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If There Were No One Else in the World

Katie Corbett headshot

By Katie Corbett

 

I am a recovering people-pleaser. I am always looking for ways to figure out what I want, find out what is important to me, and accomplish those things.

 

I have pondered a question that has helped me do this effectively: “If there were no one else in the world, what would you do?” It is a very insightful question, and I have been surprised by the answers I have gotten.

At times, when I ask myself this question, the answer is something relaxing, like read a book, or take a nap. Other times it is something productive, like work on a specific project, or do chores.

 

At first, I was afraid that when I asked myself this question, I would only do activities that would give me the most pleasure. Asking myself this question has helped me trust myself, and recognize what is good for me in that moment without worrying about the opinions or expectations of others.

Have you encountered a question that has changed your life? Let me know; I would love to see it in the comments.

 

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Keeping The Silence: Leaving Email Notifications Turned Off

Katie Corbett headshot

By Katie Corbett

 

I am always looking for ways to maximize productivity and minimize stress. This past week, I tried something new that has helped a lot. When I got back to work after the holidays I left my email notifications turned off.

 

Doing this helped me realize that I am more productive when I can check my email at a time that is best for me. Rather than having a Pavlovian response every time my email pings, I can check the account when I have time and mental bandwidth to do any tasks necessary that might pop up.

I typically check my email mid-morning, again at around noon, and a final time later in the day at around 3:00 PM. This helps me stay on top of things, and make sure that I am not missing anything important without sacrificing focus time.

 

What new hacks are you trying to minimize stress, maximize productivity, and make your life better? Leave a comment and let me know.

 

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Times of Rest

Katie Corbett headshot

By Katie Corbett

 

This week, I got sick. As a result, I was forced to rest my body and mind. A few great lessons came out of this experience and I will share them here.

 

The first thing I realized is that the things that need to get done will get done in the right time. There were a few small tasks I had been putting off. As it turned out, those things were really easy to do when I was laying in bed sick. Having the ability to get those small tasks done helped me feel productive at a time when I would have otherwise been able to do nothing else.

 

Another thing I realized is that time spent away from every day work can make space for planning and brainstorming. I was able to more easily firm up plans for next week, since my brain was free to strategize and think about the tasks I needed to complete.


The final thing I realized is that it is totally OK to rest when the body needs it. It is not necessary to be productive all the time. (I’m sure this is obvious to most of you, but as a recovering perfectionist, it is something I have needed to remind myself about time and again.)

 

What have you learned during your extended times of rest? I’d love to know, so feel free to leave me a comment.


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Set Time Limits for Your Tasks

Katie Corbett holds the book "52 Small Changes"

By Katie Corbett

 

A few years ago, I bought a latch-hooking kit. Latch-hooking involves hooking pieces of yarn into a frame to make a colorful design; my kit will be a cupcake pattern when finished. The grid of squares on the frame that need yarn hooked into them total 1600 in number. The only way I was able to make headway on that large project was to spend chunks of time on it, and limit those chunks to 45-90 minutes each.

 

The book, “52 Small Changes for the Mind,” by Brett Blumenthal, says that limiting the amount of time spent on a task can make its completion easier. Here are some questions to ask yourself about tasks to time-box.

 

  • What am I putting off?
  • Do I have a project that I fear is too big?
  • Do I have small windows of time available to me?
  • Do I have a deadline that feels looming?
  • What projects keep getting pushed to the bottom of my priority list?
  • When I look back over this time, what do I hope to have accomplished?
  • Do I have any projects at the back of my closet or under my bed?
  • What potential projects might I have that I keep forgetting to do?
  • What tasks do I see as a time suck and how can I limit my time spent?
  • What can I do to get started today?

 

I hope these questions have helped you think of a few things you can do to move forward on activities that you enjoy or projects that may have stalled. I find these questions helpful to ask myself each quarter as I’m deciding what business projects, hobbies, and social activities I would like to spend time doing in the future.

 

I’d love to find out what you’ve decided to start working on. Let me know in the comments. In the meantime, I’ll keep plugging away at my latch-hooking project.

 

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What I’ve Learned by Seeking Silence

Katie Corbett holds the book "52 Small Changes"

By Katie Corbett

 

Intentionally making time in my day for silence is an activity I try to make a priority. Since I use screen-reading software and because I listen to audiobooks, I get exposed to a lot of noise. Hearing sounds is how I mostly perceive the world since I’m blind. While meaningful noise is important to me, peace and quiet is key, too.

 

The book, “52 Small Changes for the Mind,” by Brett Blumenthal, shares the benefits of making quiet time a regular part of your routine. Here are some of the positive points I noticed when I started trading noise for tranquility each day.

 

  • I can pray.
  • I have more time to think.
  • I can focus on my feelings.
  • I can imagine, dream, and plan.
  • I can grow in comfort being by myself.
  • I can relax without the pressure of having to do or process anything.
  • I can work through issues that are bothering me on a subconscious level.
  • I have time to reflect on how I’m spending my money, time, and energy.
  • I can daydream.
  • I can sit peacefully and take a break.

 

If you would like to experience some of the benefits of not having background noise, I encourage you to take some time each day to sit in peace and quiet. It can be as little as five or ten minutes at first. I now spend a minimum of thirty minutes in silence each day. Start whenever and wherever works best for you. Some of my best silent times are in bed right before falling asleep or right after waking up.

 

What do you notice as you spend time in the stillness? Leave me a comment and let me know how this changes your life.

 

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The Joys of Experiencing Nature From Your Cubicle

Katie Corbett holds the book "52 Small Changes"

By Katie Corbett

 

Winter in Wisconsin is a frigid affair. Temperatures regularly dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit and snow blankets the ground from December through March. Due to the lack of sunlight, I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder during these freezing months, which makes me more prone to unhappiness at best and depression at worst.

 

One winter a few years ago, I read “52 Small Changes for the Mind,” by Brett Blumenthal, in hopes of finding a way to brighten my mood. I was working a job as a part-time writer and didn’t have much time to spend outside during daylight hours. I was also missing our family’s annual trip to Florida because I needed to work through the end of the year.

 

In “52 Small Changes for the Mind,” benefits of going out in nature are outlined. I wanted to incorporate nature into my cold days. I was really bummed about missing out on Florida sunshine and time at the beach. I read that even looking at pictures of nature and having plants in your environment can help boost mood and productivity.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m totally blind, so seeing pictures and plants don’t have the same benefits for me as they might for someone who can see. I wanted to find some other way of appreciating the great outdoors. Enter YouTube.

 

I decided to try listening to videos of the ocean. I wasn’t sure how it would help; luckily, it did. As I plugged away at spreadsheets and wrote articles, I listened to the sounds of waves, seagulls, and ocean breezes. On sunnier days, I made a point of stepping outside during my lunchbreak for some much-needed vitamin D. With a little creativity and curiosity, I was able to push past what might have seemed like understandable excuses and make my wintertime more cheery, or at least more bearable.

 

What are some ways you can incorporate nature into your workday? I’d love some more ideas, so let me know in the comments.

 

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Choose One Dream and Go All In: My Freelance Writing Career

Katie Corbett holds the book "Girl, Stop Apologizing"

By Katie Corbett

 

I am a person with many hobbies, interests, and goals. I have gotten some advice that will help me propel my dreams forward: Focus. Focus on just one thing and move forward on that. I recently tried this focus when developing my freelance writing career, and it has proven to be invaluable.

 

In “Girl, Stop Apologizing”, author Rachel Hollis suggests to pick one dream and go all in. I have found this focus helpful because:

 

  • Focusing helps me evaluate other opportunities to make sure I stay on track.
  • Focusing helps me decide what needs to get done and stay on task.
  • I can say no to other opportunities without feeling guilty if they do not align with my current focus.
  • It is easy to see areas for growth and improvement when I’m only focused on one area of life.
  • I can track my progress more easily.

 

Tangible results of this focus include working with three amazing clients and getting paid for my writing expertise in less than three months of starting my business. And the best part about running a business is that I can focus on one business, but end up wearing all the hats. This means there’s always something fun and new to try, from writing, to interviewing, to marketing and sales.

 

What can you focus on, to the exclusion of all else? Are you writing a novel? Starting a business? Looking for a new job? Raising kids? How would focus benefit you in your endeavor?

 

I’d love to hear what you’re working on, so let me know in the comments. Where will you be investing your time and energy?

 

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How Blindness Benefits Me: Asking for Help

Katie Corbett holds the book "Girl, Stop Apologizing"

By Katie Corbett

 

At some point, everyone who owns a business realizes that they can’t do it all. It is important to hire others who can do a task faster, more efficiently, or with better results than they can. Doing this frees up time to do the things a business owner is really good at.

 

In her book, “Girl, Stop Apologizing”, Rachel Hollis discusses the importance of asking for help and not trying to do it all yourself. Although I am an independent person, I find it easy to ask for help. I think my being blind has helped me with this in the following ways:

 

  1. I grew up knowing there would be things I couldn’t do myself, such as driving.
  2. My mom, and others who are blind who served as mentors for me, often discussed hiring readers and drivers.
  3. In college, I had practice hiring readers and in-class aids to describe PowerPoint slides and drawings on the board to me.
  4. Because of my visual limitations, I am more open to admitting other limitations, such as my lack of knowledge about legal affairs or my desire to hire a copyeditor.
  5. I see my blindness as an asset because it has given me an open mind to get things done that I don’t need to do myself.

 

What are your limitations? Do you have any limitations that might enhance your perspective about asking for help? Instead of seeing these as a hindrance, list the positives that have come from realizing them. You never know what you could accomplish when you realize you do not need to do it all and that it’s OK to ask for help.

 

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How to Track your 12-Week Year Progress

Katie Corbett holds the book "The 12-Week Year"

By Katie Corbett

Tracking progress is important. If you don’t, it can be easy to get caught up with all the little items that need to get done and you could lose sight of the progress you made on accomplishing your big goals.

Tracking is an important aspect of “The 12-Week Year,” by Brian Moran. He says that you can consider your week a success if you complete 85% of the important tasks on your list.

I track my 12-Week Year projects at the end of each day by writing in a small notebook set aside specifically for that purpose. The way you track could look quite different. Here are some ideas:

• You could get a calendar and put stars on the days you accomplished your 12-Week Year goals.
• You could record notes about your progress on a spreadsheet.
• If you want a portable tracking option, you could make notes on your phone.
• You could create a paper chain with links for each day or week, and tear off a link right after you did your important actions for that day or week.
• You could set aside a certain amount of money, say, a dollar, each time you complete an important task on your list, then reward yourself with something special once the 12-Week Year is over. (If you set aside a dollar each day, you would have $84 at the end.)

No matter how you track, it is critical to remember to do it consistently. After all, if you skip a day or forget to mark your progress, you will have little perspective about whether you are truly meeting your goals.

Try one of these tracking ideas, or, if you’re feeling creative, come up with your own. If you find something that works for you, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to leave me a comment.

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