17 reasons to walk around with pen and paper, # 9 is my favorite.

17 Great reasons to carry a pen and paper 

(a re-post )

by Judy Shafarman

 

Okay, so you carry your i-thingy and your android-whats-its, so why do you also need a primitive 20^th century pen and simple notebook or legal pad?  There’s still nothing that activates the brain like that old pen and paper behavior from childhood.  Some reasons why it’s great to be able to write at any time of the day and wherever we find ourselves.  Writing allows you to:

1.      Do a quick brainstorm of new ideas to consider alone or with colleagues.

2.      Off –load petty annoyances and angers so you don’t have to think about them anymore.

3.      Doodle notes during a phone call.  Record how long the phone call is if you want to cut it short after a set number of minutes.

4.      Make a shopping list.

5.      Write questions to consider seeking answers to.

6.      Quickly add an item or three to your to-do list, perhaps even with a note of when to do them or who to delegate them to.

7.      Record a remark made that you want to ponder, process, or query, at a later time.

8.      Do a two column pro and con list before making a decision.

9.      Clarify your feelings and thinking.

10.  Give yourself a little pep talk, confidence booster before a big meeting or presentation.

11.  Take quick notes during a meeting.

12.  Keep a full-blown to-do list so that you can manually check off the completed items.

13.  Draft in a few bullet points what you want to write or speak about.

14.  Record observations that you want to recall for later processing.

15.  Work out ideas that you need to find clarity or more information about.

16.  Jot down a phone number or appointment info. while you’re talking on your smartphone and it’s too awkward to type into the phone. .

17.  Keep a regular journal to do a full-blown 10-30 minute brain drain

Every day is a great day to write in your journal

Find this great book, but not the model, at the link:  http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Shafarman/e/B00HKSWWNS

I've been a frequent, but not daily, journal writer for decades.  And I've always included quotations and poems in my journals.  So the time came in the end of 2013 for me to start collecting my ideas to put out into the world.  Check it out.  The prices are reduced in time for Valentine's day --from February 13th for a few days following.

A clergyman's view of cultivating Joy

 

 

Five Ways to Cultivate Joy

 

by Dr. Gregory Popcak  January 20, 2014 ·

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:16-18).    That’s a tall order St Paul lays on us.  It can be hard to remain joyful even when times are good, but it’s especially challenging when life becomes complicated or downright difficult.  The first thing to remember is that while joy and happiness are related, they aren’t the same thing.  Happiness is more fleeting and dependent upon our environment, while joy is a state of being that allows us to hold on to a sense of rightness, connectedness and peace even through difficult times.  Here are a few tips to help you cultivate joy in challenging times.
1.  Don’t Pretend.
Many believe that being joyful means pretending that things are better than they are, but true joy can only flourish in a spirit of authenticity.  It’s ok to admit you have problems.  Dealing with problems joyfully means reminding yourself of all the times you’ve made it through difficulties before, all the times God has delivered you from previous challenges, and then making a plan–in graceful confidence–to overcome the challenges you are facing in the here and now.  To hold on to joy through trials, praise God for his past providence and make a plan for the future.
2.  Pray
Research consistently shows that prayer improves well-being.  The more we pray the more resilient we are and the more peaceful we will be.  Cultivating an active prayer life is key to maintaining the attitudes (and grace) that makes joy possible.
3.  Reflect on Past Successes.
We can have a tendency to dwell on the hard bits of past experience and de-emphasize the fact that we made it through in one piece (or even with flying colors).  The more we can focus on the ways God has come through for us in the past and the times we have successfully overcome hardship the more we are able to draw meaning from past struggles and the more we can do that, the more hopeful we can be that our present trials will be meaningful too.
4.  Maintain Rituals and Routines.
A large part of cultivating joy is maintaining our connection with others.  The best way to do that is creating and keeping up rituals and routines like family meals, prayer times, game nights, family fun days, etc.  Having regular, scheduled, expected times to connect with others is critical.  When hard times hit, we tend to jettison our rituals and routines first.  That’s a tragic mistake.  A nice family meal in the middle of a crisis can be a port in the storm.  A game night can be the eye of the hurricane.   To keep up your joy, maintain the rituals that keep up your connection with others and the routines that give order to your life.
5.  Be a Blessing.
Another big part of joy is feeling that your life is making a difference to others.  Even if you’re going through a tough time, ask yourself everyday, “What is one small thing I can do to make someone’s life a little easier or more pleasant?”   It takes a little effort on the front end–especially if you’re having a bad day/week/month/year yourself–but it gets you out of your head and helps you see that you really do have the power to change things for the better.  Being generous to others gives you the hope you need to apply your resources more effectively in your own life.
6.  Laugh, Dammit!
We tend to think that humor has to surprise us to count.   That’s not true.  Especially when you’re going  through a rough patch, you need to  intentionally seek out opportunities to laugh.  Go out with that friend who always helps you put things in perspective.  Go to that funny movie.  Watch that commedian you like or those silly videos on YouTube.   Make yourself seek out laughable moments.  There is a lot of science behind the notion that intentionally seeking out laughter is tremendously healing and focuses your mind in a way that puts problems in perspective and enables you to become more aware of resources you have previously overlooked. There is a reason that psychologists consider humor one of the most effective and sophisticated defense mechanisms. Cultivating joy obviously involves more than trying to turn your life into a laugh riot, but turing to laughter, especially when you’re going through hardships, stops you from ruminating about all the negative stuff in your life and enables you to find the little blessing that make life worthwhile.
The goods news is, you can become a more joyful person regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.  Joy enables us to find meaning, confidence, and peace even through the most imperfect of days.  You don’t have to wait for it to happen to you.  You can go out and find it.

from http://catholicexchange.com/five-ways-cultivate-joy

17 Great reasons to carry a pen and paper

17 Great reasons to carry a pen

and paper 

by Judy Shafarman

17 Great reasons to carry a pen and paper  by Judy Shafarman

Okay, so you carry your i-thingy and your android-whats-its, so why do you also need a primitive 20^th century pen and simple notebook or legal pad?  There’s still nothing that activates the brain like that old pen and paper behavior from childhood.  Some reasons why it’s great to be able to write at any time of the day and wherever we find ourselves.  Writing allows you to:

1.      Do a quick brainstorm of new ideas to consider alone or with colleagues.

2.      Off –load petty annoyances and angers so you don’t have to think about them anymore.

3.      Doodle notes during a phone call.  Record how long the phone call is if you want to cut it short after a set number of minutes.

4.      Make a shopping list.

5.      Write questions to consider seeking answers to.

6.      Quickly add an item or three to your to-do list, perhaps even with a note of when to do them or who to delegate them to.

7.      Record a remark made that you want to ponder, process, or query, at a later time.

8.      Do a two column pro and con list before making a decision.

9.      Clarify your feelings and thinking.

10.  Give yourself a little pep talk, confidence booster before a big meeting or presentation.

11.  Take quick notes during a meeting.

12.  Keep a full-blown to-do list so that you can manually check off the completed items.

13.  Draft in a few bullet points what you want to write or speak about.

14.  Record observations that you want to recall for later processing.

15.  Work out ideas that you need to find clarity about.

16.  Jot down a phone number or appointment info. while you’re talking on your smartphone and it’s too awkward to type into the phone. .

17.  Keep a regular journal to do a full-blown 10-30 minute brain drain.

Judy Shafarman’s new book is called Journal:365+ writing prompts, ideas and quotes to cultivate joy and well-being.  You can read more here:

 http://www.amazon.com/Judy-Shafarman/e/B00HKSWWNS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0