This January was a bit different for me. During the mid-month, our family took a vacation. We usually take this annual trip in December, so this was new for me. I enjoyed having the time before the holidays at home. However, I didn’t realize the impact of the shift we...
We all have things we put off because the stakes feel too high. We don’t send a request because we are afraid of a “no”. We avoid the purchase of a piece of furniture because we fear it might not work in our space. A big one for me is something that I heard a...
As we enter the new year, many are starting new habits. Sometimes to bring in new habits, old ones need to be sunset. Even good habits may no longer serve us. We need to shift and evolve for our current season. My Story I made the decision to shift my writing practice...
You know the saying “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. We see others’ lives and wish we had what they have. This could be an accomplishment, a skill, or a physical product. We might try to achieve the thing we admire, but it doesn’t happen. The...
We’ve all likely heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour guide to mastery. The theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to become proficient at something. Suggesting that we need daily practice over a long period of time to learn. My Perspective I’ve started thinking...
This time of year, is all about habits. Creating good ones. Breaking bad ones. One thing we don’t talk much about is breaking good habits. Some might look at that statement and think: Why break a good habit? My Perspective We cycle through habits we need when we need...
Today, I celebrate writing one blog post every day. The structure I set up in 2022 still holds today. Keep it to one page of a Word document with one sentence per line. Use a framework for most days – topic intro, my perspective, and your turn to prompt ideas. Writing...
A year ago, my daughter (mid-20s) suggested I download an app called Finch. She had been using it for a couple of months to build habits. Specifically, she was looking for motivation around what I’ll call the chores of daily living. The mundane tasks we all must do,...
I recently learned of the book Elastic Habits by Stephen Guise. The premise of the book is that we should have a limited number of flexible habits. Each day, we have options surrounding three habits we want to keep. This allows us to adapt on a day-to-day basis to be...
Our life is full of setting goals and planning projects. Along the way to achieving these, we fumble. Adjust course. Start over. Lately, I’ve been thinking about supporting systems and infrastructure. The processes that provide the engine behind goals, projects, and...
Habits and daily routines can be difficult to keep. Running a marathon. Writing a book. Taking on a big project at work that isn’t part of the day to day. Organizing our home or work files. These are things we want to do. Yet keeping discipline is tough. We don’t see...
When we think about the year, we each break it down in our own way. Some think in quarters. Some in seasons. Some follow school calendars. For me, the year has five distinct segments: Segment 1 (January – March): New Year Energy Segment 2 (April – Memorial Day):...
I listened to an interview with Tiffani Bova on the Marketing Book podcast. Tiffani is the author of Growth IQ and her new book, The Experience Mindset. The premise of the book is to design both customer and employee experiences simultaneously. She believes that there...
We are nearly through the 8-dimensions of wellbeing. Today, we cover #7 – spiritual. Spiritual wellbeing is a connection with both our inner selves and something bigger than ourselves. We each define these connections differently. Last year, there were five dimensions...
Today, we will explore physical wellbeing – the 5th in the series exploring all 8 dimensions. We only have one body. We need to put priority on taking care of ourselves. As I looked at the dimensions of physical wellbeing from the post last year, I have two thoughts....
Over the years, I’ve heard the idea of getting ready for bed before it’s time to go to bed. The suggestion is to do some of the routines earlier. Things like washing our face. Brushing our teeth. Putting on pajamas. And anything else we might do as part of our...
As we build a sustainable life, we need to be productive. Enjoying deep work, getting “chores” completed, and having time for the things that matter to us. The challenge is ensuring we feel productive and not busy. Productive is accomplishment. Busy creates anxiety...
According to two older articles from Inc Magazine and The Guardian, the amount of creative work hours that knowledge workers are able to handle each day is 4. Yes, four total hours of deep work. They looked at science and examples from historical thought leaders to...
The word hacking typically has a negative connotation. Many immediately associate the word with gaining illegal access to a computer system. Yet, there are other meanings. I was reminded of this recently. Fred Quijada gave a speech during my MIT Sustainability...
The weight of the world can feel huge when it comes to significance. We want to provide relevance and meaning in the world. The world needs a lot. We wonder how we can make a difference. My Perspective Maybe the definition of statistical significance could help....
I heard a quote on the Happier podcast that seemed interesting to dig into. “It’s hard to stay changed.” - Gretchen Rubin There is a lot of conversation about setting goals, change, and new habits. What we don’t talk about often is the challenge of keeping those...