081220 — Blog — Rulerless

Everything can change

The big budget-killer for us was always restaurants. My husband and I loved going out to eat, and we didn’t put enough effort into planning meals. So when there was no food in the fridge or we didn’t get home from work until 6 PM — oh no! — we’d go to a restaurant.

I’m using past tense because everything is different now.

Restaurants are opening in our area, but we’re going out to eat or getting takeout only once a week or so.

We’ve made grocery shopping and meal planning a priority. We have completely new habits and a new routine thanks to the coronavirus lockdown. It seemed impossible before, but this is who we are now. We’ve changed.

Casey von NeumannJune 26, 2020change, 071720, 081220, 082520, 100920, 090621Comment

Things aren't going to change

Once upon a time, I was trying to make the case to an eleven-year-old that she would need to learn basic skills like doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and blow-drying her own hair.

“When you’re eighteen, you’ll be on your own,” I said.

“Well then, can’t I just learn it all then?” she asked.

Casey von NeumannFebruary 3, 2020061920, change, 081220, 020921, 080221, 090621Comment

A clean slate whenever you need one

It’s the first day of a new year. Unblemished and unbroken like an overnight snowfall that no one’s had a chance to walk upon.

Inevitably, it will get messed up — the snow and the year. What then?

Casey von NeumannJanuary 1, 2020081220, 090320, 092220, 112720, 010121, 040622, 122822, 012723Comment

How to turn "someday" into "today"

What happens when you clear the decks to make room for your work — that most challenging work that you have been putting off but you know you need to do?

For many of us, nothing.

One of the weirder discoveries in observing my work habits, as well as those of my students, employees, and the people I coach, is that time has so little to do with whether something gets done.

Casey von NeumannOctober 18, 2019060520, 081220, 111120, 011921, 063021, 072021, 041122Comment

Instead of working toward a goal, build a habit

Jerry Seinfeld, when asked about his method for success in comedy, shared a very simple strategy: He wrote new material every day. In order to accomplish this, he drew a big red X on his wall calendar for every day he wrote. A day without an X became unthinkable.

“Don’t break the chain!” he said. In other words, keep that streak going — do whatever it takes to earn that X.

Casey von NeumannJune 12, 2019072319, 082119, 081220, 092120, 101920, 010821, 031521, 090922Comment