How Do You Manage Your Energy? Do you ever slog through the days, feeling as if you can’t get going? That happened to me last month. I wasn’t sick or depressed—I didn’t have my normal get-up-and-go. That’s when I realized I was “out of spoons.” The spoons represent our energy—and, at least for me—our resilience. …
When my older daughter was in high school, we battled often about her clothing. Her school had a dress code that said girls couldn’t wear spaghetti strap tops and their shirts had to cover their backs and bellies. I thought it was my role as her mother to fight that battle on behalf of the …
Mark and I got married 37 years ago today. I took a picture of the picture in our printed photo album. (That’s what we did then. People took pictures, printed them, and put them into photo albums. Also, my dress is totally 1984.) I was thinking of our expectations of ourselves back then. We had …
How Can We Fulfill Reasonable Expectations of Ourselves and Each Other? Read More »
I wish I could tell you I was perfect at doing all the work on my list. Nope. Every so often, I procrastinate and delay on some specific task. In the past, I worried because I didn’t finish that work. (The more I worried, the less I did.) I created a reinforcing feedback loop that …
What Games Do You Create to Succeed in Life and Work? Read More »
When do you choose to fill your gas tank? Do you wait until the tank is almost empty? How about at the quarter-full mark? Somewhere in between? We each make decisions about the gas we have in our cars—or our lives. When we don’t have enough of something, we need to refill the tank. We …
Do you ever feel pulled in a gazillion directions? I’m having one of those months. All kinds of problems and events are pulling me away from my regular work. As a result, I don’t feel as if I’m creative or productive—or effective. At all. I looked at where I’m spending my time: With family members …
Can You Use the Principle of Least Regret to Choose Where to Spend Your Time? Read More »
The recent news about Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka made me sad—for them personally, for their potential accomplishments, and for us as a society. How much pressure do they feel, that they needed to stop competing at the highest level of their sports? When I feel extraordinary pressure, I rely on my support systems. It …
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open this week. Why? Because she would have to meet with the media right after her play. This is a big deal. She’s one of the top tennis players in the world. I suspect that she’s a big draw for the television rights. Naomi asked for what she wanted. …
As a consultant, I regularly work with managers who want predictability. To get that predictability, they want to remove “all” of the risk. They do a lot of up-front planning and estimation. They try to predict how things will go. Then, “Something Happens.” That Something requires adaptability and resilience to manage the risk. Some of …
How often do you feel courageous? I don’t wake up in the morning and say, “Today, I’ll be courageous.” No, it doesn’t work that way for me. As I discover ways to work and live that fit for me, I write about them. I don’t expect other people will work or live in the same …