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If you're suffering from what I call "Covid Fog", you are not alone! Almost everyone I've talked to has experienced this phenomenon on some level during the past six months. Covid Fog is when you have difficulty sharpening your focus and/or maintaining it for as long as you used to before the Coronavirus pandemic shooed each of us into our respective corners of quarantine. Several factors contribute to creating Covid Fog: looser schedules, more frequent interruptions, lack of structure, changes in routine, mild depression, fatigue, boredom, grief, a dearth of motivation, and lapses in self-care are just some of them. Whatever the cause, the results can affect everything from your job performance to quality of life issues. Adopting strategies to help you find your focus is an essential first step in coping with the uncertainty that is 2020.

Here are my top tips for finding and maintaining your focus:

1. Create a routine framework. Go on autopilot for everyday tasks like personal hygiene, meal preparation and household chores or errands. When you do the same thing in the same order at the same time of the day or week, you become more efficient and are less likely to forget a step.
2. Plan your day/week in advance. This allows you to do all the focus-intensive strategizing at one time and enables you to create an overall approach that saves both time and effort and minimizes the unexpected.
3. Use calendars and lists to keep track of even minor tasks and appointments. In addition to ensuring you don't forget something, the mere act of documenting your to-dos helps to re-focus your attention and recalibrate your anxiety level about the challenges in front of you.
4. Perform your most attention-demanding tasks during your "prime time". Are you a morning person, or do you work better at night? Plan your day accordingly.
5. Adopt a movement strategy. Engaging in some small physical movement can re-focus your attention. Create a menu of options and keep it handy for times when you feel your concentration slipping. Taking a five minute break to walk around the block, climb a few flights of stairs, or toss a tennis ball in the air will pay dividends in your productivity.
6. Reduce electronic distractions. Turn off all non-essential devices, close unnecessary tabs on your browser, and silent notifications to reduce interruptions while working. 
7. Try the Pomodoro Method to stay focused on a task. This involves setting a timer and working only on the designated task until the timer goes off. Then take a short 3-5 minute break before resuming work. (This break would be the perfect time to engage in your movement strategy.)
8. Create an effective tickler system. Remember things that pop into your mind while you're doing something else by recording these to-do items in a manner that ensures they re-surface at a later time. You'll be better able to continue giving the task at hand your full attention instead of devoting brain space trying to remember the new thought.
9. Make self-care a priority. Resist the urge to zoom in your pajamas. Showering and dressing just as you would if you were going out to work will subconsciously encourage you to take your work more seriously.
10. Create a clutter-free space in which to work or retreat when you feel overwhelmed. Visual noise creates distraction and stress. Spending a few minutes before you begin working to tidy up your workspace is a worthwhile investment. If creating a clutter-free zone inside your home is too difficult, go outside to work or to take a nature break when you feel overwhelmed.
11. Power your brain with the right kind of food. Instead of grazing on snacks while you work, take a break to actually focus on your meals so that your brain registers that you've eaten. You'll feel more satisfied and less sluggish if you're choosing healthy options instead of carb- and sugar-laden junk foods.
12. Establish some boundaries. Make it clear to family members, friends and roommates when you are working and wish to be left undisturbed, but also communicate your work availability clearly to bosses and co-workers to avoid the stress of feeling constantly on-call. By avoiding intrusions on either side wherever possible, you will be better able to meet the needs of each group during their designated times.
13. Build in a cushion for the unexpected. Some interruptions are unavoidable. Reduce the stress they can cause by making sure you have a back-up plan for when hiccups occur.
14. Set flexible goals whenever possible. Shower both yourself and others with as much grace as you can afford to give. Everyone needs more of that right now and it will likely come back to you just when you need it most.
15. Reward yourself for staying focused. Whether it's ten minutes to get on social media, a bubble bath at the end of the day, or a snuggle break with your kids, give yourself something to look forward to after all that hard work spent concentrating.
16. Breathe!

With a little intention, perseverance, and these strategies, even finding your focus through the Covid Fog can be easy peasy.

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Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, or Festivus, December tends to be a frenzied time of year for most of us. Perhaps you are familiar with this old-fashioned holiday recipe?

Ingredients:
1 cup Family Togetherness 
3 cups Overcommitted Time
2 teaspoons Desire to Impress Others
1/2 cup Unrealistic Expectations
1 3/4 cup Excessive Spending
4 tablespoons Bad Nutrition and Lack of Exercise
2/3 cup Exhaustion

1. Combine all ingredients and beat at high speed for approximately four weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
2. Cook over flaring tempers until it explodes.

What's it make? Why, a big ol' batch of Holiday Stress, of course! But if you're looking for a richer, sweeter taste to your holidays, omit the last six ingredients and follow these tips for results that will have everyone raving: 

Name Your Goal
What's the most important point to your holiday? Is it spiritual reflection? Spending time with loved ones? Giving something back to help those less fortunate? Taking time to savor the tastes, sights and sounds of the season? Reliving fond memories through old traditions? For many of us, it is all of these things, but you must determine which is #1 on your list so that you can prioritize your activities accordingly. When scheduling conflicts arise, ask yourself which calendar item most reflects your #1 goal for the season. This will help you not to spread yourself too thin. It's okay to say "no", especially if it means saying "yes" to a more relaxed and enjoyable holiday!

Keep it Real
Even Martha Stewart doesn't do it all herself. She has a staff of people to make it all look easy...which it isn't. People are rarely impressed with frazzled hosts/hostesses. Be realistic and accept that you have limits. Embrace them and spend time on the things you enjoy doing to make the season special...a cheerful smile is always pretty impressive, don't you think? It's okay to buy the dessert for your party or to give a gift card you picked up at the supermarket, especially if it means having more time to spend with the people you care about.

Set a Budget
Also not impressive is bankruptcy. Don't give yourself the gift of massive credit card debt this year! Decide what purchases most reflect your #1 goal and budget accordingly. If giving to those less fortunate is at the top of your list, consider making charitable donations in a loved one's name as your gift to them. If enjoying the sights and sounds of the season is imperative, factor in those tickets to the Nutcracker or that especially tall Douglass Fir and plan ahead. It's okay to shorten your gift list to fit within your means...you may find that others are relieved to have the opportunity to shorten theirs too.

Establish Boundaries
Norman Rockwell aside, most of us have some degree of dysfunction or disagreement within our extended families. Holidays tend to bring out the short tempers in everyone, so agree to some ground rules before your spinster great-aunt or your unemployed cousin move in for Christmas week or your mother-in-law reluctantly agrees to let you make the latkes for Hanukkah. It's okay to put all your cards on the table beforehand so that everyone knows what to expect (or what not to).

Give Yourself the Gift of Good Health
Stress and fatigue lead to illness. Over-indulgence leads to guilt and a wide array of health issues. Make the time to eat right, exercise and rest. Your friends and family would rather have you for the holidays than the presents, food and parties. It's okay to take care of you during this busy season so that others won't have to.

Don't forget, today's holidays are tomorrow's memories...you'll treasure them more if you don't make unreasonable demands on yourself. Even memorable holidays can be easy peasy if you just relax, celebrate and enjoy!

It's that time of year again...when life returns to its usual hectic pace after the lazy summer months. Four days into the new school year, I've finally finished celebrating. Now it's time to put away my martini glass and batten down the hatches, because we're about to get hit with a hurricane of homework, extracurricular activities and PTA events.

I'm a person who loves routines--no, needs routines--in order to function well. I  find that it helps to be able to go on autopilot for everyday tasks so that I can save my brain power for when I really need it, like understanding what those international laundry symbols mean. (By the way, if you have the same problem, here's a key that you can print out and tape above your washing machine for future reference.) Routines are a great way to make sure you are squeezing in all of your repetitive, must-do tasks that, if forgotten, could be problematic...like going grocery shopping, doing the laundry, and brushing your teeth. But what happens when you have a one-time or less essential task or activity, like fixing the broken closet door or making time for friends, or getting a physical? Where do they fit in when your day is already packed to the gills with work, housework, homework, grocery shopping, chauffeuring the kids and laundry? Chances are, they get deferred until you have some "free" time. And when is that? When your kids leave home  or you retire? (I've been told by those in the know that that golden goose is a myth, too.) Or worse, they happen when the fact that you have deferred them for so long leads to some crisis that makes them suddenly essential, like discovering you are really sick.

Time is like money and available calories: limited and once gone, you can't change your mind about how to spend it. Anyone on a food or financial diet will tell you that advance planning is the only way to avoid wasteful spending, yet few of us put that much advance thought into how we will budget our time in order to fit everything in.

Start with plugging the leaks and becoming more efficient:

1. Multi-task by returning phone calls while you are doing something mindless, like laundry or cleaning (invest in a bluetooth if you need to).
2. Turn wait time into productive time by storing your reading in a tote you can take with you to appointments or other places you are likely to be kept waiting.
3. Carry paper and pen with you so that you are always prepared to write a letter, make a To Do list, or create a shopping list or menu plan during unexpected wait times.
4. Keep a "Stuff we need" list in your wallet or phone for those times when you have a few minutes to kill and are near a store.
5. Delegate tasks to your spouse or kids or hire some help for chores like cleaning, tutoring your kids, or yard work. It may be the best money you ever spent.
6. Organize your home so that you spend less time looking for things, shopping for things you already have, or putting things away. This also makes delegation easier if everyone in your home knows where to find things and/or put them away.

Next, prioritize according to your core values and current needs. Which comes first, health or friends? Financial security or time with the kids? There's no right or wrong answer, and the answer isn't always going to be the same for every situation. Sticking to your new diet and exercise program during your lunch hour may be more important right now than having lunch with your co-worker friend, but it may not be as important as lunch with the friend who is moving halfway around the world or was just diagnosed with cancer.  And it may not be as important once you feel more confident that you will get back on track the next day. Perhaps your kids are your priority, but  the financial security you need to provide them with a key opportunity means you have to work overtime for awhile, even if it takes you away from them for now. My point is to make conscious, well-thought-out choices about your time after weighing everything. Don't just let life happen to you by default. Grab the wheel and decide what direction you want to go in. It is okay to say no to something!

Finally, stop feeling guilty about spending time on you. (I'm Catholic, so guilt comes really easy to me and I struggle with this one.) You are the most important person in your life. Without you, none of it matters, so you should be a top priority. If you need to exercise or meditate or shop or nap in order to feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of your seemingly endless To Do list, then do it! Nothing kills motivation like resentment, and that is what you will end up with if you don't take time out to tend to your own needs from time to time. Put it on the calendar, just as you would a doctor's appointment or parent-teacher conference, because it is just as important.

As my mother-in-law likes to say, "You're a long time dead", so make every minute count while you can!

If you are anything like me, you have a gazillion little household tasks that are too-often neglected. Things that would take about five minutes or less to complete, but just aren't high enough on the priority list to be remembered until your disgust or frustration with the results of having neglected them for so long forces you to take action. Often, you are in the throes of some other project when this occurs, so the trick is to make note of them as you think of them and use the little pockets of available time you have (the ones you don't consciously acknowledge and probably deny that you have) throughout your week to accomplish them. Keep the list where you can easily add to it the next time you notice something that needs doing.

Before you say it, yes you do too have pockets of available time, especially if you have a spouse or kids who are never ready when it's time to go somewhere.

Here are a few items on my list to help get you thinking:

• Change a lightbulb
• Clean out the silverware tray (Where do all those crumbs come from anyway?)
• Wipe fingerprints off the doors, kitchen cabinets or banisters
• Hang a picture or a hook
• De-clutter the junk drawer
• Replace the stock photo that came in that picture frame with someone you actually know
• Re-fill the soap dispenser, toilet paper holder, salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowl, or ....
• Empty/clean the crumb tray in the toaster
• Clean the coffeemaker
• Wipe the grime off the top of the refrigerator
• Clean the mirrors or TV screen (Make sure you use the appropriate cleaner on your TV screen)

You can also keep a separate list in your phone or your purse for things that you can do while waiting for an appointment, such as making a grocery list or menu plan, writing a thank you note, or reading that thing you set aside to read later. And speaking of reading, store all those "I'll read it later" papers that come into your home in a tote bag that you can grab on your way out the door so that you can make the most of your wait time away from home.

Aliquid magnum ex parva! (Click here for translation)