by steph_egan | personal
I don’t know where you are at the moment and what the weather is currently doing outside your window, but here in Charlotte it’s been rain rain rain for what feels like days on end. I realize that’s nothing to complain about as my friends in the North awake to snow-covered cars, slippery walkways and the general brown mush it all turns to after a few days. Either way, it’s Winter everywhere, and with that comes a lot of gloomy days. Days when January seems to DRAG and the holidays are nothing but a distant memory.
On my way home this evening, just as I was letting the gray skies get to me, Three Little Birds appeared.
Not physically… but through the speakers of my car, and through the voice of Bob Marley. And I was instantly transported back in time:
May 27, 2012.
In Jamaica to shoot a wedding, it was Sunday, and my work was done… sitting on the beach with two girlfriends, drinks in hand and aqua water in front of us, two old men appeared – locals. In trousers and button down lightweight cotton shirts, carrying a suitcase and some other makeshift musical contraption, they sat down before us. And there, on a beach in Negril, in Paradise… they serenaded us with the most perfect version of Three Little Birds. Using the suitcase as a seat, and also as a drum. In that moment, the words of that song could not have been more true: there was really nothing to worry about, and if there was… every little thing gonna be alright.
How fortunate we were to be sitting on a sun soaked beach without a care in the world. And with today’s rain, and a random song selection at the perfect time… I’m back there again.
by steph_egan | creative tips
Wasting time on social media when you could be doing sooo many other things? I’m guilty as charged. I tend to procrastinate, and that downfall is made easier by hopping on over to Pinterest and Facebook for ‘a quick minute’, only to find a half hour (or more!) has passed with nothing to show for it (except maybe a tasty new recipe here and there). Productivity is out the window and I’m still at square one with the things I REALLY need to get done.
So how do you tackle the time you waste on social media? Try one of the below and limit, or even block, your access to certain sites:
Rescue Time’s website claims to give you back an average of nearly four hours each week that you would have spent on social media. The perks of this program include being able to block certain websites for a specific amount of time as well as track and log how much time you spend on certain websites or applications that you specify. For a week, consider just tracking how much time you spend on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Perhaps once you see that two hours each day (or more), goes to these sites you’ll realize that blocking them is a good idea. Rescue Time has a free version and a Pro version available for $6 a month.
Minutes Please is by far the simplest version and requires no download or fee. You simply go to the site, put in the website you wish to limit and the amount of time you want to be limited to and then set the timer. Pop-ups alert you when your time is up and when time runs out the browser window automatically closes on the site you were limiting. 
Facebook Limiter allows users to block access to Facebook and YouTube. This is its only major downfall, as of course there are several other sites to fill your time if you can’t be on Facebook. Depending on the version you have, the software allows you to block Facebook entirely, limit the time spent on Facebook or make it available only during certain times of the day. They have a free version and a few other pro versions available for a one-time fee.
I’m going to give Minutes Please a try!
Cheers to productivity.
*descriptions above provided by She Knows.
by steph_egan | creative tips, personal
Ahh, New Year resolutions!
They always seem to sound the same: lose weight, get healthier, drink more water (and less of the bad stuff)… spend time with family and friends and less with social media. The list goes on. And by March-ish, all is quickly forgotten.
So maybe instead of the typical resolutions, you give 101 in 1001 in a try!
It’s simple: 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days.
I tried this exercise a couple of years ago (and just recently came across my old list!)… it was inspiring to see how much I was able to cross off, and how some of the things I listed pushed me out of my comfort zone — I made sure to add things that would help me grow, and other goals that I considered ‘scary’.
I physically wrote mine out on a few pieces of paper, and crossed things off over time. Feel free to do whatever works best for you!
What would you put on your list? You can always start with the typical New Year goals & resolutions and then expand from there.
I think it’s about time I start another one:
#1 – have a baby
I’ll work on the rest and share as the months continue!
