Increase Joy, Good Habits, 100,000 Steps in One Day

Good Morning from Prince Edward Island,

Put the kettle on, and thank you for inviting me in for tea. Might I have a cup of my favourite morning tea, Darjeeling?

You are one of over thirty thousand plus who receives this newsletter every Saturday, and all are reading on a digital device of some sort. But it doesn’t matter how many receive this newsletter, as I write this just for you anyway.

I started paying attention to how much time I was spending reading on digital devices, from calendars, task lists, The Guardian (PEI and British) New York Times, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, Medium, other blogs and Kindle. It had me thinking for all this reading, am I retaining what is truly valuable and am I using my time to increase joy or decrease anxiety.

This week I decided to make a conscious effort to move from digital to analog (paper) to determine if I enjoyed one more over the other. Authour Cal Newport suggests, “Start with your deeply held values. For each of those values, say, ‘What is the best way to use technology to help this value?’ The answers to those questions basically dictate what technology you allow in your life and how you use it. Everything else you’re happy to miss out on.”

So far, it is too early to say one will win over the other; I suspect I will end up with a hybrid model.

My favourite digital app for tasks is Nozbe. At work, we create projects and share tasks internally, or I create projects and keep tasks personal, etc. We would be lost without Google Calendar. I share another task list with our graphic designer, and like it for its simplicity of design and ease of use. www.teuxdeux.com

Before the new year started, I purchased a number of different planners to determine which one I would like to use in 2019. I will give an honest disciplined try at living life off the calendar while using, The Passion Planner. www.passionplanner.com (The other planners have found homes with staff, family or friends.)

If you wish to dig deeper into this whole area of thought, check out the Scientific American article called The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens

The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones. ~ Steven Pressfield

Speaking of habits, how many of you are keeping track of your steps daily?

If so...

You will love this true story by David Paul Kirkpatrick, Co-founder of MIT Center for Future Storytelling, President of Paramount Pictures, Production Chief of Walt Disney Studios, naturalist, optimist, and 66-year-old author challenged himself to create the right mindset as well as increasing his physical endurance to reach a big fitness goal, hence he wrote, How to Walk 100,000 Steps in One Day. 

I love stories of people overcoming challenges, and I was so impressed to read of Cameron's Davis story and so proud for him to be Prince Edward Island's Flag Bearer at the upcoming Canada Winter Games. Read his story here. Go Cameron Go! ps....you have already won gold in our hearts. 

Today’s photo is of my snowshoeing 3 kilometres. It was so refreshing and can’t wait to do it again and finish the 8-kilometre Bubbling Springs trail with proper gear.

“There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Cal Newport recently put out a book, called Digital Minimalism, and the reviews are positive. I haven’t purchased as of this writing as I am committed to finishing a number of books (paper & kindle) first. Just finished Washington Black, and currently reading and loving Anam Cara by John O'Donohue. 

What are you reading? Do you like fiction or non-fiction?

Jim Carrey, an interesting Canadian comedic actor shares openly the other side of his humour on this little film, called I Needed Colour. 

Jim Carrey: I Needed Color from JC on Vimeo.

While writing today, I have been listening to a beautiful instrumental light jazz album called Summerwind by Lars Danielsson & Paolo Fresu https://apple.co/2IaRDkt