…all scrutiny aside, having a twin gave me a deep-seated belief that each person has something magical to bring to the world. We have the same DNA and yet, so many interesting differences. Societal pressures cause us all to clam up, rather early I might add, and slowly patch over the parts of us that make us feel the most us.

Are you moving house? Check out the top tips I learned both as a pro organizer and in helping my friends and family move countless times. When you are intentional about the way you pack and unpack, you’re setting yourself up for a smooth and dare-I-say pleasant move. OK, it’ll at least be organized.

TL/DR: In Part II of Sorting Papers Like a Pro, I walk you through the mindset to having labels that make sense and some product suggestions for final storage once you’ve sorted everything (hurray!). You learn the favorite organizing adage “like with like” and mortality makes an early appearance.

Words From a Survivor

I used to be you. I used to think it wouldn’t be me. I used to think cancer survivors were other people. I used to think I didn’t need a lot of health insurance. I used to think I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I used to skip lunches in order to get more done at work. I used to think working 12 hours a day meant I was being more productive. I used to think working 12 hours a day made me a better person.

Changing habits and routines can be difficult because there are so many factors contributing to the success of both. Beyond understanding habit triggers/the habit loop and the psychology behind reframing your goals (see Habits: Part I and Habits: Part II for all the info), it can also be incredibly useful to understand the way you respond to accountability.

TL/DR: Sorting paperwork can be a daunting task, but it just takes perseverance and you can do it! Plus, if you do all of your old paperwork now and go paperless from here on out, you’ll never have to do this again. Magical right? Part I gives you a big picture start-to-finish walkthrough of the process of sorting paperwork, including set-up and clean-up. Part II will address more minutiae about naming conventions and the mindset of labeling.

Humans have this feature where we make up stories about ourselves, creating our identity. These stories dictate the decisions we make, which, in a never-ending loop, solidifies our identity.

Habits are an integral part of the human experience, and once you know the elements of a habit, you’re unstoppable. As Charles Duhigg said, “And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.”

Cancer forced me to confront my mortality. Over the last three years, I’ve realized how much mortality positively impacts my every day. Mortality has a unique ability to help us find clarity. Together with my S.M.I.L.E. pillars, I think mortality is a beautiful consideration for people to include in their day-to-day decision-making.

It can be said that people are less happy nowadays than ever before, and yet the level of general wealth/amenities has increased. (read: running water, electricity, etc.) It seems like, with such luxuries, we should all be jumping for joy. But we’re not. While there are several layers to this, for the sake of brevity, we’ll only explore hedonic adaptation in this post.

In January 2020, my husband and I were on vacation in Bend, OR. It was snowglobe-style snowing and a very cozy getaway. While there, I resolved that I wanted to feel as chill as my vacation all the time. I resolved to begin meditating the morning after getting back to LA. My goal: meditate for at least 5 minutes every morning.

TL/DR: I just attended my first weeklong silent meditation retreat (on Zoom) and have my second coming up at the end of this week. The more people I tell, the more I’m met with confusion, disdain, and some genuine curiosity. This post is for the confused, appalled, and disdainful, as well as anyone wondering what even goes into a retreat.

Outcome is defined by Merriam-Webster as “something that follows as a result or consequence.” It’s impossible to live life without outcomes, but it is possible to live without obsessing about them. The critical distinction is that you can want, and work towards, a specific outcome without trying to control it. Controlling the outcome is a slippery slope, breeds perfectionism.

You know that feeling when you are done with work after a day of 6 back-to-back meetings and a pile of other projects and you just want to flop face down on the couch and do nothing? But then you remember you have laundry to fold? Ugh!

Ah routines, so powerful and yet somewhat mysterious. I think the mystery stems from never formally learning how to listen to our own body rhythms and structuring our lives around those rhythms. In fact, I think we were shown repeatedly that we had to fit a particular mold in order to succeed, thrive, or be happy.

Most of us spend more time on our phones than we care to admit. If you’re pleased with your current phone/screen usage, this post isn’t for you. And while you’re at it, let me know your favorite techniques so more people can feel that same sense of contentment. Contentment certainly isn’t the norm and it typically takes an albeit worthwhile concerted effort to turn into your norm.

People who tend to plan everything have a very different perspective on time than those who go with the flow and adapt as situations arise. Neither approach is better, but it is critical to beware the pitfalls of either.

Consider for a moment, the societal pressure to fill every minute of your schedule vs the schedule that brings you the most peace, ease, joy, and comfort. Do they look the same?

This Friday will mark my 100th consecutive day meditating.* Though I will say, I probably talked about wanting to start meditating for almost two years before actually committing. My hesitancy stemmed from a few roadblocks, which I explore here.

Uncertainty. Like impending rain clouds threatening to thwart our best laid plans. Rain clouds that wash away the walls we put up to “protect” ourselves, helping us uncover our truest selves, and leaving a double rainbow just for kicks.