I’ve had several interesting conversations with people over the past few weeks about how useful they feel at work. They feel as if their management treats them as commodities: “You do this work and we will pay you and give you health insurance.” That’s a transactional way to think about work. However, useful work requires […]
How Can We Know if We’re Doing Useful Work? Read More »
As a consultant, I offer (allow) many contact methods: my various email addresses, a few Slack channels, and several Discord channels. That’s not all. I also have contact forms on my websites, a phone number, and my various social media. If I had to add it up, I suspect there are over 15 ways I
How Many Contact Methods Do You Allow, Check, and Use? Read More »
I recently learned about three kinds of fun on a scale: Type 1 Fun, where the thing you do, this current experience, is fun right now. Type 2 Fun, where you thought this thing would be fun, but you get frustrated and possibly miserable as you go through it. Only in retrospect, when you see
How Can More Type 2 Fun Offer You More Resilience? Read More »
This is Johanna’s November 2024 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email. Many of my professional colleagues and dear friends are in chaos right now. They can’t seem to find jobs. No company or hiring manager seems to want what these people have to offer. This is
How to Pivot When Too Few People Want What You Have to Offer Read More »
I practice my writing by writing a lot. (I also read a lot about writing, but no one becomes a better writer by reading. Writers become better by writing.) In addition, I take classes to stretch my skills. That means I’m not going to “succeed” or write something “perfect” all the time. But I do
When Do You Choose Between Getting Something “Perfect” vs. Finishing It? Read More »
Regardless of our age, we all need good friends. Good friends allow us to discuss issues in a safe way. But sometimes, we outlive our friends. (Several of my friends/colleagues are dealing with that now.) While we cannot “replace” a person, we can leave ourselves open to finding new people with the potential to be
How Often Can You Make New Good Friends You Trust? Read More »
While I did not attend, my high school reunion was this past week. Luckily, I got to see many of the pictures on Facebook—the old high school pictures and what people look like today. We all had a ridiculous amount of hair back then—and most of us have less now. Maybe for the men, it
Which Best Days Are Behind, Current, or Ahead of You? Read More »
I’ve been taking a ton of fiction writing classes, some in-person and most online. Two weeks ago, I was at a thriller fantasy class (yes, a mashup of two genres). I successfully wrote three stories. Not one of them was a thriller. Not one. (At one point, I said, “Genre, shmenre” in the class.) I
How Can We Make the Chaos of Learning Feel Better? Read More »
Many of my colleagues are busy creating resolutions, in preparation for the new year. They think those resolutions will help them create better lives. Maybe, although I’ve never succeeded with resolutions. Instead of resolutions, I’ve suggested before that we create watchwords for ourselves. Those watchwords create some guidance for our actions. But this year, I
Can You Resolve to Rethink About How You Think About Change? Read More »
Yesterday was “Giving Tuesday” in the United States. If we have the means to give, charities ask us for donations. (One of my favorite charities is the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation. That’s their link to Giving Tuesday, which lasts for ten days. Even I can count, and that’s more than one day.) That’s all about your
What Does Being Generous Cost Us? Read More »