Benjamin Franklin Was Time Blocking Before it Was Cool
Source: Wikimedia/The Atlantic
Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule in all of its nerdy splendor. It’s useful for those of us trying to get stuff done to see that people have been trying to do time-blocking for a long time.
The morning and evening journaling prompts may be my favorite piece of this. These could be as helpful today as they were a couple hundred years ago. I’ll keep banging the drum for journaling; it helps people figure stuff out.
My role as a stay-at-home dad doesn’t allow for as much time blocking, although I’ve done it at work. At my last job, I had a lot of meetings that I was invited to (and required to attend), but I made an effort to keep Monday and Friday as free of them as possible so I could start and end the week by moving the departmental needle. Wednesday was the day that I set meetings and one-on-ones. Every day I had an hour in the morning to work on reviews and team member feedback and an hour in the afternoon dedicated to hiring and reviewing job applications. On my most successful days, I went through a shutdown routine where I cleaned up email, tidied up my task list, and reviewed the next day’s calendar and tasks.
There’s value in this kind of planning, although I’ve learned that the plan doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, life has a plan or, perhaps more appropriately, doesn’t, and you just have to ride it out. Be your best friend about this, don’t beat yourself up. So much is beyond your control; remember that.
Weekly Quote: Publilius Syrus on the Strength of Kindness
This week’s quote is from the Latin writer and mime Publilus Syrus, who was active during the 1st century BC.
Being kind should be at the heart of motivating and connecting with those around you, whether you're a parent or a CEO. It's particularly impactful when you are called to do hard things or have tough conversations.
Practice kindness when teaching your children tough lessons or working through performance issues with team members. You can terminate someone from a job while still being kind. You can disagree and be kind. You can be kind to yourself during hard times, and as David Sparks says, treat yourself like you would your best friend.
Kindness matters, and it is not a weakness. On the contrary, it is a strength of character and a trait of someone confident and engaging. So practice kindness and hold your head high, especially during tough times or while doing difficult things. Whether it’s your children or someone on your team, people watch what you do and how you react; this is how you reveal yourself. Don’t let yourself or those who are counting on you down.
Steve Jobs on How to Focus
I found this on 512 Pixels, where Stephen Hackett wrote about the 25th anniversary of Apple’s decision to kill the Newton. If you aren’t reading Stephen’s blog and are interested in tech history, you are missing out.
Is anyone else curious just what The San Jose Mercury wrote that had Steve so fired up?
Fear-Setting with Tim Ferriss: How to Define Your Fears Instead of Your Goals
Around this time last year, I found a TED talk by the author and podcaster Tim Ferriss on fear-setting. I've done the process a few times, including over the last few weeks, to decide on a career opportunity.
Fear-setting, inspired by the Stoic concept of premeditatio malorum (Latin for the pre-meditation of evils), is an exercise to overcome paralysis by visualizing the worst-case scenarios that might happen.
Let's walk through it:
Page 1: What If I…
You start the process with the define column, listing the worst things that could happen. Tim recommends 10 or 20 scenarios at most.
The prevent column is where you review the actions you can take to decrease those above worst possible outcomes from happening, even if only by a small measure.
Finally, you consider how to repair. If the worst happens, who can help you, and how can you fix it. As mentioned in the video, a helpful thing to recall is that someone less driven than you has probably dealt with a similar situation and gotten through it at some point in history. Context can be the best equalizer for an overactive brain.
Page 2: What might be the benefits of an attempt or partial success?
This helps you figure out how taking action can help you move the needle and develop or grow in the ways you want.
Page 3: The Cost of Inaction
The final piece looks deeply at the cost of inaction, which is a novel but effective way to gain motivation and one that we rarely give enough attention to. We often assume things will get better, an idea that Tim refers to as optimistic denial.
The fiction may be that If we stay at the same job, it's bound to get better and pay us more without us doing anything to make the change happen.
We want to believe it to be true. It usually isn't. Before committing or saying no to a new opportunity, here's your chance to fully realize that.
The question asked here is simply If I avoid doing this action, what does my life look like in 6 months, 12 months, and three years? You are trying to avoid what Tim calls the atrocious cost of the status quo.
Meet a Real Life Stoic
Stick around for the last few minutes of the talk, where Tim introduces Jerzy Gregorek. Jerzy is a remarkable man who was part of the solidarity movement in Poland and was forced to flee to the United States. Now living a comfortable life in California, Tim asked him about Stoicism. Jerzy sent a lengthy text about how he uses Stoicism to help make his most difficult decisions. He also shared this thought:
“Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.” - Jerzy Gregorek
About that Job
I decided not to take it. This process helped me lay out the benefits and costs. I would work with some great people, help shape and influence the culture, and build a solid pathway to more senior positions, but the commute was too far. I've done it before, and spending hours in the car covering many miles every day doesn't work for me now.
I had to make a choice to say no to something I wanted to do and would have been great at. It was not easy.
Jerzy and Tim are on to something here. Try this process the the next time you have an important decision to make.
Sick Week x3 (Thoughts on Sick Time at Work)
As a leader, I've taken a realistic approach to my team members' needs when caring for their kids. Even before I had children, it was apparent how difficult balancing work and parenting was, and I didn't want to make it more complicated. I remember seeing the relief from team members when I would talk about finding them some flexibility when a child was sick. The rest of the team would often be at the ready, already aware of the situation and offering to fill in the gaps.
The business need is a fundamental consideration; I know that. What's also true is that there is often more flexibility than we realize, especially when the leader builds a team on foundations of respect and collaboration. People want to help each other, and those who gain from this don't usually forget it. They often repay the favor when called upon, building upon a network of goodwill that can elevate a team to be more effective and robust. The business does better when the teams take care of each other, and that starts with the leader authentically modeling empathy and flexibility.
These thoughts came to mind because I'm coming off a three-week period where a wave of sickness hit everyone in the house. My full-time job is to stay home with one of our kids, so it kept me busy. Of course, my wife, who works full time, also did an incredible amount in addition to her demanding job. If you have kids, you know everyone is wiping noses and cuddling between sales presentations and Zoom calls. Your children don't care if you are working, and that's particularly true if you're doing so remotely. They need you.
We're on the other side of it now, with the children healthy and my wife and I back to our usual selves. While this, by definition, isn't a job because it doesn't pay the bills, it is an integral part of my personal and professional life, and I'm taking my own advice to get back to it. So I'm in the studio again, and even though my daily time for creating is limited, it's good to be back.
Thanks for being patient. There's more coming.
Weekly Quote: Scott Galloway on Taking Uncomfortable Risks
This week’s quote comes from professor, author, and podcaster Scott Galloway on a recent episode of Pivot when asked to offer advice to someone turning 30.
After my second child was born, I adopted a bias toward action. I have a family that needs me to take calculated risks, and I know that ideas I think are worth exploring will go nowhere if I don’t act. What’s the worst that will happen? I might fail or be embarrassed. Who cares? I have more perspective now, and I often consider the words of Kara Swisher, Scott’s cohost on Pivot and a well-regarded journalist, that we will not be here in 100 years.
Take Galloway’s advice. Don’t be foolish, but know that being uncomfortable can be the ticket to transformation.
Weekly Quote: The Daily Creative on Communicating Expectations
At the end of 2022, my friend Jim Eagar, the writer behind the Original Mac Guy, shared a few quotes from the Daily Creative: Find Your Inspiration to Spark Creative Energy and Fight Burnout by Todd Henry. The ideas resonated with me, and I started the new year by adding this book to my daily reading habit.
Except for my current hiatus from work as a stay-at-home dad, I've spent the last couple of decades leading people. One of the most important lessons I have learned about developing team dynamics and reducing frustration and confusion is if expectations aren't shared with clarity and agreed upon by all involved, it's mostly down to luck whether the message will get through. I've yet to speak to a senior leader or read any books on leadership and personal development that follow that technique, and unsurprisingly don’t recommend it here either.
If you’re asking someone to do something, it is your responsibility to make sure there is a conversation and the expectations are clear, otherwise any conflict that may arise is on you.
Three Questions From Dan Pink to Keep Your Group in Sync
I finished When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Dan Pink last week. The book delves into how timing affects our ability and desire to get stuff done, and focuses on the when as much as someone like Simon Sinek looks at the why. It’s really a fascinating read, I strongly recommend it.
I always enjoy actionable takeaways from books, and the final chapter offers three questions that any group should ask themselves on a regular basis in order to ensure that everyone is synced up.
The Three Questions
The three questions created by Dan are:
Do we have a clear boss—whether a person or some external standard—who engenders respect, whose role is unambiguous, and to whom everyone can direct their initial focus?
Are we fostering a sense of belonging that enriches individual identity, deepens affiliation, and allows everyone to synchronize to the tribe?
Are we activating the uplift—feeling good and doing good—that is necessary for a group to succeed?
I’m planning to enshrine these questions into future group operations. They’re so simple to ask and can help insight into how a group dynamic is changing. They also might be an early indicator into what I call group decay.
Avoiding Group Decay
Group decay is what happens when things start to fall apart and the result is a lack of effective forward momentum. There are many potential causes for this. Most often, a change in group leadership or significant turnover in the team can shift the focus and energy to an extent that is difficult to overcome. Other times, changes in or a total lack of a clear mission statement can stall things and that can push the strongest group members, your champions of momentum, away.
I think the three questions bring up ideas about group dynamics that are key for success, and like the legs of a stool you aren’t going to be upright for very long without them all being in good shape.
I do think the focus on the feeling and doing good from question three, which for me feels like one of the strongest selling points of working in a group setting, is particularly useful in keeping people motivated and boosting morale. Having a sense of doing the right thing is incredibly powerful and can help a person on even their hardest day to keep moving forward in a productive way.
If you are leading a group and you use these questions, let me know how it goes.
Weekly Quote: Simon Sinek on Influencing Human Behavior
This week's quote comes from the book Start With Why by author and public speaker Simon Sinek.
Manipulation is the antithesis of compelling motivation. It is the betrayal of someone's trust and the intentional misunderstanding of empathy. At its worst, it is lazy and mean-spirited. When it's happened to you, you remember. How did it make you feel?
Inspiration is built through meaningful connection. It takes time and transparency. You build it by showing up consistently, listening, and taking action based on what you hear. You grow it by delivering on your promises and apologizing when you make mistakes. It is offering grace while being tough and fair. It's giving everyone an extra break during that really tough week regardless of whether you are supposed to. It's knowing those around you and advocating for them in the meetings they aren't invited to.
As you read these words, you probably already have a picture in your mind of at least one person who has inspired you. See, you remember these people too, and for much better reasons. Now consider this idea: they became better because you allowed them to shine and help guide you.
The best part of inspiration is that it is omnidirectional, and people thrive within its proximity. If you authentically inspire those around you, get ready. You will earn a reputation, and people you don't know will start showing up at your office door because you are a rare gem, and they want to see you shine too. Welcome them, and know that you will be made better every time you do.
Weekly Quote: Steven Johnson on Where Good Ideas Come From
This week’s quote comes from Steven Johnson’s Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. This title came up during a review of another book in a recent Charter Newsletter, and I decided to check it out.
The quote builds on an idea I’ve been thinking and writing about since I started this site, that you learn and grow much more when things go wrong. The idea that mistakes are the language of growth, that we build ourselves through productive struggle and not when things are easy, is such a big part of our personal development
if you’re doing some form of daily review in your journal, I encourage you to ask yourself what went wrong or was especially hard for the day. You can learn a lot from this, particularly how you react against external inputs, which are often beyond your control.
If you examine those reactions, you’re very likely to learn something, particularly if you look over time at trends that may appear. Taking that information and considering how you can build from it is a concrete step in making positive personal improvements.
Weekly Quote: Jan-Benedict Steenkamp on Leading People
This week’s quote comes from Jan-Benedict Steenkamp’s 2020 book Time To Lead: Lessons for Today’s Leaders from Bold Decisions that Changed History. Steenkamp is a marketing professor, keynote speaker, and author. He is also the co-founder and executive director of AiMark, a global non-profit foundation focusing on sustainable brand growth.
Perspective can come from understanding that everyone has days, weeks, or even months where things aren’t going well. So the mess that Steenkamp writes about in this week’s quote isn’t necessarily the product of a malcontent’s wish to cause trouble; it can come from bad luck or a challenging situation.
People go through stuff, and it isn’t always their fault. It could be that a family member is sick and the medical bills are piling up, their child is struggling with depression, or they get injured working around the house. A leader should consider the situation as they try and help the person get through it. That person won’t always make it; some problems are too much or too overwhelming, and the job can’t and probably shouldn’t compete. If you can’t help them find the path through, allow them dignity and offer some grace as they find their way out.
Trying to help is noble. It’s not always easy and sometimes requires more from you than you might like. Remember that giving of yourself in a measured way to someone who is hurting and still wants to show up might be what keeps them going.
Regardless of what happens, you have a choice. You can be someone who helps, even if, in the end, things crash and burn, or you’re just another part of the mess. The choice seems like an easy choice to me.
Communication Expert Julian Treasure on How to Speak so that People Want to Listen
There’s a good chance you’ve already seen the 2013 TED talk from Julian Treasure about speaking so that people will listen. Julian discusses several aspects of communication, including the “seven deadly sins of speaking” and the four cornerstones to speak more clearly and connect with the listener. Finally, he covers some tools you can use to make your voice more receptive.
A few minutes into watching this, I realized I had seen this talk before. I flashed back several years to my then office and remembered coming across Julian and this talk on LinkedIn, of all places. Total Deja vu.
All this is to say that it’s worth watching again if you’ve seen it, probably annually. It’s helpful to get a tune-up on how we speak and communicate, given how important it is to most aspects of life.
Tony Fadell on Leaders Taking Ownership During a Crisis
This week’s quote comes from Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell. Tony is a longtime entrepreneur, the founder and one-time CEO of Nest Labs, and the co-creator of the iPod and the iPhone.
It’s important to remember that if you are the leader, you are the one who is responsible, especially when things go wrong. In chapter 4.6 of Build, appropriately entitled Crisis, Tony lists some helpful tips for getting to the other side. The above quote is number 5, and here is the complete list with a brief description for each:
Keep focused on the problem. Blame comes later.
Instruct the team on the what and how, and then let them do it. Do not micromanage.
You are not alone. Ask for advice from people you trust who may have experienced something similar.
Constantly communicate with all stakeholders.
Accept responsibility and apologize.
Making excuses or even denying that a problem exists does nothing but make the situation worse and will quickly lose the confidence of everyone around you. Crisis management has become a profession, yet anyone can benefit from having Fadell’s experience-based list. The best way to learn is through experience, so the next time you are in a crisis at work or home, grab this list. You can bookmark this page, or better yet, get the book and highlight the chapter. If you do as Tony suggests, you have a fighting chance of surviving the crisis and learning something from it.
I have two decades of operations management experience, and I can’t think of a time when saying “I’m sorry” to someone for a mistake my team or myself had made caused the situation to get worse. Apologizing humbles you, and that’s a great way to start the process of fixing the mistake and finding your way through the crisis.
Weekly Quote: Stephen Covey on Leadership and Management
This week’s quote comes from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
This quote resonates with the leadership and management styles that I most admire. Skilled leaders recognize that they are a beacon of strength, experience, and guidance to those around them, and they see their team as vital to their own success and treat them as such.
I’ve found the best outcome for a leader, and a team is to develop a symbiotic relationship where all involved rely on each other for individual and collective success. No one does it alone, and embracing that can be the key to the kind of forward momentum that results in triumph.
Weekly Quote: Harry Truman on Reading to Lead
This week's quote comes from Harry Truman, the 33rd President of The United States. In A 1962 letter to Dean Acheson, his Secretary of State from 1945 to 1947, Truman references how essential his reading as a young man was for his time as President, referring to it as his "terrible trial."
Good leaders aren't just readers. They like to write things down as well. Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations as a journal, likely with no intention of anyone reading it. Winston Churchill wrote and published multiple volumes about his early life and World War II. Their motivations may have differed, but society benefits from their accounting for the historical record.
Biographies are perennial bestsellers because you can gain much insight into the subject's thoughts and ideas and learn lessons from choices and mistakes. You can read widely and deeply into the history of the world and come away with a more profound sense of curiosity and wonder while also learning something new.
You are likely a leader in some aspect of your life. So go and read with intention, even if it is just a few pages before going to bed or during your lunch break. Do it daily, and you will educate yourself, satisfy your curiosity, and build ideas that can inform the future.
If you are interested in reading more about Truman, I recommend The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A. J. Baime. So much of our world changed in just the short period this book covers, and it’s an eye-opening read.
Learning Facilitation with AJ&Smart on YouTube
I discovered AJ&Smart’s Youtube page during the pandemic. At the time, I was regional chair of an Employee Business Resource Group with members throughout New England, and we were looking for a new way to hold virtual events while everyone was under travel restrictions or working remotely.
I connected with someone in our organization who was skilled in facilitation, and he agreed to lead a Lighting Decision Jam workshop. As part of the prep work, we received an email with content to review, including AJ&Smart’s video linked below:
The workshop was a great success because of the effective framework, innovative software, and our truly excellent facilitator. We used an intuitive and helpful app called Mural, which made the process run smoothly. It was easy to learn, and had the feeling of an unlimited canvas with areas already set up and ready to go when we needed them..
While this framework wasn’t quite the right fit for an annual meeting type event that we were trying to plan, I have used some of what I learned in other workshops and meetings and it works really well.
If you are interested in this topic, you should check AJ&Smart’s website and especially their YouTube. They have a lot of videos that cover various elements of leading workshops and facilitation in general. There is also some content about becoming a professional facilitator, which is neat. I enjoy their videos and appreciate the humor they sprinkle in to keep things fun. .
Weekly Quote: Ray Dalio on Maturity
This week’s quote comes from Ray Dalio’s book Principles, which I mostly consumed via audiobook during the long commute to and from my previous job. However, I’m planning a deeper dive on my Kindle soon.
It’s challenging to imagine what you may have to give up in the future when you’re focused on the present, and the idea of saying no to something now to hold space for better opportunities certainly takes practice.
I’m still maturing in this area of my life. I like to get engaged and learn and have felt the rush of excitement and, in some cases, flattery when someone asks for my help on something.
As I strive to become a better decision-maker in this area, I’m learning to ask myself in these situations the following questions and then taking some time to consider the answers honestly.
How will this fit into my life?
Check in with yourself and your family and see what’s possible. If you’re returning from parental leave, maybe it’s not the right time to jump into a new project which will likely increase your work and stress load. If you have some time and flexibility and want to get involved in something new, go for it!
Do I have the capacity to complete this and do it to my standards?
It is easy to overcommit and underestimate the time needed to complete a task. Unfortunately, as a species, we are good at doing this. It’s called the Planning Fallacy, and it’s real. Capacity, a term I’m using to represent mental and physical energy, can be hard to measure. Do you have margin in your life, and how much of that are you willing to give up? Margin equals time, and time is so important.
Does it help me learn something new?
It isn’t about being selfish. It’s about wanting to stay engaged in something while being able to learn something new. Not all projects or opportunities will tick this as a yes, and that’s okay. Saying no to this is not an automatic pass for an opportunity. However, if the first two are leaning towards a no and this one isn’t screaming yes, I have a good idea of how to proceed.
As I said, I’m trying to mature and learn how better to find the right opportunities. It isn’t always easy, but I think the three questions act as a framework to help me succeed.
Weekly Quote: Less is More
This week’s quote comes from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. This is a book that I’ve read multiple times and continue to find new wisdom and ideas every time I pick it up.
I’m working on trying to say less while learning to trust that those who are listening will ask for what they need. I still find myself sliding back into explainer mode sometimes, particularly in email. I desire to be helpful, but my attempt likely hits somewhere between a lack of focused thought and condescension.
It’s a balance, like so many aspects of communication. Trying to make expectations known or be supportive of someone without writing them a novel via email that they won’t read anyway.
Sometimes, less is more.
Weekly Quote: Rethinking is a Skill
Another quote this week from Think Again by Adam Grant. I like the idea that rethinking, a critical part of leadership growth in my experience, is both a mindset and a skill set.
I’ve found that one of the most important skills for rethinking is active listening. It’s important to hear those who present a different perspective and process what they’re saying instead of just waiting for the chance to respond. I know this skill can be challenging to maintain, especially in high-stress situations, but it’s worth trying.
Time for reflection is also helpful. It gives room to consider further the new information you have and decide what other data you may need to make the best decision. Because rethinking is a form of decision-making, the entire process can help us learn and grow, so let’s embrace that.
As Adam says, these skills get rusty. What are you doing to get them out of the shed?
Weekly Quote: Fill The Glass
This week’s quote comes from Donald Kaberuka, an economist and former president of the African Development Bank and current chair of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. I discovered it in an issue of James Clear’s excellent 3-2-1 Newsletter.
Imagine if you walked into your next senior leadership meeting and the only item on the agenda was a significant crisis that needed resolution? Now, imagine the facilitator started things off with this quote?
What Mr. Kaberuka is expressing here exemplifies confidence and a focused attempt at finding the right solution. If you lead a team, this approach is invaluable because they need to believe that there is a solution and that you will lead them to search for it.
Of course, you need to believe it too. Reading the quote is helpful, but holding onto the inspiration it offers is vital for success and growth. How do you focus on filling the glass? Let me know.