30 Dec 08 - Something's Going On. It's Called Life.

My Christmases have always been quiet. I may spend more time than usual shopping or baking, but I'm able to keep up with everything.

Not this year. A perfect storm kept me busy every hour of every day for the past several weeks. I was left breathless.

After several wonderful, quiet days at home this past weekend, I've recharged. I'm back to "normal," whatever that is.

I'm analyzing these busy weeks. I've since re-negotiated several things that were holding me back, such as teaching, which I don't need to do as much of now. I've also looked at my work. I made a lot of cookies, which were great, but did I really need to make that many? Could I have made fewer, and still delighted people? Yes, and I would have better managed my time had I looked at that more closely.

Because time is precious. There are so many things left in my life that I want to accomplish and experience, and do so fully. Not rush through so I can tick them off a list, but deeply experience an autumn in Maine or a week in Japan or an afternoon at St. Paul's Cathedral.

And one key to achieving that is constant re-appraisal of your life. Trivial things constantly battle for our attention. We must fight them. And live.

Posted in Self-improvement

9 Dec 08 - How to Become More Aware Of Time

This past week, I've been thinking about time.

More precisely: awareness of time. Do I know how long I've been working on an email? Drinking my afternoon tea? Reading this book in bed?

It's struck me that this is a key to productivity. If I was more aware of time as it goes by, I wouldn't turn a brief YouTube distraction into an hour-long browse of the latest videos.

And we're all surrounded by clocks. There's one on every desktop and laptop screen, and strapped to our wrists (though I've noticed more and more people without watches lately; why is that?).

So how can one become more aware of time? By glancing at one's watch more often. By keeping a little time log; just a piece of paper on which one writes, "8:33 Started watching anime. 8:54 Checked blogs. 9:02 Worked on RPG document."

And...think. Think about time. Think about how you want to use your time.

When you begin something, do you alot yourself a certain amount of time? Do you hold yourself to that allotted time? I don't. I should, if I want to be smart about my time.

So I think about time.

Posted in Self-improvement

1 Dec 08 - So What Is A Commitment, Really?

A recent post on the GTD forums started me thinking about commitments.

We all have many ongoing projects. But what does "ongoing" really mean? Have we really committed to them? Or did we just put them on a list to remind us to get them done eventually?

I'm realizing that a lot of my own "active projects" are there to push myself to finish them. I haven't truly committed to them, not deeply and seriously.

This is, perhaps, no revelation to many. That's what commitment means, doesn't it? To truly decide and agree internally to accomplish something.

I haven't been. And many people don't. We create lists and map out plans, but how many of those items have we deeply, seriously committed ourselves to completing?

There's a problem here: we really can't commit to a huge workload. You can't fool your mind. If you try to commit to 50 things, your mind will start to drop the first few in the list the further you get.

The answer is, as usual, to simplify. Truly commit to a few things, and execute. Track the other things, and do them if you can. But choose a few things to deeply commit to.

And, please, choose important things.

Posted in Self-improvement

26 Nov 08 - What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Improving Yourself

I write a lot about self-improvement, and the importance thereof.

So, what do you do when you just have no energy for self-improvement? When you just don't feel like improving?

Take a break.

Really. Stop working at it for a while. Watch some movies, read a few books, and just relax.

Don't rest forever, of course. But I believe that a properly balanced person will instinctively know when it's time to start improving again.

Breathe.

Posted in Self-improvement

10 Nov 08 - Benjamin Franklin's Self-Improvement System

Just finished reading Frank Bettger's excellent book How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling. Bettger was a friend of Andrew Carnegie, who encouraged him to write this book after hearing Bettger's life story (a former baseball player who applied himself to self-improvement as a salesman until he became incredibly successful).

Besides explaining the principles and ideals that he began to follow, Bettger describes following Benjamin Franklin's self-improvement plan. When Franklin was still a poor baker, he decided to improve himself by writing down 13 "subjects," or aspects of his personality that he wanted to improve:

• Temperance in food and drink
• Silence in conversation
• Order (self-organization)
• Resolution to do that which one has committed onesself to
• Frugality
• Industry
• Sincerity
• Justice
• Moderation
• Cleanliness
• Tranquility
• Chastity
• Humility

Franklin then focused on one subject each week. He'd reflect on it, observe its use, and try to live it out over the course of the week. After the 13^th week, he'd return to the first, thus covering all 13 subjects 4 times each year.

Bettger chose six of the same subjects, and added seven of his own. He writes, "At the end of one year, I had completed four courses. I found myself doing things naturally, and unconciously, that I wouldn't have attempted a year before. Although I fell far short of mastering any of these principles, I found this simple plan a truly magic formula....Remember Franklin was a scientist. This plan is scientific. Reject it, and you reject one of the most practical ideas ever offered you." (emphasis mine)

I've decided to follow suit. I've been collecting "subjects," and while I only have 10 at the moment, I'm sure I'll find another 3 in the coming weeks. Here's my list:

• Speaking with a radio announcer's voice
• Diligence in important matters
• Conversation
• Calling old friends
• Money
• Processing physical items and reminders
• Remembering names and faces
• Pride
• Expressing gratitude
• Having a spirit of adventure

I'm planning to write up an index card for each subject, with inspirational quotes and such, to carry with me and pull out at odd moments.

Wish me luck!

Posted in Self-improvement

3 Nov 08 - Why I Host a Halloween Party Every Year

I want to explain just why I host a Halloween party.

I mean, I do love Halloween. It's my favorite holiday. It's one of the few times in the year when fantasy and a belief in unexplained phenomena are socially accepted. It's a time when we can all believe that the world contains at least a few things that science can't completely explain.

But I don't love parties. Oh, I enjoy myself at them, but I've always been a shy person. Social interaction requires an effort for me. It's much less of an effort than it used to be, but I still groan inwardly when I imagine going to a party.

Nevertheless, the longer I live, the more I realize that we live in a social world. Our relationships matter, not just in a deep spiritual sense, but also in a hard-nosed practical sense (how many people do you know who got their jobs because a friend recommended them?). Our connections with others not only net us valuable friends and business associates; it satisfies a deep inner need to be heard and be important to other people.

So, every year, I host a Halloween party with as many of my friends as I can invite. It grows every year, and I get better at hosting parties each time I do it.

I also grow closer to friends that I rarely get a chance to talk to, and they get to talk to some of my other friends.

It's a win-win-win. Always well worth it.

Have you thought about hosting a party for a few friends? Something informal, just a chance to get together and chat. Please reply with your experience. Hasn't it always been worth it?

Posted in Self-improvement

13 Oct 08 - The Importance of Review

I wrote recently about the importance of writing things down, and of reviewing them. Today I want to talk about review.

By "review," I don't mean just looking things over. I mean study. Analysis. Deep thought.

For example, when you come across a really good article in a magazine, what do you do with it? Do you read it, then toss the magazine? How do you make sure that the information in there stays with you?

This is one of the uses for my tickler (43 folders, one for each day of the month, and one for each month of the year). If I come across a good magazine article, after reading it thoroughly--and writing down personal actions from it--I put the magazine in my tickler, so I can re-read the article later. Then repeat.

Moreover, I never read (or, for that matter, watch) anything without a piece of paper or computer file on hand, with which to record my thoughts. Ideas fly at me while I read (they probably do for you, too; you just don't write them down and they fade away within half an hour).

That which I read, sticks.

How about you?

Posted in Self-improvement

6 Oct 08 - Paper In...Then What?

The biggest hole right now in my personal productivity system: processing physical items.

A lot of paper comes into our lives. Each item represents a potential commitment -- a phone call to make, a reply to send, a book to read. So they all need to be reviewed.

Every piece of paper that comes into my life goes into my physical inbox, which is literally a black metal tray on my desk. That includes postal mail, papers I want to save, books that people give me, magazines to read, index cards with scribbled notes; everything.

Then, separately, I take some time to process my inbox. I pick up the top item, figure out what needs to be done (send an email, file it, trash it; whatever), do it, and move on to the next item. I go through the entire inbox that way.

In addition, I have a tickler file, which is a set of 43 folders, one for each day of the month and one for each month of the year. I file reminders in there for future events, articles to re-read, monthly or yearly chores, etc. Every day--ideally--I take out that day's folder, dump its contents in my inbox, and file the (now empty) folder in the back of the tickler.

But I don't do the above nearly often enough. I process my inbox maybe twice a week, and my tickler maybe once a week. This is bad--I sometimes miss reminders and birthday cards.

And I don't know how to do better. I can just purpose to process these every day, but that's wishful thinking with no external component. I need some way to remind myself to do it.

So, for now, I'm stuck. But I'm thinking about it. I may tie it to my end-of-the-workday email review, so once I'm done with emails I'll process my physical stuff. Worth a try.

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Oct 08 - Happiness

A thought just sprang into my head, unbidden: If I didn't have a computer, I'd be so much happier.

Hmmmmm.

Posted in Self-improvement

29 Sep 08 - Writing It Down

If you don't write things down, you'll forget them.

We all know this. We've been told this by our parents. We have an idea or we suggest some improvement, and someone says, "You'd better write that down or you'll forget it."

But most people don't do it. They nod, and laugh, and they go on to another topic of conversation. And the idea dissipates. Gone.

Why don't people write down their ideas? Why don't we record all our neat ideas? Why don't we dump them in a box and sort through them occasionally, and try out a few of them?

(I certainly do; I even keep index cards and a pencil in my left-hand pants pocket at all times, just in case an idea comes to me. Once I fill up a card, I drop it into my inbox for later processing. I mean, why not?)

Posted in Self-improvement

23 Sep 08 - My Website Design Portfolio

As I've been trying to set up my freelancing business, I've had a difficult time getting work. And much of that revolved around my experience.

After going through all the sites I've worked on, I realized that I only finished a few sites. And several of those were internal company sites that I could no longer access. I couldn't demonstrate my skills.

So, I designed and built a few sample sites. They don't do anything; they just showcase some of my skills.

I then assembled a portfolio of my website designs, which I host on this site. I can now direct potential clients there, to show them what I can do.

And business immediately spiked. Whew!

Posted in Self-improvement

15 Sep 08 - True Narcissism vs. Reality

'Twas talking with my Mom this weekend about a friend of ours; we'll call her "Betty." Betty has issues with certain members of her family, who are making some very difficult decisions that go against the grain of Betty's upbringing.

These family members are doing what's best for them--what will keep them safe and sane and healthy. But it goes against Betty's world view.

My Mom expressed frustration with Betty, as Betty just would not see their point of view. Had no sympathy for them.

Betty's also a narcissist. Now, that word's bandied about a lot without a solid understanding of its meaning: clinical narcissism means "denial of the true self." A clinical narcissist is so worried about protecting herself that she creates a wall so thick that nothing can get through. She presents a false front to everyone. It's so thick that even she can't get through to see her true self.

So it is with Betty.

I explained to Mom that Betty doesn't want to break down her wall. She can't, unless she wants to break out of her narcissism. As long as that wall is up, she's "safe," but she literally will have no sympathy for anyone who doesn't follow her own worldview. She can't imagine it; can barely even contemplate it.

Worse, as long as that wall is up, Betty can't acknowledge being wrong. Her worldview is the only thing that can exist, so by definition there are no other possibilities. She can't acknowledge the existence of anything outside her own worldview.

And so, my Mom understood. I wonder if Betty ever will.

Posted in Self-improvement

7 Sep 08 - Media Fast Reflections

I've finished my Media Fast, and have caught up on email, blogs, etc. After reflecting on the experience, I've come to several conclusions:

• I consume a lot of media. DVDs, blog posts, music, movies. Hours per day. Even without a TV.
• There's a cultural expectation that everyone consumes a lot of media. People are genuinely surprised when I mention that I haven't watched certain recent movies. Modern Americans naturally hoover up large quantities of media. It's not just normal; it's expected.
• This takes time from other things. I could be drawing, or writing, or otherwise producing something. Or I could be recharging in other ways: talking with a friend, going to a park, or browsing a local landmark. Instead, I pop in a DVD or refresh blogs. 'Cause there's always something else to watch or read.
• That said, I have a lot of media that I've committed to consuming, from books to anime to blogs. I call this "Media Debt." What to do with all that?

My plan:

I'm planning to spend Wednesday on my big to-read pile. There's just so much there, and I want to finish a bunch of it.

I'm also planning to get through one anime disc per weekday, and several discs over the weekend. I want to be free of my media debt, so that when a new book or anime series or DVD appears, I can get to it. Boom. Get it done.

Other than that, I'm going to consciously restrict the amount of time I spend on media. No more casual relaxation with media, at least not for a while.

Posted in Self-improvement

2 Sep 08 - How Can I Draw Better?

I love to draw. I can't draw well, but I love doing it and coming up with something that satisfies my (very low) standards.

Tonight, I spent a couple hours drawing hair, using Mark Crilley's YouTube videos. And I'm very happy with some of the results.

Of course, they have plenty of flaws. But I'm learning, and my flaws shrink with each drawing.

Posted in Self-improvement

1 Sep 08 - Media Fasting: No Media for a Week

Today begins my week-long Media Fast, my twice-a-year vacation from all media. I avoid anything that was produced for an audience. No books, magazines, newspapers, movies, DVDs, TV, music, or blogs.

I stay reasonable about all this. If I walk into a coffee shop in which a TV sits in one corner, blaring CNN, then I don't run out screaming. I just ignore it.

I use my time this week in 4 ways:

1. I visit local gardens, parks, and museums.
2. I work. The Fast lets me focus on my projects more than I otherwise "can."
3. I try odd, fun little projects I otherwise "wouldn't have the time for." I might try to write a song, or make a puppet, or cook something exotic and time-consuming.
4. I observe my reaction to my Fast, and others' relationships to media. I'm always shocked at how much I crave a movie or book by the end of the week, and the vast quantities of media that we all consume.

And at the end of it, I'm glad to go back to my beloved books and anime, but I'm always glad I fasted. And I always think, "I should do this more often."

Posted in Self-improvement

25 Aug 08 - I Turn My Back On a Job Offer

So I did something that might appear crazy today. I turned down a nice job offer.

I got a phone call two weeks ago from a recruiter, who put me in touch with a local company who does ASP development. I had a phone interview with one of the founders, then went in for a face-to-face interview with the other founder and a few people there at the office.

I'm trying to keep these people as anonymous as possible. I don't want them to stumble across this and be offended, but I got a stern, stereotypically authoritarian vibe from several of the interviewers. I felt like....

...okay, an example from Christianity. Christ is described as being "full of grace and truth." That's an important duality: truth represents the classic, serious Old Testament God of firm adherence to an established structure, while grace represents flexible moderation. Both are important (though not always equally important).

I felt little grace there. Plenty of truth, but very little grace.

Now, they offered me a decent salary, and I could use the money right now. I don't know where I'll get enough money in a couple of months. And I'm willing to work in a less-than-stellar environment, if the people are good and the work's important.

But I couldn't shake this vibe. I was unsure about the people. This just didn't feel right.

Silly, right, to base one's job decision on a feeling? I don't think so. Feelings are facts; they're just as real as a thought.

So, this morning, I called them back and politely declined. I'll continue to pursue freelancing for a while. It's what feels right.

Posted in Self-improvement

11 Aug 08 - Freelancing Focus

Freelancing has challenged me far more than anything else I've attempted in my life. I have to be disciplined, and focused, in new ways.

At work, there's always someone giving you work to do. And there's always work to do. Work is structured and busy. While that carries its own challenges, I've figured out the basics of office productivity (how to organize my work load, keep email under control, etc.).

At home...I can just walk outside. Nobody will stop me. That freedom pulls at me constantly, and resisting it requires more discipline than I'm used to.

Far more than I have at the moment, it looks like.

So, I'm learning to focus. To get started on productive, paying work as soon as I'm settled in the morning. To set an alarm when I'm doing things that can suck up too much time (checking Twitter and FriendFeed, for example). To be more conscious of my paying time.

So, I learn and grow.

Posted in Self-improvement

4 Aug 08 - Freelancing Ain't As Easy As I'd Hoped

I'm 5 months into freelancing. Hasn't gone as well as I'd hoped.

I'm currently making $0. I've made a fair bit from a good friend, for whom I developed his corporate website. I've also done a little tutoring.

But that's dried up. I advertise my web development tutoring, through CraigsList, but despite a few emails from interested locals, nobody's come through. I've submitted short stories to various magazines, but none have been accepted. Every freelancing site I find is flooded with ridiculously low bids on every project, and unrealistic projects. ("For $100 a week, you must write at least 15 articles a day.")

So, I'm looking for a temp job. Just some tech work to tide me over for a few months. Several recruiters are looking for me.

I am disappointed. This startup process takes way longer than I anticipated.

There are a few reasons. It took me a while to start advertising heavily, and submitting stories, and so forth. I spent a good 3 months mostly enjoying my freedom. I've buckled down now, but I suspect it's too late to turn the tide.

Posted in Self-improvement

25 Jul 08 - What Is Wow?

Am I capable of "Wow"?

Can I conceive of a breathtaking project, and then see it through?

This is important. I can think of "Wow!" projects, sure...creating an animation from scratch, writing a series of kids' books, building a robot...but can I think of projects and see them through? What projects can I see through to completion?

'Cause I can do a lot. I've been doing stuff. But I don't know if I can commit to that. It's a big step. Lots of work. I could trundle along doing smaller stuff that's more likely to get me paycheck.

But will it matter?

Worth thinking about.

Posted in Self-improvement

15 Jul 08 - This Has Been On My Mind A Lot Lately

Life is "won" by the persistent.

Posted in Self-improvement

1 Jul 08 - Neil Fiore's The Now Habit

I've heard good things about Neil Fiore's The NOW Habit, so I finally read the thing a few weeks back.

It's good. Didn't change my life, as it apparently did for others, but I gleaned some good ideas from it.

In particular, Fiore recommends that you rest, then work. Schedule and take breaks before you start working on a project, so you'll be rested and recharged and ready to face it. If you wait until afterwards to relax, you may not have time to, and you'll get discouraged over time.

There are other good ideas in there, too, particularly relating to his Unschedule. Worth checking out.

Posted in Review, Self-improvement

24 Jun 08 - Johnny Bunko and His Career

Just finished--literally, just--a career management book called The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need. It's pretty short, it's got good advice, and it's got great art. It needs to be : it's a manga.

This sort of thing is commonplace in Japan, where you'll find how-to manga on just about any topic, from medical advice to sex. So it's neat to see one on this side of the Pacific, written by a well-respected career guide (he also wrote Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind) and drawn by a top-notch American manga artist.

The advice is, as usual, simple but true. With career advice, it's all about the presentation. We all know the importance of much of this, but we need to be struck by it afresh. Which he does.

For what it's worth, the book offers this advice:

1. There is no plan.
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses.
3. It's not about you.
4. Persistence trumps talent.
5. Make excellent mistakes.
6. Leave an imprint.

I argue that "talent" probably doesn't exist, but the point remains. Again, this is all sensible stuff, but it's how it's presented that really makes it work.

The story follows Johnny Bunko, a recent college grad struggling to figure out why he's not satisfied at work. He breaks open a pair of chopsticks, to be visited by a spirit who gives him career advice. Sure, it's corny--and it's played that way--but it works.

Strongly recommended; I'm thinking of giving copies to everyone I know who's nearing college graduation.

There's also a great little animation at the Amazon.com site.

Posted in Reviews, Self-improvement

23 Jun 08 - Incentives and Work

I've been thinking a lot lately. About a great many things.

I'm tremendously fortunate in being able to pursue a freelance career. While I don't have a lot of cash to throw at this venture, I'll be fine for at least a few more months. Far more than most can manage.

But I haven't been nearly as productive as I feel I should be. "Should" is always a loaded word, but in this case I think it's apt: I haven't worked for more than three hours on money-making work in any given day.

Granted, I spent the first two months or so in "detox," as I call it, relaxing after many years of work. I couldn't bring myself to do anything besides read, cook, play around on the computer, and putter around the house. I enjoyed my freedom the same way a tired executive enjoys a vacation: flat on his or her back on the beach.

This isn't that. This is having the mental space and flexibility, and the time, and sitting down to work, and finding yourself refreshing FriendFeed. Why do I do this?

I even wrote a long, plaintive email to Hugh Macleod, asking him how he orients himself to get his work done.

I think this phenomenon is important, and worth examining. People say they don't pursue their dreams because they don't have the time, but time's not the limit. Neither is relaxation.

Focus appears to be the limit. How can I increase focus?

One solution I'm trying now is to rewrite how I see work. I've always enjoyed writing (as far as writing can be enjoyed; I can be frustrated by it, too), but when I imagine writing as a job, it seems dreary. Partly because I see work as dreary, or at least something that one must put up with. So, when I prepare to write (or whatever), I imagine myself having fun at it. Which I usually do. But I need to remind myself that it will be.

It's working so far, though I'm only a day into it. But how strange our minds are. We think they're logical and sensible, and then we scream at the sight of a bug.

Posted in Self-improvement

9 Jun 08 - Four Tips for Reading Many Input Streams and Maintaining your Sanity

I keep up with a lot of different streams of input: emails, blogs, comics, Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, and IM. I have much to learn, but here's what I have learned:

• Skim. Don't worry about catching every bit of every email. Start by skimming, then pay closer attention if the content rewards it.
• Keep up. If you sign up for an email list, read it frequently. I read all my emails and blogs every day. Combined with skimming, it doesn't take very long.
• Reply immediately. Try to immediately reply to any email that needs a reply. Some may have to wait until you gather more information, of course, but can't you reply to most right away? And the more emails sitting in your inbox waiting for a reply, the more frustration and depression you'll feel when you look at them.
• Keep your inboxes clean. Move all emails you've read to a separate folder, or delete them. Process all your Facebook notifications (choose something to do with them). Close your IM windows when the conversation ends. Get it away from you, so you can concentrate on something else.

So, read everything at a high level to begin with, often, reply quickly, then get rid of it. Don't let it clutter up your mind.

Posted in Self-improvement, Tech

7 Jun 08 - Charging up Napoleon Hill

I've heard positive things about Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, so I grabbed the free sample for my Kindle, and have been reading it over the past few days.

It's the Law of Attraction, but presented in the way that I've found true: that which you focus on, and consistently strive for, will come to life faster and easier than you expect.

While this works with just about any goal, Hill starts with money, and presents a six-step system:

1. Write down exactly how much money you want. Work out how much you really want.
2. Write down a specific date when you want to have this money.
3. Write down what you're willing to give up to get this. You can't get something for nothing. This payment can be in time, resources, short-term money, etc.
4. Write down a plan for how you're going to get that money by that date. Nothing complex. And start executing this plan.
5. Rewrite the above into a brief English description, such as "By November 30^th, I'm going to have $5,000 in the bank, by publishing thirty programming articles."
6. Repeat this description aloud twice a day, once when you get up and once as you go to bed. Fix this in your mind. Make it a constant thought in the back of your head.

So, I'm trying it. My goal is: By November 30^th, I'll be making $3,000 per month by tutoring, and writing code, short stories, and articles.

I spent the last hour reviewing short stories for submission to various magazines. Odd; I've only performed half a dozen short story submissions in the past few years, despite knowing that when you get a rejection from one magazine, you should immediately send the story to another magazine. I now wonder why I haven't been doing that.

Now to see if this works long-term. And how much money I'll be making on November 30^th.

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Jun 08 - Wisdom of the Chinese

This is from a book I stumbled on a few weeks ago at a used book store in town:

The disciple Kung-too said: "All are equally men, but some are great men, and some are little men; how is this?" Mencius replied: "Those who follow that part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow that part which is little are little men."

Kung-too pursued, "All are equally men, but some follow that part of themselves which is great, and some follow that part which is little; how is this?" Mencius answered: "The senses of hearing and seeing do not think, and are obscured by external things. When one thing comes into contact with another, as a matter of course it leads (the sense) away. To the mind belongs the office of thinking. By thinking, it gets the right view of things; by neglecting to think, it fails to do this.

"These, the senses and the mind, are what Heaven has given to us.

"Let a man first stand fast in the supremacy of the nobler part of his constitution, and the inferior part will not be able to take it from him. It is simply this which makes the great man."

Posted in Self-improvement

4 Jun 08 - Tenacity and Tech

So, a few years ago there was this TV channel called Tech TV. And the most popular show on that channel was The Screen Savers, a call-in tech variety show in which two guys and a crew of geeks covered all sorts of technology news and trends and such.

Then, Tech TV died.

So what did they do? They dusted themselves off and looked for jobs in new media.

One of them started Digg. One of them created DL.tv.

But I want to talk about Leo Laporte, who has since started The TWiT Netcast Network. He began producing free podcasts, then looked for advertisers. He only takes on advertisers who he personally supports, and he provides a live advertisement for their services or products directly in the podcasts themselves (instead of inserting an annoying, pre-generated ad).

Then he signed up with Stickam, set up a few cameras, and began streaming live video of his shows as he records and assembles them. It required a significant amount of money, but way less than a typical studio.

His podcasts now have tens of thousands of listeners, and thousands watch his live streams. Today, he's announced that he's breaking even, and his list of advertisers grows.

He's living the dream. Not through massive financial resources or brilliant marketing or incredibly hard work. Because he dreamed of something, and tenaciously worked towards it.

Posted in Tech, Self-improvement

3 Jun 08 - RescueTime - Not For Me

I've been testing out RescueTime, a service that tracks and plots your computer usage. The idea is that it'll give you an idea of what's wasting your time.

You install a small app and let it run. Every few minutes, it uploads usage stats to www.rescuetime.com, which you can access at any time to check out your usage. It'll also email you a summary every week.

I used it for a few weeks, and to my surprise I learned nothing new. I know what I spend most of my time using (Safari and the terminal, mostly). I know what wastes my time (YouTube and Fark, mostly, which I've now blocked).

It was a worthwhile experiment, though, and you might want to give it a try if you're curious about how you spend your time. It certainly functioned well.

Posted in Tech, Self-improvement

2 Jun 08 - Busy

Henry David Thoreau writes:

It is not enough to be busy....The question is: What are we busy about?

Posted in Self-improvement

26 May 08 - The Productivity Video

Because a number of folks have expressed interest in knowing how one person has implemented a productivity system, I've uploaded a video where I walk through mine. I take it from writing down a note to myself, through to processing it into my system, and how my system works.

Posted in Self-improvement

19 May 08 - Why I Have a Productivity System

When I look around at friends and family who don't seem to be accomplishing that which they want to, I notice a trend. They're smart. They even know what they want, if vaguely.

But they don't have a way of breaking down those goals into actionable steps.

Now, you can try to break down your goals into a complete, comprehensive list of steps. This will drive you nuts. This is what productivity systems are for, to advise you on how much you need to keep track of.

I'm a fan of Getting Things Done, which is just lightweight enough that I can stay productive without laboriously updating my system, while comprehensive enough to capture everything.

The core of GTD is a Projects list, a record of everything you're committed to accomplishing. Big and small. "Write novel" to "Patch paint in kitchen."

For each Project, you have to identify the next physical, visible action you need to take on it. Writing a novel? The next action may be to sit down with pen and paper and record those plot ideas spinning around in your head. And that's all you need to plan out. You can plan more than that, but you only really need the next action; once you've finished it, the following action is almost always very, very obvious.

(Why not plan ahead in detail? Well, how often have you discovered something partway through a project that completely changed your next six steps? Yeah. I bet it's more often than getting partway through a project and finding yourself completely unable to think of the next step.)

I keep a list of Actions on a whiteboard in my studio. Throughout my day, I refer to it frequently. As I make progress on a project, I update the whiteboard. It feels good to know that I'm accomplishing my goals. That I'm doing that which I set out to do.

Posted in Self-improvement

15 May 08 - You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake

It's late evening. I really need to write more articles for Your Online Life. But I don't want to, and if history is any indication I won't do any more work tonight. I'm used to winding down in the evenings.

However. My new mantra is "Evolve. And let the chips fall where they may." (from Jim Uhls' script to Fight Club, not the book). And so, I write.

Posted in Self-improvement

22 Apr 08 - Reflections on Not Working

Long, good day. Finished copying some BBC Radio productions from old audio cassettes to MP3. Wonderful to have technology that does all this quickly and easily. Of course, that's ignoring the hours I spent setting up that technology.

It's odd. I'm still without a full-time job, and I feel none of the gnawing dread I expected. I know I can't keep this up forever, of course, but I've got months before I need to worry, and I'm not worrying. I'm just chugging along with various projects.

Not as many projects as perhaps I should, though how many "should" I do? I've been gardening and drawing and cooking and designing RPG adventures. Some work on potentially paying gigs, but...geez, why not enjoy my life? I could have a heart attack tomorrow.

Funny, that; I keep defending my lack of "productive" behavior. Shouldn't need to. This is my life.

Which makes it tough to blog sometimes. What do I really need to tell the world? Aren't my actions enough?

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Apr 08 - Revelations

Last night, after watching a bunch of videos from TED, I had two revelations:

One: I need to cut my active creative projects down to two (one primary, one alternate).

Two: I need to play every day.

Posted in Self-improvement

30 Mar 08 - Paradox

Paradox:

We need to get off our butts and realize our dreams. To take our ideas and goals, and make them real. Take the first class, write the first word, pick out the instrument.

We need to not be so hard on ourselves. We rush from work to a store to home, barely acknowledge our families, hang out with friends without really getting to know them, and generally yawn away our time. We live without really living. We need to slow down and appreciate life.

Which is it? It's both. We need to slow down and pursue our dreams.

Imagine a life where you're calm and focused, where you have time for everything and everything's good and useful.

Pick a goal and go for it. Just don't rush.

Posted in Self-improvement

28 Mar 08 - Change

Oh boy, the world's in trouble. I am far more than it can handle.

Today was my last day at RC/STS. (Again.) (For now.) The head of engineering is still trying to define a job for me, which actually looks pretty solid; he wants me, and his boss wants me. They just need to figure out what I'd actually be doing to earn a paycheck.

But I am free. Which is not to say that my time at STS was lifeless servitude; I enjoyed it, and there are lots of great people. I'm surprised by my own reaction. I didn't expect to feel this free. I feel like I've been let out of prison.

And it's not because of STS. It's because I'm free of work. Of the 9-to-5 routine. I get to define my routine now. I get to create my life.

That is freedom.

Posted in Self-improvement

23 Mar 08 - What is Within

Eric Hoffer:

Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.

So true, isn't it? We spend so much time posturing.

Posted in Self-improvement

8 Jan 08 - Inner Adventure

No outdoor adventure this week. Instead, an inner adventure.

I'm two days into The Five-Day Course in Thinking, a book Edward De Bono wrote forty years ago. Isaac Asimov wrote the Foreword. It's a malnourished paperback, barely a hundred pages long. The edge of the pages are that odd dusty Martian red that seemed so popular in paperbacks of the sixties and seventies. The cover proclaims "Astound Yourself! Be a Genius! Play Your Way To Greater Brain Power!"--and I don't know if it's serious.

I could read it through in an hour or two, but I've decided to resist that urge. I'm going to take my time and process it. Fully. Get my money's worth out of it, if you will.

The first day's exercise: Take three empty soda or beer bottles, and place them equally apart so that you can fit a regular dinner knife between each. Now, take four of those dinner knives, and arrange them on top of the bottles so that they form a platform that you can rest a glass full of water on. None of the knives can touch the surface on which the bottles rest.

As with most things, there's a twist to this. It's not about finding the answer (there is one). Observe how you try to solve the problem. What do you try first? What do you do?

I'm kind of surprised that there aren't more books/videos/websites/whatever about mental athletics. (Yes, I'm aware of Brain Age). Isn't this important?

Posted in Self-improvement

26 Nov 07 - 26 Nov 07

Maybe I've been consuming too many Japanese works lately, but I've been thinking about the importance of discipline.

I mean little daily disciplines. Exercise. Getting to bed on time. "Little" things.

They don't even really add up over time, the way that other habits can. Practice karate every day, and you'll build an amazing set of skills. Don't get to bed on time, and your life will drift out of alignment in subtle ways. You'll find yourself more irritable, more tense. But it's not obvious.

I wonder how important those little daily disciplines are. We all stay up late every so often, but what's too often?

I'm thinking perhaps I should be much more devoted to those disciplines than I am. Perhaps we all should be.

Posted in Self-improvement

6 Nov 07 - 6 Nov 07

Writing is difficult, which is strange, because writing is easy.

Typing is easy. Putting words on a page or a screen is easy. It's keeping at it that's hard.

There are numerous potholes on the road to a complete story, and many psychological Jersey barriers. I write a few hundred words, then feel a strong urge to research, say, map making. Useful, but an obvious detour, so I stare at the page some more. Repeat until I'm Googling overstuffed armchairs.

Still, the point is what you do, not so much what you feel. For me, after ten long hours at work, I got home, cooked up some pasta, and wrote eight hundred words of fiction. Can't say I'm disappointed in myself.

Posted in Writing, Self-improvement

8 Oct 07 - 8 Oct 07

And I got sick partway through my Creative Retreat. Still, I had fun. I read about half of Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, and a few chapters of a Mechanical Design book (I'd like to understand mechanics more). I did a bit more work on the RTS game, mostly cleanup.

And I put up a big banner in my room that reminds me to accept discipline.

Overall, success.

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Oct 07 - 5 Oct 07

Today begins another Creative Retreat, a weekend in which I sit back and read, meditate, plan, make, and mash-up.

Posted in Self-improvement

3 Oct 07 - 3 Oct 07

Thanks to Brennen, I've decided to shut down my IM and Skype clients. They're both extra open loops. I don't need those to keep in touch with people, and they're distractions. Distractions from a huge, beautiful life that I could be living instead of typing "heh" in response to a link to a video of a dancing rabbit.

Enough. Enough. The computer is a drug, and I'm particularly susceptible.

It's an unavoidable drug, too. But I can buy less of it.

Posted in Self-improvement

24 Sep 07 - 24 Sep 07

Life is practice.

(Not that it is practice for something later. It's a matter of practicing things, over and over. You may never get it "right." Getting it "right" is a question for the historians, not us living and practicing.)

Posted in Self-improvement

18 Sep 07 - 18 Sep 07

Another long day at the office. But...

...because I'm so busy, I'm focused. I don't let time slide by. I refuse to waste a minute of my one, precious life.

I wonder if I could get used to this.

Posted in Self-improvement

16 Sep 07 - 16 Sep 07

Noticed someone on a personal productivity forum, who asks a lot of questions. This is normally good. However, this person appears to ask questions instead of doing things.

There's a difference between inquisitiveness and Analysis Paralysis. In the former, curiosity is combined with action. See: children. They open their mouths as they reach out their hands.

A good philosophy.

Posted in Self-improvement

10 Sep 07 - 10 Sep 07

I'm beginning to really appreciate daily rhythm. One's energy spikes and dips throughout the day. For those of us with daily responsibilities, we can observe that rhythm and plan for it.

For example, I get tired when I get home. My creative juices are low. So I watch some anime. Not much; just two or three episodes. And that's recharges me enough to let me complete more creative resonsibilities later in the evening.

Otherwise, I putter around all evening, unable to muster the energy to do much useful.

Posted in Self-improvement

4 Sep 07 - 4 Sep 07

It's really incredibly important to my creative juices that I have all my projects in list form. I accomplish a lot when I can refer to them at any time.

Posted in Self-improvement

29 Aug 07 - 29 Aug 07

From The Accidental Creative:

Todd Henry writes:

There's going to be some noticeable dips in quality and performance when we're taking risks and trying new things, because taking risks requires more energy, requires more focus. There's some sort of psychological trauma that's inflicted on us whenever we take a risk, whenever we step out and try something new.

That made me stop and think. So true. When we try something new, we need to reserve lots of space for relaxation and reflection, and be very forgiving of ourselves. We tend to compare our attempts against finished works of brilliance, and forget the years of worried, uncertain experimentation that built them.

Posted in Self-improvement

10 Aug 07 - 10 Aug 07

There's a great, short blog post over at My Two Dollars entitled There Will Be No Flashing Green Light, OK? It excellently explains something I've found to be true: we all have big plans, but often we put them on hold because now's not the right time. But for many things there is no right time.

Which is no reason to overload yourself. But why not make a list of ten cool things you've always wanted to do, and do the first thing you need to in each one?

Posted in Self-improvement

30 Jul 07 - 30 Jul 07

A grey, drizzly, London-by-Foglight morning. I felt subdued as I drove in to work, my radio silent in deference to this week's Media Fast.

Ah! The Media Fast. This is my second in as many years. I spend a week avoiding all broadcast media: TV, DVDs, movies, newspapers, magazines, books, the world wide web, and podcasts.

By the end of the week, I want to continue it forever. I feel so free and focused when I haven't been subjected to input. And then the first book afterwards: Wow. It's an intense experience.

Posted in Self-improvement

26 Jul 07 - 26 Jul 07

I left work early today to attend a Toastmasters meeting. This is my second time at a Toastmasters event; the first was at a small club that couldn't really find members; this is a larger club (about six regular members) that's been going for months. Good people, interesting topics, and some really great speeches. I'm looking forward to it.

Why am I going to Toastmasters? As I told them:

1. Tom Peters told me to.
2. As I read about great people, I keep reading their recommendations to join Toastmasters.
3. Since I'm teaching, I want to be really good at speaking in public.

So, that was fun. Then, for my weekly "recharging the creative batteries" time, I saw Ratatouille again. I enjoyed it at least as much as the first time I saw it. Great animation.

And now, tonight, I contemplate how much I've enjoyed keeping my celphone off all day. I really do want to pull myself further off the grid. So, proposed: I will only check blogs and comics once a week. I will only check email once a day, in the early morning. My celphone will remain off except in the evenings, or when I expect a call.

Let's see how it goes.

Posted in Self-improvement

15 Jul 07 - 15 Jul 07

It was a good retreat. Not as full as I'd have liked, but I was shocked when confronting the idea of two and a half days of intense creativity.

I ended up reading a good amount of Tom Peters, and journalling lots of ideas. Which is not a waste of two and a half days.

Posted in Self-improvement

13 Jul 07 - 13 Jul 07

Today begins my creative retreat, three days of reading, programming, writing, and generally making stuff. Incredibly important for my creativity, I've found; otherwise I feel frustrated by not having time to just go nuts and make stuff.

Posted in Self-improvement

10 Jul 07 - 10 Jul 07

I have hundreds of books. Love 'em. I'm an unabashed bookworm. I get warm fuzzies thinking of a blustery winter day ten years from now, when I remember a favorite book and can pluck it off my shelves and sit down with a mug of tea and just read.

So I've been thinking. What if I got rid of all but a few dozen of my books? How would that change me as a person? Why do I want those books? Why have I spent all that money for that feeling of security?

Would I feel more free if I had only a couple dozen books? Would I feel less attachment to things? Might I be a deeper person if I weren't gripping all these things with such determination?

The great religious men of history had few possessions.

Do I fear that kind of poverty? A poverty of books?

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Jul 07 - 5 Jul 07

I want to rant. To eloquently express my frustration with a DVD that contains episodes in the wrong order.

And then I realize that I want to rant because I bought an anime DVD of a brilliant, beautiful series that happens to be ordered in a way I dislike. Am I really that petty?

Why do such things upset us so? Why do we get so emotional over a slight difference between expectations and reality? Why do we work so hard to mold reality to fit our expectations?

Why not just let things be?

Posted in Self-improvement

24 Jun 07 - 24 Jun 07

A few months ago, I wrote up a Renewal Investment Plan (or R.I.P, ha ha). It's a list of significant things I want to accomplish in the next three months. I'm at the end of the quarter, so it's time to review.

Three new skills:

• Drawing heads/profiles, to prepare for my next comic. Done.
• Cooking pasta to al dente every time, no matter the shape. Done.
• Reading and practicing Japanese. Not as often as I'd like, but better than before.

Thirty new people to meet:

• Join Toastmasters. Complete failure.
• Keep in touch with students in my Web Design class. Complete failure.
• Go out on ten dates. I only did two.

Three new major projects:

• Kickstart Project Omega, the game my co-workers and I are designing. Done.
• The Garden Redevelopment Project. This included building a bunch of planters, repainting the fence, and laying down several truckloads of mulch. Done.
• Giant Armors written. Done (wrote the last bit this morning).

One new thing for the resume:

• Firestorm, my side-scrolling shooter for Syllable. Done.

So. I did terribly at meeting new people, which is typical for me. But that's fine. I now know how I did, and can work on that for my next R.I.P.

If nothing else, this has been a great way to keep me in touch with my bigger life goals, the stuff beyond the day-to-day projects that will make me a more interesting, well-rounded person.

Posted in Self-improvement

23 Jun 07 - 23 Jun 07

Today is Make Day. Thanks to a post on the Accidental Creative blog, I reserved today just to make stuff (and plan to schedule a new one every month).

One of the results: check_syntax, a script that will check the syntax of whatever source code file you give it. Currently supports C, C++, PHP, Perl, Python, and common Unix shells (bash, sh, csh, and tcsh).

Posted in Self-improvement, Tech

22 Jun 07 - 22 Jun 07

Are you an artist?

We're all capable of producing art. Many people compare themselves to world-class art. They look at their drawing or their story or their song, and they see that it's not as good as the artists they see in galleries or read in books or hear on the radio.

But if your goal is to be a world-class artist, isn't that a hollow goal? It might get you there, but you'll never be happy until you are there, and when you're finally there, then what?

Why not just create art? Whatever art you want to.

Posted in Self-improvement

20 Jun 07 - 20 Jun 07

Things are usually a lot easier than they seem.

I've been stressing out over a project at work. An influential person needed some data from me, and I had to provide it by the end of today.

But it was easy. It wasn't all easy, but my worries didn't lessen the difficulty. I could have spent the last few days enjoying the challenge instead of worrying about it.

Posted in Self-improvement

2 Jun 07 - 2 Jun 07

You don't get credit for the small stuff.

Mowing the lawn. Cleaning up. Replying to emails. Balancing your budget. Nobody's going to come up and thank you for doing the small stuff.

I'm thirty years old, and I've just realized this. Internalizing it has changed me, for the better. I don't resent the small stuff. I don't get fed up with it. I just get on with it.

And I think that's good.

Posted in Self-improvement

8 May 07 - 8 May 07

Another BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) today:

When I come home tired, cook a meal, and realize that I don't feel like I have any energy to write...

...I can choose to write anyway.

Posted in Self-improvement, Writing

7 May 07 - 7 May 07

As I re-read the first chapter of Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People today, I experienced another blinding flash of the obvious.

Covey wrote about the "P/PC Balance." "P" stands for Productivity, and "PC" for Productive Capacity. He encourages finding time for both work and your capacity to work.

I realized that I tend towards a Productivity imbalance. I create stuff so much that I burn out. I need to feed my capacity.

How, though? Watching movies? Reading books? And how much?

Posted in Self-improvement

19 Apr 07 - 19 Apr 07

I read half a dozen self-improvement blogs every day. This week, I've become increasingly disillusioned with them.

Several of them focus on things to do to improve your life. Go to the gym. Get away from toxic people. Envision wild success and focus all your time on that.

But these are all external circumstances. Isn't this all about self-improvement? The true goal of self-improvement should not be to improve one's circumstances, for the best people thrive in all circumstance with any people.

Posted in Self-improvement

15 Apr 07 - 15 Apr 07

David Allen writes:

One subtle life skill should become part of the competency set for all professionals (and all people): How fast can you get back to "ready"? How easily and rapidly can you relax and refocus when it's necessary to do so? How good are you at creating a centered, balanced, aware, and open state of mind for the next input or impetus that emerges in your world? When something pushes your button, rings your bell, grabs your attention, bothers, upsets, engrosses, or excites you, what is your lag time to unhook from those feelings, clear the decks internally, and engage again appropriately with a fresh perspective and with the new subject/object that must now be confronted?

This, I think, is why we all need productivity systems. We need some way to keep track of what we've agreed to do. Even if we've just agreed with ourselves to do it. Especially if we've agreed with ourselves.

Posted in Self-improvement

7 Apr 07 - 7 Apr 07

The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary definition of "addiction:"

ad·dic·tion

Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control.

Some are addicted to getting money, others addicted to getting love. Some are addicted to getting time.

I've been guilty of time addiction, and surely haven't completely kicked it. Time addiction means wanting to use every second to its fullest, and feeling disappointed when you don't. It means rushing and multitasking in all things. It means speeding through neighborhoods, eating a meal in five minutes without tasting it, and a frustrated sigh when Google doesn't load in three seconds.

Why do we want more time? Not for its own sake; for what it gives us. The ability to do more. To finish more projects and collect more things. To have more experiences. But as we all know, the more you push the gas pedal, the more the scenery blurs.

Seems to me the solution is to want less. To push off a few projects; let them wait a week or two. They may grumble, but it's good for both of you if you can give them more attention when you return to them.

Why not defer half your current projects? Just focus on a few? Give yourself some time.

Heh. By letting go of projects, you get more time. Funny how that works, isn't it?

Posted in Self-improvement

30 Mar 07 - 30 Mar 07

And it's done. I've completely renovated my garden.

As expected, I hit the 90% Wall. Most projects seem to have a point near the end where I just don't want to put any more time into them. I don't know why, but it's frequent, and it seems to affect most creative projects. It's a major reason why books don't get finished, comics don't get published, and in general creative people don't finish their projects.

But this one's done. There's certainly more stuff I want to do in my garden, but I've done what I initially set out to do.

What it really takes, for me, is eliminating other distractions and focusing on one project only, until it's done. I may work on other projects, but this one gets priority, and I work on it every day until it's done.

And then, it's done.

Posted in Self-improvement

7 Mar 07 - 7 Mar 07

Written on one of my index cards as I sat at a Latino restaurant this past weekend:

What is excellence in waitering? Serving food well? No, anyone can bring plates to a table. Understanding customers' needs? Yes. People want to be served, their desires granted. Listen. What do your clients want?

Posted in Self-improvement

18 Feb 07 - 18 Feb 07

I like to keep my lists and reminders in a little pack of index cards in one pocket. Every time I whip out my cards, I get a smirk from someone watching. Frequently, someone pulls out a PDA or celphone and shows me how they can keep their to-dos on it.

I usually just shrug, since I don't want to start an argument. But now, here are my reasons for using index cards:

• Paper has extremely high resolution: about six hundred dots per inch, compared to about one hundred for a "high-res" monitor. It supports text and graphics, and direct input. It's also full-color. Input devices are ubiquitous, standardized, and cheap.
• My data is stored in a universal format that will still be recognized fifty years from now (compared to, say, a Microsoft Word 97 file).
• It never crashes. The data is rarely corrupted (smudged), and even then has always been limited to a few words and been recoverable by context.
• It never has to be reset. It doesn't have to boot; it's always immediately on.
• It uses zero power. Its batteries never die. It never has to be recharged.
• It's almost perfectly secure. While it's in my pocket, nobody else in the world can possibly access it. If I want to securely delete the data, I burn a card and the data can't possibly be recovered by a third party.
• It can be easily backed up (using a photocopier). It can be easily archived (drop it in a file folder). It fits a wide variety of standard media.
• The display can be expanded to huge size by spreading out cards on any surface. Cards can be posted publicly on almost any surface, anywhere in the world.
• I can buy massively more storage (five hundred cards) for about three dollars.
• If I want digital storage, the data can be scanned into a computer in about ten seconds using a $70 off-the-shelf scanner.

Posted in Self-improvement

10 Feb 07 - 10 Feb 07

For the past few days, I've been experimenting. I've committed myself to one project, and spending all my spare time on it. I've taken breaks, of course, but I've kept at it. I wanted to feel that long, unrelenting push to completion.

So today, I completed a twenty-two panel, nine-page graphic novel. I sketched the last page on Thursday, so in two days I inked, scanned, and assembled twenty-two drawings. I plan to post it all here, one panel at a time, starting Monday.

It feels great.

Posted in Self-improvement

9 Feb 07 - 9 Feb 07

From my sixth grade creative writing textbook:

1. Awareness -- A creative person notices things that others overlook or are not even interested in. He also tries to see below the surface or the outside appearance of things.
2. Imagination -- A creative person is able to look at simple things from different points of view and find enjoyment and appreciation in them.
3. Wonder -- A creative person wonders about new and better ways to do things or to express himself. To a creative person, a problem becomes an opportunity to show his creativity.
4. Courage -- A creative person is not discouraged when other people think that his ideas are silly. He believes in what he is doing.
5. Dedication -- A creative person is willing to work--and rework--until he achieves his best. He is always jotting down words and ideas that he can use later.
6. Enthusiasm -- A creative person is high-spirited. He is enthusiastic about the works and successes of others, and he is eager to improve and to help others improve. He enjoys life and is eager to share his enjoyment.

That's really good advice.

Posted in Writing, Self-improvement

8 Feb 07 - 8 Feb 07

Random self-improvement suggestions:

• Once a week, cook a big meal that'll provide enough leftovers to last a few days. Chili, soup, and stew are easy.
• Explore a unique interest of yours.
• Exercise three times a week for twenty minutes.
• When next you shop for groceries, avoid the chips aisle and instead buy cheese, vegetables that you like, and a favorite salad dressing. Don't even bother making a salad; eat 'em raw.
• Drive to the nearest park and wander around. Explore a part you've never walked through before.
• Go to the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army store, and buy a used bread machine for about $15. Make bread twice a week.
• Remove all cash, credit cards, and checks from your purse or wallet, drive to your favorite shopping location, and window shop for at least two hours. Keep a running tally of all the things you're not buying.
• Put a book on your dining room table. When you're done with dinner, read for at least ten minutes.
• Spend at least twenty minutes eating dinner (not preparing it; eating it). Judge the flavor and consistency of the food.

Note: Pick no more than three of the above suggestions to attempt in any given week. Also note: I don't do all of the above. But I wish I did.

Posted in Self-improvement

5 Feb 07 - 5 Feb 07

I carry several index cards in my pocket, on which I write reminders to myself. At the end of the day, if I've written something on a card, I drop that card in my paper inbox to later process onto an appropriate list.

Today's card, for example:

This system works well for me. I can capture any idea, anywhere.

Posted in Self-improvement

29 Jan 07 - 29 Jan 07

Last week, I realized that I have enough money. I'm saving, I'm eating well, and I'm paying my bills.

I'd been planning to get another tenant for my spare bedroom. But with that realization, I asked myself, Why deal with that? Why not use what I've been given?

So I converted the spare bedroom into a studio. My bedroom--stuffed as it was with two desks and a bed--is now a comfortable private retreat. The new studio has my computer, my writing desk, a drafting table, and a synthesizer. I can now be massively creative in an ideal space.

This strikes me as an improvement.

Posted in Self-improvement