The wisdom of setting priorities to rank facets of life, essential activities, and tasks with approaching deadlines seems obvious at first. Yet, even if we succeed in numbering our priorities, these rankings fail to resolve the tensions between competing demands on our time and attention. For example, quips like “family first” suggest work responsibilities should be … [Read more...]
Flexible Work Arrangements: Do they help or hinder work-life balance?
“Raise your hand if you’ve ever responded to a work email from home,” the presenter began, during a session on work and technology. All the audience members raised their hands, acknowledging that despite set hours and offices designated for work tasks, each of them had engaged in some form of virtual work from home. Technology continues to facilitate greater flexibility in … [Read more...]
Stepping into New Seasons of Life & Work
My nearly 18-year-old announced at the dinner table that she has decided which college to attend this fall. While I’m excited for her future plans, it’s another reminder that I’m entering a new season. Each life and career stage brings with it a set of challenges and opportunities. Like spring, summer, winter, and fall, the seasons that mark major milestones leave behind the … [Read more...]
Do you need a new perspective?
Unlike my brother, the pilot, I don’t often get a chance to fly. When I do, I still have the awe of rising above the land until people look like ants and houses look like Monopoly pieces. Recently I was flying from Washington, D.C. to Chicago on a particularly dreary day. The gray sky and drizzle of rain conjured a sense of monotonous drudgery that echoed my view of life on … [Read more...]
Do you make time to play?
My kids have no problem playing. In fact, given the choice, they will choose playing over anything else – homework, chores, sleep. They have a built-in propensity to enjoy themselves and don’t hesitate to set aside more mundane tasks to engage in some plain old playtime. Me, not so much. I’m not sure when I lost my talent for play, but somewhere along the way it was … [Read more...]
Success in a Season of Transition
I am in a season of transition right now, which is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. This year I am planning the growth of one business while cooking up a new business venture. I’m exploring new training options and wondering how to manage my existing responsibilities with the new endeavors of the near future. I don’t want to stop moving forward, but sometimes … [Read more...]
Go for the Goal
Around the beginning of the year, an eruption of articles on goal-setting and resolutions can be found on blogs, in magazines, and elsewhere. We take a stab at a fresh start when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year begins. The upside is that these goals and resolutions give us new hope that we can make constructive changes in our lives. The downside is that most of us … [Read more...]
When Doing It All Means Doing Nothing
There has been an ongoing debate for years about the ability of men and particularly women to do-it-all or have-it-all. The question is usually posed and answered as an impossibility. Of course no one can do everything, but it doesn’t stop us from trying. So we continue to push ourselves to do more. Unfortunately, we often fail to take into account the costs of this high … [Read more...]
The Routines that Saved the Day
My days are just a little bit full, between teaching university classes and local workshops, running an online tutoring company, blogging, serving on two local leadership teams, and trying to keep up with the activities and education of my children, sometimes I just get frazzled. I genuinely love what I do, but I sometimes have trouble keeping track of it all. As a working … [Read more...]
What the Pioneering Spirit Teaches Us about Innovation & Productivity
My kids and I enjoy reading together. This year we have been working our way through the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. While my kids are mainly interested in the adventures and experiences described by the pioneer girl, I have been struck by the lessons we can learn about innovation and productivity. 1. Making do with what they had: The pioneers … [Read more...]
