Avoidance, too hard, someone else, too busy, & shredded carrots

Whatever you are thinking about, just go after it. Maybe it takes a lot of time, so what? The head often influences judgments regarding time. Don’t over think it. Break it into steps, create a timeline, get going, focus & keep at it, mix it up, let it marinate, and declare a finish line, then celebrate. Step #1, get carrots.

Note: the focus & keep at it step is really important! 

Develop a timeline! No, you may never be “done,” yet you need a finish line.  Always allow additional time for unforeseen complications. Planning is good, but over planning is bad. Step #2, peel carrots!

Get going! Don’t stop and hold meetings to talk about the decision. If you must meet, meet to support the decision. Do not let people criticize the decision and tell you how they never thought it was a good idea. Step #3, shed carrots!

Focus & keep at it! In order words, commit to the decision. You came this far, so follow through. You will need to push yourself. If others are involved, you will need to spend time keeping them focused. Step #4, prepare the marinade.

Mix it up! You will need to set yourself up for success! A poor craftsman blames his tools, so get the tools you need. Weather it is a Cuisinart food processor or people you trust, utilize them. The right tools make the mix better, aid with scalability, and lead to sustainability.  And remember, investing does not always mean money. Step #5, mix!

Let it marinate! Leave it alone and walk away if you hit a challenge. Life is a blend of choices. Sometimes you need to let those choices rest. Step #6, marinate.
Declare a finish line! You can’t finish what you don’t start. Hoping and wishing are not strategies. Yes, you can definitely over plan. And don’t stop to talk about creativity or second-guess yourself. Get it done. Step #7, celebrate!

cool celebration photo coming eventually

Shredded Carrot Salad
4 large carrots
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar
Marinate overnight or for at least six hours

Things, struggling, done, & mediocrity

We all struggle with getting things done. There is just so much to do. Deadlines, lets come back to those. Done, in today’s vernacular, means lots of reflection and collaboration. Then there’s timing, which differs from deadlines. Too soon, no one cares. Too late, well no one cares. And lets try to avoid the prevalent culture of mediocrity. We hand things in because the next deadline looms. If it works, well enough move on! And creativity is great just don’t get too creative.  Will Rogers quote – Inspiyr @ Creative Commons

Lets just focus on the getting it done part. If you don’t start, well that’s not good. If you do start, you probably don’t start by thinking lets create something mediocre with a lot of rules and bureaucracy. You do some research. You find a whole bunch of relevant articles and many more non-relevant way more interesting ones. Most likely, “it” turns out to be more complicated than anyone thought. So, you collaborate with more people. You hold a few more meetings. Turns out, no one really gets “it.” Possibly it’s too soon or it’s just not ready yet.  Henry Ford quote – QuotesEverlasting @ Creative Commons

Done involves choice! Choose well, things will get done. Not everything, but some things. Look for signs, read tealeaves, or even check walls for writing. Yes, retreating to the comfort of answering email is much easier. Done means continually evaluating your pitch and make choices to more forward.

Unfortunately, there’s more. You will need a hard-edged belief. You will need a drive, one that challenges mediocrity. One that continually asks, “Is value being added?” There will be difficult conversations.  And, you must possess a willingness to fail. When no one is with you, then you are probably right. Dudley Field Malone quote – madingflick @ Creative Commons

Go slow. Take you time and be resourceful.  You will need to do your homework and sell, market, and promote hard to get “it” done. Look for passion and borrow some if necessary. Deadlines loom, but useful and forward movement counts too. If it is right, it will work; else why are you on the team?

Time – making, spending, & loosing it

I feel so inspired reading these blogs of my colleagues. I keep thinking about if I just had more time? I could write more and get in the game. Oh yeah, I am in the game. Maybe I’m in the wrong game? Or maybe it’s still first half?

OK, so lots of people talk about making more time? How do you they do it? I could just not do one of the majorly important projects that come across my screen? Like make technology do something someone dreamed up without consulting me before and already has promised it to dozens of people. I could just dedicate some of that time to blog time? No, probably that would not work out too well. -exhale-

So, how do we make time work? I unfortunately keep coming back to priorities and the need to decide what is less important. Honestly, I do not like this. In the back of my mind, I feel I am a really an unstructured go with it kind of person. I can work without and agenda and get it all done. Yet as this digital world evolves, I now seem to be this person with a schedule. When did that happen? And I’m the person running after others to say go slow and do not push the envelope. For over forty years, I was head of the envelop pushing department.

Maybe making time is a myth? Maybe less is more is the new reality that no one ever tells you has been here for years. It’s easy, you just have to choose to not do something. Or care less about something. Almost never do you hear, “hey, this stuff over here, do not worry about that many more.” It’s more like, “great job keeping those thirty balls in the air, now just keep these three more in the air and we are good.” Well, good for this week.

Let me tell you Cyberfaithful, it can get old fast if it hits you at the wrong time on the wrong day.