When we think of routines, fluid doesn’t usually come to mind. People focus on stacking habits into routines. We have these routines sprinkled throughout our days. Little groupings of to-do lists to make sure we keep good habits. Lately, I’ve heard more people talk...
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...
For most of my career, there have been conversations about “going down the rabbit hole”. What is a Rabbit Hole? At work, this often refers to the experience of becoming deeply absorbed or distracted by a task, topic, or series of tasks and topics that take you away...
We all have challenges setting boundaries sometimes. Some struggle more than others. Yet, boundaries make us stronger and our lives more sustainable. My Perspective I think that boundaries are much easier if we know what we need and we set rules. Rules in life make...
Have you heard of Parkinson’s Law? The law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. For example, if you have a week to finish a presentation, you will take a week to complete. If you have 3 hours for the same presentation, you will take...
Today we ladder off yesterday’s post that talked about a busy life being barren. I looked for a statistic on how many people reply to the question “how are you?” with “I’m busy”. While a metric for that didn’t emerge, I found a study on busyness. This report indicates...
We often glorify busyness and productivity. In this state, the words of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates ring truer than ever: "The barrenness of a busy life." - Socrates These five simple words provide a profound truth. If we are too busy, we don’t participate...
I listened to an episode of Happier where Gretchen Rubin talked about knowing ourselves better. One of the dimensions she mentioned was the marathoner vs. the sprinter. The marathoner takes a project with a due date in the future and works on it consistently over...
A stat crossed my desk that suggested 50% of emails aren’t understood. 50% - really ??!! I did a bit of research and found this article. The article indicates that the words we use often land in ways we didn’t intend. A compliment turns sarcastic. A question turns...
Often work will have multiple projects that are only loosely related. Switching back and forth between meetings and activities on all the projects can be a challenge. Your mind just gets focused on one project when it’s time to attend a meeting for another. In prior...
In prior posts we have talked about daily energy. There are morning larks and night owls as discussed here. We use our energy to create, connect, care and more as discussed in this post. Our energy also flows differently each week, month, and year. Today, let’s...
There is a lot written about productivity and finding more time in your days. We spend a good part of our lives seeking out the elusive time. What we often don’t hear or read about is what I call “the cliffs”. These are the moments in our lives where time is suddenly...
Someone recently asked me the question: Does a full schedule give you comfort or anxiety? I found the question thought-provoking. My Perspective As I began to consider the question, I realized the answer is “it depends”. With a full calendar of meetings that others...
You know the situation. Waiting in line. Arriving early for an event. Sitting through a child’s practice. The moments where we have time open and no plan. We tend to fill this time without intention. Scrolling social media, listening to music, or just doing nothing....
I’ve always been driven by measurement. Targets are an indicator as we move toward a goal. If we need more sales, plan strategies & tactics and track sales. If we want to increase our email list, consider how to do that and measure to see if it’s working. The list...
Earlier this week, we established that busy and productive are not the same. We likely all concluded that we would rather be productive than busy. That sounds easier than it really is. We need to push against the enemies and embrace the friends of productivity....
When asked “how are you?”, the response of “busy” is a common crutch. Many people seem to use it as a quick proxy for being productive and working hard. What is the Difference? So, I decided to look up how others define the difference. Here are two examples:...
Back in 2007, I was out of school and working full time. Yet, I was struck by this post from Cal Newport about studying. The premise was that pseudo-work does not equal work. He used exponential decay theory and applied it to marathon study sessions. The data from the...
This week, I started a year-long program focused on sustainability. A realization that is already occurring is that concepts about our planet can also apply to ourselves. One of the topics covered was the concept of “Natural Capital”. According to the United Nations,...
Last week, there was a post about the infrastructure of our lives. Our bank accounts, apps on our phone, subscriptions, insurance, and more. On the heels of that post, I heard a podcast about the cycles in our home life. Things like Laundry. Paying Bills. Grocery...
I’ve been thinking about the process moving from an overwhelming life to a life where we are thriving. Over the years, books, podcasts, and research have shaped my life on my own journey. There is no magic solution. No one size fits all process. Things that work for...