Today I’m continuing the theme of tips and productivity hacks that actually work. Are You Using a Co-Working App? Most people rave about working from home—no commute, you can work in your jammies, more flexibility in your schedule which single parents need, and better work-life balance—but there has been one huge drawback I didn’t expect: … Read more
Procrastination isn’t laziness—it’s your brain telling you the next step feels too big. When you’ve been putting something off, you’re not just facing the task itself. You’re facing what Jessica McCabe calls the “Wall of Awful”—all the accumulated guilt, anxiety, and emotional resistance that’s built up from previous avoidance. This wall becomes another obstacle you … Read more
Image by Howard Walsh from Pixabay Years ago I took an Envisioning Workshop hosted by a friend. It was the first time I had seriously sat down to plan out a big project, and I instantly saw how it was a far superior way than I had experienced in professional ‘strategic planning’ workshops that my employers had paid … Read more
by Marianne Graff Originally published on Substack https://mariannable.substack.com/p/10-no-cost-ways-to-get-free-child While I was between homes recently, I stayed with a friend who has 3 kids. We both teach English online, so we started coordinating our schedules so one of us could teach while the other looked after the kids for 2-4 hours at a time. And so … Read more
By Marianne Graff July 15,2025 Photo Credit: Thirdman by Pexels DONATING TO GOODWILL IS NOT ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE PLANET (THERE ARE BETTER ALTERNATIVES) If you are like me, you feel a satisfied warm fuzzy when you put clothing you no longer need itno a donation bin or send it to a recycling centre. But … Read more
by Marianne Graff, Published in April 30,2025 Photo credit: gardeningnoob.com Wool Recycling in Ways you Never Thought of Before Here’s a way to use your old wool blankets, wool stuffing from something, wool sweaters and wool socks with holes in them that I bet you never thought of: fertilize your garden! I saw this video … Read more
by Marianne Graff, Published Tuesday April 9,2025 This catchy word describes an old concept of single Moms banding together to buy or rent a house to share for financial and emotional support reasons What is a Mommune? Mommunes are not a new idea, but they have been given this new name recently, a combination of … Read more
by Marianne Graff Published on March 6, 2025 Photo Credit: Andrew Millison, “How 8,000 Food Forests Grew Africa’s Great Green Wall” https://youtu.be/1LCTVO_Y5Rs?si=VTQYbaBOW6ac1TFd I just posted an article on Substack about a way to created food abundance in your neighbourhood for a few low cost, or for free. https://tinyurl.com/3ttdmbbn It’s an idea akin to ‘seed banking’ … Read more
By Marianne Graff Published on December 30,2024 I recently talked to Line Madore about a community group she is involved with in the Montreal area of the province of Quebec in Canada that is a sociable, fun and easy way to cut her grocery budget in half and get some tasty home made food. The … Read more