dedicated an entire week of their online service to binge watching. They posted all of their shows’ seasons, which they have never done before.
As awesome as it is to catch up on a show or throw yourself into an entirely new one, this “addiction” can seriously get in the way of your productivity. Because episodes continue one after the other you can totally lose track of time and the next thing you know you’ve been sitting on your couch for six hours.
So here is my list on how to balance your binge watching and your to-do’s!
1. Make It A Game: When I know that I have things to do, but I am dying to catch up on my shows I make a little competition with myself. I set my goals for the day and then I will reward myself with an episode or two if I accomplish all my work. Two or three checks off my to-do list equals admiring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for an hour. Not a bad payoff, huh?
Read more
(Photo credit: zerok)
This new social media age has made friendships and dating more and more digital. With it being as simple as being able to post a photo for many people to see, to being able to send instagram messages on computer, staying in touch and interacting with followers may not be as tough as some may think. Social media may not be for everyone though.
The “social” aspect of being social is quickly diminishing. Don’t get me wrong I love my technology and apps as you know – but face-to-face communication shouldn’t go out of style. And this is coming from a person who loves alone time. Friendships are so important for your mind, body, and soul. Here are just a few benefits:
1. Great support system: Having friends at your side means you always have someone to lean on. In good times and bad you have someone there for you.
2. Happiness: Good friends equal good company. What is better than having a BFF to gossip with, watch chick flicks, or share a bottle of wine over some laughs? Friends can brighten your day and just make you happier.
3. Good for Your Health: Many studies have shown that having close friends or relationships can help your cardiovascular health and lower levels of cortisol (stress hormones). Check out more health benefits here
Now I’m not saying to throw away social media – in fact, I can give you the best of both worlds! Here are a few social media sites that actually get you to be social outside of online but before looking at them, let’s talk about how to build social platforms up, you can actually build them up using professionals such as a social media accounts manager. They will help you by growing your instagram for instance, and this will bring people to your site by using relevant hashtags, putting up snappy captions and taking amazing photographs, of course this is just the basics of social media marketing and they are there to help with all of the complicated stuff! There are so many interesting sites to look at…
Girlfriend Circles: This site connects like-minded local women with one another to create friendships. This is great for people who have just moved into an area, or are just looking for some girlfriends to get coffee and lunch with! You can search through member profiles and join “connecting circles.” They also post scheduled events to meet up with other women.
Tawify: Online dating can be more social too! This site is like Millionaire Matchmaker but without the “millions”. The new online dating site allows you to skip out on all the profile searching and has a “personal concierge” do all the work for you! Once you sign up, you fill out a short questionnaire and they will set you up with your dating agent who you meet in person. Make sure you fill out the questionnaire as truthfully as you can, it’s important you don’t try and change who you are. Your agent will then find your best matches and set up your dates for you. This is a cool spin on the typical dating site because the agent will be able to get to know you and find the perfect person for you.
Meetup: This is where I first started my “Lists and Libations” group. A group for list lovers who meet at bars in NYC and talk all things productivity. You really can find a group for any interest on this site. From cooking buffs to book lovers — you’ll find “your people” and be able to meetup off line.
How do you think you’d benefit from having more friends and actually meeting up in person more often?