From Surviving to Thriving...at Home and at Work

I enjoy listening to podcasts as a break from sports talk radio.  One of my favorites is megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, whose podcasts are upbeat and fun.  One recent episode dealt with a topic that is close to my heart- overcoming an attitude of surviving and moving towards thriving.

When so many people are negative and depressed, it can be hard to stay positive.  Maybe the economy is bad.  Maybe your job is on the line but there is still hope- I suggest that we start with some of the smallest of things.

At Home

• Declutter: choose one space per day for a week to pair back and clean out.


• Simplify: identify one area of your home life which could be streamlined.


• Prevent: stop spam mail by arriving in your in-box and into your mail box.


• Take a sabbath: commit to a weekly break where you can pray, be with family and relax.


• Make it your own: add a decorating style or landscaping signature piece to really make home feel like your own.


• Plan for your next move: carry out a home improvement project which will ready your house for resale.

At Work

• Minimize your interruptions: find ways to let people know that you're working and need some space to focus on the task at hand.


• Control your meetings: keep them simple, focused and with an end in sight- it's the only way to keep sane in a knowledge-working world.


• Watch your calendar: look back, nail down and look forward to the week(s) ahead.


• Arrive early once a week: make it a point to be the first one at work at least once a week.


• Set up 6th gear: I'll talk about this later in the week but for now, 6th gear is that time of the day when you should be getting tired but somehow find a way to squeeze one final push of work before the day is out.

Photo by St0rmz

The Value of Slowing Down

For several hours today, I sat and listened to various speakers extol the virtues of slowing down and taking time for quiet.  Advent is to blame for this.

Roman Catholics celebrate Advent as a season of several weeks prior to Christmas.  Think of it as the antidote to the craze that swept over shoppers of the NY Walmart last week.

As the pace of digital life increases, slowing down might not be such a bad idea after all.  It's good for your health, it allows more time for real human interaction and of course enables you to hear the still, quiet voice of God.

P.S. TDS reader Jon Swanson has this e-book created just for Advent.  Thanks Jon!

“A happy man is too satisfied with the present

to dwell too much on the future.”

Albert Einstein

You Don't Have to be the Boss to be a Big Deal

This past week, I heard one of the finest talks to be given at a student retreat.  Ever.

Tom, the speaker, mentioned that his life had followed a plan as had been laid out by his parents and the expected norms of society.  Then, out of the blue, something happened which provided the ultimate detour for his life.  For the first time ever, he asked himself, "what if I'm not a big deal?"

Tom went on to explain that life is not so much about carrying out the plan that lies before you as it is about managing the detours that come your way.  Handle the detour and you'll succeed.

It's not so much about being the boss or having the most impressive title.  It's about doing and being your best in the small details of life.  That's a big deal.

Photo by spicytuna

Friday Thought: The Need for Courage

From Catherine Whitmire, Plain Living: A Quaker path to Simplicity

"It takes courage to align our personal lives, our work and the way we spend our days with what we hear when we listen within."

How will you align your schedule today with what you value most interiorly?

Productivity Interview with Blogger and Webmaster Lisa Hendey

Ever wondered how you can balance a busy family schedule with work?  Author, blogger and website founder Lisa Hendey provided me with the answers to the following questions.  I am indebted to Lisa as a friend, a productivity expert and an honest voice for strong families.  Thanks Lisa!

What led you to begin Catholicmom.com and what have been 2-3 surprises that have come with the site's enormous success?

I began CatholicMom.com back in 1999 as
a hobby in an effort to learn more about both my faith and parenting. 
I had volunteered to take on the webmaster duties at my children's
parochial school and began contemplating the idea of using my newly
learned web skills to connect with other mothers around the country. 


I am constantly amazed and humbled by the gifts and surprises that
come from being affiliated with CatholicMom.com.  The first surprise is
one I credit to the Holy Spirit and to the goodness of people - it's
the willingness of people to step forward and to contribute their work
freely towards the end goal of making our site a success. We are unable
to financially compensate our writers and contributors, and yet we have
over thirty people from all over the world who regularly volunteer their
time because they believe in the mission of the website and our efforts
to celebrate faith and family.


The second surprise is the phenomenal growth the site has
experienced.  I am humbled by the fact that we have readers from around
the world who regularly visit the site to read our columns and download
our free children's content.  We have never spent a dollar on
advertising and the site has completely grown by word of mouth.  It's a
blessing to receive emails and know that you play a small part in
helping families around the world.

Which types of productivity issues do you feel that parents are dealing with?

I
think parents are often overwhelmed because we truly want to give our
best to both our families and to our careers or other endeavors.  We
are all trying to cram more and more activity into each day, whether
that is our own work or carting our children off to their many school
events and activities.  We have difficulty setting limits on our
commitments, and as a result may spread ourselves too thin.  I speak
from experience!

How has productivityathome.com helped or challenged your own awareness of productivity?

I write on personal productivity because it
motivates me to try to be more effective in my own use of time, not
because I'm by any means an expert on the topic.  I believe in working
harder, not longer!  I find that writing for Productivity @ Home keeps
me abreast of the latest trends, gadgets and techniques and puts me in
contact with people in the field who are doing great things to make our
world a better place.  I look at productivity from a multi-faceted
approach, including everything from work and time management to
life-long learning and health and fitness.  If I let one aspect of my
personal productivity efforts go, the rest of the areas suffer with
it.  Blogging on these topics every week challenges me to try a little
harder every day!

How does your faith help you to stay productive and manage projects?

My
faith is at the core of everything I do and ultimately drives every
project I undertake.  I need to continually ask myself whether my
projects contribute to being a more spiritual person and a better wife,
mother, family member and friend.  If the answer to these questions is
"no" then it's time to re-evaluate. 

Any other advice for busy families?

Just know that you are not in the struggle alone!  Take time to laugh,
to play, to work, and especially to pray each day. Never assume that
someone else has all the answers - you don't know what really goes on
in another family outside your own.   Let all you do be a sign of your
love for God and for your family and you'll be on the right path. 

For more information about Lisa Hendey, visit CatholicMom or Productivity@Home.

Please Support the Catie Fund

To all readers of The Daily Saint- this may be my most important post.

My wife and I have some dear friends who have six, yes six children.  (Kevin and Christine O'Brien) Two months ago, their 7 year old, Catie, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  Catie is perhaps one of the few children in the world who has had this form of cancer at the base of her spine.  The tumor was removed (although cancer cells remain) and her path to recovery was planned.  It has since been a difficult road for the O'Brien family and mom Christine has been with Catie at the St. Jude's Children Hospital in Memphis.  Dad Kevin is back in PA with the other children and trying to hold things together.

Christine and Catie live at Target House which is a long term patient center.  Target House is a beautiful facility but hardly home.  You can imagine how anxious Catie must be to get back to her own bed in Pennsylvania.  She is receiving radiation treatments each day.  Generous folks have provided her with an iPod so that she can pass the many hours of waiting at the hospital. 

Back on the home front, the other children are prayerful, hopeful and carrying on as "normal kids" would.  They have summer camp, birthday parties and chores around the house.  Still, they know that their sister is facing great danger and naturally, they miss her terribly.  As for Kevin, he is a very strong man and is holding up, but there are plenty of tears, many prayers and the support of friends is essential.

I have offered The Daily Saint as a way of gathering support for The Catie Fund, an account which allows the family to respond to the rising costs of having a critically ill child.  These are things that I never thought of like paying for someone to care for the other five children, paying for airfare so that the other children can go with Kevin down to Memphis to see their sister, etc. 

I can assure you that this family is for real and is of high integrity.  I visited with Kevin last Saturday and they are coping with the pressure and anxiety of Catie's cancer each day. 

For information about Catie and her story, click here. 

To support The Catie Fund, consider writing a check (P.O. Box 261,
Mechanicsburg, PA
17055).  I ask that you be as generous as you can.  If you feel so moved, pass this post along to others who may be able to help with Catie.