Can a Smile Help Me Working Smarter in 2014?

I love my regular e-mails from LinkedIn, I don't always make time to read them - I at least glance but rarely internalize.  Tonight I was catching up on e-mails and the headline "60+ Ways to Work Smarter" and I thought to myself this is what I need!

So I scrolled through the headlines in this e-mail (it only showed 7 of the 60 which is probably all that I can handle at once) and a woman named Naomi Simson had the tagline 'The Happy Hack' - I like being happy so that was the first one I needed to take a gander at... plus it sounds DIFFERENT from any other productivity tip I've seen in the past so I HAD to check it out - and I'm glad I did!

Many of the articles that I read about how to be more productive or better manage my time are full of great ideas but they often times feel so intangible, leaving me to think that's cool but where do I start?  I've made some little changes here and there, trying to not jump to read every e-mail as it comes in, focusing on what I'm working on for set times and also scheduling times to reflect... but these are all things that I struggle with then wonder if they even work or if I'm just fooling myself.

Now this "happy hack" is an interesting angle... there were two lines in the article that really stood out

"Happy people are creative, productive people."

and

"Be happy then you will be able to apply lots of Hacks!" 

This has me thinking - maybe I've been going through these productivity tricks in the past with the wrong attitude.  It would be great to figure out how to manage my time better or whatever so that I can be more relaxed and therefore happier... but what I'm thinking NOW is that I need to start off with a happy and positive attitude and THEN apply these different hacks.

At the end of the day, I make the choice to be happy or not - no one else makes that for me.  We all know it isn't easy - there are tons of things that go on day to day that add stress and wears me down, but maybe those folks were on to something with all those quotes about how your attitude is one of the few things you can actually control!  So tonight the new attitude begins and we're going to see how much this can positively influence my day to day.

Happiness starts now... and with that attitude I may actually explore some of these other 59 hacks to see how I can get more out of my days!

If you're interested in reading, here's 'The Happy Hack':  http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140121000342-1291685-productivity-hacks-happy-people-are-productive-people?trk=eml-mktg-inf-m-productivity-0121-p5

Sarah CK's Take on Trends (01)

One of my #14in14 goals for this year is to read about things going on in the world - industry trends - and internalize them enough that I can write here... ideally I want to be able to have a conversation with someone about these things rather than turning into the silent statue that I often become when these hot topics come up.

Last week I was in a workshop at our office up in Rhode Island and we were looking for trends driving the data center business, specifically looking to support our prefabricated modular data center offer.  Since I don't spend much time in the data center space - I was looking for trends that related more to business, potentially something I could relate to and I kept seeing this phrase "internet of things" pop up.  On my prior trip to the office in December, I was talking with a couple of colleagues and this "internet of things" had come up in conversation and as you can guess, it was a cue for the Silent Sarah Statue.  Since I'd now heard this pop up twice in my day to day I thought it would be a great topic to explore a bit more.

Since I was on the road, I didn't get a chance to sit down and read until Monday of this week, and I found a ton of articles regarding this "internet of things" - which is simply putting just about everything 'online'.  Okay, maybe not that simple since it's putting all of our devices online and connecting them to one another and thus giving them new functions.  All of a sudden this topic is no longer scary, no longer a need to go silent - PLUS it's a great opportunity to reference all of my Back To The Future knowledge!

That may be silly - but when you think about it, that scene in BTTF when we get a glimpse into Marty and Jennifer's 2015 home really shows the 1989 vision of this "internet of things"... think about it!  You walk in and your house greets you buy name, you say the words "lights on" and the lights come on... when the phone rings, everyone can look to those cool glasses that let them see who is calling... the list goes on and on - that house was totally connected!

Here in 2014 our house has far fewer devices online, but it's amazing to see how much we rely on them already!  We have installed a Sonos sound system throughout the house, so I can open an app on my computer or iPad and have instant music where ever I am.  We have installed some devices from the Schneider Electric Wiser system, so now we can control our upstairs thermostat from anywhere we can get an internet connection (this is super handy when we don't want to run our AC while we travel in the summer - we can leave the house warmer and then log in while we're traveling home so that when we walk in the door the house is at a comfortable temperature).

These are little things that are really conveniences and not necessities, but I think it's a clear indication of the direction we're heading in.  I hope our next refrigerator can not only keep tabs of what we have in stock, but also manage expiration date AND provide recipe ideas based on what we have or sending text messages letting us know what we need to pick up to complete a recipe... how cool would that be?!

Now being in the data center business - there are challenges that result from this cool trend... probably the simplest one is to realize that you need to have power in order to be online.  Additionally we've got to realize how much data is now produced because everything is providing some sort of update - where's that data going to go?  The other thing I noticed is just how quickly the number of online devices is increasing!  I mean I only referenced two cool systems in our house - but I'll also mention that we have 5 computers and 3 iPads in this house, plus two smart phones and an iPod touch!  Combine all these devices with all of the devices with all of the things that are getting connected - it's a lot to keep up with, let alone a lot to power and provide storage space for.

This is where my technical knowledge starts to fade - but I would say I'm no longer intimidated by this "internet of things" - I get that its changing life both at home and in businesses... I am excited to see if 2014 is in fact the year that this really takes off (the tipping point if you will)... and I'm even more excited to compare my house in 2015 to the 2015 McFly's house!  I think I'll try to keep tabs on this type of trend and better translate it into the data center world... my first take is that this should be a selling point for our prefabricated offer because it's moving so fast - you can't really predict when you'll need to expand your data center and being able to "snap in" a new skid rather than installing that equipment piece by piece makes sense to me if you're trying to move quickly.  We'll see if I learn anything different over time (or reinforce my current ideas and prove that I shouldn't be so intimidated by this stuff)!

On another futuristic note... when do you think we'll have hoverboards to get around?  And will they be connected to the internet so that I can summon it to my location w/o having to remember where I left it? Hmmm...

First Thing First... Get In Shape!

Over the past few years I have really grown into a passion for fitness. It began years ago in Rhode Island where I started taking spin classes at a local gym. It became a bit addictive, but in a good way. It not only helped get me on track regarding diet and exercise, it also helped me develop a better work / life balance. Spin was a commitment I made to myself that I had to keep, pulling my nose away from the grind of work to get to the gym, and after a great workout my mind was clear to go enjoy my evening whether it was happy hour with friends or learning to cook a little bit in my tiny kitchen. 

Since moving to Canton GA, I've found an amazing studio gym called Rockout Fitness a that is like a home away from home! In addition to spin I've gotten into various other classes like Zumba, R.I.P.P.E.D, TRX, Bootcamp and Kickboxing. Each class offering a different awesome workout, and sometimes more importantly than that - great people to spend an hour or two of my day with!

Since part of 2014's focus is going to be creating the best version of myself, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to kick off the year with a health / fitness challenge - "The Biggest Loser". Typically I'm not the type who is motivated by a contest, but every once in a while one pops up that's nicely in line with something I want to focus on anyway. I see this challenge as an opportunity to push myself and get this year on the right track. I'm on a "team" with my friends Miriam and Melissa so far, and Miriam and I have already outlined a general plan to get this team started with an aggressive month one - I'm starting out with a work trip so being on the road makes it tough but the trick is to make this a part of my lifestyle, no matter where I am... right?

In addition to the working out is going to be watching and tracking what I eat - making healthy choices that will benefit my body. I know this will be more of a challenge for me, simply because it's the not-fun part.. but that's why this is called a challenge! It's a chance to make sure I'm living the way I know I should AND I see this as an opportunity though to also get a jump start on my goal to make 14 new recipes... might as well be making healthy nutritious meals, right?! See - I told you we were going to kick this year off with a positive attitude!

The Biggest Loser challenge will go on for three months, I'll be tracking my progress throughout and am looking forward to sharing my results. I'm not in this for weight loss alone, but I'm pretty interested to see what twelve weeks of focus can do to the number on the scale (I mean, who wouldn't be?). I will be looking to reform habits that will help me continue to live healthy and feel awesome!

January's 14s Check-in

As I sit and watch the Biggest Loser finale on TV, I was reminded to check in on what I did (and didn't do) last month!  

14 Jump Rope Workouts / Month... Clearly room to improve here, and in a month with fewer days - yikes!  #noproblem #igotthis

1. January 3: Jump Rope @ fitness center
2. January 8: Jillian 30 Day Shred
3. January 13: Kickboxing @ Rockout Fitness 
4. January 15: R.I.P.P.E.D

14 Stretching Workouts / Month... Made it into the double digits with this one, but not quite 14. I def feel the benefits when I do this one so I don't think it will be a stretch to step it up in February (haha get it!?) 

1. January 3: Yoga Meltdown
2. January 4: Yoga Meltdown
3. January 9:  Yoga Meltdown 
4. January 13: Foam Roller
5. January 14: Foam Roller
6. January 15: foam Roller
7. January 16: Foam Roller
8. January 17: Foam Roller
9. January 20: Yoga Meltdown 
10. and 11.  I didn't write it down, but def had 2 good stretching days (maybe more? Gotta write this stuff down!) 

BTW - the foam roller I got for Christmas is awesome!! I can't believe it took me so long to get one!

14 Language Lessons / Month... Total 18 - Met this one!  Wonder if I could change this to be 14 days of language lessons in February, we'll see how that one pans out!

1. January 2: 1 Spanish Lesson
2. January 3: 2 Spanish Lessons
3. January 7: 5 Spanish Lessons
4. January 15: 3 Spanish Lessons
5. January 21: 7 Spanish Lessons

Overall a great start to 2014!  I set some goals and now see where I need to push myself more to meet them.  Mike and I made it around the loop twice already and we've cooked a few new recipes, and I've sampled some new beers!  

February is going to be another fun month... singles tennis starts this month, one mixed doubles season winds down while the next one starts up, and I'm doing a 30 day plank challenge!  

What are you doing to make February great??

14 in 14

Welcome 2014!

I am super excited to start a new year! Much of my 2013 was spent planning and celebrating my wedding. I had a lot of fun looking up different ideas for all of the details of our special day, but man can a girl lose track of time with all that's available on the web these days! In the end I feel it was all worth it, I was on cloud 9 our entire wedding day and other than a snafu with a golf cart breaking down I wouldn't change a thing!  The year came to a close with a great holiday season and an awesome New Years Eve party in Miami FL.

Now, as we kick off a new year, I thought it would be fun to join my good friend +DANA LOTZ (of Lotz Lane) and start a blog. A great idea in theory, but I was so overwhelmed at first - what was I to write about?! I was to the point that I considered writing about my search for what to write about, but that didn't seem interesting enough for an entire blog. Then as I started to consider my 2014 New Years Resolutions, I had the idea for "14 in 14" - so I started brainstorming for 14 things to work on this year and came up with this list below:

1. 14 date nights with Mike
2. 14 workouts with Mike (no, not that kind...)
3. 14 loop walks with Mike
4. 14 creations (art / paint / sketch / flowers / videos / crafts / etc.)
5. 14 new-to-me recipes
6. 14 new-to-me beers
7. 14 new-to-me movies
8. 14 industry webinars (attend and write about here in the blog)
9. 14 articles (read and write about here in the blog)
10. 14 jump rope workouts per month
11. 14 stretching workouts per month
12. 14 fitness "challenges"
13. 14 language lessons a month on Duolingo  
14. 14 random acts of kindness (I'll need to search for ideas so they'd won't be entirely random)

I see this new blog as my own little corner (or Korner) of the world that I can use to hold myself accountable to these 14 things! This year is going to be an adventure starting with a positive attitude and working to become the best version of myself that I can be. I'm looking forward to writing all about it, sharing it with you (whoever you may be) and looking back through these entries in a year to reminisce about all that goes on in these weeks and months ahead of me!