Jason Womack

When you think of nothing, you add value to your life (and to other people as well!)

I'd like to thank the WSJ writer, Robert Lee Holtz for adding a great piece of research to my life.

(I know I have written about my subscription to the DANA press periodical, "Brain in the News." What, you still don't have a free subscription? Well...ok, then!)

This article put ideas and a bit of science behind what we all know intuitively. There is often more going on than what is going on. It just makes sense to ne that people think about things OTHER than what they are doing!

Want a challenge? Not a riddle, not a test...a challenge. Sit down in a comfortable chair, with pen and paper in front of you. Set a timer for 3 minutes.

Sit there, and do nothing. No phone calls, no email, no reading, no answering the phone...no-thing.

Then, at the end of the three minutes, write down as many things as possible that you remember thinking about during those three minutes. Be VERY honest with yourself, make as long a list as possible. NOT just what you have to DO, not just the PROBLEMS to SOLVE...every single thought!

If you want a good read, check out the June 19, 2009 article in thw Wall Street Journal by Holtz titled, "A Wandering Mind Heads Straight Toward Insight." (Page A-11)

Knowing what all there is to do...Really! (in the inbox, anyway)

Link: J.D. Meier's Blog : The Zen of Zero Mail.

The Zen of Zero Mail

You too can have a zero mail inbox, if you choose to.  I chose to go zero mail in my inbox when I first joined Microsoft years ago, and I'm glad I did.  With a single glance, I know whether I have new mail to deal with.  I never have to scroll to see what my next actions are.   At a more basic level, an empty inbox feels good.  I thought it was just me, but others say the same. 

When I wrote the eBook on the Outlook Dashboard (a link to the site here...), I had in mind the kinds of knowledge workers who were most interested in not just surviving, but THRIVING in a world of TMI (Too Much Information).

I figure if even ONE person benefits from the Microsoft® Outlook® Dashboard document we put together, the hours of research and writing will have been worth it!

What 2-3 things happen when you "believe you can?"

I avoided a question today.

Here is a map of the course as outlined by my own heart rate and GPS satellites!

You see, waaaayyyy back in 2001, my friend and triathlon mentor asked me a question on our way to the Santa Barbara race. He asked, "So Jason, do you think you're going to place today?"

I laughed it off...I had only been "in training" for a few months, and I thought there was NO way I was going to be able to do that! Well, to make a LONG story short, I didn't place that day...I missed by about 17 seconds!

So, on our way to the race TODAY, we made our regular "small talk" about who we thought would be there, and what we could both remember about the course from doing this in years past. (Quanah had won this race outright in the late 90's, I had raced in it a half-dozen times...)

He didn't ask, and I didn't offer...But I know I was thinking about the "placing" question. I let my mind wander. During the 45 minute drive, whenever there was a pause in the conversation, I went back to the mental rehearsal. I had been practicing this course in my mind for weeks. I know the turns, the straightaways, the hills and the places where most people would slow down.

Each time I closed my eyes, I went "fast forward" through the course. First the swim, then the bike, then the run. I "saw" the transitions (from getting out of the wetsuit, hammering the bike course, to dropping the bike and heading out on the run) in my mind. And, then, to my surprise, I saw myself on the podium.

Not just once, but over and over again.

There will be more to come, a race-report if you will, but for now the great question to ask yourself is: What would happen if you "believed" it could? If you look down this list, you'll see my name: 2nd place in my age group, and 14th overall...Not bad!

 

So, I came up with the 3 things that happen when I believe it can happen:

• Time is relative. During the swim portion (the water was chilly), I kept reminding myself that this was a race (not just a training day). I had planned to be in the water for about 8 minutes...And, I was darned close
• I notice different things. I hear more, see more, smell more, and feel more when I'm hyper-aware. When I pause, reflect, gain a new perspective and then act on that vision, good things tend to happen.
• It happens. Enough said...

What is THE goal you have for your Self this year?

18 months ago, we went to Costa Rica for 10 days - I didn't check email or voicemail once. Of course, we let clients know the "office" would be closed the two weeks before the holidays.

Well, that put an idea in my head: "Could I 'work' out of the office, from one place, for 3 weeks straight?"

Well, that's what I just did! And, I'm already planning to stretch it to FOUR next summer! (Or even 6!) This was my first flight after a break of 18 days without flying (a record?).

The "Big" idea is to race in the 2010 New York City triathlon, and then go back to Homer, AK; this time for the whole month of August. Now, whether or not it's Homer, and whether or not it's exactly 4 weeks...the point of the story for ME is that I'm intending to "walk away" from the routine of traveling, seminar-ing and coaching. I want to get away, to see it all.

When I get away from my day-to-day for some time, magic happens. Like I did for the past three weeks! I had "time" to read, write, run, meet new friends, hike, sleep, research, cook, compete, interview authors and teachers, and more!

So, the question to my loyal blog readers: What is the Big Thing you're intending for your Self in the next 12 months?

Do something today, and put it into motion!

What does it mean to be "balanced?"

What a week...I have spent 3 amazing weeks in Alaska this month (Anchorage, Soldotna and Homer). Meeting with clients, running, and vacationing, I thought about the whole work/life balance thing.

The more I thought, and the more I wrote in my journal, I realized my new definition of "balance."

Balance=Presence

That's the topic I will be exploring next month as I "hit the road." Where am I present, how do I get there, and how do I stay there?

3 Secrets to Your Success (latest interview online now!)

Mastering Productivity | Secrets to Your Success.

That link up there will take you to Mark's website, where he wrote up some notes on an interview we did recently. While you're there, go ahead and listen in, he asks some GREAT productivity questions, and I had about 25 minutes of ideas to share!

Also, please do leave a comment there...Mark and I will both read those, and collaborate based on your ideas to bring you another interview sometime soon.

You'll hear a few ideas you can use immediately, just a couple are:

1) Break your to-do list into the THREE lists it really is: Things you need to THINK about, Things you're MANAGING over time, Things to do. Then, REDO that to DO list for today - write down the 15-30 things that come from the THINK about and MANAGE lists.

2) Try something for 5 days - every day - and then study the effect. (If you do something once a week, then it's 5 weeks, once a week!) Be a scientist about your own productivity. (We'll be running a course on this in the fall.)

3) *** Want another tip? Ya gotta go listen! Then, when you're done, email me, let me know, and we'll give ya something good. Like an eBook, or another audio download, or a 30-minute call to discuss your productivity...Something good, I promise!

IDeA - what does THAT mean?

Ok, so for those of you following me on Twitter, you've seen this before: #IDeA. 

Innovating - hearing about, seeing, or simply coming up with a new idea

Designing - figuring out how to "do" the idea in your real [aka: BUSY!!!!] life

experimenting - actually using/trying/playing with the idea for 5 consecutive days

Accounting - stopping at the end of the 5 days and actually studying your results

Look for MUCH, much more on this in the next few weeks. I'm even starting a new website titled: www.5DayExperiment.com - check it out!

Thank you Ken Robinson - again

I just finished reading Sir Ken Robinson's new book, "The Element." And, going back to this speech I am doubly inspired to take my own initiative and interest to another level.

I've watched this presentation many, many times, and each time I do, I challenge myself to hear something new, or hear the same thing in a new way. If you have even 7 minutes right now, I encourage you to "start" watching. You can finish it later...Just start letting this good information in!

Make it a more productive day

Here is the entire article.

Productivity Coach's Corner: Maximize Your Most Limited Resources

When was the last time you ended a day of work only to realize you had not yet completed that one task you kept a mental reminder to do "later?" While most people do their best to work efficiently throughout the day, this focus on "completing the immediate" may sometimes get in the way of chipping away at the bigger things.

A successful workplace performance day…what is it? As relative as the term "successful" is, you more than likely have a reference point for what a "good day" means to you. In fact, if you'd like to have more of those kinds of days, start with your own reference point. Make a list of "ingredients" that go into your own good day.

For example, Jason has a note card with the prompt, "I am at my best when…" and he has made a list that includes: eating breakfast, completing a deliverable, and drinking water throughout the day as ways to be at his best (e-mail him today to receive the entire list).

He's known throughout the states, here's just 10 minutes of Zig Ziglar

Ok, so in the first 90 seconds Zig hammers home a point that I face each day:

It's a lot easier to find what's wrong, than what is right. And, a quick and effective way to find what's right?

Write...

I've learned how important it is to objectify, write down, record, look at and study what's going on in my mind. It's one thing to THINK something (or, to think ABOUT something) but something else entirely to process it when it's out on paper

Skip to minute 4 of the video below and watch the next 45 seconds...WOW...or, should I say WOAH!