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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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…
