If you’ve been wondering where I am and why I haven’t been posting more often, well, I’ve been doing my taxes. (Hey, I see you out there making signs to ward off the evil eye!)
I’m usually very organized with my tax information. This year, with the moving and all, I’m finding that I misplaced information and receipts and it’s taking more time than I like to dig it out. In addition, having moved from one state to another complicates things in all sorts of ways and expenses and income have to be allocated to each instead of just lumped together.
But that gives me a chance to mention my approach to anything like taxes. By that, I mean things that can seem overwhelming and unpleasant (especially since I think I may owe money). I’m talking about tasks that we may want to put off because we dread doing them.
The problem with putting things off, of course, is that they always take more time than we expected and unexpected things crop up. Also, if we are doing them at the last minute, panic might set in and our brains literally do not work as well when we are scared. Plus, life may throw other things in our way.
So....how do I approach things like taxes? I do them in small blocks of time every day until they are done. I might start out working for 15 minute blocks of time doing whatever piece of the work is easiest. I don’t always do it beginning to end—I may start in the middle if that’s easiest. This builds the experience of success for me and I feel less overwhelmed and more confident I can do the task—whatever it may be. Plus it means I get a bunch of stuff out of the way and done so that I can focus on the harder or more complicated sections knowing I already have a certain amount completed.
It’s never going to be fun to do taxes. It’s never going to be something I enjoy. But this way I know that I have enough time to get them done and I can stop the moment I start to feel overwhelmed. I have time, when I get confused, to step back and think about it until I understand and/or remember where the information is that I need.
The other piece of it is that each time I complete a task; I do something that makes me smile. This lets me begin to associate pleasure with doing something that I otherwise dread. It makes me more relaxed and then my brain functions better. Often, as I’m doing whatever it is that makes me smile, I will suddenly understand what was confusing or remember where the information is that I need.
So that’s why I’m not posting as often. But I am thinking of all of you—especially those of you also wrestling with taxes now.
April
Friday, March 17, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Health Insurance, Pt. 3
Someone reminded me that I haven’t posted here what happened about my search for health insurance. I now have health insurance. (Well, I’m told I do, I haven’t actually gotten the letter saying so.... Another advantage to working with an agent—he could get the information long before I will.)
I’m lucky. I’m in good health and I qualified at a rate I can afford. I may not be thrilled at the cost of health insurance, but I have it. It does remind me, though, that many people are not as fortunate. The double whammy, of course, is that people who can’t get or afford health insurance on their own are the ones likely to be charged 4 to 10 times the amount that insurance companies pay for procedures.
We need some kind of universal health coverage in this country. It's not right that people should have to face bankruptcy if they get sick or not be able to get treatment that's needed because they can't afford to do so. I'm lucky. I was able to get health insurance. But I can't help being aware of all the people who are not so fortunate.
One good thing about all of this is that it reminded me that my health is, to some degree, in my hands. Although my health profile is already good, I found myself walking more (I’m up to at least 8000 steps every day now) and tweaking my diet just a little.
Now on another note.....
I have an alarm system. I put down a code word. I accidentally set off my alarm system when I opened a door before I turned off the alarm. Unfortunately, I forgot what code word I had put down. Fortunately, I remembered the correct code word before they sent the police. Just a little bit of excitement on a Saturday morning!
Anyway, that’s the latest here.
April
I’m lucky. I’m in good health and I qualified at a rate I can afford. I may not be thrilled at the cost of health insurance, but I have it. It does remind me, though, that many people are not as fortunate. The double whammy, of course, is that people who can’t get or afford health insurance on their own are the ones likely to be charged 4 to 10 times the amount that insurance companies pay for procedures.
We need some kind of universal health coverage in this country. It's not right that people should have to face bankruptcy if they get sick or not be able to get treatment that's needed because they can't afford to do so. I'm lucky. I was able to get health insurance. But I can't help being aware of all the people who are not so fortunate.
One good thing about all of this is that it reminded me that my health is, to some degree, in my hands. Although my health profile is already good, I found myself walking more (I’m up to at least 8000 steps every day now) and tweaking my diet just a little.
Now on another note.....
I have an alarm system. I put down a code word. I accidentally set off my alarm system when I opened a door before I turned off the alarm. Unfortunately, I forgot what code word I had put down. Fortunately, I remembered the correct code word before they sent the police. Just a little bit of excitement on a Saturday morning!
Anyway, that’s the latest here.
April
Friday, March 03, 2006
Exercise
Exercise. I can imagine some of you making signs to ward off the evil eye when you see that word! Does it sound like a strange topic for writers? It’s actually something that comes up fairly often when I’m coaching writers. Our physical health profoundly affects our ability to focus on the writing and it profoundly affects our emotional state. The problem is that we tend to and need to spend a lot of time sitting in a chair to write. And if we are on deadline, we don’t want to or feel we can’t take the time to exercise.
The standard advice is to find exercise you love. Well, that works fine for me in summer when I can go swimming (if I have the time) and worked when I used an exercise bike in front of the television set while I played video games. But....both of these require large blocks of time and sometimes I don’t have large blocks of time. Nor do I have room for that exercise bike in my current home. So...
I have found something that is painless, easy, and gradual. At the same time, it can make a profound difference in our health. What I would suggest to every fellow writer (and anyone who wants to get more exercise but knows, bottom-line, that it’s not likely to happen) is to get a pedometer. It can be a fancy one or it can come from the dollar store—as my current one did.
1) Wear the pedometer every day, all day. For the first week, simply note how many steps a day you are taking.
2) Week 2: Add 100 steps each day. This simply means walking a few extra steps here and there.
3) Week 3: Keep adding 100 more steps each day. This is surprisingly easy to do. It does not stress the body and the body is able to adapt.
4) Keep adding 100 steps a day.
10,000 steps a day is what is suggested as an ultimate goal. If you try to start with 10,000 steps a day, odds are you won’t keep it up. Odds are your body will object unless you are in good shape to start with. But if you simply add 100 steps more each day, your body gradually adapts and it’s not that hard to do. Of course there will be days you do fewer steps and that’s okay.
You are also likely to find that as you increase the number of steps to above 6000 a day, you feel so much better that you want to do other forms of exercise as well. But even if you didn’t, you would be in better shape—without ever stressing your body. (If your average stride is a little over 2 feet then 10,000 steps is the equivalent of walking 4 miles.)
The good thing about this system is that you will find yourself moving all day long. It isn’t simply one burst and then sitting all the rest of the day.
In a way, I think of this like dieting. Every study shows that dieting is not as effective or good for the body as making life long changes in how we eat. It’s the little changes, at every meal, that make the difference that one can maintain without ever feeling deprived. This is the same principle with the pedometer. It’s little changes all day long. Nothing that stresses the body, nothing that requires big chunks of time, nothing that feels like punishment.
(Incidentally, my philosophy about losing weight is to make a list of foods you absolutely love that are healthy and good for you and make sure you include some in every meal as you eat a little less of everything. You will be associating pleasure with being healthy and eating well instead of with pain.)
Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows that I believe that when we are experiencing success, we are more likely to keep doing something. Well, it’s possible to fail to lift weights, it’s possible to fail to be able to do certain positions in yoga, but for most people, walking a little bit more each day is something they will find easy to achieve.
So...if you are a sedentary person or if you want to lose weight or if you simply want to be healthier and work more exercise into your day, get a pedometer. Just wearing it will remind you to move and odds are you will find yourself adding more steps to your path just to see those numbers go up! And it won’t take big blocks of time away from your writing or any other priority in your life.
April
The standard advice is to find exercise you love. Well, that works fine for me in summer when I can go swimming (if I have the time) and worked when I used an exercise bike in front of the television set while I played video games. But....both of these require large blocks of time and sometimes I don’t have large blocks of time. Nor do I have room for that exercise bike in my current home. So...
I have found something that is painless, easy, and gradual. At the same time, it can make a profound difference in our health. What I would suggest to every fellow writer (and anyone who wants to get more exercise but knows, bottom-line, that it’s not likely to happen) is to get a pedometer. It can be a fancy one or it can come from the dollar store—as my current one did.
1) Wear the pedometer every day, all day. For the first week, simply note how many steps a day you are taking.
2) Week 2: Add 100 steps each day. This simply means walking a few extra steps here and there.
3) Week 3: Keep adding 100 more steps each day. This is surprisingly easy to do. It does not stress the body and the body is able to adapt.
4) Keep adding 100 steps a day.
10,000 steps a day is what is suggested as an ultimate goal. If you try to start with 10,000 steps a day, odds are you won’t keep it up. Odds are your body will object unless you are in good shape to start with. But if you simply add 100 steps more each day, your body gradually adapts and it’s not that hard to do. Of course there will be days you do fewer steps and that’s okay.
You are also likely to find that as you increase the number of steps to above 6000 a day, you feel so much better that you want to do other forms of exercise as well. But even if you didn’t, you would be in better shape—without ever stressing your body. (If your average stride is a little over 2 feet then 10,000 steps is the equivalent of walking 4 miles.)
The good thing about this system is that you will find yourself moving all day long. It isn’t simply one burst and then sitting all the rest of the day.
In a way, I think of this like dieting. Every study shows that dieting is not as effective or good for the body as making life long changes in how we eat. It’s the little changes, at every meal, that make the difference that one can maintain without ever feeling deprived. This is the same principle with the pedometer. It’s little changes all day long. Nothing that stresses the body, nothing that requires big chunks of time, nothing that feels like punishment.
(Incidentally, my philosophy about losing weight is to make a list of foods you absolutely love that are healthy and good for you and make sure you include some in every meal as you eat a little less of everything. You will be associating pleasure with being healthy and eating well instead of with pain.)
Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows that I believe that when we are experiencing success, we are more likely to keep doing something. Well, it’s possible to fail to lift weights, it’s possible to fail to be able to do certain positions in yoga, but for most people, walking a little bit more each day is something they will find easy to achieve.
So...if you are a sedentary person or if you want to lose weight or if you simply want to be healthier and work more exercise into your day, get a pedometer. Just wearing it will remind you to move and odds are you will find yourself adding more steps to your path just to see those numbers go up! And it won’t take big blocks of time away from your writing or any other priority in your life.
April
Monday, February 27, 2006
The Power of Words
I gave a workshop a week ago called the Power of Words. I’d like to share a little of that here because anyone who ever writes anything may find it useful.
The power of words. That isn’t as unfocused as it might sound. Words do have power—IF we use them effectively. That was the true focus of my workshop last week—how to use words effectively. How can we connect, mind to mind and heart to heart with our writing?
I’m not going to go into all of it here but I want to touch on one of the most important points of effective writing. It’s imperative to give readers a reason to CARE about what you are writing—as quickly as possible. Readers might care about the people in your writing or they might care about the situation—ideally they will care about both.
Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s useful to keep in mind that everything is relevant only in terms of how it impacts SOMEONE. Readers will remember historical events far longer if they have a glimpse of how it impacted individual lives. Readers will remember scientific discoveries far longer if they know what it meant to both the person(s) who made the discovery and those whose lives changed because the discovery occurred.
If you are writing memoirs, the more three dimensional ALL of the people in the events you are writing about, the better! Let the reader see the hopes and dreams and fears of each person and they will care far more deeply about those events.
If you are writing fiction, ah, how it matters to give readers a reason to care! There are so many novels out there. How can yours stand out? Your novel will stand out, readers will remember it longer, if they forget they are reading a story and feel as if they have caught a glimpse of real lives. They will remember it longer if they feel the characters’s fears and share the characters’s hopes and dreams. This is why it is so important to make certain that your characters do what real people with the backgrounds you have given them would do. Many beginning writers focus on plot. What’s going to happen? Then they simply have characters do things because it fits the plot. And the manuscript doesn’t sell. It doesn’t FEEL right. A writer can either begin with characters and figure out what they would do to arrive at a plot OR the writer can choose events and then figure out how and why the characters would do these things, adding in background as necessary so that the reader will nod and say to himself or herself, “Yes, of course he/she would do that.”
Readers can certainly understand purely intellectual ideas. And sometimes it is at that level one wishes to connect. Other audiences will care about emotions more than anything else. It’s important to know for whom you are writing.
Even if you are writing technical material, it is always a wise strategy to let the reader know up front how or why this will be of interest to that person! If you write business material, it’s even more important. As they say, when you are writing sales material, it’s nice to list what you have to offer but what potential customers care about is what it will do for them!
So as you write, think about who you are writing for and what those potential readers care about. Give them a reason right up front to care.
All of the material I handed out last week was designed to help writers do just that. (One of the advantages of having a background in mathematics and operations research as well as a strong creative side is that I’m able to be extremely practical as well as talk about the intangible aspects of writing!) I encourage each of you to think carefully--what makes a story or a book or an article come alive for you? What makes you care about what you are reading? Then use that to give life to your writing.
Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself before you begin is: Do I care about this material? Because if YOU do not care about the material, neither will your readers.
Happy writing everyone!
April
The power of words. That isn’t as unfocused as it might sound. Words do have power—IF we use them effectively. That was the true focus of my workshop last week—how to use words effectively. How can we connect, mind to mind and heart to heart with our writing?
I’m not going to go into all of it here but I want to touch on one of the most important points of effective writing. It’s imperative to give readers a reason to CARE about what you are writing—as quickly as possible. Readers might care about the people in your writing or they might care about the situation—ideally they will care about both.
Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, it’s useful to keep in mind that everything is relevant only in terms of how it impacts SOMEONE. Readers will remember historical events far longer if they have a glimpse of how it impacted individual lives. Readers will remember scientific discoveries far longer if they know what it meant to both the person(s) who made the discovery and those whose lives changed because the discovery occurred.
If you are writing memoirs, the more three dimensional ALL of the people in the events you are writing about, the better! Let the reader see the hopes and dreams and fears of each person and they will care far more deeply about those events.
If you are writing fiction, ah, how it matters to give readers a reason to care! There are so many novels out there. How can yours stand out? Your novel will stand out, readers will remember it longer, if they forget they are reading a story and feel as if they have caught a glimpse of real lives. They will remember it longer if they feel the characters’s fears and share the characters’s hopes and dreams. This is why it is so important to make certain that your characters do what real people with the backgrounds you have given them would do. Many beginning writers focus on plot. What’s going to happen? Then they simply have characters do things because it fits the plot. And the manuscript doesn’t sell. It doesn’t FEEL right. A writer can either begin with characters and figure out what they would do to arrive at a plot OR the writer can choose events and then figure out how and why the characters would do these things, adding in background as necessary so that the reader will nod and say to himself or herself, “Yes, of course he/she would do that.”
Readers can certainly understand purely intellectual ideas. And sometimes it is at that level one wishes to connect. Other audiences will care about emotions more than anything else. It’s important to know for whom you are writing.
Even if you are writing technical material, it is always a wise strategy to let the reader know up front how or why this will be of interest to that person! If you write business material, it’s even more important. As they say, when you are writing sales material, it’s nice to list what you have to offer but what potential customers care about is what it will do for them!
So as you write, think about who you are writing for and what those potential readers care about. Give them a reason right up front to care.
All of the material I handed out last week was designed to help writers do just that. (One of the advantages of having a background in mathematics and operations research as well as a strong creative side is that I’m able to be extremely practical as well as talk about the intangible aspects of writing!) I encourage each of you to think carefully--what makes a story or a book or an article come alive for you? What makes you care about what you are reading? Then use that to give life to your writing.
Perhaps the most important question to ask yourself before you begin is: Do I care about this material? Because if YOU do not care about the material, neither will your readers.
Happy writing everyone!
April
Friday, February 24, 2006
Email and Privacy
We tend to think of email as private. I had a reminder yesterday that it is not. Now, most of the time it wouldn’t matter if someone else read my email. Yesterday it did. Yesterday I wrote an email and the person to whom I sent it accidentally marked it as spam. So the message, stripped of identifying headers, got sent back to the people who host my email service. And they forwarded it back to me with a note requesting I try to get myself un-marked as spam on AOL. (If anyone is on AOL and isn’t getting email you expect from me.....check your spam box!)
It didn’t include financial information or identity information such as a social security number but it did include some things I’d rather have kept private. (No, not THAT! Get your minds out of the gutter...) It was hurtful things someone once close to me had said and which I suppose I’m still afraid some people might believe are true.
Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to post here about how while we may believe email is private; it isn’t as private as we think. Anyone might accidentally mark email spam and then someone at your ISP will see it.
Just a friendly reminder so that all of you won’t have the rather embarrassing experience I did yesterday!
April
It didn’t include financial information or identity information such as a social security number but it did include some things I’d rather have kept private. (No, not THAT! Get your minds out of the gutter...) It was hurtful things someone once close to me had said and which I suppose I’m still afraid some people might believe are true.
Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to post here about how while we may believe email is private; it isn’t as private as we think. Anyone might accidentally mark email spam and then someone at your ISP will see it.
Just a friendly reminder so that all of you won’t have the rather embarrassing experience I did yesterday!
April
Monday, February 20, 2006
Health Insurance, Pt. 2
Thanks to everyone who posted or wrote to me privately.
1) Short answer is that I looked into group insurance first and it either wasn’t offered, I wasn’t eligible, or I can do better with individual.
2) Forms are in the hands of the insurance agent.
3) The good thing about all of this is that as complicated as it all is, as frustrating and time consuming to try to remember every illness, doctor, etc from the past 10 years, I found myself counting my blessings, too. I found myself thinking how lucky I am that I’m in good health. I found myself thinking how lucky I am the list I had to prepare wasn’t longer. I found myself thinking how lucky I was to find Brooke Lagarde, the insurance agent, who knew the answers to things I couldn’t find out on my own.
Mind you, I still think our health care system is in crisis. I still think it’s appalling that we don’t have basic health care coverage for every man, woman, and child in this country. But today I’m also able to count my blessings, and as those of you who regularly read my blog know, I believe that the more we focus on the good things in our lives, the more we find the energy and resilience and ability to cope with whatever challenges do occur.
April
1) Short answer is that I looked into group insurance first and it either wasn’t offered, I wasn’t eligible, or I can do better with individual.
2) Forms are in the hands of the insurance agent.
3) The good thing about all of this is that as complicated as it all is, as frustrating and time consuming to try to remember every illness, doctor, etc from the past 10 years, I found myself counting my blessings, too. I found myself thinking how lucky I am that I’m in good health. I found myself thinking how lucky I am the list I had to prepare wasn’t longer. I found myself thinking how lucky I was to find Brooke Lagarde, the insurance agent, who knew the answers to things I couldn’t find out on my own.
Mind you, I still think our health care system is in crisis. I still think it’s appalling that we don’t have basic health care coverage for every man, woman, and child in this country. But today I’m also able to count my blessings, and as those of you who regularly read my blog know, I believe that the more we focus on the good things in our lives, the more we find the energy and resilience and ability to cope with whatever challenges do occur.
April
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Health Insurance
My COBRA runs out soon. I am faced with purchasing individual health insurance and it’s a daunting task. I’m in remarkably good health for my age. I can afford to buy something. And yet it’s daunting. The forms are complex. The options seem overwhelming. Accurate information is difficult to obtain.
How much do I want to spend on deductible? How much do I want to risk in out of pocket expenses? How often will premiums rise? Exactly what does a plan cover? (If you are an individual, insurance companies do not have to meet the same guidelines with coverage that they do for group policies. And within the same company it may vary greatly—always read the fine print!)
When I apply, I have to attach a check for one month’s premium. This means that applying for lots of policies is not going to happen.
There are websites that help—but none are complete in what they can tell you. All have contact numbers but the people you call don’t necessarily have the answers you need or they may be incorrect—even when you are contacting an agent for the company.
I’m intelligent. I know how to do my research. I still found myself on the brink of tears this week trying to sort it all out. That’s when I pulled out the local phone book and started looking for insurance agents. Since my homeowner’s and auto insurance are with a company I’m happy with, I ruled out agencies that handled those as well. I looked for someone who only handled health insurance. I looked for someone with a website. I went by instinct to choose which one to contact first.
Instinct has served me well over the past couple of years! Instinct led me to my real estate agent here in Austin, Kristi Holdgrafer, my apartment in Menlo Park, CA before that, etc. Instinct worked well again yesterday. I went to the website—thebenefitsagency.com—and filled out the form. I got a call from a person, Brooke Lagarde, who knew what he was talking about. He knew the companies and their policies and information I had not been able to find out on my own. He was patient with my questions and helpful sorting out options.
Health insurance in this country is in crisis. If one is an individual needing insurance, it’s scary and confusing and expensive. I share my experience this week because maybe it will help someone else. Here are the steps I suggest if you need to find insurance:
1) If you are on COBRA, start 2 months before your benefits run out. It can take longer than you expect to explore options and there are certain protections that you have only if you get individual coverage after when you stay on COBRA to the end and then IMMEDIATELY get individual coverage.
2) Do research online. It’s good to have at least a general understanding of what sorts of policies are out there and what they might cost so you can begin thinking about the tradeoffs YOU will be willing to make.
3) If you feel yourself panicking at all the choices, take deep breaths and a break and go do something useful over which you do have control.
4) When you have familiarized yourself with the options out there, find an insurance agent to help you narrow it down and one who can answer questions. You may need to call more than one before you find someone you are happy with.
5) Do not accept as gospel what company agents tell you! One company agent assured me that all the policies covered the same thing. Well....no. Most of their policies have some significant exclusions that you only discover when you read the actual application.
6) READ the application and all information you can find carefully!
7) Be honest. A company can cancel your policy if they discover you have lied to them.
8) Don’t let fear or feeling overwhelmed keep you from taking steps in a timely manner to arrange insurance. Putting it off won’t make it any easier.
9) When you do finally get the application(s) done, celebrate! You did something complicated and deserve to pat yourself on the back for navigating a tricky situation.
Good luck!
April
How much do I want to spend on deductible? How much do I want to risk in out of pocket expenses? How often will premiums rise? Exactly what does a plan cover? (If you are an individual, insurance companies do not have to meet the same guidelines with coverage that they do for group policies. And within the same company it may vary greatly—always read the fine print!)
When I apply, I have to attach a check for one month’s premium. This means that applying for lots of policies is not going to happen.
There are websites that help—but none are complete in what they can tell you. All have contact numbers but the people you call don’t necessarily have the answers you need or they may be incorrect—even when you are contacting an agent for the company.
I’m intelligent. I know how to do my research. I still found myself on the brink of tears this week trying to sort it all out. That’s when I pulled out the local phone book and started looking for insurance agents. Since my homeowner’s and auto insurance are with a company I’m happy with, I ruled out agencies that handled those as well. I looked for someone who only handled health insurance. I looked for someone with a website. I went by instinct to choose which one to contact first.
Instinct has served me well over the past couple of years! Instinct led me to my real estate agent here in Austin, Kristi Holdgrafer, my apartment in Menlo Park, CA before that, etc. Instinct worked well again yesterday. I went to the website—thebenefitsagency.com—and filled out the form. I got a call from a person, Brooke Lagarde, who knew what he was talking about. He knew the companies and their policies and information I had not been able to find out on my own. He was patient with my questions and helpful sorting out options.
Health insurance in this country is in crisis. If one is an individual needing insurance, it’s scary and confusing and expensive. I share my experience this week because maybe it will help someone else. Here are the steps I suggest if you need to find insurance:
1) If you are on COBRA, start 2 months before your benefits run out. It can take longer than you expect to explore options and there are certain protections that you have only if you get individual coverage after when you stay on COBRA to the end and then IMMEDIATELY get individual coverage.
2) Do research online. It’s good to have at least a general understanding of what sorts of policies are out there and what they might cost so you can begin thinking about the tradeoffs YOU will be willing to make.
3) If you feel yourself panicking at all the choices, take deep breaths and a break and go do something useful over which you do have control.
4) When you have familiarized yourself with the options out there, find an insurance agent to help you narrow it down and one who can answer questions. You may need to call more than one before you find someone you are happy with.
5) Do not accept as gospel what company agents tell you! One company agent assured me that all the policies covered the same thing. Well....no. Most of their policies have some significant exclusions that you only discover when you read the actual application.
6) READ the application and all information you can find carefully!
7) Be honest. A company can cancel your policy if they discover you have lied to them.
8) Don’t let fear or feeling overwhelmed keep you from taking steps in a timely manner to arrange insurance. Putting it off won’t make it any easier.
9) When you do finally get the application(s) done, celebrate! You did something complicated and deserve to pat yourself on the back for navigating a tricky situation.
Good luck!
April
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