So you know that 20 minutes of intention thing I’m doing? It turns out my 20 minutes are not spent writing. At least not here. I did take some time the other night to get caught up on some things on my to-do list, but my writing here is taking a bit of a hit. I think part of the problem is that I have a few posts in draft that are basically complete but not really working for me. So I’m kind of stuck.
If you’d like to read some recent posts (pretty please?) you can find the story of the first stages of my postpartum depression diagnosis on Huffington Post. I think it accurately sums up the depth of my denial.
I also wrote another piece for Postpartum Progress – 6 reasons having a baby after PPD is easier. Not everyone agrees with this, of course, but it makes the discussion around this really interesting.
I’ll share some more thoughts on the 20 minutes experiment soon, but one thing it has confirmed is that I am spectacularly talented at wasting time on the computer. And on my phone. And on my iPad. I knew this already, which is one of the reasons I wanted to take up this challenge. In part I blame my slightly misfiring, sleep-deprived synapses, which make it very easy to zone out in front of a screen and only process something as long as a tweet or a status update. But it’s also a habit, and one I need to work harder to break.
But here’s the good news: One of the sites I’ve been browsing around on benefits you too. Have you heard of NOVICA?
NOVICA is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites, and they work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. Their site includes thousands of items – jewelry, apparel, art, home decor, and corporate gifts.
The what’s-in-it-for-you part (because I like to help Do Good Things): I was offered a gift certificate for an item from the NOVICA website (I’m thinking this “distraction” necklace might be appropriate right now), and I’ve got a $50 gift certificate for one of you to go shopping too.
I will confess that I’ve already spent ages browsing around this site. There’s so much incredible stuff on there, and I love reading about the artisans. The site lets you search by region, which I think is a really cool option for finding their stories.
They’ve also got NOVICA Curation, which is a feature that lets you create your own curated collections of products. It includes the option to add mood shots from their growing image library, making it — as they describe it — “like Pinterest… only more responsive, and all for a great cause!” And if you create a collection board you will have a chance to win a trip to Machu Picchu.
(See? Hours of browsing fun, I’m telling you.)
Here are some quick links to some of the sections, but I dare you to go on there and not get lost in all the great stuff. I bet you can’t do it.
Unique gifts for men
Chess gifts
Gifts for the executive
Unique gifts
Necklaces for her
Romantic gifts for her
Unique gifts for women
So I’d say all my unintentional distraction has a nice outcome for you, don’t you think?
Happy shopping!
Disclosure: I was given a gift certificate for this and one to share with you, but was not otherwise compensated for sharing this. I just like this site’s mission and want to help promote it. And I like looking at jewelry…
