I had such an incredible experience speaking at Alt Summit a couple weeks ago. I thought about and worked on my presentation for weeks leading up to the conference, even telling myself on several occasions “You’re spending way to much energy on this thing!” Ha! I felt great about how it went, and asked my sister to sit on the front row and record it, so I could share it with more than the fifty people in the room. We sat down to watch as a family, and the boys thought it was super cool for about thirty seconds, then went on to play while Dave and I finished it out. The video presentation is now available to watch here on YouTube (also embedded below). It is about a half-hour long, so not a quick watch-in-line-at-the-grocery-store type of video. If you do watch it, I’d love to hear what you think!

I also want to share some of the resources that I’ve used to explore the ideas that I talk about in my Energy is Everything series.

Here are some of the books, articles, and blogs that have helped me form the ideas that I’ve been sharing. Of course a great deal of personal experience, reflection, and little things just not working well in my own life have also contributed. And I continue to learn and grow along my journey of finding happiness and balance in each new day.

Essentialism is a really great book that inspired me to consider my core goals and reprioritize.

Minimalist Parenting helped me put some of the ideas of simplifying into the context of family life, rather than just personal or professional. (Here‘s a short version).

Daring Greatly is a fantastic starting place for rediscovering who you are and becoming okay with it.

The Capsule Wardrobe is what I refer to in the video, and something that has greatly helped in my decision reduction.

This article about Decision Fatigue, shared with me by a friend, hugely helped me understand some of the feelings I have when overstimulated with choices.

Stefan began my wake-up call to a more fulfilling life back in 2013, and I love his ideas about taking time off and being more happy.

I am excited to continue learning and sharing. Last week was my first full week home for the summer with our nanny spending two mornings with the kids while I worked and recharged. I was efficient, interested, and having that time specifically set aside made such a difference because it encouraged me to plan my hours off. I went right in the studio and got lost in my projects, which is such a fun experience for me. I ended up spending less time on them than expected, and was able to have a great break to sew just for fun, which I love.

(photos above by Brooke Dennis for Alt Summit.)