(A short story by Irene B.) Eva stepped onto the train, already scanning for her seat and ready to claim her territory. She spotted her four-seater in business class, blissfully unoccupied; an internal “Yes!” erupted. Eva dropped her laptop bag on the table, her stuffed tote bag across one seat, and, keeping her crossbody closest, plopped down in the window spot with a relieved sigh. She’d move things if someone legit showed up. Otherwise, this quadrant sanctuary was all hers. Across from her, in another four-seater, sat a man already there when she boarded. Smartly dressed in a business suit jacket that looked on-trend and expensive, but in that easy-going…
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How To Finish A Solid Draft Faster
And getting right in to it, it was all about rethinking perspective. Whatever your ‘thing’ is, battling with the usual doubts of not always having the drive to stick to it, believing you’re lacking the talent to do it, or the time to complete it, will probably plague you throughout it all. And sometimes, that could be months, if not years. Recognize it. You’re not alone. You’ve still got time to pivot and get that win. For me, I love to write, and want to write, but that wasn’t nearly enough to significantly cut down the time it took for me to get to a solid first draft of my book.…
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How Removing Digital Clutter Made My Content Workflow Better
I love a good app or 50. My phone, iPad, MacBook Air, second laptop, and my array of hard drives will groan but attest to that. So yeah, I love a good app, especially when they earn their spot in my productivity stack. But I want… no, need them to win. My iPhone Notes is currently drowning in the clutter of over 4,000 notes and well over 60 folders. I back it up religiously and care for it like it’s my third child. The obedient one. Lately though, I’ve seen how removing clutter made my workflow better, and how trimming down even my favorite productivity stack apps made space to…
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How To Say “Oh, No, but Thanks”, When You Don’t Want To Do Something
I Don’t have to. Don’t desire to. Don’t need to. And said just like that. I can hear myself say it. Clear, crisp, firm. My kindest boundary. Being a Londoner, though I’ve lived in the USA for two decades now, occasionally I’ve had to explain to folks that my use of “sorry”, before I speak, isn’t what they think though it’s an easy mistake to make. I’m not walking around burdened by guilt and shame for every tiny misstep I make. And I don’t mean to speak for every Londoner, but it’s cultural and a term for an “Oops”. A version of “excuse me”. A filler word we throw in to keep things…
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Last Bell, Big Feels: And High School’s Done-Done
Catching-self moment, part deux. This time, it was my baby cakes graduating from high school, and let me tell you… the pride? It hit different. More pride, more happiness, but also a deeper sting with the true end of an era: no more kiddos in school. University feels different. Yes, I am (and was) ready to be done, but in that second as she crossed the stage, with me screaming her name, it was more than a whoosh of feelings. It was a whole shift. The weather showed its entire arse, and not in a cute way, but by raining sideways, even hitting us under the covered outdoor stage. Then…
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Blink and, Poof, They’re Grown: Milestones and Mumma Pride
I had to catch myself again. Mid-moment, thought, and proud mumma tears. My oldest just graduated from university, and whew… that feeling? It’s bigger than words. The kind that makes you stop and say, “Wait, how in the heck did we get here already? Who approved this! I want names!” Even the rain held off long enough to let us soak in the sun and snap a few outdoor photos, proof that the universe knew this was a moment worth capturing. And yes, I wore those toe-pinching, open-toe joints in the drizzle because even this mum showed up to celebrate her baby. Rain or not, we were going to shine.…
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When the Problem Isn’t Money or Time, What’s Left?
I had two separate conversations recently with a couple of really good friends. Different days, different women, different dreams. But both hitting the same wall.Each of them had a clear, compelling vision for a business they wanted to start. Not a product you could touch or ship, but service-based ventures they were deeply passionate about. And here’s what struck me hard: the amount of thought they’d already put in. The clarity. The specificity of events and timelines they’d laid out to the end vision was so well-formed that I cut into their dialogue at one point and flat-out asked: “Umm… this is so well thought out, why are you not…
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I’ll Be the ‘Keep-the-Peace’ Person in My Next, Next Life
My friends, family, and the real-deal peeps in and around my life know who I am and that they can count on me. How?To show up.To work smarter and harder when needed.To be loving, trusting, helpful, considerate, etc., all with a hefty pour of humour that often goes too far. I love to laugh, especially at myself. Can’t stop. Won’t stop. I don’t need to convince anyone that I am a solid human being, complete with a multi-tab brain and a soft center. But let’s be real: invisible laser-cut daggers protect that soft center that, when tested, appears like a nightmare in your deepest slumber. I’ve long since purchased a…
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Starting Sideways—Unblocking My Creativity in Many Pathways
Hi there! It’s my first SincerelyIreneB post, a few days after a lovely Mother’s Day, and here’s the thing: I’m committing, and doubling down on me. I won’t pretend I’ve been some selfless person giving only to others in spite of myself. Nope. But putting loved ones, work, and commitments ahead of the things I want to do? That’s gone on for far too long. I’ve been a sneaky creative my whole life. One without a niche, a neat box, or a specialty label, and I thought that was my problem. I love to write, and while I adore off-the-wall humor, I also have a serious side that wants to…
