When we talk about the relationship between employers and employees, there is a focus on policy. Retirement plans, benefits, salary, hours, location where work is done, etc. There is less conversation about people. People are the ones making the decisions and doing...
A new co-working space opened in Detroit called The Creators Nest. I love the name. And the concept of the creator space. The founders, Adam & Stephanie Vaught developed the co-working space for creatives. A place where they could come and be inspired to do their...
Sometimes we just need an organizing day. Something has become overwhelming, and we need to get things back in order. This could be a physical space that has become cluttered or needs maintenance. This could be digital files where we can’t seem to find what we need....
What if we shifted our thinking about our goals at work? Instead, we could think of them as projects. With a project, we assess the current situation. We identify gaps between where we are and where we want to be. Roadblocks are discussed. Deliverables are split into...
In a prior post, I referenced some stats that suggested we spend 45 minutes a day hunting for files. The stat has been troubling me, yet I believe it could be true. My Story Organizing documents on my computer is something I’ve worked on for years. The process is...
When considering someone for a project, background and abilities have always been important. The “ability” being added to the skills list these days is agility. Team members need to be comfortable dealing with ambiguity. Able to quickly react to...
In a previous post, I covered different ways of journaling to find one that works for you. There is one type of journaling that wasn’t covered and deserves a post of its own. Work journaling. When looking at articles on work journals, there are several purposes....
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...
Who is the “customer” of a meeting? This is an odd question. Meetings are scheduled. We attend. Presentations are reviewed. Conversations happen. Updates are discussed. Yet, why? For whom? Is the organizer the customer? What did the customer hope the meeting...
You might be thinking…. What is taxonomy? or How does this apply to work? The definition of taxonomy is the branch of science concerned with classification. Taxonomy can be used to organize and index knowledge. The “knowledge” can be anything. Stored documents....
The organization and productivity worlds are full of processes and systems. Those systems manage physical things as well as digital information. Both can be overwhelming. And, sometimes, so can the recommended solutions! My Perspective With everything I’ve read and...
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...
Today, I listened to an episode of the Lazy Genius podcast. The host suggested we shift our perspective on a to-do list and instead create two lists: The have-to and hope-to list. This helps us realize what is not optional and yet we don’t lose sight of what we want...
With college far in the rearview mirror, there were classes I never wanted to consider again. One of those was Thermodynamic…right up there with Differential Equations. Anyway, in my sustainability class last week, the title of the section in the module caused panic:...
There is a lot written about using Friday afternoon as a time to wrap up tasks for the week and plan for the week ahead. The theory is that this is the time of the week when things are winding down for the weekend, and we aren’t at our best for deep work and...
The concepts of flexibility and autonomy are talked about in the context of work and often interchanged. Yet, there is a difference between the two when it comes to where and when we work. Flexibility is the ability to be easily modified and include...
We have explored hope in our everyday lives. Broken down the elements of the hope formula: HOPE = Goals + Willpower + Waypower How might this formula translate to a team or an organization? Hope at Work: We can dig into each of the elements of hope and find ways to...
The other day, we had a post about nesting being a moment when you plan, clear, and organize. In that post, my perspective was that this approach could apply at work during times you change roles or prepare for a new project. I had an opportunity to experience a bit...
Yesterday, we covered moments when nesting or un-nesting might happen. The life moments were easier to identify than the work moments. After a bit of research, I found that the term nesting is used in call centers. The nesting phase is the time...
The idea of nesting during pregnancy has been frequently discussed and researched. This is the time when expectant moms clean, organize, plan, and stock up. They are preparing the home for what is ahead. We’ve also heard about empty nesting...
Over the holidays, I wanted to look at the infrastructure of my business. This is the set of digital tools connected to run my business – on my computer and on my phone. Things like website platform, hosting company, CRM system, payment gateways, and more. As I did...