Finding harmony in your work

March 31, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

If you’re trying to create harmony in the work you do, it’s important to look at the platform you’re working on. When you have personal fundamentals in place, your platform is solid. If you’re missing a few fundamentals, your platform may feel tippy and stressful.

Everyone’s fundamentals are different. And your fundamentals may vary depending on the type of work you’re doing.

Organizational Exercise
Grab a piece of paper and divide it into four columns. The first column is how you think of yourself in general. The second column is for any paid work you do. The third is for volunteer work. And the last is for any fun work you do. Continue reading →

Character v. resume

March 29, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, Working with your guides

Consider this: Is the work you’re doing building character? Or a resume?

So much of what we do in life gets into the resume column – where we grow up, where we go to school, the jobs we have. Even volunteer work is often done as a resume builder. Who do you know? Where have you been? What have you accomplished?

But what about the work you do that’s helpful and brings joy to others – and where you get no credit? The times you pick up trash on the side of the street. Or are kind to a stranger. Or take the time to listen to a friend.

How about when you have no chance of succeeding but feel compelled to continue what you’re doing? When you step away from the limelight and give credit to someone else? When you sacrifice a personal goal to help someone else succeed? Continue reading →

Crossing the finish line

March 26, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

In an organization class I took about 20 years ago, one of the exercises we did was writing our obit. When you spend time puzzling out what you want to be remembered for, top priorities on your daily to-do list are magically re-arranged.

When I did the obit exercise, a top priority that popped out for me was that I wanted to write a novel. I love books. Books on the shelves. Books by the bed. Libraries. Bookstores. I still have many of the books I read as a child because the characters and stories are real to me and have helped shaped who I am.

How could I die without adding to the book-ness of the world? Continue reading →

Building a trusting community

March 25, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, tips to be more productive

When you’re not doing your best work, it’s good to question your intent and motivation. To vow to get better organized so you can get more done. To study your habits and think of ways to break bad ones and start new ones. To get healthier so you can focus better.

But if you’re doing all that and still aren’t feeling charged up and on “a path”, take a look at your community. You’re a plant trying to grow. How’s the soil, the sun, and the water where you are?

In Thank You For Being Late,” Thomas Friedman writes that when people feel “protected, respected, and connected,” the outcome is a community that fosters trust and belonging. Continue reading →

About those critics

March 21, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, working on big projects, Working with your guides

A friend from high school asked me a question.

“How do you take that next step when you don’t want to hear the criticisms…. constructive or not? I am a big believer that art, whatever the medium, is a personal expression… So how can one tell you what you created is wrong?”

What a great question as we try to do good work, try to be helpful, and try new adventures.

I have so many thoughts on this. Here are the big three. Continue reading →

Our habits change us

March 9, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Working with your guides

I read a science article this week that said we are completely different at age 77 than we are at age 17. I found that hard to believe. Inside, I feel like I’m the same “me” I’ve always been; it’s just the circumstances around me that have changed.

But when I think about how much I’ve read. And how much I’ve learned. And how differently I think now than I did growing up, I get the change. Maybe it’s just my energy and core interests that are the same.

So here’s what I think is important: If we’re completely different, then other people are too. And how often do we recognize that? When someone you’re close to changes, do you accept it? Or do you hold onto who you think they are, to the person they used to be? Continue reading →

10,000 hours

March 2, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, working on big projects

Malcolm Gladwell describes “outliers” as people who are at the ends of the spectrum – the few who stand out for their artistic success, their business acumen, or their athletic achievements. His book, Outliers, studies these winners like scientific specimens and comes to an awesome conclusion: to be successful in any field, you need smarts. You need opportunities. And mostly, you have to work hard. Really hard. Like “10,000 hours” hard.

Great artists, successful business people, and uber-athletes make what they do seem easy. It’s not. Yes, there are savants, but to be a success in any field, you have to be intentional about the work you choose to do. You have to stay focused. You have to prioritize getting your work done.

And you put in those 10,000 hours to get really, really good. Continue reading →

Exploring the power of a connected community

February 27, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

I’m working my way through Thomas Friedman’s book, Thank You For Being Late, for the second time in as many weeks, and am struck by the immense power of a connected community.

The amount of digital information you can learn from a computer with internet access is unlimited – with free on-line classes at Khan Academy or YouTube. Through free podcasts. By taking a MOOC (mass on-line class). Using search sites like Google. Or reading newspapers from around the world.
You can join a conversation of millions through social sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, to effortlessly share ideas, businesses, products, and friendships with strangers from around the globe.
There are no gatekeepers in an open, digital world for anything you want to create and share: products, books, music, videos, classes, and ideas.
The largest hospitality group, Airbnb, owns no rooms. The largest transportation company, Uber, owns no vehicles. The largest retailer, Amazon, owns no stores. The largest content provider, Facebook, owns no content. What each group owns is a terrific, helpful vision, great software, and a global connection through the Cloud. You don’t have to own anything to have a thriving business.
If you need cash for a start-up, crowd-sourcing has become business-as-usual through sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe.

Continue reading →