Disconnect

When was the last time you were unplugged from your devices?

Yeah, I don't remember either.

I recently got the newest iPad and so now I have this incredible Retnia Display to look at.  But I'm having a harder time than ever not looking at it.  To the point that it's making my eyes hurt.  Not good.

And the ADD, oh the ADD.  When I do put my iPad down for a minute, I almost immediately find a reason to pick up my iPhone.  All this while my Mac is compiling a video and the TV is on the background.

It's noisy.

It's straining.

It's harmful.

So I'm going to disconnect.  For the whole weekend.  I'm going to read real books, not e-books.  I'm going to forego the internet.  I'm going to turn off my Twitter feed.  And I'm not going to multitask at all.

I'll let you know how it goes in a special Monday update.  But for now, I'm signing off.  One weekend of disconnecting from my toys and actually living my life. 

Anyone want to join me?

Stop Hitting the Snooze Button

I'm really sorry about this.  It's not usually my style to make you feel bad, but I learned something recently and I just don't know a better way to share it.  So here it goes.

For years, my snooze button and I have been frienemies.  On the one hand, that button provides immediate relief from the evil alarm clock's morning siren; providing me those precious extra 7 minutes of half-hearted slumber.  I'm not sure what the scientific reason for those 7 minutes being the most gratifying sleep you can get (maybe someone smart could study that.  I'm busy writing blogs and such) but I know that it is.  And for years, I have thoroughly enjoyed that little extra time in bed.

Oh sure, I've laughed at myself about it.  My favorite line is Jim Gaffigan when he says "ah the snooze button.  Nothing like starting the day off with a little procrastination."  Funny, yes.  True, a little.  But then someone very successful told me something that hurt a little too much. 

When you hit the snooze button, the first thing you've done with your day is fail to keep your commitment.

Ouch.

See, I set that alarm.  I chose what time I needed to get up.  And for a long time I somehow thought that meant it was no big deal because getting up 7 minutes later only meant I was letting myself down.  But it's bigger than that.

What I've really been doing is starting my day off with a failure.  Setting that alarm was like setting a goal and I missed it.  And that can speak volumes about the rest of the day.  It meant that from the moment I was out of bed my score card was in the red.  Something had to give.

So two weeks ago I made a commitment.  I changed my alarm time and reminded myself that when it went off I had a choice to make; get out of bed and start the day with a win, or face a long drive to work thinking about how I had missed my very first commitment of the day.  And in the past two weeks, I've only missed once.  And it was a very long drive in that day.  But the good news was, the next day I got another chance and I got it right.

And here's the funny thing.  When you start you day off by keeping your first commitment, it makes it so much easier to keep the next.  And the next.  And the rest.  See, I've written before about how winning creates momentum- I just never realized how I was starting my day was affecting it.  But it does.

So I'm sorry if you've had to come to the unpleasant realization that I did about how you're starting your day.  I didn't set out intending to make you feel bad. But guess what?  Tomorrow when that alarm goes off, you'll have another chance to get it right.  And as hard as it can be to get out of that big comfy marshmallow, it's a lot tougher to think your first choice of the day was to fail. 

Keep your commitment.  Start with momentum.  And stop hitting the snooze button.

Stop Apologizing for Being Awesome

Stop it!  Right now!  I mean it.

You are awesome.  You're a Linchpin.  And you need to stop apologizing for it.

Don't think you are?  Answer these questions:

1) Do you ever avoid taking risks because of what others, especially a boss might think?

2) Do you hold on to a good idea because you don't think you can explain it well enough?

3) Do you follow the process, even when you know there is a better way?

4) Are you more concerned with playing by the rules than doing your best work?

5) Are you trying to fit the mold, when you know it needs to be broken?

6) Do you think that the only way to be noticed or advance in your career is to be the "perfect employee"?

7) Do you think the "perfect employee" is the one who does what they're asked with the best attitude?

8) Do you think success is more about being right than being innovative?

9) Do you think the process is more important than the outcome?

10) Do you believe that only the people who take risks are the ones who get the axe?

If you said "yes" to any of these, you're apologizing.  You're withholding.  You're not being authentic. 

And you need to stop.

Because it's the people who say "no" to all those things that become truly indispensable.  It's the people who take risks, push boundaries, and break molds that are simply too scarce- and thus valuable.  Anyone can follow the process we already have.  But that process won't win forever.  The key to success is not to become the master of this process, but the creator of the next one that works.

So stop holding back.  Stop being scared.  Stop apologizing.

Just go be Awesome.

What Gets Rewarded, Gets Repeated

We are quick to admit that what gets measured, gets done.  But what about the things that are hard to measure?

It's easy to measure sales goals, delivery windows, profit margins, call resolutions, and account balances.  Measure them regularly and they'll get done.

It's not as easy to measure things that matter even more.  Like niceness, commitment, risk-taking, vision, and passion.  And when things aren't easy to measure, we tend to not measure them.  And when we don't measure them, they don't get the attention they deserve.

So what can you do if the measurement is tough?  Just go for recognition instead.  When see someone being nice, thank them.  When you see someone working with passion, recognize them.  When someone takes a risk, reward them.

Because if you don't, they'll just focus on what's being measured.

Think of it this way- what gets measured, gets done.  But what gets rewarded, gets repeated.

Are You Proud of Today?

Earlier this week I tweeted (@JeffreyBWeaver) this question:

How would your day be different if you asked yourself "Am I proud of everything I did today?" at the end?

It's a question I've started asking myself a lot lately.  See, I found that, too often, I'd look back on a day and feel like I accomplished nothing.  I have this long list of things I'm always meaning to get around to but never do "because I'm too busy" or "there's not enough time" or "I'm tired" or whatever else I tell myself on the couch after work.

And so I started to look at everything I was doing in a day.  A lot of it felt like wasted time- meetings that didn't need me, being too far into a trivial detial, watching TV, etc.  Some of it felt productive, but wasn't.  Others were time wasters that I justified with "I deserve it, I worked hard today."  But the bottom line was those things were taking the place of productive things because they were easier.

And I'm not proud of that.

So I started asking myself that question- am I proud of what I'm doing?  Today, right now, all the time; can I- will I- be proud of this later?  Not will anyone else.  Will I be proud of me?

It's making me change a lot.  Because when I'm forced to make decisions thinking about how I'll feel about them later, not now, I make better decisions.  It's simple (not easy), but in this wold we live in that is happening faster than ever and so much focus is placed on here and now, not later, it's something we miss.

So stop missing it.  Stop making decisions now without thinking about later.  And the easy way is to just ask yourself, "will I be proud of this choice?" 

Will I be proud I hit the snooze button? Or proud that I got straight out of bed?

Will I be proud I watched 4 hours of TV before bed?  Or proud that I finished that book?

Will I be proud I pushed half my to-dos off to tomorrow?  Or proud that I cleared the list today?

Remember what Zig Ziglar said- "We all get 24 hours in a day."  Are you proud of how your using yours?

Tough question.

The Summer of Excellence

Labels matter.  They give us clarity and common understanding.  They set expectations.  Such is the case with the summer program one of my co-worker's kids is in right now. 

It's called the Summer of Excellence.

Cheesy.  A little, yes.  But it also gives a sense of purpose to a time normally associated with goofing off and slacking. 

Zig Ziglar tells us we hit what we aim at.  Aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time. 

So here's the question; are you aiming at a Summer of Excellence, or a Summer of Mediocrity?

Silencing the Fan

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a pretty big Apple fan.  Not just because they make great, cutting edge products, but because they are such a role model in the realm of user experience.  And as someone who designs a lot of work that is used by others, it's a good lesson to constantly be learning.

Their latest MacBook Pro offering is another great example of redesigning a product from the ground up with the user front of mind. You can check it out here to see what I'm talking about.  There's a lot to love about the notebook, but one thing in particular struck me- the fan.

On this latest laptop, Apple created new fan that uses an asymmetrical blade pattern. This causes the sound of the fan to vary its pitch (instead of the consistent hum others make) which means your ear won't lock onto the pattern and you'll basically never hear it. No one was previously making this type of fan which means Apple had to design it and then find a supplier who would mold it and build it just for them.  It's a lot of work for only one version- the most expensive version- of their notebooks.

So why do it?  Why go to all the trouble and expense?  Because for Apple, they want to remove every possible distraction from your experience.  They know that if you're editing a movie, you want to hear the soundtrack; not the fan.  If you're sitting quietly reading an important report, you want to concentrate; not hear the fan.  They are obsessively focused on taking out of the equation anything that would get between you and what you really want- your content.

As a presenter, we have the same responsibility to our audience.  And so we too must take the time to get the details right and eliminate the distractions that get between our audience and the thing they really want- our message.

Because if the slide has spelling mistakes, it's distracting.  If the page numbers don't line up, it's distracting.  If the animation doesn't work, it's distracting.  If you're searching for your handouts, it's distracting.

So take the time to get it right.  Get passionate about removing the details that would distract your audience.  And think about your delivery from the audience's perspective, not your own.  Be relentless in your pursuit of experience.  And ultimately, figure out what it takes to silence the fan.