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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

The Sunday 7

December 17, 2017 • Lifestyle

Inspired by Interior designer and blogger Shea McGee at Studio McGee, I’ve followed suit and started my own ‘Sunday 7’ series here on the blog. Shea was the keynote at the Blog Podium conference I attended in Toronto this past September. This series can be a fun a way to capture all of the random work + play items-articles-happenings-design inspiration-photos-thoughts that spark my interest.

Hope you enjoy!

  1. Loving this DIY calligraphy wrapping paper that may look ah-mazing all year round, not just under the Christmas tree.
  2. If you are in need of some of the cutest cards and prints, check out local Ontario gal Sarah’s Etsy shop, ‘Sweet Simplicity Paper Co.’
  3. I ordered matching beanies for Blake and I from Muskoka Baby, a Muskoka mom making handmade and fashionable baby products and accessories!
  4. If you haven’t yet read about 94-year old tweeter Harry Leslie Smith, do yourself a favour and read this fascinating article about him.
  5. My family and I visited the Toronto Christmas Market for the first time together this weekend, in the well-known distillery district. What a beautiful way to celebrate Christmas and take in the historic buildings in a beautiful setting. Oh and it was my first time trying mulled wine (so good!). I’ll be trying my hand at  making mulled wine over the holidays with this recipe.
  6. We are heading west this week to visit the in-laws in Manitoba for Christmas. You’ll be able to find me in the quiet countryside, cozied up with a new good read and browsing (for hours) in my favourite little shop, Pineridge Hollow.
  7. The first major snowfall this weekend at home on the farm was so peaceful and calming. You could tell even Duke our farm dog enjoyed the new blanket of snow. I was able to write a blog post about this welcomed ‘quietness’ that the snow brings, I’ll be sharing next week!

[Photo Source]

2 Comments Lifestyle 2017, Agriculture, Baby, Blog452, Cards, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Christmas Market, Christmas Paper, Country, Dairy Farm, Dairy Farming, Distillery District, DIY, Dog, Farm, Farming, Food for Thought, Hastings, Interior Design, Life, Manitoba, Motherhood, Mulled Wine, Parenthood, Passionate Voice, Prints, Rural Ontario, Shop Local, Snow, Snowfall, Stationary, TCM17, The Passionate Voice, Toronto Christmas Market, Travel, Travelling, Twitter, Wrapping Paper

Taking a {Moment} to Pause

October 22, 2017 • Communication, Lifestyle, Social Media, Travel

This fall has been one of a kind. Fall in the agriculture world (my daily profession) is always a busy time of year. Harvest, Fall fairs, Ontario Agriculture Week, AGM’s and trade shows. Add a baby, some speaking gigs and travel (not to mention life!) into the mix and a whole new meaning to busy comes to mind.

I was on the road earlier this fall travelling here and there to attend events where I had the opportunity to speak and see industry colleagues, friends and even blog readers (hi Mary!).  This is something I have valued so much since becoming a mother – the opportunity to get out of the house and talk with others about things beyond motherhood. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a new mom but there is nothing like keeping the brain stimulated beyond the baby talk of goo goo gagas and talking current events, agriculture or anything for that matter.

One thing I’ve also come to value and be more conscious of this fall is my use of social media.

Because social media is what I do for a living and the means to which I consume most of my news and keep in touch with people, I’ve wanted to ensure I’m using it with the best of intention. I don’t want to find myself aimlessly scrolling through social channels *just because* especially now that Blake is here.

Having a child has also made me question everything I post on social media for fear of the unknown – could/if photos of your baby appear somewhere you (or they) never expected one day? Because we’re writing the social media books as we speak (and they’re ever-evolving!), its hard to know where pictures of your kids and content could surface. I’ll be blogging more about this in coming weeks.

When smartphones were becoming a *thing* only a few short years ago, nothing bothered me more than watching someone at a public event have their face buried in their phone scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram channel. I didn’t want to be that person. Heck, I entered the workforce at a time when the etiquette was to not even bring your phone(s) into meetings. That definitely dates me… and that wasn’t even a decade ago (face palm)!

I’ve made two simple changes this fall that have really helped me disconnect when needed and feel like I’m in control of my social media and phone, not the other way around:

  1. I have disconnected my email account from my phone. Every time I want to check my emails now, I have to go to safari and log in to my account which makes it more time consuming to do, hence limiting how many times a day I check my emails. Also, not waking up every morning to that red bubble telling me the number of emails I have waiting for me before the day has even begun has felt transformational.
  2. I downloaded the Moment app to track my screen time usage. I have been able to see how much I use my phone and know which apps are the most time consuming. I have been able to set daily limits on how much I use my phone and it then sends me reminders before it locks me out of my phone if I’ve went beyond the limits I’ve set. Wild stat: the average person spends 4 hours a day on their smartphone! I know, crazy right?!

Having the independence away from my phone has been a mind game changer. Social media is an incredible tool if you use it to your advantage, not let it be all consuming.

Social media is an incredible tool if you use it to your advantage, not let it be all consuming.

Click To Tweet

As a communications professional, you have to stay on top of the social media game in terms of what’s new/trending and actively use platforms to engage. But you can do it in a strategic, manageable, less mind-numbing way. And, your smartphone data bill will thank you, I know mine sure has. Not to mention, a more healthy personal lifestyle will surely follow if your making memories and not documenting *every* personal detail of what you ate, wore, did while showcasing your selfie game for the millionth time. Unless of course, if that’s how you making a living or its what you love doing, then social media it up!

Leave a Comment Communication, Lifestyle, Social Media, Travel 2017, Agriculture, App, Baby, Blog 452, Blog452, Business, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Email, Facebook, Fall, Inbox, Instagram, Life, Millennials, Moment, Motherhood, Parenthood, Side Business, Side Hustle, Smartphone, Social Media, The Passionate Voice, Travel, Travelling, Twitter

Wise Words

September 6, 2017 • Career, Communication, Lifestyle

I’ve had two experiences recently that have reminded me of the power of our language. With the click of most of our smartphone keyboards, our words are now auto-corrected and fixed for us. This has allowed us to “lazy up” on our language skills and need not worry about how to spell words, let alone check a dictionary to expand our vocabulary. We aren’t choosing the most sophisticated words to reflect our thoughts and feelings anymore. 

To say our vocabulary as human beings is becoming quite basic in this social media, technology-driven age is an understatement. Its probably why I enjoy reading books as much as  I do. I love the lessons a good book can impart and the rich words that good writers use to tell a story.

When I started my career, I had a flip book in the top of my desk drawer. I would try and find a new word a week and write it in this flip book to learn and refer too as a way to expand my vocabulary and better my writing. It was a helpful exercise (that I have since stopped doing) but it was a great way to continue to learn and expand my personal dictionary of words. 

Recently, I engaged in a conversation on Twitter that I thought would be productive but it began with words from the other party that were quite abrupt to start off the conversation. These words didn’t help to foster a productive conversation, or at least make me feel like we were going to have a positive experience and engage in meaningful dialogue.

It was a good reminder. If you want to have a productive conversation with someone, don’t tell them their opinion is bad by using words that aren’t conducive to the conversation. In order to have a conversation, people must go back and forth with words. The words you choose to use can alter the direction of a conversation quickly – both in a good direction and bad. 

“The words you choose to use can alter the direction of a conversation quickly.” – The Passionate…

Click To Tweet

Productive conversations, regardless of where you stand on an issue, includes language that is inclusive, respectful and meaningful. Using words that insults a person, aren’t respectful in nature, or aren’t used in the right tone can turn someone off from having a conversation with you the next time.

The second example includes a night of playing scrabble with my family at our cottage.

I haven’t played scrabble in years. Scratch that. I couldn’t remember the first time I played scrabble. I must have been bad at it when I first played otherwise I would have remembered the experience vividly (#SoreLoserAnyone?!) Off topic, sorry…

While playing scrabble, it reminded me of that first experience earlier on Twitter and how an expanded vocabulary doesn’t hurt anyone.s 

Playing a game like scrabble teaches you words you didn’t realize you could even come up with let alone know the meaning for. Until you are asked to put together words with 7 of the most random letters of the alphabet and you have a killer instinct to want to WIN, it can be an exciting challenge for your brain. Scrabble made me think of words beyond the basic Twitter speak, smartphone auto-corrections and the latest acronyms like FOMO and YOLO (you only live once for those who have to google it like I first had to do!)

Examples of words from our game that you may be surprised to learn the meaning for, like I was….

Fid – a thick peg, wedge, or supporting pin.

Yuch – a variant of the word yuck..

Xi – the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet (and yes, it can be used in the game of scrabble!).

An expanded and robust vocabulary only helps you to better articulate your thoughts and feelings… oh, and wise words just makes you sound smarter. Go figure! I may just be pulling that flip book back out again to continue to add to my word bank. 

On a side note, the photo of the books above arranged by colour has totally inspired me to want to do the same with the zillions of books I’ve collected over the years. Problem is, I need to find wall/bookcase space in my house. On to my next project!

[Photo Source]

Leave a Comment Career, Communication, Lifestyle 2017, Acronyms, Alphabet, Autocorrect, Blog452, Books, Career, Christina Crowley-Arklie, Communication, Conversation, Dialogue, Dictionary, FOMO, Food for Thought, Keywords, Language, Lessons, Life Lessons, Marketing, Millennials, Opinions, Passionate Voice, Productive Conversation, Public Speaking, Scrabble, Smartphone, Social Media, The Passionate Voice, Thesaurus, Twitter, Vocabulary, Word Bank, Words, Writing, YOLO

A Week in Reflection

July 30, 2017 • Food for Thought, Lifestyle

+ One of the greatest controls I realize we can have in modern day times is knowing when to unplug from social media and take breaks when you need them most. This is something I did this week. Not worrying about taking pictures in the moment and just capturing those moments in your mind to cherish, is needed more often than I think we realize.

+ One of those moments this week, was watching Blake turn two months. The smiles and giggles that are coming from him more and more everyday are so much fun.

+ There is nothing better for the soul than walks outdoors in beautiful summer sun, especially when its with your best friend (and her baby!) or husband and a good cup of coffee.

+ Another thing that feeds the soul? A good book like Erin Loechnre’s ‘Chasing Slow’ which I have completely consumed this week. The way in which Erin writes is truly incredible – its as if she can read my mind.

+ You can make chocolate chip cookies a hundred times and still make a batch that is a #BakingFail.

+ Visits from friends during the day, mid-week for a quick coffee and chat are the best.

+ There truly is no way to know what Donald Trump will get up too next and what his tweets may result in by the end of the week #FacePalmEmoji

+ Sometimes, you just need those deep-fried pickles you are craving. And so deserve (that’s what I keep telling myself anyways).

+ Fresh cut flowers in the house brighten up everyone’s mood.

+When you search out some awesome finds at the local antique market in Aberfoyle and negotiate the price too!

+ That feeling of accomplishment when you get through your weekend to do list (almost all of it anyways)

Leave a Comment Food for Thought, Lifestyle Aberfoyle Antique Market, Antiques, Baking, Blog 452, Chasing Slow, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Coffee, Deep-Fried Pickles, Donald Trump, Erin Loechnre, Fast Food, Flowers, Friendship, Good Reads, Maternity Leave, Motherhood, N, New Born, Outdoors, Photos, Social Media, Summer, Summer 2017, To Do List, Tweets, Twitter, Unplug, Walking, Walks, Weekend, WEekends

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