Easing Into 2013

I am called to rest and putter, stepping away from creative work and play to sink into quiet time, books, hearth & home.

I'm tidying up my physical spaces, enjoying movies and documentaries like this one (if you're an artist, you'll love this insight into a painter's mind and process), this one and this one. I'm sleeping, reading, and doing a lot of research for a certain trip to PARIS. <giddy>

A Post-Christmas Treat

post-Christmas goodies from Amazon

It hasn't been all idle though.

I've been crafting a new website, feeling the time has come for a fresh look. Stay tuned for that and a bloggiversary giveaway (seven years!), the latter later this month.

Sneak Peek @ the New Site

a fresh new look for my website in progress - coming soon!

I also wrote this article for Scoutie Girl, about claiming our path into 2013 and honouring our transition pace into the new year. No one's keeping score on how quickly we make the switch.

My part time work is keeping me preoccupied and heading into a busy, challenging-to-me period.

All the while I'm reflecting on last year's accomplishments and lessons, dreaming of work and projects for 2013, still unsure of how I will convert my dreams to action and let it all unfold.

Life is uncertain. Life is good. Life is full.

~~~

How about you? What've you been up to?

Scoutie Girl Contributions - Roundup 2012

One of the things of which I'm the most proud from last year is becoming a regular contributor to ScoutieGirl.com.

Because I don't always post links to my bi-weekly contributions here, I thought I'd gather the lot of them for 2012 in an end-of-year roundup post.

I am proud of the work I did for Scoutie Girl. Often these posts were written because their message was exactly what I needed to hear or process at the time. I return to them regularly when I need to do so again.

They serve me well. It's my hope that some of them may serve you too.

~~~

What's Your Rhythm? (Dec. 2012) - Certain times of year bring certain types of energy. Discover your natural annual rhythm and let it serve you instead of fighting it.

Five Practices to Stay Grounded During a Busy Season (Dec. 2012) - Though written in the context of staying sane and healthy during the holiday rush, especially for creative business owners, these five practices more than apply to anyone, any time of the year.

Right Brain, Left Brain: It's All Complementary (Nov. 2012) - Reason, passion, left brain, right brain - it's all good and necessary. How could you use one to serve the other?

Productivity: Manage Your White Space (Nov. 2012) - Just like it factors in good design, deliberate white space in one's schedule factors heavily in the ability to be productive. It's up to us to figure out how to best use it.

Who Are Your Possibility Tracks? (Oct. 2012) - Possibility tracks - fictitious or real - offer inspiration or proof that through commitment, action and usually with a bit of serendipity thrown in, dreams and goals can be met. Whose path, behaviours and successes would you like to emulate?

What Are Your Success Factors? (Oct. 2012) - A clean desk, uninterrupted time, specific tools at your disposal... What could you - or do you - have in place to increase your chances of meeting your goals and minimize deterrents?

A Procrastinator's Guide to Procrastination (Sept. 2012) - I confess: I'm a planning & productivity geek who procrastinates. These six tips help me circumvent panic when I've left things to the last minute, and lead me as gracefully as possible to a finished product.

Defeating Resistance: The Magical First Draft (Sept. 2012) - A powerful tool to move forward and into action when deadlines loom: the innocuous first draft. It's helped me many times in submitting these very posts on time.

Push, or putter? (Aug. 2012) - When it comes to productivity, there's a time to push and a time to putter. This post offers thoughts on reconciling planned action and firm goals with intuitive action and letting things unfold.

Defeating Resistance: Make It A Game (Aug. 2012) - Three powerful and effective productivity tools I use games I play when procrastination or resistance stop me from doing what I want to do.

The Next Right Action (July 2012) - Get unstuck by figuring out your next right action, the crux of getting things done. The most basic, yet probably one of the most powerful tools in my productivity toolbox.

On Summer Slumber and Ambition (July 2012) - It's hard to find motivation to get things done when the hammock beckons. Here are six tips to help reconcile summer's slumber-filled nature with work and deadlines.