If you’ve taken a management class or read a productivity blog or two, you’ve probably run into the idea of writing SMART objectives. SMART most commonly stands for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.” SMART Basics. We want to write clear, helpful objectives. We should state exactly what we decided to do (Specific), and by… Continue Reading
Sitting with people who have big brains, talking about wide-ranging problems, sometimes there’s floundering. The conversation goes this way and that, with lots of good points made, but little hope of arriving at a plan for action anytime soon. Here are four questions you can use to move the conversation toward a solution that you’re… Continue Reading
It’s January, and the gym has been crowded. My trainer said, “Just wait a couple of weeks, and most of these people will be gone.” This happens every year; it’s completely predictable. Most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions early in the year—for exercise and for many other goals. Here are some fixes for this,… Continue Reading
Despite sometimes wishing that we could just put a book under our collective pillows and absorb all the salient bits while we’re sleeping, learning takes two things that we often wish it didn’t: Time and Effort We look for shortcuts. We avoid applying mental effort. We don’t give people enough time to learn their jobs.… Continue Reading
Sometimes in life there are moments when something you know becomes something that you know. It’s a sudden insight that feels like some kind of revelation. It might be the sort of thing you would have answered correctly on a test, but maybe you hadn’t noticed it all that much until now. Or you might… Continue Reading
I’m updating my Life Plan and goals for 2014 this week. Looking back at 2013, and then forward to 2014. To illustrate a point about goal setting, I’m sharing a surprise I found today when I added up the miles I walked for exercise last year. Here are the results: Jan. to June 142 miles… Continue Reading
The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results By Gary Keller with Jay Papasan Want to be great at something? Or maybe just pretty darn good? Let’s consider that the “something” could be your profession, your role in your family, or even your whole life. “Anyone who dreams of an uncommon life eventually discovers there is… Continue Reading
If you have written goals, the end of the year is a great time to take a last review. What worked? What didn’t? Do you have a life plan? It’s a great time now to revise your plan or to create one. Why have a written life plan? It provides a longer view. This helps… Continue Reading
It’s been a busy year, and I don’t know about you, but it’s time here for some visiting, giving, celebrating, and quite possibly a nap or two. In case you are tempted to be super busy during your time off, just remember that resting is good for productivity, and time off, too. So, here’s wishing… Continue Reading
Jeff Goins asks, “Why write?” Because Words Love. It’s easy to fall in love with words. How they fit together, how they don’t. Grammar, structure, spelling (with liberties). All the ways we write them: instructions, job aids, recipes, stories, poetry, tweets. Art. Or not art. Passion. Words can flow. They can be stubborn. Writing can… Continue Reading
