All too often we equate “free time” with “capacity.” We assume that if we don’t have an activity scheduled, we can fit in more work.
Author: Jim Benson
We Fear What we Don’t Understand
The thing is, we tend to fear what we don’t understand. If we don’t understand something, we can’t dispel it. If your backlog — the same of our personal goals and expectations — is unknown, and if as humans we tend to fear the unknown, then we risk fearing our own success.
Good Leaders don’t Micromanage
Good leaders provide enough management oversight to give a clear and coherent idea of vision and purpose, but not to the extent that they micromanage. They ensure employees make good decisions, and then step back to let the good decisions happen.
Manage Word Blindly
We don’t dare drive without watching the road or checking our gauges, but oddly enough we manage our work blindly all the time. We don’t visualize our tasks or rely on information radiators to alert us when our work might veer off track or require intervention. At best, we use deadlines to track our progress, […]
Proven Solutions
All too often companies respond to business needs by showing for “proven” solutions, repeatable processes to achieve a desired outcome. They call these “best practices,” which for many translates into Don’t tell me why something worked, tell me how they did it. Rote, universal solutions exhibit little respect for the individuality of a problem, and […]
Time as a Function of Income
When time becomes a function of income rather than personal or professional value, we become psychologically and emotionally detached from our actions.
Work and Life are not Separate Entities
Professional life. Personal life. Social life. They are often treated as separate entities, but our lives and insights cannot be segregated. Work/life balance is a false dichotomy; compartmentalization is not sustainable. It forces life’s professional, personal, and social elements to vie for attention, bringing with them seemingly competing expectations and goals.
Personal Kanban
This provides an overview of what it means to apply Kanban to your personal life and integrate it with work. It provides lots of theories, but is light on how to. This seems to be intentional from the author because every system will be tailored to suit you. If you’re looking for the overarching principles, […]