Keith McArthur's Blog, page 16
August 15, 2017
Has your job changed who you are?
Hey friends!
Today I’m reblogging one of my first posts, which most of you probably haven’t seen yet.
Remember to click through to the original post and let me know how your own career path has impacted your happiness!
Keith
It was 10 years ago this month that I left my steady job at The Globe and Mail to try something new. As the newspaper’s marketing reporter, I had been writing a lot about the infancy of social media and how brands were using tools like YouTube, blogs and MySpace.
I had the chance to join a mid-sized public relations company to launch a social media practice and I jumped on it.
My exit couldn’t have been better timed. In 2007, nobody could have predicted the implosion that was about to rock the worldwide newspaper industry.
But I was also happy to be leaving a career that had changed me more I anticipated when I’d started reporting a decade earlier.
My personality had always been rational, and I never accepted anything without proof. But I had allowed journalism to harden me. It had become more difficult for me to see…
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August 14, 2017
The Pomodoro Technique, Or How Tomatoes Can Boost Your Productivity
I knew today was going to be a busy day for me. I’ve got a couple big deadlines this week and my mom is having knee replacement surgery on Wednesday so I’m trying to get as much as I can done by tomorrow.
To help myself stay on track, I’m doing two things.
1. First things first
I knew I needed to get a big chunk of my most important project done first. Doing the most important thing first is one of the most critical (and obvious!) time management techniques.
But it’s something I’m not very good at.
What I really wanted to do when I got up this morning was to start writing this blog post. But as a morning person, I’m most focused first thing in the morning, meaning I would be best able to focus on that project. And I knew it would relieve some stress if I got a jump on the important thing first.
2. The Pomodoro Technique
The second thing I’m doing is using the Pomodoro Technique to boost my productivity. Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato. The technique’s inventor, Francesco Cirillo, used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer when he came up with the technique about thirty years ago.
The Pomodoro Technique is pretty simple:
Set a timer for 25 minutes. (I use my phone: Siri, wake me in 25 minutes.)
During this 25 minutes, focus on one task as intensely as you can. Don’t let yourself be distracted by anything else. Turn off your alerts; don’t check your email; don’t answer the phone.
When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. Resist the temptation to keep working or do work-related tasks like checking email during the break. I like to get up, walk around, maybe do some exercises or have a quick solo dance party in my office. Sometimes I check the news, Facebook or Twitter.
When your five minute break is up, start another block of time. You could keep working on the same project or shift to something different. These blocks of time are known as Pomodoros.
After four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
It’s now almost 10:30 and I’ve spent four Pomodoros (about two hours) on my most pressing project and two Pomodoros (about one hour) writing this blog post. I feel good about where I’m at and I’ve even carved out 90 minutes later in the day to go to the gym.
What about you? Have you tried the Pomodoro technique? What time management strategies work for you?
August 13, 2017
The 10 Best Television Dramas
Last night marked the series finale of Orphan Black, one of my favorite television dramas of all time.
Today, I reblog an earlier #SundayFunday post where I rank my picks for the Top 10 TV dramas.
Orphan Black made it.
I’d love your thoughts on my list. What did I get wrong? What are your favorite shows?
Once a week I deviate from my usual focus on becoming happier, healthier and more productive to write about something different. Today I rank my picks for the top television dramas.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
My Top 10
1. Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is the greatest television series ever made. Period. No show is perfect, but the second half of the final season is as close to flawless as television gets.
2. Game of Thrones
I fell in love with the TV series first, which drew me to the books. Now I love the books even more and I’m in the unfortunate position of comparing the two. This inevitably highlights the flaws in the show. Some seasons are better than others, but the first 15 minutes of 2016’s season finale just might be the best television you will ever watch.
3. The Wire
When…
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August 12, 2017
Building a Community of 500+ followers!
Today I woke up to see that My Instruction Manual now has over 500 followers on WordPress, plus many more on Facebook and Twitter.
I wanted to thank YOU for being part of the My Instruction Manual community. I’m so grateful for this mighty band of positive people who are focused on being happy, healthy, organized, connected and inspired.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!
To mark this milestone, I want to share a few updates about the blog.
1. Beyond the Blog
My plans for My Instruction Manual go beyond the blog itself. I’m not ready to announce anything official yet, but stay tuned for news about books and a podcast I’m planning to launch in the fall.
In the meantime, there are other ways you can be part of the community. I recently launched a Facebook page and would love it if you liked the page here to access extra content. If you want to follow me on Twitter, you can find my profile here. I’ve also recently claimed my blog on Bloglovin and you can follow it by clicking here. Instagram and Pinterest are coming soon!
2. Awards
I’ve been nominated for a few different blog awards. The Star Blogger award is decided by reader votes, so I would appreciate it if you head on over to the How To Addict blog and cast a vote for My Instruction Manual. You can vote here.
The other award nominations involve me passing on the love to other blogs. Some bloggers don’t like to participate in these awards but if you do and want me to consider your blog, leave a comment below with a link to one of your best posts. Alternatively, you can contact me through email here. These awards I’m looking to pay forward are the Blogger Recognition Award, the Mystery Blogger Award and the Real Neat Blog Award.
3. Self Improvement Blogger Alliance
If you’re a blogger who writes about personal development / self-improvement, there’s another way we can connect. I’m bringing together a group of positive bloggers who write about these topics. I’m calling the group the Self Improvement Blogger Alliance, or SIBA. The idea is that we will support and learn from each other, collaborate on projects and promote each other when it makes sense. If you’d like more information, please send me a note by contacting me through email here.
August 11, 2017
Thanks For Saving My Life
Imagine what it would be like to have someone in your life who would make an enormous personal sacrifice to help you.
I don’t have to imagine. It happened to me.
Four months ago today, my little sister Stephanie allowed herself to be cut open and gave up one of her kidneys so I could have a second chance at life. The picture that accompanies this post was taken a couple days after the surgery which was the first time I saw her after the procedure.
On each monthly anniversary of my kidney transplant I make time to be grateful for this gift and all the amazing people and things in my life.
Today I focus my gratitude on my sisters.
I have two siblings who were both ready and willing to be my donor. Fiona got tested first but wasn’t an ideal match. Stephanie got tested next and was the best possible match.
Stephanie is the youngest, the baby of the family. And I’m the oldest. So it feels like I’m supposed to take care of her. But that wasn’t meant to be, not in 2017 anyway.
Being a living organ donor isn’t easy. Stephanie went through extensive testing, underwent a major operation, was in pain for weeks, and had to give up more than a month of work. Going through this process is a big deal.
None of this should dissuade you from being a donor. Telling your loved ones that you want to donate your organs when you die is the easiest thing in the world. And even living kidney donors are usually back to normal a couple months after surgery.
Still, the sacrifice Stephanie made for me was enormous. Before the transplant I felt sick and tired and angry. I was literally dying. Without a transplant or dialysis I would likely have died in a month or two.Today, just four months later, I feel healthy and energized and happy.
I will never be able to thank my little sister enough. Same with Fiona, who was ready and willing to do the same thing.
So today I’m grateful for the best sisters anyone could have.
August 10, 2017
When Your Heart Walks Away
Back when my wife Laura was pregnant with our first child, a friend with kids told her what to expect in becoming a parent: “It’s like your heart leaves your body and learns to walk away from you.”
These words resonate with me today. Our first child, now 13, left this morning for overnight camp for the first time.
And though he’s a teenager — which by definition means he’s constitutionally required to make his parents crazy several times a day — I already miss Connor terribly.
Like his younger brother Bryson, Connor is unique and delightful. His personality is as big as his curls; he’s funny and creative and generous.
Before Connor was born, I couldn’t imagine loving anyone as much as Laura. But it turns out there are different kinds of love. And the love a parent has for a child burns at least as intensely as the love for a romantic partner.
And it hurts just as much when they leave.
August 9, 2017
Three Things Happy People Do
There’s no such thing as a cheerful disposition.
Happiness takes work. It’s not something we aspire to be. It’s something we do.
Happiness is an action.
Happy people understand this. They know that when they take the right steps to be happy, they feel happier.
Here are three steps happy people use to boost their happiness.
1. Be Grateful
Happy people know that one of the best way to fend off sadness, jealousy, anger and resentment is to be grateful. Studies show that thinking about or expressing gratitude has numerous benefits including improving physical and mental health, improving self-esteem and improving sleep.
2. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation sounds complicated. It isn’t. All that’s needed is a few minutes a day and a quiet space. Mindfulness meditation is about training your mind to ignore the noises in your head that make it so difficult to live in the present moment.
3. Stop Complaining
Complaining rarely makes things better and usually makes things worse. Complaining builds up bad things in our minds and re-wires our brains to seek out more things to be unhappy about. Instead, we need to change our situation by advocating. And when we can’t our situation, we need to change our attitude instead.
What about you? What actions do you take to boost your own happiness?
August 5, 2017
Spoiler Alert: You’re Going to Die
It is humanity’s best kept secret. We all know we’re going to die. But few of us really believe it. Even fewer live our lives as if we understand it.
Ask yourself: If you knew you were going to die one year from now, would you live your life differently?
I know I would.
I would savor every moment, cherish every breath of air, notice every blade of grass. I would live like the people I most love are the people I love most. I would stop complaining and criticizing and feeling sorry for myself. I would live to make their lives better, and wouldn’t wait to hug them and hold them and tell them how much they mean to me. I would stop worrying about what strangers think. I would re-read the books that made me happiest and listen to music that makes me want to dance. I would live as if I knew I were going to die.
Sometimes we do know when our days are numbered; but by then it’s often too late. By the time we get the “months to live” prognosis, we’re often feeling too sick and tired to live like we were dying.
Here’s the thing. Most of us aren’t going to die a year from now. But we’re all going to die, maybe in five years or maybe in 50.
So take a moment every day to be grateful for this day, and live as if you knew your days were numbered.
Because they are.
August 2, 2017
July Highlights and Lowlights
The other day, Connor told me he was proud of me for how well My Instruction Manual is doing. Hearing that from my teenage son was the best feeling in the world.
I’m proud too! It’s been two months since I launched this blog, and today I take a look at some of the highlights and lowlights from month two.
July highlights
I launched a Facebook page for My Instruction Manual. If you haven’t already liked it, please click here to join the community!
Our community grew! Almost every post is generating great conversation in the comments. And we gained 108 new followers on WordPress! The total is now 472 but that includes 311 that WordPress transferred over from my previous blog.
Based on your feedback, I refocused the topics I write about in My Instruction Manual. You can read more about that here.
Most read posts
18 Life Lessons from 18 18-year-olds. The month’s most read-post was also my favorite to research because I got to enjoy so much wisdom from all these young adults.
Five Ways to Beat Procrastination Today. I wrote this post by request and I’m glad I did. The feedback has been great!
Don’t Wait for a Life-Changing Moment to Change Your Life. I waited until I got a second chance at life after my kidney transplant to decide I wanted to be happier and healthier. But you don’t need to wait for a life-changing moment.
Five Things Life is Like. We’re all drawn to posts with numbers; this month bears that out with three of the top 5 posts being lists.
Will Eating Oranges Make You Orange? We all know that eating oranges won’t make us orange. But so many of us still believe that eating fatty food makes us fat and that eating foods that are high in cholesterol raises our cholesterol.
Least Read Post
The lest-read post from July was my book review of 10% Happier, a great book about mindfulness meditation.
Most Liked & Discussed
The July post that received the most likes was Don’t Wait for a Life-Changing Moment to Change Your Life (29). Five Ways to Beat Procrastination Today had the most comments (30).
Readership by Country
The top five countries in July were Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Singapore. This month 43 per cent of readers came from my home country of Canada, down from 61 per cent last month.
What about you? How did you enjoy the second month of My Instruction Manual. What posts would you like to see in month three?
July 30, 2017
#SundayFunday: Sgt. Pepper at Fifty
When I was in grade five, my dad returned from a business trip to China with gifts: Two bootlegged cassette tapes of Beatles songs. The label was an ugly orange and there were spelling mistakes on the outside case. But I loved those tapes and couldn’t stop listening. More than a decade after they broke up, I had discovered the Beatles.
My life changed again when I bought Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heats Club Band on vinyl. The album turns 50 this week.
One track, A Day in the Life, was like nothing I had ever heard before. All at once, the song moved filled me with sadness, awe and wonder.
I love almost the whole album. Aside from Within Without You, the George Harrison Sitar track, Sgt. Pepper’s is nearly perfect. The amazing thing is that two of the best songs from the Sgt. Pepper’s sessions were released early as…
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