Tag Archives: free with validation

I’m not sure what Andy Warhol would make of social media. I think he’d love Instagram and Twitter, but guessing he’d point out that a party wasn’t a party unless you were getting all dolled up, so Twitter parties would need rebranding.

And I think he’d agree fifteen minutes of fame lasted a bit longer in the days of disco.

But even in this age of busyness, his words hold true. Time doesn’t change things, we do.

Because I rarely have two days where I am doing exactly the same work, I create a lot of routine where there otherwise isn’t any. Every day at 2pm a timer goes off to remind me to check in, see what I’ve done and what I still need to do. It’s taken me years to figure out that taking five minutes mid-afternoon to gather my thoughts can prevent a whole lot of stress later.

I know I’ve shared my love of the Day Designer more than once, but one of my favorite features is that Whitney put the top three what-must-be-done-this-very-moment to-do’s at the top. I used to keep my top 3-5 things on a MUST DO list, usually a post-it because a smaller piece of paper is harder to cram with stuff. We make long lists, overwhelming lists, and a lot of it is just STUFF to fill up the page. (I’m not kidding when I say Whitney seemed to read my mind when she created the planner.)

We seem to put so much value in our busyness that we forget that having ONE deadline is a lot on one’s plate. Three can be enormous.

With Warhol’s words in mind, I’ve made my first TYPE A printable here list-related. If I could I’d print them on post-its for you.

Just click the image to take you to the PDF to print or save. Or both.

CLICK FOR PDF

Perfect for jotting down your morning or midday MUST DOs, and for remembering that one or two things to do is quite a substantial list if we let it be. (All Alexandra Wrote printables are for non-commercial use. Not to be sold or distributed, and not for reposting on your site without permission. End fine print.)

Also on the subject of time, here’s a really wonderful short film with media theorist Douglas Rushkoff. I’ve read a number of his things in researching If Emily Posted and on time behind screens, and I saw this last week. If you have five minutes, I really recommend it. He says some powerful things about time and the way we’re living.

If we’re each going to have our fifteen minutes, let’s make sure we’re there to live it. In the now.

This post contains some affiliate links.

Bring it on, Monday. I have about seven balls in the air right now, but it’s going well, really well, and… I’ve just jinxed myself. It’s a mix of writing work, new TYPE A projects and some multi-site spring cleaning that’s turning into a big overhaul. But I swear, this baby-stepping to 10,000 steps a day thing is playing a huge part in making it all come together instead of falling apart.

I used to walk to help me write. A lot. I’d work, go for a walk, come back and story elements that weren’t working would fall into place. New ideas developed. And yet, like all habits, I fell out of that one. For years.

I walk a few charity 5Ks a year, but that’s about all my tennis shoes are used for. I adore shoes, but I’ve never been a fan of sneakers (the polite way of saying I hate them).

After a 5K last year, I spent a few days on crutches with a sprain. The orthopedist sent me away with expensive orthotics and instructions to get better trainers.

Reader, I bought new running shoes.

I went with gray because I didn’t want black or white and thought I’d get tired of a color pretty quickly. And I’d just picked up the gray Old Navy running leggings from the line Jules had mentioned awhile ago, and I am loving. (I went back for black. They’re like Spanx but totally comfortable. Why can’t Spanx do that?)

I’m still using Moves, which is a free app, and I encourage anyone to try an app like this, even for just a day, if only to be shocked by the numbers. Or impressed. Maybe you’ll be impressed by your numbers. Mine were the opposite of impressive.

A few days in, when I hit the 5,000 step mark, I thought to myself, how many days do not reach a quarter of that and never think twice about it?

Answer: most every day.

The only thing about a phone app is that you need your phone on you in order for it to do the math, which I forgot when I used a treadmill the other night. And part of the reason I’m thinking more and more about getting a Fitbit.

Apres ‘mill, I tried to tell myself it didn’t matter how many steps were missed, but a little part of me wanted to walk twice as long to get those steps on that little screen. And then I realized that for the first time I can remember it wasn’t a number on a scale or a dress size or an upcoming date on the calendar that was motivating me to exercise. The only numbers I cared about were on that little display that told me how much I am doing to get up and out and change my routine.

Walking 10K a day is the goal in and of itself.

Anything else is icing on the dairy, egg, soy and gluten-free cake.

click, right click, save - be inspired

These words of wisdom I’ve tacked on my computer, in part to make sure I get up and get moving every day and remember why it’s so good for me. Feel free to click, right click and save, then print and tack it somewhere to remind you, too.