I like structuring my work. Some structures don’t box me in. I use timeboxes and a daily structure to organize my time. I have a default set of book and article organizations. Sometimes, that means my Groove Turns Into a Rut. More often, the structure enhances my creativity. I feel more creative because I don’t have […]
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I’m participating in several different writing projects: books with colleagues, shepherding experience reports, and a group book effort. We are all working to make the writing and eventual product better. We are playing the perfection game. Here’s how you play the game. You ask this question, “What would make this even better, even more perfect?”
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I was thinking about some of the changes my clients are considering. Most of them want to use agile approaches, all the way through the organization. A laudable goal because it will produce the business results they want to see. What’s the first thing people can do? Change their behavior. Not change their system. Not
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We live in a world filled with constraints. Sometimes, those constraints are on where we can travel or be. Sometimes, those constraints are about our physical capabilities (such as my vertigo or my height). Many constraints we impose on ourselves or allow our organizations to impose on us. Often, we fight against those constraints inside our organizations,
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I wish I was perfect in many things: in my writing, in my coaching, in my personal life. I’m often good, sometimes great, and sometimes a disaster. I can only be a disaster if I’m willing to try an experiment. That means I try to live Voltaire’s quote: The perfect is the enemy of the
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I like my routines. I have exercise routines, eating routines, writing routines, to name three. I find comfort in my routines. I think of my routines as a groove. My grooves smooth the paths towards my accomplishments. And, every so often, my groove turns into a rut. I discovered I’m in a rut now. I need
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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
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I want to improve at many things: my exercise, my writing, my teaching, just to name three. When I reflect back on my progress—or lack thereof—I ask myself if I’m doing my part. Wanting is not enough. I have to do my part. Sometimes, my part is to show up and do the work. (See
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Yesterday, I was stuck. I had a number of writing projects to complete and everything I wrote stunk. I have had bad writing days before, but this one was a doozy. Everything I wrote stank. (I was bored reading it!) What could I do? I tried different approaches. I’m writing a blog post on why
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Many years ago, I asked Mark, “Where do you go when you sleep?” I was curious. I was thinking of things such as “the soul takes over,” or “your dreams take you away” or some such philosophical waxing. Mark answered, “First I start on my left side. Then I go to my right side. Sometimes
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