Keeping your Anticipation from tipping over into Disappointment
We all need something to look forward to.
I was going down to Disney’s Food and Wine Festival for the first time in over two years. Walt Disney World is an escape for me, and this trip was really needed.
My anticipation for the trip was enormous and building.
I hadn’t seen my brother and his family since being down in Orlando when my mother passed away. It has been over two years. I was also looking forward to relaxing and enjoying time with my wife. I escape my daily grind with Disney.
Planning, planning, planning drives up my excitement. It’s funny how the Walt Disney World arch is the image I see as a positive gateway.
Was my growing anticipation setting me up for disappointment? What about the build-up is too much, and then is a letdown once I get there? How can I live in the moment and just enjoy the experience? All these thoughts are running through my mind.
A bit of background on anticipation
Anticipation for me is the positive side of looking forward to something great. I am not talking about negative anticipation or getting into anticipatory anxiety. Where you are spiraling to what COULD go or be wrong.
Do I always exaggerate the positive or negative? Does your mind automatically exaggerate the positive? Although I can see situations where it also magnifies the negative. This is his back to self-talk? Both positive and negative. I hope the spontaneity does not go away from Disney.
Anticipation is a good thing.
Always have one thing to look forward to that you can use to get through challenging times / or a demanding experience. Anticipation can be a stepping stone to hope.
Steven Handel wrote an excellent post on anticipation, “The Power of Anticipation: Why We All Need Something to Look Forward To,” and cites a study that suggested gambles can curb their impulses and choose long-term gratification over short-term gratification when asked to think about a future experience.
Here are some questions I have, and frankly, I don’t know the answers:
Does your general dispositive impact what type of anticipation you have? Do you tend towards anticipation or dread?
Is there a situation where you move towards positive because the mind is looking for something positive? It is a case where are your preference for positivity comes through?
Do you think it gets back to the need for certainty? This can be especially important when you are looking forward to something you have previously done.
How can I ensure that your anticipation is positive and that it doesn’t lead to disappointment?
Here are seven ideas that you do to improve the chances that your anticipation turns into a good experience, not into dread:
Get clarity on what you are anticipating – what exactly am I looking forward to, and why? Are you looking for a chance to unwind, experience a new thrill? Be clear. What is your anticipation bug?
Set reasonable expectations of what your Anticipation bug is and how the event/decision can satisfy it. Right after clarity, define how this event, experience is going to fulfill that anticipation bug. This should help highlight any significant gaps – the event can or can’t reasonably satisfy your anticipation bug – a first red flag of potential disappointment.
What specifically about the future action/event is going to satisfy your anticipation bug? This helps ensure that what you are doing is going to tie into your anticipation. If it doesn’t connect, you really have no chance.
When you are during doing what you were anticipating or experiencing what you were expecting, think back to the anticipation bug; are you explicitly doing what you were anticipating?
At the moment – think back to the anticipation bug – is it doing that?
Then – are you trying to satisfy that bug? Get clarity at the moment – is the event quenching your anticipation bug? Is it providing other unanticipated benefits, joy?
And finally, are you going too far or trying too hard to enjoy it to gain pleasure?
In my mind, it all comes down to being aware. Are you aware of what you are anticipating and then intention or mindful of what you are experiencing during it?
How do you handle anticipation? Let us know in the comments below.
Of Course, you need Hiking Boots, Or Do You?
Here are my original thoughts:
I’m returning to backpacking after 15 years and bought hiking boots—no trail runners or tennis shoes for me.
Backpacking decisions are all about what you are comfortable with. Cutting weight gets to a balancing act of what will cause you stress on the trail. There is no need to cut a few ounces on footwear if you are constantly worried about turning an ankle. Was it worth it??
Go with the boots, man.
For backpacking, make your decision on footwear early. Then, after that, you can go with what you have, shoes, even sandless to get out the door. But I would argue you need boots when you start.
You are adding at least 20 lbs. to your body weight when you put that pack on. Until you get used to carrying that weight up and down hills and uneven footing, you need the ankle stability that boots give you.
The ground can be uneven, changing your center of gravity. Twisting an ankle out on the trail is not ideal. – you must make your way back to the trailhead.
Boots can provide a better tread; hey, they make them specifically for the trail. And that will help improve your footing out on the trail.
Boots now are not just the leather variety we used to have; they are breathable, waterproof, lightweight. Compared to what I was used to, they are much lighter and improved.
You can go with trail runners, even tennis shoes, or trainers, sandals, or whatever you want, but I think starting with hiking boots are the way to go.
After you get your legs under you and feel confident, go for it and try something else for footwear.
Then I changed my views and beliefs on footwear.
Here is where I am now.
There is a place for trail runners (basically beefed-up running shoes specifically designed for off-road use), sandals hey even barefoot. You do not automatically need to move to the hiking boot rack when shopping for backpacking footwear.
The chart below from Beth Henkes at REI offers a few facts to consider when deciding between hiking boots and trail runners:
When you are evaluating what works for you, here are a few items to consider:
How comfortable are you on uneven surfaces? If you are trying to tackle a trail with many uneven surfaces, rocks, roots, then maybe you need the stability of a boot.
What is your body type? Do you need to lose a few pounds, then maybe boots are a safe bet.
How fast will you be being going? Are you trying to churn out the miles? Trail runners are the way to go then. They are designed for moving fast.
How steady are you with additional weight on your back? Steady, then go with trail runners or another light footwear.
What seasons/weather are you going to be hiking in? (Snow, below freezing temps) I would go for boots.
In conclusion – it was interesting how I had the opinion, that I thought was based on facts, that wasn’t entirely true. Not only will I be considering trail runners for my hiking footwear, I learned something about myself today. I’m not too old to learn something new and to change my mind. I need to celebrate that.
How I Actively Read
Reading is an active sport!
I always have two books going, one print and one Kindle. I have recently read and follow along with How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens and Adler’s How to Read a Book. I follow their guidelines in how I actively read.
For me, the key to reading is turning it into a habit. Here is my post on how I use Tiny Habits to successfully achieve this.
To make reading a habit, I have set a low daily goal of reading one page. I describe my aim low to overachieve thoughts in this post (LINK).
This has helped me build a daily reading habit.
My Workflow
My workflow is a combined digital and analog system. I use the Kindle, print books, the Readwise, and Evernote apps, along with a notebook and 4x6 cards.
I engage with my books by taking notes, documenting my criticisms, agreements, and disagreements with the authors, along with highlights. Thus, I am constantly engaging with the author.
My workflow is slightly different based on the book type.
Kindle book
I read on both my Kindle Paperwhite (link) and the Kindle app on my iPhone. They seamlessly sync, so I am always at the exact location on all my devices. I ready and actively highlight and enter notes on what I read. As I read, my highlights are automatically synced to Readwise and are served up to me daily based on the algorithms I set. I have set Readwise to automatically sync my highlights to Evernote.
I have a separate Readwise notebook with all my highlights in Evernote.
Print Books
Print Library Book
If the book is available from the library, and I have not done my pre-book review, I will get the library book to see if the book is worth purchasing. If the book is a book I will read, I’ll eventually buy my own copy.
I use a notebook for library books to capture my notes, highlights, and thoughts as I read. I capture my ideas about the author’s points and then note the book’s page number.
After completing the book, I prepare a 1-page summary of the book and my three actions or takeaways.
This is all done in my Book notebook – currently, a Minimalism Art B5 Dotted softcover notebook.
I review my physical notes and distill the best ones down and add them to Evernote. Along with my book summary, I add my three Take-Aways to Evernote and my Book Actions Pages document.
Print book – Owned
For these books, I am highlighting and writing notes in the book during reading. I am folding pages for critical sections; I highlight words I want to look up. I am physically interacting with the book in the book.
After I completed the book, I set the book down for a few weeks.
It’s been two to three weeks, so now I go back and review my highlights and transfer the key thoughts, ideas, and quotes to Evernote. I also write out the summary of the book and identify three takeaways/actions from the book for me.
All Reading Notes
After I have everything distilled down in Evernote, I take one more pass, identify the key, foundational notes, and physically write them out on 4 x 6 index cards.
I write the highlighted note out in my own words; I add 3 – 4 theme words on the top line on the back of each card. Next, I note the author and book or article. I then note the page from the book on the front of the note.
I then transfer the themes to a Numbers database with the book noted. I then note any other notes related to (manual backlinking) and finally add the note to my box. Filed alphabetically by the first or key theme.
How do you capture and process what you read? Share it below in the comments.
Disney - Why Are You Going Backward with Genie+?
You can do better than this.
Disney just announced they are replacing FastPass and FastPass+ with Genie and Genie+.
The Genie free service helps you plan your visit to the Parks. According to The Walt Disney Company:
“We’ve made significant investments in this cool new technology, which guides you through our theme parks with tips that can help you reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner, and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.
Built right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps, Disney Genie service will maximize your park time, so you can have more fun. It includes a personalized itinerary feature that will quickly and seamlessly map out an entire day. From specific attractions, foodie experiences and entertainment, to general interests like Disney princesses, villains, Pixar, Star Wars, thrill rides and more – just tell Disney Genie what you want to do, and it will do the planning for you.”
This free version of Genie will be built right into the My Disney Experience app.
However, if you want to avoid the lines (i.e., FastPass style), you need to pay for the Genie+ service. Enter Genie+. According to Disney: Genie+ is:
“For even more convenience and flexibility, there are two other options for enjoying our theme parks, through a queue we are introducing called the Lightning Lane entrance that also saves you time in line:
“Disney Genie+ service (available for purchase): For the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort, choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. You can make one selection at a time, throughout the day – from classics like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). This convenient option is the next evolution of the fan-favorite Disney MaxPass service from Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort.”
But wait, there is more. If you want to avoid the lines for the most popular rides, they are not included in the Genie+ upcharge. Instead, for the E-Ticket attractions, you need to pay for the “Individual Attraction Selections.” Again, according to Disney, this means:
“Individual attraction selections (available for purchase): Schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for this option will vary by date, attraction, and park and will be announced closer to launch.”
With this upcharge, Disney is going back to the E-Ticket era.
You need to go through now and decide what you want to ride and then see what level of attraction it is.
A bit of history. When Walt Disney World opened, you had to purchase tickets to ride the attractions, and the more popular, better attractions required an E-Ticket. According to Wikipedia:
“An E-ticket (officially an E-coupon) was a type of admission ticket used at the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom theme parks before 1982, where it admitted the bearer to the newest, most advanced, or popular rides and attractions.”
The more you wanted to ride these attractions, the more E-Tickets you needed to buy. Unfortunately, it looks like Disney is going back to that business model. Even though the Parks are already profitable coming out of the COVID lockdown, Disney feels compelled to monetize the FastPass experience.
This is a bad thing. Bad because this demonstrates Disney’s inability to think creatively to improve the guest experience, and they are just creating another cash grab. Part of the lure of Disney is the immersive experience. You come on the property, and you can leave the “real world” pressures behind. You can pay one price, set up your magic band, and just enjoy yourself in these COVID times. That is what we need.
Having the ability to get free Fastpasses to enjoy your day should not be replaced by another upcharge. Come on, do you need another $15? And then another upcharge based on attendance, popularity? You are getting like Six Flags. Go back to the way of one price, and you are in to enjoy the experience. Let’s focus on the experience, not the nickel and diming.
It tarnishes the Disney experience. The Disney experience is not to be the best or beat Universal or SeaWorld – it is to create an immersive experience for your guests. This goes back to the carnival days of needing tickets, albeit digital tickets. Come on, Disney, you can do better. Get back to your roots of focusing on the experience.
That is what we want.
Differential yourself. You will create tiers of visitors, those who can barely afford the price and can’t afford the upcharge and need to sit in line, long lines vs. others who can pay to play.
Disney, you can do better.
Comment down below on what you think of the new Disney Genie and Genie+ feature.
Rethink Your Opinions, Thoughts and Beliefs: Drug Use and Addiction
We often take what we believe in and our opinions as given and don't think they need any review or rethinking. However, in Think Again by Adam Grant (here is my review), Adam successfully argues that the way forward is to rethink and constantly review our opinions, beliefs, and views.
In Alternative perspectives on drug use and addiction - Peter Attia MD offers a great example of how we can rethink drug use and addiction. Peter's post regarding Carl Hart and Carl's argument for a different view on drugs is a must-read regardless of your current view and opinion on drug use and addiction.
Celebrate Small to Go Big
I celebrate small to go big. Here is how I do it.
Tiny habits. I have been going through BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits book. I’ll have a review published shortly. Using Fogg’s techniques in the book, I have made significant, consistent improvements in critical areas.
“I change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad”
That is BJ Fogg’s maxim on change, and it is working for me. I’m not relying on willpower or “grit” daily to complete my habit items. Instead, I have the bar set low and celebrate right away.
To develop actions into habits for critical areas, I set a small, easily achievable daily target. Don’t laugh, but I mean small; Reading – 1 page.
Content Creation 5 min. Yes, I set the success bar that low.
I read one page and then immediately celebrate. What happens?
I get a dose of dopamine; I get another dose when I check it off in Streaks (the Habit tracking app I use). Same thing with content creation. Using the timing app MultiTimer (here is my review) to count down for 5 min. When the timer goes off, I give a little clap and celebrate. What tends to happen is I just sit back down and continue writing. Long past 5 min.
What makes this successful is that after I celebrate, psychologically, the pressure is off on keeping my streaks alive and achieving my daily goals. And what is interesting is what happens next. I read continuously throughout the day.
A physical book, my phone’s Kindle app when I have a second, even before tennis starts on my Kindle. I end up reading probably 30 minutes a day. All stress-free and in my minds’ eye, “extra reading.” I feel great; I don’t have the stress of coming to the end of the day and needing to read 10 pages or something. I have cleared all I need to do in the morning and feel great. Really works for me.
Same works for exercise.
I started my strength habit by doing 1 exercise. Yes, I go down and do a curl or even a few wrist exercises and check it off. What has that turned into? Anywhere from 25 – 60 min of strength 4 days a week. But I am sure to check off the Streaks app.
So, I would look to set yourself up for success low, build that habit, feel good about what you are doing and go from there.
What techniques do you use for setting habits? Share with all of us in the comments below.
Youtube is a Positive
YouTube is a positive influence. YouTube has motivated me to act. YouTube helped move me from should to action. As a result, I am once again backpacking.
I started getting backpacking videos in my feed and started watching them. As the algorithms work, the more you watch, the more they are served up in your feed. What was remarkable is that I got so motivated that I got off my ass and did something about it. I started hiking with my wife to get in shape. I talked with my older son about going on a trip. We started planning an epic trip to the Grand Tetons. I got my old gear out from the early 2000s to see what I have. Got my old MSR Whisper lite stove up and running. Yes, she still burns strong.
I acted. I was able to take the sedentary action of consuming online content and move to action. I now use YouTube for product reviews and information on location hiking.
It has transformed me from sitting on my ass to move. Yes, YouTube is a good thing. Countless channels provide content on people’s passions. It helps you get that little bit of dopamine, and you feel good to move you to action.
YouTube also helps exercise your judgment skills (good from the bad). You need to discern for yourself is something a good behavior vs. bad. Remember, YouTube only publishes the content. YOU make the decision to consume it, let it affect you, and ultimately act on it. We all make decisions, and where you are now is solely based on actions and decisions you made.
YouTube is a positive influence for me – but you make the decision.
Is YouTube a positive for you?
Academic Camp is good for Everyone
Summer Academic Camps are incredibly beneficial for both the parent and the kid.
Camp used to be a rite of passage for kids in the summer. However, with COVID and changing habits, camp is not as popular.
Summer Academic camps focus on specific majors or STEM programs to get your child excited about the topics.
“Summer camp is a great opportunity to explore new things or dive deep into areas you love”
Here are four reasons academic camp is great for parents. With Academic camp you can:
Let go of your child. Help break that overbearing, helicoptering effect of constantly being connected to your child.
Get a taste of what it’s like to let your child go off to college. This period will give you a trial run for when your kids go off to college for real. Separation anxiety is real.
Have the satisfaction of knowing you raised your child well. She will do well, and you can take some solace that you had a part in that.
This will give you alone time with your partner. A full break.
Okay, that’s how it’s good for parents, now nine reasons Academic camp is excellent for kids.
Camp lets them:
Try out what they are thinking about for a college major choice. Camp helps kids build a unique interest. For example, High School introductory engineering classes can spark interest but letting them taste college classes with an actual professor is fantastic. Better to spend a few thousand to kick the tires at camp vs. a full year of tuition.
Try out the food. It may not be the same food service they will have during college, but it will give them a sense of college food service. Not always like mom’s home cooking!
Try out campus living. How are the dorms? Are they air-conditioned (trust me, it is just as hot in July as it can be in early August and April while classes are still in session)? Are the bathrooms communal or in the rooms? All aspects of daily college life they need to get used to.
Get that immersive experience for college. They may have older siblings or friends that have gone to college, and they have gotten that experience, but there is nothing like the first-hand experience.
See potentially what their future classmates will be like. Most likely, the other campers are interested in that school and or major.
Understand the admissions processes. Like Rose Hulman’s Operation Catapult, some camps I know have an application process for getting into camp. As a result, everything is not a slam dunk.
Try out the professors and upper-level students at the school. Most of the professors and counselors are probably on staff and will be their future classmates and professors.
Get experience handling the mundane college stuff, laundry, getting enough sleep, getting to the cafeteria on time, getting to the events on time. It isn’t a free for all as there are counselors and guardrails on what they can do.
Learn how to can spend their own money on stuff! For example, budgeting a small amount of money on snacks or things in the bookstore is a great way to teach your child the value of money.
Okay, it’s good for you and your child, so here are few bonus items to get them off on the right foot.
Reinforce that they already know the right things to do and feel confident following their own principles.
Have them pack their stuff. (it is okay to let them forget some things, just not something important). Reinforces responsibility and consequences (hey, have you heard of a checklist).
Shows them to see the impact of planning or at least thinking it out.
What was your experience with summer camp?
Active Reading
I’m currently reading How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. I’ll post a full review, but I wanted to share a quick tip.
Active reading is the authors’ argument. Only through active reading do you increase your understanding, not just your knowledge. For every book, they offer 4 questions that must be asked.
There are four basic questions you need to ask and answer about every book:
What is the book about as a whole?
What is being said in detail, and how?
Is the book true, in its entirety or in part?
What do I make of this book, what does it mean for me?
I have these questions on a simple 3 x 5 card I use as the bookmark. I am reminded of these questions every time I open the book.
Any tips you have that enhance your active reading habit?
Own Your Health
It’s easy to say, but for me, harder to do.
I’m of the generation that valued credentials, formal education, and degrees. And with that, I deferred judgment to my healthcare professionals and too much of setting my direction and plans. Yet, intuitively I know that no one cares more about my health than me; it has been more challenging for me to do it.
Until Now.
I just had a health scare that had me in the hospital for five days after feeling poorly for the last eight weeks. Trips to various doctors, inconsistent messages from the doctors, and no specific doctor quarterbacking my care, approach, and plan to find the root cause of the issue.
I finally took matters into my own hands and essentially self-checked into the hospital, finally getting concrete answers, which gave me an excellent foundation for attacking the project.
Own your health plan.
Yes! The 20th is here!
So, there is new optimism as the calendar changes to 20. Yes, we can be optimistic things will be better. Like the change from 2020 to 2021, things didn’t get magically better; that is also true, going from 19 to 20.
We Need to Take Positive Action!
Action is what we need to make things better. We all need to take action to make it better. Just wanting it or assuming it will be better isn’t going to do it. We need to focus on change and action.
Action is what makes the change.
Change is what makes things better.
We need to decide to make things better.
That concerted effort and deliberate action are what will make the change.
Both sides are demanding change and see a better future. However, let’s collectively decide to change. Take positive, meaningful action for everyone! Don’t be divisive act inclusive.
Time for all of us to make a change
Pencils Pencils Pencils
Hundreds of pencils and a six-inch stack of paper were both staring back at me. I had accumulated a lot of stuff in my office. March 2020, I went home to work. COVID created a new work from home reality. I had to let my work office invade my home office without putting up any fight. I just needed to get to work.
Fast forward six months and most of the world is still working remotely, including me. The honeymoon phase is over, and it is turning into a grind. Add to this the family stress and uncertainty on if my son is going back to school or learning virtually. We both needed a change. On top of that, the days are all running together. My son is always asking, what day is it.
I am fortunate in that I have a few empty bedrooms and an office that my son and I can use as either bedrooms or offices. He had moved into my office as his bedroom, and I took over one of the bedrooms as command central of John Hayes Inc. We both need a change.
Old home office
My designated office was filled with essentials and other office type stuff, and it was time to do something about all of it. My son and I agreed that a change of location was necessary. I didn't realize how much this change of location or state, was going to improve my mood, energy level, organization and purging, and motivation. This change of state/location jump-started a marked level of improvement for my son and me.
Packing up and moving everything out of my office was the trigger I needed for change. I was able to purge all the unnecessary stuff I had accumulated; manuals, papers, office supplies (enough staples for all of the 21st century, and wow the binder clips). I was able to move the cool table I was using as a desk to the basement and purchase a new adjustable standing desk. I moved the keepsakes I was storing into a keepsake bid and stored it out of my office.
I took the time to decide what was necessary, what was just stuff I had accumulated for " I might need it someday" and, even what artwork I wanted on the walls. On top of that, I had all the stuff I brought home from my late mother's home that was packed in the closet—no closet in my new office. I needed to balance between keepsakes and what was critical to my home/work office. Time to decide; what do I use daily, what can be stored, and what needs to go.
In my work office over time, my workspace evolved into what I needed to be effective; small tweaks and changes helped optimized the office into what worked. It was a single purpose, just what I needed to work effectively, nothing more. I needed that same focus with my home office. The office in my home needed a single purpose: what I needed to be effective.
New home office
Time to change your state. Only you control how you are reacting to the world these days. This means you control improving your mood, energy level, motivation, no one else. No matter how small or constraining your workspace, it is time to change. Organize differently, move the work table to a different area of the room, do something that requires you to review each item, consciously decide on keep vs. toss and change it up. Making this seemingly small change will improve your mood, energy, and motivation. This is going to last way longer than we thought. - Control what you can control and improve your state. Oh, and I found a place for all those pencils. They live another day.
Does Looking Back Hurt Your Future?
I wonder if I am looking back too often and too much, and does that mean that I am living in the past. What is a good balance between both looking forward, reminiscing, and enjoying my past memories versus looking forward? Is this contrary to the current view of living in the moment?
With my dad passing away I find myself reliving all my past memories including those with my dad. I am having a hard time understanding and or putting these memories in focus. I keep coming back to the finality of he will never be around anymore, and I will not see him until I pass away. Is it a problem to look back, and want to enjoy what you had in the past? Is it just as unhealthy to look forward constantly? Is it just part of the grief process? Who's to say. Also what are memories anyway if not to be enjoyed?
Do you ever notice that when you look back and think about someone who has passed away you think about the positive things? Is this common? If it is such a normal occurrence, why don't we think about doing it for people that are alive? I think the world would be a much better place, and will be much more positive, if we focused on the positives in people rather than the negatives.
My looking back might also may be a coping tool for my apprehension towards the unknown of the future. Am I a little nervous of the unknown. I do like things to be in order, not many surprises, "Buttoned up". Hey that's the accountant in me. Would I live a more exciting a full life if I get outside that organized world? I believe yes.
I am also working to develop a balanced focus that builds on my experiences from the past, what the future has for me, and living in the current. This will allow me to really be grateful for what I already have. Improving this balance will also get me out of the comforts of the past and build new memories. How about you?
6 ways that Nozbe can increase your productivity
There are thousands of productivity tools out there. Nozbe is the tool I use to track and complete my projects and tasks. Nozbe helps me get things done. Here are six ways that Nozbe can increase your productivity.
1. Nozbe helps you focus on what you need to get done. Not what you want to or should get done but rather what you need to get done. You can quickly filter down to right must get done today. Use the "Priority" Star rating and view and only these tasks will be visible. Use the Edit button and you can arrange the tasks in priority order. Then burn down the list from top to bottom. I try to have only 3 items a day that must get down. By filtering on "work" or "home" labels I can show the appropriate 3 focus items.
2. Capture all the projects that need to get done - Following the classic and proven GTD approach you can capture all your projects and feel good about having everything in one spot. For those tasks that don't need multiple steps (projects) to complete just use a "Home" or "Work" project to group these tasks in a "project" and get them out of your Nozbe inbox.
3. Quickly send thoughts, tasks or projects to Nozbe through email. Nozbe handles the important task of getting thoughts immediately recorded when you think of them. You can set up a unique email address that allows you to send items to your in-box. Set this as a contact in your email application and the address comes right up in your email composer. A great way to get everything in one spot quickly.
4. Nozbe is multi-platform. There are IOS, Mac, Windows, Android versions that sync across platforms. Regardless of your platform you have your tasks, projects and areas of focus with you everyone.
5. Nozbe is easy to get started using. You spend your time getting things done not fiddling with your productivity app. The tool can be configured as easy or as complicated as you want. A quick set up of projects and categories and you are ready to go. Then you can refine your Nozbe configuration as you use the tool.
6. Nozbe can be used in a team environment to assign and track projects accross a team. Everyone is synced to what is critical and the most important things are set up to get done.
7. Nozbe integrates and works well with other tools such as Dropbox and Evernote. The linking of files and notes in both these applications within Nozbe is awesome. This really ups your productivity game.
Look for a future post that describes in detail how I use Nozbe to get things done.
What Mom Never Told You About Photography Gear
What if gear did matter? From David duChemin, and his gear is good vision is better philosophy to other pro’s that downplay the importance gear, we hear that gear doesn't matter. But what if it does? I would argue that depending where you are on this spectrum of "beginner to Expert" photographer, gear does matter and its relative importance is based on where you are on this spectrum. I like these descriptors rather than Amateur - Professional. These are better descriptions of your use of photography rather than skill set. (Do you use your photography to buy your shoes! to borrow a phrase from David Sparks).
Success in any endeavor, including photography, is based on three facets. Confidence, Skill / Vision development, and Experience. I think gear fits in as a component of confidence. I would also include view of self and what others think of us as factors in developing and increasing our confidence.
Confidence, for people starting out on the photographic journey, I would say is probably just as important as vision, and builds with experience. Obviously all the factors I am talking about are not mutually exclusive. As with anything in life the ability to bring confidence to bear is key, and the less of it you have the more this is important. How much do you think having adequate gear plays to improved or even generating confidence? I think it plays a big piece. I equate this to fake it till you make it.
Walking into a situation be it a client shoot, a portrait session, photo walk or even a personal project, with reasonable gear will help improve you confidence. Not having to think about (read - worry about) if your gear is inadequate is big. This will allow you to use that energy to focus on developing your vision, building your experience; and all that builds confidence. It will help to alleviate the negative energy in the situation. If you don't have the confidence then you will really benefit from the gear.
When I say gear I am talking about reasonable gear, do we all need the D4 - no. With reasonable gear then you can build upon the confidence through training and experience.
Do we need to worry about gear?
Now is there a chance that the the gear facet gets out of balance with everything else and turns into an obsession? Absolutely; I think when you are starting the journey you need to commit to evaluating what is necessary to get you to the point of not worrying about gear. For everyone this is a different point but could include a reasonable DSLR and a fast 50, for others it could be a full frame DSLR and a 70-200 2.8. This is something you need to honestly evaluate. Decide what is enough gear to stop the negative energy of not having enough. The key is when enough gear is enough?
With gear out of the way you can continue to work on your experience, and vision development. In the end these will be more important to your long-term success than gear. As your “amount” of experience and vision grow, the importance on gear will diminish.
In Summary Gear is important, but needs to be kept in balance. Success in any endeavor is built on confidence, skill / vision and experience. and in photography I would say that gear plays a part in that success.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas from jdhayes.com. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season with friends and loved ones. I have enjoyed sharing my active experiences with you in 2015 and look forward to sharing even more in 2016.
Thanks
John
Why Do Parents get so Worked up at Youth Sports
Why do parents get so worked up at youth sports? I wonder if it has something to do with living through your kids? It seems like the more verbal or fired some of the parents are the parents supporting the opposing team seem to feel like they need to match the intensity or "support". Are we not supporting our kids or team enough if we don't match the other teams supporters' intensity or support?
Everything seems to escalate and what good does that do? Typically by the time we are back in the car on the drive back home or to the hotel the children have forgot about the game and are on to the next thing. We as parents need to do the same. Just let it go folks. I guarantee that no one at the 11 year old Pee Wee Silver Sticks Tournament is getting drafted on Monday. It ain't happening. When you signed up for hockey it was for your daughter or son to play hockey. I don't think they said we are here to win championships or get your child drafted. All that money is going towards ice time, tournaments, and the ability to haul around putrid hockey equipment in your car.
Do you think all the bitching and complaining about the coaching really does any good? Do you ever notice that the biggest complainers are the ones who never volunteer for anything? Yea so do I. We just need to enjoy the game, reward the children for their effort and enjoy the experience. What if the parents had to line up and shake hands after like the kids do? Something to think about.
Focus on Experiences
Am I obsessed with material things? After really considering this and many other things after my father passed away, I came to one overarching conclusion. I need to focus more on experiences than things.
When I stood up and talked to people gathered for my father's wake I talked about experiences and events, not that he paid for my college education or put food on the table. That's what came to mind. It was the experiences. And they weren't always the epic experiences but just everyday experiences that made an impact on me.
That is what I want to do for my family; give them experiences they remember. Hopefully most of them are positive but even the negative ones (remember the spilled milk at wild wings)! That is what we really need. I believe that focussing on material possessions leads to "what's next" rather than experiences that you really enjoy and bring a great feeling into your mind.
Do you find yourself thinking back more about experiences or possessions? Experiences typically come to mind for me. Even when they were about driving towards a thing.Back in the 70's I wanted a stereo so bad. I spend the entire summer washing dishes at The Nugget restaurant in Rochester Michigan saving up for that. I can still remember that September day going and buying that Onkyo Receiver the honking speakers, the turntable and the tape deck. And when I think back on that my memories are of the satisfaction of working towards that goal, not the stereo. The stereo is long gone but the memories last.
That was a wonderful time for me. I can think back when my friend and I setting a goal to ride our bikes out to Stoney Creek Metro Park to go fishing. We had never ridden that far and really set that as a goal. I never thought that powder blue Schwinn Continental 10 speed would take me so far. I can still remember that crisp summer morning. We even arrived before the park was officially open to auto traffic.
Focus on the experience. The experience is timeless and is not something that is thrown out or donated once you pass on to your next experience. Experiences are wonderful things that keep giving.
I believe memories are not directly relational to cost. That trip to the park, that board game, that wonderful day with family on Christmas. Those are not epic, costly items but rather inexpensive and timeless. They aren't free, remember you are investing the most valuable commodity time. You can always get more money, and things, but you can get more time back. When you invest time with someone I believe that is the ultimate gift. Nothing pays more dividends that time.
Invest your time in memories and experiences rather than just focusing on things. Challenge for the next 7 days at the end of the day ask yourself a simple question? What experience or memory did I create today? Strive for 75% memories 25% things.
Should I Stay or Go
Should I Stay Or GoWe all age. At some point we are all going to die.
When you get the call that it looks like someone is on the other side of recovery you have some tough decisions to make. Should you stay or go? When do you choose your family over your job? Every time might be your knee jerk answer.
In these times is that really true? When I was faced with this decision after getting a call from my brother regarding my father I was in Europe for work. Not easy to just jump in the car and get over there. There was a bit of coordination and additional cost involved. I also wanted to manage the guilt I was feeling towards my job performance. What would leaving early do to my performance and effectiveness as a leader within the Finance group?
Here in the U.S. there is so much insecurity, some imagined but some real about losing your job, or moving lower down the pecking order. This can be especially true when your focus and balance swings more towards your family. You need to figure out where that balance is and how to manage through it.
Call it real or not but I was really conflicted with deciding if I should have left Paris and jumped on a plane or stayed. The guilt I was feeling for abandoning my work was real, the money involved in the trip, the cost of returning home early was real and significant. I was comparing that guilt to the thought that he would pull through and it would be a "false alarm".
In the end, I waited a few days and then cut my trip early to go back home. The fact my boss demanded that I get on the plane and go helped the decision. Hey, maybe I'm the odd ball but it was a tough decision for me as I always try to balance work and home. But I feel good about the decision now. I think you need to make sure that the guilty feeling is not overwhelming and will not haunt you (on both the side of family and career). Replacing that guilt with the feeling of being able to say good bye is comforting. I know it was the right decisions but that didn't make it any easier for me.
Maybe it was a little bit of insecurity on my part and overly concerned about my job. But when I thought about it logically there was no way that leaving to go home would impact my job. But it still weighed on my mind.
It was the right call, my father passed away five days later.