Your best just got better

My last run near the "wharf" (Canary Wharf, London, UK)

My last trip to London was a huge success! I enjoyed working with several client groups, had an amazing dinner with Giles Abbott, a storyteller-colleague, visited friends - and went for a run - (in Cambridge) and even went for a run along the River Thames! (River Thames)

I'm looking forward to my next trip there from California, and will plan to run this route again.

I have a few specific stories to share about my time there, will do so on this blog in the days/weeks to come.

Eric Mack On-Line

Link: Eric Mack On-Line.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“Thank you, Eric, for sharing your expertise, your passion and your knowledge with us here at The David Allen Company. The technological savvy you exhibit is only shadowed by your charisma and your ability to effectively manage the human side of what technical collaboration means.”- Jason Womack,     Facilitator & Coach

I wrote this quite some time ago...and, even now Eric's blog continues to impress...I've known this guy for almost a decade now, and just when it seems I think he's reached his limit and his potential, he goes and impresses me again. I've been following his adventure into KM (Knowledge Management). If the idea of:

Finding
Understanding
Maximizing

information is at all important to you, your enterprise or your skill set, I highly recommend viewing Eric's stuff. Here is a link to Eric Mack Online.

How do you manage yourself in time?

I continue to reflect on the slippery ways I've tried to manage time. Setting alarms, leaving reminder notes, calling my own cell phone…all in an attempt to do all I have to do in the time that I promised. I started thinking of it differently. What, historically, was time management? I wanted to know, because what it was, and how I was taught to do it, isn't standing the test of time.

Through the historical development of manufacturing and progress, it's been more important to get more, with less. In fact, time management was originally developed to help people compartmentalize their work by any one of the following:

periods of time;
priority;
boss;
customer; or
request.

Kudos to those who identify, work toward, and achieve their goals!

Hi everyone reading...Please take a moment and acknowledge the journey with me. I'd like to send my thanks to Erik (from Minneapolis) for sending me this note some time ago. I admit I was having one of those weeks where I was wondering, "Does it make a difference?" Then, opening my inbox one weekend morning, here is what I saw:

Jason,
I just wanted to send you an update on the fruits of your labor. Over the past couple years I have been following your advice (starting from Davidco) on effectiveness, and now fitness! Yesterday, I ran my first 5k ever. This was a great achievement from which I plan to build on. Thanks for the motivation and inspiration to get Fit and Effective.

Erik
Minneapolis

I can only smile as I read this, knowing that there is someone out there who is "making things happen."

Do not pass go, do not collect $200...do a backup!

I am so glad I did a backup.

A colleague of mine told me this one day.  On a business trip to New York, his computer (a PC) crashed.  And this wasn't just a shut down error experience - all the data was gone!

He walked into a computer store and bought a new machine (a Mac).  A few hours later, in his hotel room, he had synchronized all of his files over the Internet.  Even though he was out a little bit of cash, and a couple of hours of time, he was back on track...

You see, he had slowed down in order to speed up.

You've GOT to be a dog person to get this one!

So when I saw this all I could think of was:

"HOW FUN!"

Now, before you watch in wonder, read this short blurb...

Dogs take over the pool at the 4th annual Pooch Plunge held in Fort Collins, Colorado. City Park pool is open for the summer season and then closes for the rest of the season. Before the pool is drained our four-legged friends get to enjoy the pool.

 

Ok, one more post from The Race! (The novel by Dave Shields)

Some of you know I tend to move quickly - looking to learn the next lesson in life.

At work I am always interested in identifying the fundamentals, the "truisms" that we all operate under.

On the bike [or, more generally in triathlon] I am always interested in the fundamentals, the "truisms"... Sound familiar?

So, it's easy to understand that I am continually interested by people who ask, Jason, what's the latest in productivity?"

I need help in answering this, because the latest is the oldest... I mean, the problem we all face is the problem we have always faced!

In a nutshell here is what I have:

Each of us needs to make effective decisions more consistently.

In the fictional book "The Race," Ben's coach says:

Master your mind. Knowing what to do when is the mark of a champion.

So, check out your workday (whenever/wherever you are reading this) and I invite you to ask yourself:

What decision do I need to make, and what can I do about that next?

I read the book Sales Dogs a couple of years ago...it was a book that came recommended by a former co-worker. More recently, I have been reading Blair Singer's newsletters...they are random enough in arrival that I open them, short enough to read, and meaningful enough to maintain my subscription. Here's the latest issue...and you can sign up for the newsletter at the SalesDogs.com website...

Being a Great Leader
Leaders are judged by many criteria. By their impact, influence, accomplishments, reputation and so forth. Great accomplishments are not acts of magic. To create great families, businesses and teams, great leaders have certain skills and talents. They have the ability to:

Spot and leverage the strengths of others.
Teach others how to succeed.
Use mistakes to strengthen and grow the team.
Use frequency of interaction to build relationship, consistency and most of all trust.
Promote a realistic, but bright future to the team.

Are these skills in you?

Be Awesome

Blair Singer

Why is there a demand to manage time?

We all have more to do than we can get done, so we have to prioritize free hours and work on first things first.

No doubt, it's more effective to focus on the most important thing. The problem is: the most important things can change day-to-day, hour-to-hour.

Have you ever noticed this phenomenon happening, yet you still can't do anything about it? I'll set the stage by asking you to think of a day when you started off identifying a "priority project for the day."

1. You're at your desk, and think, "I'm going to get up and get a cup of tea/coffee."
2. You walk toward the cafeteria/room, and see a co-worker.
3. You stop to talk about the project you're both "kinda" working on...it's not a priority this week, but it's something you have in common.
4. You continue on to get your drink, only to find that there are not supplies (pick: cups, sugar, stir-straw, whatever).
5. You decide to just go back to your desk and continue working.
6. Along the way to your desk, your mobile phone rings (ok, if you're a guy this could happen, we usually carry our phone on our hip/in our pocket)...
7. You finally get back to your desk, to check e-mail to find out if anything new has come in since you left.
8. You read a note from someone asking for some information you know you can get out of a document saved on your hard drive/C: drive relatively quickly.
9. You go to find the document, only to realize you really should organize some of the files and folders you've saved recently to your desktop/hard drive.
10. You decide to save the e-mail as a draft, promising yourself you'll get back to your co-worker by the end of the business day...

Santa Barbara Triathlon - a new PR!

A "PR" (Personal Record) is something we talk about often in Triathlon. It doesn't come every race, so when it shows up, we get kinda excited! Well, last month at the Santa Barbara Long Course triathlon, I finished the race sub-3:40 (ok, just barely!).

Here were the official times:
2007
Finish Time 3:39:26      
1 mile SWIM 33:31
34 mile BIKE 1:38:16
10 mile RUN 1:22:54

I know, I know... you're wondering: "Jason, how come your swim time is so slow?" Well, in my personal/professional life I equate it to the person who still types with two fingers. Yes, they get through their e-mail but it takes a little longer. With just a little time practicing, and a few more lessons under the belt, I'd probably be able to swim a minute or two faster...

And, as many of the people I work with say, "I have to make choices about where to spend my time."

Continue reading for the race times I've finished with for this race over the past few years...