It is easy to succumb to Monday morning drudgery and fall into the trap of negative emotions. There are countless psychological and neurological studies supporting the assertion that your current emotional state has a huge effect on your performance. Monday’s return to work dread can make you less productive, less motivated, less creative, less engaged and leaves you depressed, tired and feeling hopeless.

If your job is meaningful, looking forward to Monday is easier. Finding a career you are passionate about, means each new week is an opportunity to do what you love. Even if you wouldn’t trade your business for anything else, you can still face difficulties that test your resolve. Clarify the items that are bothering you and take corrective actions helps you maintain control. It may be as simple as preparing for Monday before you leave on Friday, getting organized, or addressing your most stress-inducing task first. Of course, a cup of coffee couldn’t hurt.

How will you make your transition from weekend to work week easier?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

June proclaims a break in hard work. June demands we push the pause button and relax. School is out, signaling us trade backpacks for beach bags, and parkas for sunscreen. As we shake off the rigors of schedules, we look forward. The best way to unwind is with a good book. “Wait,” you say. “I just closed the books on required reading why would I pick up a novel?”

The reason is summer reading allows us the freedom to choose. Research shows pleasure reading creates positive emotional and social consequences. Self-directed reading increases empathy and reduces stress more than activities like taking a walk or listening to music. The key is to have fun. Whether you read alone or share with friends, family or your favorite book club, pick what interests you, or a genre outside your comfort zone.

What are you reading this summer?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is a wonderful picture painted in these words. I can conjure images of a cool misty morning sitting on a boat deck. The day’s possibilities point toward infinity while birds sing their early morning songs. Sitting at my side I have a good book, my morning cup of coffee and a fresh fruit plate. Water splashes against the boat’s hull and adds to the symphony accompanying the words I am reading.

Where do you like to read?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Change is difficult. We find the latest technology, the newest app to simplify our lives, or an improved device to increase our productivity. We run faster and faster trying to keep pace with the bleeding edge. We grasp at soft data, opinions, and conjecture. It is simpler to accept marketing claims and easy answers. Decisions made by the seat of our pants may have long-term consequences. Supposed perfect solutions encourage us to ignore facts. Comfortable beliefs are easier to trust than complex concepts or challenging situations and the results can be disastrous.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, there are benefits to slowing down. It allows us to check data, verify statistics, assess our needs and determine if we are moving in the right direction. When we allow ourselves space to entertain new ideas and envision improvements we construct a vision of our future. Some of the best stories, great insights, and breakthroughs come when we give ourselves time to think. Thoughtful reflections of our options, application of logic based on facts, gives us confidence in our decisions. We don’t have to second guess our choices and that reduces our stress. Courageous and self-assured we can zoom into the future.

Would one of your projects benefit from slowing down?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Everyone knows Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, searching for a trade route to the Far East by sailing west. What most don’t realize is Columbus completed four voyages across the Atlantic. On his final trip, his most ill-fated voyage, he explored the coast of Panama. He missed discovering the Pacific Ocean, which lay twenty miles across the isthmus of Panama. The obstacles, hardships, and distractions he navigated to chart the paths for those who followed him, overshadows his failure to reach his intended destination.

Columbus had a singular purpose. He was persistent, petitioning the heads of Europe to fund his voyage until winning the support of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. His ultimate objective was bigger than he was. His life and trials are an example for us to remember when we face difficulties as we pursue our ambitions. They say to reach your goals you must be persistence, do your best and learn from your mistakes. Don’t overthink things and stay focused on what you can change today, and don’t give up.

Is your chosen goal large enough?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Who hasn’t experienced this feeling? It is difficult convincing myself to leave my bed. Like Nicola, my spirit is willing but my body refuses to budge. Anger is my first response, and it often works. It helps me burn the blahs and I force myself to move. If that doesn’t work, I go through my list of usual culprits. Am I drinking enough water? Are my iron levels low? Am I obsessively worrying over something which I can’t control? Do my meals and snacks contain too much junk food? Am I sleeping? Or do I have too many responsibilities?

My review showed three things conspiring against me and contributing to my lethargy. The first was worry. The second was a task list three people couldn’t accomplish. These two items combined to ensure I wasn’t getting a restful night’s repose. Identifying the root cause of my exhaustion is only the beginning. I shifted responsibilities, and recognizing apprehension’s futile nature, helps me monitor and banish those thoughts. Sweet sleep came as I resolved those issues. I could breathe, and when I can breathe the words flow.

What items trigger your fatigue and interrupt your writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I enjoy writing flash fiction. It is a challenge. A delicate balancing act of equal parts constructed puzzle wrapped in the epitome of simplicity. A stellar start is second in importance to a great ending. The ideal goal is leaving the reader with an unexpected twist. The best endings require them to reconsider something they know intimately or realize the true significance of a common occurrence. A spectacular finish must resonate long after they have put the piece aside.

The author tells a simple tale, one can assume will end with a reasonable rationale. If the writer succeeds, the ending creates surprise, conforms to logic, produces unseen insight and generates pure delight. This is no easy feat when you are working with fewer than five hundred words.

How will you delight your reader?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Perfecting my writing ritual is a daily focus. I find the answer to getting my work done is not waiting for inspiration to arrive. Honestly, when does genius call on us to draft a report or update a spreadsheet?  I stack my odds for success. Each evening, I develop an agenda for the next morning. I detail the items to accomplish and I arrange my working space. Sitting at my computer, I don’t waste precious minutes searching for the right project, I only need to type.

The specific session goals have a particular order. I fill the number one spot with the hardest item. The first task changes daily. It may be something I have been pushing, leaving it to linger at the bottom of the list, or it might be important. Completing my assignment can be easy, or a huge challenge, but I write for my allotted hours, or until I achieve my goal. Finishing is the key, perfection is not. The difficult days are becoming fewer. Reaching my target is becoming less grueling, and I am creating more words in the assigned time.

What step are you taking to ensure your writing sessions are a success?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

They tell us we must relax, unplug, recharge. The benefits of stress reduction are many. Relaxation promotes the clarity of our thoughts, increases reaction times, and improves performance. It becomes another item on our lengthy to-do list. We attack it like any other goal, and we work hard to relax. Disappointment plagues us when we cannot hit our target, and we produce the opposite of our desire and increase our anxiety levels. Our objective grows more elusive the harder we try, and we obsess with the mantra of “I must relax, I must relax, I must relax.”

But it is impossible to make our thoughts disappear. However, there are methods for learning to decrease the chaotic and distracted thinking whirling through our minds. With meditation, yoga, or breath work, we can minimize negative feelings decreasing their frequency to create room for calmness, quiet reflection and find the path to discovering the source of our energy.

What tricks do you use to relax?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I never remember having a vacation without a summer reading list. Before I started school, the list was informal. It comprised the maximum number of volumes the public library allowed me to check out each time. If I was lucky, I finagled a second trip so I could exchange my new friends and reload with more.

In first grade, I discovered the holy grail: Book recommendations classified by class level. Imagine my horror when I realized I had read half the books on the list. It didn’t deter me. I collected the lists for other grades. I marked every title as finished long before the new year began. The adventures I found in each those pages magical transported me to amazing places.

Where will your reading take you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer