Arizona Homeowner January 2021

Vol. 8 Issue 1

HEALTHY HABITS

Scheduling Helpers

Find Your Perfect Planning Tool

Petrified National Forest  Adamana, AZ

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers GoodNes

LOCAL VENUE Petrified National Forest Adamana, AZ

Perfect Planning M

uch of our daily success depends on careful planning and scheduling.

Whether you’re tracking business meetings, grandkids’ extracurriculars or your personal calendar of events, there are tons of planning tools to put your trust in. From efficient apps to creative notebooks, we’re looking at some of the top-rated options out there.

This ancient and natural wonder is known for its incredible fossils and landscapes, including vast desert steppe, colorful badlands and an abundance of petrified wood from trees that lived millions of years ago. Walk or bike a variety of trails highlighting different elements of the park’s unique scenery, animals and rich history. Those looking for a little extra adventure can hike the designated backcountry Wilderness areas on foot or horseback. Discover petroglyphs, paleontology exhibits and the diverse past of this region.

Source:NPS.Gov/Pefo/index.htm

Digital calendar tools are readily available on the go and easily altered to reflect up-to-the-minute changes. They also can be shared with the touch of a button, making them a great choice for team projects or family scheduling.

When searching for your ideal calendar app, you should look for one that is user-friendly, able to sync with other apps and devices and provides bonus features that make it stand out.

GOOGLE CALENDAR – This app comes standard on many Android devices and can be downloaded to most smartphones. Already created with a clean interface, Google has quietly been adding advanced event features and reminders to its calendar app over the last few years.

It integrates seamlessly with Gmail accounts as well as Google Apps accounts and even offers Exchange support.

TIMEPAGE – OFFERING more advanced features, Timepage is an intuitive calendar app perfect for people with jampacked schedules.

It comes with tried-and-true features like commute time to events and notifications, but it takes time management a step further with a reminder feature that automatically lets you know what’s next, allowing you to make the best use of your spare minutes between meetings. It also offers a heat map function that gives you an at-a-glance picture of which days are busier and which days are more open.

Sometimes you just want that feeling of putting pen to paper, striking out completed tasks and carefully writing down your plans. Notebook calendars are helpful for personal planning, as they require a bit more thoughtfulness to prepare.

PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER BY INTELLIGENT CHANGE – This planner breaks your days and weeks into sections of most important, secondary and additional tasks to be completed, keeping your priorities in check. At the end of each day, you rate your level of productivity.

DELUXE MONTHLY PLANNER BY ERIN CONDREN – Living up to its name, this notebook has superior function, offering a little bit of everything. There’s dedicated space to track personal goals, weekly responsibilities and additional notes. A monthly overview gives a snapshot of important birthdays, big events and objectives for the coming weeks. Customize the design to fit your preferences and get just what you need.

LIFEWISE

most important to you this year and allows you to devote your time and energy to those commitments.

2) BE SPECIFIC – Broad goals may feel like they give you more flexibility at first, but in the long-run they become easier to avoid and trickier to track. Ambiguous statements such as “I want to read more” are hard to translate into accountable behavior. Try something like “I will read 15 minutes each night before bed.” Details allow you to better realize your progress and keep you from falling off track.

W

ith each new year comes a set of expectations for what’s ahead, often in the form of determined resolutions and long lists of lofty goals. For many, seeing these ambitions through is easier said than done, and certain to-do’s end up getting repeated year after year. So, how can you build healthy habits that will last? Check out these four tips that will revamp your idea of new year resolutions and set you up for success!

FLAVORFUL

1) START SMALL – It’s tempting to take on the world when your motivation is high, but it can quickly feel overwhelming to incorporate too many changes at once. Try paring your list down to one or two of your top priorities and tackle those first.

This forces you to identify what’s

3) MAKE IT ROUTINE – The best way to form a new habit is to build it into your day to day. The more regularly you do something, the more natural it becomes and the less you have to prompt yourself to do it – just like brushing your teeth every day. If you’ve set small, specific goals, you should be able to incorporate them smoothly into your regular routine.

4) REWARD YOURSELF – Loss of motivation is part of what makes it tough to build new habits, so reward yourself for every triumph.

Mentally congratulate yourself each time you’ve successfully completed your task. If you want something more tangible, try building a reward system into your routine. For example, allow yourself to sip your favorite wine or cocoa when you read each night. The idea is to make the task feel like something special that you look forward to.

Whatever goals you set this year, remember to have patience.

It’s okay if you’re progress isn’t perfect. After all, you’re building habits that will last long into the future. Give yourself grace when life gets in the way and then get back at it. Good luck!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers INGREDIENTS 5 tbs

Freshly shredded parmesan cheese

5

Large red bell peppers

1 jar

Marinara sauce

¼ tsp

Salt

4 cups

Spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

1 ¼ cups

Ivory or red quinoa

12 oz

Spicy turkey sausage

2 ½ cups

Water

DIRECTIONS Combine water, quinoa and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Microwave bell peppers on HIGH (100%) power for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Place cut-side-up in 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Cook sausage in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to crumble, for about 8 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain if needed. Add cooked quinoa, spinach and marinara sauce. Heat, stirring frequently, until spinach is wilted.

Spoon mixture evenly into bell pepper halves, mounding if necessary. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° F for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are heated through.

GoodNes.com

About Jane J

ane Blacker has been a widely-respected member of the Valley of the Sun real estate industry since 2000. With over 30 years as a real estate professional, her

track record remains spotless-something she attributes to always placing her clients’ interests first, providing unsurpassed service, meticulous attention to detail, and staying abreast of market trends and changes affecting the real estate industry.

Jane joined Russ Lyon Realty Company in March 2001. She achieved a topproducer ranking within two years and continues to be a top producer with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty.

Originally from England, her career in real estate began when she joined a commercial real estate company in London and worked for ten years as the Executive Assistant to the Managing Partner.

Her many community activities include serving on the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. In 2013 and 2014 Jane was recognized by the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce for her outstanding contributions to the community and has been the recipient of two prestigious business volunteer awards.

Jane Blacker REALTOR | SRES

Cell 480.283.3009 Fax 480.624.3711 Jane.Blacker@RussLyon.com Call Jane today if you are thinking about a new home!

If your home is currently listed, this is not a solicitation for that listing.

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