Your best just got better

What gets in your way of being productive at work?

A client forwarded me a question recently, and I thought I'd share an answer from my perspective. After spending hundreds of hours with clients - in the trenches - at their desks offering ideas and strategies for workflow organization, I now know how important it is to create uninterrupted time to take action.

Here is a short video (less than 3 minutes long) where I explain my thinking behind this theory.

Input...change...transition...transcend

I put an E-mail out to a colleague/mentor/friend of mind, David Randle, to continue a conversation we started last month. Last week, after presenting a seminar for a healthcare company with offices near Denver, CO, I realized that I was still thinking about the implication of the application of information...

Make sense?

His background intersects with mine only in that we both worked with the "teen set" at one point in our lives. Our current endeavors continue with the education tradition, as we work one on one and with groups bringing our particular expertise to them in a way they can understand and use.

I have already started an agenda for the next conversation...whenever we can make that happen.

(By the way, here's a productivity tip: Identify 3-5 people you'd like to speak to "someday." Draft an ongoing agenda, and review it in your weekly review. Who knows, you might just meet them, or someone like them, someday, and you'll be more than read to engage in the conversation you've already planned!)

In the time it takes you to read this, the world is changing!

I think many people have already heard of this presentation...thought I'd share it here...

(Just click once on the single triangle facing to the right at the bottom of the window below...)

Santa Barbara Triathlon (long course triathlon)

In August, I'll enter another triathlon competition. This is a race I've finished 3 times, and each year my overall comes down a few more minutes. (This year, I'm aiming for under 3:30!)

The Santa Barbara Triathlon weekend is a great one for beginners and experts alike. The sprint races are on Sunday (a co-ed AND a women's only race) and the long course is on Saturday...

I didn't know until this week that this is a fundraising race. I had not planned on asking, but I figured if anyone was "looking" for an outlet for their community fundraising resources, this organization seems like a good one!

                  Cancer Center of Santa Barbara
                  Wellness Program               
                      300 West Pueblo Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Phone (805) 682-7300
Fax (805) 569-7406

Hello World!

Wow, I’m honored! There is a growing international community that is interested in the topics, ideas and experiences I’m writing about here. This is very exciting. And, at the same time, it uplevels the game: I intend for these writings to be interesting to everyone reading!

In the past couple of weeks, readers have visited from:

London
Madrid
Sydney
Beijing
Dublin
Mumbai
Singapore

I can’t wait to see who else shows up!

(Oh, if you’re from “out of the states,” would you mind taking a moment and leaving a comment? I’d love to hear where you are from…and, if there is anything you would like to me to write more about, just let me know!)

Starting over, over again

Some time ago, I was invited to be part of an interview hosted on the Gday world network (over here). In that interview, the question of WHY came up regarding my moves away from different jobs I've had, toward new opportunities.

In 1990, I left day-labor and construction - after working off/on again for over 4 years as a journeyman carpenter.
In 1996, I left academia - after being tapped to join a PhD program in learning development and teaching.
in 2000, I left education - after being named teacher of the year and assisting hundreds of students as they navigated the worlds of learning about History and practicing the Spanish Language.
in 2007, I left employment as a senior staff seminar facilitator (having presented over 500 days of professional seminars across North America and Western Europe).

So, why would I leave what would seem to be such obvious "careers?" Why would I branch out time and time again into different fields, having to learn different skills? And, of course, why would I anticipate at some time in the future I'll change directions again? (There is something inside me that is interested in the social movements of not-for-profits, and the implication of "for-profit" collaboration with such organizations...)

The reason is simple: I learn more as a beginner than I do as the expert.

A bike tour of the Ojai Valley (Ojai, CA) on 06/2/2007

The Ojai Valley Century bike ride!

On June 2, 2007, I'll join about 500 other riders as we leave Ojai and ride along the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest and then along the CA coastline through Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

I've got to say, doing this kind of an event is really a dream come true. With my record 240 nights in hotels last year, I've finally hit a stride as it relates to training/traveling/consulting and writing...

I'm very excited about the upcoming Fit and Effective Boot Camp to be held here in Ojai later this year. Stay tuned, more info to come!

Here's a picture of what will be a great section of road...