Every time I open the house it connects me to my lifetime of openings—in fact, not just to my lifetime, but to my parents’ and my grandparents’ as well. Every time I open and close the house I am reconnected to the way my grandmother did things. And I am often reminded of how she did not want me to do things and of not following proper family protocol. Like last fall, I forgot to tuck in the bedspread, which we do to prevent squirrels from “enjoying” our bed. This year, when I arrived to open the house I found two acorns on our pillows. (I prefer chocolates!)

As a culture, we are so focused on moving forward, on inventing, on forging a new path that I think we lose the wisdom of the generations that preceded us. The wisdom of seniors is profound, and yet we often ignore it. We are so focused on evolving that we overlook the ways we are really revolving.

Yes, generations before us did not face the challenges, technological and otherwise, that we do. It is easy to dismiss them and all that they navigated. Rather than telling me when it was okay to turn on the water (without fear of freezing the pipes), this year my uncle told me that it is okay to turn on the water when there are leaves on the trees. Why? The leaves keep humidity in the air, preventing a freeze deep enough to break pipes. Wisdom.

We should honor our seniors. Every year we celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. What if we were to celebrate Seniors’ Day? Look around you. Who are those wise souls whose experience and wisdom have been untapped? How can we awaken curiosity, respect, and eagerness to learn from them in ourselves and others? What can we learn from the seniors around us? And how can we better honor their wisdom?

I’ve got a bit more work to do to open the house. After that, I’m looking forward to inviting my uncle for lunch. I wonder what wisdom I can learn.

The conference features a keynote speech from author Dr. Louann Brizendine and also features a lunchtime panel on security.  WIT attendees will then hear presentations on topics such as economics, creativity and innovation, and women’s health.

WIT is an organization empowering women’s minds, hearts, and souls through the use of education. Topics in the past have included finance, global economics, healthcare, innovation, science, technology, trust and tax ideas. In a salon-like environment, women are encouraged to participate in an intimate atmosphere where ideas are shared openly.

Thursday, May 17th, 2012
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
St. Francis Yacht Club, San Fransisco, CA

For more information and to register click here

The Radio Entrepreneur community is one of sharing and learning together. Each week, entrepreneurs come together over the airways and in person to bring entrepreneurship to its fullest potential.

This past week, host Jeffery S. Davis interviewed Camille as she talked about leadership, emotional intelligence and what it takes to excel in our overwired world!

Listen to the interview here

Reverse mentoring is the inverse of traditional mentoring, where one might learn from older, more seasoned professionals in their workplace. These days, the opposite is often true: we learn from those younger than us or we learn from people in unexpected ways.

In my case, this means I learn from my clients, which I do all the time. Here’s an example: Several years back, a college student named Arthur Woods asked me to be a mentor to him and his friend, Neil Shah, as they launched Compass Partners, an amazing program that teaches college freshmen how to launch socially responsible businesses. I loved the concept and was eager to serve (and still do). But the truth is that I have learned more from them than I have ever given.

Connecting to a younger generation was awesome. Neil reviewed my book before it went to press and provided invaluable suggestions. They invited me to coffee and introduced me to Alan Webber, the founder of Fast Company. They introduced me to Kenneth Cole (yes, that Kenneth Cole). And they have saved my tail more then once. As vibrant, passionate 20-somethings, they stretch me in more ways than I can describe.

Of course, I had to be open, receptive, and curious, which leads me to my point: Learning is everywhere, when we open our eyes. I was well established in my career when I was asked to mentor these young men, but I ended up learning so much from them. They gave me an opportunity. It was a classic case of reverse mentoring, which turned out to be a profound learning strategy that I will look for again and again.

So, look around. Ask yourself:

• Where else and from whom could you be learning?
• Who is doing something cool that you could learn from?
• What might you need to do to open up and be more receptive?

You might just have to pause and open your eyes to see the learning opportunity standing before you.

Join me for a webinar presented by w2wlink on Wednesday May 9^th at 1:00 pm EDT/10:00 am PDT

Wired for Wellness is based on my new book, Rewired: How to Work Smarter, Live Better, and Be Purposefully Productive in an Overwired World.

This webinar offers the skills and strategies to:

• Balance your personal life with your professional goals.

• Make the right choices and manage commitments to deliver results.

• Improve critical cognitive skills, like focusing and filtering.

• Leverage technology to solve and anticipate problems.

• Be more present in your work and life.

Wired for Wellness is for anyone who wants to work smarter, live better, and be purposefully productive.

For more information and to sign up go to: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/627479242

I recently I went to see a highly recommended acupuncturist, Dr. KS Tsay. He is the real deal–the acupuncturist that all the acupuncturists go to. Dr. Tsay’s command of English was about as good as my understanding of Chinese meridians. After a brief “conversation” where I shared that I was a healthy eater, a regular exerciser, etc., he told me to eat less sugar. I felt like a kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar (literally!). I was sugar-busted! Later, on the table, he proceeded with his assessment, pulling down my eyelids, prodding, and, of course, poking me. Again he chided me: “Less sugar. Stick out tongue. Ah, yes, see? I know. Less sugar, you hear me? Less sugar!”

Sometimes we can be so focused on the complex things to improve our health that we forget the simple ones (like eating less sugar). After my treatment, Dr. Tsay sent me on my way with a list of 20 tips for balanced living, all of which are brilliant in their elegance and simplicity (and which I have posted in my Free Resources section on my website). Here are a few of them:

• Cultivate a cheerful and optimistic way of looking at life.
• Chew your food well.
• Go to bed early.
• Spend at least one hour a day outside.
• Try to help others in every way you can.

Ah, such simple strategies. If only it were so simple to live them. All we can do is our best, right? We can try to make good choices for better, balanced living every day. And now I’m off to buy fish and seaweed!

And there are a lot of great apps out there to help do this. One of my favorites is a genius little app called JotNot.

Say goodbye to your fax machine! Say goodbye to waiting in line at Office Depot and paying $1.25 a page to fax something! Say goodbye to busy signals!

JotNot is a fantastic new app that turns your iPhone into a fax machine of sorts. It is super simple: Using the camera function, JotNot takes a picture of whatever you want to send, saves it as PDF, and then makes it easy to e-mail. Genius.

Imagine how much time you can save:

• Send forms and receipts and docs immediately from wherever you are, no scanner or fax needed.
• Complete and send your expense reports on the flight home, rather than at the expense of time with your family.
• Send document revisions, without the headache of typing things up.

JotNot is a great example of “rewired” technology—technology that actually saves us time and helps make our lives easier, more efficient, and more productive.

So that’s my app of the week. What do you think? Have you used it?

And if you have a favorite app, please share it!

Camille

I was on a plane recently, and as my fellow travelers and I packed up our various gadgets (iPads, iPods, iPhones, BlackBerrys, Nooks, Kindles, laptops, etc.), one joked to his seatmate, “Where would we be without all our technology?” His soured and weary travel companion replied, “A lot less stressed and probably a lot happier.” Gulp. Is he right?

All this technology is designed to support us, and yet it is leaving many of us drained, exhausted, and unfulfilled. I recently read an article about 17-year-olds voluntarily opting out of Facebook because they were unable to manage the stress. All around I hear laments of e-mail overload, from students to clients to my 76- and 82-year-old parents. Technostress is real.

Controlling technology usage should be easy. After all, we choose how to use, interact, and respond to it, right? Well, we should. It is up to us to control it, not the other way around. So, here are three simple ideas for controlling technology, so you can get a grip on technostress:

1. Find a special spot for your devices. When you get home, set them aside, together in one place.

2. Resist the urge to check your e-mail constantly. Disable the reception ping or icon, and schedule time to check and respond to e-mails. Every time e-mail interrupts you, it costs you time, money, focus, and brainpower. And get off unnecessary e-mail lists.

3. Create a want-to-do list. As opposed to a regular to-do list, a want-to-do list will help you think beyond the gadget in your hand and the work you have to do.

Getting a grip on TechnoStress is imperative in order to function fully in the world, to be purposefully productive, and to have room for happiness, joy, and meaning in your life. Don’t let technology use you!

But I also know that many apps are fantastic and that much of the mania around them is deserved. I had a little app mania myself two weekends ago, when I fell in love with a new running app called Endomondo.

While Endomondo won’t help you fit into your skinny jeans, it will help you get in shape so that you do. And it’s free! After downloading, you simply click “Start” and it tracks not only how far you run but how fast and where you run.

I took Endomondo for a run every morning last week and I loved the way it piped in every mile (interrupting the book I was listening to) to let me know how far I had run and what the split was for the last mile. Genius!

Yes, I might be a little Type A, but I loved knowing how far and how fast I’d been running. I found it encouraging. If you are trying to get in shape, get back in shape, need help and encourage to exercise, love running, or are simply doing a little spring training, this is a great new app, one of the best apps I have found.

Do you have a favorite app?  I’d love to know what it is and why you love it. Share it here!

I’m off for another run!

Camille

Getting organized isn’t usually the first thing that springs to mind during the Boston Marathon, but it was certainly on my mind yesterday!

All Bostonians know that driving on Marathon Monday is a mistake. I had a business meeting across town, and, planning ahead, I decided to ride my bike. I left the appropriate amount of time to bike there and to pump up my tires beforehand (it was the maiden voyage of the season). What I didn’t leave time for was finding the bike pump, helmet, and bike lock and key. After our recent move, I had no idea where they were. After a frantic and stressful search, I located everything and was on the road, just in time. But it was a scramble.

I laughed as I biked, thinking that we simplified our lives so much in the move. We let go of so many unneeded things. But apparently we have more work to do. Simplifying is fantastic, but you have to have good systems in place, too. We needed to focus more on getting organized.

Set up systems for success

Getting organized means setting up systems for success. The busier we are and the faster we move, the more systems we need to set us up for success. Systems are more than a type-A control freak behavior; they are grounded in scientific research. The more processes that are automated, the less brain power is needed to do said tasks. More likely than not you know exactly where the spare toilet paper is stored in your home. It is automated to the point that it is easy to access. The same should be true for everything else things in our homes, our basements, our garages, our workplaces, and in our lives.

Everything has a home

We do some of this innately—like always putting the silverware back in the same place—but not for other aspects of our lives. But everything should have its own home. These are simple steps to free up brain power, bandwidth, and your capacity to focus. A simple “gauge” is to take a box and collect everything from a room that is not in its proper place, then put it away properly. Take the time to go through your house and find a good home for the things you need. Ask yourself:

• Where could you benefit from more systems?
• Where could you benefit from more strategies?
• What could be better organized so that you spend you time more wisely?

Getting organized with simple strategies is great way to be more productive, improve your focus, and enjoy life more.