Take a Walk!

This is one of the photos I took on my walk. :)

January 4th 2012

As the new year begins, I have decided to walk to work more.

It is a leisurely 40 minute walk that gives me time to think.

The first day I walked to work my thoughts tended to drift to "work mode". Before I was even in the building I was prioritizing my day and planning my meetings - but I ended up missing out on 40 minutes of morning tranquility.

This morning I brought my camera with me to distract me from work and take some photos that will inspire me to stay "in the moment"

I still had to keep a constant focus on the relaxing sunset and cool morning air - until I started looking for photographic opportunities and not just mulling over my to do list.

The walk today was awesome! I was able to clear my head, relax and enjoy every minute of the journey. Once I got to work the usual routines kicked in and I was no worse for having not worried about my to-do list during my travels.

If you find yourself thinking about work in the "off hours" like I often do, STOP! and get out for a walk and try to look at the world in a different way and stay engaged in the moment until you reach your destination.

Taking a walk will help you clear your head if you are able to be in the moment and enjoy life one second at a time.

My new work mantra: Never waste a minute doing something for free if someone is willing to pay you for it.

Say it with me now:
"I pledge to never waste another hour worrying about work when I am not getting paid to do so."

Let your life be your own and go take a walk!

Health and Happiness,
Jay Martens

Get unplugged to get connected!

Think of all the things that you are "Plugged Into".

Make a list of all the social networks you are a part of, websites you contribute to, check daily or actively follow. This list should include texting, emails, writing letters, blogging commenting on videos.

Take 5 min and physically write down this list on a piece of paper with a monthly time estimate for each item on the list.

Calculate how much time you spend "Plugged In" each month.

NOW:
Think of all the things that you are truly "connected to". People who you actually spend time with. (Texting doesn't count.)

Make a list of the 20 people you actually want to be MORE connected to.

Physically write down these 20 people's names on a piece of paper.

Now imagine how you would spend all of your "Plugged In" time with these 20 people over a month!

Where would you go?
What would you talk about?
How much better would it be to actually laugh out loud instead of just lol'ing quietly over your keyboard?

I am sure you are just like me and you joined websites to "connect" with your friends and family - but let's be real for just one minute:

Texting is not the same as an email,
an email is not the same as a letter,
a letter is not the same as a phone call,
a phone call is not the same as a video conference,
a Video conference is not the same as attendance
attendance is not the same as hanging out,
so why not hang out instead of texting?

Get connected today!

Cheers,
Jay

Streamline Your Projects

Take all the projects that you have on your "to do" list (physical or mental) and write them down.

Not as a to do list but as a way to rank them.

The best way to prioritize and rank these projects is:

1.  List them all on one piece of paper.
(note doing this digitally has less of an impact because you do not have a tangible result in the end)

2. Take the top most item on your list and do a one on one comparison with each of the items on the list.

3. For each item that is less important than the current item cross it off.

4. If you find an item that is more important than the current item, cross off the current item and cary on down the list using the more important item.

5. the only item standing once you reach the bottom of the list is the single most important project.

This is a ruthless process that will leave you with only one project to complete.

Be ruthless and get rid of all the second place activities in your life and work on your primary project.

"To have more than one project is to be a man divided" - anonymous

Cheers!
Jay Martens

One is often enough!

If you have duplicates of things give them away!

Don't hang onto things for a "rainy day" let go of them today and you will find that the rainy days don't come around near as often as you would think.

Share the duplicates in your life with those who don't even have one.

Give away the duplicates in your life.

Till next time!

Stop paying to spend time with your friends!

Stop hanging out in coffee shops or restaurants with your friends.
Don't bother getting tickets to the game if you can watch it on TV.

As a culture we associate "quality time" out with friends with purchasing event tickets, movie passes, meals or at the very least: coffee.

BREAK THE CYCLE!

Invite your friends to your house to watch the game, or just to hang out in your yard in the sunshine.

Friendship should be free, so often we complicate it with events, destinations and activities that detract from the "Quality"of the Quality Time.

Be Free!

Eat Simple Challenge.

Try going a whole week eating nothing but "real food".

Real Food has only one ingredient.

i.e. apple - eating an apple would be a great start.

The fewer the ingredients the better it is to eat.

Have a super week and see if you can do it!

Be a Direct Communicator

Communicate your message, nothing more.