When I first started blogging a few years ago, I went through a series of stages that most authors can appreciate. Wow, I’m online! Ok, now what do I say regularly? This is really easy! People are actually reading me? Better check my stats… Better recheck my stats… And so it goes. In those early days life was simple and something like blog stats meant a lot to me. I joined a few networks and saw the others as competition. When top 50 productivity lists came out, I felt... More »
Famous families are all around us, from the Clinton dynasty to Mylie and Billy Ray Cyrus. They evoke in us so many things because we can relate, on some small level, to them. Not that many of our daughters are famous pop singers or that many of our parents are presidents. Sometimes we hate the very mention of family and at other times the thought warms our heart. The Criteria With family in mind, I decided to have some fun and sort through the top productivity bloggers on the Internet. To “make... More »
902 Shares What would an ideal workday look like? While there might not be a single answer across the board, all of us can relate to the fact that many of our workdays are not designed for optimal productivity. We complain about too many meetings, not enough pay, travel that saps your energy and did I mention the hours? Why not take some time today to consider what an ideal day at work might look like? Start the afternoon before. A clean space makes for smooth work. To the degree that you can, neaten... More »
1.3K Shares What would an ideal workday look like? While there might not be a single answer across the board, all of us can relate to the fact that many of our workdays are not designed for optimal productivity. We complain about too many meetings, not enough pay, travel that saps your energy and did I mention the hours? Why not take some time today to consider what an ideal day at work might look like? Start the afternoon before. A clean space makes for smooth work. To the degree that you can, neaten... More »
69 Shares What secrets lie within your creativity? For some, an early morning workout will produce the idea of the century while another person might find journaling to be most helpful. As they say, whatever works for you is obviously helpful. One idea which I have put into practice has been the reservation of domain names. This is a relatively low-cost practice which integrates your concept with the new web media. Let me explain. Domain names capture a hint of an idea. It might be a project that you are working on or a... More »
19 Shares Natives to pastoral areas know what it looks like. What was once a pasture with cows now looks like a small village — only the homes are anything but small. These McMansions are often well over 4,000 square feet large with plenty of luxury amenities for the average sized family. Interestingly, these mega-homes may not be all the rage in our future suburban landscapes.
As the youngest of three sons, I’ve been competing my whole life. Whether it was space in the back of the car during a long car ride or the consideration of a career outside of business or technology, my path has always felt like an adventure. Competition has been conditioned into my outlook on many things. Until now.
After a 10 hour road trip this past weekend, my family and I spent the balance of the weekend puttering around the house and enjoying some of the simple things in life. We have come to accept that we are content spending time at home just being a family. Here are seven simple tips for helping you and your children enjoy time at home.
It’s been said that a man who stands on principle is bound to face personal attack. In my line of work, school administration, this has certainly been true as attacks can come literally from out of the blue. A longtime colleague can take you on, seemingly out of the blue with a laundry list of complaints. The next day, an attack might come from a parent whose child isn’t receiving the attention they deserve. Neither may be a real attack but perception is reality and when someone disagrees with us, we can’t... More »
It’s amazing how so many people do so little work. I know that I personally can waste time with the best of them, losing hours to meaningless email, workplace chatter and random meetings that accomplish next to nothing. As I’m rarely wasting time by myself, perhaps you or others can relate? One of the most frustrating things about trying to be productive at work is the occasional “pop-bye” colleague who drops in and stays beyond a reasonable amount of time. What can you do to keep them moving along? Here are some... More »
221 Shares Why bother showing up early when you can blame any number of things for “making” you late? There’s traffic, a convenient ally when you need her. A distant cousin to traffic would be a freeway accident, which of course creates traffic. Then there’s the blatantly obvious excuse of sleeping through the alarm which causes you to get on the freeway late and immerse yourself in- you guessed it- traffic. All of these are convenient excuses for lateness but there’s a flip side- being early is way cooler. When you’re early you get... More »
1.4K Shares Money is obviously an important factor when one considers issues like quality of life but it may not be the only thing. I find that those who describe themselves as “happy” are not always wealthy but have integrated other balancing strategies in their lives, placing income within a larger picture of work-life balance. It turns out that the Wall Street Journal agrees with this, as does workplace author Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist, The New Rules for Success. Trunk argues that one’s sex life may be just as important as their... More »
7 Key Questions to Answer My brother’s son is in fifth grade and is starting to think about which high school is “right” for their family. In today’s private school market, the process of choosing the school that fits your family’s needs and style is nothing short of an art-form. Fortunately, this medium can be learned by just about anyone. What’s your motivation for a private school education? This is the first question to ask when considering a private school education. Its answer reveals a lot about the parents and their hopes... More »
55 Shares The month of August is often like the last fifteen minutes of a good TV show- you know that it’s about to end but just hate to see it go. Please know that if you were to take action on all 30 of the following suggestions, the last thing your life would be is simplified. The key is to pair back, do less and live more. Pick two or three, do them well and see what happens.
32 Shares There’s no doubt that repairing a house is worthwhile but the amount of stress it produces can be overwhelming. Having just moved from a newer four bedroom colonial to a smaller (and older) Cape Cod style house, house repair has been a reality for the last five weeks. Here are some simple ways to lessen the stress of working on a home: Doing it yourself might not be the answer. If money is tight, then doing some projects yourself makes perfect sense. On the other hand, if you are a 5 out... More »
