Sabbath Spotting

I was encouraged last week to find more moments for Sabbath.  This came from a trusted friend who really gets the spiritual life.

In turn, my reading of Scripture would improve, or so I'm trying to believe.

Turns out the faster our pace of life, the more difficult contemplation becomes. Maybe you are better at Sabbath spotting than I am.

Here (see photo to the left)was yesterday's moment of rest, found just after a nice dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.  This little fella was having dinner for himself in a small tree just five feet from my car.  

When was the last time that you took time to simply "be" with God? What did you learn as a result of this short or long Sabbath?

What You Don't Need in a Task Manager

In the old days, a to-do list was enough.  This magical tool could be generated on the back of a knapkin (I've always admired those that could avoid the ink from bleeding through), on a scap piece of paper or of course in a full-fledged notebook.

The great thing was simply the art of crossing something out.  I've been guilty of adding things for the sole purpose of the Cross Off.  It looked like this up until a few years ago:

1. Make calls for upcoming meeting

2. Draft supervisory letter

3. Prepare for class

4. Wake up 

The last item, really?  Did I really need to include that?  Not at all, but the pure joy of the Cross Off was enough to trick the system once again and work my magic.

Nowadays, life is more complex.  I have 30 projects at one time.  Ministry, work, the blog, grad school- it all goes into my task manager as the knapkin is now too small.  Sure, I could write wicked small but I think we're beyond that.

I'm appreciating Michael Hyatt's take on his favorite task manager.  Mike Vardy has apparently made some recent changes to his system and me, I'm testing out this beauty.

But what is a task manager and how does it differ from the old 1-2-3-4 list like I've created above?

For starters, a task manager allows you to manage a project which is simply a complicated way of saying a bunch of lists.  You might attach files.  You could include audio or URL links.  You can also use your email to route items into your task manager.  

Nothing wrong with getting on a roll with a project, doing action steps as they show up; just make sure you’re taking some sort of note that you can throw in your in-basket if you don’t finish, which will serve as a bookmark to determine the next action before too long.  David Allen

I've tried a lot of them and find Nozbe and Producteev to be my favorites. The key is to find one that you enjoy using.  Here's what you don't need from a task manager: complexity.

This is not to say that your task manager should be juvenile; it shouldn't.  It should scale to the amount of your projects.  It should be fun to use. It should be something that you don't think about very often.  It should not be ugly, overly complex, clunky or buggy.  It should be smooth, seamless, frictionless and most of all- it should help you actually get things done.  

Now that's a simple approach if there ever was one.

Photo courtesy of thaikrit

Absorbed Focus

Mondays come around once a week, at least here in New Jersey.  The day is usually preceeded by a slight twitch of dread around Sunday afternoon at 4pm.  By the time that you wake up on Monday morning, you know if you're overwhelmed or are ready to kick butt during the day.

My wife asked me earlier today how I was doing during our mid-morning check in.  One deep sigh later and she knew all that she needed to know- I was overwhelmed.

By the end of the day, the feeling was gone.  I had cranked through about two hours of work before heading home and all felt right with the world.  In the words of energy expert Tony Schwartz, I had practiced "absorbed focus".  

In his post, "The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time", Schwartz says this,

"I get two to three times as much writing accomplished when I focus without interruption for a designated period of time and then take a real break, away from my desk. The best way for an organization to fuel higher productivity and more innovative thinking is to strongly encourage finite periods of absorbed focus, as well as shorter periods of real renewal."

This is the crux: balance bursts of work with periods of meaningful renewal.  Most of us are not marathon workers but almost all of us can sprint from time to time.

How about you?  How can you absorb periods of focus during your work day like I did earlier today?

Photo by imagery majectic 

The Quiet Strength that Most People Overlook

"He has such vision!"

"She's the most creative leader I know!"

"He is simply the smartest candidate in the mix!"

No, these are not accolades that others have said about me but they are the kinds of lines that we hear about famous leaders.  Whether in the Wall Street Journal, on a popular blog like CNET or in watercooler chit-chat, it seems like leaders get more of of the "big" qualities.

I mean, after all, the famous leaders must be equipped with famous qualities like vision, creativity and brains faster than that of Newt Gingrich. (sorry, couldn't resist)

These amazing qualities are truly that, amazing, but most of the time, most of us practice a more subtle art of putting silent strengths to work.

I think of Sister Percylee Hart, a nun who leads a Catholic high school here in New Jersey.  Sister isn't a fancy leader who has built a school around her own personality.  Rather, she has put together a string of hits that have spanned the course of several decades.  One decade it had to do with busing and another it had to do with laptop computers.

In between her brilliant ideas have been many quiet and subtle days.  Some have said that her biggest strength is one that few appreciate- her consistency.  Consistency, it turns out is as important as being creative or smart.

Without consistency, a great idea can't be implemented.  

Without consistency, a new hire can't be supported week by week. 

Consistency has been lauded by Jim Collins in his description of "Level 5 Leadership" in Good to Great.  Here is a collection of audio clips from Collins talking about consistency and other quiet strengths.  Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking also promotes consistency as opposed to brilliance, vision or innovation.

So how can you be more consistent in any given week?  This will vary for each person but here are but a few suggestions:

• Wake up at the same time each day


• Get the same amount of sleep each night


• Eat the same breakfast each day


• Order the same food from your favorite restaurant each time


• Pray at the same time each day


• Eat dinner in about the same time window each night


• Put your keys in the same spot when you arrive home each night


• Leave your desk neat and clean when you leave each day


• Return phone calls at the same time each day

Like you, I'm  a work in progress in the consistency category but I'm working on it. The more consistent you are, the less you friction you have on your productivity.

As we head into another week, which quiet strength can you explore and enjoy?  If consistency is one of them, you may not be alone.

Three Simple Ways to End Your Week in Style

Isn't it amazing how people talk about their week?  A man I met a few weeks back said, "I'm alive, what else can I say?"  

Not exactly a high standard if you asked me.

Other people talk about how things are going in nautical terms:

'I'm really drowning in work!
I'm swimming in paperwork and memos!
I'm in over my head!

As you and I end our week, it's worth looking at a few ways that we can end the week without, dare I say it, going overboard:

Review your project list.  If you haven't looked at your project list in a while, Friday is a perfect time to do this.  
Get into work early.  Most people limp into work on Friday feeling a bit of relief that the week is almost done.  Meet this head on by getting into work early and you'll be ready to rock and roll.
Get clean.  Your office/cubicle/desk really needs to be tidied up before you leave for the weekend.  I suggest about 15 minutes sometime between 3-5pm to clean things up.  One step further would be to prepare your Monday to-do list once your workspace is clean and organized.

So go to it!  Here's to a great end to the week.