More Than A Tweet
January 13, 2010
I facilitated a day long leader development session on Tuesday with about 20 people. We took a few breaks through the day – 2 minutes – 5 minutes – 10 minutes – whatever seemed appropriate at the time.
EVERY time I called a break, a good 80% of the attendees whipped out their phones to check God knows what! And having checked, most determined that their entire break should be devoted to tending the text and avoiding interaction with their peers in the room. No, they were not all introverts!
I felt very sad about the absence of what used to be an important part of educational sessions – a chance to network with others, find out what is on their minds, develop original thoughts. It makes me worry for our future in organizations. If we only know each other by the tops of our heads – and not through our eyes, or what’s on our minds – what investment will we really have in each other’s success or well-being?
And then, if I post this on my blog or Facebook or Linked In, will I find that others share the same concern, or, will I just be fueling our electronic addictions?
Yes or No?
January 11, 2010
Continuing the theme of the week – will it be yes or no? Here’s a Harvard Business Review guest blog by Alexandra Samuel titled, ‘This Year, Saying Yes to Saying No‘ .
Alexandra supports, as do I, thoughtfulness at the core of every decision.
PAUSE – 10.01 – Saying Yes
January 6, 2010
REFLECTION: One of my vacation projects involved sifting through the digital photos from our 2009 adventures. I usually pull a few pics and create a ‘Year In Photos’ holiday message for friends and family. This year, I went one step further and created a digital photo album that is about to be printed as a hard cover book. Although digital images and slide shows are fine, there’s something appealing about leafing through an album you can hold in your hands. Bless Apple’s iPhoto software for making this so easy and inexpensive.
What I discovered as I flipped my way through the photo highlights of the year is that they all shared one thing in common: a ‘Yes’ response to the possibilities. (more…)
Video – Your Year In Review (Pause 9.44)
December 21, 2009
PAUSE – 9.44 – Your Year In Review
December 17, 2009
REFLECTION:
December can be an exciting time of the year, if you are able to see past the overwhelming pressure of holiday preparations, and find that celebratory, appreciative place of mind.
There’s something satisfying about turning that final page on the wall hung calendar. Another 12 months behind us. Another year lived, complete with unexpected twists and turns.
It’s the time of year when journalists feel compelled to look back at the year in review, creating top 10 lists of everything you can imagine – people, events, disasters, and delights. Christmas greetings and letters often take the same form – a year in the life of Family Smith.
There’s an opportunity here for each one of us to cast a glance over 2009 and the kind of year it has been for us.
ACTION:
I invite you to carve out a quiet moment sometime in the next couple of weeks. Pour your favorite beverage. Grab a pen and paper.
Scratch this title at the top of the page: “My 2009 – A Positive Review”. Think back over the experiences of the year. Generate a list that includes: good things, delights, challenges met, experiences enjoyed, and memories treasured from the last 12 months.
If you like, do the same for the families, teams, and organizations of which you are a part. (By the way, one of the items on my list is all the encouraging messages I’ve received from you – my Pause readers. I’m grateful for your generosity in sharing your reactions, ideas and experiences.)
As you jot things down on your list, you may be tempted to create another list that features: unfulfilled intentions, discarded goals, missed opportunities, sorry disappointments, and lingering regrets. Resist the temptation. Leave the negatives for another time.
Simply enjoy the positives of 2009, and invite those you spend time with over the holidays to do the same. Life is way too short to ignore the ups and be preoccupied by the downs.
PS – If you are in a sharing mood, I’d love to hear a sampling of positives from your Year In Review. I’ll gladly compile a list to share with other Pause readers. It would be a great boost to jumpstart the new year.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” – Hal Borland
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Next year, 2010, will begin the tenth year of Pause messages. I plan to continue the messages in writing, but I’ve also been experimenting with other forms of delivery – namely video.
If you’re interested in taking a peak at my first foray into the world of You Tube, you’ll find last week’s message, Shifting Into Neutral, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_hG0B341Tw
Take a look. Let me know what you like or don’t like about the approach and production values, how you could see yourself using the videos, and whether you would like more video versions in the new year.
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READERS WRITE:
The final words of the year belong to reader, JK, who writes in response to the Pause message, Defining Moments:
Nietzsche wrote: “What does not destroy me makes me stronger.” How true of all of life’s woes, or as you put it so succinctly – defining moments.
If you can put yourself back on the horse after being thrown, pull yourself up after a series of calamities such as the death of a loved one, or loss of a job, you find that somehow you emerge stronger. And, as a bonus, you can handle the next setback with more equanimity. You are revitalized with a new sense of self. You also learn that scars can be something to be proud of because they show that you took a chance and you came through.
Not only loss and failure define us. Think of all the moments when you were at one with yourself and the world. These moments also shape and mold us. As we enter this festive season, take a moment to reflect on all the events that have changed us, defined who we are and where we are going.
REFLECTION: December can be an exciting time of the year, if you are able to see past the overwhelming pressure of holiday preparations, and find that celebratory, appreciative place of mind.
There’s something satisfying about turning that final page on the wall hung calendar. Another 12 months behind us. Another year lived, complete with unexpected twists and turns.
It’s the time of year when journalists feel compelled to look back at the year in review, creating top 10 lists of everything you can imagine – people, events, disasters, and delights. Christmas greetings and letters often take the same form – a year in the life of Family Smith.
There’s an opportunity here for each one of us to cast a glance over 2009 and the kind of year it has been for us. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.41 – Shifting Perspective
November 25, 2009
REFLECTION:
Many of the hours and days of our lives are spent travelling down old familiar roads. Start here, drive there, turn here, stop there. Get up tomorrow and travel the same route all over again. When we pause to seek out new adventures, we end up thinking and feeling differently.
Husband, Dave, and I have just returned from a ten day trip to Arizona – part work, part play, all fun. While visiting with friends in Tucson, we took advantage of the opportunity to step outside our everyday routine. Our friends had arranged glider rides over the Sonoran Desert with the Tucson Soaring Club, and a descent into the limestone caves at Kartchner Caverns in the Chihuahua Desert. Talk about the heights and the depths on back to back days!
It was my first experience in a glider. I enjoyed the quiet calm of sailing through the air – no motors, no PA announcements, no pretzels, no cookies, no distractions. Just me, the pilot, the plane and the hawks enjoying a 360 degree view of a desert and mountains that had evolved over thousands of years.
It was my first experience trekking into caves below the surface of the earth. Above ground nothing to write home about – sand, hills, cactus and scrub. Below ground – another world entirely. Spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, intricate and colorfl formations of glossy sediments deposited minute by minute, hour by hour, by thousands of droplets of water over tens of thousands of years.
ACTION:
Both the heights and the depths bring new perspectives on life. From up high and down below, life’s surface concerns grow smaller and more distant until they fall away completely- trumped by the beauty, peace and splendor of this moment in time and place.
What a gift to get away – to discover a fresh perspective on the world in which we live, love, work and travel.
What adventures – large or small – near or far – might bring you a new way of looking at the everyday-ness of life?
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
A couple of observations by John Muir:
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Add a mini getaway adventure to your day with a visit to the Kartchner Caverns State Park website – featuring video, photos, and the story of the caverns’ discovery and protection: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html
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READERS WRITE:
In response to the last Pause message, ‘What’s On Your Plate?’, reader GN writes: What a timely message for me, especially, but I think for most people. There really IS a tendency to say “Sure, no problem, I can fit that in!” Then, before we know it, workload expands to exceed hours available. I know that I have recently been looking at what I must do as opposed to what I can do. Your message in today’s Pause was a great reinforcement for me to stay on track and be reasonable, practical, and balanced in time and task management. I will try and refer to it routinely to keep from overloading my plate! Thanks!
REFLECTION: Many of the hours and days of our lives are spent travelling down old familiar roads. Start here, drive there, turn here, stop there. Get up tomorrow and travel the same route all over again. When we pause to seek out new adventures, we end up thinking and feeling differently.
Husband, Dave, and I have just returned from a ten day trip to Arizona – part work, part play, all fun. While visiting with friends in Tucson, we took advantage of the opportunity to step outside our everyday routine. Our friends had arranged glider rides over the Sonoran Desert with the Tucson Soaring Club, and a descent into the limestone caves at Kartchner Caverns in the Chihuahua Desert. Talk about the heights and the depths on back to back days! (more…)
PAUSE – 9.40 – What’s On Your Plate?
November 4, 2009
REFLECTION:
“Look’s like your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Seems like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
You took it, you eat it.”
I can’t pinpoint the precise source of those messages in my life. However, the cautionary notes still ring in my ears from time to time. These warnings also echo when I listen to clients despair about the overload and overwhelm in their workplaces and their lives.
It’s not surprising that we end up in an occasional or frequent state of overload. Here we are with this giant smorgasbord called life spread out in front of us. As we make our way through life’s buffet line, we’re sorely tempted by all the tantalizing possibilities on offer.
If you’re anything like me, by the time you get to the end of any food line (despite your best intentions to exercise restraint along the way) you can’t believe how wide and deep you’ve piled your plate. The same holds true when it comes to the number of tasks we load up as we travel life’s grand buffet.
ACTION:
Research shows that the bigger your plate, the more likely you are to overeat. So it stands to reason, that one of the best strategies for cutting down on overeating is to start with a smaller plate.
A similar strategy might be worth exploring on the task front. When we assume that we have a full 24 hours up for grabs every day of the week, there is less reason to be cautious about the number and size of commitments we pile on our plate.
If, however, we first set aside a reasonable number of hours for rest, renewal and self care, we reduce the size of the proverbial plate we make available for life’s other demands.
Interestingly, investing those hours in self care also assures that we’re healthier, stronger, and better able to carry the load. It’s like trading in your saggy, soggy paper plate for strong, substantial china.
Try apportioning those self care hours first. See what kind of difference it makes in the way you load and carry your plate of life.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” – English Proverb
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Setting priorities can be a daunting challenge. Here, with my compliments, is a link to a bundle of priority setting tools that I’ve provided to help you and your team or family decide what gets tackled first: http://www.pauseworks.com/renewal/documents/PrioritizingTools.pdf
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, Asking For Help, Pause reader S writes: Recently, I asked for help because I was troubled by a personal matter as well as a job loss crisis. Responses varied tremendously. Some people seemed to view my requests as broad invitations to criticize, while others have been good listeners and have offered positive encouragement. This exercise has reminded me to be very discerning about my audience. Choose your confidants carefully – especially if you are feeling vulnerable.
REFLECTION: “Look’s like your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Seems like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. You took it, you eat it.”
I can’t pinpoint the precise source of those messages in my life. However, the cautionary notes still ring in my ears from time to time. These warnings also echo when I listen to clients despair about the overload and overwhelm in their workplaces and their lives.
It’s not surprising that we end up in an occasional or frequent state of overload. Here we are with this giant smorgasbord called life spread out in front of us. As we make our way through life’s buffet line, we’re sorely tempted by all the tantalizing possibilities on offer. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.39 – Asking For Help
October 28, 2009
REFLECTION:
I’ve been working on a new opening for a speech that I’ll be giving in Phoenix next month. After having drafted out my ideas, I asked a few colleagues of mine who are blessed with an abundance of wit and humor for their reactions and advice.
I just heard back from the first of my buddies. He offered some great suggestions and reassured me I was on the right track. Now I’m even more excited about doing some additional tweaking and tuning.
On the same day, a colleague of mine contacted me and asked if I’d contribute to a bonus package of items that she was putting together as a purchasing incentive to help market her new book. Our messages are complimentary to each other, so I was happy to give her a hand and add to her bundle.
What do these two experiences have in common? The practice of reaching out for help and asking for what you need.
It has been my experience that friends, family and colleagues are more than willing to lend a helping hand. But if you and I can’t identify the need or find the confidence or humility to make the request, those generous offers of caring and support are much less likely to surface.
ACTION:
What do you need? And where can you help? Pay close attention at work and at home. Someone just might need support; and at any given time it could be you or me on the giving or receiving end of the equation.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning.” – Danish Proverb
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Here’s an interesting article from the Business section of the New York Times titled, “Why Is Asking For Help So Difficult?” See: http://tinyurl.com/yhxcasw
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message on ‘Buckling Down’, Pause reader GJ writes: Well, this is one of the most timely messages I have received in ages! I’m in a wonderful new position. After 20 years at home raising my children, I’ve been easing into part time work. For the last 8 months I’ve been working full time. I love the learning curve around my new position; but prioritizing, managing the interruptions and trying to remain focused on task is a weakness. Today YOU have just written out what I need to place in front of me to help me transition to a more productive day. Thank you!
REFLECTION: I’ve been working on a new opening for a speech that I’ll be giving in Phoenix next month. After having drafted out my ideas, I asked a few colleagues of mine who are blessed with an abundance of wit and humor for their reactions and advice. I just heard back from the first of my buddies. He offered some great suggestions and reassured me I was on the right track. Now I’m even more excited about doing some additional tweaking and tuning.
On the same day, a colleague of mine contacted me and asked if I’d contribute to a bonus package of items that she was putting together as a purchasing incentive to help market her new book. Our messages are complimentary to each other, so I was happy to give her a hand and add to her bundle.
What do these two experiences have in common? (more…)
PAUSE – 9.38 – Buckling Down
October 21, 2009
REFLECTION:
As I write this, it’s 4:30 on Monday afternoon, and I’m feeling GOOD!
My time in the office is limited this week, and it was important for me to accomplish a few of those ‘Must Do’ items today. Otherwise, I knew I’d be scrambling as the week moved along – feeling pressured and just a wee bit frenzied at every step.
It’s amazing how satisfying it was to check those essentials off the list. Sure, there are things still not done, but the time sensitive tasks are behind me.
Makes me wonder why I don’t buckle down, focus, and work this way more often.
ACTION:
The success strategy looked like this:
* List the top five critical tasks – in order of importance (not ease or interest). Keep that list directly in front of you.
* Right from the first moment of the day, start on the number one task. Work it to completion before moving on to number two.
* After each outside interruption, reorient yourself with the list, and immediately return to working on the task at hand.
* Refuse to interrupt yourself by giving in to the impulses to: check email, place low priority phone calls, or flip through items of lesser importance perched on the periphery of your vision or attention.
It’s not rocket science – but it is structured. Give it a serious try for an hour – a morning – a day. See what kind of a dent this approach makes on your list and how much it reduces your feelings of overload or overwhelm.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“You don’t have to be good to start, but you have to start to be good.” – Mary Marshall
“If I ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.” – Sir Isaac Newton
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
I’m only 50 pages into this book, but I’m really enjoying Lucy Jo Palladino’s insights in ‘Find Your Focus Zone’. Published 2007 by Simon & Schuster. You can check out the first chapter online at: http://www.yourfocuszone.com/bks_fyfz_ch1.html
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READERS WRITE:
Pause reader, MT writes: In my desire to do a good job and help people out, I have been working too much. I have a mountain of tasks, and have been thinking if I just keep working on them, the mountain will go away. I have tried to enlist the help of others where I can, but the mountain still looms and grows.
My efforts were wearing me down, making it harder for me to provide good service. So rather than continuously pushing that rock up the mountain, I decided to use my banked hours and flex time arrangements to take a day off every week.
I find most people who take a day off choose Friday or Monday. This gives them a short week and a long weekend. But instead, I’m taking Wednesdays off. I don’t get the longer weekend stretch, but I often don’t need it. Instead, by taking off Wednesdays, my “hump-day” disappears entirely. I get two short work weeks and two “weekends”.
Instead of getting worn down during the week and waiting for the weekend, I rest up and stay energized throughout the week. Sometimes the arrangement is a bit tricker for meetings and multi-day events, and I occasionally need to come in on my day off. But as more people know that’s what I’m doing, it gets easier. And, as an added benefit on those Wednesdays off, I also have more time to relax and enjoy the Pause newsletter as it arrives – hot off the press!
REFLECTION: As I write this, it’s 4:30 on Monday afternoon, and I’m feeling GOOD!
My time in the office is limited this week, and it was important for me to accomplish a few of those ‘Must Do’ items today. Otherwise, I knew I’d be scrambling as the week moved along – feeling pressured and just a wee bit frenzied at every step.
It’s amazing how satisfying it was to check those essentials off the list. Sure, there are things still not done, but the time sensitive tasks are behind me.
Makes me wonder why I don’t buckle down, focus, and work this way more often. (more…)
Introducing: New E-Product
October 5, 2009
INTRODUCING NEW E-PRODUCT:
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace? These collections of article may be just the ticket. Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at: http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace?
These collections of articles may be just the ticket.
Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at:
http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
