Hello there! Today, I consider my time-wasters. So what is wasting time? I consider it purposeless procrastination.
I prefer to change gears, focus on another task or topic to get unstuck. I find this a useful tactic at work. By focusing on ticking off the low hanging fruit, I get a useful idea to solve the more complex task. Staring out the window was great when I started my job in Vancouver. The view was glorious: Mt Baker in the distance, Burnaby, mountains, Harbour Centre. This month, my org was restocked and I moved to another building. My view is the back of the Vancouver Civic Center. So much for inspired daydreaming at work.
For my off work hours, I would have said scrolling through social media. I don’t recall when the ads started creeping in, but nowadays, every third post is an ad. I don’t have patience to spend much time on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.
We watch quite a lot of YouTube and pay for premium to avoid ads. I miss the scrappy days of YouTube, when everyone had a channel for their funky hobbies, untrained presenters and no budget. Old Times YouTube was like fringe theatre, with folks going for it on a low budget.
I enjoy several hobbies and noticed an increase in haul videos. These were fun, at first. Then all the channels I followed had hauls and everyone was buying the same things. A few months later, these folks posted videos about “being behind “ and going on about all the supplies they have. A few months that, they’d post about holding a Destash Sale to get all this stuff out of their house. And the cycle repeats. For the most part, these creators stopped posting progress or tutorial videos.
The last straw for me was a diamond painting haul video where the person stacked their haul on the dining room table. Diamond Art Club kits average $150 USD. This YouTuber must have purchased at least 30 kits. I literally felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t finish the video.
My current YouTube viewing is purposeful: coloring tutorials, completed project videos, hiking videos, photography tutorials. Ballet Reign is a lot of fun.
I wouldn’t call this wasted time. More like inspiration time that finds its way into my personal projects.
We can’t be on all the time. Our bodies and minds need breaks and time to recharge. Stare out the window. It’s good for you.
Hello there! This is a follow-up to my Social Media Deep Clean, after spending time on LinkedIn recently to read some articles in my feed. I ran across about personal branding for EAs by making the most of your LinkedIn profile. I don’t recall the poster because frankly, this topic comes up every few months. In this post, I contribute to this topic and provide my top 5 ideas for managing your LinkedIn profile.
Back in the early days, LinkedIn was the upscale alternative to other resume and job posting sites. It was professional, allowed people to build their network, and provided an outlet to show one’s area of expertise.
Nowadays, it’s just like the other social media sites with sponsored content, messages from marketing/sales people trying to sell you fill-in-the-blank, and another algorithm to game, if you’re into that.
The term personal branding puts me off. It feels like a professional human is reduced to a marketing campaign for a fancy cheese. To make it more palatable to me, I prefer to reframe LinkedIn as a professional tool.
My advice is:
Look at your LinkedIn profile as if it’s someone else
Update your profile each time you change jobs
Update your profile headline and keep is short
Keep the descriptions of each role short
Pick 1 or 2 articles and post a thoughtful comment
What makes a “good” LinkedIn profile changes every few years. If nothing else, the RIFs of the past couple of years demonstrates that anyone can be looking for a new job at any time. Best to be prepared.
Finally, I recommend setting a time limit on how much social media you consume. My personal limit is 3 ads, then I walk away to do something productive or creative.
Hello admin pros. I hope you’re doing well. In today’s post, I’m going to give an update on my first 8 months in canada as an EA at Amazon.
Work
You may recall I transferred to a new team last February then moved to British columbia, canada in late march. By Mid-october, one of my Directors left Amazon. His team was pushed to another leader temporarily until they decide to backfill his role or shift the team under another leader.
My manager’s team was re-orged and his team nearly tripled, with 2 Directors reporting to him. This makes me a Lead EA and there is one other EA in the org.
We’re in a bit of a holding pattern at work. Everyone is Getting to know each other and focus on 2024 goals while we wait for the Q1 re-org.
The Home Front
the Mister and I are settled into our apartment. We’re getting around New West and finding our favorite shops. We spend a lot more time at Canadian Tire than either of us expected. It has everything and is in the same mall as our favorite grocery store.
Malls. Have I mentioned that Canadians love their malls? Seattle malls are a ghost town, at least they were when we left. There are a lot of malls in British Columbia, from small strip malls to huge, sprawling malls in downtown Vancouver. The Metropolis Mall in Metrotown is a vast network of stores.
The Bulk Barn is amazing. Mostly candy because it appears that Canadians love bulk candy. they also have kitchen stapes: flour, beans, rice, spices, tea.
In place of Starbucks on every corner, we have Tim Horton’s. The baked goods are lovely and the carrot cake muffin is divine. Their coffee is really good – the double double has just the right amount of sugar and half and half. I’m officially addicted to London Fog – That’s an Earl Grey Latte. Delish!
I’ve found a great hair stylist near my home – Kaleigh is not only a Hair whisperer, but she’s also a big Doctor Who fan!
I’ve finally got a primary care physician and am catching up on the various tests and screenings that were on hold until I could get orders and referrals. Still need to find a dentist.
I’ve mastered the art of cramming into the Sky Train with a couple hundred of my new besties for 40 minutes twice a day, three days a week until the new year.
After 6 months, I think i can spell New Westminster rather than New Westiminister. It’s much easier to follow the locals lead and call it New West.
In December, my sister is coming for a visit and we’re going to explore the winter-themed offerings around the region.
downsides
Just two right now. our apartment is next to the building generator. Every couple of months, it goes into what I like to call Bone Shaker mode that can last anywhere from 1 to 24 hours. my noise cancelling headphones blot out the sound but our apartment vibrates, rattling pictures against the walls, monitors and chairs shake.
Canada Post went on strike. Luckily, there are plenty of fedEx and DHL shops around for our shipping needs.
Thanks for spending some time with me today.
Drop a comment and let me know your favorite coffee or tea beverage, your plans for next year, or topics you’d like me to cover.
Hello EA pros! I hope you’re doing well. Today I have a quick post with a couple of updates.
Theme change
I had to change themes. The previous theme’s mandatory all caps theme bothered me. While I liked it at first, I felt like I was shouting and found I missed the minimalist black and white theme.
This is what happens when I come back to my site after a break: I find I’m bored with the theme and make a change. Yes, it’s busy work. I should actually be writing content, not fiddling around with the theme.
Plans
With 8 months in Canada under my belt and thinking about what I want this site to be, I’m going to stick with what I do best: share practical information, tips and tricks for EAs, including written journaling. I truly feel keeping a journal is one of the best things an EA can do for themselves
That’s not to say that other admin professionals can’t benefit from any materials on this site, but the focus is returning to the EA role.
What brought this on was a LinkedIn article I read about building your brand. I cringe whenever I read these “branding yourself” makes me feel like a fancy cheese or part of a skeevy marketing campaign. Semantic yes, but words matter. You won’t hear me talk about “building your brand.” You’re not a fancy cheese. You’re an EA and a dang good one. You want to present yourself as such. This probably makes me old fashioned. So be it.
Anywho, when I updated my LinkedIn profile recently, I thought: some of the now removed content on creative journals is not how I want to present myself. Hence the site updates. The great thing is that we can re-invent ourselves at any time. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
What’s not changing: most site content will be restricted to subscribers. There are no fees or charges. Subscribing is the mechanism I use in place of newsletters. I like data, which is anonymous, unless, of course you leave a comment. I have to admit that not having the pressure of running a business has been a relief.
I’d like EA Mentor to be a safe place for EAs to visit, learn and be with like-minded peers.
Thanks for spending time with me today.
Are there topics you’d like me to cover? What are your plans for the next 4 months? Drop a comment and let’s discuss!
Hello friends. In today’s post, I share simple tips and prompts to get you on your journaling journey. On paper. Quaint, yeah?
Why I recommend a handwritten journaling
It’s a fact (check out this Scientific American article) that people learn and retain information better by taking a pen to paper.
I’ve tried digital journaling but it’s not the same as taking a pen to paper. After working on a computer all day, I need a break from screens. When I need to journal due to insomnia, digital journaling is the last thing i need.
How to Journal
You don’t need fancy paper or pens to get started. Any type of paper and pen will do: composition, spiral, Moleskine, or that random blank book you bought but had no plan for.
Journaling is quiet time set aside for you to gather and express your thoughts in a safe place. Your journal is always there for you. It won’t judge you. No one has to read it. Future posts on will cover a few techniques for hiding your journal entries.
What the methods below all have in common: no editing, don’t worry about spelling or grammar. date each session or not. it doesn’t have to be legible. you may or may not refer back to it.
It’s your journal.
Here are 3 methods to get you started:
the brain dump
Julia Cameron’s morning pages
catalog of the day’s events
Let’s unpack those.
The Brain Dump
You put pen to paper and write it all out. Don’t stop until you have nothing left to say. I find the brain dump works best on nights when I can’t sleep, usually because I’m replaying the day, some random slight, mistake I made, or the conversation where I thought up my witty response 2 hours later.
Follow your stream of consciousness and write. It may take a practice and that’s ok. You may find yourself editing in your head before writing. Let it go. Just write. If it’s in your head, get it on paper.
Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages
This method is from her book, The Artist’s Way, which sounds hifalutin’ but is actually a workshop in a book to help release creative blocks. Morning pages are part of her unblocking process.
Morning Pages are a Brain Dump with a 3 page limit, written first thing in the morning. If this sounds appealing, check out Julia’s website for more info but it’s truly no more complicated that that.
Catalog of the Day’s Events
This is a good prompt when you have something on your mind but don’t know where to start. In this method, you start by writing a detailed narrative of your day, from the moment you woke up. There may be science behind this, but all I know is that it works to jump start your brain to letting go of what’s bugging it.
How Often to Journal
I find journaling is a lot like exercise: a little journaling everyday is better than one long journaling session. Regular journaling helps me recognize and correct behavior patterns I want to release more quickly.
Need Rules to Get Started?
If you need some kind of boundaries to get started, start with Morning Pages, or try these 4 steps to create a daily journal practice:
decide when you’re going to journal
set a timer for 10 minutes
write until the timer goes off
close your journal
If you find the blank page intimidating, scribble on the page to “test” your pen or start doodling. Write “I have nothing to say” over and over until you find your words. You can’t mess it up. I don’t rip out pages; instead, I glue pretty paper over it, or glue to pages together.
Journaling is not a test or homework. There are no grades or rules, except for the ones you set for yourself.
You can’t “get behind with your journaling.” If you miss a day because life happens, start over the next day. No big deal. This is time for YOR. Honor yourself as you would encourage your bestie.
Once you get into a daily habit, you’ll find your rhythm and create your own journaling ritual, clarity and perhaps some peace of mind.
The key takeaway is: journaling is cathartic; it gets stuff out of your head so you can move on.
There’s no right or wrong way to journal. There’s only your way.
Hello friends. In today’s post, I share the reasons i feel journaling is good self-care.
Disclaimer – As with all self-care advice: if you suffer severe trauma, PTSD or other mental health issues, please work with a professional. dealing with that is putting your mask on first.
It’s a fact that people learn and retain information better by taking a pen to paper. Want to learn more? check out this Scientific American article on the subject.
Why pen & paper
Digital journaling is not the same as taking a pen to paper and writing long hand for two reasons, IMHO. After working on a computer all day, I need a break from screens. When I’m journaling to counteract insomnia, a screen is the last thing I need.
My Top 3 reasons to Journal
Get what I call the time loop of crap out of your head.
Explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe place.
Calm your nerves.
Let’s unpack those.
The time loop of crap
Everyone has bad days now and then. When you find yourself brooding over that stupid thing that happened, it can be a signal from your brain that someone walked all over one of your boundaries. journaling can help you find that boundary and work out how to deal with it next time it happens.
Whatever you call that nagging voice in your head latches onto that stuff and feeds it back to you. Letting it roll around in your head can keep you from getting to sleep And it certainly makes you crabby.
Explore all the feels
Our brains are amazing. At night it gives us coded messages in the form of dreams. during the day, it bubbles up a memory via your emotions. Getting it out on paper can help you identify triggers from the past and help you manage emotional outbursts on some unsuspecting soul.
Journaling is for you. There’s no need to share it with anyone.
Calming
You’ll know that you’ve got everything out of you head because you’ll feel at ease. Calm. relaxed. until the next stupid thing. which is why journaling is a good habit.
How to start: Shop your House
Start with what you already have: look around your house right now and you’ve probably got a blank or partially blank notebook and a pen. USE THAT.
Hello EA pros. I’ve been in my new role for 6 months and lived in Canada for 4 months. Let me tell you, I’m exhausted. Most of my spare time is focused on self-care because that’s all I have energy for. In this post, I’ll share some personal history since moving to Canada as well as my decision to shift the focus of this site in a new direction.
My teams
Are comprised of software development engineers and technical program managers. The teams are spread across the globe, from Germany to India. As you might guess, scheduling takes up most of my time, juggling existing meetings to squeeze in global time-zone friendly meetings.
In addition to learning to work with new leaders and teams, we’ve moved to a new country where we don’t know anyone. The move happened so fast that we didn’t have time to donate disused household goods before we left Seattle. In our place at New West, we are sort of settled in, but still have a long way to go.
Mental bandwidth
All of which is to say my lack of posting is directly a result of my not wanting to come up with fresh new ideas on how to be a great EA – check out the Resources page. Every spare moment I have is spent on self-care: journaling, coloring, crafting, photography. Taking a quiet moment to have a nice cup of tea. Reading classical literature.
That’s when it dawned on me: my super power right now is self-care.
EAs NEED self-care
EAs hold knowledge known to few others in the company; we know secrets we can never tell.
We work with all levels of an organization, all types of people. More and more, we work with global teams, adding cultural and linguistic complexities. We work with a wide range of leaders, some great, some not so much.
Sometimes we’re treated badly, experiencing everything from disparaging comments, bullying, harassment. Those of us who excel in our role treat everyone politely and professionally (at least most of the time), whether we personally like someone or not.
It’s tiring and difficult to explain it to people who are not in this profession. That leaves us with finding like-minded peers to commiserate with, but griping about the day’s b.s. doesn’t solve the problem long-term.
That’s where self-care comes in. While I believe everyone benefits from self-care, I feel EAs need it most. We’re so busy helping others that we may not take as much time to care for ourselves.
We need to put our own oxygen mask on first in order to be effective at work.
Hello office pros. A lot has been going on in my work and life lately. It’s a long post, but this was my first chance to take a breath and provide an update on the latest news from British Columbia. To break the blathering up, I’ve included photos I took from walks near my temp housing.
To recap events: I joined a new team at the beginning of February, supporting two Directors who manage software development teams. One Director has 4 charters, so it’s really like learning 5 teams. In late March, my partner and I moved into temp housing in Vancouver, BC. In April, I spent 3 weeks at the Seattle office for 3 different work events.
May was spent in Vancouver, working and visiting rental properties. We moved into our permanent housing about 2 weeks ago in New Westminster, just off a Sky Train station. My job requires me to be in office 3 days a week. The commute takes about 45 minutes door-to-door.
Relocation services. Overall, the company-provided relocation services were ok. The legal support for getting work permits was very useful. I am on a closed work permit, as an Executive Assistant at Amazon in Vancouver. Every other form of income-generating activities is prohibited, which is why I shut down my coaching services for the time being.
The move itself was mixed: while it was nice to have help, the movers were rigid about packing and unpacking. It turned out to be not as helpful as it sounded. Three weeks into our permanent place, we are still unpacking.
We met with a tax advisor. It sounds like it will be helpful, given we’ll have US and Canadian tax returns to submit for the next 3 years, due to my US Amazon stocks. More to come on the tax front. Interestingly, taxes are submitted for individuals, not households or couples. Probably due to their tax structure, which is based on one’s annual salary.
Cost of living
Holy cats. The cost of living in Vancouver is very high. Housing, mobile service, internet, and food is more expensive than my Internet research led me to believe. Talking to one of my Vancouver peer EA’s recently, costs skyrocketed in the past 5 years. We’ll manage, but it was a shock.
Seattle property
We didn’t want to manage a rental property, so our Seattle townhouse is on the market. Our place is middle-of-the road property for the neighborhood: not fancy enough or have a stunning view to be considered luxury but not entry level either. And there’s the impending announcement from the Fed about interest rates that impacts our potential buyers..
Car import
We like our VW Jetta and are importing it to Canada. This is not covered by the relocation package. US Customs requires the vehicle to be in the US 72 hours before importing. The options for importing the car were: set up the paperwork before we landed in Canada, hire an import service that would transport the car, or do it ourselves. The job change and move happened very quickly and there wasn’t time to set up the import before we left.
My new team
I want to share a bit about the scale of my previous orgs, to help understand my new one. I started Amazon in 2020 supporting 2 leaders in an org spread across the US and Canada and about 8,000 associates. Eighteen months later, I followed one of my leaders to another RME org with about 3000 associates and supporting 3 leaders. The larger org reporting structured changed several times. In my first 4 years, I experienced everything from no Lead EA to very engaged Lead. My current leader’s orgs total about 200 associates and the larger orgs is around 600 associates, with 6 EAs, with 2 Lead EAs, who are both very engaged.
After 4.5 years as an EA, I find I prefer smaller organizations with an engaged Lead EA to provide structure and guidance. I may be an experienced administrative professional, but there is always something new to learn. Changing teams, at least at Amazon, involve learning different processes. Not radically different, mind you, just different enough that it adds to the emotional toll of relocating for the job.
How I stay organized
This job change involved a lot of firsts for me: a new team at Amazon, a new team of software developers (I’m still learning what it is they do), relocation for my job and moving to another country.
My partner and I have been using Google Keep for our shared shopping lists for quite a while. It made sense to create a new shared list to track move-related tasks.
The email exchanges with my Amazon relocation partners primarily used my work email, so I added a color category and inbox folder for Canada. My general rule of thumb is to over-communicate with contractors. I give people the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. One of my contractors vanished without warning shortly after we moved into temp housing. This delayed getting in touch with the local contact assigned to help us find permanent housing. Further, we had to spend an extra month in our temp place, on our dime.
Once we got in touch with our local contact, we discovered we should have been introduced before we landed in Canada. They had a plethora of moving resources that we didn’t get to take advantage of.
As for work, I’m focusing on the core skills as I learn my new leaders and teams. I stuck with my tried and true methods of organizing: color categories, Quick Parts, Quick Steps. I added task management with Asana to the mix and created a meeting request form for my leaders.
How Ya Gonna Pay for that?
While we had company resources and limited funds to help with our relocation, we still needed money to set up our temp and permanent place. When my partner and I reviewed the pros and cons before I accepted this role, we discussed the state of our finances. I had money in savings from my mom’s estate and used that as seed money for the move. While we could have done it without these funds, it would have left a large dent in our savings.
Life in Vancouver BC
We’ve been in beautiful British Columbia for 3 months. Vancouver is a gorgeous city. Everyone is friendly. People are happy, apart from the cost of living.
The sunlight (when the sun is shining) is amazing – my hubby says it looks like Golden Hour all the time. Downtown Vancouver is close to mountains, a couple of rivers, and I hear, the Pacific Ocean, but we haven’t ventured that far yet. On a clear day, I can see Mt. Baker from my desk at work. As I write this post, we’re in June-uary: it’s sunny and glorious for a couple days with temperatures in the upper 20s/lower 30s C. Then it’s cool and rainy for a couple days. And the rain. Like Seattle, there must be 30 different kinds of rain here.
Then there are the little things. The first time we asked where the restrooms were located, our waitress asked, “You’re Americans, aren’t you?” Parking lots are called parkades (thanks, Deborah for the head’s up on that). Garbage disposals are called garbertators.
I downloaded the Smart Tools to convert imperial to metric.
CBC1 radio plays entire an entire song every morning. One morning, it was a Klaus Nomi song!
Civil servants are both happy AND helpful.
ATM cards work almost everywhere. Restaurants are not allowed to take your card. Instead, they bring a card reader to your table.
We are living in a civilized country.
The traffic is crazy at rush hour. My 33 minute train ride home would take close to an hour in a car. There are Downtown Vancouver streets that are reserved for commercial vehicles. Public bus drivers honk at everything (guess who took a wrong turn down a commercial-only street?) At least 2 cars run every red light. Blinking green lights means pedestrians can push the cross walk button and stop traffic. Malls are everywhere, huge and crammed with people.
What’s next
Driver’s license. We have our temporary BC driver’s licenses, which involved the ICBC (Canadian version of the department of motor vehicles), taking away our state driver’s licenses. Yes, that was a terrifying moment. We got US Passport cards, which turned out to be good so we have a valid photo ID with us at all times until our BC licenses arrive…in 3 months. Our BC IDs allow us to get BC library cards, which will be great for saving money by borrowing audiobooks and ebooks.
Car import. The car will be imported at the end of June. It’s not required but is recommended when staying in Canada more than 6 months. Plus, it is the only way to get our car registered.
Settling in. We’re still unpacking and settling into our new home. We lived in our Seattle place for 22 years and completely remodeled it during our time there. We have all our belongings but they are scattered around, so it’s like our home and yet it’s not. We think everything made it here, but won’t know until we get through all the boxes and bins. Our offices are set up just enough to work remotely. New Westminster is a lovely city and we are within walking distance of restaurants, movie theater, coffee and tea shops, and, yes, a mall.
Finding health care providers. We have temporary health insurance through out employers but in BC, a health card and residence for 90 days is required to sign up for a primary care provider. So it’s walk-in clinics (that still require an appointment…?) and virtual medical care for another month. Once we get our health cards, we’ll get on a wait list for a general practitioner. Like the States, Canada has a severe shortage of primary care providers.
Making friends. We didn’t know anyone (apart from my manger) before moving here. The 6 Amazon EAs in Vancouver have a monthly coffee chat and I’m making time to join the group whenever possible.
IAAP has a Western Canada branch. There are no events on the calendar right now, but I’m keeping my eyes that. I just found the Canadian Association of Administrative Professionals; members based in Western Canada are considered members-at-large but they do have events and a conference.
For my hobbies, I joined the Vancouver ball-jointed doll group that has a lively Facebook chats I’ve participated in. I’ve considered joining a local photography club, but haven’t investigated options. Vancouver has a film festival that I’m sure we’ll get to at some point. We’re also planning to get out and hike this summer – this area is gorgeous and great for day hikes. All great options for making friends.
You know, as soon as we put ourselves out there. We’re still feeling a bit raw, homesick and a touch overwhelmed after 2 moves in as many months.
What’s the worst that can happen? We talked about living in Canada for so long and couldn’t pass up the chance to try. After a couple years, we could decide we don’t like it and move back to the States.
Although it has been difficult at times, I’m grateful for this opportunity. It will take effort to build a local network but will be worthwhile. The Mister and I took a big risk moving to a new country and starting over, but taking risks is where growth happens.
What risks are you taking in life and your career? Drop a comment and let me know. I want to know what you’re up to and cheer you on!
Hello Chaos Coordinators! As you may know, I recently changed departments and support 2 new leaders. Both teams create intranet apps that impact all Amazonians.
Being new, I expected a return to more tactical work while I learn to work with these l leaders and teams. As an experienced EA and career admin, I’m impatient to dive into strategic work.
I remind myself to be patient and focus on the basics of scheduling, ordering catering, etc. Demonstrating the basics earns trust with my new coworkers. Taking on more strategic work will come in time.
It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. Each time you change jobs, you have to prove yourself to a whole new group of people.
I was at a turning point: after 4 years, I could stay comfortable with my leaders and coast for a while (as much as one can coast at Amazon). Or, I could take a chance on unknown leaders, learn something new and keep my skills sharp. With an opportunity to live and work in a new country?
Hello admin pros! I’ve started and revised this post several times over the past couple of weeks. I’ve been with my new team, at the Seattle office, for 5 weeks. This post chronicles my job transfer within the US and preparation for relocation to Canada.
On Feb 6, my work assignment changed to my new teams. These teams don’t overlap, so I have to learn two business units. They are similar in that they internal network resources for Amazonians, but that’s where the similarly ends. I’m enjoying getting to know my new leaders, teams and EA peers.
Both teams are pushing hard on goals due in Q3, so the pace is already fast. Contrasted to my previous team, Q1 and Q2 were generally slower following the fevered pace of peak holiday shopping.
In terms of moving to Canada, I was offered two relocation options:
a cash payout where the employee is responsible for everything: applying for and obtaining the work permit, finding housing, managing tax returns, and arranging for the household move.
Relocation support, where a team is assigned to manage the move: secure a move company, arrange for temp and permanent housing; tax return support; and legal support to manage the work permit applications.
After talking it over with my husband, I chose the second option; it was going to be hard enough adapting to new leaders. We didn’t need to spend every non-work, waking moment on organizing all aspects of moving to another country.
First lesson: know your limits and ask for help.
On top of moving, we had the Noir City Film Festival, Emerald City Comic Con and scheduling time with family and friends to talk about the move. All the running around resulted in a lot of stress and restaurant eating.
I gave myself grace for a couple of weeks then dusted off my scale for weekly weigh-ins, adjusting my food intake and adding in some low-key movement. Extra stretching, stopping to close my eyes and take deep breaths and eat more mindfully. Purposefully slowing down was a way to take control where possible in a whirlwind of a lot of Things That Are Out Of My Hands.
Second lesson: manage the stress eating.
The movers show up on the day this post publishes; we drive to Canada on Friday. Our home of 22 years goes on sale the following Wednesday. I’ve had to give away houseplants I’ve had for decades because I don’t know their countries of origin.
It’s a lot of a lot and all doable. Everyone has been wonderful and supportive. The Mister and I have treated this like a project, making shared task lists, setting timelines and helping each other through this upheaval.
At the end of the day, we’re moving 3.5 hours north of Seattle. I’ll be back in town regularly to support team events and visit Seattle friends.
