Marty Nemko's Blog, page 199

14 Valentine’s Day Actions That Beat Roses and Chocolate

In the beginning of a relationship, flowers and candy may be appreciated despite being so standard. But later, for your gift to feel less obligatory and more important, something less cliched is required. My Psychology Today article today offers 10 acts of kindness and four non-cliched gifts that may be particularly welcome.

Misunderstood?

Recently, I posted 35 Questions to Help You Know Yourself or Others Better.  One of its questions was, “What do people misunderstand about you?” My Psychology Today article today offers two composite letters from people who feel misunderstood.

A Meditation on Birth

While I was pruning a shrub, I noticed some pillow filling on the ground beneath. I pulled it away and saw pieces of cloth and more pillow filling. At the bottom, there were six pink squirrel or rat newborns. I replaced the nesting but feared that the mother, smelling my hand, might abandon the nest. Fortunately, the next day, I saw the mother squirrel burrowing under the nesting.

That reminded me of the miracle of birth and the life lessons that inhere. I share them as my Psychology Today article today.

35 Questions to help you better know yourself or someone else.

My Psychology Today article today offers 35 questions to help you to better know yourself or someone you'd like to know better.

Getting More Done: Ideas for efficiency and avoiding procrastination

Getting things done feels good. That's not just because you’re more effectively negotiating life and doing your share — It feels good to cross something off your to-do list, far better than feeling guilty about all that you should have done. Yet another plus: Staying busy distracts you from malaise that you can’t fix, at least for now.

If you’d like to get more done, perhaps one or more of the ideas in my Psychology Today article today will help.

How I Motivate Myself to Write So Much

The question I’m most often asked is not about career or relationships or parenting, it’s “How do you motivate yourself to write so often?” Indeed, a major writer’s organization has just invited me to give a talk on that topic. My Psychology Today article today summarizes what I’m planning to say.

Becoming Happier

For most people, happiness is the holy grail, Of course, the question is how to get happier? The ideas in my Psychology Today article today may not sufficiently help clinical mental illness sufferers, but these suggestions should be of value to people with garden-variety malaise.

Should You Move to a New Locale?

One of life’s major decisions is whether to move to a new locale. My Psychology Today article today asks 12 questions to help you make the decision more wisely.

Dog Do? Should you get a dog?

My Psychology Today article today helps you decide whether you should get a dog. 

Interrupting is More Harmful Than You Think

We all interrupt and know it’s not beneficial to you or to your conversation partner. But we may not realize how detrimental. My Psychology Today article today, lays out the bad news and then a quite doable approach to reducing how much you interrupt.