For the Love of Lists

Engineering life one step at a time

Archives for June 2015

10 Items for Your 2pm Work Kit

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Work Kit

No matter how motivated my morning is, by 2pm I’m ready to fall asleep at my desk.  If you’re in the same boat, try making your own pick-me-up work kit to kick your productivity back into gear.  Here are 10 items to include:

  1. Healthy snack – try a small 100 calorie protein + fiber snack (like an apple with peanut butter)
  2. Coffee/tea – savor a last cup of the day (caffeine takes several hours to wear off and can interrupt sleep)
  3. Dark chocolate square – because it’s a super food and we all know chocolate is good for the soul
  4. Scented lotion/essential oils – try a fun or refreshing scent, like lemon or peppermint, for a quick recharge
  5. Oil-absorbing wipes – give your skin an easy refresh with a cleansing pat down
  6. Comb/brush – getting your hair back in order can boost your mood a bit
  7. Gel eye cream – cool gels can help you wake up when drowsiness sets in
  8. Quote book – browse through your favorite inspiring quotes to focus your goals
  9. Stretching routine – take a moment to break away from your desk, take a walk, and stretch out your legs
  10. Upbeat playlist – choose your favorite songs and switch up your playlist to something positive for the rest of the afternoon

I hope this can help you power through the last few hours of your workday.  If you have any other items or habits to suggest, leave them in the comments below!

How to Set Up Your Summer Bucket List

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Summer Bucket List

If New Year’s is for resolutions, then summer is for fun.  Make the most of your summer by listing out your goals in the following lists:

  • Activities to try (surfing, painting, dancing)
  • Projects to work on (organize garage, catalog books, write a book)
  • Places to go (museum, Grand Canyon, planetarium)
  • Things to see/photograph (sunset on the beach, family portrait, fireworks)
  • Foods to make/eat (ice cream cake, BBQ chicken, s’mores)
  • Things to create (homemade scrub, scrapbook, DIY throw pillows)
  • Places to help out (Habitat for Humanity, letters to soldiers, toy donation)
  • Things to do (marathon a TV show, go for a hike, host a reunion)

One of my big goals for this summer is to make a homemade ice cream cake (I’ve already completed my goal of finishing all 10 seasons of Friends).  What are your fun plans for this summer?

10 Weekend Activities to Get You Moving

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Active Weekend Activities

For those of us trying to use this summer for both fun and healthy changes, here are some ideas for weekend activities to get you moving:

  1. Go for a hike
  2. Spend the day swimming at the beach
  3. Take a group fitness class
  4. Get involved in recreational sports (ex. tennis, softball)
  5. Take on household chores (they burn more calories than you think)
  6. Take your family to the park and enjoy the playground with them
  7. Walk around a museum
  8. Build a family obstacle course
  9. Go bowling with friends
  10. Go out dancing for the night

Let me know what other ideas you have for fun, healthy activities!

The Secret to Simpler Gift Giving

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Gift Giving

Every year holidays and birthdays creep up on us.  No matter how we mark our calendars or set reminders, it seems like the week or two before we’re in a scramble for gift ideas.  These are supposed to be happy occasions and somehow they just end up stressful (Christmas ironically being the worst culprit as we have several people to shop for).  So last year I tested out a new gift plan that has helped me immensely.  Here is my secret to simpler, less stressful, gift giving.

Instead of waiting around until December to plan your gifts (or until the next holiday rears its head), create a notebook specifically for gifts and donations that you can update all year round.  I’m a fan of Evernote and this is a great use for it.  Here are the pages I suggest you include:

  • List of holidays and annual events
  • Recipients pages (one page for each person you typically give gifts to)
  • Generic gift ideas (ex. housewarming, baby showers, thank you gifts)
  • Donation log for charitable gifts
  • Log of past gifts received
  • Personal gift wish list
  • Holiday budget sheet
  • Holiday gift shopping list

Keeping a page for each person you give gifts to is the key here.  Write down items they mention, their interests, favorites, hobbies, or places they say they’d like to go.  Throughout the year if you see an item they’d love or think of a good idea, write it down and save it for the next holiday.  Also make sure to make notes of gifts you know they won’t like (ex. if your cousin returned that sweater you gave them).  When the time comes you’ll have a great starting pool of ideas to choose from.

Here’s a few more tips:

  • Set reminders for two weeks before holidays so you don’t forget to shop
  • Refer to your personal wish list if anyone needs hints for gifts you’d appreciate
  • Save photos of receipts for return information
  • Save photos of receipts for donations for tax purposes
  • Make notes of past gifts given so you don’t use the same idea twice (I’ve been guilt of this one)

The best part about this system is that you can better take advantage of sales throughout the year since you’ll be ahead of the holiday game.  I hope this helps make gift giving a little easier!

 

 

10 Healthier Alternatives to Ice Cream

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Healthier Ice Cream

I am always in the mood for ice cream.  Unfortunately, as much as we all wish, it’s not best of food options.  So to kick off summer, here’s a list of my favorite healthier alternatives to ice cream:

  1. Frozen Hot Chocolate – mix diet/no sugar added/fat free hot cocoa mix, skim milk, and ice in a blender until smooth
  2. No Sugar Added Fudge Pops – these are only 40 calories/popsicle and give you your chocolate fix
  3. Homemade Juice Popsicles – fill popsicle molds with orange, grape, or apple juice (or create your own cocktail)
  4. Light Yogurt – mix light vanilla yogurt with granola or a tsp of mini m&ms to simulate a McFlurry
  5. Arctic Zero – this brand provides several flavors of protein-heavy ice cream at only 35-75 calories/serving
  6. Fruit Sorbet – try these recipes for easy peach and watermelon sorbets you can make in a blender
  7. Frozen Banana – sometimes all it takes is a cold banana to beat an ice cream craving (chocolate syrup doesn’t hurt)
  8. Fruit Smoothie – check out Pinterest for thousands of recipes for healthy fruit smoothies (like this banana one)
  9. Sugar-Free Pudding – look in your grocery aisle for tons of options for sugar-free jello pudding
  10. Ice Cream Cups – if nothing else will do, try a mini ice cream cup from the freezer aisle (just stick to one)

I hope this can help your summer cravings!