5 Quick Things #187 🍾

Daily walking, daily examens, daily armchair traveling, & tiny shifts

Apr 16, 2021

Hey there,

How are you? Late last night I hit the beautiful, mythical, only-heard-about-from-some-faraway-land-but-it-turns-out-it’s-real SEND BUTTON on an email to my editor, passing along my finished first draft of my next book! This was the tightest turnaround time on a book I’ve ever had, and I’ll admit, I’m officially a shell of a human being today. If you’ve pinged me and I’ve been radio silent, there’s a decent chance this is why. 💀

After I send this to you I’m taking the rest of today off… I mean, from work. The house is a disaster, I need to run to the post office, etc. etc. Plus, I’ve notoriously gotten sick or injured after EVERY one of my book manuscript submissions, which is my body’s way of telling me I have to slow down my work and take it easy for a few weeks. After 10-plus years of book writing, I’ve learned to listen.

But truly, my big work project of 2021 so far is DONE and I’m officially ready to think about other things. Woohoo! 🎉

Christ the Protector under construction in Encantado, Brazil — when it’s done it’ll be larger than Rio’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue. #

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. Because of my book deadline, Seth’s is joined in this week’s episode by none other than his lovely wife Amber! She shares her morning routine when the day’s going well: daily examen, prayer, poetry, and the things she does to get her creative juices flowing. Truly, the two of them are a delight.

Note: Even though I usually prioritize reading or listening, the past week I’ve “listened” to a few YouTube channels as I got up every hour from writing to get in a few steps (my FitBit has been the boss of me). For a slight 5QT temporary detour, the rest of these are videos… We’ll be back to our usual programming of mixed media next week.

2. I love this guy and his 30-day challenge videos. Since I’m in the walking-is-the-best camp, too, I especially loved this video.
3. I’m a fangirl of Atomic Habits, and this woman did a great job applying these principles to life as a wife and mom.
4. I miss travel. You too? Rick Steves has been uploading a ton of his shows onto YouTube these days — I’ve bookmarked yesterday’s in the Austrian and Italian Alps to watch this afternoon.
5. And finally, this is an oldie but a goodie. (Our whole family has called him Keith Ragu for years… 😂)

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (so good)

Quotable 💬

“To be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of maturity. ...Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one’s own values is a tragic waste. You have missed the whole point of what life is for.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt #

From the Community 🏠

This week I asked you about your current reading stack, and as always, you didn’t disappoint! Head there for tons of great book ideas, plus my assistant Caroline created a spreadsheet with links to EVERY book we’ve ever mentioned in these chats. 🤯 Super handy!

Join Books & Crannies

Heads up! 👏

I’m a fan of Megan Hyatt-Miller and her dad, Michael, and have listened to their podcast for years — which is why I pre-ordered their first co-authored book the minute I heard about it. It’s called Win at Work & Succeed at Life and they’re just about the best people to talk about this super-needed topic.

If you feel like you’re sacrificing your career for your personal life OR your personal life for your career, they’re talking to you. After many years of experience, they share their wisdom about how career success doesn’t have to mean personal disaster, nor does a rich personal life inevitably mean a tepid career. Their goal is to bust the myths believed by and taught the modern Cult of Overwork. Amen, I say.

If you join me in pre-ordering Win at Work & Succeed at Life by April 20 (that’s next Tuesday!), you’ll get:

A free copy of the audiobook version
A free e-book of Michael's Your Best Year Ever
Megan's session called How to Conquer a Chaotic Calendar
A free ticket to Win at Work and Succeed at Life LIVE event on April 20th
A $10 gift card to the Full Focus Store (I use these planners!)

(Megan & Michael’s team are sponsoring this week’s 5 Quick Things, but I legit pre-ordered this book with my own hard-earned cash money.)

Question For You to Ponder… 🤔

What tiny shift can you make in your environment to help you feel more like yourself?

Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. If you’re interested in sponsoring a future issue of 5QT, please contact Caroline at caroline@tshoxenreider.com. I’m open to your idea!