Why I Built a Standing Desk

Seems like everywhere you look, someone’s talking about why jobs that require sitting are dangerous to your health:

• "Sitting is the New Smoking"
• "'Get Up!' or Lose Hours of Your Life Every Day, Scientist Says"
• "Here's Just How Bad Sitting Around Is For You"

or my favorite of the bunch,

“Sitting is Killing You"

Now that’s blunt!  A couple of things if you take the time to read even one of the above articles:

1. Sitting for most of your day is bad for you.
2. There might be other ways to work besides sitting at a desk.

Ok, so sitting is bad.  I began to inventory my average workday and it looked like this:

Am commute = sitting

During the day = sitting except when I’m walking the building

Driving to appointments = sitting

Pm commute = sitting

Ok so things were not looking so good.  Did I mention that I’m a doctoral candidate working feverishly to finish his dissertation?  This, naturally, requires a lot of keyboard work (read: sitting). 

At about this same time, I realized that I was feeling tired, really tired, a lot of the time.  I wondered if all of the sitting I was doing was part of the problem.

I figured I would bypass this life-threatening situation once and for all.  

Enter the standing desk.

Sure, famous people use them.  Even this guy who built a darn ugly standing desk for himself.

Plan A included some research.  My reading online led me to realize one thing: standing desks are expensive! 

Plan B had to be conceived so I found two bookshelves in my garage.  I cleaned them of their spider webs (and eggs) and swore the kids to keep that between me and them.  Mom did not need to know how bad the shelves were.

Some primer and paint and the shelves were ready to go.  The shelves would serve as the “legs” of the desk.

I then removed an old desktop from my home office and attached it to the shelves.  Looking good.

Finally, I had to figure out how to raise the contraption so that I was not looking down at my work.  Just because your desk is tall doesn’t mean that it will help your health.  

A coworker suggested casters and another (like my 4th or something) trip to the Orange Holy Land known as Home Depot produced four locking wheels.  These casters raised the desk and also made it mobile.

Here’s the finished product:

What It's Been Like to use it

What I’ve found in the past month of using the desk is really surprising: I love it!  It’s great being able to move, stretch and fidget while I work.  It does take some getting used to but overall I’m really pleased.  

My next project will be to install one in my office at work.

Have you tried a standing desk?  How much of your day is spent sitting down?

An Inside Look at my New eBook: The 6 Fastest Ways to Supercharge Your Career

Today I'm pleased to announce the launch of my new eBook "The 6 Fastest Ways to Supercharge Your Career".  It's a fast, down-to-earth look at the formula that has worked for me and countless others.  

The best news: you can't buy it but you can get it for free!

Seriously... keep reading for more information.

This eBook answers one question that I hear over and over again: "what am I doing wrong since I don't seem to be getting ahead in my career?"  As so many have approached me with that question over the past 3-4 years, I decided to compile and curate my ideas.  I'll keep meeting with whomever wants my face-to-face advice but if you don't live here in Jersey, that may be difficult.  With this eBook, you don't have to wait for an appointment.

The 6 Fastest Ways is organized into the following sections:

1. The State of Careers Today: data about how the workforce is changing faster than at any other time in history.  
2. Taking Inventory- The 6 Questions You Should Ask Before Your Next Job Interview: I coach you through a series of questions that every job seeker  should answer in order to be 100% prepared for their next gig.
3. The 6 Habits Explained: my secret sauce of staying on top of your professional game.
4. Conclusion & Thank You: a wrap up of the book's key points.

Subscribers to my mailing list will receive the eBook today.  What I like the most about the book is that it's a personal story of how I was tapped at age 35 to lead a high school here in Jersey.  

For everyone else, all you have to do to get your copy is subscribe for free via the box below:

I think that you'll enjoy The 6 Fastest Ways as much as I enjoyed preparing it for you!

The Power of Repetition

Remember when you were in high school and you tried a little bit of Spanish and a little bit of French and a little bit of ... every language?

What do you get after a little bit of French?  Easy- a few words and a couple of catch phrases.  For example, I can say in French, "I am the state" and in German, "Thank you" but that's about it.  

No ability to speak a full sentence or read long passages of text.  Just a little bit...

Unfortunately, a little bit of anything is worth basically nothing.  

Real language assimilation takes practice and a lot of it.   The best way to learn a new language?  Go to the country and immerse yourself in its culture, tradition and language.  Read something a hundred times.  Say it two hundred times.  Then do it again and again.

What does language learning have to do with career advancement?  I thought of this when (just last week) I went with my kids to execute a 7/11 run for slurpees. The dry cleaners next door had this sign and I just had to take a picture:

What's great about the sign is that they repeated the exact same thing three times.  You can't help but understand that they provide a high quality service at the lowest price.  

Clear message, repeated several times.

Consider your work week- do you have repeated habits and rituals that make you more productive?  What can you do TODAY that you will want to repeat tomorrow?  Are you willing to be seen as eccentric in order to rock your productivity?

11 Signs of Unproductivity

You work with them. You live with them. You’re related to them. They are your neighbors and best friends.

They’re awesome! And, they might not be as productive as they could be.

Here are some simple signs:

1. Clutter. Their homes and desks are filled with “stuff” (that’s a nice word for crap)
2. Disorganization. They lose things and always seem to be looking for something that they don’t remember where they left it.
3. Lack of margin. Running to the next meeting, event, etc. Not enough time or money to go around.
4. Missed deadlines. Another late birthday gift. Another meeting missed.
5. Lateness. Late to church, late to doctor’s appointments, etc.
6. Excuses. There’s always a reason for any of the above and to an unproductive person, the reason makes perfect sense.
7. Lack of concern when things go wrong. If you make excuses for things, they aren’t really your fault. When things go foul, an unproductive person doesn’t really mind.
8. Lack of physical enthusiasm. Lethargy, overweight, slow moving… all of these are signs of a person who isn’t going 100%.
9. Lack of emotional enthusiasm. They aren’t peppy or energetic.
10. Overflowing email inbox. If your emails fill more than a screenful, you have too many.
11. Lack of time to invest in others. If you suffer from #3, you just don’t have much time to put into relationships and friendships.

If we are honest with ourselves, each one of us has dipped our toe into the pool of at least a few of these signs. Myself included.

The key is this: when you see a sign in yourself, make a commitment to get better, to be more present to those around you and to make the next hour better than the last.

7 Benefits of a Rockstar ToDo List

The most productive people in the world use ToDo lists.  Just like the way that holy people read the Bible and great athletes spend thousands of hours in the gym, knowledge workers perfect their use of ToDo lists.  Just see how Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps prepares for each and every race.  Simply amazing and utterly routinized. 

Every day.  Habits that pay off big time.

Seriously, everyday for productive people gets filled with some version (sometimes very simple) of a ToDo list.

Whether you’re a paper lover or a gadget geek (I’m both!), your ToDo list manager probably needs a checkup as Summer approaches. The value of comprehensive ToDo list is vast. Here are 7 benefits:

1. A ToDo list empties your head.
2. A ToDo list lets your fill your day with important tasks.
3. A ToDo list gives you confidence that you can get things done.
4. A ToDo list lets you focus in short bursts of time.
5. A ToDo list gives you permission to be fully present to those you love.
6. A ToDo list can be short or long.
7. A ToDo list conveys organization to those around you.

For follow up, spend some time with your ToDo list.  Get to know it once again if it's been a while  If you need to modify, change or (be honest...) find a ToDo list, that's ok.  Give yourself permission to fall in love with your ToDo list once and for all.

Rockstar status could be just around the corner...

Five Things You Can do When You Get Grumpy

It happens.  Grumpiness, that is.  It's that state that comes over you from time to time, seemingly without warning.  It is almost always shared with those around you (unfortunately) and spills over to those you love. 

Grumpiness... 

For me, grumpiness happens about once every two weeks.  It's a real pain in the neck and I don't like being grumpy.  Still, I've learned a few tricks of what to do when you are grumpy: 

1. Acknowledge that you are grumpy.  Face the facts and call yourself out.  You may even tell those around you that you're grumpy.  It can help to name it. 

2. Ask "why"?  By identifying the root of your grumpiness, you can then focus on a solution. 

3. Ask "what can I do"?  Oftentimes, there are some simple things you can do to feel better like: 

-getting a shower

-going for a walk

-putting on cooler clothing

-getting some water to drink

-taking a break

4. Change your scenery.  It's easier to shift out of grumpiness if you are in a place you like.  By going for a drive or doing something you like, you'll take another step out of grumpiness. 

5. Write it down.  If you are a journaler, like me, this helps a lot.  If you aren't someone who writes a lot, write it down anyway on a piece of paper.  You'll be surprised how much this helps.  Writing about something helps you to process it, nail down its source and take action. 

From a faith perspective, grumpiness allows us to be honest with God and it even can be a cause for prayer.  We don't always have full control over our circumstances but we can choose how we respond, even when we are grumpy. 

How about you?  When are you most likely to be grumpy?  How does it affect your work and family life?