Tag: Wellness

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365 Coaching Tips: 148th, 149th and 150th

May 28th Coaching Tip: Six Questions for Your Budget.

Talked to my godson recently and he mentioned how important it was that I taught him how to budget in minutes. It was one of those many moments for me that I actually don’t actually recall ever having with him; however, for him it was a moment that definitely impacted him, and he’s shared the budgeting tips with his friends for years now.

Let’s get the ball rolling here by answering these questions about your income and expenses to help you establish your budget. 1) What is your total income? 2) What is your net income (after taxes, 401K, health insurance and social security are deducted from your paycheck, if applicable), 3) What do you want to save for and why? i.e. $5,000 emergency savings account or $40,000 for a home downpayment or $15,000 for a few months off to study or travel. 4) What are your monthly mandatory bills, i.e. food, housing, utilities, cell phone, and car or transportation expenses. 5) What are your discretionary monthly bills, i.e. health insurance, dining out, clothing, entertainment, gifts/parties, etc. 6) What is your monthly debt that is NOT housing, i.e. Visa, Mastercard, loan payback to parents and friends, etc.

Once you understand these six questions, take five to ten minutes to answer them. Your MONTHTLY net income needs to be MORE than all of your MONTHLY mandatory expenses, discretionary expenses and your debt. If you are positive, then you have the ability to save even more. If your expenses are higher than your net income, then you must a) find ways to increase your income (work a second job, have a side hustle, etc.) and b) also find ways to reduce your expenses. For example, during my 25 years at Caterpillar, I made my lunch in the morning and took it to work most days that I was in the office. Let’s assume that I saved $7/lunch during the 25 years, working in the office those days that I brought my lunch of 180 days equates to a $31,500 savings just by bringing my own lunch. Another cost saver that we still implement is that we go only out to eat one evening a week. And, since I’ve been 21 years old, I have contributed to my company’s 401K and all the companies have matched my contribution partially or fully. Experts call this, “pay yourself first” by having savings automatically deducted from your paycheck. When it’s auto-deducted, you tend not to notice it since it never becomes a part of your discretionary budget. Know how to answer these six questions on your budget.

May 29th Coaching Tip: Get Yourself A Mentor.

Yes, I’m 60 and I found my mentor for my next couple decades. We met back in 2012 when he hired me to be the VP of Marketing for a tech startup. Fast forward to 2025, he has been working with a number of tech startup companies, helping 20-30 year old entrepreneurs build up their company and grow it, to ultimately sell. He’s 10 years older than me and I look forward to learning what he did from 60 to 70 years old, and then implementing many of his tips and tactics. He’s family oriented, enjoys makes memories, very healthy and sports focused, lives in the same areas (Naples, FL and Carmel, IN) as me, etc. I look forward to learning from my mentor, as we both agree, our best chapters in our life’s book are ahead of us. Get yourself a mentor.

May 30th Coaching Tip: Celebrate Your Wins.

After selling two homes recently, it was time to celebrate. One of the homes in Westfield, IN, was sold to a couple who was well prepared, and we closed on a price $6,000 over list price (we had 4 offers in 48 hours of the listing) in just two weeks. The other home in Delray Beach, FL, also sold to a young couple at list price; although they were not as prepared, my realtor helped them actually get their financing completed to finalize the closing before the end of May.

Why celebrate? Because I challenged myself to buy both of these homes during COVID when times were a bit weird and unknown. Fast forward to 5 years later, by selling these two homes is allowing me to do another project closer to my college home of Indiana University. We are in the midst of remodeling a 95-year-old farmhouse with a green metal roof; the nearly 10 acres has a couple barns, a “she-shed”, and a chicken coup. We will celebrate there soon with a house and barn warming party, complete with a DJ playing music, and having fun with the indoor pickleball and basketball courts. Celebrate Your Wins!

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365 Coaching Tips: 145th, 146th and 147th

May 25th Coaching Tip: Explore.

Invited some friends to come over to Indianapolis and Carmel, IN for the weekend to go explore downtown Carmel and then join us to see the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Our group of nine ranged from eight years old to 63; two black men in their 30’s; a married couple; and another couple. My bestie and I went to explore the parking situation a couple days prior to the Indy 500 since it’s the race is sold out; we have four different groups coming in for the race, so we had to have a common location for everyone to show up. It worked! We all showed up between 8:30-10:40am, had an early tailgate, then walked to the race Sunday morning. One of the guys wore a hat with the word “Explore” on it. He was exploring; he had never been to the Indy 500, he wasn’t even a fan of racing, but he was ready to explore.

Now in my sixth decade, I’m all about truly making memories and giving people the chance to see and experience new things and/or things that I deeply love and cherish. By the end of the evening, I had received the sweetest thank you’s from all involved. Explore!

May 26th Coaching Tip: Memorial Day.

Although I haven’t lost anyone directly close to me in the line of military duty, we choose to honor those who have lost their lives while serving our country. Today, I am wearing my Navy t-shirt. My grandfather George was called to Navy duty in the last year of WWII when he was 33 years old, married and had a son (my father). My partner’s dad was a Navy pilot after WWII. We choose to honor them, as their efforts definitely helped us have the freedom to celebrate today.

May 27th Coaching Tip: Get Checked Out.

Couple months ago I noticed a dark spot on my left arm had developed. It was close to a spot that I had removed a few years ago. In no real rush, I scheduled a full dermatology checkup for when I returned to Carmel in mid-May. Welp, the spot that I thought was concerning was actually a good ole age spot; however, the doc found a basal cell spot on my right arm. Glad he checked me over, because I had not even noticed it. Today, I got it removed, just one week after it being noticed. Be courageous and intentional regarding your wellness; don’t wait, get checkout out. (My father had multiple spots of skin problems, and his ears took a toll due to him being outside so much as a farmer, worker, and horse trainer. He regularly visited the dermatologist and had them addressed.)

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365 Coaching Tips: 136th, 137th & 138th

May 16th Coaching Tip: Weather Warnings.

Pay attention to the weather and listen to when the weather experts are issuing warnings. For most of the week, the news and weather channels were warning parts of the country about incoming severe thunderstorms that could potentially create tornadoes. This is how quick the weather changed on a nice spring afternoon. At 4:00pm until 5:45pm, I was sitting outside with my neighbors chatting and watching a softball game. As I jumped in my car to head to my 6:00pm haircut, I called those same neighbors quickly and said, “The weather in the west looks ominous. Can you guys take down my flags and move some stuff inside?” They got in to motion quickly. By 6:30pm, my haircut was done and I drove to get some groceries and then headed north to our lakeside condo. As I was looking west and also at the radar on my phone, the storm looked like it was going to stay south as I was intending to drive a bit north. But all of the sudden the tornado sirens started blaring and I knew that I needed to get to the condo quickly to be safe. I drove quickly to the condo…only to find out later that the worst winds were happening right as I was entering my condo. Pay attention to weather warnings; it can be a matter of life or death, as more than 30 people across the Midwest died that evening.

May 17th Coaching Tip: Take A Lazy Day.

This coaching tip is simple. Sometimes you just need a lazy day. Take it. You have to listen to your body. Being good to your body is a vote for YOUR overall wellness. Take a lazy day.

May 18th Coaching Tip: Avoid The Head-On Collision.

It was a lovely Sunday morning as my mother was driving from her home in Kentland, IN to make a quick stop in Lafayette and then travel on to meet our family for a baby shower in Pendleton, IN. This is her seventh great grandchild, and these events are beloved by my mother. As she was just 20 minutes into her trip, some type of truck started heading directly at her. She avoided the head-on collision and the side-swipe by this truck, she quickly reacted, but both tires on the passenger side hit the curb and immediately went flat due to the sudden impact. My mother got her car pulled over at a gas station very close by, regained her composure, and although she was shaking a bit, called me to tell me what had just happened and that she was ok.

She and I quickly developed a plan to get her car insurance involved to fix the tires/get the car towed, and then my partner and I got the wheels literally rolling. My partner drove to the exact location where my mother was; mom was already identifying who had the tire size available and who was open to install them on a Sunday afternoon. Fast forward to 7:00pm…my mother and I did make it to the shower a couple hours late, then returned to pick up her car in Lafayette. The two new tires were installed and I followed her awhile to help ensure her confidence. The biggest decision she made all day: avoid the head-on collision.

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365 Coaching Tips: 130th, 131st and 132nd

May 10th Coaching Tip: Say No to Price Increases.

Ever had that feeling when you’re feeling like you’re being taken advantage of? For example, maybe your internet bill keeps creeping up higher and higher, then all of the sudden, the $35/month jumped to $50/month to $75/month? Welp, that just happened to me. Services that are doubling in costs may be ok to some people, but I’m saying no. I switched and locked in a 4-year guaranteed rate of $55/month with unlimited data and 1G. Say no to price increases that make your skin crawl. Have the courage to say no, take a few minutes and make the change, and take care of YOU!

May 11th Coaching Tip: Mothers love Mother’s Day.

Mothers love mother’s day. Why? Because it is ALL about them. And all they want is to be recognized, be around their kids and grandkids, share a meal, play a game, tell some stories, laugh, and spend time together. It’s pretty simple, and yet, why is that so many people miss it or “underthink it” or forget to even get a handwritten note, card, flowers, a treat for their mom? Not sure I understand, but it’s easy to resolve. Put a reminder on your calendar a week prior to Mother’s Day to help you be prepared and make it about her. Mothers love mother’s day.

May 12th Coaching Tip: The Best Want Feedback.

At the end of my day today, I coached one of the best female advisors in our company. She felt a bit stuck, as she mentioned that she hadn’t got much done since our convo in January. However, she is growing via referrals, especially with women, and plans to hire 1-2 more talented teammates by midyear. She’s also adding an intern for the summer. We also discussed how a couple of her teammates cannot get out of the day to day work, and do the more important work. By the end of the call, we had identified 3-5 prioritized things that she and her team can do this summer with the intern to help automate her practice to free up time for teammates, focus on the clients that she wants to replicate, and refocus the amount of time spent with segments of her clients. By the end of the call, she was smiling and was ready to set up the next call. The best leaders want feedback. They also want to be heard. Listen, listen, and then lean in.

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365 Coaching Tips: 115th, 116th and 117th

April 25th Coaching Tip: Flat Stanley Taught Us.

Our friend’s daughter sent me a package with the Flat Stanley instructions and a hand-colored Flat Stanley. If you are unfamiliar with Flat Stanley, join the club; I wasn’t either. However, the instructions were simple to understand and on one page. The essence of this game with Flat Stanley is to take him (hand-colored lil Flat Stanley) with you as you visit places, take photos of him, and then fill out a photo book with the photos that we took of Flat Stanley as he spent a couple days with us. Flat Stanley visited the beach, got to see some palm and banyan trees, visited where I work, saw a sunset, joined us for dinner, and even met our waiter, Mario. When I pulled out our Flat Stanley, Mario quickly said, “I vividly remember the Flat Stanley exercise in elementary.” Isn’t that amazing that an adult remembers this exercise so vividly over 20 years later?

Guess who else learned a bunch? We did. On the final page of the photo book was a number of questions about the state that Flat Stanley visited. We learned so much about Florida; the state bird is the Northern Mockingbird. The state tree is the cabbage palm. The state song is Suwanee River. The nickname is Sunshine State. The motto is “In God We Trust”. The largest city is Jacksonville, FL, with nearly 1 million people. The state is the 22nd largest (in square miles) in the USA. Flat Stanely helped us learn and it was a joy spending time with him and helping our friend’s daughter complete her school project. It’s all packaged up and ready to be mailed to her tomorrow. Flat Stanley taught us, too.

April 26th Coaching Tip: Play Til The End.

Last night during the Denver Nuggets playoff game at the LA Clippers, the score was tied with a few seconds remaining. The Clippers had mounted an incredible 32-9 run in the fourth quarter, putting Denver on its heels. With the score tied and six seconds remaining, Denver Nugget’s best player took a “last” shot which ended up being an airball. But, with the clock running down, another Nugget’s teammate, Aaron Gordon, saw that the shot was going to be short and jumped up to grab it and made a dunk…with .01 on the clock. That’s not ONE second; that’s .01 or 1/10th of a second! This was the perfect example of “playing to the very last moment, playing to the end.” How many times in life do we slow down at the end or we don’t do our job expecting others to execute or we think we will just do it tomorrow or we say, “let’s go into overtime.” Aaron Gordon taught us to play to the end!

April 27th Coaching Tip: Prioritize Recovery.

Yesterday was an intense day for my senior games preparation. (My goal is to compete (again) in the Indiana games on June 7, and then the National Senior Games in Des Moines in early August. The events are the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m runs; I’m also going to do the basketball shooting at Nationals.) After shooting baskets for 32 minutes, I headed to the nearby middle school’s track where I ran six-100m’s and two-200m’s, did some leg strengthening and took two walks. Burned nearly 1,000 calories; it was mid-day, about 85 degrees and a light breeze. Hydration and the hot tub were both priorities after that intense workout. As you might imagine, today is all about recovery. We scheduled an hour massage, after a slow morning walk. Now I’m heading to the pool to swim a couple laps…and take a nap by the pool. Our neighbors brought us some homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, so we don’t even have to do food prep today. Take time to keep your body healthy by prioritizing recovery after intense days. As a 60 year old, being fit and healthy for me is a blend of appropriate strength and cardio HIIT training, proper nutrition (80% of the time), 7+ hours of sleep, enjoying the work and purpose in our life, and allowing the brain and body to have time to recover. Your body (and mind) deserve it. Prioritize recovery.

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365 Coaching Tips: 73rd, 74th and 75th

March 14th Coaching Tip: Health Matters.

Today I received a call from a leader that I’ve known for nearly a decade. He was looking for advice on next steps for a work/career change. We discussed these three questions: are you living where you want to live, are you doing what you want to be doing, and are you with who you want to be with? After talking thru those questions, then we dug a bit deeper and discussed: are you living a healthy life? are you at the health and fitness level that you desire? Suddenly, the conversation turned to, “no, I’m not…I’m not happy with my lack of exercise and sleep, poor nutrition, less than normal vitals (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol).” Of course there are other considerations like annual compensation, long term or deferred comp, risk, management style, outstanding debt, buy-in from the family, etc., however, this leader realized that it was unhealthy for him to remain in his current role.

We will talk again in a couple weeks, as I gave him some follow up work to be completed. With a number of my coaching clients, the conversations start in one direction (about a job or a situation), but then it turns into a much deeper situation. In this case, health matters more than anything else. As a coach, it’s my responsibility to stay present to hear the nuggets of the true problem. Health matters.

March 15th Coaching Tip: Communicate in Advance.

Sometimes we have contracts or situations where we need a 60-day in advance notice. I have those with my tenants, as leases come up for renewal, i.e. 60-day notice if the tenant expects to exit the lease or 60-day notice if I decide not to renew the lease or sell the property. How do I stay on top of these 60-day notices? I put a reminder in my iphone calendar that is approximately 75 days in advance. This allows me to give plenty of a “heads up” to the other party, and it is usually met with a response, “thanks, I had forgot, let me/us get back to you.” Communicating in advance can typically help things move along smoothly and with less stress.

March 16th Coaching Tip: Three Options.

Ever walked down a grocery aisle and notice that there are 40-50 different types of whatever? Tortilla chips and bread are examples and the options go on and on in other categories. The mass amount of selections can be overwhelming. For years, I’ve shared with many that my brain thinks in threes or like the triangle figure. The triangle is the strongest structure, and it helps bring focus to me quite quickly. You may witness me bringing my thumbs and pointer fingers together to form a triangle, as I summarize or articulate three points. With my real estate remodeling projects, I tell my contractors to get me three options, and I can decide quite quickly.

Figure out what works for you. How do you simplify how you make decisions? Embrace a way to make decisions. For me, it’s three options. Make your decision and move on. Rarely do I have regret.

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365 Coaching Tips: 46, 47 and 48

February 15th Coaching Tip: Squeeze It In.

Today was a day with a full list, but I was operating on less than five hours of sleep. Instead of having an intense workout, I chose instead to squeeze in my workout throughout my day. For an hour, I organized and moved some furniture around in our small condo, went on a walk to check the boat dock and to take the trash to the dumpster. Then during a college basketball game, I did my 3 sets of squats, crunches, pushups and lunges during the game’s timeouts. During halftime of the game, I went on a 12-minute walk. Then, 10 minutes before my mom arrived, I knocked on my neighbor’s door to get caught up with them and also carried a bag of snow melt for them to use for their steps and sidewalk, since a storm is on its way. Squeeze it in; you can do so many things that keep you motivated, organized, and purposeful.

February 16th Coaching Tip: Reward Them.

It’s 9am on a winter morning and I hear a few knocks at my front door, after a late night of freezing rain and 2-3″ of snow. The two 14-year-old boys are standing there at my front step with their new snow shovels. One of the boys asks, “can we shovel your driveway and sidewalk?” I almost said no, but then I thought for a quick second: here are some kids that want some spending money and are working early on a Sunday morning. “Yes, you can shovel my sidewalk and all around my mom’s car in the driveway.” The two got to work, and even their nine-year-old brother had a shovel and he was competitive and shoveling just as fast as the older kids. When they knocked on the door for their $20, I went out and inspected their work. Good work, but gave them some tips on ensuring that their shoveling resulted in straighter lines. Also asked them to use a broom to knock the snow off of mom’s car. We then talked about all the businesses that they could start, and by simply looking around us, we saw a fencing business, car detailing business, painting business, landscape and snow removal businesses, etc. It was fun for me watching their creativity blossom about potential business opportunities. Reward the ones who show up early and are ready to go to work. Reward them!

February 17th Coaching Tip: Safety First.

Overnight, we had freezing rain and then it snowed 2-3 inches. The wind was blowing 15-20mph all day, and it was below 30 degrees. Getting my mom safely to her car was a top priority; we warmed up her car, defrosted the windows, put some snow melt down to help ensure there was no icy surface. We left plenty early to get to my brother’s home and visit w/ the family, have lunch, and see the two new babies. We were able to drive slowly and safely and embrace the “defensive driving” lesson we all learned in driver’s training. When we got to see the babies, we washed our hands before holding them, again, to be safe and keep them healthy. On the way home, I helped mom by leading the way as she followed behind. As she went north and I proceeded south and got home sooner, I utilized the “find my” App on my iPhone to keep track of her progress. We all had a safe day, because we had a safety-first mindset. It’s worth it; take your time, prep, and think about others. Safety first.

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365 Coaching Tips: Now on day 7, 8 & 9

It takes commitment and consistent execution to implement a new habit, and I’m really liking this new habit of identifying a coaching tip (or trend) daily. We have made the first hurdle of implementing a new habit, and that’s doing it intentionally for at least one week.

January 7th Coaching Tip: Be Specific. With the new year beginning and my coaching work ramping up, a number of my coaching sessions have been focused on “I want to grow my business.” I simply ask, “can you be more specific?” That’s when it can get quiet. The silence spurs more questions from me. Ultimately, these types of questions get asked: “how will you grow”, “how will you spend your time differently”, “who are you targeting”, “what should you not do this year”, “which type of clients do you want to replicate”. The more specific that you can be about what you want to accomplish, I find it’s more likely that you will be successful. And further research indicates that if you write down, share them with key people, and then make them visible, you are much more likely to succeed. For example, I have post-it notes on my mirrors and desks that remind me of my quarterly goals. Everyday, I am looking at those specific goals.

January 8th Coaching Tip: Backup Plans. We don’t want to think about backup plans, but when we have them, we sure are happy when we can quickly and somewhat effortlessly put them in motion. Today, on two different occasions, I was working with coaching situations where there was no backup planning by the coachee; they had one plan and just assumed it would go as planned. As I asked a few questions, I could quickly tell that they needed to think more broadly and thoughtfully, regarding a backup/2nd or even a 3rd scenario. One situation was already in turmoil and they were in triage mode, losing sleep, begging for assistance, etc. We quickly put together a plan for a 2nd and 3rd option in both cases. Backup plans are necessary for many stages in our life journey; don’t be surprised when things re-route you. Have a plan and be ready to pivot, or at least somewhat ready.

January 9th Coaching Tip: Measure Frequently. If any of my coachees want to execute on a new goal, I ask them, “what are you measuring, and how frequently are you measuring it?” For example, one of my coachees wants to grow their business by 15% in 2025. We talked about reviewing the results monthly, measuring progress weekly, and assessing and tracking daily activity that contributes to growth. For me, I have some goals this summer to be able to run faster. Therefore, I’m tracking three things daily: my VO2MAX level on my Apple watch, my weight every morning, and my times when I run sprints weekly. If my VO2MAX increases, and I weigh a bit less all while continuing to run my sprints a bit faster weekly, I should run faster this summer that I ran in June 2024. Guess what? Nine days into the new year, my VO2MAX has increased and I’ve dropped a pound or two. Progress, bit by bit.

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My One Word for 2025: Reduce

Yes, REDUCE.

Yes, I also use the phrase, “Just Go!” quite often. So why am I making the choice to select REDUCE as my word for 2025? Let me tell you all the reasons.

  1. Reduce plastic usage. Simply, plastic is not healthy, as more and more research is revealing how microplastics are in nearly every new baby born in the USA. What are a few new habits that I have already instituted in my daily routines: a) drinking my cold brew every morning now in a glass, not a plastic glass. b) utilizing a metal tea strainer instead of tea in a plastic tea bag. c) warming up food in the microwave on cookware, and not in plastic re-usable containers. d) carrying water in two metal containers throughout the day and refilling them, instead of having the urge to buy bottled water. e) all vehicles now have re-usable bags to carry groceries, to help reduce the plastic bag excess that is everywhere.
  2. Reduce my weight. In late July and early August, I intend to be running sprints and shooting baskets at the 2025 National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa. My goal is to drop down to 148 pounds, so that I can run just a bit quicker against these fast senior women from across the USA. As for habits, a) I must continue my 2024 habit more consistently of writing down daily my food intake as well as my exercise and weighing myself daily. When I do these three things daily, I lose weight. b) I must buy clean eating groceries, i.e. greens, sweet potatoes, salmon, fruit, much less chocolate, etc. c) I must reduce having the urge every single day to have some chocolate. Instead, have a piece of fruit or a strawberry or a piece of gum, make a cup of tea, or have a diet ginger ale.
  3. Reduce my food intake, especially reducing sugar. See #2. The sugar addiction that I have, along with many others, can be reduced when I set my mind to do it. New habits: a) Just say NO to chocolate and say YES to naturally sweet items like fruit. b) We love chocolate covered strawberries, so that may be the new “treat” while we reduce chocolate and sugar. c) eat less, as it is much better for my colon-less system. I feel better when I eat less.
  4. Reduce work drama. Not sure if I will work til 75 years old, 70, 65, or 61, but there’s zero need to get caught up in work drama. Just do my work and be grateful for the impacts that I make with my coaching work. New habit in 2025: just don’t engage and smile/nod, press forward.
  5. Reduce my jogging pace/mile and sprinting times. See #2. My goal is to be a role model for others, as a senior athlete. That means I need to be a bit quicker and also remain safe, i.e. no injuries and be healthy. I must continue my 2024 habits of regularly doing sprints and high intensity interval training a couple times per week, and my lifting and strength training also a couple times weekly. Also want to gather some advice from some other sprinters and runners on how to run quicker.
  6. Reduce screen time. The amount of time that we all are spending on screen time/scrolling is ridiculous. Of course it’s helpful when I’m intentionally staying in touch with family and friends, and keeping up with my work and real estate inquiries and projects. However, reading before I go to bed is going to be a new 2025 habit. Read a devotional or 10-20 pages of a book. I really like history, geography, and travel books, so it’s time to consume them.

Reduce. I like the sound of it. What’s YOUR word for 2025? What are your new habits to help make it a reality?

Happy New Year and here’s hoping that you have a great year with special times and superb health. Coach Jen

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Take Some Half-Days Off

In reviewing my schedule at work, checking my vacation time remaining thru yearend, and realizing that I needed some downtime, I took multiple half-days off recently. Since the afternoons were going to be filled with sunshine and 70’s, it was amazingly efficient to work in the morning and then effectively “fun” to enjoy the lovely weather.

These half days helped me get some projects done that had been dragging on for months. Walking in the sunshine and laying by the pool gave me time to think. Yes, think. The thinking time for many of us also requires time to do the execution.

Here it is, prior to Thanksgiving, and I have my goals thru midyear next year already written down and why. I’ve registered for the National Senior Games, which are in late July-early August; expecting that this completed registration will help hold me accountable to stay in shape without getting injured, so that I can “show up” for these NSG.

Another goal was truly looking at my over net worth, as well as the investments that make up my Health Savings Account (HSA) and 401K. Research continues to reinforce that the best investments are “passive”, buy and hold style investing. I was pleased to see that the investment decisions I made for these HSA and 401K accounts are well above the S&P 500 trajectory.

Also, I was able to go to bed much earlier and catch up on some sleep, as the half days off gave me the opportunity to get stuff done instead of squeezing so much in from 5pm-9pm.

Recommendations: 1) Use every single hour and day of vacation time, as you will NEVER get it back. 2) Vacation days can be used for YOU, and not just a week or long weekend vacation. 3) Be aware of what you need, and if it’s “time to think, and then time to execute”, think about a few half days off.