I’ve been wanting to write more for years. It has been spotty at best, but committing to manageable steps is where to start.
Each of us have tons of great thoughts, ideas, notes, businesses, plans, goals, and actions coursing through our mind on a daily basis. Where do you collect those thoughts to review and move on them? When do you act? How do you manage them? Who do you work with? What does success look like?
That’s what my 100 words look like today. What’s your stepping stone to a greater goal?
Yes, I’m an Evernote geek and use it for a variety of reasons, like GTD, minutes via Kustomnote, projects, brainfarts, and more. Even when I’m driving, I have a notepad next to me to jot down thoughts. Best part is … Continue reading →
How can you #unplug with an iPhone and computer on the coffee table, Dish Network on the screen, stack of newspapers on the floor, and a few books and magazines strewn about?
Try turning them off.
I’m not perfect, but for a week on the lake, I did my best to keep the technology turned off and only respond to the most important messages. Yeah, I did a few check-ins, posted the #100playgrounds on Instabook, and streamed NPR from time to time, but overall, I was able to unplug.
It was hard looking at my Lift App every few days and realize I wasn’t hitting my targets for writing, but I did save some ideas for future reference and took pages of notes in Evernote for GTD.
The recharge was good and made me realize that being focused on the meaningful things in life is most important. Perspective is two and a half years of work being whittled down to a small box of paper, while a week unplugged fills a lifetime of memories that no one can take away.
Now turn it off and focus on yourself, family, friends, and live your life to the fullest.
Since I’ve got a little free time on my hands this summer, I figure that besides rekindling my off-and-on blogging for the past decade, I could have some fun with the kids, too. Inspired by This Wild Idea, I figured visiting 100 playgrounds this summer wouldn’t be too hard to achieve. We’ll be traveling quite a bit throughout the midwest, so we can tie in geography, ecology, math, science, reading, and also local bike rides, hikes, picnics and more. We’ve already been to parks in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Maddie is keeping a journal, and I’m tracking via Evernote, Instagram, and Tumblr.
The rules:
Both kids must be at the playground at the same time
A few minutes of play is fine
Each playground only counts once – unless under construction
I fell off the “100 words a day” bandwagon shortly after committing to it, but I knew that would probably happen anyway.
I’ve been keeping a running journal in Evernote the past few years of ideas, thoughts, brainstorms, and Someday/Maybe stuff. I’ve got quite a repository under “blog” alone numbering 45 separate notes today. This is a great place to jog my memory, work out ideas, and delete the crap.
Friday, June 14 was both my 39th birthday and leaving CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. It is interesting to look at the yin and yang of personal and professional milestones in the same day. While celebrating on the one hand, there is a sense of loss on the other. In an instance like this, hopes and fears are together, joined as one.
Sunday, June 16 was both my 14th anniversary of my Crohn’s Disease diagnosis and Father’s Day. Again, a weird combination. I guess that is where very good doctors helped me make sure I’d be around to see the joys of my life, my wife, kids, and family, and remember that waking up in the cardiac ICU of Mercy is better than the alternative.
With that, the happy accident of the day was going back home to the Marty’s Schwinn Cyclery / Iowa Bike and Fitness reunion. “We did so much with so little,” was the theme of the day, seeing friends come back together to tell stories of struggle, commitment, sacrifice, and building a skill set that pays off to this day. We all have much to be proud of and can trace it back to one family giving each of us a chance to shine.
Overall, the weekend was awesome, and is just the foothold necessary to have an exciting summer with the family, friends, and searching for new opportunities along the way. The habits and desire that got me to where I am today remind me that I’ve got a long way to go, and am ready for the adventure. I’ve been there before and the ride ahead will be an exciting one.
Quoting Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once and awhile, you could miss it.” Go be awesome.
www.LinkedIn.com and www.Martindale.com/Connected: This week, look at your profile for a few minutes and add in your relevant work experience that your friends, associates, and network may be needing. It just needs to be a few keywords, but your update will pop up on all of your contacts pages. While you’re on your “view your profile” page, check out on the lower right-hand side of the page to see who else is relevant in searches for your profile. Is it someone you’d like to know?
My Mobile Computing Platform of Choice
http://bu.mp: I had a vendor introduce me to this new technology last week. It is a simple way to connect two smartphones by bumping together to exchange contact information. I’m sharing this one with my LMA colleagues for our upcoming conference.
www.evernote.com: I’ve been testing this product since reading about it in Forbes last week. Zachary Mannheimer, Des Moines Social Club Executive Director, was featured in the article about making the most of business travel. Between the webpage and smartphone app, I can share notes, voice message, files and more for immediate access.
Your Marketing Toolbox 