Update from Thom

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Apr 302011
 

I could have sworn I filed an update already. Perhaps I chickened out because I didn’t have anything positive to report. But that’s no excuse. Part of discipline is owning your errors and problems and not just hiding them because no one is actively checking up on you.

It’s been a definite one-step-forward, two-steps-back situation with me lately. I further improved my planning tool by using the “Hipster PDA“. I now have a pocketful of halved 3×5 cards, each with a different task category on it, plus a few blank ones. It’s working quite well, as I can cross things off, add things to the list, and add notes for a few weeks, but I’m forced to consolidate and get a new card every so often.

Unfortunately, I then promptly fell off the wagon and hardly looked at my cards for several weeks. I thought about why and came to the conclusion that too many of my task items were actually projects and needed to be broken down into smaller, time-bound tasks. I also added a new card of “things I’ve got to do today or this week” so I have the more urgent items tagged.

I’m happy to say that I’m back on the wagon this week, and so far I’m being more productive again. As soon as I finish this post I can cross off another item, ending the day on a positive note. Excuse me, I have a planner to update.

 Posted by at 10:00 am

Quick Inspiration

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Apr 202011
 

My wife’s nephew is getting married tomorrow. We are the overflow hotel for family (it is exciting to finally be close enough to get this duty!) and the inn is full. Sunday is Easter and I have been asked to speak at the service. I need to start preparing. Life is just a bit hectic, but I wanted to leave you with a quick question and thought.

What do you do for a quick inspiration? What do you do for a quick, pick-me-up when your mood gets down?

I often turn to a few podcasts. Here are four that I keep on hand for those times when I just need a little boost.

Car Talk Okay, this isn’t really a podcast, but they make their weekly NPR radio show available on their website. It doesn’t matter how many times someone calls these two nut jobs about a funny smell coming from the heat vents, Ray and Tom will have a witty diagnosis and make it interesting. I use this show for general mood lifting. You can’t listen to these guys laugh for long without laughing along.

Manager Tools I listen to Manager Tools to get me excited about managing people again. When the team gets me down, my managers start driving me crazy or business is just not making any sense, I listen to Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne. Their advice and all topics of management is spot on, broken down into actionable steps. I find the cast that I need specifically or just listen to the latest. Their companion podcast Career Tools is general career management advice and is just as good.

Stuff You Missed In History Class I have learned so much from this podcast. I love history and this is the perfect place for the history buff. Each episode focuses on a person or event in history and is explained in well researched detail. I love it. They have over 100 episodes and I have listened to most of them. One of the cool concepts is they will never run out of material! This podcast is great to get the mental juices running again and reminds me learning is fun.

Stanford’s Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders When I want to get excited about new businesses, starting a business or to catch the enthusiasm of an entrepreneur, this is the podcast I turn to. This is actually a class at Stanford. Each week they pull in a successful entrepreneur for a lecture and Q&A session. This gets me all excited about starting something new, looking at my current job in a new way or just plain making me excited about the future of the world. Their optimism is contagious. Catch it!

What do you do or listen to when life gets routine, difficult or boring? How do you get out of your funk? Please share!

 Posted by at 10:00 am

Link: Affirm Your Way To Wealth

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Apr 192011
 

Another blog I read regularly is Get Rich Slowly. This post on affirmations caught my attention. When I was out of work, my coach challenged me to start each morning by looking myself in the eye and saying aloud, “I’m Ready!” I thought it was goofy at first, but I did it. Then, I changed my password to it as well. All day long I was typing “I’m Ready” over and over. Know what? I became ready. Ready for the challenges of the day. Ready to handle the inevitable mood swings that go with job hunting, Ready to talk to people about being in my network. Ready to help them with their challenges. Ready to find and land the job. And it worked.

I now challenge you to find an affirmation and say it every day. Make sure you choose something you really want, because the universe will bring it to your door.

 Posted by at 6:00 am
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