🧹 Messy house? Treat yourself

🏄‍♀️ Ride the wave of motivation

View this email online Becky Harlan/NPR Happy Friday everyone,  Real talk — sometimes I’m embarrassed by my home. I try to keep it tidy, but every so often it gets bad: clothes piled everywhere, days-old dishes in the sink and clutter on every flat surface. The mess can lead to negative self-talk. “Why can’t you stay on top of this?” “You’re not allowed to relax until you do the laundry.” Surprise, surprise, this inner dialogue isn’t very motivating and makes me dread cleaning even more. It’s a negative cycle that therapist KC Davis wants to break. In a recent Life Kit interview, she explained, “Often we clean reactively, as if having to clean our space is a punishment for living in it.” Davis wrote a book called How to Keep House While Drowning, and she wants to reframe the way we view our homes. “You don't exist to serve your space. Your space exists to serve you,” she says. I felt very seen by this interview, and also inspired, especially by the advice to work with your brain not against it. Davis suggests going about cleaning in a way that makes you feel like you’re moving on a greased track — smoothly and with momentum. For example, laundry can make my wave of motivation wither up and die. Because of this, when I’m tidying up, I’ll put away the clean clothes, but let myself leave the basket of dirty laundry for my next jolt of inspiration. That way I still have the energy to keep going. Davis tries to limit the risk of getting stuck or distracted, and part of that is her mindset. For her, cleaning isn’t a punishment, it’s a form of self-care. A kindness to your future self. This idea almost makes cleaning feel … indulgent. Fresh sheets? An empty sink? A clean mirror? You deserve it. #TreatYourself. This approach transforms shame into compassion.  If you connect with this ethos as much as I did, you might be interested in Davis’ "Five Things Tidying Method," a framework to get a messy room back to functionality. It’s based on the idea that in any space, there are only five things: trash, dishes, laundry, things that have a place, and things that don't have a place. You can read all about it here. Give this strategy a try. Approach cleaning gently, with the goal of riding your wave of motivation as long as possible. And guess what. Davis says, “There's no way to fail at this. You do it, and it makes your life better. And then maybe you fall off and then you go, oh yeah, let me pick that tool up again.”  Brb gotta get my laundry. Have a great weekend! —Julia Carney, Podcast Coordinator Newsletter continues after sponsor message More on keeping house from Life Kit:  🧺 How to remove ink, oil, blood and red wine stains (VIDEO) 🥬 Food you might think is wasted can actually be salvaged. Wilted greens, for instance, can be sautéed with your favorite spices.  🍶 Pro tips for organizing a small kitchen. Glass jars, clear counters and more.  🧼 And when you’re ready… how to deep clean your house.   Kaz Fantone/NPR 📹 WATCH: How to break up with your therapist For tips on having the conversation — plus a therapist-patient role play with Life Kit host Marielle Segarra and therapist Moraya Seeger DeGeare — watch the video on YouTube.   Access Sponsor-Free Episodes Want to support our show? Try a subscription to Life Kit+ and get all the tips and tricks you love sponsor-free! Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.  Learn More Coming up on Life Kit:   🏳️‍⚧️ Exploring gender identity  🌬 Improving indoor air quality  👶 Pregnancy and mental health  Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can find more of our digital stories here. And if you liked this newsletter, share the love and forward it to a friend. 🥰 Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy

New Google Search Engine + Rich Snippet Prominence

Pro Snippet "AI News continues to bubble away at the front of the range, but don't miss that Google has a brand new search engine simmering on the back burner. Meanwhile, find out what to do if your local business site is hacked or your GBP postcard goes missing." - Miriam Ellis, Local Subject Matter Expert, Moz What We're Reading:   Google Devising Radical Search Changes to Beat Back A.I. Rivals Google is working on an all-new search engine to respond to new threats. Google vs. AI — Whiteboard Friday Tom Capper takes us on a whistle-stop tour of how Google might react to the mounting challenge of AI. Rich Snippet Prevalence in 2023 (So Far) STAT analyzes 560,000 SERPs to examine rich snippet prevalence and explore their relationship with organic rankings. Mining for Content Ideas - Next Level Spark a flurry of new content ideas with Meghan Pahinui's process and tool kit. New Research: Dark Social Falsely Attributes Significant Percentages of Web Traffic as "Direct" Rand Fishkin brings attention to a major attribution problem in Google Analytics. OpenAI's CEO Says the Age of Giant AI Models Is Already Over Sam Altman calls ChatGPT genesis "played out", and says future AI innovation will require new ideas. BrightonSEO April 2023 Recap & Highlights Read one attendee's favorite takeaways from BrightonSEO, including quotes from peers. How Local Businesses Can Use Low-Code solutions for SEO Success Miriam Ellis looks at how the quiet low-code revolution has significantly changed the industry and made life easier for local business owners. How a Hacked Site Affects Your Google Business Profile Page and the Rest of Your Local SEO A substantial tutorial from Phil Rozek on what to do if your local business site gets hacked. Stuck in Verification Limbo? What to Do If You Haven't Received Your Google Business Profile Postcard Code Verification woes are par for the course and Elizabeth Rule tackles the common case of missing postcards.           Products  |   Learn  |   Community  |   Blog  |   About . Moz, 720 Robson St, 400  Vancouver, BC V6Z 1A1 Canada You received this email because you are subscribed to The Moz Top 10 newsletter from Moz. Update your email preferences.  Unsubscribe from all future emails.