Jason Fried: Why work doesn't happen at work [TEDx Talk]

This is a great video about the understanding that work occurs in all different places, and usually not in the office...

Striving for personal sustainability: The Colonoscopy

I have spent a good part of the last month thinking about my past, present and future, trying to determine how all three of those pieces are working together to frame the next phase of my life.  I have a lot of goals and dreams I want to achieve in how many years I might have left in this world, which has been a big point of concern in my current thoughts.

I have been struck with a certain level of fear lately - a fear of that remaining time. I don't over-think the topic at all, just once in a while think about how I might not be moving fast enough to experience all I want to before the end comes, hoping that I can achieve a level of health that will allow me to live these experiences.

That is where I know I have not done a very good job.

Over the past 15 years, my health has been a bit of a slow downward spiral. I have lived a cubicle life, filled with crappy food, way too much pop, and countless hours staring at a computer screen as opposed to getting more active. I know these are no excuse - millions of individuals have similar working conditions and bad habits, yet still make sure to care for themselves properly. I have a lot of catch-up to do.

Eating, exercising, and mental health are all big goals this year. They are all part of my personal sustainability transformation. But there is a deeper level I need to take this commitment too... the need to start being more proactive in my approach. All my bad habits and the end results of those habits are now causing a reactive approach to fix it. Some things need the opposite approach.

For example, my need for another colonoscopy. Colon cancer runs deep in my family's history, including affecting my mom at a young age many years ago (she has been a long-time cancer survivor for I believe over 15 years now). This history means that my brother and I have been instructed to start getting regular colonoscopies every 3-5 years starting at age 21. I had my first one back in 2003, at age 25... but have not had one since (I am now 33). So needless to say, I am long over-due.

My lack of proactive-ness in getting a colonoscopy really has nothing to do with fear of the procedure (maybe just a little bit) or any kind of "I can outrun cancer" mentality. It is just rooted in deep lack of appreciation for proactive personal health care. Can't effectively achieve sustainability with that approach.

This is my personal battle I have to fight this year. Getting over procrastination and getting proactive about my long-term personal sustainability.  Despite my strengths in so many different areas, it is amazing how sometimes we can be brought to a halt over some of the smallest details.

Performing the Weekly Review

For a couple of hours each week, I perform a weekly review. Those familiar with David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology might know exactly what I am referring too, but for those of you who are exploring ways to become more productive and efficient with your time, this might be a new concept for you to grasp.

The weekly review is basically a process for setting aside some time to look at everything that is on your plate and in your mind, and getting it all organized where it belongs.  It is a time to clear your head, set (or realign) your priorities, and feel good about the next seven days to come.  Of all the podcasts and books I have consumed, everyone has their own day and time to conduct a weekly review, but mine tends to fall on the traditional start of the week - Sunday.

I can't tell you how good I feel after I do a weekly review. I feel incredibly organized and confident that I can roll into the next week and get things accomplished.

In today's post, I thought I would outline how I do my weekly review, step-by-step.  Again, everyone does a weekly review differently, which is exactly how it should happen. But for those of you looking for a place to start, perhaps this will help.

THE WEEKLY REVIEW PROCESS

1. Organize and digitize paper.  I am not a huge fan of paper, but it is still a major tangible item I accumulate every single day.  I have a specific spot in my work bag where I store all my papers during the course of the week, so come weekly review time, I empty that space and process the papers.  Some I will just look at and then discard, perhaps capturing any notes or calendar items that might be on them. Some papers I will scan into my laptop or take a picture of so I can reference them in the future. The only rule is that at the end of this step, all paper is gone.

2. Process my email inbox.  While I strive to get to Inbox Zero every day, it just does not happen. It is amazing the speed at which email comes in, but still takes more energy to send out.  I do have some rules built into my email system, but in general, I still have some to get through at the end of the week.  Luckily, on Sundays I don't get much email, so that is a perfect time to rip through my inbox. I read all the messages in there, file the ones that don't need action, or respond to the ones that do. At the end, there should be a completely empty email inbox staring back at you.

3. The calendar "look-back". Next, I take a look at the previous week's calendar. I take a few minutes to look at all the meetings I was in and if there was any deliverable I am reasonable for coming out of that meeting. For any actions I have to complete, I add them to my Evernote program as to-do's for the week ahead.

4. The calendar "look-ahead". Next, I look at all the currently scheduled meetings on my calendar for the week ahead.  What assets do I need to have ready for each meeting (if any)?  What meetings do I need to decline, move, or request information for?  Being prepared for meetings days in advance is 90% of the battle!

5. Dump your ideas. The next step I perform is to dump my thoughts and ideas out. I open up a blank Evernote note and start spilling out everything in my mind - ideas I have been pondering, thoughts on things to come, etc.  David Allen refers to this as a mindsweep, and it is critical.  Think of it kind of like a group brainstorming session, but only by yourself.  Then I review the list and see if there are any to-do's in there that I need to keep in mind for the week to come.

6. Connections I need to hunt for or farm. I would not be where I am today if it were not for my networking connections. I am a strong believer in making time to connect with others and stay in touch. This has become harder over time, given how fast the work moves and how busy we all are.  That is why I make sure to take time during my weekly review to evaluate who I need to connect with. I weigh the value and time needed, and build it into my schedule.  On average, I try and connect with three individuals each week, being a mix of new connections and fostering existing ones.

7. Putting it all together. I am very much an operations-minded guy at the end of the day. I like to see reports on my activity, like nice charts to show how I spent or are going to spend my time.  Because things like this keep me motivated, I have developed my own workflow documents and process charts.  Using all I have processed in my weekly review, I plug my week to come into a nice report so it is all laid out for me.

Those are my seven steps to a weekly review. What does your review look like?

Week 2 Running Update

I am now 14 days into my 365 day goal to run 1,200 miles, and I am happy to report that I am ahead of pace (for now)! I have logged a total of 47.3 miles through the first two weeks of the year, putting me ahead of pace for the 100 miles I need to get in January.

Being ahead of pace is a new feeling for me, considering last time I had a big running goal I didn't catch up with pace until about five days before I finished, so I am feeling good so far.

One area of credit goes to logging more miles on weekday nights. Orginally I was only going to try and get about 3.1 miles (a 5k for you runners out there) on work nights, but have actually been going about four and a half miles on those days. This has pushed my weeknight distances ahead quite a bit, allowing me to take two days off per week.

How is everyone else doing with their miles this year?

To accept other's opinions or not: You can't have it both ways

It is so easy to criticize others. We get so wrapped up in how we run our individual lives that we often forget that there are other ways things can be done, or thought of, for that matter.  I work extremely hard every day to accept others and their opinions, and it is tough, but important.

Now, I can't tell others how to think or feel, but when I saw the tweet below from someone I follow on the popular social networking service, Twitter, I kind of got upset:

Why? Because it seems like a complete oxymoronic statement. In one breath she accepts other's opinions, and in the next she conveys a threatening tone.  I have a lot of respect for her defending her friends, don't get me wrong, but the approach was perhaps executed incorrectly.

The tweet would be the equivalent of me welcoming your feedback on how my new shoes or shirt look, but then retaliating violently if I didn't like your answer.

Look, acceptance is an extremely hard thing to put into practice, but at the end of the day, I think it is important to look for how others might see the world. I am not condoning hate or illegal opinions, but they are all a part of the rights we have in this country we have built.  You have to accept that or not, but you can't have it both ways.