Mark Twain offered some unusual advice – that you should start your day by eating a live frog, because after that, nothing else will seem as bad. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash A number of people have adopted this idea as a productivity tool. Not to literally eat a live frog, but to start out doing the hardest or most anxiety-producing item on their to-do list. The idea is that if you don’t, you’ll be dreading the task all day – and you may never get around to it at all. Ma

I know it’s tempting to be mindless. To just unhook your brain and not worry about things. And sure, we all need breaks now and again. It’s important to have times when you’re doing something that doesn’t require concentration or focused thought. Things like knitting… watching cute animal videos (or just cute animals)… taking a hot shower or bath… folding laundry… shelling peas… going for a walk… you get the idea. These are all things that can give you a mental break. But to

Photo by Mike Labrum on Unsplash I had another blog post planned for today. But after reading about Anthony Bourdain’s suicide on Friday, I decided to write this instead. Like many people, I thought Bourdain had everything. A career where he got to cook and eat amazing food. The respect of many. A loving girlfriend. A daughter he adored. Which is why I, like many, were so shocked by his death. Although when I think about it, it becomes a bit less shocking. Because I remember

People sometimes sound ashamed when they tell me they like to have something sweet during the day. Like they’re confessing to something terrible. But personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting something sweet now and again. It’s probably not great to only eat sweet things. But as part of your diet, it doesn’t seem like this should be a high concern. I understand that if you have diabetes, you might want to avoid refined sugar. And for some people, eating re