Post Time Out

Like a punished child, I went moping into Time Out a little concerned I'd be like my three year old niece and pop out, yelling that I was done.  Truth be told, I managed to stay disconnected for roughly 15 hours, of which I probably slept about 8 of them.  But by the end of the waking hours, I was actually beginning to feel a little less rattled, a little more able to focus.  Like a small child, I guess I needed time to settle down and refocus, figure out why I'd been "riled up" as I used to tell my kids.

The answer is easy in retrospect.  Like when my kids had lots of "input" (guests, sugar, playdates, travel...) they needed down time to rebalance.  My "inputs" clearly were self-imposed -- email, shopping, phone calls, follow up.  But like my niece, I came out of Time Out feeling more in control, more able to handle things with my "nice manners" on.  You know, when a three year old can walk into a room and sit quietly, looking sweet and charming every adult in the room?

Truly these days if you want to stand out from the crowd, I think we'd all be better served if we took a regular "Time Out" and made sure we entered the room with our "nice manners" on.  Who knows who we could charm?  Gotta' go take a call on the way to my next appointment (with my nice manners)!

Ciao,
Jules

Time Out

I was put in time out today.  Having recently returned from a quick trip to Montreal with what appears to be the onset of pneumonia, my friend suggested I needed a "timeout".  I immediately panicked.  What do you mean "time out". My mind started to race.  No way.  I cannot.  Gifts to buy.  Meetings to take.  "What was that you said?  I'm sorry I can't hear you for the coughing."

That was right before I had to sit down due to dizziness (to which I am not prone).  So maybe she had a point.  What would happen if I stopped running around and just let things "take their natural course" as my grandmother used to say?  (Little voice inside my head:  "Are you crazy?  It's the holidays!")   But I'm going to try.  Here's the plan.

Step 1...turn off the phone.  Step 2...no email, no texting...disconnect for just 24 hours.  Step 3...no lists (I'm a list maker...constantly checking my progress because I'm pretty sure when your list ends, you die...at this rate, I'll live forever -- I procrastinate a lot.)  OK...here goes.  See you at the other end of oblivion.

Ciao,
Jules

Althouse: "Women follow rules better than men do, so the wom...

Althouse: "Women follow rules better than men do, so the wom...: "'But, there is no correlation between doing well in school and doing well in adult life. And there might be a reverse correlation, because s..."

Hat Tip: Thoughts Enroute

Tools Not Rules

Preparing to leave for a quick getaway to Montreal tomorrow, I’m staring at my suitcase with trepidation. There’s a lot of rules I always try to follow about clothes for travel…Rule #1: Not too much, need to carry my own suitcase. Rule #2: No wrinkly fabrics. Rule #3: Try to fit in the gym shoes (need to find a light, small collapsible pair…have been saying this through a decade of business travel). Rule #4: Similar color palette so you can get away with one or two pair of shoes. With all these rules to follow, I usually end up in the same thing…black head to toe. In other words, utterly boring.

Enter my friend Darcey – personal style consultant extraordinaire. She’s got me pawing through my closet looking for something called a “thriller” … you know that one piece that makes you go “Damn I look good.” Her idea is that most people start with the basics and build up. Exactly the wrong tact to take apparently. Rather she's a proponent of "Thriller, Filler, Spiller." You start with the wow, fill in around it, and "spill" a pop of color to add interest. Or so I've interpreted her directions.

So my new Rachel Roy jacket with leather patches and a zipper up the back is about as close as I’m going to come to a thriller. Of course it breaks the rules (bulkier than necessary) and will require another pair of shoes. But then Darcey’s also trying to get me to embrace the idea of “Tools Not Rules,” an interesting principle on every level. Her premise being that if you give people rules, it sets them up to be broken. As opposed to tools, it equips them for success. Probably a lot to be applied here to other areas, but I'll leave that for later.

OK Darcey. Going back to get the bigger suitcase. Especially after reading your latest blog about not knowing what opportunities or new people you might encounter on your travels. (www.darceyhoward.blogspot.com) Off to Montreal!

Ciao,
Jules