The Smartest Way to Greet the New Year

December 29, 2016 Mike StPierre

The top business books of the past year.
The top ways to keep a New Year's resolution.
The top habits for losing weight in the New Year.

I'm overwhelmed already!

With all of these "top things", what's a regular person to do? If you are a "3" on the Enneagram (more of that here) then setting goals is like a best friend to you. On the other hand, if you are more relational, more free-spirited or just plain hate goal setting, all of these "top things" can be ignored quickly.

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Perhaps a more measured, and I propose more fruitful approach to ending one year and then beginning the next is to take a half day to yourself.

Get somewhere quiet and it should be a place you enjoy. This can be as simple as your favorite coffee shop or an out-of-the-way nature spot. Bring something to write with and maybe your laptop.

Look back over the past year and ask:

1. What was awesome this past year?
2. Any regrets?
3. Which relationships are healthy right now?
4. How did I grow spiritually?

Next, look forward to the next year and ask:

1. Business: what needs attention?
2. Physical: how can I be even more healthy?
3. Spiritual: what can I read daily to keep me growing closer to God?
4. Emotional/social: which relationship needs some love?

The results of this half-day-away experiment may surprise you. Who knows- maybe your findings will even coincide with some of the "top things" that are trending on the internet as we speak!

How to Reset Your Day

December 2, 2016 Mike StPierre

Have you ever had a day that got away from you? You know, the kind of day that leaves you exhausted, wondering if you got anything done of real substance?

I've had plenty of those kinds of days. About a week ago, my schedule got sidetracked by a few calls that ran overtime, followed by having to pick up one of my kids from school. He was sick and needed to get some rest. The day just got away from me.

A lot of times, our schedules are fluid. Things come in and then go out. If you're not careful, a day full of interruptions can turn into a disaster.

The relevant question to ask is this: when a day gets away from you, how do you reset?

Resetting is a concept that is simple. It's like taking a breath in order to proceed with the rest of the day. Another way of looking at a reset, is as if your day were a computer- sometimes the best thing is to hit the button, restart and get a fresh look at things.

Your physical body plays a big role in the ability to reset. Getting up from your desk helps. Going for a walk is even better. Getting some cold water into your system is always smart. Changing your environment is smart.

A final part of resetting is to choose a different kind of activity. If you were doing financial work and started to burn out, change it up. If meetings totally killed your day, get some alone time. You get the point.

How will you reset the next time a day gets out of control?

The Problem with Sameness at Work

October 3, 2016 Mike StPierre

Some people can report for work in the morning and crank widgets all day, every day. They don’t mind being in one room for an entire day. They don’t mind sitting all day. They don’t mind things being pretty much the same all day.

I am not one of those people.

This realization came to me only a few years ago. Realizing that variety in the day was important for my sanity and productivity, I employed two strategies:

Working for an hour (or so) in one place and then switching to another location for the next hour.
Building into every week a longer block of time to work outside of the building.

These tactics worked well in order to combat the sameness of working in one office for an entire day. Strategy two also helped me to know that at least once per week I was focusing on bigger things than just the day to day.

Makes sense right? I mean, who among us really loves (I mean, deeply enjoys) sitting at the same blessed desk all day every day, day after day? And yet, most people... that's what they do. They settle for mediocre lighting, poor seating, a desk that they don't love and on and on.

Cause of Sameness at Work #1: The workplace itself. Most companies treat workers like hamsters who scurry in to work, scurry all day and then scurry home at night. It's dehumanizing.

Cause of Sameness at Work #2: A lack of courage. You could probably work in multiple places at work if you wanted to. It takes courage to say something to your boss. It takes guts to try and cut down on interruptions (which are a productivity suck). It takes moxy to decrease the number of meetings you attend.

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This is the planning page we suggest using every day.

Now that my job is more mobile, flexible and self governed, I can work in my home office for part of the day and my other office for the other part of the day. Or, I can start at a coffee shop and then head to the library. The point is that I have the flexibility to keep it moving, switching my location whenever my energy starts to be depleted, etc.

When you can fight back against the tyranny of sameness, your productivity will soar and you'll be much happier.

How do you combat sameness in your workplace?

How to Enjoy the Present Moment

September 26, 2016 Mike StPierre

A bit of a confession to make here: I find it hard to be in the present moment.

I don't mean that life isn't enjoyable- it is and I'm blessed! What I mean is that, as an introvert and an achiever, it can be hard to truly, deeply enjoy being in each present moment.

Without wishing I were somewhere else...

Without imagining doing something else...

Without wondering if I should be adding something else to my current activity...

Can you relate? Some signs that you "suffer" (only partially kidding) from this affliction too include:

Finding it hard to relax
Not truly listening when others are talking
Always dreaming of a different _______________ (job, house, situation, etc.)

Some good news recently emerged and it's not clear what caused it. Maybe a realization that my kids won't be at home forever or a new job change that has given me more margin to enjoy the little things in life... I'm not sure.

Still, I'm grateful.

Rob Bell has a wonderful book called How to be Here which I'm hoping to pick up soon. It may be apocryphal but missionary Jim Eliot has that stellar quote about the present moment, "Wherever you are, be all there." David Allen (creator of the Getting Things Done movement) also has a lot to say about being fully engaged in your series of present moments,

"In order to feel comfortable with whatever you’re doing, you need to feel OK with what you’re not doing."

So that you can maximize your own experience of the present moment, I suggest trying the following:

When you listen to someone else, put everything down, look them in the eye and listen. Pause before you respond. Make a connection.
Stop rushing. If you have too many things to do in your day, you may consider crossing some of them off the list. This will free up time, space and mental bandwidth.
Practice morning rituals like prayer and meditation. I'm puttering around with the Headspace app and I like it a lot.
Look people in the eye. Play a game where you try to see their eye color and then remember that later in the day. This will help with paying attention to the other person.
Use technology less. Check out Cal Newport's recent talk on the power of giving up social media.
Do things you love. A walk, a workout, a meal, a book... whatever. By doing one or two things you love each day, you'll learn to savor the present moment with ease.

Enjoying the present moment is like flexing a muscle. It takes time. It takes practice. You can do it.

Office Gear You Should Never Skimp On

September 11, 2016 Mike StPierre

Your office, wherever that may be, is sacred. It’s the operating room for a surgeon, the kitchen for a chef, the workshop for a craftsman.

Still, too many of us “skimp” when it comes to the place where we spend most of our time.

We settle for crappy chairs, desks that bump our legs and poor lighting. The result is a space that’s uninspired and worse yet, repulsive. The quiet dread of “going to work” might be more related to your work space than you think.

So where should you draw the line between splurge and skimp? I suggest five areas:

Your desk. No company has a budget for a granite-topped desk. That’s not what we’re talking about. Rather, your desk should be big enough for the work that you do. If you’re bumping your knees, your desk isn’t big enough. You may want to experiment with a standing desk while you're at it.
Your lighting. Fluorescent lights are depressing and turn your eyes pink over time. A subtle addition to your workspace like a desk lamp can make a huge difference.
Your computer. Again, I’m not advocating for a $4,000 Apple Mac Pro. Few places have a budget for this. Your computer needs to be functional, bug free and up to date. If something is lousy (malfunctioning keyboard, fuzzy monitor, etc.), ask for an upgrade. Typically IT departments only roll out new gear when people as for it. Don't be bashful.
Your monitors. Adding a second monitor can make a big, big difference. Financial analysts have known this for years. If you don’t have one, ask someone at work if there is an extra and try it for a week. You’ll be surprised in the difference that the extra screen real estate makes in your productivity. I've used an iPad as an extra monitor and even that, albeit small, makes a difference.
Your "open thinking" materials. This was a surprise for me. By open thinking materials, I’m talking about notebooks, whiteboards, etc. The moment you feel “cramped” by your creative space, that’s an indication that you need more room to write, draw, etc. Get as much open space as you can. Turn a wall into a white board. Request additional notebooks. Give yourself permission to draw, sketch and map out your thoughts. After all, your thoughts are the seeds of your productivity.

Download The Free Daily Planning Sheet

This is the planning page we suggest using every day.

I could have mentioned plants, background music and a few other things. All are important. What gear do you value the most when you are at work?

What My Non-Smartphone Taught Me About Life

August 18, 2016 Mike StPierre

I'm a techie.

I admit it- if it's new, shiny and requires a power cord, I'm interested. If Apple makes it, I'm looking for my wallet.

For better or worse, this "trait" has been passed on to my children. They know the value of data. They routinely look for wifi in public places. They are a chip off the old block...

And then something serious happened about a month ago: we ran out of data. This was cause enough for a Family Meeting, which of course the kids hate. Bear in mind that not ten years ago, this concept (losing data) would have made no sense at all but in 2016, data is a big deal.

We see data as a right, an entitlement and a part of everyday life.

I was traveling for work that month and needed to use a lot of data and returned with two weeks left in our billing cycle with (gasp!) very little data to spare. Since we have a family shared-data plan, this became a family problem.

We shut down almost everything that would consume data and by the end of the month, just made it with .07GB to spare. Phew!

But you know what? Those two weeks with basically zero data taught me a few things. First, I learned that most of the stuff I do on my phone is kind of lame and going without it was no big deal. So I can't check Facebook? Ok. So I can't see Instagram updates when I'm at the grocery store? No big deal.

And, even better, I learned to daydream. I learned to be bored again. To stare out the window and watch stuff. It was nice.

As it turns out, my not-so-smartphone without data taught me a great deal. It made it easier for me to unplug and just be with my family and friends. It taught my kids the value of margin and open space.

One final thing: it taught me that Facebook and Instagram aren't nearly as interesting as I had previously thought.

Here's to the simple things in life... With or without data.