When my kids get sick at school, I’m not the one they call. After never getting through to me on the first try since I’m in meetings all day, the school nurse switched the primary number to Joe, my husband. I mentioned this to someone at an event, and his response was, “I know a service you should try, it’s called Uplift Parents.” He didn’t get it. Kicking ass as a working mom doesn’t mean that I need to be the one called. It means defining what’s important to you (at home an

Got a great tip this week from Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast: be specific when offering help. Often when you need help the most, you don’t have the energy to even think about the help you need.  (Think back to those first few weeks of motherhood). So when someone asks what help you need, they are just creating more work. When you want to give help, be specific: I can drop off dinner on Tuesday. Does that work? I’m in Target right now. What can I pick up for you? I know you

I had a rough day on Monday. Nothing particularly wrong happened, but all my insecurities were in full force. I went to a friend for help, but it didn't. She offered advice on what I could be doing better—this made my gremlins shout louder. The next morning, I heard a great tip from Adam Grant—Tell people what role you want them to play. Are you looking for a stamp of approval? To see their thought process? Have your opinions challenged? Just get a hug? We can't expect

Brene Brown is one of my key mentors. So is Tim Ferris and Gretchen Rubin. I mean, they don't know this. In fact, I've never actually spoken with any of them. Brene—yes, in my imaginary mentor world, we are on a first name basis. Brene introduced me to this idea in one of her talks, by describing her relationship with her imaginary mentor, Maya Angelo (who she later got to meet). I love it. In critical times in my life, I'll ask myself, 'What would Brene do?' I'll rese

I'm a questioner (read more about what that means here). One of my faults is spending too much time researching and searching for the 'perfect' answer. This tendency is one of my biggest time sucks. Research shows that people who are Maximizers (trying to get the best possible option) are less happy than Satisficers (people who are OK with 'good enough'). I've adopted a new approach: turning to the experts in my life. Picking a date night location? Ask my foodie friend. Deci