Brain Dumps in Filofax

This post first appeared in full on the Australian Women in Security Network blog. The following is an excerpt. Please go to the AWSN blog to read it in full.

We have one life to live, let's live it!

Those who know me are aware of how eclectic, many and time consuming my interests are. How do I juggle all the things I do? How do I have time to read a few novels a week? How do I sleep with all these ideas hurtling through my brain! How do I not forget what I need to do!

I go 'old school'. I use hard copy note books, diaries and planners to manage all the many things I do. I also use electronic calendars for meeting reminders at work and back them up by ensuring my trusty Filofax, 'Little Purple' has them all noted as well.  In fact I am bit of a stationery addict, as can be seen by a post featuring me over at Philofaxyrecently! .... but I use all of my binders, notebooks and planners to ensure I have a good system to get everything done.

Brains are amazing. The down side to these amazing brains is that sometimes you can become overwhelmed with all the ideas and tasks and thoughts! Idea overload can stop you being effective. You are overwhelmed with ideas and things you have to do for work, for home, for someone else, to buy, to clean, to read .... and are becoming anxious in case you forget something important that you need to do.

Enter the magic of the brain dump.

My filofax is the hub of operations, my little brain companion. Everything is loaded into it and it contains an index to let me know which notebook I need to go to for any specific topic. I cart it with me everywhere and have pages just for brain dumps.

Little Purple

If an idea, task or thought is niggling at your brain and you are worried you will forget, write it down. Brain dumps do not have to be neat, they are just places to capture ideas as they fly across your brain. Put them on paper, email them to yourself, use an electronic note system, something that works for you to dump the thoughts down so you can relax!
Everyone needs to find the way that suits them to ensure their time is managed well and their random thoughts of tasks to do are captured. I like aesthetically pleasing, creative and functional paper based products, others may prefer to use Google Calendar or their phone reminder apps. Let us know in the comments how you manage your time and capture your ideas.

Sharing - AWSN article Profile of Veterans - Mary-Jane

Latest article I wrote for the official AWSN Blog as part of the Profile of Veterans series. You can see the article at this link >>
Profile of Veterans - Mary-Jane <<

SHARING - post from AWSN blog - Where are all the women

I am the Blog manager for the official Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) blog, we had a guest writer this month, Lidia Giuliano, who wrote about the lack of women presenters in the infosec industry and why  she thinks this is. This is such a great article I am sharing the link to it here: >>Where are all the women <<

Happiness Day

This post originally appeared on the Australian Women in Security Blog.


The United Nations, via adviser Jayme Illien, founded the International Day of Happiness, also known as Happiness Day, when the UN resolution 66/281 was unanimously adopted. This day is celebrated on 20 March each year.

Pledging to create more happiness in the world aligns with the goals of the AWSN. By supporting, collaborating with, inspiring and connecting women working in security AWSN can help promote well-being and happiness in these individuals.

On this International Day of Happiness let's reflect on how we can promote kindness, fun and happiness in our own communities.

Flamingo in a flock of pigeons - first published on the Austraian Women in Security Network Blog

Excerpt from a post I wrote that originally appeared on the Australian Women in Security Network Blog

I am all about STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths.  I do not stick to only one subject or thematic topic, instead preferring to explore a wide variety of disciplines. Over the years I have had people express criticism of my need to learn and my eclectic interests. '. 

To these people I say that my hunger for learning:

• has not reached a limit and I doubt it will.
• gives me a broadened outlook.
• gives me the ability to converse on all manner of diverse topics.
• makes me anything but boring.
• enhances my abilities as an employee, enhances my empathy and, enriches my soul.

I am a #GeekGirl and proud!
I am a flamingo in a flock of pigeons!

To read the entire post please go to the Australian Women in Security Network's official blog at this link.



...............................................................................................................

Making Resolutions and keeping them - post first appeared on the AWSN blog

This post in its entirety was first published on the Australian Women in Security Network blog, to see the whole post please go to this link.

As a year ends and another starts it is quite common for people to make resolutions. Sometimes they resolve to lose weight, get fit, stop smoking, pay off debt... endless lists!

According to Statistic Brain however only 9.2% of people succeed in their resolutions and, Business Insider stated that 80% of new year resolutions fail by February of that year!

So how do we make positive improvement resolutions  that we can keep?

Targets are more likely to be achieved if the steps towards them are both realistic and feasible.

When making your plans for 2018, reconsider the standard resolutions that are often made while in party mode and are so vague they never stand a chance of being achieved, and think of two to three main things you wish to do or achieve in the year and make reachable plans on how to bring these into fruition. There is no guarantee that your goals will be achieved in the year, but at least this way you are working towards actual realistic outcomes with tangible steps.

What are your reflections of your resolutions or goals you made in January 2017? Have you achieved these goals/stuck to these resolutions? If yes, what did you do to ensure success? If not, what can you improve on next year to help your success?

Making Resolutions and Keeping them

This post first appeared in full on the Australian Women in Security Network Blog, the following is an excerpt.

I am stunned that we are already at the end of 2017! I know this will echo what many of you are already thinking but where did the year go?

As a year ends and another starts it is quite common for people to make resolutions. Sometimes they resolve to lose weight, get fit, stop smoking, pay off debt... endless lists!

According to Statistic Brain however only 9.2% of people succeed in their resolutions and, Business Insider stated that 80% of new year resolutions fail by February of that year!

So how do we make positive improvement resolutions  that we can keep?

Towards the end of the year I like reflect to on the year that was as I prepare for the year to be. So tonight, I am sitting in our lounge room with a cup of tea, thinking of the year and my goals and what I have achieved and learned. 

Targets are more likely to be achieved if the steps towards them are both realistic and feasible.

When making your plans for 2018, reconsider the standard resolutions that are often made while in party mode and are so vague they never stand a chance of being achieved, and think of two to three main things you wish to do or achieve in the year and make reachable plans on how to bring these into fruition. There is no guarantee that your goals will be achieved in the year, but at least this way you are working towards actual realistic outcomes with tangible steps.

What are your reflections of your resolutions or goals you made in January 2017? Have you achieved these goals/stuck to these resolutions? If yes, what did you do to ensure success? If not, what can you improve on next year to help your success?