On a recent walk in my neighborhood, I noticed this dragon. Is this not a beautiful dragon? You might not be able to tell in this picture, but the dragon’s eyes are a laser-red. They glow. It’s so cool. I smiled when I looked at this dragon. How could you not smile? In person, the […]
What Makes You Smile? Read More »
I was writing a series of draft blog posts about resource efficiency (optimizing for people) and flow efficiency (optimizing for projects). I wrote them fast, flowing the ideas from my brain to my fingers. I edit later. For me, this is the best kind of writing I do. It’s not about writing fast. It’s about
What Do You Practice? Read More »
Early in my speaking and consulting career, I doubted my abilities. I was concerned I wouldn’t give a good talk. I was worried I would let my clients down. Now, I’m concerned about my ability to write fiction that people will want to read. When you doubt yourself—even when you have the skills—you suffer from
Do You Ever Doubt Yourself? Read More »
I announced that my estimation book was done and ready for sale today. (See Predicting the Unpredictable is Available.) When I started to manage my book projects myself (as opposed to working with a publisher), I was not sure what to expect. I didn’t know how long anything would take. I didn’t know if I
What Do You Expect of Yourself? Read More »
You have many ways to spend your time. You might work, have fun at sports or hobbies, spend time with family. How do you choose? I choose to spend my time on different kinds of “work” depending on who I am focusing on at the moment: I write and publish books to help many people
Are You Working on What Matters? Read More »
True confession: I am a perfectionist. I want to be the best at everything I attempt. And, I know I can’t be perfect at everything, all the time. Certainly not when I’m trying it for the first time. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to be perfect. I have transformed this need to be perfect
Are You Looking for Success or Perfection? Read More »
Create an Adaptable Life Vol 3 #3: What Have I Learned? December 23, 2014 What Have I Learned? At this time of year, we often retrospect, to plan for the new year. I like to do that, too. It’s another question, just like my questions of the week. Sometimes, it’s hard to ask the “What
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When you solve problems, do you find that you start with one question a lot? I often ask “Why” or a question like that. Not in the sense of “How did things get this way,” but “Why do things work like this?” For me, it’s a sense of curiosity. Here’s an example. For years, when
What Questions Do You Use to Solve Problems? Read More »
When we were purging the house, I asked the question, “Does this thing enhance my life?” It was a good question to see if I wanted to keep or eliminate whatever I was holding. It’s not quite the same question as “Is Anyone Using This?” That’s a question from the outside. “Does This Enhance My
Does This Enhance My Life? Read More »
I was at Agile 2014, the big conference in my field last week. I had a blast. For my readers who are not software people, agile is a way to integrate change into a software project and make the project successful. I’m a Big Name, although a short person :-) BTW, there are many Big
What Makes Your Heart Sing? Read More »