Slowing Down as a Spiritual Practice

It's official- if the internet of a few years ago (remember the famous Nicholas Carr piece in The Atlantic?) made us dumb, the internet of today is making is dumb faster.  

Michael Hyatt has weighed in with some strong suggestions for countering the effects of the internet.  I appreciate his emphasis on slowing down the pace of life.

I've had some great clarity this summer.  Vacation helped with that and an easier schedule has allowed me to come home at night with some energy actually left in the tank.  I feel more alert and better able to focus on Grace, Thomas, Ella and Benjamin (who is now speaking in sentences so what's not to love about that?!)

Slowing down is also a vital spiritual practice, especially for busy folks.  The key though is to routinely slow down so that "the next slow down" doesn't feel exotic- it just feels natural.  

Sort of like turning off the tv.  If you never do it, it's hard to bear the silence.  If you do it often, you'll be a silence-appreciator.  

How are you slowing down the pace of life this summer?

Photo courtesy of MV

How to Deal with Small Disappointments

Have you ever walked into a store with the hope of getting a great deal?  Or a car dealership?  Usually that faint  glimmer of hope starts with an ad in the paper.  

I had one of those moments this past week when Cary and I were scheduled to get new eye glasses.  The ad said "Two Pairs for $69 Including an Eye Exam".  A friend had recommended the place and we picked up our perscriptions from Dr. Mackey and were off.  

A half hour into the store and we had picked out our glasses.  I typically dread this experience as the kids are getting increasingly antsy and I just want to get the thing over with.  We sit down with Joe, the store rep and begin "The Process".   

I'm familiar with The Process in car dealerships and I would rather have a root canal than purchase a new car anytime soon.  An ad draws you into the place and your hope of a new, fresh, humane car buying experience is tangible.  It quickly goes downhill and you begin to relive the last car buying experience you had (which was a nightmare).  The rest is history.  Why car dealerships don't change their model is beyond me.

Back to Joe and the eye glasses as he tells me, "Mike, I'm sorry but your perscription is out of date; today's deal won't apply unless of course you want two pairs of specs for yourself."  Now, why would I want two pairs of glasses for myself?  Only celebrities do that, I told myself.  Why did Dr. Mackey send me off with an outdated perscription in the first place?  Why won't Joe make an exception and send me away happy?  Lots of questions and few answers.  

Worst of all- why the heck did I just waste a half hour of my life? 

I left Joe and his pretty shop pretty bummed.  Cary got her glasses and I played the part of the good husband, telling her that "she really needed them more than I did anyway".  Deep down though, I was seething.  I just hate wasting time and this situation was all wrong.  

Until I realized that in the big scheme of things, none of this mattered.  

I wasted time, sure, but may have walked away with a few insights as a result.  How do you and I deal with these minor disappointments that inevitably come up in any given week?

1. Affirm your own practice of time management.  The fact that I hate wasting time is actually a sign that I take time management seriously.  Does it bother you when someone kills an hour from your day for no good reason?  It should if productivity is a value in your life.
2. Plan more carefully.  While it's true that my eye doctor should have looked at the perscription more carefully before sending me off, it's my own fault for not having an up-to-date perscription.  That's something I can fix.
3. Regroup, then regroup again.  There was a commentary in America magazine a few weeks back about parenting being similar to managing an alien attack.  You have to recalibrate your phaser guns over and over again in order to survive their attacks.  What worked with your oldest child rarely is effective with your second or third.  Dealing with disappointments is very much like this- breath, regroup and get your day back on track.  You can do it.

Regroup and get your day back on track.  You can do it.

4. Remember what matters most in life.  While it's true that Joe, Dr. Mackey and a host of other characters sidetracked my calendar, I got to spend several hours with Cary and the kids and at the end of the day, who else would I want to spend my time with?  In light of eternal salvation, family and friendship, that old advice still stands, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

One more thing- if you happen to pick out new eye glasses, the ones on the top shelf, third over from the right are mine.  Don't even think about it.

How One Little Button Reduces Friction in Your Work

This is a post that Merlin Mann would hate. In the so-called age of post productivity where tools don't mean as much as conquering meaningful work, I just can't help but notice the importance of something very tiny.

The input button on your iOS task manager.

That little plus thingee or inbox dodad that we sort of take for granted in our iOS apps. The deal is this: it actually matters more than you think and here's why: anything that helps you reduce friction will translate into greater productivity.  If you want to input an idea very quickly, the button you press could make a big difference. 

So let's take a look at a number of popular productivity apps and their iOS (and iPhone specifically) home pages.

Here we go!

Nozbe: you'll notice that the input button is nicely placed to the bottom right of the screen.  What Nozbe also allows is the three-stack button to its left which allows you to create a context or project as well just from the click of a button.  My only complaint is that it doesn't really stand out from the other buttons.  Grade: A-

The Hit List: while The Hit List isn't as intuitive as Nozbe or Omnifocus in terms of what's under the hood, the input button is nicely placed and overly large, to the top right of the screen.  Still, it could stand out just a bit more.  Grade: A-

OmniFocus: the Ferrari of task managers has a different approach, offering an inbox instead of a plus sign. Those come as you go deeper into the application.  I'd like to see the inbox either larger or a different color.  Right now, it's sort of plane-Jane.  The location is fine but it's just boring to look at.  Grade: C+

Producteev: in my mind, the input button in Producteev is simply genius.  It's large, placed in the center and really fun to use.  All of the other developers should use Producteev for a week to see how much fun this input button is.  Grade: A+

Remember the Milk: I like the layout of RTM's iOS home screen.  It's clean and looks very nice.  My only complaint is that it's all the way to the left.  Grade: B

ToodleDo: While ToodleDo may not be as sexy as Producteev or as robust as Nozbe or OmniFocus, the input button is rectangular and to the top right.  It feels great to use- simple as that.  Grade: A

Conclusion: while this post may seem a bit over the top (I mean seriously, who else compares the input buttons in such detail?), it shows that details matter.  If you feel good using a tool to get things done, you're more likely to use it again and most importantly, you will do more meaningful work.

Which application have you used and which feature do you enjoy the most? 

When to Be Brief

Think of that person in your life who gives too little detail. Imagine the teenage son after a long day at school. It often goes like this:

"How was your day?"

"Fine."

"What would you like for dinner?"

"Anything, I don't care."

And on and on. I see this exchange almost every day in my own home and at work and maybe you do as well.

On the other end of the spectrum are those people who give way too much information. You see this in meetings and in conversations. It's as if they don't seem to realize that other people need to speak too.

Whether too much detail or too little, both can be frustrating. My advice is this: pay attention to those around you as well as the context in which you find yourself. Notice the body language of other people and respond accordingly. Finally, try to model behavior that shows others that sometimes you should give a lot of detail and sometimes a briefer comment will do.

Jesus modeled this as well. There were times when he spent a long time in conversation with others (think: woman at the well). He also cut right to the chase, using short analogies to get across a point. If he can do it, so can you.

So when is a brief response appropriate?

1. When you're around a boss who wants to get right to the point.
2. When you are using email.
3. When texting.
4. When using instant message.
5. When the meeting is running out of time.
6. When the people around you need a break.
7. When you are in an emergency.

When was the last time that you thought that being brief was the best course of action?

Photo by AMDG

Parking Lots and Productivity

When was the last time that you had a bad parking lot encounter?  I typically average one a year.  

A fender bender, a honking horn, a rude driver- all come with the territory when it comes to parking lots.  I had a unique experience this past weekend in the local Shop Rite here in town.  

We had dropped off my wife so that she could get some items for Sunday night dinner.  As we usually do, we began to do loops, looking for an available parking space.  

An answer to prayer then presents itself- not only an open spot but the very first spot in the best row in the entire lot.  Can it get any better than this?  

I position my vehicle, ok so it's a minivan I admit it, and prepare to back into the spot.  Then, out of nowhere, a horn starts honking as if to wave me off of my incredible find.  An older woman in an older car had apparently seen my spot from 30 yards away.  

My spot.

I have to make a quick decision.  To keep the space or pass it along to her.  Keep it.  Pass it along.  Keep.  Pass.

Who would have thought that a parking space would produce such anxiety?  My decision became clear- surrender the space.  After all, I had to show my kids, all of whom were cheering me on to practically brawl with the woman, that generosity can appear in the most unlikely of places.  

The moment came and went and Mrs. That's-My-Space got her wish.  

I then explained to my audience that there are rules to parking lots.  You know them right?  Don't park over the yellow lines.  Don't ding someone else's door.  Person closest to the space claims it.  

The woman clearly didn't know the rules of parking lot etiquette or worse, ignored them altogether.  

Let's switch to work- who is ignoring a rule that you think is sacred?  Who allowed the pot-pie to explode in the microwave oven?  Who jammed the copier and then left for "more important work"?  

Every day, all over the world, people are ignoring things that you think are important.  You may even take them for granted.  My advice is simple: the next time you are totally frustrated by someone else, consider the unspoken rule that you hold dear.  

Name it and find out why it's important to you.

Photo courtesy of AMDG.

Listen to Your Work

What is your work telling you?

This question and others like it came up last week at a leadership lunch we hosted at work for select student leaders. Our guest was thought partner and uber-blogger Bradley Moore of Shrinking the Camel.

As students asked Bradley about his path to career success, the theme of listening came up again and again. "I just felt drawn to the world of business," he said.

Detailing how God is often in the most mundane of details, his career path has looked like a winding road with no obvious trajectory.  Yet, over time, Bradley's success has been evident and God has woven quite a track record for results. All this because he has listened to God through his work.

Right now I'm trying to do the same. I'm hearing that I don't do all that well when I'm past the 10 hour mark in any given day. I heard recently that variety keeps me fresh and so I adjusted my schedule, cancelled a meeting and mixed things up. I could go on and on.

The point is that, as Merton once said,

"God is present in all of the silences of the world."

Many of these happen at work, while we are commuting or while we are in front of a computer screen. The art of listening to your work is really important today. In fact, I think it's vital to changing our workplaces and helping God transform ourselves.  

Think of that friend who complains about his job. Or that relative who can't see that her position is actually pretty decent but all she does is pour over the classifieds, looking for something "better".  Sometimes we need  a bit of context to show us how great our positions really are.  Conversely, we may also use listening to show us that it's time to leave work and find something new, something that gives us life.

What is God saying through your daily schedule? What is He not saying through it?

Listen to your work. It will show you what "lights you up" as Michael Bungay Stanier likes to say. And, most importantly, it just might show you where God wants you to spend the next five minutes of your day.

Listen to your work.

Photo courtesy of Phaitoon