I was watching John Green’s Who I Was in High School video and I was struck by how much I resonated with it. I wasn’t a poor student in high school, but my teachers always said I wasn’t quite reaching “my potential.” I was curious how they thought they knew my potential when I had no idea. […]
What’s Your Destiny? Read More »
Back in What Are Your Rules for Getting It All Done?, I briefly spoke about doing work that was valuable. That has a precondition: you need to know what you value. We hear a lot of talk about “time management.” I don’t buy the time management part. We can’t “manage” time. We can manage actions.
How Do You Value Your Time? Read More »
I took a science fiction writing workshop last week. It was great fun and I realize I remain a work in progress when it comes to my fiction. Yes, I’m a work in progress on just about everything, but for my fiction, I am in the midst of the change model where my performance varies
Where Are the Flaws? Read More »
My town is replacing water meters (I think all the water meters, but certainly ours). They had records of what kind of water meter they expected—the size of the pipes in and out, etc. The water meter guy got here yesterday, took one look at our meter, and called the foreman. Our water meter didn’t
How Do You Prepare? Read More »
I am totally thrilled. A writer in my more intensive Secrets of Non-Fiction Writing workshop published a book. I am over-the-moon happy. That’s when I started wondering: did I feel pride or joy? Let me pull that apart a little. I feel pride in my ability to help the writer understand what he needed to do
How Do You Separate Pride from Joy? Read More »
We’ve all heard this phrase, “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” There are several things wrong with that saying. “Just” is a keyword that says, “Don’t look here, you won’t like it. Just ignore me…” (Here’s a writing tip: write a sentence with just in it and then when you edit, remove the just. What
What’s Personal to You? Read More »
Last week, Mark and I took a long weekend in the Florida Keys and basked in the sun. It wasn’t crazy-hot, so our few days were terrific. We’re back and it’s crazy-cold in Boston now. (Oh well!) We flew an airline I hadn’t experienced in several years. The most recent time I flew that airline,
Whose Problem Are You Solving? Read More »
I am a reviewer for the experience reports track for Agile 2017. I finished evaluating all the proposals in the track last week. Here’s what struck me: too many proposals didn’t have enough information for me to accept them. The conference has guidelines for a good proposal. Too many proposals didn’t follow the guidelines. The
Why Not Ask for Help? Read More »
I’m working with clients on their agile transformations. I’m working on that book project I alluded to several weeks ago. These efforts have at least this in common: We need to work with other people to finish the work. And, surprise, surprise! People have their own ideas about what to do and when. In at least one
When Do You Go Meta? Read More »
I started a new regimen of PT (physical therapy) to manage my vertigo a little better. Yesterday, I did a ton of leg/balance work. I did too much—I was exhausted. (Balancing on one leg challenges my brain to manage my vertigo. Yes, I need it, and it tires me out.) I came home and tried to
When Do You Take a Break? Read More »