Early in my career, I worked for an SEO company. I was pretty low on the totem pole but had a lot of chutzpah. I would get assigned a technical project specification written by a senior developer (in New Zealand) based on a report created by an SEO consultant in our Wisconsin...
Previously, I discussed reducing friction by using the simplest system that will get the job done (see Small Pieces, Loosely Joined). I briefly described (at the end) that I used a weekly checklist to get through my week. Folks on Twitter were interested in learning more...
Today I interviewed for a leadership position at work. During the interview, the interviewer asked what my philosophy was for leading and mentoring people. I create an environment where it's safe to fail, I assign projects that are a stretch for them to accomplish, and I do...
Here are three of my favorite books about productivity and goal setting. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy The book's tagline is "21 great ways to stop procrastination and get more done in less time". For example, if it's your job to eat a frog every day, you'd best do it...
Once you have your goals in mind and know what you want to do, the next trick is to get yourself to do it. I have two complementary strategies for getting things done. Time Blocking The first is to schedule time blocks on your calendar for when you want to do certain things. If...
The number one thing that sabotages me regularly is a lack of clarity. Clarity is a sneaky thing, and it plays a part in so many aspects of your life. Clarity is a lack of confusion, and it leads to confidence. So many days, I struggle because I'm not clear about what I should...
If you're a software developer, you probably at one point or another have heard of the Unix philosophy of "small pieces, loosely joined." The idea is that instead of creating giant monolithic applications that try to do everything, you build small apps that do one...
Goal Funnels (see You Need a Goal Funnel) can be overwhelming. So here is another strategy to use to help flesh out your Goal Funnel. 1. Brain Dump. Spend 15-20 minutes just writing down every possible thing you'd like to accomplish in the next ten years. For example, what are...
When you focus on the past (positive or negative), you're creating inertia. That's what habits are. They require effort to get started but then require minimal effort to keep them going. If you want to change your future, you're potentially fighting inertia, just like when...
When you're driving, you shift into a higher gear so you can continue accelerating. If you continue accelerating at the current gear, you'll wear out your engine and burn up a lot of gas. The same thing applies to people. You're pushing yourself, you're trying to do more and...