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The Passionate Voice

13 Ways to Maintain Personal Infrastructure

February 6, 2018 • Career, Lifestyle

We are 37 days in to 2018. Have you been able to keep your New Years Resolutions or goals, that you so keenly set back on Jan 1? Yea, its hard eh? We all have the best of intentions but once reality sets in, its hard to get out of our already-established routines.

I shared my 5 goals for 2018 in my first ever podcast. I’m happy to report that I at least kept the first one – take vitamins for 30 days – which I did successfully in January. Great goal right?! lol I keep telling myself its the small things! ha Now I can focus on my other 4 goals for 2018 😛

A majority of us hop aboard the ‘new year, new me’ train at the beginning of January. But by the second month in, most of that enthusiasm and willingness to hold ourselves accountable to new goals goes out the window. We tell ourselves, “At least we tried, right?”

One thing I’ve personally been trying to hold myself too, is a system that holds me accountable to executing both my personal to-do’s and professional goals, all in one place, in an organized (less chaotic) way.

Its what I’ve been calling ‘personal infrastructure.’ Its what systems, tools, resources, apps, etc I’ve put in place to help me execute my goals as best as possible. Take a look at the 13 ways I’m trying to maintain this personal infrastructure:

  1. Planner/Organizer – I shared a list of planners to use last year; this is the weekly planner I chose to use for 2018. I am a list-makin’ machine, there really is nothing better than crossing off your to-do’s once you get them done!
  2. Cozi calendar app – I recently discovered and downloaded this app to help manage one consistent calendar, so both Andrew and I can use and update all of our important dates in one place.
  3. Feedly – there are a lot of well-written and inspiring blogs out there. The Feedly platform allows me to read them all in one organized place.
  4. Pocket – I blame the overabundance of articles that I find on Twitter as to why I always have a million tabs open. I fixed this by downloading this app to easily store and read these articles at a later time.
  5. *To Read* inbox rule – I subscribe to newsletters that can sometimes fill up the ol’ inbox. I created a rule within my personal email inbox that automatically puts all of those newsletter subscriptions into a ‘To Read’ folder when they arrive. You can set up any number of rules so all of your emails come in and are sorted in advance of opening up your inbox #genius
  6. Evernote – I have this on my laptop to help organize random chicken scratch ideas and my writing.
  7. Tweetdeck – this platform is what I use to execute tweets on Twitter if I have planned content to send out in advance.
  8. Planoly-  this monthly subscription app allows me to organize and execute my Instagram feed.
  9. VSCO – the app I use to edit photos for social media.
  10. Canva – I have this website both as an app on my phone and open and readily available on my laptop, which I use to create images for my blog and social media.
  11. Unsplash and Pexels – two great websites to source free stock images when necessary (remember to give credit where credit is due!)
  12. The Bullet – my morning daily eBlast read to keep up-to-date with all the latest news, and all conveniently in one place!
  13. Notes in iphone- if everything else fails, writing down notes on my iphone has been a saving grace.

Hope you find some (or all!) of these ideas and tips valuable in helping to maintain your own personal infrastructure, whatever that may look like!

Leave a Comment Career, Lifestyle 2018, Apps, Blog452, Business, Canva, Career, chicken scratch, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Cozi, eBlast, Eccolo, Email, Evernote, Feedly, Food for Thought, Goals, Inbox, Instagram, iPhone, Job, Laptop, Life Lessons, Motherhood, Notes, Organization, Organizer, Passionate Voice, Pexels, Photo Editing, Planner, Planoly, Pocket, Reading, Side Business, Side Hustle, Social Media, The Bullet, The Passionate Voice, Tweetdeck, Twitter, Unsplash, VSCO

An Open Mind + Will Travel

September 29, 2016 • Inspiration, Lifestyle, Travel

“For the weekend, live in your body, not in your mind” – Alexia Vernon

When I read this quote on the blog of one of my favourite fellow #girlbosses and kick a$$ speaker, Alexia Vernon,  I couldn’t help but think of how true this was and how more people need to follow this motto. It is something I’ve been trying to practice more of on weekends,  learning to step away from the smartphone/computer (or at least from social media channels) to spend more time outdoors, which is something the corporate world doesn’t allow a lot of during the week.

To enjoy the start of Fall, my favourite season, Andrew and I slipped away for a quick overnight getaway to Lake Huron last weekend. It was a quick and easy two hour drive that was literally in our backyard.

lake-huron

We did one of our favourite bike rides from Southampton to Port Elgin along the shores of Lake Huron before arriving in Bayfield, to stay overnight. The weather was perfection, the right transition between summer sunsets and the cool breeze of fall. And the views! We watched locals sailing on Lake Huron and took in the spectacular sunset by the local marina.

We happened to be in town at the right time too to take in the second annual Bayfield Volkfest… the picture above shows the vans parading down the historic main street in Bayfield on Sunday morning before they set up shop in the local park. We made sure to check out all the awesome stores on main street and before we left, we enjoyed treats from the local bakery Pink Flamingo which had the coolest vibe (see above photo of inside the bakery.. loved the pink fonts!).

I have to say, I am a sucker for weekend getaways like this. You can explore the most beautiful places that Ontario has to offer on an affordable budget and see what our province truly has to offer, only a few hours drive from home. With a quick pack and change of clothes, some snacks/wine to enjoy (and no airports or line-ups, woohoo!!) you can travel and enjoy the outdoors so quickly. We opted to take backroads on the way home to enjoy a more scenic route… I was blown away by the beautiful views and the number of farms we drove by that were so impressive.

Reflecting on the vitality of rural Ontario after seeing all of the impressive farms and towns we drive through, when I returned home Sunday night I tweeted: “After one of the most beautiful drives through rural Ontario today,can’t help but feel so grateful for this beautiful province we call home.”

I’m not sure if its because I was born and raised in rural Ontario, but the immense pride I have when visiting towns like Bayfield/Southampton/Port Elgin and discovering what makes these little towns so unique, makes me so proud to be from such a beautiful province. I’m sure so many fellow small town Ontarians can relate.

If your open to travelling and exploring new areas (literally in your backyard), it can be the best feeling when your taking in something new, similar to what I blogged about earlier this week about how summer 2016 has been the summer of so many firsts for me.

I always feel so refreshed, reinvigorated, recharged and so inspired while away on getaways like this. As a creative communications professional who is always churning out new ideas and thoughts, on getaways like this, I wish I had my laptop to capture all of the ‘magic’ that my brain comes up with. But then again, I’m trying to live up to the above quote and enjoy time with the people I’m with and the places I’m visiting, away from a computer or smartphone {note: the smartphone was only used to capture the amazing photos above!}

Explore Ontario, people, words can be put to paper when the weekend is over.

1 Comment Inspiration, Lifestyle, Travel Agriculture, Alexia Vernon, Autumn, Backroads, Bayfield, Budget, Discover Ontario, Discovering, Exploring, Fall, Falling, Farms, Inspiration, Lake Huron, Laptop, Ontario, Ontario Travel, Passionate Voice, Pink Flamingo, Port Elgin, Rural Ontario, Sailing, Small Town Ontario, Smartphone, Social Media, Southampton, Summer, Sunset, The Passionate Voice, Travel, Travelling, Volkfest, Weekend Getaway, Wine

5 Things Vacation Will Teach You About A Break From Social Media

August 30, 2016 • Communication, Social Media, Travel

Internet Free VacationHow is it the last week of August? I mean, really…. where has summer gone?

Not that I am entirely sad though. I always enjoy the beginning of summer and then eventually want a ‘start fresh’ with September since fall is my favourite season.

I recently blogged that I enjoyed a week of vacation to Manitoba/Kenora/Lake-of-the-Woods (wish I could go back!) and that due to no internet connection while on holidays, I didn’t have access to email or social media.

Considering social media is what I do for a living, having no access to it seemed like a problem …..  or so I thought. 

After a few days of worry and not knowing what to do with my phone (it is normal to have the shakes at first when you’re on withdrawl, right?!) I finally adapted to what life felt like without a phone. And man did it ever feel good! So good in fact that I wanted to share with you in this separate post, the reasons why it was so refreshing to step back from social media and take a break from it when its something you do for a living.

Ironically, I read this article before I left about why you shouldn’t check email while on vacation and I can honestly say, a week without social media/email was one of the healthiest breaks I’ve taken in a long time.

When I try and think of when the last time was that I didn’t have access to internet on my phone at my fingertips, the last time was 2009 when I travelled to Europe. Yes we had cellphones (flip phones back then.. does that date me or what?!) but you couldn’t use them overseas as I suspect you can now with smartphones. I remember leaving my cellphone at home at the time thinking, well, the only way I can communicate to let people still know I was alive was through quick and costly collect calls or my laptop. The only way I could get access to wifi on my laptop while travelling was going to an internet cafe or paying an arm and a leg at the hostels I stayed at to connect to wifi.

My recent vacation made me realize just how dependent we are as social media users, especially since we as Canadians spend the most time on the internet than any other country in the western world.

“Canadians spend the most time on the internet than any other country in the western world.”

Click To Tweet

So what were those 5 things vacation taught me about a break from social media?

  1. Social media networks don’t justify that you ‘lived’ through something – Just because you didn’t document the moment or snap a photo to share with your network(s) of something you are experiencing that you think is cool, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Savour those moments with those around you and those your spending time with so you can truly be ‘in the moment,’ rather than thinking about what angle would be best for the best photo op.
  2. Set boundaries to not miss out on life moments –  If it is imperative that you be on social media during say long weekends, camping adventures, holidays, etc…. try and ask yourself if it is really necessary to bring the phone along with you. Set boundaries to your social media use – as an example, only check social media once or twice a day so you feel like you are in control of your social media habits, not the other way around.
  3. Use social media with intention and a purpose – This was probably the biggest lesson I learned while on vacation and then reconnecting after a week away. Was I really using social media for the right reasons before I left and in the most strategic way possible? Was I using it for professional reasons with a hint of ‘personal’ in there or was I just browsing social media to fill time that I should have otherwise been ‘guarding.’ Since returning, I’ve downloaded the app Moments to keep track of how much time I’m spending on my phone and on social media apps so I can cut back intentionally and use social media more purposefully.
  4. Choose to follow social media users and content that will better your life – After returning from holidays and catching up on things I seemed to have ‘missed’ while I was away, it was interesting to see how others chose to spend their time on a long-weekend in August and not for professional development or purposes that bettered them. It made me take a second look at the people and brands I follow and the type of content I am constantly indulging in to make sure that the people I follow and the content I consumer on social media channels adds value to my day whether it be from a personal standpoint (a funny laugh, a cute outfit, a good read, seeing other’s adventures and obviously my friend’s) and from a professional development standpoint (articles on social media, millennials, leadership, agriculture/food, business, #girlbosses, etc)
  5. See social media for what it is – likes don’t justify the means – My biggest takeaway from a social media free week? That I can still live and exist in a world without social media. While I may have felt like I was missing out at the beginning, the guilt eventually passed and I realized how amazing it felt to really ‘live’ without having likes justify the means of what I was doing each day. Being in control and having the power to put my phone down was empowering!

I’m proud to say that since returning home from vacation, I’ve made a more conscious effort throughout August to only post when I felt like I had something to say and not just sit around browsing my social media channels.

This new intention and purpose I’m using with social media has felt so good. Try it with me! 

[Photo Source]

Leave a Comment Communication, Social Media, Travel Business, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Discover Ontario, Email, Holidays, Internet, iPhone, Kenora, Lake of the Woods, Laptop, MacLeans, Manitoba, Passionate Voice, Social Media, The Passionate Voice, Travel, Vacation, Wifi





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