Author: tracydee

Educator and entrepreneur. Millennial living life to its fullest. Growing, learning, and sharing.
Posted in Goal

How to Be Productive After Time Off

Posted on by tracydee

How to be productive after time off is a big question. We all deserve our time to unplug, destress, and spend time with ourselves or our family. Whether that is to take a vacation or much-needed self-care time, it can be hard to get back into the swing of things.

I built a vacation into my arrival to Norway, with many months of preparation leading to this point. I felt guilty at first, but then I remembered how much time I put into getting my permit, online orientations, building out workshops, etc. So, if they said I should get my bearings before diving in, who was I to argue?

However, now that I know my way around the city a bit, I am ready to start my new job. Last Wednesday was my first day at the office picking up the iPad and phone that I will use as I travel.

I am finally somewhat adjusted to the time change, and tried my best to follow my previous morning routine with breakfast, affirmations, and planning time for the last several days.

how to be productive after time off

Now, it is Monday of a brand new week and I am going forward with getting back into “normal” work weeks. While I will occasionally have travel on the weekends, my hope is to prioritize working during the week. Then, rest on the weekends.

How to be productive: Here is what I am doing to get my productivity energy back:

  1. Get back on track with a morning routine, even if it’s just a few things. For example, today, I got up, stretched, made coffee, and wrote out my affirmations. Tomorrow, I will make my bed and spend some time in silence. I hope to add running back in to the mornings before work time.
  2. Create a healthy balance of work and personal time. I started emailing and to-do lists around 8:30am this morning. Now, I am about to break for lunch and go on a walk. I have to teach tonight from 6:30pm – 8:00pm so I don’t feel guilty about taking a long break in the middle of the day.
  3. Be forgiving with myself if I’m not on my “A” game right away. So, I did hit snooze this morning (a terrible habit I have been trying to break this whole year). I am disappointed that I reverted back, but I am not going to dwell on the mistakes of today when I can plan for success tomorrow.
  4. Re-start check-ins with my accountability partner. When I tell you that checking in weekly with someone is a game-changer, I mean it. For 2 years, I meet weekly with an accountability partner. We go over our weekly goals, our long term goals, time and scheduling challenges. Additionally, we provide much needed advice and encouragement.
  5. Sync Google calendar on all my devices. Because I picked up my new work technology, I need to sync everything so that all my calendars match up. I prefer using Google Calendar to track meetings and appointments. On my iPhone, I link my google account to the Apple calendar.

So, that is my recommended start to easing back into productivity. Most importantly, not trying to do everything all at once!

Posted in Travel

5 Awesome Places to Visit in Oslo, Norway

Posted on by tracydee

Are you looking for some places to visit in Oslo, Norway for your upcoming trip?

As an American living in Norway for almost one year, I am excited to share new adventures in Norway.

In this post, I will share my 5 places to visit in Oslo during your stay.

Oslo Public Library

One place to visit is the new main modern public library in Oslo. It is located on the water right next to the Opera House. As you walk in the entrance there is a cafe and escalators to head up to any of the five floors. They have everything you can think of, including music stations where you can play different instruments.

I decided to work out on the mezzanine area for a bit because the inside of the library was extremely crowded. While beautiful, I don’t think this is a place I can work regularly.

Oslo public library - places to visit in Oslo
Sitting outside Oslo public library

Frogner Park

I took a nice long walk one day in Frogner Park, which is the biggest park in central Oslo. Thankfully, it was not crowded that day so I got to get pretty close to the sculptures and take my time walking through. It says on the website that there is a cafe and playground, but the park is so big, I didn’t see that part yet.

Waterfalls by the river

So I discovered the Akerselva River by accident. I knew it was there and planned to visit it someday but just happened to be heading to a Too Good To Go snack pick-up that took me along the river to get there.

I am excited to go back and actually walk the whole length of the river, which is several miles long. However, it was a beautiful day and I got some great pictures on my walk.

Karl Johans Gate

This stretch between the palace and Oslo S central transportation station contains restaurants and shops galore. I have walked it many times and I still see new places to check out.

Holmenkollen

I took a beautiful metro ride out of the center city to get some views overlooking Oslo and the water. The Holmenkollen stop is known for a big ski jump that is a major tourist attraction. I cannot wait to go back up and drink hot chocolate in the lodge while I watch other people ski (not me).

While I walked up the hill, I managed to get some decent shots nearing sundown.

Places to visit in Oslo

These are just 5 suggested places to visit during your stay in Norway. There are many, many more worth checking out!

Posted in Travel

Roaming in Oslo, Norway: Exploring the City

Posted on by tracydee

Well, I’m finally out of quarantine and can go about exploring the city as I wish. Interestingly, things seem relatively normal here because of the strict measures in place over the last year and a half. I haven’t seen anyone wearing a mask, but most of the population is vaccinated now.

The first day out of quarantine wasn’t a whole lot different than the previous days. I did get to meet a friend in person for the first time and I ate a yummy appetizer in a restaurant.

It was refreshing to get out and walk around the city and take in all of the sights. I was surprised at how easy it is to get close to the palace where the king and queen live. It seems to be a big attraction. While I was walking by, they were doing the changing of the guards, which was pretty cool to watch.

I finally got the chance to check out some stores and buy a few items that I hadn’t packed to bring with me. I picked up an extra blanket, slippers, and a hair straightener.

Prices Compared to the U.S.

A lot of people warned me that things here would be more expensive. So far, I am finding the prices to be fairly comparable to most of the places I lived in the U.S. Food and drink prices at restaurants are about the same, but tipping is not required in Norway. I even had one server try to give me the tip back saying that it’s not customary and they make a living wage, unlike the U.S.

My grocery bill was not much different than I would expect to pay at home. You can search for good deals and sales. Just like in the U.S., there are certain times and days when stores run promotions or deals on items.

The coolest app that I learned about a couple of days ago is called Too Good To Go. It looks like some of the big cities in the U.S. are starting to use it as well.

Essentially, you pay a discount price, typically a few dollars, for a surprise bag from a store or cafe. The pick-up window is between 10 and 15 minutes before the store closes. It helps reduce waste so they don’t have to throw as much away. For $10, I have enough sandwiches and baked goods for my breakfasts and lunches this week. One cafe gave a salad, hummus wrap, and arugula sandwich in the surprise bag.

Travel in Oslo

For around $100, I purchased a monthly pass to travel around the city using rail, metro, buses, and ferries. That is fairly comparable to a pass in NYC, which is $127 for the month.

Interestingly, there are no stations preventing entry onto the metro platforms. It is super easy to just walk right on from any stop. I tried to scan my phone on the train the first time I got on, but nothing was happening. I asked someone and apparently, it is all done on the honor system. So basically anyone can ride public transportation. They do random checks with hefty fines to prevent people from taking advantage of the system.

The monthly pass even allowed access to the ferries. So yesterday, I decided to take a ferry ride to the different fjords.

I start officially working this week, so I will be sure to make more Productivity posts. This will be important as I transition from a vacation/self-care mode back into organization and travel.

For further travel outside of Oslo and throughout Europe, I’ll look at Trainline for affordable options!

Posted in Travel

Week 1 in Norway: Quarantine Edition

Posted on by tracydee

Well, I arrived in Norway on Saturday to a very efficient Covid testing protocol. I retrieved my bags, got my nose swabbed, and left after 15 minutes with my negative test results.

I am benefiting from the new guidance of quarantining for only 3 days. However, on the third day you have to get a PCR test, and it is day 5 and I still don’t have my results.

Thankfully, I can go on walks to get out of the house. Yesterday, I went to the park and walked around the statues. The day before I wandered throughout the city until I got tired and made it home just before it poured. It rains a lot here so far!

Food Options

I am impressed with the amount of food options in this city. Oslo is truly an international city and I can pretty much get any type of food I want here. When I got the Covid test done, the attendant gave me a suggestion on where to get a Philly cheesesteak ALMOST as good as Philly itself. So, I definitely plan to try that.

Food Delivery

Saturday afternoon, I was super tired from the 35 hours of travel leading to my arrival. Since I couldn’t go out, I used an app called Foodora to place a dinner order for delivery. It is very similar to Uber Eats or Door Dash.

I ordered Indian food and it was at my door within 30 minutes. It was piping hot and delicious. The delivery people pick up the food and deliver it on scooters in an insulated bag attached to the back of their scooter.

Another app I haven’t tried yet is Wolt, but I’ll be sure to check it out.

Grocery Delivery

After dinner, I placed an order for grocery delivery Sunday morning. I ordered groceries from Oda, which was convenient, quick, and fresh. On their website it says they have over 7,000 items to choose from. Truly, they did have a lot of choices! It was kind of overwhelming in my exhausted state.

I did pretty well for my first grocery haul, only making a couple small errors, such as ordering two bunches of bananas instead of 2 bananas.

So far, I cooked every meal since Sunday to save money. Also, I’m ready to treat myself when I finally get that green light from my Covid results and I can leave quarantine.

The food here is unbelievably fresh! Even the shredded cheese tastes like it was just grated right before it was delivered. The grapes are crisp and the avocados arrived in perfect condition ready to eat.

I made myself a yummy salmon dinner the first night with actual Norwegian salmon.

General Observations

The people are pretty nice. Literally, every car stops to let you cross the street even if they are the only one there and really you could walk right after they pass. It is very much a bike and pedestrian friendly city.

Interestingly, parallel parking seems to have no rules. Cars are parked on the street facing both directions so I guess it doesn’t matter which side you are on.

I have not seen a single person wearing heels, which is probably because of the cold weather and that you have to walk everywhere.

I passed this discount grocery store called Extra, but upon further examination, I realized that the prices were the same as Oda. So, it might just be easier for me to keep ordering groceries and have it delivered.

They take recycling and trash seriously here. I have to separate my food trash items into a green bag and all of the plastic wrappings into a blue bag. Then, plastic and glass bottles are recycled along with cardboard. Plain shopping bags are for generic trash. I’m getting used to that. I don’t like having the little bags on my counter, but I haven’t figured out what else to do with them yet.

I’m a little scared of my electric bill. The washing machine takes forever and you can’t even fit that much in it to begin with. And the dryer also takes a long time. I think I’m going to start hanging out my clothes. I see a lot of people doing this outside.

Productivity Level

If you have been following along this blogging journey, then you know I like to stay productive and keep up with my to-do lists. Being in quarantine sort of forced me to take some downtime, which turned out to be much needed. I read a lot of books, took walks, and adjusted to the time change.

I had a couple of meetings, but most of my time was for me. I thought about using it to complete some online jobs for extra money to help me with my debt reduction goal, but I decided rest and relaxation was best before things get really busy with travel and work.

My workshops are in review and orientation is not until next week. It’s rare that I get downtime like this!

So, I’ll be sure to pick back up on my time management tips and suggestions for moving toward goals soon!

Posted in Goal, Manifestation

Visions & Goals: 5 Steps to Reach That Next Step

Posted on by tracydee

Visions & goals & dreams are things I think about frequently. Sometimes it’s tough to keep going on a goal that seems so far away it doesn’t even feel possible at times. I felt that way many times as I was training to run a half-marathon before I turned 30.

Also, I dream a lot. Believe me. My Pinterest vision board is filled with all of the things I desire for my life. And why not put it out into the universe?

But what is the difference between a goal and a dream? Or a vision and a dream? I’ve been thinking about what it takes to achieve something, small or big. James Clear will tell you it is atomic habits that make or break whether we get to reach our goal.

cloudy sky. visions & goals

I like this quote from John Baldoni:

Dreams are drifts of the imagination, as if one imaginary clouds in the sky. Visions are scripted efforts to effect change. They occur personally and organizationally. Dreams are nice; visions are work.

-John Baldoni

As I think through his statement that visions are scripted and designed to effect change, it reminds me of why companies and organizations have vision statements. Truly, these are their efforts to implement change toward something bigger. And it brings everyone on board to focus their individual goals toward the mission. And that is important for achieving both visions & goals.

So now I ask:

What is your vision statement for life? What is it that you ultimately aim to achieve overall? What are your visions & goals?

While I would love to enjoy the freedom to travel, it comes down to being a good friend and a kind person for me.

However, I do want to achieve these greater dreams of financial freedom to support my family. Therefore, I need to set goals and create a plan to get there.

Whenever I teach goal-setting in my courses, I have students use the SMARTER goal method. The two most important components of that to me are being specific and setting a timeline for completion. If there is no deadline, it can stretch on and on.

The method also helps with getting the ideas out onto paper or a computer. Either way, writing it down means you are 42% more likely to actually achieve that goal.

So here’s what you need to do (myself included since I’m a perpetual learner):

  1. Dream and keep dreaming – You can’t achieve something you’re not thinking about. Dream big – there is a whole world out there filled with information you probably don’t even know yet.
  2. Create a vision statement for your life – What’s your purpose? What do you want to be known for? Think of your dreams and start to narrow down a statement or mantra that will keep you going.
  3. Set SMARTER goals – Be intentional about writing down exactly what you want to achieve, when you want to achieve it by, and how you will measure your progress along the way.
  4. Create an action plan – Work backward from your end goal and create mini-goals that get you closer and closer to the big goal. Small to-do lists that can be completed that move you just that one step closer to reaching that goal.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and chase those dreams and reach those goals!

Posted in Travel

10 Amazon Must Haves for Travel, Technology, and Luggage

Posted on by tracydee

Must haves for travel: Well, I just finished my 35 hour trip from the US to Norway where I will be living until Summer of 2022. There were some bumps along the way. One bump was my luggage sent to my layover in Portugal instead of my final destination. After 2 hours of working with the gate agents, I ended up just paying again to have it sent all the way to Oslo. I will worry about contacting United later.

I wanted to share some of the travel items I used along the way. Also, some items I wish I purchased to make things a bit easier.

  1. Collapsible water bottle – This was great because I hooked it to my backpack or my purse when I wasn’t using it. I filled it up in the airport and also at the hotel on my way back to the airport for the 3rd flight.

2. Travel backpack that opens like a carry-on – Now, this was handy because I had two checked bags that I needed my hands for. However, I did fill my backpack a little too heavy and my shoulders and back were hurting pretty bad by the time I reached my final destination. This particular model had 3 mesh bags that I used for dirty laundry when I changed between flights.

3. Plug travel adapter – This was a last minute purchase thanks to my grandpa doing some research online. I knew at one point that I needed this, but it slipped my mind to order it in advance. I’m glad I had it with me and didn’t have to purchase anything at the airport.

4. Liquid travel bottles – I got the ones with labels so I would remember the difference between my face cleanser and my shampoo. This was great for the hotel between Portugal and Norway. I had no issues getting through security in any of the three airports.

5. Neck pillow and travel kit – Now, I brought just the basic plain neck pillow. I wish I had purchased this one that had eye covers and a machine washable outer part.

Must Haves for Travel: Technology Needs

6. Airpods travel case – I am always losing my Airpods case in my purse, so I wanted to get something easier for me to find. This carrying case also held my back-up headphones in case my Airpods needed to be charged.

7. iPad pro case with stand – I used this in the plane with my Kindle Unlimited to read books during my flight.

Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans

Must Haves for Travel: Items I Wish I Purchased

8. Travel makeup and jewelry organizer – I used small bags I had and split everything up. However, I am going to purchase an organizer that keeps it all together.

9. Packing cubes – I prefer these packing cubes over the compression bags. I had to be careful not to go over 50 pounds on my luggage. It’s easy to do that with compression bags because you can fit more items in your suitcase.

10. Rolling under seat bag – This is going to be my next purchase. The backpack is great, but I need to put the heavier items in something that rolls. Most places allow you a carry-on and a personal item, so I can bring both.

Posted in Uncategorized

10 Items to Spruce up Your Home Office: Amazing Amazon Finds

Posted on by tracydee

I’m always on the lookout for good Amazon finds.

It seems like the work from home options are here to stay long-term. Even before the pandemic, remote work was gaining popularity from both employers and employees. With streamlined communication and proper procedures, it can be a great way for companies to allow workers more flexibility in managing their time.

In this post, I wanted to share some of the products that I find to be helpful in my home office. These are in no particular order and I’m happy to share more if this list is helpful!

white bluetooth speaker on silver laptop computer. Amazon finds
Photo by Jessica Lewis Creative on Pexels.com

10 Home Office Amazon Finds

  1. 1. Waterproof desk mat

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

3. Electric cup warmer

4. Ergonomic mouse pad

5. Power strip with USB port

6. Mini vacuum for keyboard and crumbs

7. Motivational desk plants

8. Monitor message board and phone holder

9. Desk organizer for stationary

10. Alexa as a virtual assistant

Best Sellers in Office Products
Posted in Goal

It’s a Productivity Puzzle! Fitting the Pieces Together

Posted on by tracydee

My productivity puzzle: Fitting the pieces of life together can be challenging at certain points. My productivity toward reaching my goals is something I have been proud of in the past. I put my mind to completing a half marathon and finishing a doctorate degree, among other goals along the way.

One goal I am excited about is now heading to Norway on a Fulbright to work with schools and continue my passion of civic education.

The last several months really put the idea of productivity into perspective for me. In fact, many times, I re-evaluated what it truly meant to be productive for me. I was so used to being busy, that it was nice to spend a little time reflecting on my hopes for this blog and getting to keep working on that goal.

productivity puzzle
Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com

However, the time versus money internal debate came to a head when Norway was delayed yet again and I faced a huge lack of solid income. I had no choice but to take a temporary full time position that did turn out to be extremely stressful and left way less time for me to be productive toward these longer term goals.

These ebbs and flows of life are natural and it is up to us to make the most of our moments. Whether that means sitting down and trying to attain something greater for ourselves or simply taking a break to walk on the beach and get some fresh air.

Now, I face down this new opportunity to create a schedule around my commitments to my job and to myself. I think of this new journey as a productivity puzzle where I am trying to fit the pieces together. Truthfully, I am excited to arrive at my destination and spend some time working on my calendar and prioritizing my tasks.

As I continue to maintain a growth mindset, I will blog my learnings along the way and share helpful tips and advice that works for me!

Posted in Goal

Consistency in Blogging is Important: My Efforts to Improve

Posted on by tracydee

Am I the most consistent blogger? No. Would I like to be better? Absolutely. Consistency in blogging is important. Many of the blog advice gurus emphasize how important consistency is for getting your blog going and maintaining the content (by the way, the article linked here is an easy read on 4 simple ways to come up with content for your blog).

Readers expect to see articles from you on a regular basis, whether it’s several times a week, once a week, or twice a month. As the writer, you get to set the tone and precedent to manage those expectations. If you’ve subscribed with me for a few months now, you might notice that I’ll post a lot for a few weeks, then kind of disappear, and then start posting again.

Even when I’m not posting, I still use the draft mode to collect my ideas as inspiration strikes me. However, because blogging is not my primary source of income (yet!), I do sometimes have to pivot to the things that take priority in my life, such as family or paying current bills.

In the spring, it was maintaining my two part-time jobs while finishing up my dissertation. This summer, it was helping my family move halfway across the country and then working full time at a customer service job to make ends meet while I waited for the green light to leave the country.

consistency in blogging
Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com

Consistency in blogging: Monitoring statistics

I recently shared my blogging statistics for the first 6 months or so of this endeavor. When I look at the chart of views, my best months were when I was consistently posting content 2-4 times a week. There was a month or so where I did post quite a bit, but I did it all at once with a long break in between. What this tells me, is that I should utilize the schedule post feature more often.

Even if I get a bunch of ideas that strike me and I get the urge to post 2 times in one day, it seems to be better if I draft it and then schedule it to post in another day or two. That way, there is some time in between the posts.

Now, I just decided to Google how often I should post and it seems that my observations are in line with the recommendations. It is best to post 2-4 times per week, with an average of 11 posts per month in order to see the best traffic. In my own data, I can see that I need at least 10 posts per month to keep my views growing.

So, my commitment from October through December to finish out 2021 is to write at least 11 new blog posts per month. As I currently have 75 blog posts, that would put me over 100 for the year, which is an attainable and realistic goal. And would help my consistency in blogging.

I will use data and inspiration to choose content by monitoring posts that seem to do well. For instance, the blog posts with the most likes seem to be about time management, money, or technology. But, it would be very helpful if you comment below on any articles you would like to see me write more about!

Posted in Uncategorized

4 Reasons Why I Love Using Procreate on my iPad

Posted on by tracydee

I enjoy using Procreate on my iPad. It can be used to design so many things and get you in touch with your creative side. For example, I use Procreate to make some of the icons and symbols that go on my digital notebooks and to-do lists that I sell.

Also, check out my digital product freebies here!

Using Procreate allows you to create high-quality pieces of art without the price tag of some other programs

It’s easy to use. Procreate has an intuitive interface that allows you to quickly learn how to use the app. This means you can spend less time figuring out how things work and more time creating your artwork.

It’s got a wide range of tools. You can choose between different brushes, pencils, shapes, textures and more depending on what type of effect you’re looking for. There’s even an eraser tool that lets you remove mistakes easily before they become permanent!

You don’t have to be an artist to enjoy it. Procreate was designed with everyone in mind — whether you’re creating drawings for fun or wanting to create high-quality artwork for sale online or at conventions, this program will help make your vision come alive!

Here is an example of something that I drew:

using Procreate flower drawing
using procreate notepad page

I then added the icon to the bottom of this note page to sell on Etsy.

I also used Procreate to design the binder ring that I used in my digital planner. This is another way of using Procreate to make products for your business.

When my friend was visiting with her 4 kids, her 10-year-old absolutely loved drawing on the iPad Procreate app and he was really good at it too. It was a great program to distract him from the video games and YouTube he usually likes to do. He even wanted to get it on his own iPad and was working toward that.

For my job, I needed to insert my signature into several documents. It was super easy for me to create a digital signature on Procreate and then use the Magic Eraser app to get rid of the background.

Another awesome feature of using Procreate is the ability to create layers on top of layers. It’s an easy way to add texture and color to different designs. For me, it is a helpful tool not to delete things that I like when I try to write over something.

It’s a versatile, easy-to-use tool that contains many of the great features of Photoshop

One of the best things about Procreate is how easy it is to use. You can pick up this app and start using it right away without any training or tutorials. Everything you need is right there on the screen in front of you, with no extra steps needed to adjust settings or change toolsets (which can be very confusing in other programs like Photoshop).

The main screen has three main windows: your canvas, color palette and toolbars (plus extras like layers). There are also two menus at the top: one for changing toolsets and another for accessing settings like brush size and opacity. You can also access these menus by tapping on their icons in the toolbar at any time during your work session.

It has a wide variety of brush options

It has a wide variety of brush options that let you create anything from fine lines to thick blobs of paint or pencil marks. You can change the size, angle and other properties of each brush to get exactly the look you want.

You can customize your brushes

Another great feature is the ability to customize your brushes by tweaking any number of settings. You can adjust things like opacity, size, wetness (how much paint is applied), blend mode (how colors interact), angle (how much the brush can be angled), spacing (how far apart individual strokes are), scatter (the amount of variation in each stroke) and more! There’s no limit on what you can do!

I love the brushes on Procreate and you can easily create your own or purchase sets from other artists.

Using procreate is really user-friendly and has great tutorials available online

Procreate has a very nice user interface, making it easy to use for even the most inexperienced artist. The tutorials are great and there are several videos on YouTube from Procreate themselves.

Overall, this affordable app is so much fun to use! Check it out!