Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

My Three Words for 2021

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Annually since 2006, best-selling author and speaker Chris Brogan has focused his year using a simple system he created. It’s called “My Three Words.” It’s designed to “guide [our] actions and choices over the year to come.”  For me, my words are more effective than short-lived New Year’s resolutions and more durable than affirmations.

Ideally, My Three Words becomes part of our daily practice. It’s a shorthand reminder of the things we’ve chosen to focus on and a touchstone to ensure we’re investing our resources (what I call time, talent, and treasure) in alignment with our goals. As an example of how I remember to check in with these words, I write them on every page of my paper planner so that I see them every time I look at my task list.

My Three Words in Public (for the First Time)

I’ve played along for many years but rarely, if ever, shared my three words publicly. That changes now. For 2021, I’ve picked three simple but meaningful words: care, calm, and create.

Three words appear in a white circle on a navy blue background. The words are care, calm, and create.

Care

Everyone needs Tender Loving Care (TLC) sometimes. 2021 is going to be a big year for looking after ourselves and each other.

For me, care encompasses the self-care I need to do to keep myself mentally and physically fit. I want to thrive, not just survive. I know I need long walks, good sleep, healthy foods, some treats, companionship, solitude, connection, and so on. I see care as the things I must do for myself every single day.

Care is also about looking after the people around me. I think of this as community care. My family comes first, of course. I also do what I can to look after my neighbors, my students, my friends, and, sometimes, strangers. This care manifests as practical support and social support, with the occasional infusion of TLC via snail mail.

I also want to embrace a broader worldview of care. I want to counteract “who cares?” online by vanquishing fake news, being alert to bias, looking for gender equality, and seeking diverse views. I can’t fix the internet alone but I can model these behaviors and demonstrate that I care.

Calm

As the carol Silent Night goes, “all is calm, all is bright.” While it’s impossible to be calm all the time, I want calm to be my default state. I’d like to be at peace, aware, and ready for each day. I find I am most productive when I’m calm. At peace, I make better, conscious choices in all areas of my life.

I also have a theory that people who exude calm can create calm in others. I’m sure there’s some psychological term for this. It’s the opposite of mass hysteria. If my calm can ease someone else’s day, that’s a good thing.

Create

Create may be last on my list but it’s my brightest touchstone for the year ahead. I want to make things and make things happen.

Most of my professional projects use words as their building blocks. I’ve got a new book coming out this year. It takes a lot of time, research, energy, and focus to create a book. I can’t wait to share more about this one with you.

I also want to spend more time creating things with paper. I make one-of-a-kind journals, notebooks, calendars, and other practical things at my craft table. I love to play with paper and it’s a hobby that has been frequently neglected in recent years. It’s getting more of my attention in 2021.

And, maybe, along the way, I’ll help create social change as I introduce my university students to topics such as representation, accessibility, and corporate social responsibility.

I also want to inspire them to be mindful of how and when they use social media and guide them to create personalized plans to counteract doomscrolling.

Upon Reflection

In retrospect, my three words for 2020 — scaffold, visualization, and affluence — were complex words for what turned out to be a complicated year. Let’s hope my simpler choices for 2021 reflect an easier year ahead for us all.

Share Your Three Words

If you like, share your three words in the comments or on social media. I’m @AngelaCrocker on Instagram and Twitter. Add #My3Words to join Chris Brogan’s global conversation: Search to see what’s been posted with that hashtag. It is also a great source of inspiration!

 

Online Shopping: For Better or For Worse

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I’m embarrassed to admit online shopping is one of my pandemic coping mechanisms. In the last eight months, I’ve ordered craft supplies from Scrappers’ Cove, masks from Bamboobino, foodie delights from Well Seasoned, and cosmetics from Trinny London. If I’m going to shop too much, I take comfort knowing my purchases support independently owned, female-led businesses.

Angela Crocker with long, dark blonde hair, looks at the camera wearing a fabric facemask with a stars and moons print from Bamboobino; one of Angela's online shopping purchasesOnline grocery shopping also keeps me busy. I have a teenage son who loves produce so we constantly need fresh fruit and vegetables! Ordering online and then picking up is much safer and easier than schlumping a shopping cart around a crowded store.

I’ve also purchased frivolous things online. Every woman needs a collection of 3.5-inch Star Wars action figures, right?

My purchases have kept me entertained, caffeinated, safe, well-fed, and feeling beautiful, with an invisible side order of stress relief, so I consider that money well spent.

Thrill of the Bargain

Bargain hunting adds to the thrill when it comes to online shopping. My mum raised me with a thrifty shopping mantra: on sale, in the bonus size, with a coupon! This trifecta of savings was our ongoing inside joke. Although Mum passed away several years ago, I still share my bargain hunting successes with her in spirit.

Of course, online shopping makes bargain shopping even easier with promotion codes, subscriber perks, BOGO deals, and end-of-season sales.

Consumerism and Environmental Impact

Black Friday has become the ultimate mecca of online shopping bargains. Yet, the excessive consumerism is worrying and the environmental impact is staggering. This makes me conflicted about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday shopping.

The sheer volume of goods on offer makes it hard to shop only for the things on your shopping list. This is one of those moments when savvy marketers can overrun our self-restraint with a compelling sales pitch. Add in the promotions, and it becomes increasingly hard to resist.

I worry about the environmental impacts of online shopping. I do my best to reuse and recycle the shipping boxes, packing peanuts, and bubble wrap but some packaging inevitably goes straight to landfill. Then, there’s the carbon footprint of the planes, trains, and automobiles that bring packages to my door. Maybe I should look into buying carbon offsets?

Despite the risk of overspending and the environmental impacts, online shopping is still the safest way to shop right now.

Online Shopping Tips

As the holiday gift giving season approaches and we’re all about to do more online shopping than usual, I thought it might be helpful to share some online shopping tips:

  • Shop mindfully: When it’s time to shop, try to shop mindfully. Prepare a list of your needs and wants in advance and think about how much money you have to spend. That preparation may help you resist promotions and take advantage of any online shopping bargains you find.
  • Pre-shop: If you frequently shop at certain retailers, consider building a wish list or adding items to your shopping cart in advance of the next sale or promotion code. I do this regularly with Reitmans as they have frequent sales; my favorite is their time-limited, 40% off everything (almost) sale.
  • Empty shopping cart: Be alert to retailers that empty your shopping cart after a certain amount of time has passed. You might also lose the items in your shopping cart if you accidentally close your browser tab. Oops! You don’t want your pre-shopping efforts to go to waste. Work around this issue by creating an account on the website.
  • Free shipping: Know that free shipping isn’t really free. If the retailer offers free shipping, then the cost of shipping is built into the product price. Sometimes the same product plus shipping is cheaper on another site. Also, remember that free shipping is used as an incentive to get you to buy more. For example, you might go to the site wanting one $25 item but you end up spending $75 to get free shipping. Ask yourself if you really need those extra items.

Stretch Your Budget

Whether money is tight or you love the thrill of bargain hunting, there are lots of techniques you can use to get more for your money while online shopping, such as:

  • Loyalty programs: Certain brands offer loyalty programs where you get points or discounts based on your purchases. Often, points can be redeemed for free products or you’ll get a deeper discount next time you shop.
  • Seek promotions: If you’re online shopping, retailers won’t always make the extra discounts or promotions obvious. Take time to read the fine print on the digital flyer, check your most recent email from the company, or look on their social media feeds. Often, that extra effort will help you find promotion codes or gift-with-purchase codes to maximize your shopping perks.
  • Pick your currency: If you are shopping online with a retailer outside your home country, then look to see what currencies they offer. By default, Canadian customers are typically shown US dollars but sometimes the exchange rate is better if you switch to Australian dollars or British pounds.
  • Import fees: Be alert to import charges including brokerage fees, duties, and taxes owing. If this is your first time online shopping with a company outside of Canada, you may be surprised to discover the final price far exceeds the purchase price. The courier company will require you to pay these fees before your package is delivered. The duty varies depending on the country of origin and the product category. As a general rule, I assume anything I import will cost me 30% to 50% more than the purchase price. If you want a more precise calculation, use this calculator from the Canada Border Services Agency.

Protect Your Money

While online shopping is convenient, it’s also an easy way to have a scammer steal your credit card information. This can result in identity theft and wreak havoc with your credit score. Take time to protect your money with these tips:

  • Stay safe: Be alert to sketchy retailers. There are lots of spammy websites filled with malware out there. Examine the URL closely. Does it look like a legitimate web address or are there extra letters or punctuation before the dot com? Does the website address start with HTTPS? HTTP sites are more vulnerable and you should avoid sharing personal information with them, especially credit card details. Look for a contact information page and search Google Maps to see if their physical address is real. If you hover over (don’t click!) an email address does it match the website address? Check social media to see if the links on the company profile match the website you’re investigating. These are just a few of the quick tests you can do to stay safe when online shopping.
  • Make secure payments: You’ll almost always need a credit card to shop online. Some retailers will use PayPal, Verified By Visa, Shopify, or a similar system to secure your credit card information. Look for secure payment sites and be careful not to authorize ongoing payments.
  • Returns: One of the trickiest parts of online shopping is when the items arrive at your door and they’re not right. You might receive the wrong item or the wrong quantity. I find clothing and shoes really tricky as it’s easy and frustrating to get the wrong size. Returns are a huge hassle as you’ve got to package them up, go to the post office, stand in line, and, sometimes, pay return postage. Check those return policies before buying, just in case.

Shop as a Global Citizen

While I’m making best efforts to curb my pandemic stress shopping, I will continue to shop online for years to come. To make that opportunity sustainable, I keep these guiding principles in mind:

  • Shop locally: Even if you’re online shopping, you can still shop locally. 2020 is a make-or-break year for many small and independent businesses so spend your money in your community, if you can.
  • Pick up your order: If you are shopping locally, arrange to pick up your order if that makes sense. One quick trip out to scoop up several packages might have less environmental impact than a series of delivery trucks at your front door.
  • Buy bulk: The environmental impacts of online shopping can also be reduced if you place fewer, larger orders. Buy big to minimize the number of shipments. For example, when I buy my tea from Murchies, I purchase the equivalent of about 500 tea bags: that’s roughly a 100-day supply for my family. Yes, we drink a lot of tea!
  • Find a community: Super fans of many brands gather in private groups on social media. If there are brands you love, consider joining their communities to get insider information and build online friendships with  fellow fans. One of my favorites is the body-positive, gender inclusive, fashion loving people in Trinny Tribe Canada, for fans of Trinny London’s cosmetics and skincare.Some of Angela's online shopping including Trinny London T-Tone gift set and scrapbooking paper purchased from Scrappers Cove

As an added bonus, incoming online shopping emails are a great opportunity to declutter your data. One of my most popular blog posts, Black Friday Unsubscribe Bonanza, talks about how you can use the onslaught of emails to clean up your inbox.

 

For the Love of Teachers

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TL;DR: Teachers, I see you. I care. It’s okay not to be okay. Ideas to help below.

Dear fellow teachers,

With a solemn expression, Angela Crocker, thinking about teachrers, sits at her oak rolltop desk surrounded by books.
Photo credit: WendyD.ca (2019)

Whether you teach K-12, postsecondary, or some other training, there are a lot of extras in our work. Every teacher’s experience is different. One of my friends teaches high school social studies, another teaches elementary school music, while I teach adult students in a business program at a polytechnic university. We all go above and beyond to support our students. I think this is a trait universal to all teachers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are having to embrace technology at all levels of education more than ever before. From virtual classroom lessons to videoconference parent-teacher meetings and office hours, we’re on our computers all day every day. Let’s not forget the endless PowerPoint slide decks and that relentless email inbox that add to our technology hangover at the end of each day. Oh boy, what a hangover it can be!

Student stress is our stress

Students’ stress compounds teachers’ stress. Of course, there’s the usual worry about exams and assignments; about classroom management and, sometimes, discipline. The pandemic adds additional layers of worry with masks, handwashing, physical distancing, deep cleaning, technology, and so on.

K-12 students are struggling. Younger students are uncertain why all these extra measures are needed and some lack the self-regulation skills to follow the safety rules. Older students are learning to maintain their social connections through gaming, Discord, Instagram, and TikTok which comes with other known risks to monitor. They’re also stressing out about exams and how to apply to university or other higher education. At the same time, it’s difficult for teachers and parents to provide support for students who need physical assistance, struggle with executive functioning online, or require other accommodations.

Adult student stress is exacerbated

The additional stressors my adult students share with me are overwhelming at times. Some are facing housing insecurity. Others have lost their low-paying jobs or, worse, are having to report to workplaces where COVID safety protocols are not being enforced.

I’ve also got students worried about ill or injured family members in the hospital. Even more are concerned for elders in seniors’ care — a hot zone for COVID-19 outbreaks — or are being pressed into unpaid roles as caregivers to fill gaps in the system.

And, unusually, more than a dozen of my current students are pregnant plus I teach a handful of expectant fathers. If this is a representative sample, there’s no doubt there will be a pandemic baby boom in 2021!

It’s okay not to be okay

Students of all ages are struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses as their home lives are turned upside down. Teachers are struggling with these issues, too. Collectively, our capacity to cope is diminished while we’re being asked to carry more than a full load. Frankly, everyone could use more hugs and more naps right now.

Intellectually, I know that it’s okay not to be okay. I’m sure other teachers can intellectualize that, too. But, it’s important to know that we can and should seek mental health support. Talk to your school’s human resources department and your family doctor to obtain local referrals.

“Not okay” isn’t a permanent state. In my experience, it comes and goes from day to day. Often, the bad days line up with crummy decisions. Lately, I’ve stayed up too late watching Netflix, eaten too many carbs, and let my daily walking routine lose momentum. Oops. But mental health is so much more than just making the right choices. Please seek help, as needed.

How to help yourself

Even those teachers who appear calm are participating in the tornado of emotions and task lists swirling around them all.

When I wrote The Content Planner, I created a master list of things to do to overcome writer’s block. (If you have a copy of the book, you’ll find it on pages 44–45.). I recently reread that list and discovered that many of those techniques are helpful in teaching, too. I’ve adapted that list for you here. Consider these actions:

  • Breathe: Take a moment to focus on your breath. Inhale deeply, hold the air a moment, and then exhale slowly. Try square breathing, too.
  • Eat and drink: You might be dehydrated or have low blood sugar. Fuel your body.
  • Enjoy comfort foods: During a crisis like a pandemic, comfort might supersede calories. To save the stress of excess pounds later, aim for comfort foods in moderation, if you can.
  • Step away: Move from your desk and do something else. Look at family photos on your computer, take up knitting, or make a cup of tea. Keep your hands busy. Let your mind rest.
  • Take a nap: A 20-minute power snooze can reset your brain. You’ll return refreshed. But be sure to set an alarm. Sleep any longer and you’ll wake up feeling groggy.
  • Switch tools: If you usually teach using PowerPoint slides, try distributing a digital handout and lecturing on camera instead.
  • Turn your camera off: I think we should cultivate a digital culture where camera-off is okay sometimes.

    Doodle sketch of four petal flowers in magenta water colour over black ink as an example for teachers. Johanna Basford inspired.
    Flower doodle by Angela Crocker
  • Doodle or color: Adult coloring can help you focus. It can also reduce anxiety and help you sleep better. As you color a design, your subconscious mind calms itself and rejuvenates. I know teachers who do this while their students are at recess.
  • Create a ritual for the beginning and end of each day: Try a virtual commute. If you are teaching in a virtual classroom from home, this can help distinguish between home time and work time.
  • Break it down: Split a big task into smaller tasks. Look at today’s lessons only and worry about next week when you’ve got more capacity.
  • Make a checklist: Enjoy the satisfaction of ticking off a box on the list as each teaching task is complete. Lots of teachers make a list of marking to be done – me included!
  • Practice self-care: I’ve recently learned that self-care isn’t all bubble baths and pedicures, but sometimes something simple such as a couple minutes rubbing in your favorite hand lotion can be comforting.
  • Get some exercise: While group fitness classes are closed, a simple walk or run around the block can help. Longer distances are great, too, if your body is up for it. Time permitting, get out in nature as often as you can.

Communication is key

Teachers excel at self-sufficiency. They appear to be able to do it all, but sometimes that’s not enough and the stress ends up taking a toll. So many teachers sacrifice their own well-being to support their students. It’s a pattern we need to break but that seems hard to achieve in the middle of a pandemic.

Human connections are essential and that can start with a simple conversation.

Teachers are blessed to have many like-minded colleagues. Take time to talk shop with someone at your school or connect with school administrators, as needed.

Sometimes it helps to talk about worrying, stressful, and frustrating situations privately. Talk to someone you trust — your spouse, your best friend, etc. Their role is to be a good listener and to maintain the cone of silence.

Social chats help, too. I regularly participate in two online chats with friends. One is affectionately known as “stitch and bitch” while the other is “wine and whine.” Both are cathartic.

Talking to a certified counselor can also be cathartic. Most are currently taking appointments by phone or video chat and there are lots of options to choose from. Paid sessions may be covered, in full or in part, by your extended health care plan. Free sessions are often made available through schools, employers, and public health. Many counseling offices have added additional staff and online self-study resources to respond to the additional need for support during the pandemic.This includes government-funded support like the Mindshift™ CBT and BounceBack programs in British Columbia.

I see you, teachers

I’ll end this here with one last thought: I see you. There’s little teachers can do to change the state of the pandemic and, truthfully, the regular stresses of teaching aren’t going away when the pandemic ends. I know and share your struggles. Without doubt, well-being is important. Teachers, I applaud you for doing great work and making do as best that you can.

Take care,

Angela

P.S.  I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how you’re doing in the comments or send me an email.