Productivity – Karen Lowry, Editor & Writer

Excited and Not

I’m excited and not about things getting back to normal. I wasn’t thrilled with normal.

Of all the freedoms that come with age, embracing who I am by doing what I love is the most fun. Not giving f*cks about what others think is right up there, entwined with the self-actualization, but the core of this particular joy is joy itself. I didn’t even know I was on this journeyContinue reading “The Joy of Joy for Joy’s Sake”

Oops! The Cost of Multitasking

woman talking on phone and checking messages during working on the computer

I could have paid for a course on Staying Focused or bought a book about Concentration. Instead, I spent money learning a lesson I already knew.

My Screen-free Weekend (#NotQuite)

I (almost) spent the whole weekend with no screens. My cats had more of a problem with it than I did.

Ritual of Reflection

dramatic clouds reflected in still water by a dock

My mind can be so easily fooled, I rely on its gullibility. My brain shifted from stress to comfort with the change of a single word. My old list of monthly tasks = chores. Weight on my shoulders. Adulting. Responsibility. Burdens. My monthly ritual = soothing. Calm, comforting self-care. Aaaaaaah. I look forward to theContinue reading “Ritual of Reflection”

Ease

In yoga the Sanskrit word sukha is used to talk about the sense of ease. Sukhasana – easy pose – is sitting cross-legged. When I came back to yoga practice after years away, the gentle, kind instructor of our beginner class shocked us one day by saying we wouldn’t start the class lying on our backsContinue reading “Ease”

Resolutions and Setbacks

Blue Monday!? There’s a tradition at my workplace for Blue Monday, where people wear their brightest, clashing-est clothing to fight off the darkness and cold of winter in Canada. I’m not sure the science behind it is solid, but it does mean I get to wear purple polka dot pajama pants all day so IContinue reading “Resolutions and Setbacks”

Privacy: Beyond Compliance

Using Privacy Principles for Better Business I am feeling impatient as I wait for the professional video clips from a talk I gave recently, so rather than check email constantly I thought I’d write about the topic. For now, you’ll just have to visualize me inspiring the audience and happy participants giving testimonials about how wonderfulContinue reading “Privacy: Beyond Compliance”

A Mess of Words

screenshot of a mix of unorganized files

I’m a wannabe-minimalist living a simple, happy life without clutter [see: Every single thing I post]. I choose my excesses with joy [see: ALL THE PENS!] and my favourite is … Words. I write words, play with words, copy words, read words, think in words. I fit words into crossword puzzles, I study words inContinue reading “A Mess of Words”

Radical Decluttering

peaceful picture of sky and lake with a rocky shore

A funny thing happened as I cleared my house of excess stuff: The invisibility cloak lifted off my furniture. I’d taken it for granted, it was part of the scenery. I hadn’t considered living without my lovely living room wall unit, for example, until there was almost nothing left in it and the starkness ofContinue reading “Radical Decluttering”