Author: jrlsage

Do It Right Once – The latest challenge for me with Yoga is to do it right, once. Every pose has a purpose, and when I do it “right” i’ll feel the right muscles work without risking injury. Even if I have to take a break, I’ll do it right once.

Silence Even For An Hour – matters a lot for your mental space. I love yoga because it doubles as a meditation. In class, I have no access to my cellphone or anything else. I get silence, the stretch is a bonus.

Yahoo! – Exists as a way for me to distract myself. As strange as it is to admit, I know the Yahoo front page is going to have something I want to see, no matter where I go. It’s a way for me to gauge focus – if I am headed there I am clearly distracted.

Travel Fatigue – To travel is to tire. I travel a good amount. It doesn’t get easier. I wish I knew how to change that.

Soreness post workout – This is a signal. Too much, and you did too much. Just a little, well, it’s more than likely a sign of a good workout. If you haven’t been a little sore in a long time, it’s a sign you aren’t pushing yourself.

History – The history of it all is important. All of it. Most of the history that we get is from one or two perspectives (a lot of history is propaganda, but that is for another time), so we have to make time to look for the others. There are a lot of stories that will help you find you.

Sleep Deeply – Rejuvenation. Deep sleep helps with that. If you aren’t focused on getting the sleep you need then you’ll never think deeply either.

Silence – Silence is golden. I miss seeing that around. Silent time is golden time when you can focus. It’s hard to focus, since we are constantly bombarded by interrupts, but, if you can find it – it’s golden.

Focus – The reason why deep sleep and silence work is because you have time to focus. Even in sleep, your brain is at work. It’s why there is a difference in sleeping in a nice dark room in warmth or a bus. The former will help deep clean your brain, the latter may help you recover, but doesn’t give you focus.

Late – If you are late, at least prepare. Five more minutes to get a document ready, stretch, or take a breath is worth it. A non-negotiable is communication. Apologize, give an updated ETA, and depending on the relationship, an update on status. 

Innovation pt 3 – Buy-in isn’t just enough from leadership. You’ll need it on the ground too. Most folks are not prepared to take on the responsibility of the win/loss column. If you are a leader, it’s your job to get them ready and prepare them to accept the results, good and bad.

If they see you shirking away from failure, they won’t ever accept it from themselves.

Closing Shop – Whenever you open shop(start working), you should think about closing shop. Closing shop allows you to reflect on what happened when the shop was open. Closing shop allows you to take a break. Closing shop allows you to go home.

All of these things are important. All of them can’t happen when the shop is open.

Goin Fishin -Can’t go fishing without closing shop. Vacations are necessary. Take one when you can.

Energy – Emotional and physical energy needs to be considered. Sometimes when you are tired, it isn’t about how much you’ve read or worked out, it may just be something on your mind. I think silence and an honest moment can help. Take a pen and paper and write things that are top of mind or try 750 words.

Write it out.

Sometimes it passes – just passes. You are not going to get it all the first go. If it’s important, it will come around again. Don’t sweat it.

Product Brief – I love design briefs. It is a great tool to give someone that is a lay person an understanding of what needs to happen to make a project successful. I wonder what a product management brief looks like, and how can it lay out a problem in a way that people understand the constraints better? Also, how does it play with more of the “solutioning” briefs that design briefs are.

Worth exploring.

Solo – I am about to depart on a trip to a city i’ve never been for a few days alone. I have no plans, other than the reflection exercises I’ve written for myself, have great food, and see some art. I don’t know what to expect, but I am excited.

Silence -> Analyze – Silence allows you to analyze the world around you. Stop worrying about what you are missing and look back to what you may have missed. My bet is you’ll find something far more interesting.

Work – Is hard, and required. If you don’t want the pressure, don’t ask for the right to make decisions. You need to earn it.

The Big Job – that is the hard job, the one with the most responsibility, and the one that isn’t going to come with a lot love. When you ask for it, be ready for it. When you have it, make sure you show up.

Art In The Big Job – Find moments of joy and lean in to them. Just because the eyes are on you doesn’t mean you can’t be a wizard, in fact, you should take advantage of it. Take risks.