Tag Archive for: reduce stress

An Alternative to Marie Kondo’s “Spark Joy” Approach

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PRE-ORDER LISTFUL LIVING: If you’re inclined to buy a copy of my new journal book, Listful Living: A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You,” please do it now.

The book will be out in the fall of 2019 but pre-orders are a big deal for authors and it would help me out tremendously.

Pre-orders tell the publisher and the media that this book is going to be a big deal. And I’m offering some great pre-order bonuses that you’ll be eligible to receive. All you have to do is send a copy of your receipt to my assistant at Tabitha@paularizzo.com and when they are unveiled you’ll get them! Thank you!  

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Clutter – thanks to Marie Kondo is the in thing right now.

Everyone is trying to reduce their amount of stuff and live more minimally.

But living by her ‘spark joy’ principle doesn’t always work for everyone. So how do you finally clear clutter once and for all?

Tracy McCubbin has the answers for you and I interviewed her via video recently.  
Read more

Ikigai: Live a More Fulfilling Life the Japanese Way

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What do you do in a typical week?

  • Go to work
  • Spend time with your family
  • Read
  • Meditate
  • Have drinks with friends…

It’s important to have a good balance of work and play, social time and alone time. But at the end of the day, what’s it all for?

There are hundreds of self-help books on how to find your passion or change career path to something more inspiring.

But as my friend Terri would say, window cleaners don’t have that job because they have a passion for clean glass. There’s a certain level of practicality to what we do as well as a need to be financially stable.

So how do we find fulfilment? Read more

How to Hygge: A Lesson in Self Care

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I love rules.

Clear cut, simply defined rules.

I also love a good mantra. You know a few words to remind you of your goal or purpose.

These two things are most perfectly combined in Marie Kondo’s idea of realizing if an item in your home sparks joy for you.

It’s a simple yes/no question that evokes an emotional response.

I’m doing research for my new book, Listful Living: A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You, and I came across the idea of hygge, which I quickly became obsessed with. I first heard of it from my media-training client Melissa Coleman, who is the author of The Minimalist Kitchen.

What is Hygge?

It’s a Danish word pronounced “hoo-ga,” which is broadly defined as a feeling of cozy contentment. Read more

Timeshifter App Ends Jet Lag For Optimal Productivity

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My friend Nicole Feldman travels for work a lot. Probably about three times per month at least.

She travels for fun too though. Jay and I meet up with her and her husband all over the world. We just got back from a trip to Paris to eat macaroons and croissants. Highly recommend 🙂

In fact, she wrote a guest post for me about how to pack for a two-week vacation to Europe in a carry-on bag. She knows her stuff when it comes to traveling. So when she told me she was trying out a new app called Timeshifter to try to mitigate jet lag I was interested.

She first started using it for a marathon trip from San Francisco to Tokyo for work. From there she was headed back to New York city for a wedding. Whoa.

She followed the rules and was able to dance the night away at her friend’s wedding instead of zoning out like a zombie in need of a nap. Read more

Marie Kondo Sparks Joy on Netflix

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It was over three years ago that I first fell in love with Marie Kondo and her bestselling book,  “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

After reading and listening to the audio version of her book,I went on a cleaning rampage.

I got rid of 7 bags of clothing and 2 boxes of books. There was so much more space in my cozy New York City apartment.

Since then I have not only met Marie Kondo, but I’ve also tried to spread the KonMari method to all my friends and family.

It wasn’t, however, until recently that Marie Kondo entered the mainstream. Netflix released a TV show centered around the premise of her book.

She goes into people’s homes and helps them declutter. The show has been a big hit and people have been going cleaning crazy, not unlike myself a few years ago.

Thrift stores have been seeing a huge influx recently thanks to Marie’s method.

The show follows a simple pattern with a family in over their heads in clutter. Marie comes in like a fairy godmother and teaches them her various methods for folding clothes and tidying up.

But most importantly she asks them what ‘sparks joy’ – this is to help people hold on to the important things in their life and cut the fat!

I’m so excited to see Marie fever sweeping the nation having been caught up in it myself!

Following her rules makes getting rid of items so much less overwhelming. Marie encourages you to show gratitude to your items daily, so I started leaving the closet door open so my clothes could get some fresh air and sunlight and my friend and colleague Terri massaged her sweaters.

I think Marie really resonates with people, not just because she’s so sweet, but also because her method is less of a chore and more of a ideology.

Give her method a try or at least watch the Netflix show to give yourself a little inspiration. When I watched the first episode it ended about 10:30pm and I was debating pulling all my clothes out of the closet and starting to tidy! But then I came to my senses and decided I’d pick another day to start.

You can tackle one category at a time – not by room. This is probably very different than you’ve ever done but it’s a very effective way of cleaning.

The one thing I didn’t love about the Netflix show is that it’s a bit repetitive. It’s the same formula over and over again but if you aren’t familiar with the method it’s good to see it done with multiple families.

Did the Netflix show spark you to start cleaning?