It’s so easy to waste time. Look at all the temptations! TV, Netflix, Facebook, email, computer games, movies, parties, magazines… What’s your poison?
Distractions can be fun and have social elements to them, but are they the best use of your time?
It’s hard to hold the line, once and for all because your time demands and needs change. For me, the #1 reason to not do an activity is if I lose energy even thinking about it. Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
You’re smart.
You have a plan.
You have a vision.
You move through life making decisions and feeling in control of the direction of your life.
AND you know that stuff happens that sends you off in new directions on a pretty regular basis.
AND often, it’s long after you’re pushed off track that you look back and see that what happened was exactly what had to happen. Continue reading
Organizational Habits 