Productivity @ Home

Watching Weight?

With the flip of the calendar and having spent nearly two deep-fried weeks visiting family in the South, I made the decision to finally take some action about my resolve to get healthier by dropping weight. Ten days of jambalaya, Christmas cookies, and no workouts will put you in that frame of mind.

After doing some praying, pondering and research, I decided to try the Weight Watchers online plan. I have done the program in the past and for me my least favorite part was attending the meetings, so this new option to use technology to track my progress fits well with my busy schedule and frequent travel. I took the plunge on Thursday and have been happily using my iPhone and computer since then to help me learn about the changes in the program since the last time I used it.

A lot has changed in my personal life since that first time around—I am older, but not necessarily wiser. My body has been through breast cancer and radiation, the start of menopause, and the sedentary work of sitting at my computer to write three books. What was easy in my late thirties and early forties feels more monumentally difficult and discouraging now, but I’m happy that I’ve finally committed myself to a course of action.

I’m “outing” myself here on the blog in the hopes that perhaps some of you can help me stay accountable. I’m going to be blogging a bit about my experiences, my challenges, and any tips I find that help make the process easier. For today, I’ll simply say that I’m loving the ease and convenience of using my iPhone to easily count points and keep track of exercise. Additionally, I’m a bit obsessed with the WW Scanner app that lets you simply scan the bar code on a food item and immediately send it to your tracker. For a geek like me, the convenience and ease of access to food data has already helped me avoid some bad decisions.

How about you? Do we have any other readers here at the blog who are prioritizing good health choices this January? Feel free to chime in below in the comments with your tips, frustrations, or experiences.

 

Survival Guide Offers Work @ Home Tips

Every Monday, I share my thoughts on Working @ Home.

While I haven't read the book yet, CNN has a great article today featuring tips from the newly released Working Mom Survival Guide. I'd contend that the suggestions offered in CNN's excerpt Working from Home -- and Getting Things Done are relevant for all of us, not just moms. 

The excerpt shares five common pitfalls faced by those who work @ home, and offers some great suggestions for avoiding these traps. This one has great relevance for me personally:

Gadget addiction

You may find yourself constantly checking your gadgets to stay in the loop. The problem is, that urge can spill into family time, leaving you less connected with the ones who matter most.

What to do: Take e-mail breaks. Let colleagues know that you won't be checking your inbox while you work on a project and that they can call you if something comes up.

I've been working over the past few months to carve out more "protected time" for my faith life, my family, and frankly for fun too. I still find that having my office in the heart of my home tempts me all too frequently to not keep healthy work/life boundaries. I love the fact that my commute is nil and that I can completely set my own schedule, but I do find that sometimes being my own boss means that my supervisor all too often has "issues"!

Take a look at Working from Home -- and Getting Things Done - what challenges on this list can you relate to and what would you add to the list? Also, be sure to check out Working Mom Survival Guide and find more information on the book here. 

 

Take a Christmas Light Walk

On Saturdays, I share my thoughts on Health and Fitness.  

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year in my hometown of Fresno, California. Every year, we Fresnans are treated to "Christmas Tree Lane" -- a longstanding tradition of one major street in town decorating their houses with major lighting displays.

Honestly, the traffic on the lane has grown so crazy that most December nights, I steer clear of that entire area of town. The "Lane" is filled with bumper to bumper traffic. But on the first Saturday of December, it's my favorite place to be. Christmas Tree Lane is closed to car traffic and people from all over town flock to the area to walk the Lane. It's an extra treat for me because my son's jazz band provides musical ambiance for the night.

Out hear in California, we had nights that are still warm enough to make a "Christmas Light Walk" a real treat. Somehow, in the glow of decorations with family and friends nearby, I don't even notice that my heart is getting a workout. I enjoy it so much that I've started taking "Christmas Light Walks" in other areas of town that are known for nice decorations.

If you don't have a Christmas Tree Lane of your own, or if the weather outside isn't conducive to walking, consider a very early morning walk at your local Mall before it opens for business or a trek around your local Christmas tree farm. Those of you in snowy areas likely also have great options for skiing and skating in places that afford you a unique and lovely view of the season's finest.

What types of fitness activities do you enjoy during the winter months?

Lisa Likes: Game of Your Life -- Family Movie Night

Every Friday, I blog about stuff I like in my Lisa Likes feature. 

I was lucky enough last week to have a sneak preview of Game of Your Life, the newest installment of Family Movie Night which will be airing Friday, December 2nd at 8/7 pm on NBC.

Like many of the other Family Movie Night features, Game of Your Life has something for the whole family. The characters are compelling, the story will draw you in and the gaming-related technology featured in this film is sure to please the “wired” members of your household. Here’s the blueprint:

When industrious high school gamer Zach Taylor lands a prized scholarship to the prestigious Digital Institute of Game Design (DIGD), his future breaks wide open. The opportunity to study under gaming legend Marcus Bentton and alongside the country’s most creative minds will certainly propel him into a successful career as a video game designer. That is, if he can pass the infamous freshman project that eliminates more than half of the class within the first three months. Paired with brilliant yet socially awkward teammates Phillip and Donald, the trio persuades Sara Ramirez – a determined and striking team leader with whom Zach has a history (and possibly a future) – to join their team. Working off-campus in the teched-out Lincoln Alley loft, the four set out to involve the entire campus in a quirky new social interactive game. But as the group becomes entrenched in the project, Zach learns that his father Billy, a widower, is facing growing financial woes at home. To help out, Zach accepts an opportunity to work directly with Marcus Bentton on a secretive side project that seems too good to be true. The effort requires nearly all of Zach’s time and energy, which he should be devoting to the project. Struggling to keep it together, Zach is torn between his responsibility to his team, his admiration for Bentton and a chance to help his father. Everything comes to a breaking point when Zach’s team threatens to remove him from the group and the deceptive truth behind Bentton’s project comes to light. With the guidance of Professor Abbie Lambert, Zach must make a decision that not only affects his future, but the lives and livelihoods of the people around him as well. It’s a revealing story that recognizes the magnitude behind the choices we make and the importance loyalty plays in making good decisions.

As a geek, I loved the concept of the film and the fantastic performances turned in by a great team of actors. Lea Thompson, looking better than ever as Dr. Abby Lambert, and the duo of Nathan Kress and Adam Cagley are bright spots in a cast filled with super performers. The pace of the story will keep you tuned in, the product placements were less apparent to me than previous FMN installments, and once again the story leaves you not only with a great morale, but a desire to further interact with these characters. Like several of the other Family Movie Night features, I would love to see this plot expanded into a series.

Be sure to tune in Friday, December 2 at 8/7 pm to NBC. Learn more about the film here and catch up on more Family Movie Night series news atwww.FamilyMovieNight.com.  

 

A Fraud's Advice on Protecting Your Finances

Every Thursday, I share my thoughts on Family Finances.

For those of us who work @ home, we often rely on other professionals to aid us with financial advice, bookkeeping, tax preparation and other financial transactions that are the lifeblood of our family or small business. A recent article at CNN entitled "Confessions of a Con Artist" spells out just how easy it is for us to unwittingly be sent into financial ruin if we're not paying attention.

In the article, convicted felon Diann Cattani spells out just how easy it was for her to start ripping off her employers:

It was a startup, so the owners relied on me to take over the company's business functions. I automated the bookkeeping systems, contracted with all of the vendors and basically did everything that it took to set up the company's infrastructure. I never established systems with the plan to steal from them, but the fact that I implemented everything made things a lot easier.

Cattani's story and her warning to "trust, but also verify" is an important reminder in times when many small business are simply a few bad transactions away from financial ruin. 

Do you employ a contract bookkeeper or business advisor in your small business or family finances? What steps have you taken to ensure oversight of those services?

Unfreeze Your Brain with Kahn Academy

Every Wednesday, I share my thoughts on Learning and Personal Development.

Sometime in the early first grade, I came to the conclusion that I was "bad" at Math. I attribute it both to my own personal attitude and to a teacher who perhaps herself didn't like math and wasn't too great at teaching it. I managed to survive those elementary school years, high school math, and even barely scraping by in Pre-Calc my first semester at Notre Dame before landing in the "dummy math" class second semester. My classmates there, largely members of various Fighting Irish sports teams, were also bright people who just didn't "get" the whole math thing.

In our home, the division of parenting labor found me squarely in charge of helping with most homework except anything related to math. Once the boys evolved beyond memorization of times tables, I was out of my league.

So imagine my surprise when I recently discoverd the amazing Kahn Academy and found myself voluntarily watching videos of Math lessons! The Kahn Academy, a not-for-profit educational endeavor launched by Salmon Kahn in 2006, is truly revolutionizing the way people learn using technology tools and a systematic approach to teach not only math, but also science, humanities and even test preparation. It's a terrific resource not only for the students in our lives, but also for "grown ups" who -- like myself -- gave up all hope of learning math years ago.

A quick visit to the Kahn Academy website is sure to inspire you to spend ten minutes per day learning something new -- whether it's simple equations or a history lesson, this style of learning offers us the ability to go from "bad" at something to proficient in no time!

Have you used Kahn Academy for yourself or a student in your life? What other types of online services help you and your family to learn and grow?

The Pre-Fab Food Debate

Every Tuesday, I share my thoughts on Family Life.

I found myself fascinated recently by the article "Serving pre-prepared food doesn't mean you're a bad parent" over at CNN. Maybe I'm simply looking for ways to assuage my personal guilt and not cooking from scratch every night of the week -- and I'll freely admit to using Chipotle as a personal productivity crutch far too frequently...

That being said, I think the debate in the comments section of the CNN article points to not only the great divide moms feel over this topic, but also the amazing stress something as vital as feeding our families can create in our homes.

As the CNN article states, many families are seeking shortcuts when it comes to meal preparation:

Nearly half of all Americans use partially prepared foods or ready-to-cook foods to feed their families, according to a 2010 Mintel survey.

Now that there are only three of us living in my household, and frequently only two of us at the dinner table due to my teen's practice schedule and my husband's eratic work schedule, I find myself more concerned with sitting down to the dinner table together than with what's actually being served. I'm not stating that this is a good thing -- I'm just confessing to my personal reality at the moment and seeking your suggestions and ideas for making "easy" more healthy.

I tend to do a great deal of our shopping at Trader Joes and Whole Foods these days, combining fresh produce with partially pre-prepared items. We're also blessed to have a bevy of Farmer's Markets in my home town and ample access to beautiful fruits and vegetables. 

How do you cope with busy meal times? What time-savings strategies do you employ to cut down on prep time? What helps you to keep a healthy balance in your family's meals?

 

Winter Cleaning for Your Home Office

Every Monday, I share my thoughts on Working @ Home.

As we anticipate the crazy busyness of December, I'm looking at these last three bonus days of November as a chance to organize my life and my home office a bit before the hectic schedule kicks in. I recently relocated to a lovely new home office in the former dining room of our house. It's a larger space than I had before with room for floor to ceiling bookshelves, great lighting and easy access to my kitchen and laundry room. But because it is also easily visible, I want to do my best to keep the piles to a minimum and keep things looking nice for my family and visitors. 

I tend to be a "stacker" -- meaning that things that need doing or processing land up in large stacks on my ample desk. For the past few weeks, I've been looking at what falls into these stacks, and trying to organize them into categories. This will hopefully help me to develop a workflow and see what's causing some items to remain stalled in the stacks!

My goals for this week's office organization effort include:

• Better organize the shelving space in my office
• Decrease desktop clutter by devising a filing system for items that need handling -- eradicate stacks!
• Dust and clean the hardwood floors. Dust the blinds
• Go through the myriad "sticky notes" stuck near my computer and complete those tasks or remove them
• Organize my "reading corner", creating a tickler file for items to be read and a basket for daily reading items
• Clean up my computer desktop

This should be enough to keep me more than busy for these last few days of November. If you're looking for a helpful article on organizing your home office space, check out this great one from Real Simple that offers several great product ideas to help you regain control of the chaos.

What would you put on your office's "to do" list to help you get better organized?

Works of Mercy from The Daily Saint

I caught this fantastic presentation today on my favorite personal productivity blog, The Daily Saint. the show shares Mike St. Pierre's recent presentation on Acts of Mercy. As we enter the season of giving, Mike's overview can be a great springboard for reaching out to others during the frenetic pace of the holidays. 

Works of mercy

View more presentations from Mike St. Pierre

Preparing Your Heart and Your Home

Many of my readers will be celebrating with me as we begin the liturgical season of Advent today, counting the days and weeks until Christmas. As P@H is not a religious blog, but one that emphasizes "getting things done where it matters most", I'll simply share that even if you don't celebrate Advent spiritually, this time of preparation can be a wonderful way to focus on being your best this holiday season.

Unfortunately, we've heard all the stories and read all the statistics on the myriad ways in which Christmas has become a secularized, commercialized "me" fest. News programs show us rabid shoppers macing each other to get to the best deals. Our kids are taught to make wish lists that inevitably lead to disappointment. Our calendars are so overbooked that the season which should be most focused on family time passes us by with a whirl of social obligations.

But it doesn't have to be this way. The Christmas season is also filled with opportunities for great joy and service. We are reminded of the neediest in our communities and given ample opportunity to serve them. We write letters (with stamps!) to friends and loved ones and gather for lingering meals. And we focus on giving, a virtue that's always in season.

This Advent, I invite you to take stock of your personal commitments and to prioritize those that most closely draw you to your desired Christmas -- a time of faith, family and fun. Be realistic about what can fit into your schedule. Open your home a few times to friends, even if you simply serve a frozen pizza and a smile. Write long letters or make long distance calls to elderly relatives. Spend as much on food and clothing for those in need as you do on electronics purchases. And, most of all, take time to savor the season -- it will be gone in the blink of an eye.