The new year. An opportunity to start fresh, to open a new calendar, bursting with potential. New beginnings are invigorating and exciting. To start fresh, we must wipe the slate clean. Don’t carry old burdens into the new year. Leave them behind.

This season, when one year ends and another begins, can be one of the best for downsizing and decluttering. At New Year’s, when you think about downsizing and decluttering, think beyond your stuff: Downsize your goal list; Downsize your calendar and time commitments; Downsize your stress – build margin in your life, schedule time for self-care and connecting with others, ask for help; And, yes, declutter your stuff…

Downsizing is a good way to think about managing holiday expectations and, in turn, reduce stress. Think about it. When we put too many demands on our time, too many events on our calendar, too many gifts on our shopping list, and more, we become overwhelmed. It’s time to downsize.

This post tackles how to downsize your writing by taking out anything that distracts from your main idea.

Downsizing means eliminating the excess in your life – getting a smaller home and reducing the amount of stuff you own. We are in the process of that kind of downsizing. Downsizing stuff is not that different from editing excess words. This post looks at both types.   As I work at cleaning out closets in the home we’ve lived in for 44 years, it occurred to me that downsizing my stuff is not that different from the editing I am doing to keep the second edition of Communicati

Creating a habit of gratitude can transform your life.

Creating visual aids with the assistance of AI can save valuable time and result in a professional product if you follow best practices for responsible and ethical use.

This post describes how to effectively use prompt engineering to provide high-quality directions to AI so it will generate high-quality output.

The ethical use of artificial intelligence in business writing includes brainstorming to generate ideas, helping structure writing by creating an outline, generating potential first drafts, revising writing by providing alternative phrasing and correcting grammatical errors, and creating visual support for your writing.

Leverage E.E.A.T. to build your online credibility. E.E.A.T. stands for four essential traits to strive for and clearly demonstrate in your communication: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

This post shares the RAISE Framework for strategic messaging. RAISE stands for Research, Analytics, Insights, Social Listening, and Engage.

In this post, I share how to make your travel experiences meet expectations. First, recognize that you have expectations. Give some thought to what they are, and you are more likely to achieve them. Begin by determining the purpose for your trip, who you want to spend time with, what you want to see and do, and what you hope to learn.

An attentive and engaged audience is every speaker's dream. Learn 4 simple ways to be that audience member.

This post explores the concept of traveling light, what it entails, and why it's a good idea.

From the family table of our childhood to… the school cafeteria… business lunch meetings… neighborhood carry-ins… extended family gatherings… and finally the dining room in assisted living, to share a meal is more than sharing food; it is sharing life.

In this post, we will explore why making meals a digital-free zone is important and how that can be a great first step in implementing a digital detox. Being screen-free enables you to be a mindful eater and an engaged eating companion. You will reap the benefits of greater meal satisfaction, improved communication, and stronger relationships.

A month-long vacation provided the ideal opportunity to try a digital detox. After reading the book Digital Detox by Molly DeFrank, and writing two posts that described the dangers of digital overuse and the benefits of a digital detox, I wanted to experience the results for myself.

In last week’s post, we discussed the negative consequences of this digital dependence. In this post, we will introduce the solution: A digital detox. I was recently introduced to this concept by a book with that title: Digital Detox, by Molly DeFrank. It was written for parents to detox their families and children and regain control over technology.

Technology – including smartphones, tablets, computers, and other types of screens – has many benefits. It can be used for learning, entertainment, communication, and more. But it comes with potential drawbacks. Did you know that many features of digital devices are designed to enhance dopamine release in the brain? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that connects pleasure to behavior, motivating you to repeat actions that you find enjoyable or beneficial.

Writing is hard work, and the struggle to produce quality content within your word count and before the deadline is real! When writing struggles get you down, look to some good old writing humor, not only to laugh but possibly even to remind you of some essential writing skills. Here is some of my favorite writing humor… Enjoy!