Listen to News and Me On-The-Go

rivet-thelistproducer-ad-300x250_NEWAfter the departure of Umano, I’ve been listening to a lot of audio books. It’s been a good chance to catch up on everything I’ve been meaning to read. However I feel there is still a void where Umano used to be.  Remember Umano — it was the platform where you could get your news read to you by professionals.  I even read these blog posts on Umano and shared my stuff in a whole new way.  I was bummed when they closed down.  

Until I discover Rivet. Like Umano, Rivet reads to you all the latest news, over a range of different categories. With a mix of local, national, and world news. You can get all the latest on:

  • Breaking News
  • Technology
  • Science
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Law, Order & Disorder
  • Government & Politics
  • Weather & Traffic

Rivet also remembers what you like to listen to and curates a playlist for you.

Plus if you’ve been missing the audio content I uploaded to Umano – then you’ll definitely want to download Rivet. I’m doing a weekly podcast show for them where I talk about a different productivity topic each week.

Click this link and download the app for iOS or Android.  Can’t wait to hear what you think of this new platform.  I’m excited to be on board and bring you a new and easy way to get your news…and productivity tips too!

I’ve Never Had So Much Fun Cleaning Out My Closet

before

My closet before!

I truly believe I’ve found my spirit animal — it’s Marie Kondo.

I’ve written before about her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. But this week I finally got around to listening to the entire audiobook and I have to admit I’m a convert (mostly.)

Now I understand why she’s such a rockstar in Japan and why there is a waiting list to work with her!

In her book, Marie explains that she started “tidying” when she was 5 years old. Like a classic middle child she did it to get attention and praise from her parents. Since then, for Marie, tidying has become a celebration. She even dresses up for the event.

Marie says everything you own wants to be of use to you. Isn’t that such a nice way of thinking about it? That was a huge mindset switch for me. Read more

Get More Organized Now with Harvesting Happiness

hhtr_banner_orange I was kindly invited on as a guest to the Harvesting Happiness Show.  We talked about my book, Listful Thinking and how you can use lists to live a happy life.

The show also featured Daniel Levitin who talks about the science behind getting organized.

He touched on a few scientific reasons why multitasking is bad for you, which made me so happy to hear as multitasking is such a pet peeve of mine. But unfortunately it’s such a classic pitfall that so many people fall down!

The interview is embedded below, but you can also click here to listen to it. It’s 58 minutes long, so I would recommend breaking it up and listening in chunks. Or it could be good if you have a long drive. If you want to skip to my part I start around the 31 minute mark. Enjoy!

Make This List to Get More Out of Your Day

412+FUKrQdLFrom CEOs to janitors, we all have the same problem – we don’t have enough time.

In fact, when you think about it, time is an equalizer.  That’s because we all only get 24 hours.

Even the President is forced to squeeze all his tasks into that 24-hour time frame.

So how do we do it?

I recently visited the Google headquarters with my husband in Mountain View, CA.  Our gracious guide Gopi Kallayil discussed this conundrum with us as he showed us around the gorgeous campus.

At one point he asked us, “If you only had one hour what would be the next one thing you would do with it that would maximize the quality of joy, presence and life?”

It’s a great question for unveiling your true priorities.

Often you’ll be surprised by how little time you dedicate to the things you would put at the top of that list. Read more

9 Instant Ways to Boost Your Mood Now

110934543-47839132b0ded77208641b8166753a2f_6edfbeI’m generally a positive person, but I have my off days like everybody else.

When we’re feeling down or a little sluggish we tend to go a bit slower, and we’re more likely to put off important tasks. There’s nothing wrong with being sad from time to time – as we learned from the movie Inside Out (how cute are those characters?) But sometimes you need a quick pick me up to get your day going again.

Here are some ways I make my day better instantly:

1. Dance it out – Solo-dance parties can be the best, it’s all about you and the music. No one can judge your dance moves, no matter how crazy. So put on your favorite track and get moving.

2.  Keep a gratitude journal – Remind yourself of what you’re thankful for! It’s easy to get caught up in things and forget at times, but many studies have found that those who are grateful for what they have feel a higher sense of happiness than those who do not. I make a habit of writing in my gratitude journal every night. Read more