Why Regular Reflection is the Most Important Habit

By all accounts, I probably got my undergraduate degree in the "wrong" thing. I spent four years earning a secondary education social studies degree and then spent a year and a half teaching before moving on to graduate school in a completely different field (psychology). I did well in my education course work and by most accounts I was a very good teacher who would've become great with time. However, I eventually realized that the confluence of several factors resulted in teaching not being the right career for me. Those factors are beyond the scope of this article but I do want to address how I got into this situation in the first place and how fixing the problem that got me in this situation has had huge results in the rest of my life.

Sometime in my junior year of high school I decided I was going to be a social studies teacher. I don't remember the exact moment I made the decision, but I do remember spending at least a year before college telling people that was what I was going to do. At the time, it felt like the right decision. I loved (and still love) history and I had some great role models I could look to as I began creating my teaching career. Once I made that decision, though, I never once stepped back and assessed whether it was still the right decision. I got on a path and kept my head down until I popped out the other side (four years later) with a teaching certificate and a gnawing sense this wasn't what I really wanted to be doing any longer. 

There's one habit that would've prevented all of this -- a practice of regular reflection. 

Regular reflection is the simple process of looking back at your decisions, actions, and thoughts and making behavioral changes based on what you see. At a very high level, regular reflection will keep you from the multi-year wastes of time that my undergraduate degree could be viewed as (which, admittedly, is a little harsh considering I use a lot of what I learned in teacher education school in my writing and coaching now). At a lower level, a practice of regular reflection will help you stay on the right path with smaller habit changes and projects.

Regular Reflection and Habit Change

A lot of habit change is a process of trial and error because there are a myriad of strategies and methodologies for any kind of habit change. What many people do is choose one and just plug away at it until they either fail (most commonly) or got lucky on their first try and successfully change the habit (much more rarely). The smart thing to do is to periodically check in with yourself and ask questions like:

• How has this been working for me in the past week?

• What was I doing when it seemed like things were going very well for me?

• What was I doing when it seemed most difficult?

Asking these questions gives you an opportunity to look at some data (whether actual quantitative data you've collected on yourself or just your thoughts and impressions from whatever time period you're reflecting on) and make any behavioral changes necessary to attain greater success. The flip side is to never reflect on how well you're doing and just hope you get lucky. 

How to Build Reflection Into Your Life

You can easily build a habit of reflection into your life by taking advantage of the repeated scheduling capabilities of your task management software or calendar. I have weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly repeated tasks that remind me to look at my corresponding reflection checklists. For example, every Sunday my task management software tells me to complete a Weekly Review and on the first Sunday of every month I have a reminder to complete my Monthly Review. This takes care of actually remembering to do the review, but the next step is to actually complete some kind of review.

I think checklists of questions to answer through writing are the best way to systematically build reflection into your life. My various checklists have been cobbled together based on my own experiences, goals, and on the suggestions of various books I've read over the years. I've shared my Weekly Review checklist before but you can see it again here. My Monthly Review checklist can be seenhere. As you might be able to tell with the differences between the Weekly and Monthly Reviews, as the review becomes more infrequent the nature of the reflective questions become "bigger." My Quarterly Review deals with long-term goals and Areas of Responsibility and my Yearly Review deals with my values and personal vision. I encourage you to use my checklists or other templates you find around the Internet as a first draft and then tweak them to match your exact specifications. Then, write (and save) your answers to the questions in your checklists to get yourself thinking reflectively. Saving your answers provides a great history of how your thinking and goals have evolved over time.

Without building a habit of reflection you're forcing yourself into a low-odds game where every decision you make has to be perfect. That's what happened when 17 year-old Sam made a decision that Future Sam was supposed to adhere to for the rest of his life. Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself. Trust that you've built a safety mechanism, regular reflection, into your life and you'll likely to start finding much more success and happiness.

Photo by b-leam

Workspace Optimization vs. Workspace Agnosticism

As it is with most personal development topics I think about, I'm finding myself wrestling with somewhat of a paradox. 

What's better, identifying and creating the optimal workspace for the way you work or cultivating the ability to work anywhere? Basically, focus on creating the best environment in which to do your work or focus on being comfortably location agnostic?

OPTIMAL WORKSPACE

If you have a lot of control over where and how you work (indie workers, I'm looking at you) then you've likely invested some time thinking about what your optimal workspace looks like (and if you haven't then now is a good time to start). From the tools you use to the chair you sit in to the color of your walls and the soundtrack (or lack thereof) of your office -- you have a lot of control over crafting it around your personality and needs. With systematic experimentation and an eye for what helps or hinders your productivity, you can create a veritable productivity haven built specifically to your whims. 

This is why my home "office" always has a large white board with my weekly calendar and major due dates within easy line of sight from where I sit, why I keep a very minimal desk with just my computer and whatever I'm currently working on on its surface, and why I am always listening to some kind of instrumental music. I know what I like, I know what I need, and I create my space to reflect that as much as possible.

LOCATION AGNOSTICISM

On the other hand, perhaps our time is better spent developing the abilities that makes our environment unimportant to how we work? If you're location independent in your work then it makes sense to be able to pack up and work from anywhere. Instead of spending time energy and money on creating the perfect home office, you can instead work from your kitchen table, the park, a coffee shop, and the library with equal productivity and happiness. How location independent can you really be if you can only work in a perfectly laid out office? 

If this sounds like the way to go, then you need to develop your ability to block out distractions and truly concentrate. You need to be able to work with only a minimal amount of tools as you aren't likely to be trucking around your complete arsenal of productivity materials. You need to be comfortable working from unknown locations and low strung enough that the occasional wi-fi outage or noisy cafe neighbor doesn't send your day into a complete tailspin.

FALSE DICHOTOMIES, FOR THE WIN

As with many dichotomies conveniently created for blog articles, this one is false. At least, to a large extent. While I can definitely see people falling more into one camp than the other, there's no reason you can't both create an awesome home base completely designed to your specifications and develop the ability to work productively from anywhere. 

The most important factor that cuts across both of these options, however, is self-knowledge. It's not about having one strategy that you stick to come hell or high water. It's about knowing yourself and what you need to work well to make good decisions about how you're going to work each day. If you know you need burning incense, instrumental music at precisely 45 decibels and a fuzzy cat in your lab to successfully write, then maybe it's best if you worked from home on those days. If you know your corporate office is a good place to knock out relatively menial and easy tasks but the worst place ever to sit down and think deeply about a problem, then it behooves you to find a better environment. At the same time, cultivating the concentration and focus necessary to be location agnostic in your work gives you the flexibility and peace of mind to work anywhere, under any conditions. It's up to you to know what your day demands, to know how you work best, and then take action to make that happen.

Do what you can to make your home base as productive as possible but don't forget that very rarely in the knowledge worker economy does work take anything more than a computer and an internet connection. Strive to be the master of your productivity kingdom and the slave to nothing.

Photos by Jared Schmidt and Onyx Mirror

Stepping Into the Discomfort

I've been thinking a lot about the benefits of discomfort. It seems like it's the less-scary cousin of pain and injury. Most people avoid it like they would something that causes serious distress in their life. Breaking your leg creates true pain and would definitely be classified as an injury. Working out so hard that your legs are really tired... now that's a case of discomfort. How often does discomfort result in permanent injury or death? Never.

So why do we work so hard to avoid it? 

Evolutionarily, I understand it. Our bodies like to conserve energy and remain in a state of equilibrium. Conserved energy means more warmth in the winter and a higher likelihood of surviving long enough to reproduce and propogate our species. Luckily, most of us live in a society where living long enough to reproduce represents the very lowest rung of the aspirational ladder. Now, It's okay for us to feel discomfort. We don't need to act like our paleolithic ancestors preparing for the next high speed sabre tooth tiger evasion or incoming ice age. If so, why do we work so hard to avoid it and how can we learn to embrace it?

Discomfort as Metric of Improvement

One of the toughest things about any long term change (whether we're talking about a habit change or a project) is identifying signals of progress. How do you know if you're improving? One method I'm a fan of is collecting data on yourself over a long period of time. If you're making progress then you'll see it in the data. Unfortunately, collecting data can sometimes be tedious and not everyone has as deep and undying love for data and graphs as me.

That's where mindful discomfort comes in. As a first step, just noticing where and what causes you discomfort is a type of progress. Discomfort is caused by your body being pushed or stretched out equilibrium. It's resisting some type of change. If you're the one inflicting the discomfort, then it's resisting the  positive change you're trying to create. It means you're at the barrier between what's normal and what's possible. Your job is to push that barrier farther into the realm of what's possible until it becomes the new normal.

With that mindset, discomfort is reason to rejoice, not shy away. It means you've found that all-important barrier that will allow you to improve. Over time, mindfully entering into that zone of discomfort over and over will change what you perceive as normal. Whereas running a mile may have been as uncomfortable as anything you can imagine, consistently stepping into that discomfort will result in that mile-long run no longer causing you discomfort. Then, you'll have to run faster or longer to find that area of discomfort again. And in the process of doing so, you just became a runner.

How to Deal With Discomfort

The first step in dealing with discomfort is not using that word at all. You don't "deal" with discomfort. You seek it out. You sit in it. You try to relish it. You take a break. And then you do it again, and again, and again. 

You start doing things because they will cause discomfort. Discomfort stops being an unfortunate byproduct that you have to work through to get where you want. By mindfully choosing it, it becomes something that you control. Instead of going for a run and thinking, "I'm going to run for three miles and I hope it's not too uncomfortable," you try thinking, "I'm going to go for a run for three miles and I'm going to see how much discomfort I can tolerate." That probably sounds a little bit weird, however, it's strangely liberating once you adopt it. Instead of thinking, "I'm going to write this article and I hope it's not too difficult," you try thinking, "I'm going to write this article and I'm going to push myself stylistically and with my vocabulary and with my tone and with my syntax and with my grammar to create as great a piece of writing as I'm capable. And it will be hard. And that will be okay."

Process, Then Product

One of my favorite lines is "process over product." I'll recite it to anyone who will listen and I'm sure many of my clients are tired of hearing me say it. Taking care of the process, the way you do something, the way you live your life, how you make decisions, how you approach your work etc. will inevitably lead to the product you ultimately seek. However, it rarely works the other way around.

Embracing discomfort is embracing the process behind change. When you've moved from working out to lose weight/be more attractive to working out because you enjoy the process of working out then the spoils you seek are near at hand. When you approach each day of work as an opportunity to improve the way you work, to improve the way you think about work and the way you solve problems, then you will inevitable create better products. Those who speak passionate words about change and self-improvement, those who buy new shoes and download training plans, those who spend hours looking for new tools to make them more productive at the expense of doing the work are searching for shortcuts around the discomfort.

There is no shortcut around the discomfort. You have to step into it. You have to learn it. You have to master it. And, ultimately, you have to learn to love it.

Thank you to Leo for writing the article that got me thinking about this topic.

Photo by Lorenzo Sernicola

Removing Distractions at the Project Level

I write about distraction quite a bit. Considering the extent to which we are inundated with information it's a pretty easy target. Doing good work is hard and embracing distraction is easy. While distraction as a concept gets a lot of ink from writers like me, I think we may be overemphasizing in-the-moment distraction at the expense of something much larger -- distraction at the project level. 

Are any of your ongoing projects distracting you from what you should actually be working on? Do you immediately turn to a low-priority yet easy to accomplish project whenever you're feeling challenged by something more important? Checking Facebook, organizing your sock drawer, and responding to texts are the candy versions of doing work that actually matters. Projects can be candied, too. 

Have Your Projects Grown With You?

I think it's important to periodically sit down and determine if it's necessary to remove or downplay your involvement in projects that are more of a distraction than an opportunity for you to do your best work. Many projects are long term endeavors and therefore may not keep up the pace with your growth as a person. A project that seemed a good idea with your values and priorities six months ago may no longer be relevant as your values and priorities continued to evolve. Why keep plugging away at something that's doing nothing but keeping you from what matters?

Noticing The Way You Think About Your Projects

The thing is -- it's hard to do. Really, really hard to do. I recently decided to turn down a research project that was very tangentially related to my main interests, but involved several extremely interesting people. I tried to make it work for a couple weeks, but I noticed something every time I sat down to work on this project; instead of thinking about how I could bring my best and most creative self to the project I noticed I was constantly thinking in terms of time. "How long will it take me to research this section? When will I be able to move on to something else? I only have an hour to dedicate to this today." While it's not inherently a bad thing to think in terms of time, it begins to be a problem if it's the only way you interface with a project.

I decided to (as graciously as possible) bow out of the project while it was still in its earliest stages. I sent an email to the entire team (including the professors leading it) that was honest and to the point. I said that I think it's vitally important for everyone to be brutally honest with themselves and their colleagues when it comes to how we allocate our time and attention. Since the project was not connected to my primary research interests and I had many other ongoing projects, I knew I wouldn't be able to bring my highest quality of attention to the research project. While it felt good to send that email and reduce my commitment on that project, it was definitely a tough decision. But ultimately, the right one.

The other thing I noticed once I sent that email is that I attacked my ongoing projects with a renewed sense of energy and vigor. I found myself thinking that I didn't want to fail on these projects AND have stopped working on the other one. I wanted to show my colleagues on the project I removed myself from that I wasn't wasting my time. That I really was working on some cool things that require my full attention. It pushed me to be better in everything I consciously decided to keep on my docket.

Removing Distracting Projects From Your Life

There's no specific formula or list of criteria to decide whether or not a project is a distraction or should be left alone. Hell, plenty of times there are distracting projects in your life that you just feasibly cannot remove. We all have to do things we don't like from time to time but it is worth minimizing those projects as much as possible. While I can't give you a specific list of criteria, I can give you a couple things to think about as you look at your list of ongoing projects.

• Which projects fill you with the most dread? Which projects can you not wait to keep working on?

• Which projects feel like an impediment keeping you from what you really want to do?

• Which projects do you think about in terms of how much time it will take to finish them?

• Which projects are you not a primary component of? How difficult would it be to completely remove yourself?

• Which projects have the highest cost to benefit ratio? Which projects have the lowest cost to benefit ratio? How difficult would it be to remove yourself from the former projects?

Your projects are the investment vehicles for your time and attention. Choose wisely. Review often. Be ruthless.

Photo via *Kid*Doc*One

A Glimpse Into My Research on Independent Work

A couple articles ago I mentioned my girlfriend and I presented a poster at the 3rd World Congress on Positive Psychology in Los Angeles. I thought I'd share a simple explanation of the research since I'm sure most of you don't want to read through the statistics and academic-jargon we were expected to write it in.

Essentially, there were two different studies we summarized on the poster. Both of them were exploratory, meaning we weren't testing specific theories or hypotheses. Instead, we were asking some general questions and trying to get a sense of what conclusions might be able to be drawn from the initial data we collected. As a note, neither of these studies have been peer reviewed yet, so they must be taken with a couple grains of salt.

The Daily Experience of Indie Workers

The first study was an Experience Sampling Method project where a group of people downloaded an app for their smartphone that would beep them 6 times per day and present them with a questionnaire. The questionnaire would ask them things like their current mood, what they were doing, why they were doing it, how rushed they currently felt, how skilled they currently felt, how much plant life was currently around them, and so on. For our analysis, we were able to split this group into two. One group was people who said they work "traditional" knowledge worker jobs. They go into an office each day and generally work 9-5. The other group of people were people who said they were entrepreneurs, freelancers, contractors, or full-time students. These were our "indie workers." We then compared these two groups on a handful of variables to see if they were different from each other. Accourding to our analyses, indie workers generally report lower mood, more difficulty concentrating, feeling more rushed, and feeling less skilled than traditional workers. However, they also report spending more time with their family. Indie workers are also more likely to respond that they are doing an activity because they "Wanted To" or "Had To and Wanted To" rather than "Had To" than traditional workers.

Indie Workers Interviewed

The second study was 14 interviews done with independent workers who worked in a coworking space in Prague. The interview covered a lot of ground including their motivations for becoming an independent worker, their expectations about what it would be like to be an independent worker versus the reality of what it's actually like, the overall positives of indie work, the negatives of indie work, the strategies they use to mitigate the negatives of indie work, and their reasons for joining a coworking space. After transcribing all the interviews (an incredibly laborious process) we then "coded" the interviews based on how people answered questions. Since we had a severe lack of space on the poster, we only focused on a couple of questions.

People reported a mix of what we called internal and external reasons for becoming an independent worker with neither one being a clear favorite. Some people come into this style of work because they lost their job and couldn't find another one, because they moved and needed to start making money right away, because they didn't agree with some kind of organizational restructuring at their old job, because they were just looking for something different or because they were craving greater freedom or meaning in their work.

In terms of the positives of independent work, most people mentioned some aspect of having greater autonomy over the way they allocate their time. On the negative side of things, people have a hard time being self-disciplined. They also commonly mention a lack of resources, both social and professional. In order to mitigate the negatives of working independently, most interviewees mentioned some kind of strategy aimed at providing greater structure in their work life. This commonly took form as adhering to a routine, joining a coworking space, making rules about when and/or how they would work, etc. As you can imagine, people mentioned a need for structure as the number one reason for joining a coworking space. Social support and looking for a sense of variety were also commonly cited reasons for joining a coworking space.

What's Next?

It's important to not take too much from this very preliminary data. I think it's interesting to note both the ESM study and the interviews point to the idea that being an independent worker is not easy. It can be easy to assume working from home or a coworking space is glamorous. It's much the opposite. While indie workers may not have to worry about externally imposed structures from bosses or organizational rules, they have to deal with aspects of self-discipline they may never have had to develop while working for an organization. Both studies point to a kind of paradox of indie work: it can be really hard but most of the time people really like it and wouldn't trade it for a more traditional job.

I think this goes to show how important autonomy is in the way we work. People crave structure even (or maybe especially) when they work in a mostly structure-less environment. The key difference is that people want to create their own structure, not have it imposed upon them.

A Skills Gap in Indie Work

The other major takeawy from this project is that it doesn't seem like people necessarily come equipped with the skills needed to immediately be successful in independent work. Everyone we interviewed could list a large array of challenges they were trying to conquer in some fasion. The self-management skills that make someone a good independent worker are not necessarily the same skills that are cultivated in the American school system. Stepping beyond the data, I think this points to a need for a fundamental shift in how people are educated. Indie work is going to continue to grow and even working for an organization is going to become more indie work-like in the future. As communication technology continues to improve, as some companies decide telecommuting is an effective cost-saving strategy, and as employees begin to demand more autonomy in the day-to-day process of work, the skills needed to be successful are not going to be the ones that schools have provided.

This project was just a first exploratory foray into studying this type of work and worker. Like any good exploratory study, it created far more questions than it answered. I'm excited to keep moving down this research trail and will be sure to check in here from time to time to share what I'm learning.

If you have any questions about the research we did please leave a comment below.

Time Shift Your Day for Greater Productivity

One of the reasons I love technology so much is because it gives me greater control over how I allocate my time and attention.

Wait, what?

That doesn't sound right. Aren't I the guy constantly talking about how much of the technology we use today seems to be making us incapable of concentrating on anything and constantly pulling our attention to and fro? Doesn't the whole "productivity scene" generally admonish us to be careful about how we navigate this world of information overload and constant connection that is driving us to distraction and unhealthy work habits?

While it may be true that aspects of our society and the technology that pervades it can make it hard to focus and do truly high quality work, there are components of it that are excellent tools for improving how we use our time.

Time-shifting is probably most commonly discussed in terms of television and the growth of TiVo/DVR. It refers to the ability to record live television and then play it back at your convenience. However, this basic concept can be expanded beyond the realm of TV and the living room. I'm a huge proponent in time shifting everything I possibly can because it allows me to take control over what I give my attention to and at what time. Without it, I'd constantly be at the whim of other people -- people who don't necessarily care about my goals and dreams for the future and therefore wouldn't be making decisions based on what's best for me.

Additionally, time shifting everything I can allows me to save certain activities for certain energy levels. It's a complete mismatch and inefficient use of my mental resources to do something that doesn't require much creative thinking or mental power when I'm feeling energized and creative. On the flip side, it's equally a waste of time to be forced to do something that requires me to operate on a high mental level when my brain is just completely fried. Time shifting unlocks the puzzle pieces that allow me to fit everything together in a much more logical way.

Here's what I time shift:

1. Small tasks: I like to save up small tasks that are similar to each other instead of doing them throughout the day. For example, I'm constantly throwing ideas and snippets of thought into my task management software inbox throughout the day. I could immediately file them into the correct projects or Evernote notebooks but instead I choose to wait until the end of the day. It doesn't require a lot of thought to do this filing so I'd rather do it at the end of the day when I'm already tired instead of potentially interrupting myself doing something creative or difficult (like writing this article).
2. Most TV: I already don't watch a lot of TV but the little bit I do I use streaming services so I can watch at the most opportune time for me, not when the networks decide to air it. The idea of letting a television studio decide when my leisure time is going to be is pretty repulsive. Luckily, I don't care about seeing things the moment they come out so I'm comfortable being a little bit behind until I can catch something on my schedule.
3. Email: Email is usually a task that doesn't require deep thought or creative thinking so I'm careful to not let it creep into the times of day when I'm at my best. I want to save those times for writing, coaching, and other highly taxing tasks. Email can be saved for lower energy times. I also like to batch together emails I have to write and send them off together. In order to do this, I make sure I don't have any kind of notification active that alerts me to when new email comes in. I know I'll get to it in a couple hours and try to keep my focus on the work at hand.
4. Reading news: I use Instapaper to save articles from the internet that I'd like to read later. People are constantly suggesting different things I should read throughout the day and it wouldn't make sense for me to read all of them the moment they are recommended. By using a read-it-later service I can shift my article reading to a time that makes more sense. I usually do most of my reading with Instapaper on the weekend or during breaks in my work.
5. Social media: Instead of letting Facebook and Twitter notify me all day long I make it a point to only check them a couple times each day. That way I don't let them sneak into my most productive hours and I have something I can do when I'm feeling mentally fried. The idea that an acquaintance from high school could potentially interrupt my work with an update about what he had for lunch is insane. There is no reason to have notifications like that on.

Technology allows us to take the formerly static pieces of our day and adjust them more to our own liking. It allows us to personalize where and when our attention is shifted over the course of the day. Think carefully about whether you're making conscious decisions about when you do certain things or whether you're letting other people or companies decide where your attention is placed. Attention is the single most precious resource you have -- you're the one who should be in charge of it.

Photo by Stefan

Lessons on Work From Sushi, Video Games, and Television

Over the past three nights I've watched three documentaries that are directly relevant to the process of work. I didn't explicitly seek them out because of their topics but it seems like my subconscious was trying to tell me something about where my focus should be right now. Each documentary offers a different aspect of working meaningfully and working well. I'd like to explore each of these with you and maybe extract some useful nuggets for you (and definitely for me).

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

In Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) you're introduced to 85 year old Jiro Ono, a world-renowned master sushi chef. He runs a tiny restaurant that only sits ten people and he is recognized as quite possibly the greatest living sushi chef. Jiro approaches his working life with the utmost simplicity. A long time ago he decided he was going to be a sushi chef. Constantly improving and growing within his occupation is a given for him and since he's been doing this job for 75 years, he has had a lot of time to develop his skills. Once the occupation of sushi chef had been decided, the ancillary skills that allow someone to be a great chef were also decided. He dedicated himself to developing his sense of smell and taste. He dedicated himself to being able to identify and select only the very best fish. He dedicated himself to constantly pushing and developing his technique in the kitchen. The end result is somebody that oozes the value of craftsmanship. Creating sushi is not just a job -- it is an expression of how he has decided to live his life.

Indie Game: The Movie

In Indie Game: The Movie (2012) this documentary you meet a handful of independent video game developers. The movie follows most closely the developers of Super Meat Boy (Edward and Tommy), Fez (Phil), and Braid(Jonathan). Edward and Tommy are deep into "crunch time" as they rush to finish Super Meat Boy in time to be included in a marketing push by Microsoft. Phil, perhaps the most compelling storyline in the documentary, is mired in a 4 year development cycle for his game, Fez. After winning a major award for an early version of the game he has been struggling under personal and public expectations. Jonathan's game, Braid, has been out for a couple of years prior to this film and is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever created. While each of these developers is obviously very different from each other, there are fascinating similarities. The primary obsession with creating something that is true to their personal vision is inspiring. None of these guys are working for a big game studio that has analyzed the market and assigned a game to them to create. Each of these guys has an intimately personal reason for crafting the type of game they want to create. It seems that their very identities are tied to their games, for better or worse.

6 Days to Air

Finally, 6 Days to Air (2011) is the story of how the animated television show South Park is created. Despite being one of the most watched shows on TV, an episode of South Park is conceptualized, written, animated, and edited in 6 days. Like the other two documentaries, this one focuses on the process of how interesting work is created. I'm not sure how I envisioned famous creators working or how television shows were actually made, but I wasn't prepared for it to look like any brainstorming session I've had with a group of classmates. Creating something interesting doesn't suddenly become mysterious or complicated once you've found success. The time pressure of having to create a new episode that millions of people are going to watch, from scratch, seems incredible. Failure is not an option, ever. I'm going to think much more carefully the next time I feel like I'm under a time crunch.

Key Points

I'm obsessed with the process of work. These three documentaries gave me some great insight into how I work and how I can help my clients with the challenges they face in their own work. I think the first interesting thing to think about is why I felt compelled to watch these in the first place. Working in the knowledge economy as a coach and full-time student leaves a certain sense of tangible creation missing. I can work really, really hard on preparing for a coaching session, it can go really well, but I'm not left with anything to point at and say, "Yeah, this one was really hard to create but I'm super proud of it." Or, "Look at how bad I used to be at this." I think I'm craving the tangible aspect of creation that creating sushi, making a video game, or making a TV show allows. I'm not quite sure how to get that in the work I do. Obviously, my writing provides this feeling to a certain extent but is there more I should be doing? Should I develop a hobby that allows me to get this feeling of accomplishment? So much of my work is seemingly ephemeral -- coming up with ideas, conducting research, having coaching sessions -- and I think I crave the simplicity of making a piece of sushi. I imagine I'm not the only knowledge worker to feel that way and I suspect this is something I will pursue further in my ongoing research.

Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably. - Jiro Ono

I loved this aspect of Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I think it also fits in line with what I really love about Cal Newport's approach to developing a passionate work life. Jiro doesn't think about what career he should be doing instead and whether or not making sushi is really his passion. He started making sushi 75 years ago, realized he enjoyed the process, and decided to dedicate himself to becoming the very best at he could possibly be. Making sushi seems like a simple enough occupation but Jiro shows how there is so much to consider, so many techniques to master, and so much to learn to do it well. He's been doing it for 75 years, his restaurant has a 3-star Michelin rating, and he still thinks he's not as good as he could be. We can take the same approach to our own work. What aspects of your job have you not mastered? How can you constantly be growing as a person and improving what you do for a living?

I will kill myself if I don't finish this game. - Phil Fish, creator of Fez

Indie Game: The Movie shows the dark and light sides of passion. These video game developers have a vision for the type of game they want to create and since they don't work for established video game companies nobody stands between them and their vision. Their identities are tied so intimately to the games they are creating they don't think twice about sacrificing their social lives, working insane amount of hours, or pushing themselves to the brink of physical and emotional wreckage. The end results are products that are financially successful and critically acclaimed. However, as the quote above shows, it's possible to take it to an extreme. I'm a huge advocate of people developing (notice, I didn't say "finding") passion for what they do for a living but it's equally important to have an identity separate from your work. You are not your work. Take a breath, take a break, rejuvenate.

There's a show on this Wednesday. We don't even know what it is. Even though that's the way we've always done it. There's this little thing going, 'Oh you're screwed.' - Trey Parker

If the creators of South Park can create a new episode from idea generation to airing in 6 days I can certainly do more than I expect. The power of deadlines can be a powerful motivator as any procrastinator knows. How can you use a deadline to push yourself to create something? There's a delicate balance between perfecting something and getting it to the point where it can be respectably released. Going up a few paragraphs it may seem like I'm actually disagreeing with the idea of craftsmanship and stressing the details. Maybe I am. Maybe being able to identify when something requires a touch of polish versus when it just needs to be sent out the door is something that comes with time and practice. Either way, try setting some insane deadlines for yourself and see what you're able to accomplish.

Develop simplicity and a dedication to personal growth like Jiro the master sushi chef. Cultivate obsession and passion, weigh the benefits and the risks, like the developers of Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid. Commit to focus and efficiency like the creators of South Park. Each of these documentaries offers something (and even more than I described here) for the modern worker. They're all available on Netflix and I'd love to hear what you learned from them in the comments below.

Achievement Unlocked: Master of Positive Developmental Psychology

The website has been a little quiet over the past few weeks.

I knew two weeks ago I was going to have to punt every non-academic commitment if I was going to successfully finish my semester and earn my Master's degree. In the past, I think I would've tried to keep my commitment to this website and other creative endeavors even while buried in important and time-sensitive assignments. The result would've been the same (i.e. nothing gets written here) but I would've felt much worse for "failing." I think I'm starting to understand myself and my limitations much better which is allowing me to bring my focus to bear on what really requires it in the moment.

Know Thyself

Knowing yourself and your true capabilities (not what you wish you could do or think you should be able to do) seems to be a key component of being happy with your work. I knew I couldn't do a good job on this website while also completing the academic assignments well. Instead of doing both in a half-assed fashion or feeling bad for neglecting one or the other I made the conscious choice that this website could take a backseat until after graduation. I thought I might feel badly for doing this but I actually discovered I felt the opposite. I felt like my attention was freed up to work on what needed to be done and I didn't feel upset about having to focus on academic work.

I think the key component was that I set a specific date to revisit my creative endeavors, including working on this website. In my task management software I assigned everything non-mission-critical to pop up and be reviewed on the Sunday after graduation. By doing this I knew I wouldn't lose anything to the void and that I wasn't making some sort of nebulous half-commitment to coming back to this. Instead, I knew that on the 19th of May everything I couldn't focus on right now would be there waiting for me and I could make decisions about how I wanted to move forward at that time. Until then, full steam ahead on the term papers!

Back in the Saddle

All of this is a bit of a roundabout way to say I finished all my assignments, walked across the stage last weekend, and now officially own a Master's degree in Positive Developmental Psychology. I'm certainly excited to have completed this phase of my journey. It was great to have my parents fly across the country to spend this time with me and I'm excited to start the next leg of my academic journey in the fall.

However, I'm most excited to dive back into my entrepreneurial and creative efforts. I have big plans for this website over the coming months. I'm taking on more coaching clients and I have ideas for all sorts of projects that may or may not ever see the light of day (but the thought of their future existence is exciting). An advanced degree could be seen as a nice ending point; a big slap on the back for a job well done. I disagree. I prefer to see it as a launching pad and I plan to use it to push forward the science of personal development and the art of working. I hope you'll stick around for the ride.

Better Restoration, Better Work

I'm becoming more and more convinced the key to being more productive and having a higher level of well-being at work and in general is learning how to restore yourself skillfully. I first learned about this idea in the excellent book The Power of Full Engagementby Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr. They opened my eyes to the metaphor of viewing work as a series of sprints instead of a marathon. Most of us grew up hearing the story about the tortoise and the hare, right? Slow and steady wins the race. Instead, slow and steady leads to a grumpy, tired, and increasingly demoralized tortoise.

The Allure of the Lifehack

There's only so many ways you can tweak a workflow or utilize a new app to make yourself more productive. Lifehacks can be so alluring because the first couple you adopt have huge positive returns on your life with almost no cost. The problem is that you  quickly run into the problem of diminishing returns. It takes more and more effort to reach the same kind of benefit. Next thing you know you're cleaning your debit cards or creating a filing system for your socks. Trying to increase your productivity by actively focusing on your productivity is a path that will hit a dead end. Then what?

The Renewal Approach to Productivity

Attacking the problem from the other end, from a restoration viewpoint, opens up new avenues for growth. Systematic renewal builds up the raw material, the willpower, chutzpah, motivation, whatever you want to call it, to make things happen. To increase physical strength you introduce your muscles to stress. If you properly restore them by eating well and getting enough sleep you're rewarded with increased capacity to lift things. It works the same way with your ability to do things in general, too. You introduce yourself to stress by taking on scary projects, working under pressure, dealing with difficult clients or bosses, and pushing yourself to learn something every day. The part that most of us seem to forget, though, is that just like our fatigued muscles from going to the gym, we have to allow ourselves to renew after experiencing stress. If we do, then we will build our capacity to resist stress in the future. If we don't, we will quickly burn out.

Ideas For Becoming a Renewal Champion

Over the past few weeks I've been more mindful about the ways I renew. Here's a handful of my latest observations.

Create the Structural Framework

The first thing I noticed is that renewal is something I don't automatically think about. I have to build in reminders to my day otherwise I'll just fly from one activity to the next and then wonder why I'm exhausted by the end of the week. One structural thing I've done is utilize a timer and work in 25 minute blocks with 5 minute rest sessions (or the Pomodoro Technique, for you productivity nerds out there). The second thing is to leave my default meeting length in my calendar app at one hour. Most of my meetings don't last that long but by making it appear as though all my meetings each take up an hour block I usually have a few minutes to relax and recharge in between appointments.

Get Outside Your Context (and Literally Outside)

In addition to these two techniques, I've tried to spend more time outside. Research tends to show that spending time in nature is a great way to recharge your metaphorical batteries. Another thing I've learned is that it's important for me to get away from the context in which I've been working during my 5 minute renewal blocks throughout the day. Meaning, if I've been working at my computer then I shouldn't spend my 5 minutes of renewal also sitting at my computer. If I've been reading then I shouldn't flip over to another activity where I have to read, even if it's for my own enjoyment.

Set Limits (And Follow Them)

Finally, I've learned that perhaps the biggest key to building restoration into my day is setting, and sticking to, limits. The end of my workday shouldn't be when I've become so tired I can't keep my eyes open or my work is suffering terribly. Most days, I try to wrap up the main productive part of my day around 7 or 8 PM so I can eat dinner and ideally relax a little bit before going to bed. Granted, this isn't something I'm always successful with (considering it's 11:01 PM as I write this). However, I've definitely noticed the difference in my own energy levels when I'm the one in charge of deciding when my work is finished instead of my work deciding when I'm finished -- physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is something I think people with creative careers marked by longevity have usually mastered.

Conclusion

In a world of pervasive communication, 24-7 connection to work and entertainment, and a sometimes disturbingly masochistic attitude toward the sheer number of hours we should spend working, a healthy respect for restoration and renewal may help set you apart from the masses. Sure, feel free to keep tweaking your workflows and productive habits to improve the way you work. Just don't forget about the quieter counterpart to productivity, namely being quiet and taking a break.

Photo via me in my backyard

Bust a Rut By Doing Something Nuts

Everybody has to deal with getting stuck in a rut sometimes. The difference between remarkable people and the merely average is how quickly they can recognize they're in a rut and then do something to get out of it. Successful people have a toolbox full of reliable tactics to get themselves out of a rut. They've developed these tools with systematic exploration and experimentation. They've tried lots of different techniques and paid attention to how well they worked.

Let's assume you recognize that you're in a rut already. You feel like you're failing in one or more areas of your life and aren't making the progress you think you should. Instead of steadily getting better you've hit a plateau or are quickly sliding down the metaphorical hill. Here are a few techniques from my own arsenal that I'm happy to share with you:

1. Knock out the most annoying thing on your list: For whatever reason, seeing a hated task get scratched off my list, even if it's not super important, feels really good. It usually leads to a sense of momentum that I try to apply to the second and third most annoying tasks on my list. If I can suck it up and knock out a couple annoying tasks I've usually ended up feeling so much better I can naturally move out of the rut.

2. Stay up all night and work: I'm a huge proponent of making sure you get enough high-quality sleep every night to fully function. However, sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures (and obviously this only works if staying up all night isn't your modus operandi). When I'm feeling stuck sometimes I'll make an audacious to-do list, brew some good coffee (or hit my favorite 24/7 cafe), and put my nose to the grindstone. If you use the time wisely and get a lot of work done then you might be successful in snapping out of the rut. Being tired the next day is definitely worth being rut-free.

3. Go work somewhere completely new: This tip works similarly to the last one. By going somewhere completely different from your usual locations you can sometimes snap yourself out of your typical routine. Sometimes being in a rut is just a matter of falling into too much of a habit. Drive to a nearby city you never visit and find a library or coffee shop to work in, look up a coworking space and book a day to work there, or go hiking and take your school books with you for some adventure studying.

4. Step back from your work: A rut can form when you're constantly hammering away at your work for weeks on end without ever coming up for air. Instead of just continuing to chip away at a task list or project that has gone stale it can be worth a couple hours to step back and get perspective on your work again. Ask yourself some deeper questions about what you're working on, why you're working on it, and how it will help you professional or personally. Reading a book like David Allen's Making It All Work or another one that encourages you to look at your work from a holistic viewpoint can be incredibly helpful.

5. Axe something: The result of tip #4 might be identifying a project that is more trouble than it's worth. The best feeling of all is finding a project that has been weighing you down and just shaking it off for good. Obviously, you can't just throw away everything that's weighing you down all the time. However, if you've got a project that's thoroughly stuck it might be time to just leave it by the side of the road. What's the worst that can happen if you decide to stop working on a project? Where could that energy be better spent?

Ruts suck. However, they will always happen. It doesn't matter how productive or efficient or happy you are. You will eventually feel like you're not moving forward with work, personal fitness, personal growth -- with something. It's up to you to identify when that is happening and then apply the proper tool to snap out of it.

I'm always curious about the tactics other people use. Please share them with me on Twitter.

Photo by Creda's Hill

You're Probably Thinking About Your Work Too Much

If you're not doing some kind of weekly review you're probably thinking too hard about all the work you have to do. A bold statement, perhaps. Maybe even counterintuitive. How could setting aside an hour or two every Sunday to explicitly think about my work result in me thinking about my work less?

I think less about my work and spend more time actually doing it because of the time I set aside every Sunday. Instead of figuring out what my work is every day or every time I look at my to-do list, I think about it all ahead of time. Every Sunday I look at everything I have going on -- all the projects, areas of responsibility, and ongoing commitments I have -- and decide what "done" looks like. I make sure to think about the concrete steps it takes to get to that vision of done and I write them down in a place I trust. Monday through Friday I can focus on doing the work I gave myself on Sunday instead of constantly renegotiating with myself.

Everyone's weekly review looks different and there are lots of guides available online. I work through a checklist I'm constantly tweaking to reflect the way I work. You can see it here (but remember, it's highly specific to the way I work and the tools I use so it may not make the most sense to you).

It's a great feeling to know I've thought carefully about the work I've committed to doing and have already fleshed out what I need to do to reach a state of completion. On the flipside, it's also great to know that I'm 7 or less days away from stepping back from the grind of the work, reassessing what I have going on, and making smart decisions about moving forward. Separating these two tasks, the DECIDING and the DOING means I do both much, much better than I could otherwise.

How to Find More Flow In Your Work

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has a story I've heard him tell on several occasions that illustrates the power of flow. Many years ago he went to visit a brother that he hadn't seen in a long, long time. When Mihaly got to his brother's apartment he was astounded with how many crystals and other geologic specimens were on display. It was like walking into a museum. Eagerly, Mihaly's brother beckoned him over to a microscope to show him his latest acquisition.

Being a dutiful brother, Mihaly looked through the microscope for a few seconds and agreed with his brother that it truly was a beautiful rock. His brother then told him that on the day he received this specimen he sat down at the microscope after breakfast to look at it. When he next looked up from the microscope, he noticed it was much darker outside. Thinking it must be getting ready to rain he got up to close the windows. Only then did he realize that it wasn't getting dark because it was about to rain -- it was getting dark because it was evening! He had sat at the microscope all day with nearly no sense of time elapsing. How is it that Mihaly had looked at the crystal for a few seconds and gotten all the enjoyment he could muster from it while his brother could look at it for hours and seemingly be enraptured with it?

The answer to that question is what I think makes flow such a valuable idea for work. Flow is the concept Dr. Csikszentmihalyi developed to explain the sense of optimal experience we get when doing something that causes us to lose track of time, feel fully engaged with what we're doing, and "lose ourselves" in an activity. To find flow in something you have to match up the amount of skill an activity takes and how much challenge it presents. Since Mihaly had no skill in understanding geology, the challenge presented by the crystal under the microscope was very low. However, for his brother (an expert on crystals) looking at the specimen under the microscope was like reading a book. He tried to determine where the crystal came from, how it was formed, how old it was, and probably countless other aspects of it I can't even fathom because my skill in geology is also nearly non-existent.

When it comes to being more engaged in your work, whether you work for yourself, a company, or just want to get involved with a creative hobby or outlet, learning how to find flow in it is key. Given this story, a great way to develop the ability to find flow is to become more knowledgeable about whatever it is you want to find flow in. The nice thing about flow is that it's a constantly growing target. As you experience flow in an activity you develop skills that upset the skills/challenge ratio which means you need to find greater challenge (which then means you need to develop greater skills to meet that challenge -- and so on).

Was Mihaly's brother in flow the entire time he was learning about geology to the point where he could spend an entire day looking at one rock under a microscope? Probably not. I think Cal Newport's critique of flow in the framework of deep work is fairly valid. Sometimes building knowledge requires you to step outside of flow, to be in a situation where the challenge outweighs your skill to the point of frustration. As you battle to build the skills to fix that ratio you will find yourself in flow more often.

In fact, being in flow is probably a better diagnostic tool than ultimate end-goal in itself. Being in flow means you're in a comfortable place between your skills and the challenge of your environment. In the case of a pleasant hobby then maybe that's enough. But in the context of work, spending too much time in flow might mean you aren't doing enough to push yourself forward. Use flow as a nice reward when it happens but be ready to step outside that comfort zone. Eventually, you'll be surprised by what you can do in the name of flow. What's the equivalent in your line of work of looking at one rock under a microscope all day and being thrilled with the choice to do so? How can you use flow to craft a meaningful career?

Photo by Machine Project

What's In Your Backpack?

This article originally appeared on my first blog, The Simpler Life, sometime in 2009. It has been updated and revised to be included on TheWorkologist.com.

In the movie Up in the Air, George Clooney's character is a motivational speaker that often gives a talk called, "What's In Your Backpack?" He talks about how each of us is carrying around a metaphorical backpack that contains all of our possessions and commitments. Our backpacks get heavier and heavier until they are so filled with "stuff" that it is nearly impossible to move. George Clooney's character argues that we should "set our backpacks on fire" and free ourselves from this burden. In terms of relationships, he makes the same argument but thankfully gives us permission to not set our backpacks full of family members, friends, and significant others on fire. Much like our backpack full of our possessions, our bag-o-relationships weighs us down and prevents us from being truly free and we should just walk away from it.

Up to a certain point, I was nodding right along with the talk as it was being given. I agree that we all carry around a metaphysical backpack with everything that weighs us down. Our possessions, commitments, relationships, responsibilities and our own goals overflow our backpacks until many of us have no chance of ever being able to move again. However, the point where I differ in philosophy from the movie is what we should do with our backpacks.

In my quest for simplicity and well-being, I am methodically removing everything from my backpack and asking myself if it is truly something I need to be carrying with me. In terms of physical items, this is why I am committed to living a more minimalist lifestyle with less, yet higher quality, possessions. I do not need the extra weight of a large wardrobe or a room full of video games. Most importantly, everything I decide to keep in my backpack is something I have consciously decided to keep around. I think many people have no idea what is in their backpack and yet wonder why it is so heavy.

In terms of relationships, I do not accept the philosophy of Clooney's character. He lives a life completely devoid of personal relationships because he thinks they tie him down. I prefer to fill my backpack with relationships that I care about-- to honestly ask myself what role they should play in my life. I'm not afraid to let friendships fizzle out that no longer make sense in maintaining. At the same time, I am fiercely committed to those relationships I deem worthwhile and important. I take the same approach to my relationships that I do my physical possessions; if I love it and it makes sense to keep, than I make it a point to cultivate it. If it is no longer important to me, then I let it go.

Think about the backpack you are carrying around every day. Have you consciously allowed everything you are carrying around to enter your life? If not, you might want to take a moment to stop, empty your backpack, and make some decisions about what you are going to put back in before you continue slowly killing yourself under the weight.

Making Footprints

This article originally appeared on my first website, The Simpler Life. I'm reintroducing some of the articles that didn't make the initial transition to TheWorkologist.com.

The Grand Canyon was created over thousands of years of gradual erosion. Mountains are created as gigantic and slow tectonic plates bump together. How many of us are trying to create majestic canyons and towering mountains in our lives with one herculean effort? How many changes in diet are left by the wayside after they fail to erase a lifetime of poor eating habits? How many half finished novels lie in drawers and the depths of our hard drives because writing a book ended up being more than a single burst of motivation could handle?

The concept of repeated effort and diligent practice was brought to my attention again after reading about Hua Chi, a 70 year-old Buddhist monk in Tongren, China. He has been praying at the same spot in his temple for so long and consistently that he has worn his footprints into the hardwood floor.

Consistency. Dedication. These are the words that will wear through hardwood floors and will push you toward great success in your own life.

WHERE ARE MY FOOTPRINTS?

This got me thinking about where I’m making “footprints” in my life. Where am I dedicating so much time and effort that the results will be seen forever? I’d like to think that my writing is becoming a footprint as I continuously and regularly make the "clackity noise". However, sometimes it feels like my footprint is being made in my desk chair as I check Twitter for the 7th time in 2 hours. I want my footprints to be evidence of my dedication and commitment to making the world a better place, not an insatiable desire to check my e-mail.

WHERE ARE YOUR FOOTPRINTS?

Think about what you do regularly. Where are you making footprints in your life? Are you literally making "footprints" in your recliner as you settle into your 3rd hour of Call of Duty for the day? Are you okay with that? Are you making footprints in the candy aisle at the grocery store? In your car as you drive 45 minutes each way to a job you hate? If you can make footprints there you can make footprints elsewhere. It's a matter of deciding where those footprints should be and taking the steps necessary to make them happen (which, admittedly, isn't always the simplest thing in the world). But it's only your own effort that can make them. I can't make footprints for you and your teachers can't make footprints for you. In the end, it's your call.

As Aristotle said (supposedly), “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” It can be easy to let one excellent act or project define us. That’s not how it works. Our lives must be built upon repeated acts of excellence, of dedication, and of commitment. This is what builds mountains and chisels canyons.

Only this will make footprints.

The Anatomy of a Failed Goal

If everything had gone according to plan I shouldn't be able to walk very well right now. I should be incredibly sore and spending my day relaxing but with an intense sense of accomplishment. You see, I signed up and paid for the LA Marathon that was held yesterday. But I did not run the LA Marathon.

This is the anatomy of a failure.

THE BEGINNING

At the end of last September I was flush with success and ambition. I had just pulled off a successful event (along with my team of volunteers) that took approximately a year to plan. It was an extreme stretch event -- I had never done anything like it. It was very stressful but in the end I was very, very proud of the work we had done. Still riding that wave of euphoria I decided I needed a new audacious goal to work toward.

I decided that new goal would be the LA Marathon in March.

THE INITIAL SUCCESS

At first, training went very well. I was motivated and sticking to a plan. However, the first week where I felt like I was truly going to be pushing myself into new territory (I believe my long run was 7 or 8 miles) I got injured. I wasn't too worried at first because injury is often part of the training process, especially for someone who doesn't run a ton and I realized I probably needed some new shoes. I took the following week off, bought some new shoes and tried to focus on the upcoming weeks.

Unfortunately, a combination of recurring pain in my ankle and a complete lack of planning on my part was the beginning of the end.

THE STING OF REALITY

Just as I was getting over my injury and back into the regular training groove the semester ended and I flew home to Michigan for the holidays. Somehow when I was making the decision to train for a marathon in March I completely missed the point where I'd be living in Michigan for about 4 weeks right in the heart of my most important training time. Michigan. In January. Cold.

I'm a terrible treadmill runner and I always have been. I'm not sure why but I'd rather run in freezing rain or 20 below than on a treadmill. However, at the same time, I had no cold weather running gear. I also didn't have the money to justify buying new cold weather gear when I spend the remaining 11 months of the year living in Southern California.

At this point I'm just over a month away from supposedly running this marathon and all I've been able to accomplish is hurting my ankle and then moving somewhere I can't safely train for 4 weeks. Things were starting to unravel.

THE SHIFTING OF GOALS

If you read the last section again it may look like I'm blaming my lack of marathon training success on treadmills and a lack of proper equipment. However, I know I could have easily fixed that problem if I wanted to. I could've gone out to a sporting goods store and picked up some running tights, a couple long sleeve shirts, and some cheap hats and gloves and toughed out my training in Michigan. I could have utilized some willpower to not overly indulge in the decadent holiday foods and festivities. The problem was with me and my motivation, not the equipment or weather.

For some reason the allure of running a marathon started to wane pretty quickly once I had made the goal. I had even made the conscious decision not to tell people about it because I had read some research that telling people about a longterm goal makes it less likely that you'll actually follow through.

However, by the time I flew back to California at the end of January I had officially dropped the marathon goal in favor of something else. I decided to just eat the registration fee instead of showing up at the race and trying to just gut my way through it. Part of me wanted to do just that. I mean, what's more audacious than basically not training for a marathon but just showing up and battling through it anyway? What would make for a better story?

That would have been the ultimate stupid icing on top of this whole ill-advised cake, though. The last thing I needed was to hurt myself doing something like that.

THE LESSONS

Now, I'm doing my best to learn from my mistakes. The first thing I learned is that making plans for the future when you're in an artificially elevated state (like I was just days after doing something awesome) may not be the best time to make those decisions. It's probably better to slow down and make a more careful decision about where I want to place my focus when I'm not so amped up.

Secondly, I've learned to not underestimate the effect of reality. For example, I should have realized that I was going to be going back to Michigan for a large chunk of my training and running would be difficult in the winter conditions there. Tied to that was the fact that I gave myself just under 6 months to prepare for this distance. That's not an impossible amount of time, but it definitely doesn't allow you any wiggle room if you have to deal with injury or a lackluster training week in general. Every time I fell short of my running goals I became more and more anxious because it felt like the day of the race was bearing down on me. Instead of using that as motivation I think it ultimately demotivated me. If I wanted to give myself a better chance at actually preparing properly for a marathon I should've picked one further away.

Finally, I realized that there's a big difference between doing something because you like the idea of having done it and doing something because you want to do it. I liked the idea of being a marathon runner. I like doing things that challenge my physical abilities. However, to do it right I should've built up the habit of running. I was starting from almost scratch and trying to both instill a new habit and push myself at the same time. I would've been much more successful if I had taken a couple weeks or months just building the habit of running every day. I couldn't worked out when the best time to run would be and then shifting into a training schedule wouldn't have been such a shock. Instead, I was trying to figure out when the best time to run would be and increas mileage all at the same time. I had no steady base to work from and the first time I faced adversity (i.e. injury & cold weather) I fell apart.

Luckily, it hasn't been all bad news. Ever since I decided to officially drop the goal of training for the marathon at the end of January I've been doing something else fitness related. I've never been as consistent or seen as much in the way of results as I have since the end of January and now. I think my success in this area (and I'll share it with you sometime in the near future) stems directly from what I learned from the failed marathon goal.

It's okay to fail at something as long as you take a moment to figure out why. If I had failed at training for this marathon and ultimately just sat around feeling sorry for myself or being mad at myself then it would've been a complete waste. Instead, I'm doing my best to learn what I can, make changes to the way I do things, and continue to grow as a person.

Photo via jk5854

A Week Without #1: Background Noise

Every once in awhile I'm going to conduct a one week self-experiment while sharing my reasons, insight and experiences as I do it. The idea behind this is to do things that would seem crazy if I were to commit to it for life, but might lead to a beneficial change in how I live if I were to just give it a chance. Forever is a long time -- but anybody can do anything for a week.

This week I'm committing to creating more quiet space in my life. Normally I listen to music or a podcast while I drive around, walk to and around campus, or exercise. Instead, I'm going to let myself do all of these activities in silence. Much of my future success as a PhD student relies on my ability to think deeply about tricky problems and I can't do that if I'm constantly consuming audio. I noticed when I was living back in Michigan and walking to and from my workspace every day (about a mile and a half walk) that when I didn't listen to anything I very often had good ideas for articles, projects, or developed new insights for things that were bothering me. Hopefully I can tap into that again.

A Week Without #1: Background Noise 

• No music or podcasts while driving, walking around, or working out.

(Hat tip to the apparently defunct Week Without tumblr for the inspiration.)

Learning to Work From a Sandwich Artist

I just finished having lunch at Subway near my campus and I have to share the experience. I don't usually go to Subway because of the overwhelmingly good service. I go because it's quick, easy, and really one of the only fast food options I have as a vegetarian. Most of the time the employees I interact with are understandably bored. They don't really seem like they want to be there, and to be honest, I don't really want to be there either. Just give me my sandwich and let us both carry on with our days.

Today's experience was completely different. Nina welcomed me to the store as soon as I entered (this seems to be corporate policy) but everything was different from that point on. I always get a toasted veggie sub. When she asked me about the type of cheese I wanted she reminded me I get double cheese as part of the sandwich and then asked me if I wanted two different kinds of cheese on the sandwich. Two cheeses?! I evidently hit the jackpot in Subway employees today.

What happened next, though, made me temporarily forget I was even at a Subway. "Would you like to put some veggies on the sandwich before I toast it? It really helps to draw the flavor out of them." "Uh, sure!" "Awesome, do you mind if I put some salt and olive oil on the bread too?" "Sounds good to me." She then proceeded to carefully place my toppings evenly across the sandwich and then massagedolive oil into the bread. Seriously. Massaged it. This sandwich was being transformed from a cookie-cutter and utterly forgettable experience into something borderline gourmet right before my eyes. While it was toasting she "made" me try one of the new sauces to see if it might be a good fit for my currently toasting sandwich. She put the final touches on the sandwich by hunching over the sandwich and applying the Chipotle Southwest sauce like she was plating the main course of Top Chef.

And, as you might expect, the sandwich was better than usual.

What's the point of even telling this story? So what if I got a good sandwich at Subway?

The way this woman approached her work was incredibly refreshing. It reminded me of two articles I've written recently. She brought a certain level of dignity to the process of working at Subway. I've always scoffed at the fact that Subway used to call their employees "Sandwich Artists" but this woman actually earned the title. Secondly, she reminded me of a craftsman (or craftswoman, I suppose) in the way she approached making this talent. She took the tools available to her and made the absolute best sandwich that she could. She wasn't getting paid any extra to offer me the option of having two different types of cheese or putting vegetables on the sandwich before toasting it, but she did it anyway. Why?

As I sit down with my computer in front of me and my belly filled with carefully constructed sandwich I'll strive to bring the same level of dignity and craftsmanship to what I'm doing. The final result was definitely better than what I normally get, but that's not even what impressed me the most. I was left in awe of her attention to the process of making that sandwich and I hope that's something I can learn to develop as well.

Photo via Kerri Lee Smith

Deliberately Tiny Steps

My original conceptualization of what it meant to be "good" at productivity looked something like this: I'd get up early and start working on a project that was important to me; I wouldn't be distracted and for 8 hours or more I would just crank away at this project -- making huge progress by the end of the day. Now that I'm wiser and older I realize this is a silly goal to have. First of all, how often do I get a complete day devoid of meetings, errands, and other commitments that draw me away from "being productive?" Almost none. Secondly, who ever just sits down and "does" a project? Most projects that really matter, that will make a difference in this world, are not so clear cut as to be obvious in their next steps. A very large percentage of our work is figuring out what our work actually is. In the past, I've neglected to think of this as important work when in actuality, nothing meaningful can be accomplished without it. No, instead I'm committed to taking deliberately small steps in my work -- and here's why.

Longevity

The occasional marathon work session feels great. Every once in awhile I just find that flow and 8 hours later (which generally feels like 2) I've done an incredible amount of work. That's great when it happens but I don't think I should expect that every time I sit down to do some work. In fact, even if I could accomplish that I think I'd be setting myself up for some kind of burnout down the road. Instead, I think a work life built around doing projects that matter -- but in very small steps -- sets you up for the longest term success. I'm much more interested in creating a lifetime of well-respected and meaningful work than flaming out after one or two major projects. As Steven Pressfield says, "A pro shows up and does the work." Deliberately small steps will let me continue showing up and doing the work for a long, long time.

Course Correction

Huge projects, the kind that people notice, tend to go through many iterations. The original plan turns out to be unfeasible or a better idea or tweak comes to mind as you're working on it. Working in deliberately small steps allows me to take advantage of those changes in direction when they are presented. It's helpful to come up for air every once in awhile and make sure everything is still heading on the right course. Or, maybe the climate around the project has changed and that requires some rethinking and retooling of the project itself? Either way, if I don't work in small and deliberate steps I may miss these needed changes. If my original idea is awesome and I put my head down and work hard until it's finished I may miss the signs that tell me something needs to be changed. There's certainly something to be said for ignoring distractions or sticking to my vision but I don't think that should be done to the exclusion of keeping an eye to everything else happening around me.

Breaking Ruts

It's easy to get stuck on a big project. Just their sheer size can be enough to intimidate me into never starting. Looking at my to-do list and seeing, "Start business," or "Write book," can be disheartening. When I find myself staring at my list of things to do and nothing jumps out at me as doable or enjoyable it's time to think about whether I've broken my projects into manageable chunks. When I'm breaking up my work, I try to aim for things that can be done in 20-25 minutes. If I can't figure out what the next step in a certain project is I'll generally make my next action something like, "Brainstorm X project for 20 minutes," or "Freewrite on X project for 20 minutes." Either way, I'm breaking something insurmountable into something that can be nudged along slowly. Eventually, with enough nudging, I'm usually surprised how much I accomplished.

What does this look like?

So you're with me up to this point. You like the idea of breaking work into small chunks. What does that actually look like, though? For me, this is where my Weekly Review and front-end decision making comes into play. Also, a healthy understanding of what can be done in what amount of time.

Weekly Review

My Weekly Review is the time I set aside every week to review what I've done in the past 7 days and look ahead to the next two weeks (and longer) to see what's coming up. Even more importantly, though, is taking the time to look at all my projects and make sure each one has at least one concrete, actionable, and small task assigned to it. Regardless of the scope or breadth or importance of the project, it must have a next action attached to it.

For example, one of my projects is a 15 page term paper due in May. It's a big project that is a long ways away. But, it has a next action attached to it ("write structured interview protocol" for the curious among you). I also have a project called "SamSpurlin.com Article" with a next action ("spend 20 minutes writing first draft") attached to it. This is a much smaller and more immediate project but the point is that once a week I sit down and really think about what my work is, regardless of how big the specific project is. Therefore, I can spend the rest of my week actually doing the work I've defined during my review. It may sound like a small step, but figuring out what my work actually is always requires more time and energy than I anticipate.

Using Your Gaps

The second aspect of working in deliberately smaller steps involves being more okay with using small blocks of time. It's tempting to say, "I can't work on this project until I have 2 hours of completely uninterrupted time!" That's great if you regularly have periods of time like that, but chances are you don't. It's important to not let the gravity of the project you're working on overly affect how much time you think you need to work on it.

I had a hard time breaking myself of this habit. I used to feel like I needed huge swaths of time to do anything meaningful. I eventually convinced myself that if I can't do good work in small blocks then what makes me think I can utilize large chunks effectively? The added bonus of doing the front end decision making I mention above is that you have a ready made list of tasks you can do in small chunks of time. Even the most audacious of projects has some sort of next action you can take that'll take you less than an hour to complete. Get comfortable using weird gaps in your schedule to move meaningful projects forward. Jotting down notes, brainstorming, following up with people -- these are all things that can be done while waiting around for a meeting to start, riding public transit, or just twiddling your thumbs.

Get tiny, get consistent, and see big results.

Photo by lindejesus

Early 2013 Productivity Tweaks

I'm constantly tweaking the way I do things. I think it's the scientist-in-training inside me that always wants to know if there's a better way to do something. When the new semester started near the end of January I had a small list of things I wanted to try to increase my productivity and decrease my stress. A few of them have worked out really well and I want to share them with you.

IDEAL WORK BLOCKS + AUTOMATIC REMINDERS

Before the semester began I sat down and tried to figure out what my week would look like if I scheduled "blocks" to do certain kinds of work. I knew I had a couple constraints such as classes, sleeping (unfortunately), eating meals, and I knew I wanted to be finished with my work by around 7 PM each day (as much as possible). So, I sat down and created a calendar that looks like this. Each of the blocks in the calendar have an alert set for their beginning time.

This has been helpful on two fronts. First, when I'm scheduling meetings or errands and in the day-to-day activities of my life. For example, I know that scheduling maintenance activities like picking up dry cleaning or going to the grocery store during my work blocks doesn't make a lot of sense. I'll try to schedule those during Meal blocks, Personal blocks, or the evening Misc. blocks. When I sat down and made this calendar I knew that my prime creative and productive time are in the morning and early afternoon (which is when my main Work blocks are scheduled) so I want to make sure I use those for the work that requires me to be at my best.

The other way this has been helpful is through reminding me where I should be in my day. For example, I receive a notification on my phone when I shift from one block to another. If I'm feeling kind of low energy or not really sure what I should be working on it can be helpful to get a notification on my phone that says, "Work Block #1 starting now." It's a simple little nudge, but sometimes it's enough to get me on the right track.

RENEWED FOCUS ON CLUSTERING SIMILAR ACTIVITIES

I've always known that clustering (or batching) activities was a good productivity trick. I try to sit down and do all my email at one time, or save all my receipts and input them once a week instead of doing them haphazardly. It struck me that I should be clustering other things as well. This semester I have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday are basically commitment-free. I decided I would try to schedule all errands and meetings for the days I already have class. I have to come to campus anyway on those days so it makes more sense to try to keep my Tuesdays and Thursdays as pristine as possible. Knowing I have two days a week that are completely wide open is a great feeling. I know I can sit down on those days and work nearly without interruption for 8 or more hours. Much, much better than having a meeting I have to attend in the middle of my day. This results in my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays generally being pretty long and tiring days but the reality seems to be that this is less tiring than having meetings scattered about my entire week.

WEEKLY + DAILY PLANNING IN JOURNAL

I've been doing a Weekly Review every weekend for well over the past two years. This is an integral part of my productivity system and something I will probably do for the rest of my life. However, this semester I've added a new wrinkle to my review that has really helped me out. I use software to manage all of my tasks and calendar so I'm essentially paperless in my day-to-day life. However, I do carry a notebook everywhere I go. I decided to add a step to my Weekly Review where I look ahead to my upcoming week, take a look at my appointments, meetings, and other commitments, and try to schedule 2-4 areas to focus on each day. I will then write this plan into my notebook. I don't try to slot them into specific times or anything -- they're just the domains of the tasks I want to finish to feel like I really accomplished what I set out to do.Weekly plan. Written out Sunday afternoon.

As I work through the week I'll move these tasks around as I do or don't finish them, thus resulting in a fresh daily plan every morning. For whatever reason, getting the plan onto paper and out of my computer has really helped keep me on task throughout the day.

FUTURE TWEAKS

Like seemingly most nerds I downloaded Mailbox and have been using it on my phone for the past few weeks. I'm still working it into my workflow but I think it's going to have a very positive impact.

I'm also thinking about trying to move my Weekly Review into Friday afternoon (as opposed to Sunday afternoon) so I can keep my weekends even more free of work than I do now. I at least want to see what my mindset is like going into the weekend completely reviewed as opposed to going into Monday morning completely reviewed.

I'll keep tweaking and will report back with any conclusions once they've been drawn. I'm always curious about how other people have done to improve the way they work. If you care to share, Twitter is the best way to reach me. Even better, write something up on your own blog and shoot me a link.

"Getting Things Done" and Empowerment

I recently had the pretty incredible opportunity to participate in a workshop that David Allen is piloting. I was fortunate enough to meet David when I invited him to speak at a conference I organized. Luckily, I happen to be located a mere two hour drive from the David Co. headquarters so I was within range when he invited me to the workshop. Anybody who knows me in real life or has followed my writing knows I'm unabashedly a huge Getting Things Done fan. I think David's contribution to how we think about work in the age of the knowledge economy is incredibly important. As I was sitting in the conference room last week watching David present this information I realized that GTD is about much more than keeping track of lists, label makers, or notebooks. I've always worried that to an outside observer who doesn't "get it", it all looks like obsession over the minutiae of being organized. However, I think GTD is so great because it's really about empowerment.

The Tyranny of the Big Project

GTD empowers you as an individual on two important planes. First, if you "get" GTD and have implemented it into your life in at least a semi-complete fashion then you have the tools to pick apart any project. Literally, any project. I'm talking about world changing, paradigm shifting, my-life's-work kind of projects. Everything from getting your oil changed to ending world hunger has some concrete next action that will take you one step closer to your vision. Every time I find myself getting mired in the sheer vastness of something I'm trying to accomplish I realize I've lost sight of really the only thing that matters -- the next concrete step I can take. Visions and mission statements are great but the lowly next action -- brainstorm for 10 minutes, call John, Google X, talk to Emily about Y -- is what creates change in the world. GTD's bottom up approach, from the tactical day-to-day concerns to the overarching strategic plan, shows an appreciation and respect for action.

Getting Above the Fray

Somewhat paradoxically, the other major empowering contribution of GTD is that it helps you get above the fray and analyze your work and life from a new perspective. Think of the difference between a foot soldier and a general. A foot soldier's overwhelming concern is with staying alive moment to moment. Dodge that axe, duck over there, run over here (evidently my conception of warfare is about two centuries behind). These actions are what keeps the foot soldier alive and they don't have the time or energy to stand back and think about the larger strategy of the battle or war. On the other hand, the commander is above the fray (figuratively and literally). His job is to coordinate the larger strategy of the battle. He needs to monitor what every unit is doing, what the enemy is doing, and make changes as necessary.

Unnecessarily violent metaphor aside, this is similar to how we work. It's very easy to get sucked into the moment by moment actions that keep you alive in a work-sense. Responding to emails, dealing with interruptions, fixing projects that have gone into emergency mode -- these are the actions that keep you afloat but also never let you take a step back. Having a good GTD system in place helps you elevate to the level of a commander from time to time. You can step away from the gritty day to day details and take stock of where your forces are, what's coming on the horizon, and make plans to meet upcoming challenges. Once the plans have been laid and adjustments made you can dive back into the foray content in the knowledge that you're on the right path and you're ready for the unexpected.

Beyond Organization

Without GTD large projects can seem like immovable boulders. Without GTD you can get locked into the small battles that may never coalesce into work you actually care about. Across these two planes of focus GTD empowers you to have greater impact and actually accomplish what you care about. To the outsider, GTD may look like nothing more than obsession over lists and organization for the sake of organization. It can be easy to fall into that trap if you're not careful (i.e. productivity porn) but the potential reward for understanding and carrying out your own GTD system is too great to ignore.

Have a thought you'd care to share? Find me on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of emdot