Blog Posts
When a Success Leaves You *Less* Able to Do Your Work
By Hillary Rettig |
I use the term "situational perfectionism" to describe circumstances that cause your perfectionism to spike. A failure (or perceived failure) can do that, but so, paradoxically, can a success, especially if it causes you to feel more visible or scrutinized. J.K. Rowling experienced this after the exceptional success of the ...
Michelin Chef Says Non! to Relentless Competition
By Hillary Rettig |
I was inspired by the news of the Michelin chef who has asked to be removed from the prestigious ratings system: "One of France’s most celebrated chefs, whose restaurant has been honoured with three stars in the Michelin guide for almost 20 years, has pleaded to be stripped of the ...
How to Interrupt a Social Media “Ludic Loop”
By Hillary Rettig |
"Ludic" is a cute word, and it means "showing a kind of spontaneous and undirected playfulness." A "ludic loop" is less cute, however. That's when you get stuck bouncing from one procrastination-enabling activity to another: e.g., from email to the Web to your social media feed to YouTube, and then ...
Research Agrees: You Should Use Money to Buy Time
By Hillary Rettig |
Loved this piece from a couple of weeks ago, describing a study in which researchers found that people who pay others to do work they don't want to do are happier for it: "New research is challenging the age-old adage that money can't buy happiness. "The study, led by researchers ...
Thank you Fast Company!
By Hillary Rettig |
I'm kvelling! A few weeks ago a wonderful Fast Company writer, Stephanie Vozza, approached me for input into an article on how to be as productive as possible during the summer. I told her that I actually thought the opposite: that summer should be for relaxing, and, moreover, that in ...
Parenting Is Not a Zero Sum Game!
By Hillary Rettig |
From Evelyn Tsitas, an exceptionally useful blog post about what it took for her to write her thesis: Admit it, if you are a mother, there is always that nagging voice somewhere – yours or some critic – that says ‘intense focus and study at the expense of much of ...
Self-Care Now More Than Ever!
By Hillary Rettig |
Audre Lord Here's a reminder that self-care becomes even more important during stressful times. The need for self-care would seem obvious, except that some on the right deride people who ask for it as weak, and a culture that supports it as dysfunctional. That attitude diffuses into the general culture ...
Select 2016 Blog Posts
By Hillary Rettig |
Below is a list of select blog posts from 2016. Not surprisingly, many were on the topic of how to stay productive and otherwise cope during challenging times. Also, I want to remind you that coaching is a fun and empowering way to start the new year, and nothing catalyzes ...
