How to Become a reader Even if You Don't Like to Read

February 15, 2016 Mike StPierre

I run into people all of the time who tell me that they don't read. This makes me wonder how they consume information- Tv? Radio? Web surfing? After all, we all "get" our information from somewhere.

The mindset of not being a reader is common enough and unfortunately it can start at a young age. Scholastic has a list of the top 10 reasons why people don't read as much as they would like. Some of the common refrains sound like this:

I'm not a good reader
I can't concentrate
I can't sit still long enough
I don't have the time

Can you relate to any of these? Even though I'm an avid reader, I can! It takes discipline for me to sit with a book and read it for more than 15 minutes. Maybe it's ADD or just a consequence of the "always on" internet world we live in.

Still...I don't want to give up on reading and neither should you.

The benefits of reading are too many to list but here's an example of why I read so much.

It was a Chinese New Year's party and two people at my table were talking about various things. One was from China and the other from New Jersey. One spoke of Asian cuisine and another about investing in socially responsible funds. To my delight, I was able to have really interesting conversations with both people, mentioning things I had read about or heard in podcasts. Because of my reading, I had an instant connection with them.

The reading had come in handy...

For those who don't see themselves "as readers", I suggest five things that can turn anyone into a reader in no time:

1. Listen to podcasts. This might include the Emergent Leader Podcast, just sayin'!

2. Listen to books. Whether it's Audible.com or just audio books from the library, audio books count as "real reading".

3. Combine "reading" with working out.

4. Read five blogs every morning or evening. I like to start the day with some Seth Godin, Fr. Richard Rohr and Fast Company. Just as with audio books, blogs "count" as real reading.

5. Take a day off each week and use this as "permission" to read day. I started doing this about a month ago and it's been magical. I'm more present to my family and I check a new book out of the library each week, anticipating that I will take some time on Sunday to sit and read- and I do.

Whether you find reading easy or if it's a struggle, my hope is that you'll try the five steps above and cultivate your reader's muscle. You can do it!

Emergent Leader Podcast Episode 17: Interview with Michael Sliwinski

February 5, 2016 Mike StPierre

In this new episode of the Emergent Leader Podcast, I had the privilege of talking with Michael Sliwinski of Nozbe. Michael and I talk about teleworking, the success of remote teams and how to cut down on interruptions during the day.

Michael is one of those persons that just exudes positive energy! He's generous, ambitious and kind.

I've used Nozbe for years and keep going back to it for my daily work. Nozbe 3.0 was just released and celebrates nine years of "simply getting it all done".

You may want to check out Michael's podcast, The Podcast (what a title!) and his personal blog.

Smart Ways to End Emails

February 5, 2016 Mike StPierre

Have you ever been frustrated because people don't get back to you in emails? The problem, according to Robert Williams, might be in how you are finishing your emails.

For example, if you finish an email with "just let me know..." or "we should do something", you are less likely to get a response. The reason: you are adding work to their task list and their brain just goes on freeze mode.

An alternative might be to give them something very specific to do as a next step. A-la GTD and "what's the next action", an effective email might wrap up with any of the following:

I suggest we meet on Friday at 10am in the conference room. Can you do that?
I'll call you in two days to follow up.
Can you let me know about item #5 and if that is agreeable to you?

Download The Free Daily Planning Sheet

This is the planning page we suggest using every day.

Pay attention to your emails. If people aren't getting back to you, there may be a reason and a slight tweak could make a big difference.

How I Prepare for the New Year (And you can too!)

December 27, 2015 Mike StPierre

The New Year is full of pregnant optimism. So many of us are full of hopeful goals and exciting plans. Unfortunately most of us don’t “make good” on many of these. Be honest- when was the last time you made a New Year's resolution that you carried forward more than one week? It's shocking how bad we are when it comes to resolutions.

I’m not going into the science of this as there are plenty of others who will do this in the days leading up to New Year’s.

Rather, here’s a simple list that I use as I review the year:

Throw away all that you can. If you haven't used it in a while, just toss it. No one will miss it- seriously.
Find joy in a “stop doing” list. This one is the best! Stop doing some things in the New Year. This might be anything from "stop being so hard on yourself" to "stop missing dinner with your family". What do you need to stop doing in the New Year?
Clean out your email once and for all. Even if it means you have to declare email bankruptcy, decide today that you won't keep more than a screen's worth of email.
Stop reading what you started reading but can’t seem to finish. Just put it on the shelf. If it calls out to you at a later date, you can finish it then.
Resolve to be simple, productive, and powerful. This mantra is really important- taking a simple approach to your work and career is important- it keeps you focused. This results in greater productivity which then makes you have more agency. Agency = power.
Revisit your long-range plans and goals. Since you probably don't connect with these every day, it's important to go back to the "why" behind what you're doing with your work. Where do you want to be? When do you want to retire? Do you feel good about what you're currently doing?
Begin counting your journal entries from 1. I started this just a year ago...restart your journaling from 1 on January 1. It tells your brain that you're starting new stuff which will then cue your body (and mind) to do new things.

With these seven actions in mind, I recommend ramping up towards the New Year. Take some time to get reflective and mindful as you “close out” the year gone by. Celebrate what’s gone well. Toss what hasn’t. Be honest with your own shortcomings and be gentle with yourself at the same time.

Finally, remember your spiritual core. Being a person of gratitude will never go out of style and connecting with God will always be a good career move- it makes you more attractive because you are in the business of finding good in all situations.

Nozbe 2.6 Review: Slick and Sophisticated Productivity

December 9, 2015 Mike StPierre

It's no secret that the most productive people in the world gather and organize their thoughts into a system of some kind.

Sometimes "the system" is as simple as a lined notebook. Others go further by using a planner of some kind. Then there are those who recognize that their world is so complicated that they need something more, something more capable of handling all of the inputs that they receive on a daily basis.

One such system is Nozbe, my "to do app" of choice. What follows is a brief review of the latest version (2.6) of Nozbe. If you have more time and want to invest in a more comprehensive resource, check out Marcus Platt's "The Little Book of Nozbe".

For the rest of us who want a quick review of Nozbe, here you go:

1. New Looks. The new Nozbe looks better than ever before. The fonts are slim, the colors are simple and there are new icons for use throughout the app.

2. Universal Access. Nozbe has always been great in terms of being able to use it on iOS, Android and on the web. Very few productivity apps offer you the kind of universal access that Nozbe does and it's still as good as ever.

Getting Started with Nozbe

Download the Free Guide w/6 Easy Nozbe Tips

3. Same Amazing Team. An under-appreciated feature of Nozbe is its tab connecting you with the Nozbe support team. This allows you to send the support team a message and even send them a screen shot.

4. Speed and More Speed. I love apps that sync in the background so that you don't have to think about it. Just open Nozbe and it syncs across all of your devices and also to the web app. Very slick.

5. Shared Templates. Have a project that you know you will repeat over and over again? With Nozbe 2.6 you can take a project and turn it into what Nozbe calls a "template". It gets better- you can then share the template with the world as it generates a unique URL. There's more because the Nozbe team figured out a way for your affiliate ID to be "tagged"to the template as long as someone uses your template and opens up a Nozbe account- very cool! (Note: as of December 9, 2015, 2.6 has shipped to the Mac app store but not yet to iOS due to an Apple Watch issue; shared templates are only available thus far in 2.6)

As you can tell, I'm a big fan of Nozbe. So is Jeff Sanders, Michael Hyatt and a bunch of other productivity junkies.

The five features I mention above are great but what I appreciate most about Nozbe is what it allows me to do every day- stay focused on what's really important and trust the system behind the whole process.

Emergent Leader Podcast Episode 15: Guest Interview with Mark Sanborn

November 8, 2015 Mike StPierre

Have you ever wondered how some people deliver amazing results week after week and month after month? In this episode of the Emergent Leader Podcast, I talk with Mark Sanborn, author and speaker. Mark was an awesome guest- full of wisdom and really down to earth.

Mark and I talk about several of his books, including The Fred Factor and You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader. We also chat about productivity and the need for personal reflection. Mark is someone who I could talk to for hours on end. Since he's an author, his thoughts have all been synthesized into a cohesive curriculum for a career (and life) of excellence.