Posts by Hillary
If You’ve Ever Wanted to See a Seven-Tuba Pileup, Now is Your Chance
I don’t often repurpose a blanket rack as a scarf and jewelry holder…
…but when I do, the result is so good I just have to share it… I have this preconception about myself that I’m not so good at home decor, so when I do come up with a clever idea it feels great. Plus, the rack was $10 off CraigsList…
Read MoreGuest Post: Your Power Zone
Second guest post by Linda Marks. Given that, the older I get, the more life seems like a balancing act, the below rings very true. When reading it, bear in mind that procrastination and underproductivity are caused by disempowerment. So, we can infer that moving too far along any of the dimensions Cedar identifies can…
Read MoreGuest Post: Soul Mates and Wound Mates
Below, one of the best essays I’ve read about relationships anywhere. I hope it’s as meaningful and useful to you as it was to me! It’s the first of two guest posts by Newton, MA-based Linda Marks, MSM, a super-smart and innovative psychotherapist, lifework counselor, and author. Her newsletter is one of the first things…
Read MoreDon’t Forget to Check Out My September Online Classes!
Online courses are convenient, cheap, and fun–and you can be located anywhere! My SavvyAuthors class for graduate students, faculty, and other academic writers starts Monday September 16. I’m offering a discounted class/coaching bundle via famed writing community The Loft. All writers, including creative, business, nonprofit writers, welcome. Take a class now and have a productive…
Read MoreWhen Adversity Strikes Be Sure You’re Framing It Properly
New York Times health columnist Jane Brody writes about a new book, The Gift of Adversity: The book’s titular message — that adversity can be a gift — is especially relevant now, as millions of Americans who have lost jobs struggle to reinvent themselves. After 20 productive years as a researcher at the National Institute…
Read MoreLive From Kalamazoo: A New Shot at Love
A little over a year ago, I was invited to write a letter to a newborn baby, Toby. In it, I wrote about the benefits of being generous, and in particular generous in love: “I’ve also given away lots of love. Often that love was returned, but sometimes it wasn’t, which was painful. But as…
Read MoreWhy the Middles of Projects are Tough (Part 3): Middles Have Middles!
I previously wrote about how the middles of projects are tough: *They’re the place where the work seems to get much tougher right at the same moment that your enthusiasm starts to ebb. *They’re a much bigger part of the project than most people realize. (Around 80%!) However, there’s another problem with middles: they have…
Read MoreI’m Offering a Powerful and Economical Online Class/TeleCoaching Bundle at The Loft
Super-thrilled to be teaching an online class at The Loft, one of the world’s premier community writing programs, starting September 30. Even more thrilled to be offering a class/coaching bundle. The class will set you up for greater productivity; the 40 minutes of individualized telephone coaching will personalize the class information and help you amplify…
Read MoreWhy the Middles of Projects are Tough (Part 2): Plus, How to Have Fun Revising!
Middles are Tough. Last time I wrote about how the middles of writing and other projects can be difficult, citing Dante’s Inferno, which begins “midway upon the journey of our life,” and John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, in which the protagonist, Christian, literally bogs down midway, in the infamous “Slough of Despond.” Middles are…
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