Check out Ali Landry’s interview with Marilu on “Spotlight to Nightlight,” an original series produced by Yahoo!

“Spotlight to Nightlight” is all about celebrity moms, and we love this interview about Marilu and her boys! Read more about it on the omg! blog by clicking here.

Marilu’s interview on the Yahoo! original “Spotlight to Nightlight” series will air on Tuesday Nov. 17. This series is all about celebrity moms. Be sure to watch our favorite one!

“Spotlight to Nightlight” is featured on the Goddess blog at the omg! entertainment destination by Yahoo! Check it out.

Yes, well. Some of us (*coughcough*) have a little trouble keeping our work areas organized. And those spaces are nowhere near tidy.

Papers everywhere, piled high.
Pens that don’t write.
Pencils that need to be sharpened.
Cords… in this electronic age, there are cords and cables of every kind – power cords, USB cables, chargers, and more.
Flash drives, CDs and DVDs, magazines, books, file folders, notebooks. The paperless movement didn’t really seem to reduce the volume much.

What does your work space say about you? What does it say about how your brain works, and how you get things done? What does it say about how responsible you are?

Would you hire a mechanic with a disorganized garage?
Would you go to a restaurant where they didn’t know what veggies were in the fridge?
Would you get your nails done in a salon where they had to dig in a drawer to find the nail file?

We’re going to spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up and organizing our work space. Because we’re better workers than we appear right now.

Success is directly related to a person’s ability to communicate effectively.

Pay attention to how you talk to people and to how they respond. And pay attention to how people talk to you and how it makes you feel in return.

A couple of things people generally don’t like are too much explaining, too much detail, too many tangents, and too much defensive posturing (really, nobody likes an attitude).

Remember to:

• Observe
• Listen
• Stick to the point
• Avoid being boring

With a little attention and practice, your professional (and personal) communication will become much more clear.

Find ways to make your idle time useful. Wasted time is wasted opportunity.

• While you’re waiting in line, exercise. No one will know if you’re doing kegels. Or stand on one leg and rotate the ankle of your other foot (clockwise and counterclockwise) – or point and flex your feet. Rotate your wrists. Stretch your neck. Roll your shoulders. Correct your posture. If you think you can disguise squats by dropping something and picking it up (repeatedly), go for it.
• While you’re stuck in a waiting room, organize your life. Check your email and calendar. Listen to phone messages. Draft a memo you’re supposed to write. Clean out the garbage from your purse or wallet. Plan your menus. Write a shopping list.
• While you’re trapped in the car, educate yourself. Listen to a cd that will boost your career or personal skills. Tune into a radio program that expresses different views from your own, and try to see the other side – or find ways to refute it. Learn a new language. Listen to music that’s new to you (get cd’s free from your library).

Photo by Jasper Greek Golangco

It can be tedious to focus on the same task or project for hours at a time.

Divide your work tasks into different category-types, and make mandatory category changes every hour. For example, spend an hour doing research for one topic, and then an hour answering emails and phone messages. After that, do another hour of research, and finally an hour creating a presentation on a different project.

This is also a great way to work at home – organizing your kitchen for an hour, followed by weeding the garden for an hour, then playing with your kids. Mix it up!

Breaking the monotony keeps your spirits and your mind sharper and fresher, and will ultimately make you more productive.

Life is full of irony and “Plan B” detours.

If you can’t roll with the punches, you’re going to stress yourself into sickness.

At work and at home, find the funny and keep it light.

When you have to make a tough decision, allow 36 hours to pass before choosing which way to go.

It’s amazing how much clearer your perspective can be after such a short time. Thirty-six hours seems to be the magic amount of time for being able to assess a situation without having your feelings overwhelm you.

Now that over six of 10 Americans are classified as overweight or obese, it’s time for employers to help fight the battle of the bulge. Every year, excess weight costs businesses some $117 billion in lost productivity and increased health-care costs (and you know who ends up picking up those costs). Employers who help workers get in shape could boost their bottom line!

How can employers help?

• Add bottled water to beverage vending machines
• Add healthy snacks like nuts and fruit to snack vending machines
• Encouraging employees to walk at noon, or during short morning or afternoon breaks
• Adding clear and safe walking paths outside, and maintaining them
• Providing enough time for workers to head to the gym at noon, perhaps with flexible scheduling
• Supporting physical activity and breaks throughout the day, especially during meetings
• Offering healthy food at meetings and in the cafeteria
• Providing educational materials on health and fitness
• Partnering with a local health care provider for classes and support in smoking cessation and stress management
• Partnering with a local gym or Y for fitness classes before or after work – and offering the space for the class, and a place for employees to change clothes (and maybe even shower)
• Putting in bike racks, and maybe even a basketball hoop or half-court

Why not suggest some of the changes at your workplace, or set a good example by organizing a lunchtime stroll?

… or “Did I really just send that?”

Because we’ve all done it – sent that ranting email to exactly the wrong person. Remedy that (and save yourself some embarrassment) with an extra minute of focused attention.

• Write your email.
• Take one deep breath, inhaling slowly and then exhaling slowly.
• Look at the “To/CC/BCC” fields. How do you want them to receive your message? Might any of these people misunderstand the message? Could this lead to defensive posturing or anger? Will anyone be offended? Are you appropriately stating your positive and negative thoughts?
• Edit your email appropriately and send it.