Reading Time: 7 minutesIt’s almost always a mistake for me to just sit down and start writing on a topic, or start working on a project without first thinking in detail about what I want to do and how I want to do it. I need to take time first to think things through. Mind mapping is the …
Reading Time: 6 minutesA couple of years ago I was at a point in my retirement where the “permanent fun vacation” (finally freed from work!) period was over, and I was feeling bored, unproductive, and unfulfilled. I fortunately encountered material written by David Sparks (aka MacSparky) on how to do a life roles inventory and evaluation. I took …
Reading Time: 4 minutesMost of us who identify as nerds are introverts, and that means we’re natural planners and organizers. We enjoy the process of thinking about things and organizing elaborate systems and plans for doing projects. However, sometimes we’re so into planning and preparing to do something that we never get anything done. We never act. “Motion …
Reading Time: 4 minutesIt’s an unfortunate fact that distractions define our modern lives. In his book Hyperfocus, Chris Bailey says, “…we encounter more distraction today than we have in the entire history of humanity.” The technical innovations of cell phones, tablets, and laptops have all brought great benefits. Unfortunately, they have also come with the ability to constantly …
Reading Time: 4 minutesA couple of weeks ago, I purchased a Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk. The desk arrived via FedEx in 4 boxes. It took me a couple of hours to assemble it. Although there are several companies that sell adjustable height desks, I bought a Jarvis brand desk because it was recommended by multiple sources I trust. …
Reading Time: 5 minutesI’m the kind of person that seeks to be intentional in my life. When I did my initial life roles identification and evaluation, I also wrote descriptions of my ideal behavior for each role. These descriptions are idealistic and aspirational. I’m not there yet, and likely never will completely arrive. They describe the type of …
Reading Time: 4 minutesShould Everyone Have a Life Vision Statement? Many personal growth and productivity teachers and courses assume that everyone should have a life mission statement that unifies all of their goals and actions throughout their entire life. I understand the ideal concept. If we could identify the unitary mission of our entire life, then we would …
Reading Time: 6 minutesSelf-evaluation and self-assessment have become popular in the business community, replacing the old employee evaluations process. Businesses see the value of having employees evaluate their behavior, both the negatives and the positives. Self-evaluations have also been a part of spiritual and personal growth processes for hundreds of years. Why Do Self-Evaluations? According to High Five …
Reading Time: 6 minutesLast week, I did a quarterly review & planning session. To be able to focus on my review, I rented a room at a local desert resort and planned to spend two days working on only my review. I find it helpful to leave my normal surroundings to be able to give total focus to …
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA couple of months ago I wrote a blog post about Finding Balance in Life. In this post, I stated my belief that life balance did not mean giving equal time to all of the aspects or roles in my life. Rather, I said, “My definition of life balance is to give appropriate attention and …