You have unlimited learning potential

February 22, 2017 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Getting started, Productivity tips for work Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, Getting work done, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

In the “old days,” we attended K-12 classes. Then maybe you went to college, got a degree, got a job and progressed by working hard or making lateral moves to other companies to get ahead. Throughout your career, you learned from experienced people you worked with, and maybe you got a grad degree, but even with that, you mostly had to figure things out for yourself.

In Thomas Friedman’s new book, Thank You for Being Late, he explains why this learning pattern doesn’t work in a time of super-accelerated technological change. Today, most schools don’t even teach the latest technology because things are happening faster than teachers are being educated. So how are we expected to keep up? Continue reading →

Finding energy balance

February 19, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Travel tips Changing habits, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive

I just finished reading one of Cesar Millan’s books on understanding dogs and was struck by this idea: When you’re choosing a dog, you’ll be happier in the long run not by picking a certain breed, but by picking a dog that matches your energy. I was helping place puppies last weekend at the Animal Refuge league and offered this advice to a number of folks looking at puppies – some of whom were mellow and others rowdy – and it seemed to help our visitors choose a puppy that was a good “fit”.

Afterward, I got to thinking about how this same energy assessment applies to work. If you’re at a company where everyone works 60-70 hours a week and you like spending less time at work and more at home, good luck feeling in balance. Conversely, if you have a job that requires you to sit all day and you’re high energy, you either sit and aren’t happy. Or you’re up and around all the time making it hard for others to work! I felt this when I worked for a big company that was all about the status quo when I wanted to try new things, to create change. It was a bad match! Continue reading →

The power of “Yes”

February 7, 2017 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner Changing habits, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to stay healthy, Using a planner

I was walking Grace this week and decided to take one of her favorite paths up behind Crescent Beach. The path alternated between open dry grass in the sunny areas, and a mix of snow and ice in the tree-shaded areas. I was carefully choosing my steps with Grace off-leash when I heard voices up ahead. I could see a couple of moms with little kids so I clipped on Grace’s leash.

Just as the leash clicked, Grace spotted their dog and with a “woof” of greeting, took off at full tilt with me riding behind her, on my butt, across what turned out to be a particularly icy stretch of path. Continue reading →

Finish what you started

January 21, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused Big project ideas, Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

If you’re having trouble staying focused on a project you started but can’t seem to finish, step back and think about what you’re doing. Is this something you really want to finish? If it is, then look at the situation because maybe that’s the problem. We think of ourselves as being consistent in how we work, but in truth, we shift gears on a pretty regular basis depending on the environment we’re in.

To get your best work done, you want to be jazzed up about what you’re doing AND you want to be energized about where that project takes you. Continue reading →

Tackling organizational basics

January 15, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on decluttering, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Decision making, decluttering your life, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

Organizational Zen is about knowing the work you want to do, and then getting it done. You don’t have to organize the world. You just want to start and finish the good work that’s bubbling up inside you.

On the road to Organizational Zen, make sure you’ve got a handle on these organizational basics.

Take care of yourself. If you don’t feel well, aren’t eating right, aren’t getting enough sleep, or are feeling generally stressed out, guess what? It’s going to be very hard for you to get organized. Being organized takes focus and energy. If you haven’t already done so, make health your #1 organizational priority.

Continue reading →

Ideal teamwork and the concepts of SCRUM

January 10, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work Big project ideas, Changing habits, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

I’ve talked to a number of companies about changing corporate habits. In the midst of one discussion, a friend and former colleague at L.L.Bean recommended a book about SCRUM. SCRUM business concepts started in silicon valley and are now crossing over into all sorts of new thinking.

Picture your next group project and…

Imagine redefining the concept of “team”

Each team is cross-functional, autonomous, empowered, and has a transcendent purpose.
Team members know their work is important to the company and is personally meaningful.
Each team has the necessary skills and mix of experience and thinking they need to solve issues they’re tasked with solving.
Hand-offs are limited or eliminated; keep the work with this one group rather than have separate teams develop individual parts and pass their work along, group to group.
Teams work without titles and no one is limited to one type of work on a team; you contribute anywhere you have strengths.
Each team has the direction, freedom, respect and authority to do things without asking permission.

Continue reading →

Getting to the BIG stuff

January 8, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner, Working with your guides Big project ideas, 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, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner, working on big projects, Working with your guides

When you’re thinking of BIG things you’d like to do in this lifetime, block out some quiet time, do a little quiet breathing (in through your nose and out through your mouth helps you think more clearly!), and make a couple of lists.

List #1 is stuff you’re already working on that you want to do more of.
List #2 is stuff you’ve always thought of doing but have never dared start.
List #3 is an outrageous brainstorm list, weird stuff that is super compelling, that raises your energy just to think of it, and that you’ve never given much thought to – until maybe right now.

Set the lists aside and go about your day. These need to cook for a while. Continue reading →

The gift of presence

December 24, 2016December 24, 2016 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, Working with your guides

I worked as a volunteer at the Center for Grieving Children for about five years. The Center is a place families go to help express their grief in a safe and kind setting. Families go on a specific night each week and each member of the family meets with an age-appropriate group. Families attend for as long as they want – which is sometimes a few weeks, and sometimes over a year.

One adult who was in my group for a long time told me her time at the Center was the only time all week she was herself – the rest of the time she was faking it, even with her kids, trying to seem happy and “get over” the death of her husband.

Some weeks at the Center she had no words. Other weeks she was depressed. Sometimes her issues were the loss. Other times she needed to talk about how hard it was to suddenly be a single parent. And some weeks she was happy and didn’t feel guilty about expressing that. Continue reading →